Incorporating Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte Ratio and Platelet-to-lymphocyte Ratio in Place of Neutrophil Count and Platelet Count Improves Prognostic Accuracy of the International Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Database Consortium Model

PubMed Central

Chrom, Pawel; Stec, Rafal; Bodnar, Lubomir; Szczylik, Cezary

2018-01-01

Purpose The study investigated whether a replacement of neutrophil count and platelet count by neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) within the International Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Database Consortium (IMDC) model would improve its prognostic accuracy. Materials and Methods This retrospective analysis included consecutive patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma treated with first-line tyrosine kinase inhibitors. The IMDC and modified-IMDC models were compared using: concordance index (CI), bias-corrected concordance index (BCCI), calibration plots, the Grønnesby and Borgan test, Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC), generalized R2, Integrated Discrimination Improvement (IDI), and continuous Net Reclassification Index (cNRI) for individual risk factors and the three risk groups. Results Three hundred and twenty-one patients were eligible for analyses. The modified-IMDC model with NLR value of 3.6 and PLR value of 157 was selected for comparison with the IMDC model. Both models were well calibrated. All other measures favoured the modified-IMDC model over the IMDC model (CI, 0.706 vs. 0.677; BCCI, 0.699 vs. 0.671; BIC, 2,176.2 vs. 2,190.7; generalized R2, 0.238 vs. 0.202; IDI, 0.044; cNRI, 0.279 for individual risk factors; and CI, 0.669 vs. 0.641; BCCI, 0.669 vs. 0.641; BIC, 2,183.2 vs. 2,198.1; generalized R2, 0.163 vs. 0.123; IDI, 0.045; cNRI, 0.165 for the three risk groups). Conclusion Incorporation of NLR and PLR in place of neutrophil count and platelet count improved prognostic accuracy of the IMDC model. These findings require external validation before introducing into clinical practice. PMID:28253564

Incorporating Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte Ratio and Platelet-to-lymphocyte Ratio in Place of Neutrophil Count and Platelet Count Improves Prognostic Accuracy of the International Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Database Consortium Model.

PubMed

Chrom, Pawel; Stec, Rafal; Bodnar, Lubomir; Szczylik, Cezary

2018-01-01

The study investigated whether a replacement of neutrophil count and platelet count by neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) within the International Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Database Consortium (IMDC) model would improve its prognostic accuracy. This retrospective analysis included consecutive patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma treated with first-line tyrosine kinase inhibitors. The IMDC and modified-IMDC models were compared using: concordance index (CI), bias-corrected concordance index (BCCI), calibration plots, the Grønnesby and Borgan test, Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC), generalized R 2 , Integrated Discrimination Improvement (IDI), and continuous Net Reclassification Index (cNRI) for individual risk factors and the three risk groups. Three hundred and twenty-one patients were eligible for analyses. The modified-IMDC model with NLR value of 3.6 and PLR value of 157 was selected for comparison with the IMDC model. Both models were well calibrated. All other measures favoured the modified-IMDC model over the IMDC model (CI, 0.706 vs. 0.677; BCCI, 0.699 vs. 0.671; BIC, 2,176.2 vs. 2,190.7; generalized R 2 , 0.238 vs. 0.202; IDI, 0.044; cNRI, 0.279 for individual risk factors; and CI, 0.669 vs. 0.641; BCCI, 0.669 vs. 0.641; BIC, 2,183.2 vs. 2,198.1; generalized R 2 , 0.163 vs. 0.123; IDI, 0.045; cNRI, 0.165 for the three risk groups). Incorporation of NLR and PLR in place of neutrophil count and platelet count improved prognostic accuracy of the IMDC model. These findings require external validation before introducing into clinical practice.

ROC-king onwards: intraepithelial lymphocyte counts, distribution & role in coeliac disease mucosal interpretation.

PubMed

Rostami, Kamran; Marsh, Michael N; Johnson, Matt W; Mohaghegh, Hamid; Heal, Calvin; Holmes, Geoffrey; Ensari, Arzu; Aldulaimi, David; Bancel, Brigitte; Bassotti, Gabrio; Bateman, Adrian; Becheanu, Gabriel; Bozzola, Anna; Carroccio, Antonio; Catassi, Carlo; Ciacci, Carolina; Ciobanu, Alexandra; Danciu, Mihai; Derakhshan, Mohammad H; Elli, Luca; Ferrero, Stefano; Fiorentino, Michelangelo; Fiorino, Marilena; Ganji, Azita; Ghaffarzadehgan, Kamran; Going, James J; Ishaq, Sauid; Mandolesi, Alessandra; Mathews, Sherly; Maxim, Roxana; Mulder, Chris J; Neefjes-Borst, Andra; Robert, Marie; Russo, Ilaria; Rostami-Nejad, Mohammad; Sidoni, Angelo; Sotoudeh, Masoud; Villanacci, Vincenzo; Volta, Umberto; Zali, Mohammad R; Srivastava, Amitabh

2017-12-01

Counting intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL) is central to the histological diagnosis of coeliac disease (CD), but no definitive 'normal' IEL range has ever been published. In this multicentre study, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to determine the optimal cut-off between normal and CD (Marsh III lesion) duodenal mucosa, based on IEL counts on >400 mucosal biopsy specimens. The study was designed at the International Meeting on Digestive Pathology, Bucharest 2015. Investigators from 19 centres, eight countries of three continents, recruited 198 patients with Marsh III histology and 203 controls and used one agreed protocol to count IEL/100 enterocytes in well-oriented duodenal biopsies. Demographic and serological data were also collected. The mean ages of CD and control groups were 45.5 (neonate to 82) and 38.3 (2-88) years. Mean IEL count was 54±18/100 enterocytes in CD and 13±8 in normal controls (p=0.0001). ROC analysis indicated an optimal cut-off point of 25 IEL/100 enterocytes, with 99% sensitivity, 92% specificity and 99.5% area under the curve. Other cut-offs between 20 and 40 IEL were less discriminatory. Additionally, there was a sufficiently high number of biopsies to explore IEL counts across the subclassification of the Marsh III lesion. Our ROC curve analyses demonstrate that for Marsh III lesions, a cut-off of 25 IEL/100 enterocytes optimises discrimination between normal control and CD biopsies. No differences in IEL counts were found between Marsh III a, b and c lesions. There was an indication of a continuously graded dose-response by IEL to environmental (gluten) antigenic influence. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

ROC-king onwards: intraepithelial lymphocyte counts, distribution & role in coeliac disease mucosal interpretation

PubMed Central

Rostami, Kamran; Marsh, Michael N; Johnson, Matt W; Mohaghegh, Hamid; Heal, Calvin; Holmes, Geoffrey; Ensari, Arzu; Aldulaimi, David; Bancel, Brigitte; Bassotti, Gabrio; Bateman, Adrian; Becheanu, Gabriel; Bozzola, Anna; Carroccio, Antonio; Catassi, Carlo; Ciacci, Carolina; Ciobanu, Alexandra; Danciu, Mihai; Derakhshan, Mohammad H; Elli, Luca; Ferrero, Stefano; Fiorentino, Michelangelo; Fiorino, Marilena; Ganji, Azita; Ghaffarzadehgan, Kamran; Going, James J; Ishaq, Sauid; Mandolesi, Alessandra; Mathews, Sherly; Maxim, Roxana; Mulder, Chris J; Neefjes-Borst, Andra; Robert, Marie; Russo, Ilaria; Rostami-Nejad, Mohammad; Sidoni, Angelo; Sotoudeh, Masoud; Villanacci, Vincenzo; Volta, Umberto; Zali, Mohammad R; Srivastava, Amitabh

2017-01-01

Objectives Counting intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL) is central to the histological diagnosis of coeliac disease (CD), but no definitive ‘normal’ IEL range has ever been published. In this multicentre study, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to determine the optimal cut-off between normal and CD (Marsh III lesion) duodenal mucosa, based on IEL counts on >400 mucosal biopsy specimens. Design The study was designed at the International Meeting on Digestive Pathology, Bucharest 2015. Investigators from 19 centres, eight countries of three continents, recruited 198 patients with Marsh III histology and 203 controls and used one agreed protocol to count IEL/100 enterocytes in well-oriented duodenal biopsies. Demographic and serological data were also collected. Results The mean ages of CD and control groups were 45.5 (neonate to 82) and 38.3 (2–88) years. Mean IEL count was 54±18/100 enterocytes in CD and 13±8 in normal controls (p=0.0001). ROC analysis indicated an optimal cut-off point of 25 IEL/100 enterocytes, with 99% sensitivity, 92% specificity and 99.5% area under the curve. Other cut-offs between 20 and 40 IEL were less discriminatory. Additionally, there was a sufficiently high number of biopsies to explore IEL counts across the subclassification of the Marsh III lesion. Conclusion Our ROC curve analyses demonstrate that for Marsh III lesions, a cut-off of 25 IEL/100 enterocytes optimises discrimination between normal control and CD biopsies. No differences in IEL counts were found between Marsh III a, b and c lesions. There was an indication of a continuously graded dose–response by IEL to environmental (gluten) antigenic influence. PMID:28893865

The association between cigarette smoking, virologic suppression, and CD4+ lymphocyte count in HIV-Infected Russian women.

PubMed

Brown, Jennifer L; Winhusen, Theresa; DiClemente, Ralph J; Sales, Jessica M; Rose, Eve S; Safonova, Polina; Levina, Olga; Belyakov, Nikolay; Rassokhin, Vadim V

2017-09-01

Cigarette smoking among people living with HIV/AIDS is associated with significant morbidity and mortality, but findings regarding the association between cigarette smoking and HIV viral load and CD4+ lymphocyte counts have been inconsistent. This study characterized the prevalence of cigarette smoking among HIV-infected Russian women and examined the association between smoking frequency and quantity and HIV viral load and CD4+ lymphocyte counts. HIV-infected Russian women (N = 250; M age = 30.0) in St. Petersburg, Russia, completed an audio computer-assisted self-interview survey assessing cigarette use, antiretroviral medication adherence, and provided blood samples assayed for HIV viral load and CD4+ lymphocyte counts. The majority (60.4%) reported cigarette smoking in the past month; 49.0% of recent smokers were classified as moderate or heavy smokers, defined as smoking ≥10 cigarettes daily. Viral load status did not differ between infrequent smokers and regular smokers. However, moderate/heavy smokers (relative to light smokers) were more likely to have a detectable viral load (AOR = 2.3, 95% CI: 1.1, 5.1). There were no significant differences in CD4+ lymphocyte counts by smoking frequency or quantity of cigarettes smoked. Results highlight the need for additional research to examine the association between cigarette smoking and virologic suppression and markers of HIV disease progression. Adverse health consequences of cigarette smoking coupled with a potential link between heavy smoking and poor virologic suppression highlight the need for assessment of cigarette use and provision of evidence-based smoking-cessation interventions within HIV medical care.

The role of blood neutrophil count and the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio as a predictive factor for prostate biopsy results.

PubMed

Kamali, Koosha; Ashrafi, Mojtaba; Shadpour, Pejman; Ameli, Mojtaba; Khayyamfar, Amirmahdi; Abolhasani, Maryam; Azizpoor, Amin

2018-04-01

It is apparent that prostate cancer has harmful effects on the erythrocytes, leucocytes, and platelets. In addition, it has been suggested that the toxic granules in neutrophils lead to inflammation in the cancerous tissues besides the activation of monocytes, so in this study we aimed to evaluate the blood neutrophil count besides the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio as a predictive factor for prostate biopsy results and their relationship with prostate cancer grade in patients undergoing biopsy of the prostate. For all men with irritative lower urinary tract symptoms visiting Hasheminezhad Hospital from January to July 2015, in case of having a suspicious digital rectal examination or aged above 40 years, prostate-specific antigen was requested and in case of abnormal results, they underwent prostate biopsy. In order to examine the study hypothesis, the blood neutrophil count and the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio were measured and compared with the abnormal prostate-specific antigen results and suspicious digital rectal examination. Among the 500 referred samples for biopsy, 352 (70.4%) had a negative biopsy result, while it was positive in the other 148 (29.6). The mean neutrophil count showed no statistical difference regarding the biopsy results (p = 0.381). When measuring the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio again with biopsy results, no statistically significant difference was obtained based on the biopsy results (p = 0.112). Neutrophil count and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio cannot be predictive factors for positive prostate cancer biopsy.

Total lymphocyte count as a predictor of absolute CD4+ count and CD4+ percentage in HIV-infected persons.

PubMed

Blatt, S P; Lucey, C R; Butzin, C A; Hendrix, C W; Lucey, D R

1993-02-03

To determine whether the total lymphocyte count (TLC) accurately predicts a low absolute CD4+ T-cell count and CD4+ percentage in persons infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Retrospective analysis of data collected in the US Air Force HIV Natural History Study. Military medical center that performs annual medical evaluation of all HIV-infected US Air Force personnel. A total of 828 consecutive patients with no prior history of zidovudine use, evaluated from January 1985 through July 1991. For patients with multiple observations over time, a single data point within each 6-month interval was included in the analysis (N = 2866). The sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratio (LR) of the TLC, in the range of 1.00 x 10(9)/L to 2.00 x 10(9)/L, in predicting an absolute CD4+ T-cell count less than 0.20 x 10(9)/L or a CD4+ percentage less than 20% were calculated. In addition, the LR and pretest probability of significant immunosuppression were used to calculate posttest probabilities of a low CD4+ count for a given TLC value. The LR of the TLC in predicting an absolute CD4+ count < 0.20 x 10(9)/L increased from 2.4 (95% confidence interval, 2.2 to 2.5) for all TLCs less than 2.00 x 10(9)/L, to 33.2 (95% confidence interval, 24.1 to 45.7) for all TLCs less than 1.00 x 10(9)/L. The specificity for this prediction increased from 57% to 97% over this range. The LR also increased from 1.4 (95% confidence interval, 1.3 to 1.6) for all TLCs less than 2.00 x 10(9)/L to 9.7 (95% confidence interval, 7.1 to 13.1) for all TLCs less than 1.00 x 10(9)/L in predicting a CD4+ percentage less than 20%. The TLC, between 1.00 x 10(9)/L and 2.00 x 10(9)/L, appears to be a useful predictor of significant immunosuppression as measured by a CD4+ T-cell count less than 0.20 x 10(9)/L in HIV-infected persons. The LR for a given TLC value and the pretest probability of immunosuppression can be used to determine the posttest probability of significant immunosuppression in

CD4+ T Lymphocytes count in sickle cell anaemia patients attending a tertiary hospital.

PubMed

Ojo, Omotola Toyin; Shokunbi, Wuraola Adebola

2014-05-01

Sickle cell haemoglobin (HbS) is the commonest abnormal haemoglobin and it has a worldwide distribution. Reports have shown that patients with sickle cell anaemia (HbSS) have an increased susceptibility to infection leading to increased morbidity and mortality. Impaired leucocyte function and loss of both humoral and cell-mediated immunity are some of the mechanisms that have been reported to account for the immunocompromised state in patients with sickle cell disease. This study was carried out to determine the CD4+ T lymphocytes count in patients with sickle cell anaemia. A comparative cross-sectional study of 40 sickle cell anaemia patients in steady state (asymptomatic for at least 4 weeks) attending haematology clinic and 40 age and sex-matched healthy HbA control were recruited into the study. Both HbS patients and the controls were HIV negative. The blood samples obtained were analyzed for CD4+ T cell by Flow cytometry. The study found that there was no significant difference in the number of CD4+ T lymphocyte count between individuals with sickle cell anaemia and HbA (1016 ± 513 cells/μL vs 920 ± 364cells/μL). It is recommended that the functionality of CD4+ T lymphocyte should be considered rather than the number in further attempt to elucidate the cellular immune dysfunction in patients with sickle cell anaemia.

[Relationship between CD4(+) T lymphocyte cell count and the prognosis (including the healing of the incision wound) of HIV/AIDS patients who had undergone surgical operation].

PubMed

Yang, Di; Zhao, Hongxin; Gao, Guiju; Wei, Kai; Zhang, Li; Han, Ning; Xiao, Jiang; Li, Xin; Wang, Fang; Liang, Hongyuan; Zhang, Wei; Wu, Liang

2014-12-01

To explore the relationship between CD4(+) T lymphocyte cell count and prognosis as well as healing of the surgical incision in HIV/AIDS patients who had received operation. Data were collected and analysed retrospectively from 234 HIV/AIDS patients hospitalized at the Beijing Ditan hospital who underwent operation between January 2008 and December 2012. Following factors were taken into consideration that including:age, gender, time and where that anti-HIV(+) was diagnosed, CD4(+)T lymphocyte cell count at the time of operation, part of the body that being operated, typology of incision, different levels of healing on the surgical incision, infection at the incision site, post-operative complications and the prognosis, etc. Wilcoxon rank sum test, χ(2) test, Kruskal-Wallis H test and Spearman rank correlation were used for statistical analysis to compare the different levels on healing of the incision in relation to the different CD4(+)T lymphocyte cell counts. Rates of level A healing under different CD4(+)T cell counts were also compared. 1) Among the 234 patients including 125 males and 109 females, the average age was 36.17±11.56 years old. Time after discovery of anti-HIV(+)was between 0 and 204 months. The medium CD4(+)T cell count was 388.5 cell/µl; 23.93% of the patients having CD4(+)T lymphocyte cell counts as <200 cell/µl. 2) 7.26% of the operations were emergent. There were 23 different organs affected at the time of operation, due to 48 different kinds of illness. 21.37% of the operations belonged to class I incision, 49.57% was class II incision and 29.06% was class III incision. 86.32% of the incisions resulted in level A healing, 12.51% resulted in level B and 1.71% in level C. 4.27% of the patients developed post-operative complications. Differences between level A healing and level B or C healing in terms of CD4(+)T lymphocyte cell count were not significant (P > 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference on the CD4(+) T

Lymphocyte count as a sign of immunoparalysis and its correlation with nutritional status in pediatric intensive care patients with sepsis: A pilot study.

PubMed

Manzoli, Talita Freitas; Delgado, Artur Figueiredo; Troster, Eduardo Juan; de Carvalho, Werther Brunow; Antunes, Ana Caroline Barreto; Marques, Desirée Mayara; Zamberlan, Patrícia

2016-11-01

Developing malnutrition during hospitalization is well recognized worldwide, and children are at a relatively higher risk for malnutrition than adults. Malnutrition can lead to immune dysfunction, which is associated with a higher mortality rate due to sepsis, the most frequent cause of death in pediatric intensive care units (PICUs). The aim of this study was to investigate whether malnourished patients are more likely to have relative or absolute lymphopenia and, consequently, worse prognoses. We enrolled 14 consecutive patients with sepsis whose legal representatives provided written informed consent. Patients were classified as normal or malnourished based on anthropometric measurements. As an additional evaluation of nutritional status, serum albumin and zinc were measured on the 1st and 7th days of hospitalization. Lymphocyte count was also measured on the 1st and 7th days. Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT02698683. Malnutrition prevalence rates were 33.3% and 42.8% based on weight and height, respectively. Laboratory analyses revealed a reduction of serum albumin in 100% of patients and reduction of zinc in 93.3% of patients. A total of 35% of patients had fewer than 500 lymphocytes/mm3 on their first day in the PICU. Lymphocyte counts and zinc concentrations significantly increased during hospitalization. Nutritional evaluations, including anthropometric measurements, were not correlated with lymphocyte counts. Lymphocyte counts concomitantly increased with zinc levels, suggesting that micronutrient supplementation benefits patients with sepsis.

Neutrophil, lymphocyte and platelet counts, and risk of prostate cancer outcomes in white and black men: results from the SEARCH database.

PubMed

Vidal, Adriana C; Howard, Lauren E; de Hoedt, Amanda; Cooperberg, Matthew R; Kane, Christopher J; Aronson, William J; Terris, Martha K; Amling, Christopher L; Taioli, Emanuela; Fowke, Jay H; Freedland, Stephen J

2018-06-01

Systemic inflammation, as measured by C-reactive protein, has been linked with poor prostate cancer (PC) outcomes, predominantly in white men. Whether other immune measures like white blood cell counts are correlated with PC progression and whether results vary by race is unknown. We examined whether complete blood count (CBC) parameters were associated with PC outcomes and whether these associations varied by race. Analyses include 1,826 radical prostatectomy patients from six VA hospitals followed through medical record review for biochemical recurrence (BCR). Secondary outcomes included castration-resistant PC (CRPC), metastasis, all-cause mortality (ACM), and PC-specific mortality (PCSM). Cox-proportional hazards were used to assess the associations between pre-operative neutrophils, lymphocytes, platelets, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) with each outcome. We used a Bonferroni-corrected p-value of 0.05/5 = 0.01 as the threshold for statistical significance. Of 1,826 men, 794 (43%) were black and 1,032 (57%) white. Neutrophil count (p < 0.001), NLR (p < 0.001), and PLR (p < 0.001) were significantly lower, while lymphocyte count (p < 0.001) was significantly higher in black versus white men. After adjusting for clinicopathological features, no CBC measures were significantly associated with BCR. There were no interactions between CBC and race in predicting BCR. Similarly, no CBC values were significantly associated with CRPC, metastases, or PCSM either among all men or when stratified by race. However, higher neutrophil count was associated with higher ACM risk in white men (p = 0.004). Pre-operative CBC measures were not associated with PC outcomes in black or white men undergoing radical prostatectomy, except for neutrophils-positive association with risk of ACM in white men. Whether circulating immune cell markers provide insight to the pathophysiology of PC progression or adverse treatment

Lymphocyte count as a sign of immunoparalysis and its correlation with nutritional status in pediatric intensive care patients with sepsis: A pilot study

PubMed Central

Manzoli, Talita Freitas; Delgado, Artur Figueiredo; Troster, Eduardo Juan; de Carvalho, Werther Brunow; Antunes, Ana Caroline Barreto; Marques, Desirée Mayara; Zamberlan, Patrícia

2016-01-01

OBJECTIVES: Developing malnutrition during hospitalization is well recognized worldwide, and children are at a relatively higher risk for malnutrition than adults. Malnutrition can lead to immune dysfunction, which is associated with a higher mortality rate due to sepsis, the most frequent cause of death in pediatric intensive care units (PICUs). The aim of this study was to investigate whether malnourished patients are more likely to have relative or absolute lymphopenia and, consequently, worse prognoses. METHODS: We enrolled 14 consecutive patients with sepsis whose legal representatives provided written informed consent. Patients were classified as normal or malnourished based on anthropometric measurements. As an additional evaluation of nutritional status, serum albumin and zinc were measured on the 1st and 7th days of hospitalization. Lymphocyte count was also measured on the 1st and 7th days. Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT02698683. RESULTS: Malnutrition prevalence rates were 33.3% and 42.8% based on weight and height, respectively. Laboratory analyses revealed a reduction of serum albumin in 100% of patients and reduction of zinc in 93.3% of patients. A total of 35% of patients had fewer than 500 lymphocytes/mm3 on their first day in the PICU. Lymphocyte counts and zinc concentrations significantly increased during hospitalization. CONCLUSIONS: Nutritional evaluations, including anthropometric measurements, were not correlated with lymphocyte counts. Lymphocyte counts concomitantly increased with zinc levels, suggesting that micronutrient supplementation benefits patients with sepsis. PMID:27982165

Mortality prediction to hospitalized patients with influenza pneumonia: PO2 /FiO2 combined lymphocyte count is the answer.

PubMed

Shi, Shu Jing; Li, Hui; Liu, Meng; Liu, Ying Mei; Zhou, Fei; Liu, Bo; Qu, Jiu Xin; Cao, Bin

2017-05-01

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) severity scores perform well in predicting mortality of CAP patients, but their applicability in influenza pneumonia is powerless. The aim of our research was to test the efficiency of PO 2 /FiO 2 and CAP severity scores in predicting mortality and intensive care unit (ICU) admission with influenza pneumonia patients. We reviewed all patients with positive influenza virus RNA detection in Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital during the 2009-2014 influenza seasons. Outpatients, inpatients with no pneumonia and incomplete data were excluded. We used receiver operating characteristic curves (ROCs) to verify the accuracy of severity scores or indices as mortality predictors in the study patients. Among 170 hospitalized patients with influenza pneumonia, 30 (17.6%) died. Among those who were classified as low-risk (predicted mortality 0.1%-2.1%) by pneumonia severity index (PSI) or confusion, urea, respiratory rate, blood pressure, age ≥65 year (CURB-65), the actual mortality ranged from 5.9 to 22.1%. Multivariate logistic regression indicated that hypoxia (PO 2 /FiO 2  ≤ 250) and lymphopenia (peripheral blood lymphocyte count <0.8 × 10 9 /L) were independent risk factors for mortality, with OR value of 22.483 (95% confidence interval 4.927-102.598) and 5.853 (95% confidence interval 1.887-18.152), respectively. PO 2 /FiO 2 combined lymphocyte count performed well for mortality prediction with area under the curve (AUC) of 0.945, which was significantly better than current CAP severity scores of PSI, CURB-65 and confusion, respiratory rate, blood pressure, age ≥65 years for mortality prediction (P < 0.001). The scores or indices for ICU admission prediction to hospitalized patients with influenza pneumonia confirmed a similar pattern and PO 2 /FiO 2 combined lymphocyte count was also the best predictor for predicting ICU admission. In conclusion, we found that PO 2 /FiO 2 combined lymphocyte count is simple and reliable predictor

Predictions of CD4 lymphocytes’ count in HIV patients from complete blood count

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background HIV diagnosis, prognostic and treatment requires T CD4 lymphocytes’ number from flow cytometry, an expensive technique often not available to people in developing countries. The aim of this work is to apply a previous developed methodology that predicts T CD4 lymphocytes’ value based on total white blood cell (WBC) count and lymphocytes count applying sets theory, from information taken from the Complete Blood Count (CBC). Methods Sets theory was used to classify into groups named A, B, C and D the number of leucocytes/mm3, lymphocytes/mm3, and CD4/μL3 subpopulation per flow cytometry of 800 HIV diagnosed patients. Union between sets A and C, and B and D were assessed, and intersection between both unions was described in order to establish the belonging percentage to these sets. Results were classified into eight ranges taken by 1000 leucocytes/mm3, calculating the belonging percentage of each range with respect to the whole sample. Results Intersection (A ∪ C) ∩ (B ∪ D) showed an effectiveness in the prediction of 81.44% for the range between 4000 and 4999 leukocytes, 91.89% for the range between 3000 and 3999, and 100% for the range below 3000. Conclusions Usefulness and clinical applicability of a methodology based on sets theory were confirmed to predict the T CD4 lymphocytes’ value, beginning with WBC and lymphocytes’ count from CBC. This methodology is new, objective, and has lower costs than the flow cytometry which is currently considered as Gold Standard. PMID:24034560

Effects of the space flight environment on man's immune system. II - Lymphocyte counts and reactivity.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fischer, G. L.; Daniels, J. C.; Levin, W. C.; Kimzey, S. L.; Cobb, E. K.; Ritzmann, S. E.

1972-01-01

The present studies were undertaken to assess the effects of the environment of space flights on the cellular division of the human immune system. Peripheral blood absolute lymphocyte counts were determined at various preflight and postflight intervals for the 21 crewmen of Apollo Missions 7-13. Mean lymphocyte numbers tended to exhibit a delayed significant but fluctuating increase shortly after recovery, although a variety of responses was seen in individual astronauts. The in vitro reactivity of lymphocytes, reflected by RNA and DNA synthesis rates by unstimulated and PHA-stimulated lymphocytes tissue-cultured preflight and postflight from the same participants, was found to remain within previously established normal ranges. These results indicate that functional integrity of cellular immune potential as reflected by in vitro techniques is maintained during this spaceflight experience.

CD4 Lymphocyte Count: MedlinePlus Lab Test Information

MedlinePlus

... Clinics Authority; c2017. CD4+ Count Results [updated 2017 Mar 3; cited 2017 Nov 29]; [about 7 screens]. ... Authority; c2017. CD4+ Count Test Overview [updated 2017 Mar 3; cited 2017 Nov 29]; [about 2 screens]. ...

Factors affecting the CD34+ cell yields from the second donations of healthy donors: The steady-state lymphocyte count is a good predictive factor.

PubMed

Guo, Zhi-Ping; Wang, Tao; Xu, Lan-Ping; Zhang, Xiao-Hui; Wang, Yu; Huang, Xiao-Jun; Chang, Ying-Jun

2016-12-01

A second allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation and donor lymphocyte infusion using cells from the same donor is a therapeutic option in the case of stem-cell graft failure or disease relapse, but little is known about the factors associated with the CD34 + cell yields from second donations. One-hundred healthy donors who underwent a second mobilization treatment and peripheral blood stem-cell (PBSC) collection were studied. For both mobilization processes, 5 µg of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor per kg per day was administered. The blood counts of the donors were monitored during the processes. The second donations from the same donors provided lower apheresis yields than did the initial collections. The number of CD34 + cells collected from normal donors after a second cycle of PBSC mobilization was associated with their steady-state lymphocyte counts and the intertransplantation interval. Female sex negatively affected the CD34 + cell yields. The cutoff value for the steady-state absolute lymphocyte count was 2.055 × 10 9 /L. To harvest greater numbers of CD34 + cells from second collections, male donors and those with intervals of longer than 9 months between donations should be selected. The lymphocyte counts prior to the first donations may predict the content of CD34 + cells in the allografts prepared using the second donations. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Moderate physical activity of music aerobic exercise increases lymphocyte counts, specific subsets, and differentiation.

PubMed

Yeh, Shu-Hui; Lai, Hsiu-Ling; Hsiao, Chiu-Yueh; Lin, Li-Wei; Chuang, Yu-Kuan; Yang, Yu-Yeng; Yang, Kuender D

2014-09-01

Moderate physical activity has been shown to promote immunity. Different moderate physical activities may have different effects on immunity. This study investigated the impacts of a 12-week regular music aerobic exercise (MAE) program on leukocyte distribution, lymphocyte subsets, and lymphocyte polarization. The study used a case-control design with pretest and posttest. Forty-seven middle-age women were recruited for this study. Three participants dropped out, 22 completed the 12-week MAE program, and the other 22 participants who had heat-intolerance or limited schedule eligibility were enrolled as the control group without the MAE exercise. Results showed that the MAE exercise for 12 weeks didn't change red blood cells or total leukocytes but increased lymphocyte counts. The women in MAE group revealed significant increases (P ≤ 0.01) of CD3CD4, CD3CD8, and CD4CD25 cells, associated with Treg polarization showing enhanced FoxP3 but not T-bet, Gata-3, or RORγT expression (P < .01). The control group without exercise revealed insignificant change of lymphocyte subsets or lymphocyte polarization. This study shows that MAE increases specific lymphocyte subsets and enhances Treg cell differentiation. It is suggested to encourage moderate physical activity of music aerobic exercise to enhance lymphocyte function of middle-aged women.

Correlation between Lymphocyte CD4 Count, Treatment Duration, Opportunistic Infection and Cognitive Function in Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV-AIDS) Patients.

PubMed

Fitri, Fasihah Irfani; Rambe, Aldy Safruddin; Fitri, Aida

2018-04-15

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is an epidemic worldwide, despite the marked benefits of antiretroviral therapy (ARV) in reducing severe HIV-associated dementia. A milder form of neurocognitive disorders are still prevalent and remain a challenge. This study aimed to determine the correlation between plasma cluster of differentiation 4 (CD4) lymphocyte, duration of ARV treatment, opportunistic infections, and cognitive function in HIV-AIDS patients. A cross-sectional study involving 85 HIV-AIDS patients was conducted at Adam Malik General Hospital Medan, Indonesia. All subjects were subjected to physical, neurologic examination and Montreal Cognitive Assessment-Indonesian Version (MoCA-INA) to assess cognitive function and measurement of lymphocyte CD4 counts. Out of the 85 subjects evaluated, the proportion concerning sexes include 52 males (61.2 %) and 33 females (38.8%). The mean age was 38.53 ± 9.77 years old. There was a significant correlation between CD4 lymphocyte counts and MoCA-INA score (r = 0.271, p = 0.012), but there was no significant correlation between duration of ARV treatment and MoCA-INA score. There was also no difference in MoCA-INA score based on the presence of opportunistic infection. Lymphocyte CD4 count was independently correlated with cognitive function in HIV-AIDS patients.

White blood cell counts and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio in the diagnosis of testicular cancer: a simple secondary serum tumor marker.

PubMed

Yuksel, Ozgur Haki; Verit, Ayhan; Sahin, Aytac; Urkmez, Ahmet; Uruc, Fatih

2016-01-01

The aim of the study was to investigate white blood cell counts and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) as markers of systemic inflammation in the diagnosis of localized testicular cancer as a malignancy with initially low volume. Thirty-six patients with localized testicular cancer with a mean age of 34.22±14.89 years and 36 healthy controls with a mean age of 26.67±2.89 years were enrolled in the study. White blood cell counts and NLR were calculated from complete blood cell counts. White blood cell counts and NLR were statistically significantly higher in patients with testicular cancer compared with the control group (p<0.0001 for all). Both white blood cell counts and NLR can be used as a simple test in the diagnosis of testicular cancer besides the well-known accurate serum tumor markers as AFP (alpha fetoprotein), hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) and LDH (lactate dehydrogenase).

A quartz nanopillar hemocytometer for high-yield separation and counting of CD4+ T lymphocytes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Dong-Joo; Seol, Jin-Kyeong; Wu, Yu; Ji, Seungmuk; Kim, Gil-Sung; Hyung, Jung-Hwan; Lee, Seung-Yong; Lim, Hyuneui; Fan, Rong; Lee, Sang-Kwon

2012-03-01

We report the development of a novel quartz nanopillar (QNP) array cell separation system capable of selectively capturing and isolating a single cell population including primary CD4+ T lymphocytes from the whole pool of splenocytes. Integrated with a photolithographically patterned hemocytometer structure, the streptavidin (STR)-functionalized-QNP (STR-QNP) arrays allow for direct quantitation of captured cells using high content imaging. This technology exhibits an excellent separation yield (efficiency) of ~95.3 +/- 1.1% for the CD4+ T lymphocytes from the mouse splenocyte suspensions and good linear response for quantitating captured CD4+ T-lymphoblasts, which is comparable to flow cytometry and outperforms any non-nanostructured surface capture techniques, i.e. cell panning. This nanopillar hemocytometer represents a simple, yet efficient cell capture and counting technology and may find immediate applications for diagnosis and immune monitoring in the point-of-care setting.We report the development of a novel quartz nanopillar (QNP) array cell separation system capable of selectively capturing and isolating a single cell population including primary CD4+ T lymphocytes from the whole pool of splenocytes. Integrated with a photolithographically patterned hemocytometer structure, the streptavidin (STR)-functionalized-QNP (STR-QNP) arrays allow for direct quantitation of captured cells using high content imaging. This technology exhibits an excellent separation yield (efficiency) of ~95.3 +/- 1.1% for the CD4+ T lymphocytes from the mouse splenocyte suspensions and good linear response for quantitating captured CD4+ T-lymphoblasts, which is comparable to flow cytometry and outperforms any non-nanostructured surface capture techniques, i.e. cell panning. This nanopillar hemocytometer represents a simple, yet efficient cell capture and counting technology and may find immediate applications for diagnosis and immune monitoring in the point-of-care setting

Quantitative profiling of immune repertoires for minor lymphocyte counts using unique molecular identifiers.

PubMed

Egorov, Evgeny S; Merzlyak, Ekaterina M; Shelenkov, Andrew A; Britanova, Olga V; Sharonov, George V; Staroverov, Dmitriy B; Bolotin, Dmitriy A; Davydov, Alexey N; Barsova, Ekaterina; Lebedev, Yuriy B; Shugay, Mikhail; Chudakov, Dmitriy M

2015-06-15

Emerging high-throughput sequencing methods for the analyses of complex structure of TCR and BCR repertoires give a powerful impulse to adaptive immunity studies. However, there are still essential technical obstacles for performing a truly quantitative analysis. Specifically, it remains challenging to obtain comprehensive information on the clonal composition of small lymphocyte populations, such as Ag-specific, functional, or tissue-resident cell subsets isolated by sorting, microdissection, or fine needle aspirates. In this study, we report a robust approach based on unique molecular identifiers that allows profiling Ag receptors for several hundred to thousand lymphocytes while preserving qualitative and quantitative information on clonal composition of the sample. We also describe several general features regarding the data analysis with unique molecular identifiers that are critical for accurate counting of starting molecules in high-throughput sequencing applications. Copyright © 2015 by The American Association of Immunologists, Inc.

WBC count

MedlinePlus

Leukocyte count; White blood cell count; White blood cell differential; WBC differential; Infection - WBC count; Cancer - WBC count ... called leukopenia. A count less than 4,500 cells per microliter (4.5 × 10 9 /L) is ...

External quality assessment for CD4 + T-lymphocyte count test

PubMed Central

Gaspar, Pâmela Cristina; Wohlke, Bruna Lovizutto Protti; Brunialti, Milena Karina Coló; Pires, Ana Flávia; Kohiyama, Igor Massaki; Salomão, Reinaldo; Alonso Neto, José Boullosa; Júnior, Orlando da Costa Ferreira; Franchini, Miriam; Bazzo, Maria Luiza; Benzaken, Adele Schwartz

2018-01-01

Abstract The National Network for CD4+ T-lymphocyte counting of Brazil comprises 93 laboratories. This study reports the laboratory performances achieved in external quality assessment (EQA) rounds provides by Ministry of Health to evaluate the quality of the kits used and the performance of test by the technicians. Ten EQA rounds were analyzed according the EQA criteria aimed to evaluate individual laboratory performance on the basis of the accuracy of their results compared to the general mean obtained by all participating laboratories and the reproducibility of the results obtained between 2 samples from the same donor. The percentage of approved and failed laboratories in the EQAs tends to follow a uniform pattern. Since 2011, approval has remained above 80% and the failure rate has never exceeded 15%. EQA is very important to evaluate the performance of the laboratories, to identify monitor, and to resolve errors as quickly as possible. PMID:29794603

Leukocyte counts and lymphocyte subsets in relation to pregnancy and HIV infection in Malawian women.

PubMed

Mandala, Wilson L; Gondwe, Esther N; Molyneux, Malcolm E; MacLennan, Jenny M; MacLennan, Calman A

2017-09-01

We investigated leukocyte and lymphocyte subsets in HIV-infected or HIV-uninfected, pregnant or non-pregnant Malawian women to explore whether HIV infection and pregnancy may act synergistically to impair cellular immunity. We recruited 54 pregnant and 48 non-pregnant HIV-uninfected women and 24 pregnant and 20 non-pregnant HIV-infected Malawian women. We compared peripheral blood leukocyte and lymphocyte subsets between women in the four groups. Parturient HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected women had more neutrophils (each P<.0001), but fewer lymphocytes (P<.0001; P=.0014) than non-pregnant women. Both groups had fewer total T cells (P<.0001; P=.002) and CD8 + T cells (P<.0001; P=.014) than non-pregnant women. HIV-uninfected parturient women had fewer CD4 + and γδ T cells, B and NK cells (each P<.0001) than non-pregnant women. Lymphocyte subset percentages were not affected by pregnancy. Malawian women at parturition have an increased total white cell count due to neutrophilia and an HIV-unrelated pan-lymphopenia. © 2017 The Author. American Journal of Reproductive Immunology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Host virus and pneumococcus-specific immune responses in high-count monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis and chronic lymphocytic leukemia: implications for disease progression

PubMed Central

Criado, Ignacio; Muñoz-Criado, Santiago; Rodríguez-Caballero, Arancha; Nieto, Wendy G.; Romero, Alfonso; Fernández-Navarro, Paulino; Alcoceba, Miguel; Contreras, Teresa; González, Marcos; Orfao, Alberto; Almeida, Julia

2017-01-01

Patients diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) display a high incidence of infections due to an associated immunodeficiency that includes hypogammaglobulinemia. A higher risk of infections has also been recently reported for high-count monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis, while no information is available in low-count monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis. Here, we evaluated the status of the humoral immune system in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (n=58), as well as in low- (n=71) and high- (n=29) count monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis versus healthy donors (n=91). Total free plasma immunoglobulin titers and specific levels of antibodies against cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, influenza and S.pneumoniae were measured by nephelometry and ELISA-based techniques, respectively. Overall, our results show that both CLL and high-count monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis patients, but not low-count monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis subjects, present with relatively high levels of antibodies specific for the latent viruses investigated, associated with progressively lower levels of S.pneumoniae-specific immunoglobulins. These findings probably reflect asymptomatic chronic reactivation of humoral immune responses against host viruses associated with expanded virus-specific antibody levels and progressively decreased protection against other micro-organisms, denoting a severe humoral immunodeficiency state not reflected by the overall plasma immunoglobulin levels. Alternatively, these results could reflect a potential role of ubiquitous viruses in the pathogenesis of the disease. Further analyses are necessary to establish the relevance of such asymptomatic humoral immune responses against host viruses in the expansion of the tumor B-cell clone and progression from monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis to CLL. PMID:28385786

Association of psychological stress response of fatigue with white blood cell count in male daytime workers.

PubMed

Nishitani, Naoko; Sakakibara, Hisataka

2014-01-01

Relationships between work-related psychological and physical stress responses and counts of white blood cells (WBCs), neutrophils, and lymphocytes were investigated in 101 daytime workers. Counts of WBCs and neutrophils were positively associated with smoking and inversely correlated with high density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol levels. Additionally, general fatigue score as measured by the profile of mood state was positively correlated with WBC and neutrophil counts whereas lymphocyte counts was not significantly associated with fatigue score. Multiple regression analysis showed that WBC count was significantly related to general fatigue, age, and HDL-cholesterol levels. Neutrophil count was significantly related to HDL-cholesterol levels and fatigue score. Among various psychological stress response variables, general fatigue may be a key determinant of low-grade inflammation as represented by increases of WBC and neutrophil counts.

Relationship between shift work and peripheral total and differential leukocyte counts in Chinese steel workers.

PubMed

Lu, Li-Fen; Wang, Chao-Ping; Tsai, I-Ting; Hung, Wei-Chin; Yu, Teng-Hung; Wu, Cheng-Ching; Hsu, Chia-Chang; Lu, Yung-Chuan; Chung, Fu-Mei; Jean, Mei-Chu Yen

2016-01-01

Even though shift work has been suspected to be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, little research has been done to determine the logical underlying inflammation mechanisms. This study investigated the association between shift work and circulating total and differential leukocyte counts among Chinese steel workers. The subjects were 1,654 line workers in a steel plant, who responded to a cross-sectional survey with a questionnaire on basic attributes, life style, and sleep. All workers in the plant received a periodic health checkup. Total and differential leukocytes counts were also examined in the checkup. Shift workers had higher rates of alcohol use, smoking, poor sleep, poor physical exercise, and obesity than daytime workers. In further analysis, we found that the peripheral total WBC, monocyte, neutrophil, and lymphocyte counts were also greater in shift workers than in daytime workers. When subjects were divided into quartiles according to total WBC, neutrophil, monocyte, and lymphocyte counts, increased leukocyte count was associated with shift work. Using stepwise linear regression analysis, smoking, obesity, and shift work were independently associated with total WBC, monocyte, neutrophil, and lymphocyte counts. This study indicates that peripheral total and differential leukocyte counts are significantly higher in shift workers, which suggests that shift work may be a risk factor of cardiovascular disease. Applicable intervention strategies are needed for prevention of cardiovascular disease for shift workers.

Prevalence and predictors of cytomegalovirus retinitis in HIV-infected patients with low CD4 lymphocyte counts in Vietnam.

PubMed

Colby, Donn J; Vo, Diem Qh; Teoh, Stephen C; Tam, Nguyen T; Liem, Nguyen T; Lu, Doanh; Nguyen, Thi T; Cosimi, Lisa; Pollack, Todd; Libman, Howard

2014-06-01

We describe the results of a study to determine the prevalence and characteristics of cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis among HIV-infected patients in Vietnam. We conducted a cross-sectional prospective study of patients with CD4 lymphocyte count ≤100 cells/mm(3)recruited from public HIV clinics. The diagnosis was made by a trained ophthalmologist using slit lamp biomicroscopy and corroborated on fundus photography. A total of 201 patients were screened. The median age was 32 years, 77% were men, median CD4 count was 47 cells/mm(3), and 62% were on antiretroviral treatment. Prevalence of CMV retinitis was 7% (14/201, 95% CI 4-11%). CMV retinitis was not associated with age, gender, injection drug use, CD4 count, WHO clinical stage, or antiretroviral treatment status. Blurring of vision and reduced visual acuity <20/40 were associated with CMV retinitis, but only 29% of patients with the diagnosis reported blurry vision and only 64% had abnormal vision. On multivariate analysis, the sole predictor for CMV retinitis was decreased visual acuity (OR 22.8,p < 0.001). In Ho Chi Minh City, CMV retinitis was found in 7% of HIV-infected patients with low CD4. HIV-infected patients with a CD4 count <100/mm(3)or who develop blurring of vision in Vietnam should be screened for CMV retinitis. © The Author(s) 2013 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

Compton suppression gamma-counting: The effect of count rate

USGS Publications Warehouse

Millard, H.T.

1984-01-01

Past research has shown that anti-coincidence shielded Ge(Li) spectrometers enhanced the signal-to-background ratios for gamma-photopeaks, which are situated on high Compton backgrounds. Ordinarily, an anti- or non-coincidence spectrum (A) and a coincidence spectrum (C) are collected simultaneously with these systems. To be useful in neutron activation analysis (NAA), the fractions of the photopeak counts routed to the two spectra must be constant from sample to sample to variations must be corrected quantitatively. Most Compton suppression counting has been done at low count rate, but in NAA applications, count rates may be much higher. To operate over the wider dynamic range, the effect of count rate on the ratio of the photopeak counts in the two spectra (A/C) was studied. It was found that as the count rate increases, A/C decreases for gammas not coincident with other gammas from the same decay. For gammas coincident with other gammas, A/C increases to a maximum and then decreases. These results suggest that calibration curves are required to correct photopeak areas so quantitative data can be obtained at higher count rates. ?? 1984.

Pre-treatment haemoglobin and peripheral blood lymphocyte count as independent predictors of outcome in carcinoma of cervix.

PubMed

Hoskin, P J; Rojas, A M; Peiris, S N; Mullassery, V; Chong, I Y

2014-04-01

To evaluate pre-treatment haemoglobin and peripheral blood lymphocyte (PBL) counts as predictors of treatment outcome in cervix carcinoma treated with radical chemoradiation. Pre-treatment PBL counts and haemoglobin concentrations were retrieved from full blood count examinations from 111 patients who received concurrent chemoradiotherapy. Overall survival and relapse-free survival were obtained using the Kaplan-Meier method by ranking the data by median haemoglobin and PBL, singly and then in association. Their independence and significance as predictors of outcome were analysed using the Cox proportional hazard model. Survival rates were significantly higher in patients whose haemoglobin level or PBL counts were at or above the corresponding median value. At 5 years, rates of overall survival were 77% versus 41% (P = 0.0003) and 75% versus 42% (P = 0.002), when dichotomised around median haemoglobin and PBL, respectively. In multivariate and univariate analyses, both PBL and haemoglobin were independent and significant predictors for risk of death and relapse. Their predictive power was dramatically enhanced when the data were stratified into four groups by associating patients with haemoglobin ≥ median or < median with those whose PBL was ≥ or < median. Baseline PBL and haemoglobin seem to be strong, independent predictors of treatment outcome in carcinoma of the cervix, particularly if patient response is ranked using the predictors simultaneously. The hypothesis needs to be tested and, if confirmed, the markers should be used in combination to identify those at greater risk of failure who may benefit from additional therapy, with further validation in prospective trials offering treatment modification. Copyright © 2013 The Royal College of Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Lymphocytosis (High Lymphocyte Count)

MedlinePlus

... to be lymphocytosis in adults. In children, the threshold for lymphocytosis varies with age. It may be ... as 9,000 lymphocytes per microliter. The exact thresholds for lymphocytosis may vary slightly from one lab ...

Choral Counting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Turrou, Angela Chan; Franke, Megan L.; Johnson, Nicholas

2017-01-01

The students in Ms. Moscoso's second-grade class gather on the rug after recess, ready for one of their favorite math warm-ups: Choral Counting. Counting is an important part of doing mathematics throughout the school; students count collections (Schwerdtfeger and Chan 2007) and solve problems using a variety of strategies, many of which are…

Electrochemical magneto-actuated biosensor for CD4 count in AIDS diagnosis and monitoring.

PubMed

Carinelli, S; Xufré Ballesteros, C; Martí, M; Alegret, S; Pividori, M I

2015-12-15

The counting of CD4(+) T lymphocytes is a clinical parameter used for AIDS diagnosis and follow-up. As this disease is particularly prevalent in developing countries, simple and affordable CD4 cell counting methods are urgently needed in resource-limited settings. This paper describes an electrochemical magneto-actuated biosensor for CD4 count in whole blood. The CD4(+) T lymphocytes were isolated, preconcentrated and labeled from 100 μL of whole blood by immunomagnetic separation with magnetic particles modified with antiCD3 antibodies. The captured cells were labeled with a biotinylated antiCD4 antibody, followed by the reaction with the electrochemical reporter streptavidin-peroxidase conjugate. The limit of detection for the CD4 counting magneto-actuated biosensor in whole blood was as low as 44 cells μL(-1) while the logistic range was found to be from 89 to 912 cells μL(-1), which spans the whole medical interest range for CD4 counts in AIDS patients. The electrochemical detection together with the immunomagnetic separation confers high sensitivity, resulting in a rapid, inexpensive, robust, user-friendly method for CD4 counting. This approach is a promising alternative for the costly standard flow cytometry and suitable as diagnostic tool at decentralized practitioner sites in low resource settings, especially in less developed countries. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Kids Count in Delaware, Families Count in Delaware: Fact Book, 2003.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Delaware Univ., Newark. Kids Count in Delaware.

This Kids Count Fact Book is combined with the Families Count Fact Book to provide information on statewide trends affecting children and families in Delaware. The Kids Count and Families Count indicators have been combined into four new categories: health and health behaviors, educational involvement and achievement, family environment and…

Tower counts

USGS Publications Warehouse

Woody, Carol Ann; Johnson, D.H.; Shrier, Brianna M.; O'Neal, Jennifer S.; Knutzen, John A.; Augerot, Xanthippe; O'Neal, Thomas A.; Pearsons, Todd N.

2007-01-01

Counting towers provide an accurate, low-cost, low-maintenance, low-technology, and easily mobilized escapement estimation program compared to other methods (e.g., weirs, hydroacoustics, mark-recapture, and aerial surveys) (Thompson 1962; Siebel 1967; Cousens et al. 1982; Symons and Waldichuk 1984; Anderson 2000; Alaska Department of Fish and Game 2003). Counting tower data has been found to be consistent with that of digital video counts (Edwards 2005). Counting towers do not interfere with natural fish migration patterns, nor are fish handled or stressed; however, their use is generally limited to clear rivers that meet specific site selection criteria. The data provided by counting tower sampling allow fishery managers to determine reproductive population size, estimate total return (escapement + catch) and its uncertainty, evaluate population productivity and trends, set harvest rates, determine spawning escapement goals, and forecast future returns (Alaska Department of Fish and Game 1974-2000 and 1975-2004). The number of spawning fish is determined by subtracting subsistence, sport-caught fish, and prespawn mortality from the total estimated escapement. The methods outlined in this protocol for tower counts can be used to provide reasonable estimates ( plus or minus 6%-10%) of reproductive salmon population size and run timing in clear rivers. 

Oral manifestations of human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and their correlation to cluster of differentiation lymphocyte count in population of North-East India in highly active antiretroviral therapy era.

PubMed

Nayak, Sarat Kumar; Das, Bijay Kumar; Das, Surya Narayan; Mohapatra, Namita; Nayak, Suryakanti; Bhuyan, Lipsa

2016-01-01

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection which manifests as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a disease involving the defects of the T-lymphocyte arm of the immune system. Certain laboratory parameters such as the cluster of differentiation (CD4) count and clinical parameters have long been used as markers of disease progression. In industrialized countries, many studies show a highly correlation between the incidence of oral lesions and immunosuppression and hence, can be used as a marker of immunosuppression. This might not be applicable to a developing country like India. In this study, efforts have been made to supplement the present knowledge on various aspects of oral manifestations in HIV patients in the Indian subcontinent. To correlate the oral manifestations in HIV/AIDS patients to the level of circulating CD4+ T-lymphocyte count and their effect in anti-retroviral therapy (ART). A total of 104 HIV positive patients were examined for oral lesions. The CD4 count estimated on the same day by fluorescent activated cell sort count machine was then correlated with various oral lesions. Oral manifestations appeared when CD4 count decreased below 500 cells/mm 3 . Moreover, oral lesions found at different stages showed very strong correlation to their respective CD4 count. Furthermore, there was considerable decline in the incidence of oral manifestations in patients undergoing highly active ART. Oral manifestations are highly predictive markers of severe immune deterioration and disease progression in HIV patients.

Multiplicity Counting

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Geist, William H.

2015-12-01

This set of slides begins by giving background and a review of neutron counting; three attributes of a verification item are discussed: 240Pu eff mass; α, the ratio of (α,n) neutrons to spontaneous fission neutrons; and leakage multiplication. It then takes up neutron detector systems – theory & concepts (coincidence counting, moderation, die-away time); detector systems – some important details (deadtime, corrections); introduction to multiplicity counting; multiplicity electronics and example distributions; singles, doubles, and triples from measured multiplicity distributions; and the point model: multiplicity mathematics.

Modified combination of platelet count and neutrophil "to" lymphocyte ratio as a prognostic factor in patients with advanced head and neck cancer.

PubMed

Nakayama, Masahiro; Gosho, Masahiko; Hirose, Yuki; Nishimura, Bungo; Tanaka, Shuho; Tabuchi, Keiji; Okubo, Hideki; Wada, Tetsuro; Hara, Akira

2018-06-01

We evaluated the prognostic potential of the combination of platelet count and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (COP-NLR) in patients with advanced head and neck cancer. We proposed a modified COP-NLR scoring system defined as follows: score 0 (platelet count level <300 × 10 9 /L and NLR <3); score 1 (platelet count level ≥300 × 10 9 /L and NLR <3); and score 2 (NLR ≥3). We assessed whether the modified scoring system had better performance as an indicator of prognosis than the existing COP-NLR scoring system (original and 4-group scores). A total of 248 patients were enrolled. The Akaike Information Criterion value with the modified COP-NLR score was the smallest among the 3 models. The 3-year survival rates according to the modified COP-NLR scores of 0, 1, and 2 were 80.6%, 59.9%, and 23.8%, respectively. The modified COP-NLR score is a useful prognostic marker in patients with advanced head and neck cancer. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Lower white blood cell counts in elite athletes training for highly aerobic sports.

PubMed

Horn, P L; Pyne, D B; Hopkins, W G; Barnes, C J

2010-11-01

White cell counts at rest might be lower in athletes participating in selected endurance-type sports. Here, we analysed blood tests of elite athletes collected over a 10-year period. Reference ranges were established for 14 female and 14 male sports involving 3,679 samples from 937 females and 4,654 samples from 1,310 males. Total white blood cell counts and counts of neutrophils, lymphocytes and monocytes were quantified. Each sport was scaled (1-5) for its perceived metabolic stress (aerobic-anaerobic) and mechanical stress (concentric-eccentric) by 13 sports physiologists. Substantially lower total white cell and neutrophil counts were observed in aerobic sports of cycling and triathlon (~16% of test results below the normal reference range) compared with team or skill-based sports such as water polo, cricket and volleyball. Mechanical stress of sports had less effect on the distribution of cell counts. The lower white cell counts in athletes in aerobic sports probably represent an adaptive response, not underlying pathology.

The Effects of Gamma and Proton Radiation Exposure on Hematopoietic Cell Counts in the Ferret Model

PubMed Central

Sanzari, Jenine K.; Wan, X. Steven; Krigsfeld, Gabriel S.; Wroe, Andrew J.; Gridley, Daila S.; Kennedy, Ann R.

2014-01-01

Exposure to total-body radiation induces hematological changes, which can detriment one's immune response to wounds and infection. Here, the decreases in blood cell counts after acute radiation doses of γ-ray or proton radiation exposure, at the doses and dose-rates expected during a solar particle event (SPE), are reported in the ferret model system. Following the exposure to γ-ray or proton radiation, the ferret peripheral total white blood cell (WBC) and lymphocyte counts decreased whereas neutrophil count increased within 3 hours. At 48 hours after irradiation, the WBC, neutrophil, and lymphocyte counts decreased in a dose-dependent manner but were not significantly affected by the radiation type (γ-rays verses protons) or dose rate (0.5 Gy/minute verses 0.5 Gy/hour). The loss of these blood cells could accompany and contribute to the physiological symptoms of the acute radiation syndrome (ARS). PMID:25356435

Maintenance therapy of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia revisited-Should drug doses be adjusted by white blood cell, neutrophil, or lymphocyte counts?

PubMed

Schmiegelow, Kjeld; Nersting, Jacob; Nielsen, Stine Nygaard; Heyman, Mats; Wesenberg, Finn; Kristinsson, Jon; Vettenranta, Kim; Schrøeder, Henrik; Weinshilboum, Richard; Jensen, Katrine Lykke; Grell, Kathrine; Rosthoej, Susanne

2016-12-01

6-Mercaptopurine (6MP) and methotrexate (MTX) based maintenance therapy is a critical phase of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia treatment. Wide interindividual variations in drug disposition warrant frequent doses adjustments, but there is a lack of international consensus on dose adjustment guidelines. To identify relapse predictors, we collected 28,255 data sets on drug doses and blood counts (median: 47/patient) and analyzed erythrocyte (Ery) levels of cytotoxic 6MP/MTX metabolites in 9,182 blood samples (median: 14 samples/patient) from 532 children on MTX/6MP maintenance therapy targeted to a white blood cell count (WBC) of 1.5-3.5 × 10 9 /l. After a median follow-up of 13.8 years for patients in remission, stepwise Cox regression analysis did not find age, average doses of 6MP and MTX, hemoglobin, absolute lymphocyte counts, thrombocyte counts, or Ery levels of 6-thioguanine nucleotides or MTX (including its polyglutamates) to be significant relapse predictors. The parameters significantly associated with risk of relapse (N = 83) were male sex (hazard ratio [HR] 2.0 [1.3-3.1], P = 0.003), WBC at diagnosis (HR = 1.04 per 10 × 10 9 /l rise [1.00-1.09], P = 0.048), the absolute neutrophil count (ANC; HR = 1.7 per 10 9 /l rise [1.3-2.4], P = 0.0007), and Ery thiopurine methyltransferase activity (HR = 2.7 per IU/ml rise [1.1-6.7], P = 0.03). WBC was significantly related to ANC (Spearman correlation coefficient, r s  = 0.77; P < 0.001), and only a borderline significant risk factor for relapse (HR = 1.28 [95% CI: 1.00-1.64], P = 0.046) when ANC was excluded from the Cox model. This study indicates that a low neutrophil count is likely to be the best hematological target for dose adjustments of maintenance therapy. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Short communication: Repeatability of differential goat bulk milk culture and associations with somatic cell count, total bacterial count, and standard plate count.

PubMed

Koop, G; Dik, N; Nielen, M; Lipman, L J A

2010-06-01

The aims of this study were to assess how different bacterial groups in bulk milk are related to bulk milk somatic cell count (SCC), bulk milk total bacterial count (TBC), and bulk milk standard plate count (SPC) and to measure the repeatability of bulk milk culturing. On 53 Dutch dairy goat farms, 3 bulk milk samples were collected at intervals of 2 wk. The samples were cultured for SPC, coliform count, and staphylococcal count and for the presence of Staphylococcus aureus. Furthermore, SCC (Fossomatic 5000, Foss, Hillerød, Denmark) and TBC (BactoScan FC 150, Foss) were measured. Staphylococcal count was correlated to SCC (r=0.40), TBC (r=0.51), and SPC (r=0.53). Coliform count was correlated to TBC (r=0.33), but not to any of the other variables. Staphylococcus aureus did not correlate to SCC. The contribution of the staphylococcal count to the SPC was 31%, whereas the coliform count comprised only 1% of the SPC. The agreement of the repeated measurements was low. This study indicates that staphylococci in goat bulk milk are related to SCC and make a significant contribution to SPC. Because of the high variation in bacterial counts, repeated sampling is necessary to draw valid conclusions from bulk milk culturing. 2010 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Kids Count in Delaware, Families Count in Delaware: Fact Book, 2002.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Delaware Univ., Newark. Kids Count in Delaware.

This Kids Count Fact Book is combined with the Families Count Fact Book to provide information on statewide trends affecting children and families in Delaware. The Kids Count statistical profile is based on 11 main indicators of child well-being: (1) births to teens 15-17 years; (2) births to teens 10 to 14 years; (3) low birth weight babies; (3)…

Diphtheria Antibodies and T lymphocyte Counts in Patients Infected With HIV-1.

PubMed

Speranza, Francisco A B; Ishii, Solange K; Thuler, Luiz C S; Damasco, Paulo V; Hirata, Raphael; Mattos-Guaraldi, Ana L; Milagres, Lucimar G

2012-07-01

We assessed the IgG levels anti-diphtheria (D-Ab) and T cell counts (CD4+ and CD8+) in HIV-1 infected subjects undergoing or not highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Approximately 70% of all HIV-1 patients were unprotected against diphtheria. There were no differences in D-Ab according to CD4 counts. Untreated patients had higher D-Ab (geometric mean of 0.62 IU/ml) than HAART-patients (geometric mean of 0.39 IU/ml). The data indicated the necessity of keeping all HIV-1 patients up-to-date with their vaccination.

Nutsedge Counts Predict Meloidogyne incognita Juvenile Counts in an Integrated Management System.

PubMed

Ou, Zhining; Murray, Leigh; Thomas, Stephen H; Schroeder, Jill; Libbin, James

2008-06-01

The southern root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita), yellow nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus) and purple nutsedge (Cyperus rotundus) are important pests in crops grown in the southern US. Management of the individual pests rather than the pest complex is often unsuccessful due to mutually beneficial pest interactions. In an integrated pest management scheme using alfalfa to suppress nutsedges and M. incognita, we evaluated quadratic polynomial regression models for prediction of the number of M. incognita J2 in soil samples as a function of yellow and purple nutsedge plant counts, squares of nutsedge counts and the cross-product between nutsedge counts . In May 2005, purple nutsedge plant count was a significant predictor of M. incognita count. In July and September 2005, counts of both nutsedges and the cross-product were significant predictors. In 2006, the second year of the alfalfa rotation, counts of all three species were reduced. As a likely consequence, the predictive relationship between nutsedges and M. incognita was not significant for May and July. In September 2006, purple nutsedge was a significant predictor of M. incognita. These results lead us to conclude that nutsedge plant counts in a field infested with the M. incognita-nutsedge pest complex can be used as a visual predictor of M. incognita J2 populations, unless the numbers of nutsedge plants and M. incognita are all very low.

Nutsedge Counts Predict Meloidogyne incognita Juvenile Counts in an Integrated Management System

PubMed Central

Ou, Zhining; Murray, Leigh; Thomas, Stephen H.; Schroeder, Jill; Libbin, James

2008-01-01

The southern root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita), yellow nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus) and purple nutsedge (Cyperus rotundus) are important pests in crops grown in the southern US. Management of the individual pests rather than the pest complex is often unsuccessful due to mutually beneficial pest interactions. In an integrated pest management scheme using alfalfa to suppress nutsedges and M. incognita, we evaluated quadratic polynomial regression models for prediction of the number of M. incognita J2 in soil samples as a function of yellow and purple nutsedge plant counts, squares of nutsedge counts and the cross-product between nutsedge counts . In May 2005, purple nutsedge plant count was a significant predictor of M. incognita count. In July and September 2005, counts of both nutsedges and the cross-product were significant predictors. In 2006, the second year of the alfalfa rotation, counts of all three species were reduced. As a likely consequence, the predictive relationship between nutsedges and M. incognita was not significant for May and July. In September 2006, purple nutsedge was a significant predictor of M. incognita. These results lead us to conclude that nutsedge plant counts in a field infested with the M. incognita-nutsedge pest complex can be used as a visual predictor of M. incognita J2 populations, unless the numbers of nutsedge plants and M. incognita are all very low. PMID:19259526

Combined blood cell counting and classification with fluorochrome stains and flow instrumentation.

PubMed

Shapiro, H M; Schildkraut, E R; Curbelo, R; Laird, C W; Turner, B; Hirschfeld, T

1976-01-01

A multiparameter flow cytophotometer was used to count and classify fixed human blood cells fluorochromed with a mixture of ethidium bromide (EB), brilliant sulfaflavine and a blue fluorescent stilbene disulfonic acid derivative (LN). The system measures light scattered by the cells and absorption at 420 nm for all cells. In addition, nuclear EB fluorescence (540 leads to 610 nm) and cytoplasmic fluorescence from LN (366 leads to 470 nm), brilliant sulfaflavine (420 leads to 520 nm) and EB exicted by energy transfer from LN (366 leads to 610 nm) are measured for all nucleated cells. This information is sufficient to perform red and white blood cell counts and to classify leukocytes as lymphocytes, monocytes, basophils, eosinophils or neutrophils. Light scattering and/or nuclear and cytoplasmic fluorescence values may be further analyzed to obtain the ratio of immature to mature neutrophils. Counts produced by the system are in reasonable agreement with those obtained by electronic cells counting and examination of Wright's-stained blood smears; some discrepancies appear to be due to systematic errors in the manual counting method.

Differential white cell count by centrifugal microfluidics.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sommer, Gregory Jon; Tentori, Augusto M.; Schaff, Ulrich Y.

We present a method for counting white blood cells that is uniquely compatible with centrifugation based microfluidics. Blood is deposited on top of one or more layers of density media within a microfluidic disk. Spinning the disk causes the cell populations within whole blood to settle through the media, reaching an equilibrium based on the density of each cell type. Separation and fluorescence measurement of cell types stained with a DNA dye is demonstrated using this technique. The integrated signal from bands of fluorescent microspheres is shown to be proportional to their initial concentration in suspension. Among the current generationmore » of medical diagnostics are devices based on the principle of centrifuging a CD sized disk functionalized with microfluidics. These portable 'lab on a disk' devices are capable of conducting multiple assays directly from a blood sample, embodied by platforms developed by Gyros, Samsung, and Abaxis. [1,2] However, no centrifugal platform to date includes a differential white blood cell count, which is an important metric complimentary to diagnostic assays. Measuring the differential white blood cell count (the relative fraction of granulocytes, lymphocytes, and monocytes) is a standard medical diagnostic technique useful for identifying sepsis, leukemia, AIDS, radiation exposure, and a host of other conditions that affect the immune system. Several methods exist for measuring the relative white blood cell count including flow cytometry, electrical impedance, and visual identification from a stained drop of blood under a microscope. However, none of these methods is easily incorporated into a centrifugal microfluidic diagnostic platform.« less

Diphtheria Antibodies and T lymphocyte Counts in Patients Infected With HIV-1

PubMed Central

Speranza, Francisco A. B.; Ishii, Solange K.; Thuler, Luiz C. S.; Damasco, Paulo V.; Jr, Raphael Hirata; Mattos-Guaraldi, Ana L.; Milagres, Lucimar G.

2012-01-01

We assessed the IgG levels anti-diphtheria (D-Ab) and T cell counts (CD4+ and CD8+) in HIV-1 infected subjects undergoing or not highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Approximately 70% of all HIV-1 patients were unprotected against diphtheria. There were no differences in D-Ab according to CD4 counts. Untreated patients had higher D-Ab (geometric mean of 0.62 IU/ml) than HAART-patients (geometric mean of 0.39 IU/ml). The data indicated the necessity of keeping all HIV-1 patients up-to-date with their vaccination. PMID:24031911

Inventory count strategies.

PubMed

Springer, W H

1996-02-01

An important principle of accounting is that asset inventory needs to be correctly valued to ensure that the financial statements of the institution are accurate. Errors is recording the value of ending inventory in one fiscal year result in errors to published financial statements for that year as well as the subsequent fiscal year. Therefore, it is important that accurate physical counts be periodically taken. It is equally important that any system being used to generate inventory valuation, reordering or management reports be based on consistently accurate on-hand balances. At the foundation of conducting an accurate physical count of an inventory is a comprehensive understanding of the process coupled with a written plan. This article presents a guideline of the physical count processes involved in a traditional double-count approach.

[Effects of HiLo for two weeks on erythrocyte immune adhesion and leukocyte count of swimmers].

PubMed

Zhao, Yong-Cai; Gao, Bing-Hong; Wu, Ge-Lin; Zhang, Jiu-Li

2012-07-01

To investigate the effects of living high-training low (HiLo) on innate immunity in blood of elite swimmers. Six female swimmers undertook HiLo for two weeks, erythrocyte adhesion function and counts of leukocyte were tested in different time of training period. Red blood cell C3b receptor ring rate (RBC-C3bRR) decreased and red blood cell immune complex matter ring rate (RBC-ICR) increased significantly (P < 0.05), the two markers returned to base line 1 week after training. Counts of leukocyte and granulocyte decreased significantly (P < 0.05), and they recovered 1 week after training; Counts of lymphocyte and monocyte decreased without significance during training and did not recovered after training. Immunity of erythrocyte and granulocyte decreased quickly, but lymphocyte and monocyte recovered slowly, swimmers were adaptive to the training.

Uncertainties in internal gas counting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Unterweger, M.; Johansson, L.; Karam, L.; Rodrigues, M.; Yunoki, A.

2015-06-01

The uncertainties in internal gas counting will be broken down into counting uncertainties and gas handling uncertainties. Counting statistics, spectrum analysis, and electronic uncertainties will be discussed with respect to the actual counting of the activity. The effects of the gas handling and quantities of counting and sample gases on the uncertainty in the determination of the activity will be included when describing the uncertainties arising in the sample preparation.

Dropout Count Procedural Handbook.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nevada State Dept. of Education, Carson City. Planning, Research and Evaluation Branch.

This manual outlines the procedure for counting dropouts from the Nevada schools. The State Department of Education instituted a new dropout counting procedure to its student accounting system in January 1988 as part of its response to recommendations of a task force on at-risk youth. The count is taken from each secondary school and includes…

Kids Count [and] Families Count in Delaware: Fact Book, 1998.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nelson, Carl, Ed.; Wilson, Nancy, Ed.

This Kids Count report is combined with Families Count, and provides information on statewide trends affecting children and families in Delaware. The first statistical profile is based on 10 main indicators of child well-being: (1) births to teens; (2) low birth weight babies; (3) infant mortality; (4) child deaths; (5) teen deaths; (6) juvenile…

Youth Count: Exploring How KIDS COUNT Grantees Address Youth Issues

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson-Ahlstrom, Alicia; Gaines, Elizabeth; Ferber, Thaddeus; Yohalem, Nicole

2005-01-01

Inspired by the 2004 Kids Count Databook essay, "Moving Youth From Risk to Opportunity," this new report highlights the history of data collection, challenges and innovative strategies of 12 Annie E. Casey Foundation KIDS COUNT grantees in their work to serve the needs of older youth. (Contains 3 figures, 2 tables, and 9 notes.)

AUTOMATIC COUNTING APPARATUS

DOEpatents

Howell, W.D.

1957-08-20

An apparatus for automatically recording the results of counting operations on trains of electrical pulses is described. The disadvantages of prior devices utilizing the two common methods of obtaining the count rate are overcome by this apparatus; in the case of time controlled operation, the disclosed system automatically records amy information stored by the scaler but not transferred to the printer at the end of the predetermined time controlled operations and, in the case of count controlled operation, provision is made to prevent a weak sample from occupying the apparatus for an excessively long period of time.

On-Orbit, Immuno-Based, Label-Free White Blood Cell Counting System with Microelectromechanical Sensor Technology (OILWBCS-MEMS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Edmonds, Jessica

2015-01-01

Aurora Flight Sciences, in partnership with Draper Laboratory, has developed a miniaturized system to count white blood cells in microgravity environments. The system uses MEMS technology to simultaneously count total white blood cells, the five white blood cell differential subgroups, and various lymphocyte subtypes. The OILWBCS-MEMS detection technology works by immobilizing an array of white blood cell-specific antibodies on small, gold-coated membranes. When blood flows across the membranes, specific cells' surface protein antigens bind to their corresponding antibodies. This binding can be measured and correlated to cell counts. In Phase I, the partners demonstrated surface chemistry sensitivity and specificity for total white blood cells and two lymphocyte subtypes. In Phase II, a functional prototype demonstrated end-to-end operation. This rugged, miniaturized device requires minimal blood sample preparation and will be useful for both space flight and terrestrial applications.

Avian leucocyte counting using the hemocytometer

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dein, F.J.; Wilson, A.; Fischer, D.; Langenberg, P.

1994-01-01

Automated methods for counting leucocytes in avian blood are not available because of the presence of nucleated erythrocytes and thrombocytes. Therefore, total white blood cell counts are performed by hand using a hemocytometer. The Natt and Herrick and the Unopette methods are the most common stain and diluent preparations for this procedure. Replicate hemocytometer counts using these two methods were performed on blood from four birds of different species. Cells present in each square of the hemocytometer were counted. Counting cells in the corner, side, or center hemocytometer squares produced statistically equivalent results; counting four squares per chamber provided a result similar to that obtained by counting nine squares; and the Unopette method was more precise for hemocytometer counting than was the Natt and Herrick method. The Unopette method is easier to learn and perform but is an indirect process, utilizing the differential count from a stained smear. The Natt and Herrick method is a direct total count, but cell identification is more difficult.

Isospectral discrete and quantum graphs with the same flip counts and nodal counts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Juul, Jonas S.; Joyner, Christopher H.

2018-06-01

The existence of non-isomorphic graphs which share the same Laplace spectrum (to be referred to as isospectral graphs) leads naturally to the following question: what additional information is required in order to resolve isospectral graphs? It was suggested by Band, Shapira and Smilansky that this might be achieved by either counting the number of nodal domains or the number of times the eigenfunctions change sign (the so-called flip count) (Band et al 2006 J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. 39 13999–4014 Band and Smilansky 2007 Eur. Phys. J. Spec. Top. 145 171–9). Recent examples of (discrete) isospectral graphs with the same flip count and nodal count have been constructed by Ammann by utilising Godsil–McKay switching (Ammann private communication). Here, we provide a simple alternative mechanism that produces systematic examples of both discrete and quantum isospectral graphs with the same flip and nodal counts.

Counting It Twice.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schattschneider, Doris

1991-01-01

Provided are examples from many domains of mathematics that illustrate the Fubini Principle in its discrete version: the value of a summation over a rectangular array is independent of the order of summation. Included are: counting using partitions as in proof by pictures, combinatorial arguments, indirect counting as in the inclusion-exclusion…

Complexities of Counting.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stake, Bernadine Evans

This document focuses on one child's skip counting methods. The pupil, a second grade student at Steuben School, in Kankakee, Illinois, was interviewed as she made several attempts at counting twenty-five poker chips on a circular piece of paper. The interview was part of a larger study of "Children's Conceptions of Number and Numeral,"…

Enhancing the Accuracy of Platelet to Lymphocyte Ratio after Adjustment for Large Platelet Count: A Pilot Study in Breast Cancer Patients

PubMed Central

Seretis, Charalampos; Seretis, Fotios; Lagoudianakis, Emmanuel; Politou, Marianna; Gemenetzis, George; Salemis, Nikolaos S.

2012-01-01

Background. The objective of our study is to investigate the potential effect of adjusting preoperative platelet to lymphocyte ratio, an emerging biomarker of survival in cancer patients, for the fraction of large platelets. Methods. A total of 79 patients with breast neoplasias, 44 with fibroadenomas, and 35 with invasive ductal carcinoma were included in the study. Both conventional platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and the adjusted marker, large platelet to lymphocyte ratio (LPLR), were correlated with laboratory and histopathological parameters of the study sample. Results. LPLR elevation was significantly correlated with the presence of malignancy, advanced tumor stage, metastatic spread in the axillary nodes and HER2/neu overexpression, while PLR was only correlated with the number of infiltrated lymph nodes. Conclusions. This is the first study evaluating the effect of adjustment for large platelet count on improving PLR accuracy, when correlated with the basic independent markers of survival in a sample of breast cancer patients. Further studies are needed in order to assess the possibility of applying our adjustment as standard in terms of predicting survival rates in cancer. PMID:23304480

Enhancing the accuracy of platelet to lymphocyte ratio after adjustment for large platelet count: a pilot study in breast cancer patients.

PubMed

Seretis, Charalampos; Seretis, Fotios; Lagoudianakis, Emmanuel; Politou, Marianna; Gemenetzis, George; Salemis, Nikolaos S

2012-01-01

Background. The objective of our study is to investigate the potential effect of adjusting preoperative platelet to lymphocyte ratio, an emerging biomarker of survival in cancer patients, for the fraction of large platelets. Methods. A total of 79 patients with breast neoplasias, 44 with fibroadenomas, and 35 with invasive ductal carcinoma were included in the study. Both conventional platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and the adjusted marker, large platelet to lymphocyte ratio (LPLR), were correlated with laboratory and histopathological parameters of the study sample. Results. LPLR elevation was significantly correlated with the presence of malignancy, advanced tumor stage, metastatic spread in the axillary nodes and HER2/neu overexpression, while PLR was only correlated with the number of infiltrated lymph nodes. Conclusions. This is the first study evaluating the effect of adjustment for large platelet count on improving PLR accuracy, when correlated with the basic independent markers of survival in a sample of breast cancer patients. Further studies are needed in order to assess the possibility of applying our adjustment as standard in terms of predicting survival rates in cancer.

Repeatability of paired counts.

PubMed

Alexander, Neal; Bethony, Jeff; Corrêa-Oliveira, Rodrigo; Rodrigues, Laura C; Hotez, Peter; Brooker, Simon

2007-08-30

The Bland and Altman technique is widely used to assess the variation between replicates of a method of clinical measurement. It yields the repeatability, i.e. the value within which 95 per cent of repeat measurements lie. The valid use of the technique requires that the variance is constant over the data range. This is not usually the case for counts of items such as CD4 cells or parasites, nor is the log transformation applicable to zero counts. We investigate the properties of generalized differences based on Box-Cox transformations. For an example, in a data set of hookworm eggs counted by the Kato-Katz method, the square root transformation is found to stabilize the variance. We show how to back-transform the repeatability on the square root scale to the repeatability of the counts themselves, as an increasing function of the square mean root egg count, i.e. the square of the average of square roots. As well as being more easily interpretable, the back-transformed results highlight the dependence of the repeatability on the sample volume used.

Statistical aspects of point count sampling

USGS Publications Warehouse

Barker, R.J.; Sauer, J.R.; Ralph, C.J.; Sauer, J.R.; Droege, S.

1995-01-01

The dominant feature of point counts is that they do not census birds, but instead provide incomplete counts of individuals present within a survey plot. Considering a simple model for point count sampling, we demon-strate that use of these incomplete counts can bias estimators and testing procedures, leading to inappropriate conclusions. A large portion of the variability in point counts is caused by the incomplete counting, and this within-count variation can be confounded with ecologically meaningful varia-tion. We recommend caution in the analysis of estimates obtained from point counts. Using; our model, we also consider optimal allocation of sampling effort. The critical step in the optimization process is in determining the goals of the study and methods that will be used to meet these goals. By explicitly defining the constraints on sampling and by estimating the relationship between precision and bias of estimators and time spent counting, we can predict the optimal time at a point for each of several monitoring goals. In general, time spent at a point will differ depending on the goals of the study.

Count-doubling time safety circuit

DOEpatents

Rusch, Gordon K.; Keefe, Donald J.; McDowell, William P.

1981-01-01

There is provided a nuclear reactor count-factor-increase time monitoring circuit which includes a pulse-type neutron detector, and means for counting the number of detected pulses during specific time periods. Counts are compared and the comparison is utilized to develop a reactor scram signal, if necessary.

Neutron counting with cameras

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Van Esch, Patrick; Crisanti, Marta; Mutti, Paolo

2015-07-01

A research project is presented in which we aim at counting individual neutrons with CCD-like cameras. We explore theoretically a technique that allows us to use imaging detectors as counting detectors at lower counting rates, and transits smoothly to continuous imaging at higher counting rates. As such, the hope is to combine the good background rejection properties of standard neutron counting detectors with the absence of dead time of integrating neutron imaging cameras as well as their very good spatial resolution. Compared to Xray detection, the essence of thermal neutron detection is the nuclear conversion reaction. The released energies involvedmore » are of the order of a few MeV, while X-ray detection releases energies of the order of the photon energy, which is in the 10 KeV range. Thanks to advances in camera technology which have resulted in increased quantum efficiency, lower noise, as well as increased frame rate up to 100 fps for CMOS-type cameras, this more than 100-fold higher available detection energy implies that the individual neutron detection light signal can be significantly above the noise level, as such allowing for discrimination and individual counting, which is hard to achieve with X-rays. The time scale of CMOS-type cameras doesn't allow one to consider time-of-flight measurements, but kinetic experiments in the 10 ms range are possible. The theory is next confronted to the first experimental results. (authors)« less

Establishment of reference intervals for complete blood count parameters during normal pregnancy in Beijing.

PubMed

Li, Aiwei; Yang, Shuo; Zhang, Jie; Qiao, Rui

2017-11-01

To observe the changes of complete blood count (CBC) parameters during pregnancy and establish appropriate reference intervals for healthy pregnant women. Healthy pregnant women took the blood tests at all trimesters. All blood samples were processed on Sysmex XE-2100. The following CBC parameters were analyzed: red blood cell count (RBC), hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit (Hct), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), red blood cell distribution width (RDW), platelet count (PLT), mean platelet volume (MPV), platelet distribution width (PDW), white blood cell count (WBC), and leukocyte differential count. Reference intervals were established using the 2.5th and 97.5th percentile of the distribution. Complete blood count parameters showed dynamic changes during trimesters. RBC, Hb, Hct declined at trimester 1, reaching their lowest point at trimester 2, and began to rise again at trimester 3. WBC, neutrophil count (Neut), monocyte count (MONO), RDW, and PDW went up from trimester 1 to trimester 3. On the contrary, MCHC, lymphocyte count (LYMPH), PLT, and MPV gradually descended during pregnancy. There were statistical significances in all CBC parameters between pregnant women and normal women, regardless of the trimesters (P<.001). The median obtained were (normal vs pregnancy) as follows: RBC 4.50 vs 3.94×10 12 /L, Hb 137 vs 120 g/L, WBC 5.71 vs 9.06×10 9 /L, LYMPH% 32.2 vs 18.0, Neut% 58.7 vs 75.0, and PLT 251 vs 202×10 9 /L. The changes of CBC parameters during pregnancy are described, and reference intervals for Beijing pregnant women are demonstrated in this study. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Statistical Aspects of Point Count Sampling

Treesearch

Richard J. Barker; John R. Sauer

1995-01-01

The dominant feature of point counts is that they do not census birds, but instead provide incomplete counts of individuals present within a survey plot. Considering a simple model for point count sampling, we demonstrate that use of these incomplete counts can bias estimators and testing procedures, leading to inappropriate conclusions. A large portion of the...

You can count on the motor cortex: Finger counting habits modulate motor cortex activation evoked by numbers

PubMed Central

Tschentscher, Nadja; Hauk, Olaf; Fischer, Martin H.; Pulvermüller, Friedemann

2012-01-01

The embodied cognition framework suggests that neural systems for perception and action are engaged during higher cognitive processes. In an event-related fMRI study, we tested this claim for the abstract domain of numerical symbol processing: is the human cortical motor system part of the representation of numbers, and is organization of numerical knowledge influenced by individual finger counting habits? Developmental studies suggest a link between numerals and finger counting habits due to the acquisition of numerical skills through finger counting in childhood. In the present study, digits 1 to 9 and the corresponding number words were presented visually to adults with different finger counting habits, i.e. left- and right-starters who reported that they usually start counting small numbers with their left and right hand, respectively. Despite the absence of overt hand movements, the hemisphere contralateral to the hand used for counting small numbers was activated when small numbers were presented. The correspondence between finger counting habits and hemispheric motor activation is consistent with an intrinsic functional link between finger counting and number processing. PMID:22133748

Kids Count in Delaware: Fact Book 1999 [and] Families Count in Delaware: Fact Book, 1999.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Delaware Univ., Newark. Kids Count in Delaware.

This Kids Count Fact Book is combined with the Families Count Fact Book to provide information on statewide trends affecting children and families in Delaware. The Kids Count statistical profile is based on 10 main indicators of child well-being: (1) births to teens; (2) low birth weight babies; (3) infant mortality; (4) child deaths; (5) teen…

The piecewise-linear dynamic attenuator reduces the impact of count rate loss with photon-counting detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hsieh, Scott S.; Pelc, Norbert J.

2014-06-01

Photon counting x-ray detectors (PCXDs) offer several advantages compared to standard energy-integrating x-ray detectors, but also face significant challenges. One key challenge is the high count rates required in CT. At high count rates, PCXDs exhibit count rate loss and show reduced detective quantum efficiency in signal-rich (or high flux) measurements. In order to reduce count rate requirements, a dynamic beam-shaping filter can be used to redistribute flux incident on the patient. We study the piecewise-linear attenuator in conjunction with PCXDs without energy discrimination capabilities. We examined three detector models: the classic nonparalyzable and paralyzable detector models, and a ‘hybrid’ detector model which is a weighted average of the two which approximates an existing, real detector (Taguchi et al 2011 Med. Phys. 38 1089-102 ). We derive analytic expressions for the variance of the CT measurements for these detectors. These expressions are used with raw data estimated from DICOM image files of an abdomen and a thorax to estimate variance in reconstructed images for both the dynamic attenuator and a static beam-shaping (‘bowtie’) filter. By redistributing flux, the dynamic attenuator reduces dose by 40% without increasing peak variance for the ideal detector. For non-ideal PCXDs, the impact of count rate loss is also reduced. The nonparalyzable detector shows little impact from count rate loss, but with the paralyzable model, count rate loss leads to noise streaks that can be controlled with the dynamic attenuator. With the hybrid model, the characteristic count rates required before noise streaks dominate the reconstruction are reduced by a factor of 2 to 3. We conclude that the piecewise-linear attenuator can reduce the count rate requirements of the PCXD in addition to improving dose efficiency. The magnitude of this reduction depends on the detector, with paralyzable detectors showing much greater benefit than nonparalyzable detectors.

The combination of platelet count and neutrophil lymphocyte ratio is a predictive factor in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

PubMed

Feng, Ji-Feng; Huang, Ying; Chen, Qi-Xun

2014-10-01

The prognostic value of inflammation indexes in esophageal cancer was not established. In this study, therefore, both prognostic values of Glasgow prognostic score (GPS) and combination of platelet count and neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (COP-NLR) in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) were investigated and compared. This retrospective study included 375 patients who underwent esophagectomy for ESCC. The cancer-specific survival (CSS) was calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method, and the difference was assessed by the log-rank test. The GPS was calculated as follows: patients with elevated C-reactive protein (> 10 mg/l) and hypoalbuminemia (< 35 g/l) were assigned to GPS2. Patients with one or no abnormal value were assigned to GPS1 or GPS0, respectively. The COP-NLR was calculated as follows: patients with elevated platelet count (> 300 × 10(9)/l) and neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (> 3) were assigned to COP-NLR2. Patients with one or no abnormal value were assigned to COP-NLR1 or COP-NLR0, respectively. The 5-year CSS in patients with GPS0, 1, and 2 was 50.0%, 27.0%, and 12.5%, respectively (P < .001). The 5-year CSS in patients with COP-NLR0, 1, and 2 was 51.8%, 27.0%, and 11.6%, respectively (P < .001). Multivariate analysis showed that both GPS (P = .003) and COP-NLR (P = .003) were significant predictors in such patients. In addition, our study demonstrated a similar hazard ratio (HR) between COP-NLR and GPS (HR = 1.394 vs HR = 1.367). COP-NLR is an independent predictive factor in patients with ESCC. We conclude that COP-NLR predicts survival in ESCC similar to GPS.

Command Decision-Making: Experience Counts

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-03-18

USAWC STRATEGY RESEARCH PROJECT COMMAND DECISION - MAKING : EXPERIENCE COUNTS by Lieutenant Colonel Kelly A. Wolgast United States Army Colonel Charles...1. REPORT DATE 18 MAR 2005 2. REPORT TYPE 3. DATES COVERED - 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Command Decision Making Experience Counts 5a. CONTRACT...Colonel Kelly A. Wolgast TITLE: Command Decision - making : Experience Counts FORMAT: Strategy Research Project DATE: 18 March 2005 PAGES: 30 CLASSIFICATION

Neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio in patients with pesticide poisoning.

PubMed

Dundar, Zerrin Defne; Ergin, Mehmet; Koylu, Ramazan; Ozer, Rasit; Cander, Basar; Gunaydin, Yahya Kemal

2014-09-01

Pesticides are highly toxic to human beings, and pesticide poisoning is associated with high morbidity and mortality. The identification of powerful prognostic markers is important for the management of patients with pesticide poisoning in emergency settings. To investigate the prognostic value of the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio and hematological parameters measured in patients with pesticide poisoning within the first 24 h after admission to the emergency department (ED). All patients (≥15 years old) admitted to the ED from July 2008 through February 2013 due to pesticide poisoning were enrolled in the study. The written and electronic medical charts of patients were reviewed. Neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio and platelet-lymphocyte ratio were calculated for each patient using absolute neutrophil, lymphocyte, and platelet counts. Mechanical ventilation requirement and mortality were used as the primary endpoints. A total of 189 patients were included in the study. The mechanically ventilated patients had significantly higher leukocyte and neutrophil counts, and neutrophil-lymphocyte and platelet-lymphocyte ratios (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p = 0.003, respectively), whereas they had significantly lower lymphocyte counts compared to nonventilated patients (p = 0.011). Survivors had significantly higher leukocyte and neutrophil counts, and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratios (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p = 0.002, respectively), whereas there was no significant difference between groups in terms of lymphocyte counts (p = 0.463), compared to nonsurvivors. Leukocyte counts, neutrophil counts, and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratios measured within the first 24 h after admission to the ED are useful and easy-to-use parameters for estimating prognosis in the follow-up of patients with pesticide poisoning. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

You can count on the motor cortex: finger counting habits modulate motor cortex activation evoked by numbers.

PubMed

Tschentscher, Nadja; Hauk, Olaf; Fischer, Martin H; Pulvermüller, Friedemann

2012-02-15

The embodied cognition framework suggests that neural systems for perception and action are engaged during higher cognitive processes. In an event-related fMRI study, we tested this claim for the abstract domain of numerical symbol processing: is the human cortical motor system part of the representation of numbers, and is organization of numerical knowledge influenced by individual finger counting habits? Developmental studies suggest a link between numerals and finger counting habits due to the acquisition of numerical skills through finger counting in childhood. In the present study, digits 1 to 9 and the corresponding number words were presented visually to adults with different finger counting habits, i.e. left- and right-starters who reported that they usually start counting small numbers with their left and right hand, respectively. Despite the absence of overt hand movements, the hemisphere contralateral to the hand used for counting small numbers was activated when small numbers were presented. The correspondence between finger counting habits and hemispheric motor activation is consistent with an intrinsic functional link between finger counting and number processing. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dark-count-less photon-counting x-ray computed tomography system using a YAP-MPPC detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sato, Eiichi; Sato, Yuich; Abudurexiti, Abulajiang; Hagiwara, Osahiko; Matsukiyo, Hiroshi; Osawa, Akihiro; Enomoto, Toshiyuki; Watanabe, Manabu; Kusachi, Shinya; Sato, Shigehiro; Ogawa, Akira; Onagawa, Jun

2012-10-01

A high-sensitive X-ray computed tomography (CT) system is useful for decreasing absorbed dose for patients, and a dark-count-less photon-counting CT system was developed. X-ray photons are detected using a YAP(Ce) [cerium-doped yttrium aluminum perovskite] single crystal scintillator and an MPPC (multipixel photon counter). Photocurrents are amplified by a high-speed current-voltage amplifier, and smooth event pulses from an integrator are sent to a high-speed comparator. Then, logical pulses are produced from the comparator and are counted by a counter card. Tomography is accomplished by repeated linear scans and rotations of an object, and projection curves of the object are obtained by the linear scan. The image contrast of gadolinium medium slightly fell with increase in lower-level voltage (Vl) of the comparator. The dark count rate was 0 cps, and the count rate for the CT was approximately 250 kcps.

Dying dyons don't count

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Miranda C. N.; Verlinde, Erik P.

2007-09-01

The dyonic 1/4-BPS states in 4D string theory with Script N = 4 spacetime supersymmetry are counted by a Siegel modular form. The pole structure of the modular form leads to a contour dependence in the counting formula obscuring its duality invariance. We exhibit the relation between this ambiguity and the (dis-)appearance of bound states of 1/2-BPS configurations. Using this insight we propose a precise moduli-dependent contour prescription for the counting formula. We then show that the degeneracies are duality-invariant and are correctly adjusted at the walls of marginal stability to account for the (dis-)appearance of the two-centered bound states. Especially, for large black holes none of these bound states exists at the attractor point and none of these ambiguous poles contributes to the counting formula. Using this fact we also propose a second, moduli-independent contour which counts the ``immortal dyons" that are stable everywhere.

Modeling and simulation of count data.

PubMed

Plan, E L

2014-08-13

Count data, or number of events per time interval, are discrete data arising from repeated time to event observations. Their mean count, or piecewise constant event rate, can be evaluated by discrete probability distributions from the Poisson model family. Clinical trial data characterization often involves population count analysis. This tutorial presents the basics and diagnostics of count modeling and simulation in the context of pharmacometrics. Consideration is given to overdispersion, underdispersion, autocorrelation, and inhomogeneity.

VERITAS?: A time for VERIQAS™ and a new approach to training, education, and the quality assessment of CD4+ T lymphocyte counting (I).

PubMed

Barnett, David; Whitby, Liam; Wong, John; Louzao, Raul; Reilly, John T; Denny, Thomas N

2012-03-01

The aim of clinical laboratories is to produce accurate and reproducible results to enable effective and reliable clinical practice and patient management. The standard approach is to use both internal quality control (IQC) and external quality assessment (EQA). IQC serves, in many instances, as a "go, no go" tool to provide real time assurance that instruments and reagent or test systems are performing within defined specifications. EQA however, takes a snapshot at a specific point in time of the full testing process, results are compared to other laboratories performing similar testing but inevitably has some built in delay from sample issue to performance data review. In addition, if IQC or EQA identify areas of concern it can be difficult to determine the exact nature of the problem. In an attempt to address this problem, we have developed an instant QA panel that we have termed VERIQAS™, specifically for CD4(+) T lymphocyte counting, and have undertaken a "proof of principle" pilot study to examine how the use of VERIQAS™ could result in improvement of laboratory performance. In addition, we have examined how this approach could be used as a training and education tool (in a domestic/international setting) and potentially be of value in instrument validation/switch studies (a switch study being defined as a laboratory changing from one method/instrument to a new method/instrument with the VERIQAS™ panel being used as an adjunct to their standard switch study protocol). The basic panel consists of 20 stabilized samples, with predefined CD4(+) T lymphocyte counts, that span low clinically relevant to normal counts, including some blinded replicates (singlet up to quadruplicate combinations). The CD4(+) T lymphocyte target values for each specimen is defined as the trimmed mean ± 2 trimmed standard deviations, where the trimmed values are derived from the CD4(+) T lymphocyte counts reported by the participating centers (~780 laboratories) that receive each

SPERM COUNT DISTRIBUTIONS IN FERTILE MEN

EPA Science Inventory

Sperm concentration and count are often used as indicators of environmental impacts on male reproductive health. Existing clinical databases may be biased towards subfertile men with low sperm counts and less is known about expected sperm count distributions in cohorts of fertil...

Bayesian analysis of energy and count rate data for detection of low count rate radioactive sources.

PubMed

Klumpp, John; Brandl, Alexander

2015-03-01

A particle counting and detection system is proposed that searches for elevated count rates in multiple energy regions simultaneously. The system analyzes time-interval data (e.g., time between counts), as this was shown to be a more sensitive technique for detecting low count rate sources compared to analyzing counts per unit interval (Luo et al. 2013). Two distinct versions of the detection system are developed. The first is intended for situations in which the sample is fixed and can be measured for an unlimited amount of time. The second version is intended to detect sources that are physically moving relative to the detector, such as a truck moving past a fixed roadside detector or a waste storage facility under an airplane. In both cases, the detection system is expected to be active indefinitely; i.e., it is an online detection system. Both versions of the multi-energy detection systems are compared to their respective gross count rate detection systems in terms of Type I and Type II error rates and sensitivity.

The complete blood count and reticulocyte count--are they necessary in the evaluation of acute vasoocclusive sickle-cell crisis?

PubMed

Lopez, B L; Griswold, S K; Navek, A; Urbanski, L

1996-08-01

To assess the usefulness of the complete blood count (CBC) and the reticulocyte count in the evaluation of adult patients with acute vasoocclusive sickle-cell crisis (SCC) presenting to the ED. A 2-part study was performed. Part 1 was retrospective chart review of patients with a sole ED diagnosis of acute SCC. Part 2 was a prospective evaluation of consecutive patients presenting in SCC. In both parts of the study, patients with coexisting acute disease were excluded. The remaining patients were divided into 2 groups: admitted and released. The mean values for white blood cell (WBC) count, hemoglobin (Hb) level, and reticulocyte count were compared. In Part 2, the change (delta) from the patient's baseline in WBC count, Hb level, and reticulocyte count also was determined. Data were analyzed by 2-tailed Student's t-test. Part 1: There was no difference between the admitted (n = 33) and the released (n = 86) groups in mean WBC count (p = 0.10), Hb level (p = 0.25), or reticulocyte count (p = 0.08). Part 2: There was no difference between the admitted (n = 44) and the released (n = 160) groups in mean Hb level (p = 0.88), reticulocyte count (p = 0.47), delta Hb level (p = 0.88), and delta reticulocyte count (p = 0.76). There was a difference in mean WBC counts (15.8 +/- 4.9 x 10(9)/L admitted vs 12.8 +/- 4.9 x 10(9)/L released, p = 0.003) and delta WBC counts (5.1 +/- 4.6 x 10(9)/L admitted vs 1.8 +/- 4.6 x 10(9)/L released, p < 0.002). Determination of the Hb level and the reticulocyte count do not appear useful in the evaluation of acute SCC in the ED. Admission decisions appear associated with elevations in the WBC count. Further study is required to determine the true value of the WBC count in such decisions.

Aging and Visual Counting

PubMed Central

Li, Roger W.; MacKeben, Manfred; Chat, Sandy W.; Kumar, Maya; Ngo, Charlie; Levi, Dennis M.

2010-01-01

Background Much previous work on how normal aging affects visual enumeration has been focused on the response time required to enumerate, with unlimited stimulus duration. There is a fundamental question, not yet addressed, of how many visual items the aging visual system can enumerate in a “single glance”, without the confounding influence of eye movements. Methodology/Principal Findings We recruited 104 observers with normal vision across the age span (age 21–85). They were briefly (200 ms) presented with a number of well- separated black dots against a gray background on a monitor screen, and were asked to judge the number of dots. By limiting the stimulus presentation time, we can determine the maximum number of visual items an observer can correctly enumerate at a criterion level of performance (counting threshold, defined as the number of visual items at which ≈63% correct rate on a psychometric curve), without confounding by eye movements. Our findings reveal a 30% decrease in the mean counting threshold of the oldest group (age 61–85: ∼5 dots) when compared with the youngest groups (age 21–40: 7 dots). Surprisingly, despite decreased counting threshold, on average counting accuracy function (defined as the mean number of dots reported for each number tested) is largely unaffected by age, reflecting that the threshold loss can be primarily attributed to increased random errors. We further expanded this interesting finding to show that both young and old adults tend to over-count small numbers, but older observers over-count more. Conclusion/Significance Here we show that age reduces the ability to correctly enumerate in a glance, but the accuracy (veridicality), on average, remains unchanged with advancing age. Control experiments indicate that the degraded performance cannot be explained by optical, retinal or other perceptual factors, but is cortical in origin. PMID:20976149

Association of peripheral total and differential leukocyte counts with obesity-related complications in young adults.

PubMed

Yoshimura, Aya; Ohnishi, Shunsuke; Orito, Chieko; Kawahara, Yukako; Takasaki, Hiroyo; Takeda, Hiroshi; Sakamoto, Naoya; Hashino, Satoshi

2015-01-01

Obesity has been demonstrated to be associated with elevated leukocytes in adults and children. This study assessed the associations between peripheral total and differential leukocyte counts and obesity-related complications in young adults. 12 obese (median age 21.5 (range 19-28) years, median BMI 35.7 (range 32.0-44.9) kg/m(2)) and 11 normal (median age 23 (range 18-27) years, median BMI 19.5 (range 18.1-21.7) kg/m(2)) adults were enrolled. Complete blood count and serum levels of liver enzymes, fasting blood glucose, insulin and lipids were measured, and the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance was calculated. Fat mass was calculated using a bioimpedance analysis device, and ultrasonography was performed to measure fat thickness and to detect fatty change of the liver. Total leukocyte and monocyte counts were significantly increased in obese young adults. Total leukocyte count was associated with liver enzyme levels, insulin resistance as well as visceral and subcutaneous fat thickness. Neutrophil count was associated with insulin resistance. Lymphocyte count was associated with serum liver enzymes, insulin resistance, and dyslipidemia. Monocyte count was associated with serum liver enzyme, insulin resistance, visceral and subcutaneous fat thickness, body fat mass, and percentage body fat. The results of this study suggest that chronic low-grade systemic inflammation is associated with obesity-related complications such as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, insulin resistance, and dyslipidemia in young adults. © 2015 S. Karger GmbH, Freiburg.

Reticulocyte count

MedlinePlus

Anemia - reticulocyte ... A higher than normal reticulocytes count may indicate: Anemia due to red blood cells being destroyed earlier than normal ( hemolytic anemia ) Bleeding Blood disorder in a fetus or newborn ( ...

Workers exposed to low levels of benzene present in urban air: Assessment of peripheral blood count variations.

PubMed

Casale, Teodorico; Sacco, Carmina; Ricci, Serafino; Loreti, Beatrice; Pacchiarotti, Alessandro; Cupelli, Vincenzo; Arcangeli, Giulio; Mucci, Nicola; Antuono, Vittorio; De Marco, Federica; Tomei, Gianfranco; Tomei, Francesco; Rosati, Maria Valeria

2016-06-01

Few studies in the literature have examined the effects of benzene on blood cells. The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible correlation between the blood benzene levels and the blood cell counts. From a population of 2658 workers, we studied a group of 215 subjects. Each worker underwent blood sampling for the assessment of the blood benzene levels and the blood cell counts. The Mann-Whitney U test for two-mode variables and the Kruskal-Wallis test for more-than-two-mode variables were performed on all subjects. We estimated the Pearson correlation index between the variables in the total sample and the subgroups divided according to sex, the smoking habit, and job. After the main confounding factors were evaluated, multiple linear regression was performed on both the total sample and the subgroups. A significant inverse correlation was found among the blood benzene levels and the white blood cells, lymphocytes, and neutrophils in traffic policemen, motorcyclists, and other outdoor workers. We did not find any significant correlation with any other parameters of blood cell count. Our results, which must be considered preliminary, indicate that increased blood benzene levels in outdoor workers lead to decreased counts of white blood cells, neutrophils, and lymphocytes, because of possible immune effects. These are worth investigating in the future by specific immune tests. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

A mind you can count on: validating breath counting as a behavioral measure of mindfulness.

PubMed

Levinson, Daniel B; Stoll, Eli L; Kindy, Sonam D; Merry, Hillary L; Davidson, Richard J

2014-01-01

Mindfulness practice of present moment awareness promises many benefits, but has eluded rigorous behavioral measurement. To date, research has relied on self-reported mindfulness or heterogeneous mindfulness trainings to infer skillful mindfulness practice and its effects. In four independent studies with over 400 total participants, we present the first construct validation of a behavioral measure of mindfulness, breath counting. We found it was reliable, correlated with self-reported mindfulness, differentiated long-term meditators from age-matched controls, and was distinct from sustained attention and working memory measures. In addition, we employed breath counting to test the nomological network of mindfulness. As theorized, we found skill in breath counting associated with more meta-awareness, less mind wandering, better mood, and greater non-attachment (i.e., less attentional capture by distractors formerly paired with reward). We also found in a randomized online training study that 4 weeks of breath counting training improved mindfulness and decreased mind wandering relative to working memory training and no training controls. Together, these findings provide the first evidence for breath counting as a behavioral measure of mindfulness.

External quality assessment for CD4 + T-lymphocyte count test: Performance of the Brazilian public health laboratories network.

PubMed

Gaspar, Pâmela Cristina; Wohlke, Bruna Lovizutto Protti; Brunialti, Milena Karina Coló; Pires, Ana Flávia; Kohiyama, Igor Massaki; Salomão, Reinaldo; Alonso Neto, José Boullosa; Júnior, Orlando da Costa Ferreira; Franchini, Miriam; Bazzo, Maria Luiza; Benzaken, Adele Schwartz

2018-05-01

The National Network for CD4+ T-lymphocyte counting of Brazil comprises 93 laboratories. This study reports the laboratory performances achieved in external quality assessment (EQA) rounds provides by Ministry of Health to evaluate the quality of the kits used and the performance of test by the technicians.Ten EQA rounds were analyzed according the EQA criteria aimed to evaluate individual laboratory performance on the basis of the accuracy of their results compared to the general mean obtained by all participating laboratories and the reproducibility of the results obtained between 2 samples from the same donor.The percentage of approved and failed laboratories in the EQAs tends to follow a uniform pattern. Since 2011, approval has remained above 80% and the failure rate has never exceeded 15%.EQA is very important to evaluate the performance of the laboratories, to identify monitor, and to resolve errors as quickly as possible.

Controlling for varying effort in count surveys --an analysis of Christmas Bird Count Data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Link, W.A.; Sauer, J.R.

1999-01-01

The Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is a valuable source of information about midwinter populations of birds in the continental U.S. and Canada. Analysis of CBC data is complicated by substantial variation among sites and years in effort expended in counting; this feature of the CBC is common to many other wildlife surveys. Specification of a method for adjusting counts for effort is a matter of some controversy. Here, we present models for longitudinal count surveys with varying effort; these describe the effect of effort as proportional to exp(B effortp), where B and p are parameters. For any fixed p, our models are loglinear in the transformed explanatory variable (effort)p and other covariables. Hence we fit a collection of loglinear models corresponding to a range of values of p, and select the best effort adjustment from among these on the basis of fit statistics. We apply this procedure to data for six bird species in five regions, for the period 1959-1988.

DC KIDS COUNT e-Databook Indicators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DC Action for Children, 2012

2012-01-01

This report presents indicators that are included in DC Action for Children's 2012 KIDS COUNT e-databook, their definitions and sources and the rationale for their selection. The indicators for DC KIDS COUNT represent a mix of traditional KIDS COUNT indicators of child well-being, such as the number of children living in poverty, and indicators of…

A microchip CD4 counting method for HIV monitoring in resource-poor settings.

PubMed

Rodriguez, William R; Christodoulides, Nicolaos; Floriano, Pierre N; Graham, Susan; Mohanty, Sanghamitra; Dixon, Meredith; Hsiang, Mina; Peter, Trevor; Zavahir, Shabnam; Thior, Ibou; Romanovicz, Dwight; Bernard, Bruce; Goodey, Adrian P; Walker, Bruce D; McDevitt, John T

2005-07-01

More than 35 million people in developing countries are living with HIV infection. An enormous global effort is now underway to bring antiretroviral treatment to at least 3 million of those infected. While drug prices have dropped considerably, the cost and technical complexity of laboratory tests essential for the management of HIV disease, such as CD4 cell counts, remain prohibitive. New, simple, and affordable methods for measuring CD4 cells that can be implemented in resource-scarce settings are urgently needed. Here we describe the development of a prototype for a simple, rapid, and affordable method for counting CD4 lymphocytes. Microliter volumes of blood without further sample preparation are stained with fluorescent antibodies, captured on a membrane within a miniaturized flow cell and imaged through microscope optics with the type of charge-coupled device developed for digital camera technology. An associated computer algorithm converts the raw digital image into absolute CD4 counts and CD4 percentages in real time. The accuracy of this prototype system was validated through testing in the United States and Botswana, and showed close agreement with standard flow cytometry (r = 0.95) over a range of absolute CD4 counts, and the ability to discriminate clinically relevant CD4 count thresholds with high sensitivity and specificity. Advances in the adaptation of new technologies to biomedical detection systems, such as the one described here, promise to make complex diagnostics for HIV and other infectious diseases a practical global reality.

Equivalence of truncated count mixture distributions and mixtures of truncated count distributions.

PubMed

Böhning, Dankmar; Kuhnert, Ronny

2006-12-01

This article is about modeling count data with zero truncation. A parametric count density family is considered. The truncated mixture of densities from this family is different from the mixture of truncated densities from the same family. Whereas the former model is more natural to formulate and to interpret, the latter model is theoretically easier to treat. It is shown that for any mixing distribution leading to a truncated mixture, a (usually different) mixing distribution can be found so that the associated mixture of truncated densities equals the truncated mixture, and vice versa. This implies that the likelihood surfaces for both situations agree, and in this sense both models are equivalent. Zero-truncated count data models are used frequently in the capture-recapture setting to estimate population size, and it can be shown that the two Horvitz-Thompson estimators, associated with the two models, agree. In particular, it is possible to achieve strong results for mixtures of truncated Poisson densities, including reliable, global construction of the unique NPMLE (nonparametric maximum likelihood estimator) of the mixing distribution, implying a unique estimator for the population size. The benefit of these results lies in the fact that it is valid to work with the mixture of truncated count densities, which is less appealing for the practitioner but theoretically easier. Mixtures of truncated count densities form a convex linear model, for which a developed theory exists, including global maximum likelihood theory as well as algorithmic approaches. Once the problem has been solved in this class, it might readily be transformed back to the original problem by means of an explicitly given mapping. Applications of these ideas are given, particularly in the case of the truncated Poisson family.

Guidelines for prophylaxis of Pneumocystis pneumonia cannot rely solely on CD4-cell count in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.

PubMed

Baulier, Gildas; Issa, Nahema; Gabriel, Frederic; Accoceberry, Isabelle; Camou, Fabrice; Duffau, Pierre

2018-02-26

Guidelines for preventing Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) in HIV patients are based on CD4 below 200/mm3. Such cut-off value is suggested to guide prophylaxis in non-HIV conditions (NHIV) especially in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases (AD). We aimed to determine if CD4 could be used to guide PCP prophylaxis in AD. CD4 and lymphocyte-count were retrospectively studied in patients diagnosed with PCP between January 2013 and February 2016. 129 patients were included. The median CD4-count was 302/mm3 in AD, which was significantly higher than in HIV patients (19/mm3; p<0.0001). Fifty percent (n=10) of AD patients had CD4 counts greater than 300/mm3. Prophylaxis for PCP cannot rely solely on CD4-count in NHIV patients especially in AD.

Kids Count in Delaware: Fact Book, 2000-2001 [and] Families Count in Delaware: Fact Book, 2000-2001.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Delaware Univ., Newark. Kids Count in Delaware.

This Kids Count Fact Book is combined with the Families Count Fact Book to provide information on statewide trends affecting children and families in Delaware. The Kids Count statistical profile is based on 11 main indicators of child well-being: (1) births to teens 15 to 17 years; (2) births to teens 15 to 19 years; (3) low birth weight babies;…

White blood cell counting system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1972-01-01

The design, fabrication, and tests of a prototype white blood cell counting system for use in the Skylab IMSS are presented. The counting system consists of a sample collection subsystem, sample dilution and fluid containment subsystem, and a cell counter. Preliminary test results show the sample collection and the dilution subsystems are functional and fulfill design goals. Results for the fluid containment subsystem show the handling bags cause counting errors due to: (1) adsorption of cells to the walls of the container, and (2) inadequate cleaning of the plastic bag material before fabrication. It was recommended that another bag material be selected.

Far-Ultraviolet Number Counts of Field Galaxies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Voyer, Elysse N.; Gardner, Jonathan P.; Teplitz, Harry I.; Siana, Brian D.; deMello, Duilia F.

2010-01-01

The Number counts of far-ultraviolet (FUV) galaxies as a function of magnitude provide a direct statistical measure of the density and evolution of star-forming galaxies. We report on the results of measurements of the rest-frame FUV number counts computed from data of several fields including the Hubble Ultra Deep Field, the Hubble Deep Field North, and the GOODS-North and -South fields. These data were obtained from the Hubble Space Telescope Solar Blind Channel of the Advance Camera for Surveys. The number counts cover an AB magnitude range from 20-29 magnitudes, covering a total area of 15.9 arcmin'. We show that the number counts are lower than those in previous studies using smaller areas. The differences in the counts are likely the result of cosmic variance; our new data cover more area and more lines of sight than the previous studies. The slope of our number counts connects well with local FUV counts and they show good agreement with recent semi-analytical models based on dark matter "merger trees".

Fluctuation of neutrophil counts around parturition in Holstein dairy cows with and without retained placenta.

PubMed

Moretti, Pierangelo; Probo, Monica; Cantoni, Andrea; Paltrinieri, Saverio; Giordano, Alessia

2016-08-01

Retained placenta (RP) is often diagnosed in high-yielding dairy cows and can negatively affect reproductive performances. The objective of the present study was to investigate the hematological and biochemical profile of cows with RP before and immediately after parturition, with particular emphasis on neutrophil counts, since a previous study demonstrated the presence of peripheral neutropenia in dairy cows with RP sampled a few days after parturition. Results from 12 Holstein cows affected by RP and from 17 clinically healthy controls sampled one week pre-partum, within 12h after calving and between 48 and 72h after parturition were compared between groups and over time. Compared with controls, cows with RP had lower lymphocyte counts before parturition, lower leukocyte and neutrophil counts at parturition, lower monocyte counts at all times, and higher β-hydroxybutyrate before and after parturition. Erythroid and biochemical parameters were similar over time in both groups, whereas RP cows did not show the increase of neutrophil counts that occurs in controls at parturition. Hence, the finding of a lower neutrophil count in a routinely hemogram performed at parturition could be used as an alarm signal suggesting to monitor the affected animals. Moreover, although the underlying pathogenetic mechanism should be better investigated, the present study describes for the first time the association between altered blood leukocyte concentrations at parturition in RP compared to control cows. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Old beagle dogs have lower faecal concentrations of some fermentation products and lower peripheral lymphocyte counts than young adult beagles.

PubMed

Gomes, Márcia de Oliveira Sampaio; Beraldo, Mariana Casteleti; Putarov, Thaila Cristina; Brunetto, Márcio Antônio; Zaine, Leandro; Glória, Maria Beatriz Abreu; Carciofi, Aulus Cavalieri

2011-10-01

The effects of age on microbiota composition, gut fermentation end-product formation and peripheral lymphocyte numbers were compared between old and young adult Beagle dogs fed four kibble diets differing in yeast cell wall contents. The experiment had a double 4 × 4 Latin square design, one with four mature dogs (4 years old) and the other with four old dogs (10 years old), with four replicates (diets) per dog. In each period a 15 d adaptation period preceded a 5 d total collection of faeces for the digestibility trial. On day 21, fresh faecal samples were collected for the determination of bacterial enumeration, pH, biogenic amine and short-chain fatty acid. Flow cytometry was used for immunophenotypic evaluation. Dogs were fed four kibble diets with similar composition with 0, 0.15, 0.30 and 0.45 % of yeast cell wall (as-fed), respectively. Data were evaluated using general linear models of Statistical Analysis Systems statistical software (P < 0.05). No evidence of a difference in faecal bacteria counts between ages was found (total aerobes, total anaerobes, Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, Clostridium and Escherichia coli: P>0.15). Faecal concentrations of butyrate, histamine, agmatine and spermine were lower (P ≤ 0.05) and faecal pH was higher (P = 0.03) in older dogs than in mature adult dogs, suggesting an alteration in bacterial metabolic activity, or in the rate of intestinal absorption of these compounds. Concentrations of T-lymphocytes, T-cytotoxic lymphocytes and B-lymphocytes were also lower (P ≤ 0.01) in older dogs than in mature adult dogs. The study confirmed alterations in peripheral lymphocytes and revealed a reduced concentration of some fermentation end products in the colon of old dogs.

Increasing point-count duration increases standard error

USGS Publications Warehouse

Smith, W.P.; Twedt, D.J.; Hamel, P.B.; Ford, R.P.; Wiedenfeld, D.A.; Cooper, R.J.

1998-01-01

We examined data from point counts of varying duration in bottomland forests of west Tennessee and the Mississippi Alluvial Valley to determine if counting interval influenced sampling efficiency. Estimates of standard error increased as point count duration increased both for cumulative number of individuals and species in both locations. Although point counts appear to yield data with standard errors proportional to means, a square root transformation of the data may stabilize the variance. Using long (>10 min) point counts may reduce sample size and increase sampling error, both of which diminish statistical power and thereby the ability to detect meaningful changes in avian populations.

25 CFR 81.21 - Counting of ballots.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... STATUTE § 81.21 Counting of ballots. All duly cast ballots are to be counted. Even though it will not be... counted for purposes of determining whether the required percentage of voters have cast their ballots in... of votes cast. ...

Total and Differential Leukocyte Counts in Relation to Incidence of Diabetes Mellitus: A Prospective Population-Based Cohort Study.

PubMed

Borné, Yan; Smith, J Gustav; Nilsson, Peter M; Melander, Olle; Hedblad, Bo; Engström, Gunnar

2016-01-01

High concentrations of leukocytes in blood have been associated with diabetes mellitus. This prospective study aimed to explore whether total and differential leukocyte counts are associated with incidence of diabetes. A missense variant R262W in the SH2B3 (SH2B adaptor protein 3) gene, coding for a protein that negatively regulates hematopoietic cell proliferation, was also studied in relation to incidence of diabetes. Leukocyte count and its subtypes (neutrophils, lymphocytes and mixed cells) were analyzed in 26,667 men and women, 45-73 years old, from the population-based Malmö Diet and Cancer study. Information about the R262W polymorphism (rs3184504) in SH2B3 was genotyped in 24,489 subjects. Incidence of diabetes was studied during a mean follow-up of 14 years. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to examine incidence of diabetes by total and differential leukocyte counts. Mendelian randomization analysis using R262W as an instrumental variable was performed with two-stage least squares regression. A total of 2,946 subjects developed diabetes during the follow-up period. After taking several possible confounders into account, concentrations of total leukocyte count, neutrophils and lymphocytes were all significantly associated with incidence of diabetes. The adjusted hazard ratios (95% confidence interval; quartile 4 vs quartile 1) were 1.37 (1.22-1.53) for total leukocytes, 1.33 (1.19-1.49) for neutrophils and 1.29 (1.15-1.44) for lymphocytes. The R262W polymorphism was strongly associated with leukocytes (0.11x109 cells/l per T allele, p = 1.14 x10-12), lymphocytes (p = 4.3 x10-16), neutrophils (p = 8.0 x10-6) and mixed cells (p = 3.0 x10-6). However, there was no significant association between R262W and fasting glucose, HbA1c or incidence of diabetes. Concentrations of total leukocytes, neutrophils and lymphocytes are associated with incidence of diabetes. However, the lack of association with the R262W polymorphism suggests that the associations

CD4 Count in HIV- Brain-Dead Donors: Insight into Donor Risk Assessment for HIV+ Donors.

PubMed

Serrano, Oscar Kenneth; Kerwin, Scott; Payne, William D; Pruett, Timothy L

2017-04-01

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Organ Policy Equity Act allows for transplantation of organs from HIV-infected individuals (HIV+), provided it is performed under a research protocol. The safety assessment of an organ for transplantation is an essential element of the donation process. The risk for HIV-associated opportunistic infections increases as circulating CD4+ lymphocytes decrease to less than 200 cells/μL; however, the numbers of circulating CD4+ cells in the HIV-negative (HIV-) brain-dead donor (BDD) is not known. Circulating T-lymphocyte subset profiles in conventional HIV- BDD were measured in 20 BDD in a clinical laboratory. The mean age of the BDD cohort was 48.7 years, 95% were white and 45% were women. The average body mass index was 29.2 kg/m. Cerebrovascular accident (40%) was the most prevalent cause of death. Sixteen (80%) subjects had a CD4 count ≤441 cells/μL (lower limit of normal) and 11 (55%) had a CD4 count less than 200 cells/μL; 11 (55%) subjects had a CD8 count ≤125 cells/μL (lower limit of normal). CD4/CD8 ratio was below normal in 3 patients (normal, 1.4-2.6). No recipient had a recognized donor-associated adverse event. Absolute numbers of CD4 and CD8 T-lymphocytes are commonly reduced after brain death in HIV- individuals. Thus, CD4 absolute numbers are an inconsistent metric for assessing organ donor risk, irrespective of HIV status.

Post-Transplantation Natural Killer Cell Count: A Predictor of Acute Graft-Versus-Host Disease and Survival Outcomes After Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation.

PubMed

Kim, Seo Yeon; Lee, Hyewon; Han, Mi-Soon; Shim, Hyoeun; Eom, Hyeon-Seok; Park, Boram; Kong, Sun-Young

2016-09-01

Reconstitution of the immune system after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) plays an important role in post-transplant outcomes. However, the clinical relevance of the lymphocyte subset (LST) counts to transplant-related complications and survival outcomes after allo-HSCT has not been fully elucidated. A total of 70 patients who had undergone allo-HSCT from 2007 to 2013, with LST results both 7 days before conditioning and 30 or 90 days after allo-HSCT were included. The LST counts in the peripheral blood were determined using 6-color flow cytometry. Clinical information, including transplant-related events during the first 100 days after allo-HSCT, was reviewed, and any association between these events and LST was analyzed. At 30 days after allo-HSCT, the CD4 + T-cell (P = .009) and B-cell (P = .035) counts were lower and the natural killer (NK) cell count was greater (P < .001) than before conditioning. The CD8 + T-cell (P = .001) and NK cell (P < .001) counts were high 90 days after transplantation. The hazard ratios for a low NK cell count on days 30 and 90 for acute graft-versus-host disease were 6.22 and 14.67, respectively. Patients with low NK cell counts at 30 and 90 days after allo-HSCT had poorer overall survival (P = .043 and P = .028, respectively) and greater nonrelapse mortality (P = .036 and P = .033, respectively). A low NK cell count on day 30 was still prognostic for overall survival (P = .039) on multivariable analysis. NK cell counts after allo-HSCT, especially on day 30, were predictive of acute graft-versus-host disease, nonrelapse mortality, and survival. Serial lymphocyte subset analysis can be used to identify and treat patients at risk during the early period after allo-HSCT. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Association of peripheral differential leukocyte counts with dyslipidemia risk in Chinese patients with hypertension: insight from the China Stroke Primary Prevention Trial.

PubMed

Liu, Yanhong; Kong, Xiangyi; Wang, Wen; Fan, Fangfang; Zhang, Yan; Zhao, Min; Wang, Yi; Wang, Yupeng; Wang, Yu; Qin, Xianhui; Tang, Genfu; Wang, Binyan; Xu, Xiping; Hou, Fan Fan; Gao, Wei; Sun, Ningling; Li, Jianping; Venners, Scott A; Jiang, Shanqun; Huo, Yong

2017-01-01

The aim of the present study was to examine the association between peripheral differential leukocyte counts and dyslipidemia in a Chinese hypertensive population. A total of 10,866 patients with hypertension were enrolled for a comprehensive assessment of cardiovascular risk factors using data from the China Stroke Primary Prevention Trial. Plasma lipid levels and total leukocyte, neutrophil, and lymphocyte counts were determined according to standard methods. Peripheral differential leukocyte counts were consistently and positively associated with serum total cholesterol (TC), LDL cholesterol (LDL-C), and TG levels (all P < 0.001 for trend), while inversely associated with HDL cholesterol levels (P < 0.05 for trend). In subsequent analyses where serum lipids were dichotomized (dyslipidemia/normolipidemia), we found that patients in the highest quartile of total leukocyte count (≥7.6 × 10 9 cells/l) had 1.64 times the risk of high TG [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.46, 1.85], 1.34 times the risk of high TC (95% CI: 1.20, 1.50), and 1.24 times the risk of high LDL-C (95% CI: 1.12, 1.39) compared with their counterparts in the lowest quartile of total leukocyte count. Similar patterns were also observed with neutrophils and lymphocytes. In summary, these findings indicate that elevated differential leukocyte counts are directly associated with serum lipid levels and increased odds of dyslipidemia. Copyright © 2017 by the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

TU-FG-209-03: Exploring the Maximum Count Rate Capabilities of Photon Counting Arrays Based On Polycrystalline Silicon

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liang, A K; Koniczek, M; Antonuk, L E

Purpose: Photon counting arrays (PCAs) offer several advantages over conventional, fluence-integrating x-ray imagers, such as improved contrast by means of energy windowing. For that reason, we are exploring the feasibility and performance of PCA pixel circuitry based on polycrystalline silicon. This material, unlike the crystalline silicon commonly used in photon counting detectors, lends itself toward the economic manufacture of radiation tolerant, monolithic large area (e.g., ∼43×43 cm2) devices. In this presentation, exploration of maximum count rate, a critical performance parameter for such devices, is reported. Methods: Count rate performance for a variety of pixel circuit designs was explored through detailedmore » circuit simulations over a wide range of parameters (including pixel pitch and operating conditions) with the additional goal of preserving good energy resolution. The count rate simulations assume input events corresponding to a 72 kVp x-ray spectrum with 20 mm Al filtration interacting with a CZT detector at various input flux rates. Output count rates are determined at various photon energy threshold levels, and the percentage of counts lost (e.g., due to deadtime or pile-up) is calculated from the ratio of output to input counts. The energy resolution simulations involve thermal and flicker noise originating from each circuit element in a design. Results: Circuit designs compatible with pixel pitches ranging from 250 to 1000 µm that allow count rates over a megacount per second per pixel appear feasible. Such rates are expected to be suitable for radiographic and fluoroscopic imaging. Results for the analog front-end circuitry of the pixels show that acceptable energy resolution can also be achieved. Conclusion: PCAs created using polycrystalline silicon have the potential to offer monolithic large-area detectors with count rate performance comparable to those of crystalline silicon detectors. Further improvement through detailed

Recursive algorithms for phylogenetic tree counting.

PubMed

Gavryushkina, Alexandra; Welch, David; Drummond, Alexei J

2013-10-28

In Bayesian phylogenetic inference we are interested in distributions over a space of trees. The number of trees in a tree space is an important characteristic of the space and is useful for specifying prior distributions. When all samples come from the same time point and no prior information available on divergence times, the tree counting problem is easy. However, when fossil evidence is used in the inference to constrain the tree or data are sampled serially, new tree spaces arise and counting the number of trees is more difficult. We describe an algorithm that is polynomial in the number of sampled individuals for counting of resolutions of a constraint tree assuming that the number of constraints is fixed. We generalise this algorithm to counting resolutions of a fully ranked constraint tree. We describe a quadratic algorithm for counting the number of possible fully ranked trees on n sampled individuals. We introduce a new type of tree, called a fully ranked tree with sampled ancestors, and describe a cubic time algorithm for counting the number of such trees on n sampled individuals. These algorithms should be employed for Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo inference when fossil data are included or data are serially sampled.

LINEAR COUNT-RATE METER

DOEpatents

Henry, J.J.

1961-09-01

A linear count-rate meter is designed to provide a highly linear output while receiving counting rates from one cycle per second to 100,000 cycles per second. Input pulses enter a linear discriminator and then are fed to a trigger circuit which produces positive pulses of uniform width and amplitude. The trigger circuit is connected to a one-shot multivibrator. The multivibrator output pulses have a selected width. Feedback means are provided for preventing transistor saturation in the multivibrator which improves the rise and decay times of the output pulses. The multivibrator is connected to a diode-switched, constant current metering circuit. A selected constant current is switched to an averaging circuit for each pulse received, and for a time determined by the received pulse width. The average output meter current is proportional to the product of the counting rate, the constant current, and the multivibrator output pulse width.

Platelet counting using the Coulter electronic counter.

PubMed

Eggleton, M J; Sharp, A A

1963-03-01

A method for counting platelets in dilutions of platelet-rich plasm using the Coulter electronic counter is described.(1) The results obtained show that such platelet counts are at least as accurate as the best methods of visual counting. The various technical difficulties encountered are discussed.

[Automated hematology analysers and spurious counts Part 3. Haemoglobin, red blood cells, cell count and indices, reticulocytes].

PubMed

Godon, Alban; Genevieve, Franck; Marteau-Tessier, Anne; Zandecki, Marc

2012-01-01

Several situations lead to abnormal haemoglobin measurement or to abnormal red blood cells (RBC) counts, including hyperlipemias, agglutinins and cryoglobulins, haemolysis, or elevated white blood cells (WBC) counts. Mean (red) cell volume may be also subject to spurious determination, because of agglutinins (mainly cold), high blood glucose level, natremia, anticoagulants in excess and at times technological considerations. Abnormality related to one measured parameter eventually leads to abnormal calculated RBC indices: mean cell haemoglobin content is certainly the most important RBC parameter to consider, maybe as important as flags generated by the haematology analysers (HA) themselves. In many circumstances, several of the measured parameters from cell blood counts (CBC) may be altered, and the discovery of a spurious change on one parameter frequently means that the validity of other parameters should be considered. Sensitive flags allow now the identification of several spurious counts, but only the most sophisticated HA have optimal flagging, and simpler ones, especially those without any WBC differential scattergram, do not share the same capacity to detect abnormal results. Reticulocytes are integrated into the CBC in many HA, and several situations may lead to abnormal counts, including abnormal gating, interference with intraerythrocytic particles, erythroblastosis or high WBC counts.

Establishment of new complete blood count reference values for healthy Thai adults.

PubMed

Wongkrajang, P; Chinswangwatanakul, W; Mokkhamakkun, C; Chuangsuwanich, N; Wesarachkitti, B; Thaowto, B; Laiwejpithaya, S; Komkhum, O

2018-04-28

Laboratory reference ranges are essential for diagnostic orientation and treatment decision. As complete blood count parameters are influenced by various factors, including gender, geographic origin, and ethnic origin, it is important to establish specific hematologic reference values for specific populations. This study was conducted at the Department of Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand. Blood samples were taken from healthy adults aged 18-60 years that attended a health check-up program at our hospital during February 2015 to July 2015. Hematologic and routine chemistry analysis were performed. Participants were determined to be healthy based on medical history and routine medical examinations. Serum vitamin B12, folate, ferritin, and hemoglobin typing were also analyzed to exclude the possible presence of anemia. A statistically significant difference was observed between males and females for Hb level, hematocrit level, red blood cell count, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, percentage neutrophils, monocytes and eosinophils, and absolute neutrophil, lymphocyte, basophil, and platelet counts. Accordingly, gender-specific reference intervals were established for all complete blood count parameters in healthy Thai adult population. The reference value ranges established in this study reflect significant differences between genders. It is possible that these reference ranges may be generalizable to adults living in Thailand. The findings of this study emphasize the importance of establishing specific hematologic reference values for specific populations. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

2008 KidsCount in Colorado!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Colorado Children's Campaign, 2008

2008-01-01

"KidsCount in Colorado!" is an annual publication of the Colorado Children's Campaign, which provides the best available state- and county-level data to measure and track the education, health and general well-being of the state's children. KidsCount in Colorado! informs policy debates and community discussions, serving as a valuable…

Children's Counting Strategies for Time Quantification and Integration.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilkening, Friedrich; And Others

1987-01-01

Investigated whether and how children age 5 to 7 employed counting to measure and integrate the duration of two events, which were accompanied by metronome beats for half the children. The rhythm enhanced use of counting in younger children. By age 7, most counted spontaneously, using sensible counting strategies. (SKC)

Platelet counting using the Coulter electronic counter

PubMed Central

Eggleton, M. J.; Sharp, A. A.

1963-01-01

A method for counting platelets in dilutions of platelet-rich plasm using the Coulter electronic counter is described.1 The results obtained show that such platelet counts are at least as accurate as the best methods of visual counting. The various technical difficulties encountered are discussed. PMID:16811002

Identification of CSF fistulas by radionuclide counting

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yamamoto, Y.; Kunishio, K.; Sunami, N.

1990-07-01

A radionuclide counting method, performed with the patient prone and the neck flexed, was used successfully to diagnose CSF rhinorrhea in two patients. A normal radionuclide ratio (radionuclide counts in pledget/radionuclide counts in 1-ml blood sample) was obtained in 11 normal control subjects. Significance was determined to be a ratio greater than 0.37. Use of radionuclide counting method of determining CSF rhinorrhea is recommended when other methods have failed to locate a site of leakage or when posttraumatic meningitis suggests subclinical CSF rhinorrhea.

Counting and Surveying Homeless Youth: Recommendations from YouthCount 2.0!, a Community-Academic Partnership.

PubMed

Narendorf, Sarah C; Santa Maria, Diane M; Ha, Yoonsook; Cooper, Jenna; Schieszler, Christine

2016-12-01

Communities across the United States are increasing efforts to find and count homeless youth. This paper presents findings and lessons learned from a community/academic partnership to count homeless youth and conduct an in depth research survey focused on the health needs of this population. Over a 4 week recruitment period, 632 youth were counted and 420 surveyed. Methodological successes included an extended counting period, broader inclusion criteria to capture those in unstable housing, use of student volunteers in health training programs, recruiting from magnet events for high risk youth, and partnering with community agencies to disseminate findings. Strategies that did not facilitate recruitment included respondent driven sampling, street canvassing beyond known hotspots, and having community agencies lead data collection. Surveying was successful in gathering data on reasons for homelessness, history in public systems of care, mental health history and needs, sexual risk behaviors, health status, and substance use. Youth were successfully surveyed across housing types including shelters or transitional housing (n = 205), those in unstable housing such as doubled up with friends or acquaintances (n = 75), and those who were literally on the streets or living in a place not meant for human habitation (n = 140). Most youth completed the self-report survey and provided detailed information about risk behaviors. Recommendations to combine research data collection with counting are presented.

Spatial variability in the pollen count in Sydney, Australia: can one sampling site accurately reflect the pollen count for a region?

PubMed

Katelaris, Constance H; Burke, Therese V; Byth, Karen

2004-08-01

There is increasing interest in the daily pollen count, with pollen-sensitive individuals using it to determine medication use and researchers relying on it for commencing clinical drug trials and assessing drug efficacy according to allergen exposure. Counts are often expressed qualitatively as low, medium, and high, and often only 1 pollen trap is used for an entire region. To examine the spatial variability in the pollen count in Sydney, Australia, and to compare discrepancies among low-, medium-, and high-count days at 3 sites separated by a maximum of 30 km. Three sites in western Sydney were sampled using Burkard traps. Data from the 3 sites were used to compare vegetation differences, possible effects of some meteorological parameters, and discrepancies among sites in low-, medium-, and high-count days. Total pollen counts during the spring months were 14,382 grains/m3 at Homebush, 11,584 grains/m3 at Eastern Creek, and 9,269 grains/m3 at Nepean. The only significant correlation between differences in meteorological parameters and differences in pollen counts was the Homebush-Nepean differences in rainfall and pollen counts. Comparison between low- and high-count days among the 3 sites revealed a discordance rate of 8% to 17%. For informing the public about pollen counts, the count from 1 trap is a reasonable estimation in a 30-km region; however, the discrepancies among 3 trap sites would have a significant impact on the performance of a clinical trial where enrollment was determined by a low or high count. Therefore, for clinical studies, data collection must be local and applicable to the study population.

Clean Hands Count

MedlinePlus Videos and Cool Tools

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Evaluation of lactate, white blood cell count, neutrophil count, procalcitonin and immature granulocyte count as biomarkers for sepsis in emergency department patients.

PubMed

Karon, Brad S; Tolan, Nicole V; Wockenfus, Amy M; Block, Darci R; Baumann, Nikola A; Bryant, Sandra C; Clements, Casey M

2017-11-01

Lactate, white blood cell (WBC) and neutrophil count, procalcitonin and immature granulocyte (IG) count were compared for the prediction of sepsis, and severe sepsis or septic shock, in patients presenting to the emergency department (ED). We prospectively enrolled 501 ED patients with a sepsis panel ordered for suspicion of sepsis. WBC, neutrophil, and IG counts were measured on a Sysmex XT-2000i analyzer. Lactate was measured by i-STAT, and procalcitonin by Brahms Kryptor. We classified patients as having sepsis using a simplification of the 1992 consensus conference sepsis definitions. Patients with sepsis were further classified as having severe sepsis or septic shock using established criteria. Univariate receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to determine odds ratio (OR), area under the ROC curve (AUC), and sensitivity/specificity at optimal cut-off for prediction of sepsis (vs. no sepsis), and prediction of severe sepsis or septic shock (vs. no sepsis). There were 267 patients without sepsis; and 234 with sepsis, including 35 patients with severe sepsis or septic shock. Lactate had the highest OR (1.44, 95th% CI 1.20-1.73) for the prediction of sepsis; while WBC, neutrophil count and percent (neutrophil/WBC) had OR>1.00 (p<0.05). All biomarkers had AUC<0.70 and sensitivity and specificity <70% at the optimal cut-off. Initial lactate was the best biomarker for predicting severe sepsis or septic shock, with an odds ratio (95th% CI) of 2.70 (2.02-3.61) and AUC 0.89 (0.82-0.96). Traditional biomarkers (lactate, WBC, neutrophil count, procalcitonin, IG) have limited utility in the prediction of sepsis. Copyright © 2017 The Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Counting Penguins.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perry, Mike; Kader, Gary

1998-01-01

Presents an activity on the simplification of penguin counting by employing the basic ideas and principles of sampling to teach students to understand and recognize its role in statistical claims. Emphasizes estimation, data analysis and interpretation, and central limit theorem. Includes a list of items for classroom discussion. (ASK)

Regression Models For Multivariate Count Data.

PubMed

Zhang, Yiwen; Zhou, Hua; Zhou, Jin; Sun, Wei

2017-01-01

Data with multivariate count responses frequently occur in modern applications. The commonly used multinomial-logit model is limiting due to its restrictive mean-variance structure. For instance, analyzing count data from the recent RNA-seq technology by the multinomial-logit model leads to serious errors in hypothesis testing. The ubiquity of over-dispersion and complicated correlation structures among multivariate counts calls for more flexible regression models. In this article, we study some generalized linear models that incorporate various correlation structures among the counts. Current literature lacks a treatment of these models, partly due to the fact that they do not belong to the natural exponential family. We study the estimation, testing, and variable selection for these models in a unifying framework. The regression models are compared on both synthetic and real RNA-seq data.

Elevated platelet count as predictor of recurrence in rectal cancer patients undergoing preoperative chemoradiotherapy followed by surgery.

PubMed

Toiyama, Yuji; Inoue, Yasuhiro; Kawamura, Mikio; Kawamoto, Aya; Okugawa, Yoshinaga; Hiro, Jyunichiro; Saigusa, Susumu; Tanaka, Koji; Mohri, Yasuhiko; Kusunoki, Masato

2015-02-01

The impact of systemic inflammatory response (SIR) on prognostic and predictive outcome in rectal cancer after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) has not been fully investigated. This retrospective study enrolled 89 patients with locally advanced rectal cancer who underwent neoadjuvant CRT and for whom platelet (PLT) counts and SIR status [neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR)] were available. Both clinical values of PLT and SIR status in rectal cancer patients were investigated. Elevated PLT, NLR, PLR, and pathologic TNM stage III [ypN(+)] were associated with significantly poor overall survival (OS). Elevated PLT, NLR, and ypN(+) were shown to independently predict OS. Elevated PLT and ypN(+) significantly predicted poor disease-free survival (DFS). Elevated PLT was identified as the only independent predictor of DFS. PLT counts are a promising pre-CRT biomarker for predicting recurrence and poor prognosis in rectal cancer.

Mapping of Bird Distributions from Point Count Surveys

Treesearch

John R. Sauer; Grey W. Pendleton; Sandra Orsillo

1995-01-01

Maps generated from bird survey data are used for a variety of scientific purposes, but little is known about their bias and precision. We review methods for preparing maps from point count data and appropriate sampling methods for maps based on point counts. Maps based on point counts can be affected by bias associated with incomplete counts, primarily due to changes...

Who Counts?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brass, Jory

2017-01-01

This article recovers a 1972 essay from James Moffett entitled "Who Counts?" that the National Council of Teachers of English commissioned at the onset of US standards and accountability reforms. The essay historicises NCTE's positions on teacher accountability by comparing its recent positions on teacher evaluation and the Common Core…

On the importance of controlling for effort in analysis of count survey data: Modeling population change from Christmas Bird Count data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Link, W.A.; Sauer, J.R.; Helbig, Andreas J.; Flade, Martin

1999-01-01

Count survey data are commonly used for estimating temporal and spatial patterns of population change. Since count surveys are not censuses, counts can be influenced by 'nuisance factors' related to the probability of detecting animals but unrelated to the actual population size. The effects of systematic changes in these factors can be confounded with patterns of population change. Thus, valid analysis of count survey data requires the identification of nuisance factors and flexible models for their effects. We illustrate using data from the Christmas Bird Count (CBC), a midwinter survey of bird populations in North America. CBC survey effort has substantially increased in recent years, suggesting that unadjusted counts may overstate population growth (or understate declines). We describe a flexible family of models for the effect of effort, that includes models in which increasing effort leads to diminishing returns in terms of the number of birds counted.

Automated vehicle counting using image processing and machine learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meany, Sean; Eskew, Edward; Martinez-Castro, Rosana; Jang, Shinae

2017-04-01

Vehicle counting is used by the government to improve roadways and the flow of traffic, and by private businesses for purposes such as determining the value of locating a new store in an area. A vehicle count can be performed manually or automatically. Manual counting requires an individual to be on-site and tally the traffic electronically or by hand. However, this can lead to miscounts due to factors such as human error A common form of automatic counting involves pneumatic tubes, but pneumatic tubes disrupt traffic during installation and removal, and can be damaged by passing vehicles. Vehicle counting can also be performed via the use of a camera at the count site recording video of the traffic, with counting being performed manually post-recording or using automatic algorithms. This paper presents a low-cost procedure to perform automatic vehicle counting using remote video cameras with an automatic counting algorithm. The procedure would utilize a Raspberry Pi micro-computer to detect when a car is in a lane, and generate an accurate count of vehicle movements. The method utilized in this paper would use background subtraction to process the images and a machine learning algorithm to provide the count. This method avoids fatigue issues that are encountered in manual video counting and prevents the disruption of roadways that occurs when installing pneumatic tubes

Improving the counting efficiency in time-correlated single photon counting experiments by dead-time optimization

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Peronio, P.; Acconcia, G.; Rech, I.

Time-Correlated Single Photon Counting (TCSPC) has been long recognized as the most sensitive method for fluorescence lifetime measurements, but often requiring “long” data acquisition times. This drawback is related to the limited counting capability of the TCSPC technique, due to pile-up and counting loss effects. In recent years, multi-module TCSPC systems have been introduced to overcome this issue. Splitting the light into several detectors connected to independent TCSPC modules proportionally increases the counting capability. Of course, multi-module operation also increases the system cost and can cause space and power supply problems. In this paper, we propose an alternative approach basedmore » on a new detector and processing electronics designed to reduce the overall system dead time, thus enabling efficient photon collection at high excitation rate. We present a fast active quenching circuit for single-photon avalanche diodes which features a minimum dead time of 12.4 ns. We also introduce a new Time-to-Amplitude Converter (TAC) able to attain extra-short dead time thanks to the combination of a scalable array of monolithically integrated TACs and a sequential router. The fast TAC (F-TAC) makes it possible to operate the system towards the upper limit of detector count rate capability (∼80 Mcps) with reduced pile-up losses, addressing one of the historic criticisms of TCSPC. Preliminary measurements on the F-TAC are presented and discussed.« less

Power counting to better jet observables

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Larkoski, Andrew J.; Moult, Ian; Neill, Duff

2014-12-01

Optimized jet substructure observables for identifying boosted topologies will play an essential role in maximizing the physics reach of the Large Hadron Collider. Ideally, the design of discriminating variables would be informed by analytic calculations in perturbative QCD. Unfortunately, explicit calculations are often not feasible due to the complexity of the observables used for discrimination, and so many validation studies rely heavily, and solely, on Monte Carlo. In this paper we show how methods based on the parametric power counting of the dynamics of QCD, familiar from effective theory analyses, can be used to design, understand, and make robust predictions for the behavior of jet substructure variables. As a concrete example, we apply power counting for discriminating boosted Z bosons from massive QCD jets using observables formed from the n-point energy correlation functions. We show that power counting alone gives a definite prediction for the observable that optimally separates the background-rich from the signal-rich regions of phase space. Power counting can also be used to understand effects of phase space cuts and the effect of contamination from pile-up, which we discuss. As these arguments rely only on the parametric scaling of QCD, the predictions from power counting must be reproduced by any Monte Carlo, which we verify using Pythia 8 and Herwig++. We also use the example of quark versus gluon discrimination to demonstrate the limits of the power counting technique.

A Vacuum-Aspirator for Counting Termites

Treesearch

Susan C. Jones; Joe K. Mauldin

1983-01-01

An aspirator-system powered by a vacuum cleaner is described for manually counting termites. It is significantly faster and termite survival is at least as high as when using a mouth-aspirator for counting large numbers of termites.

Regression Models For Multivariate Count Data

PubMed Central

Zhang, Yiwen; Zhou, Hua; Zhou, Jin; Sun, Wei

2016-01-01

Data with multivariate count responses frequently occur in modern applications. The commonly used multinomial-logit model is limiting due to its restrictive mean-variance structure. For instance, analyzing count data from the recent RNA-seq technology by the multinomial-logit model leads to serious errors in hypothesis testing. The ubiquity of over-dispersion and complicated correlation structures among multivariate counts calls for more flexible regression models. In this article, we study some generalized linear models that incorporate various correlation structures among the counts. Current literature lacks a treatment of these models, partly due to the fact that they do not belong to the natural exponential family. We study the estimation, testing, and variable selection for these models in a unifying framework. The regression models are compared on both synthetic and real RNA-seq data. PMID:28348500

Temporal differences in point counts of bottomland forest landbirds

USGS Publications Warehouse

Smith, W.P.; Twedt, D.J.

1999-01-01

We compared number of avian species and individuals in morning and evening point counts during the breeding season and during winter in a bottomland hardwood forest in west-central Mississippi. USA. In both seasons, more species and individuals were recorded during morning counts than during evening counts. We also compared morning and evening detections for 18 species during the breeding season and 9 species during winter. Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata), Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura), and Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) were detected significantly more often in morning counts than in evening counts during the breeding season. Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) was recorded more often in morning Counts than evening counts during the breeding season and during winter. No species was detected more often in evening counts. Thus, evening point counts of birds during either the breeding season or winter will likely underestimate species richness, overall avian abundance, and the abundance of some individual species in bottomland hardwood forests.

Mapping of bird distributions from point count surveys

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sauer, J.R.; Pendleton, G.W.; Orsillo, Sandra; Ralph, C.J.; Sauer, J.R.; Droege, S.

1995-01-01

Maps generated from bird survey data are used for a variety of scientific purposes, but little is known about their bias and precision. We review methods for preparing maps from point count data and appropriate sampling methods for maps based on point counts. Maps based on point counts can be affected by bias associated with incomplete counts, primarily due to changes in proportion counted as a function of observer or habitat differences. Large-scale surveys also generally suffer from regional and temporal variation in sampling intensity. A simulated surface is used to demonstrate sampling principles for maps.

Logistic regression for dichotomized counts.

PubMed

Preisser, John S; Das, Kalyan; Benecha, Habtamu; Stamm, John W

2016-12-01

Sometimes there is interest in a dichotomized outcome indicating whether a count variable is positive or zero. Under this scenario, the application of ordinary logistic regression may result in efficiency loss, which is quantifiable under an assumed model for the counts. In such situations, a shared-parameter hurdle model is investigated for more efficient estimation of regression parameters relating to overall effects of covariates on the dichotomous outcome, while handling count data with many zeroes. One model part provides a logistic regression containing marginal log odds ratio effects of primary interest, while an ancillary model part describes the mean count of a Poisson or negative binomial process in terms of nuisance regression parameters. Asymptotic efficiency of the logistic model parameter estimators of the two-part models is evaluated with respect to ordinary logistic regression. Simulations are used to assess the properties of the models with respect to power and Type I error, the latter investigated under both misspecified and correctly specified models. The methods are applied to data from a randomized clinical trial of three toothpaste formulations to prevent incident dental caries in a large population of Scottish schoolchildren. © The Author(s) 2014.

Evaluation of the traffic count program.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1978-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the Department's needs for traffic count data, to relate them to an evaluation of the traffic count programs and procedures, to identify problems and deficiencies with data requirements, and to seek means of...

Causal Neuro-immune Relationships at Patients with Chronic Pyelonephritis and Cholecystitis. Correlations between Parameters EEG, HRV and White Blood Cell Count.

PubMed

Kul'chyns'kyi, Andriy B; Kyjenko, Valeriy M; Zukow, Walery; Popovych, Igor L

2017-01-01

We aim to analyze in bounds KJ Tracey's immunological homunculus conception the relationships between parameters of electroencephalogram (EEG) and heart rate variability (HRV), on the one hand, and the parameters of bhite blood cell count, on the other hand. In basal conditions in 23 men, patients with chronic pyelonephritis and cholecystitis in remission, recorded EEG ("NeuroCom Standard", KhAI Medica, Ukraine) and HRV ("Cardiolab+VSR", KhAI Medica, Ukraine). In portion of blood counted up white blood cell count. Revealed that canonical correlation between constellation EEG and HRV parameters form with blood level of leukocytes 0.92 (p<10-5), with relative content in white blood cell count stubnuclear neutrophiles 0.93 (p<10-5), segmentonucleary neutrophiles 0.89 (p<10-3), eosinophiles 0.87 (p=0.003), lymphocytes 0.77 (p<10-3) and with monocytes 0.75 (p=0.003). Parameters of white blood cell count significantly modulated by electrical activity some structures of central and autonomic nervous systems.

Controlling Hay Fever Symptoms with Accurate Pollen Counts

MedlinePlus

... counts Share | Controlling Hay Fever Symptoms with Accurate Pollen Counts Seasonal allergic rhinitis known as hay fever is ... hay fever symptoms, it is important to monitor pollen counts so you can limit your exposure on days ...

Multiple-Event, Single-Photon Counting Imaging Sensor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zheng, Xinyu; Cunningham, Thomas J.; Sun, Chao; Wang, Kang L.

2011-01-01

The single-photon counting imaging sensor is typically an array of silicon Geiger-mode avalanche photodiodes that are monolithically integrated with CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) readout, signal processing, and addressing circuits located in each pixel and the peripheral area of the chip. The major problem is its single-event method for photon count number registration. A single-event single-photon counting imaging array only allows registration of up to one photon count in each of its pixels during a frame time, i.e., the interval between two successive pixel reset operations. Since the frame time can t be too short, this will lead to very low dynamic range and make the sensor merely useful for very low flux environments. The second problem of the prior technique is a limited fill factor resulting from consumption of chip area by the monolithically integrated CMOS readout in pixels. The resulting low photon collection efficiency will substantially ruin any benefit gained from the very sensitive single-photon counting detection. The single-photon counting imaging sensor developed in this work has a novel multiple-event architecture, which allows each of its pixels to register as more than one million (or more) photon-counting events during a frame time. Because of a consequently boosted dynamic range, the imaging array of the invention is capable of performing single-photon counting under ultra-low light through high-flux environments. On the other hand, since the multiple-event architecture is implemented in a hybrid structure, back-illumination and close-to-unity fill factor can be realized, and maximized quantum efficiency can also be achieved in the detector array.

Should the Standard Count Be Excluded from Neutron Probe Calibration?

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, Z. Fred

About 6 decades after its introduction, the neutron probe remains one of the most accurate methods for indirect measurement of soil moisture content. Traditionally, the calibration of a neutron probe involves the ratio of the neutron count in the soil to a standard count, which is the neutron count in the fixed environment such as the probe shield or a specially-designed calibration tank. The drawback of this count-ratio-based calibration is that the error in the standard count is carried through to all the measurements. An alternative calibration is to use the neutron counts only, not the ratio, with proper correctionmore » for radioactive decay and counting time. To evaluate both approaches, the shield counts of a neutron probe used for three decades were analyzed. The results show that the surrounding conditions have a substantial effect on the standard count. The error in the standard count also impacts the calculation of water storage and could indicate false consistency among replicates. The analysis of the shield counts indicates negligible aging effect of the instrument over a period of 26 years. It is concluded that, by excluding the standard count, the use of the count-based calibration is appropriate and sometimes even better than ratio-based calibration. The count-based calibration is especially useful for historical data when the standard count was questionable or absent« less

Optimization of high count rate event counting detector with Microchannel Plates and quad Timepix readout

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tremsin, A. S.; Vallerga, J. V.; McPhate, J. B.; Siegmund, O. H. W.

2015-07-01

Many high resolution event counting devices process one event at a time and cannot register simultaneous events. In this article a frame-based readout event counting detector consisting of a pair of Microchannel Plates and a quad Timepix readout is described. More than 104 simultaneous events can be detected with a spatial resolution of 55 μm, while >103 simultaneous events can be detected with <10 μm spatial resolution when event centroiding is implemented. The fast readout electronics is capable of processing >1200 frames/sec, while the global count rate of the detector can exceed 5×108 particles/s when no timing information on every particle is required. For the first generation Timepix readout, the timing resolution is limited by the Timepix clock to 10-20 ns. Optimization of the MCP gain, rear field voltage and Timepix threshold levels are crucial for the device performance and that is the main subject of this article. These devices can be very attractive for applications where the photon/electron/ion/neutron counting with high spatial and temporal resolution is required, such as energy resolved neutron imaging, Time of Flight experiments in lidar applications, experiments on photoelectron spectroscopy and many others.

Inflammatory Cytokines and White Blood Cell Counts ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Epidemiological observations of urban inhalation exposures to diesel exhaust (DE) and ozone (O3) have shown pre-clinical cardiopulmonary responses in humans. Identifying the key biological mechanisms that initiate these health bioindicators is difficult due to variability in environmental exposure in time and from person to person. Previously, environmentally controlled human exposure chambers have been used to study DE and O3 dose-response patterns separately, but investigation of co-exposures has not been performed under controlled conditions. Because a mixture is a more realistic exposure scenario for the general public, in this study we investigate the relationships of urban levels of urban-level DE exposure (300 μg/m3), O3 (0.3 ppm), DE + O3 co-exposure, and innate immune system responses. Fifteen healthy human volunteers were studied for changes in ten inflammatory cytokines (interleukins 1β, 2, 4, 5, 8, 10, 12p70 and 13, IFN-γ, and TNF-α) and counts of three white blood cell types (lymphocytes, monocytes, and neutrophils) following controlled exposures to DE, O3, and DE+O3. The results show subtle cytokines responses to the diesel-only and ozone-only exposures, and that a more complex (possibly synergistic) relationship exists in the combination of these two exposures with suppression of IL-5, IL-12p70, IFN-γ, and TNF-α that persists up to 22-hours for IFN-γ and TNF-α. The white blood cell differential counts showed significant monocyte and lympho

Blood Count Tests

MedlinePlus

... white blood cells (WBC), and platelets. Blood count tests measure the number and types of cells in ... helps doctors check on your overall health. The tests can also help to diagnose diseases and conditions ...

Preverbal and verbal counting and computation.

PubMed

Gallistel, C R; Gelman, R

1992-08-01

We describe the preverbal system of counting and arithmetic reasoning revealed by experiments on numerical representations in animals. In this system, numerosities are represented by magnitudes, which are rapidly but inaccurately generated by the Meck and Church (1983) preverbal counting mechanism. We suggest the following. (1) The preverbal counting mechanism is the source of the implicit principles that guide the acquisition of verbal counting. (2) The preverbal system of arithmetic computation provides the framework for the assimilation of the verbal system. (3) Learning to count involves, in part, learning a mapping from the preverbal numerical magnitudes to the verbal and written number symbols and the inverse mappings from these symbols to the preverbal magnitudes. (4) Subitizing is the use of the preverbal counting process and the mapping from the resulting magnitudes to number words in order to generate rapidly the number words for small numerosities. (5) The retrieval of the number facts, which plays a central role in verbal computation, is mediated via the inverse mappings from verbal and written numbers to the preverbal magnitudes and the use of these magnitudes to find the appropriate cells in tabular arrangements of the answers. (6) This model of the fact retrieval process accounts for the salient features of the reaction time differences and error patterns revealed by experiments on mental arithmetic. (7) The application of verbal and written computational algorithms goes on in parallel with, and is to some extent guided by, preverbal computations, both in the child and in the adult.

Addendum to final report, Optimizing traffic counting procedures.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1987-01-01

The methodology described in entry 55-14 was used with 1980 data for 16 continuous count stations to determine periods that were stable throughout the year for different short counts. It was found that stable periods for short counts occurred mainly ...

Complete blood count reference values of cord blood in Taiwan and the influence of gender and delivery route on them.

PubMed

Chang, Yu-Hsun; Yang, Shang-Hsien; Wang, Tso-Fu; Lin, Teng-Yi; Yang, Kuo-Liang; Chen, Shu-Huey

2011-06-01

Cord blood banking has become more popular in recent years. Checking cord blood complete blood count (CBC) and white blood cell (WBC) differential counts (DCs) is essential before cryopreserving the cord blood units. Therefore, establishing the normal reference values of cord blood CBC and WBC DC is important in clinical practice and research. To obtain a large-scale population-based normal CBC and WBC DC reference values of healthy neonates' cord blood from a public cord blood bank and to investigate the influence of the gender and delivery route. From September 2001 to November 2006, the cord blood of healthy Taiwanese neonates with gestational age 36 weeks and more were collected by Tzu Chi Cord Blood Bank with written informed consents. All cord blood samples were analyzed by Sysmex XE2100 automated hematology analyzer (Sysmex Corporation, Kobe, Japan) to obtain the CBC. The WBC DC was calculated by manual method. We used Student's t test and Mann-Whitney U test for investigating the influences of gender and delivery route on the CBC and WBC DC reference values. The results were presented by mean±standard deviation or 2.5-97.5th percentiles. In the study period, totally 5602 cord blood samples were collected eligibly for analysis. The cord blood CBC and WBC DC normal reference values were calculated. The female neonates had significantly higher mean corpuscular volume, platelet count, and WBC count, but lower red blood cell (RBC) count, hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit, and mean corpuscular Hb concentration values (p<0.001). Newborns through vaginal delivery had significantly higher RBC count, Hb, hematocrit, platelet count, and WBC count (p<0.001). The percentages of some different types WBC were significantly influenced by gender and delivery routes. Male babies had higher lymphocyte, monocyte, eosinophil, basophil, and nucleated RBC ratios than the female neonates. Newborns through cesarean section had significantly lower neutrophil, monocyte, and nucleated RBC

Optimally achieving milk bulk tank somatic cell count thresholds.

PubMed

Troendle, Jason A; Tauer, Loren W; Gröhn, Yrjo T

2017-01-01

High somatic cell count in milk leads to reduced shelf life in fluid milk and lower processed yields in manufactured dairy products. As a result, farmers are often penalized for high bulk tank somatic cell count or paid a premium for low bulk tank somatic cell count. Many countries also require all milk from a farm to be lower than a specified regulated somatic cell count. Thus, farms often cull cows that have high somatic cell count to meet somatic cell count thresholds. Rather than naïvely cull the highest somatic cell count cows, a mathematical programming model was developed that determines the cows to be culled from the herd by maximizing the net present value of the herd, subject to meeting any specified bulk tank somatic cell count level. The model was applied to test-day cows on 2 New York State dairy farms. Results showed that the net present value of the herd was increased by using the model to meet the somatic cell count restriction compared with naïvely culling the highest somatic cell count cows. Implementation of the model would be straightforward in dairy management decision software. Copyright © 2017 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Relationship between salivary flow rates and Candida albicans counts.

PubMed

Navazesh, M; Wood, G J; Brightman, V J

1995-09-01

Seventy-one persons (48 women, 23 men; mean age, 51.76 years) were evaluated for salivary flow rates and Candida albicans counts. Each person was seen on three different occasions. Samples of unstimulated whole, chewing-stimulated whole, acid-stimulated parotid, and candy-stimulated parotid saliva were collected under standardized conditions. An oral rinse was also obtained and evaluated for Candida albicans counts. Unstimulated and chewing-stimulated whole flow rates were negatively and significantly (p < 0.001) related to the Candida counts. Unstimulated whole saliva significantly (p < 0.05) differed in persons with Candida counts of 0 versus <500 versus < or = 500. Chewing-stimulated saliva was significantly (p < 0.05) different in persons with 0 counts compared with those with a > or = 500 count. Differences in stimulated parotid flow rates were not significant among different levels of Candida counts. The results of this study reveal that whole saliva is a better predictor than parotid saliva in identification of persons with high Candida albicans counts.

Monoclonal B lymphocytes with the characteristics of "indolent" chronic lymphocytic leukemia are present in 3.5% of adults with normal blood counts.

PubMed

Rawstron, Andy C; Green, Michael J; Kuzmicki, Anita; Kennedy, Ben; Fenton, James A L; Evans, Paul A S; O'Connor, Sheila J M; Richards, Stephen J; Morgan, Gareth J; Jack, Andrew S; Hillmen, Peter

2002-07-15

Molecular and cellular markers associated with malignant disease are frequently identified in healthy individuals. The relationship between these markers and clinical disease is not clear, except where a neoplastic cell population can be identified as in myeloma/monoclonal gammopathies of undetermined significance (MGUS). We have used the distinctive phenotype of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells to determine whether low levels of these cells can be identified in individuals with normal complete blood counts. CLL cells were identified by 4-color flow cytometric analysis of CD19/CD5/CD79b/CD20 expression in 910 outpatients over 40 years old. These outpatients were age- and sex-matched to the general population with normal hematologic parameters and no evident history of malignant disease. CLL phenotype cells were detectable in 3.5% of individuals at low level (median, 0.013; range, 0.002- 1.458 x 10(9) cells/L), and represented a minority of B lymphocytes (median, 11%; range, 3%-95%). Monoclonality was demonstrated by immunoglobulin light-chain restriction in all cases with CLL phenotype cells present and confirmed in a subset of cases by consensus-primer IgH-polymerase chain reaction. As in clinical disease, CLL phenotype cells were detected with a higher frequency in men (male-to-female ratio, 1.9:1) and elderly individuals (2.1% of 40- to 59-year-olds versus 5.0% of 60- to 89-year-olds, P =.01). The neoplastic cells were identical to good-prognosis CLL, being CD5+23+20(wk)79b(wk)11a(-)22(wk)sIg(wk)CD38-, and where assessed had a high degree (4.8%-6.6%) of IgH somatic hypermutation. The monoclonal CLL phenotype cells present in otherwise healthy individuals may represent a very early stage of indolent CLL and should be useful in elucidating the mechanisms of leukemogenesis.

Using DNA to test the utility of pellet-group counts as an index of deer counts

Treesearch

T. J. Brinkman; D. K. Person; W. Smith; F. Stuart Chapin; K. McCoy; M. Leonawicz; K. Hundertmark

2013-01-01

Despite widespread use of fecal pellet-group counts as an index of ungulate density, techniques used to convert pellet-group numbers to ungulate numbers rarely are based on counts of known individuals, seldom evaluated across spatial and temporal scales, and precision is infrequently quantified. Using DNA from fecal pellets to identify individual deer, we evaluated the...

Tutorial on X-ray photon counting detector characterization.

PubMed

Ren, Liqiang; Zheng, Bin; Liu, Hong

2018-01-01

Recent advances in photon counting detection technology have led to significant research interest in X-ray imaging. As a tutorial level review, this paper covers a wide range of aspects related to X-ray photon counting detector characterization. The tutorial begins with a detailed description of the working principle and operating modes of a pixelated X-ray photon counting detector with basic architecture and detection mechanism. Currently available methods and techniques for charactering major aspects including energy response, noise floor, energy resolution, count rate performance (detector efficiency), and charge sharing effect of photon counting detectors are comprehensively reviewed. Other characterization aspects such as point spread function (PSF), line spread function (LSF), contrast transfer function (CTF), modulation transfer function (MTF), noise power spectrum (NPS), detective quantum efficiency (DQE), bias voltage, radiation damage, and polarization effect are also remarked. A cadmium telluride (CdTe) pixelated photon counting detector is employed for part of the characterization demonstration and the results are presented. This review can serve as a tutorial for X-ray imaging researchers and investigators to understand, operate, characterize, and optimize photon counting detectors for a variety of applications.

Long terms trends in CD4+ cell counts, CD8+ cell counts, and the CD4+ : CD8+ ratio

PubMed Central

Hughes, Rachael A.; May, Margaret T.; Tilling, Kate; Taylor, Ninon; Wittkop, Linda; Reiss, Peter; Gill, John; Schommers, Philipp; Costagliola, Dominique; Guest, Jodie L.; Lima, Viviane D.; d’Arminio Monforte, Antonella; Smith, Colette; Cavassini, Matthias; Saag, Michael; Castilho, Jessica L.; Sterne, Jonathan A.C.

2018-01-01

Objective: Model trajectories of CD4+ and CD8+ cell counts after starting combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) and use the model to predict trends in these counts and the CD4+ : CD8+ ratio. Design: Cohort study of antiretroviral-naïve HIV-positive adults who started ART after 1997 (ART Cohort Collaboration) with more than 6 months of follow-up data. Methods: We jointly estimated CD4+ and CD8+ cell count trends and their correlation using a bivariate random effects model, with linear splines describing their population trends, and predicted the CD4+ : CD8+ ratio trend from this model. We assessed whether CD4+ and CD8+ cell count trends and the CD4+ : CD8+ ratio trend varied according to CD4+ cell count at start of ART (baseline), and, whether these trends differed in patients with and without virological failure more than 6 months after starting ART. Results: A total of 39 979 patients were included (median follow-up was 53 months). Among patients with baseline CD4+ cell count at least 50 cells/μl, predicted mean CD8+ cell counts continued to decrease between 3 and 15 years post-ART, partly driving increases in the predicted mean CD4+ : CD8+ ratio. During 15 years of follow-up, normalization of the predicted mean CD4+ : CD8+ ratio (to >1) was only observed among patients with baseline CD4+ cell count at least 200 cells/μl. A higher baseline CD4+ cell count predicted a shorter time to normalization. Conclusion: Declines in CD8+ cell count and increases in CD4+ : CD8+ ratio occurred up to 15 years after starting ART. The likelihood of normalization of the CD4+ : CD8+ ratio is strongly related to baseline CD4+ cell count. PMID:29851663

21 CFR 864.6160 - Manual blood cell counting device.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... blood cell counting device. (a) Identification. A manual blood cell counting device is a device used to count red blood cells, white blood cells, or blood platelets. (b) Classification. Class I (general... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Manual blood cell counting device. 864.6160...

21 CFR 864.6160 - Manual blood cell counting device.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... blood cell counting device. (a) Identification. A manual blood cell counting device is a device used to count red blood cells, white blood cells, or blood platelets. (b) Classification. Class I (general... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Manual blood cell counting device. 864.6160...

21 CFR 864.6160 - Manual blood cell counting device.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... blood cell counting device. (a) Identification. A manual blood cell counting device is a device used to count red blood cells, white blood cells, or blood platelets. (b) Classification. Class I (general... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Manual blood cell counting device. 864.6160...

21 CFR 864.6160 - Manual blood cell counting device.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... blood cell counting device. (a) Identification. A manual blood cell counting device is a device used to count red blood cells, white blood cells, or blood platelets. (b) Classification. Class I (general... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Manual blood cell counting device. 864.6160...

21 CFR 864.6160 - Manual blood cell counting device.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Manual blood cell counting device. 864.6160... blood cell counting device. (a) Identification. A manual blood cell counting device is a device used to count red blood cells, white blood cells, or blood platelets. (b) Classification. Class I (general...

Counting Populations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Damonte, Kathleen

2004-01-01

Scientists use sampling to get an estimate of things they cannot easily count. A population is made up of all the organisms of one species living together in one place at the same time. All of the people living together in one town are considered a population. All of the grasshoppers living in a field are a population. Scientists keep track of the…

A Multiple Parameters Biodosimetry Tool with Various Blood Cell Counts - the Hemodose Approach

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hu, Shaowen

2014-01-01

There continue to be important concerns about the possibility of the occurrence of acute radiation syndromes following nuclear and radiological terrorism or accidents that may result in mass casualties in densely populated areas. To guide medical personnel in their clinical decisions for effective medical management and treatment of the exposed individuals, biological markers are usually applied to examine radiation induced biological changes to assess the severity of radiation injury to sensitive organ systems. Among these the peripheral blood cell counts are widely used to assess the extent of radiation induced bone marrow injury. This is due to the fact that the hematopoietic system is the most vulnerable part of the human body to radiation damage. Particularly, the lymphocyte, granulocyte, and platelet cells are the most radiosensitive of the blood elements, and monitoring their changes after exposure is regarded as a practical and recommended laboratory test to estimate radiation dose and injury. Based upon years of physiological and pathophysiological investigation of mammalian hematopoietic systems, and rigorous coarse-grained bio-mathematical modeling and validation on species from mouse, to dog, monkey, and human, we have developed a set of software tools Hemodose, which can use single or serial granulocyte, lymphocyte, leukocyte, or platelet counts after exposure to estimate absorbed doses of adult victims very rapidly and accurately. Some patient data from historical accidents are utilized as examples to demonstrate the capabilities of these tools as a rapid point-of-care diagnostic or centralized high-throughput assay system in a large-scale radiological disaster scenario. Most significant to the improvement of national and local preparedness of a potential nuclear/radiological disaster, this HemoDose approach establishes robust correlations between the absorbed doses and victim's various types of blood cell counts not only in the early time window (1

Low absolute neutrophil counts in African infants.

PubMed

Kourtis, Athena P; Bramson, Brian; van der Horst, Charles; Kazembe, Peter; Ahmed, Yusuf; Chasela, Charles; Hosseinipour, Mina; Knight, Rodney; Lugalia, Lebah; Tegha, Gerald; Joaki, George; Jafali, Robert; Jamieson, Denise J

2005-07-01

Infants of African origin have a lower normal range of absolute neutrophil counts than white infants; this fact, however, remains under appreciated by clinical researchers in the United States. During the initial stages of a clinical trial in Malawi, the authors noted an unexpectedly high number of infants with absolute neutrophil counts that would be classifiable as neutropenic using the National Institutes of Health's Division of AIDS toxicity tables. The authors argue that the relevant Division of AIDS table does not take into account the available evidence of low absolute neutrophil counts in African infants and that a systematic collection of data from many African settings might help establish the absolute neutrophil count cutpoints to be used for defining neutropenia in African populations.

Advantages and challenges in automated apatite fission track counting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Enkelmann, E.; Ehlers, T. A.

2012-04-01

Fission track thermochronometer data are often a core element of modern tectonic and denudation studies. Soon after the development of the fission track methods interest emerged for the developed an automated counting procedure to replace the time consuming labor of counting fission tracks under the microscope. Automated track counting became feasible in recent years with increasing improvements in computer software and hardware. One such example used in this study is the commercial automated fission track counting procedure from Autoscan Systems Pty that has been highlighted through several venues. We conducted experiments that are designed to reliably and consistently test the ability of this fully automated counting system to recognize fission tracks in apatite and a muscovite external detector. Fission tracks were analyzed in samples with a step-wise increase in sample complexity. The first set of experiments used a large (mm-size) slice of Durango apatite cut parallel to the prism plane. Second, samples with 80-200 μm large apatite grains of Fish Canyon Tuff were analyzed. This second sample set is characterized by complexities often found in apatites in different rock types. In addition to the automated counting procedure, the same samples were also analyzed using conventional counting procedures. We found for all samples that the fully automated fission track counting procedure using the Autoscan System yields a larger scatter in the fission track densities measured compared to conventional (manual) track counting. This scatter typically resulted from the false identification of tracks due surface and mineralogical defects, regardless of the image filtering procedure used. Large differences between track densities analyzed with the automated counting persisted between different grains analyzed in one sample as well as between different samples. As a result of these differences a manual correction of the fully automated fission track counts is necessary for

Point Counts of Birds: What Are We Estimating?

Treesearch

Douglas H. Johnson

1995-01-01

Point counts of birds are made for many reasons, including estimating local densities, determining population trends, assessing habitat preferences, and exploiting the activities of recreational birdwatchers. Problems arise unless there is a clear understanding of what point counts mean in terms of actual populations of birds. Criteria for conducting point counts...

20 CFR 416.1123 - How we count unearned income.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 20 Employees' Benefits 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false How we count unearned income. 416.1123 Section 416.1123 Employees' Benefits SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY INCOME FOR THE AGED, BLIND, AND DISABLED Income Unearned Income § 416.1123 How we count unearned income. (a) When we count unearned income. We count unearned income...

Photon Counting - One More Time

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stanton, Richard H.

2012-05-01

Photon counting has been around for more than 60 years, and has been available to amateurs for most of that time. In most cases single photons are detected using photomultiplier tubes, "old technology" that became available after the Second World War. But over the last couple of decades the perfection of CCD devices has given amateurs the ability to perform accurate photometry with modest telescopes. Is there any reason to still count photons? This paper discusses some of the strengths of current photon counting technology, particularly relating to the search for fast optical transients. Technology advances in counters and photomultiplier modules are briefly mentioned. Illustrative data are presented including FFT analysis of bright star photometry and a technique for finding optical pulses in a large file of noisy data. This latter technique is shown to enable the discovery of a possible optical flare on the polar variable AM Her.

Poisson mixture model for measurements using counting.

PubMed

Miller, Guthrie; Justus, Alan; Vostrotin, Vadim; Dry, Donald; Bertelli, Luiz

2010-03-01

Starting with the basic Poisson statistical model of a counting measurement process, 'extraPoisson' variance or 'overdispersion' are included by assuming that the Poisson parameter representing the mean number of counts itself comes from another distribution. The Poisson parameter is assumed to be given by the quantity of interest in the inference process multiplied by a lognormally distributed normalising coefficient plus an additional lognormal background that might be correlated with the normalising coefficient (shared uncertainty). The example of lognormal environmental background in uranium urine data is discussed. An additional uncorrelated background is also included. The uncorrelated background is estimated from a background count measurement using Bayesian arguments. The rather complex formulas are validated using Monte Carlo. An analytical expression is obtained for the probability distribution of gross counts coming from the uncorrelated background, which allows straightforward calculation of a classical decision level in the form of a gross-count alarm point with a desired false-positive rate. The main purpose of this paper is to derive formulas for exact likelihood calculations in the case of various kinds of backgrounds.

Single photon counting linear mode avalanche photodiode technologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, George M.; Huntington, Andrew S.

2011-10-01

The false count rate of a single-photon-sensitive photoreceiver consisting of a high-gain, low-excess-noise linear-mode InGaAs avalanche photodiode (APD) and a high-bandwidth transimpedance amplifier (TIA) is fit to a statistical model. The peak height distribution of the APD's multiplied dark current is approximated by the weighted sum of McIntyre distributions, each characterizing dark current generated at a different location within the APD's junction. The peak height distribution approximated in this way is convolved with a Gaussian distribution representing the input-referred noise of the TIA to generate the statistical distribution of the uncorrelated sum. The cumulative distribution function (CDF) representing count probability as a function of detection threshold is computed, and the CDF model fit to empirical false count data. It is found that only k=0 McIntyre distributions fit the empirically measured CDF at high detection threshold, and that false count rate drops faster than photon count rate as detection threshold is raised. Once fit to empirical false count data, the model predicts the improvement of the false count rate to be expected from reductions in TIA noise and APD dark current. Improvement by at least three orders of magnitude is thought feasible with further manufacturing development and a capacitive-feedback TIA (CTIA).

Kentucky Kids Count 2001 County Data Book: Families Count.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salley, Valerie

This Kids Count county data book is the eleventh in a series to measure the well-being of Kentucky's children and focuses on the vital role that families play in ensuring their children's success. Included at the beginning of this document is an executive summary of the databook providing an overview of the statewide data for six child and family…

An analysis of dependency of counting efficiency on worker anatomy for in vivo measurements: whole-body counting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Binquan; Mille, Matthew; Xu, X. George

2008-07-01

In vivo radiobioassay is integral to many health physics and radiological protection programs dealing with internal exposures. The Bottle Manikin Absorber (BOMAB) physical phantom has been widely used for whole-body counting calibrations. However, the shape of BOMAB phantoms—a collection of plastic, cylindrical shells which contain no bones or internal organs—does not represent realistic human anatomy. Furthermore, workers who come in contact with radioactive materials have rather different body shape and size. To date, there is a lack of understanding about how the counting efficiency would change when the calibrated counter is applied to a worker with complicated internal organs or tissues. This paper presents a study on various in vivo counting efficiencies obtained from Monte Carlo simulations of two BOMAB phantoms and three tomographic image-based models (VIP-Man, NORMAN and CNMAN) for a scenario involving homogeneous whole-body radioactivity contamination. The results reveal that a phantom's counting efficiency is strongly dependent on the shape and size of a phantom. Contrary to what was expected, it was found that only small differences in efficiency were observed when the density and material composition of all internal organs and tissues of the tomographic phantoms were changed to water. The results of this study indicate that BOMAB phantoms with appropriately adjusted size and shape can be sufficient for whole-body counting calibrations when the internal contamination is homogeneous.

Triple-Label β Liquid Scintillation Counting

PubMed Central

Bukowski, Thomas R.; Moffett, Tyler C.; Revkin, James H.; Ploger, James D.; Bassingthwaighte, James B.

2010-01-01

The detection of radioactive compounds by liquid scintillation has revolutionized modern biology, yet few investigators make full use of the power of this technique. Even though multiple isotope counting is considerably more difficult than single isotope counting, many experimental designs would benefit from using more than one isotope. The development of accurate isotope counting techniques enabling the simultaneous use of three β-emitting tracers has facilitated studies in our laboratory using the multiple tracer indicator dilution technique for assessing rates of transmembrane transport and cellular metabolism. The details of sample preparation, and of stabilizing the liquid scintillation spectra of the tracers, are critical to obtaining good accuracy. Reproducibility is enhanced by obtaining detailed efficiency/quench curves for each particular set of tracers and solvent media. The numerical methods for multiple-isotope quantitation depend on avoiding error propagation (inherent to successive subtraction techniques) by using matrix inversion. Experimental data obtained from triple-label β counting illustrate reproducibility and good accuracy even when the relative amounts of different tracers in samples of protein/electrolyte solutions, plasma, and blood are changed. PMID:1514684

Image-based red cell counting for wild animals blood.

PubMed

Mauricio, Claudio R M; Schneider, Fabio K; Dos Santos, Leonilda Correia

2010-01-01

An image-based red blood cell (RBC) automatic counting system is presented for wild animals blood analysis. Images with 2048×1536-pixel resolution acquired on an optical microscope using Neubauer chambers are used to evaluate RBC counting for three animal species (Leopardus pardalis, Cebus apella and Nasua nasua) and the error found using the proposed method is similar to that obtained for inter observer visual counting method, i.e., around 10%. Smaller errors (e.g., 3%) can be obtained in regions with less grid artifacts. These promising results allow the use of the proposed method either as a complete automatic counting tool in laboratories for wild animal's blood analysis or as a first counting stage in a semi-automatic counting tool.

Low white blood cell count and cancer

MedlinePlus

Neutropenia and cancer; Absolute neutrophil count and cancer; ANC and cancer ... A person with cancer can develop a low WBC count from the cancer or from treatment for the cancer. Cancer may be in ...

Causal Neuro-immune Relationships at Patients with Chronic Pyelonephritis and Cholecystitis. Correlations between Parameters EEG, HRV and White Blood Cell Count

PubMed Central

Kul’chyns’kyi, Andriy B; Kyjenko, Valeriy M; Zukow, Walery; Popovych, Igor L

2017-01-01

Abstract We aim to analyze in bounds KJ Tracey’s immunological homunculus conception the relationships between parameters of electroencephalogram (EEG) and heart rate variability (HRV), on the one hand, and the parameters of bhite blood cell count, on the other hand. Methods In basal conditions in 23 men, patients with chronic pyelonephritis and cholecystitis in remission, recorded EEG (“NeuroCom Standard”, KhAI Medica, Ukraine) and HRV (“Cardiolab+VSR”, KhAI Medica, Ukraine). In portion of blood counted up white blood cell count. Results Revealed that canonical correlation between constellation EEG and HRV parameters form with blood level of leukocytes 0.92 (p<10-5), with relative content in white blood cell count stubnuclear neutrophiles 0.93 (p<10-5), segmentonucleary neutrophiles 0.89 (p<10-3), eosinophiles 0.87 (p=0.003), lymphocytes 0.77 (p<10-3) and with monocytes 0.75 (p=0.003). Conclusion Parameters of white blood cell count significantly modulated by electrical activity some structures of central and autonomic nervous systems. PMID:28730179

Accuracy of Carbohydrate Counting in Adults

PubMed Central

Rushton, Wanda E.

2016-01-01

In Brief This study investigates carbohydrate counting accuracy in patients using insulin through a multiple daily injection regimen or continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion. The average accuracy test score for all patients was 59%. The carbohydrate test in this study can be used to emphasize the importance of carbohydrate counting to patients and to provide ongoing education. PMID:27621531

Early Concepts of Number and Counting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Box, Katherine; Scott, Paul

2004-01-01

Before primitive man had grasped the concept of number, the written word or even speech, he was able to count. This was important for keeping track of food supplies, sending messages, trading between villages and even keeping track of how many animals were in their herd. Counting was done in various ways, but in all cases, the underlying principle…

Monitoring bird populations by point counts

Treesearch

C. John Ralph; John R. Sauer; Sam Droege

1995-01-01

This volume contains in part papers presented at the Symposium on Monitoring Bird Population Trends by Point Counts, which was held November 6-7, 1991, in Beltsville, Md., in response to the need for standardization of methods to monitor bird populations by point counts. Data from various investigators working under a wide variety of conditions are presented, and...

Protecting count queries in study design.

PubMed

Vinterbo, Staal A; Sarwate, Anand D; Boxwala, Aziz A

2012-01-01

Today's clinical research institutions provide tools for researchers to query their data warehouses for counts of patients. To protect patient privacy, counts are perturbed before reporting; this compromises their utility for increased privacy. The goal of this study is to extend current query answer systems to guarantee a quantifiable level of privacy and allow users to tailor perturbations to maximize the usefulness according to their needs. A perturbation mechanism was designed in which users are given options with respect to scale and direction of the perturbation. The mechanism translates the true count, user preferences, and a privacy level within administrator-specified bounds into a probability distribution from which the perturbed count is drawn. Users can significantly impact the scale and direction of the count perturbation and can receive more accurate final cohort estimates. Strong and semantically meaningful differential privacy is guaranteed, providing for a unified privacy accounting system that can support role-based trust levels. This study provides an open source web-enabled tool to investigate visually and numerically the interaction between system parameters, including required privacy level and user preference settings. Quantifying privacy allows system administrators to provide users with a privacy budget and to monitor its expenditure, enabling users to control the inevitable loss of utility. While current measures of privacy are conservative, this system can take advantage of future advances in privacy measurement. The system provides new ways of trading off privacy and utility that are not provided in current study design systems.

A miniaturized counting technique for anaerobic bacteria.

PubMed

Sharpe, A N; Pettipher, G L; Lloyd, G R

1976-12-01

A miniaturized counting technique gave results as good as the pour-plate and Most Probable Number (MPN) techniques for enumeration of clostridia spp. and anaerobic isolates from the gut. Highest counts were obtained when ascorbic acid (1%) and dithiothreitol (0.015%) were added to the reinforced clostridial medium used for counting. This minimized the effect of exposure to air before incubation. The miniature technique allowed up to 40 samples to be plated and incubated in one McIntosh-Filde's-type anaerobic jar, compared with 3 or 4 by the normal pour plate.

Modeling Intersection Crash Counts and Traffic Volume

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-07-01

This research explored the feasibility of modeling crash counts at intersections with use of available exposure measures. The basic purpose of "exposure" is to serve as a size factor to allow comparison of crash counts among populations of different ...

Evaluation of the performance of a point-of-care method for total and differential white blood cell count in clozapine users.

PubMed

Bui, H N; Bogers, J P A M; Cohen, D; Njo, T; Herruer, M H

2016-12-01

We evaluated the performance of the HemoCue WBC DIFF, a point-of-care device for total and differential white cell count, primarily to test its suitability for the mandatory white blood cell monitoring in clozapine use. Leukocyte count and 5-part differentiation was performed by the point-of-care device and by routine laboratory method in venous EDTA-blood samples from 20 clozapine users, 20 neutropenic patients, and 20 healthy volunteers. From the volunteers, also a capillary sample was drawn. Intra-assay reproducibility and drop-to-drop variation were tested. The correlation between both methods in venous samples was r > 0.95 for leukocyte, neutrophil, and lymphocyte counts. The correlation between point-of-care (capillary sample) and routine (venous sample) methods for these cells was 0.772; 0.817 and 0.798, respectively. Only for leukocyte and neutrophil counts, the intra-assay reproducibility was sufficient. The point-of-care device can be used to screen for leukocyte and neutrophil counts. Because of the relatively high measurement uncertainty and poor correlation with venous samples, we recommend to repeat the measurement with a venous sample if cell counts are in the lower reference range. In case of clozapine therapy, neutropenia can probably be excluded if high neutrophil counts are found and patients can continue their therapy. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Measures of Child Well-Being in Utah, 2002: Counting the Kids Who Count on Us. Utah KIDS COUNT.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haven, Terry, Ed.

This Kids Count report details statewide trends in the well-being of Utah's children. The statistical portrait is based on 29 indicators of children's well-being in five areas: (1) child health and safety (prenatal care, low birthweight, infant mortality, child injury deaths, injury-related hospital discharges, child abuse, childhood…

Exploration of maximum count rate capabilities for large-area photon counting arrays based on polycrystalline silicon thin-film transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liang, Albert K.; Koniczek, Martin; Antonuk, Larry E.; El-Mohri, Youcef; Zhao, Qihua

2016-03-01

Pixelated photon counting detectors with energy discrimination capabilities are of increasing clinical interest for x-ray imaging. Such detectors, presently in clinical use for mammography and under development for breast tomosynthesis and spectral CT, usually employ in-pixel circuits based on crystalline silicon - a semiconductor material that is generally not well-suited for economic manufacture of large-area devices. One interesting alternative semiconductor is polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si), a thin-film technology capable of creating very large-area, monolithic devices. Similar to crystalline silicon, poly-Si allows implementation of the type of fast, complex, in-pixel circuitry required for photon counting - operating at processing speeds that are not possible with amorphous silicon (the material currently used for large-area, active matrix, flat-panel imagers). The pixel circuits of two-dimensional photon counting arrays are generally comprised of four stages: amplifier, comparator, clock generator and counter. The analog front-end (in particular, the amplifier) strongly influences performance and is therefore of interest to study. In this paper, the relationship between incident and output count rate of the analog front-end is explored under diagnostic imaging conditions for a promising poly-Si based design. The input to the amplifier is modeled in the time domain assuming a realistic input x-ray spectrum. Simulations of circuits based on poly-Si thin-film transistors are used to determine the resulting output count rate as a function of input count rate, energy discrimination threshold and operating conditions.

Methods of detecting and counting raptors: A review

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fuller, M.R.; Mosher, J.A.; Ralph, C. John; Scott, J. Michael

1981-01-01

Most raptors are wide-ranging, secretive, and occur at relatively low densities. These factors, in conjunction with the nocturnal activity of owls, cause the counting of raptors by most standard census and survey efforts to be very time consuming and expensive. This paper reviews the most common methods of detecting and counting raptors. It is hoped that it will be of use to the ever-increasing number of biologists, land-use planners, and managers that must determine the occurrence, density, or population dynamics of raptors. Road counts of fixed station or continuous transect design are often used to sample large areas. Detection of spontaneous or elicited vocalizations, especially those of owls, provides a means of detecting and estimating raptor numbers. Searches for nests are accomplished from foot surveys, observations from automobiles and boats, or from aircraft when nest structures are conspicuous (e.g., Osprey). Knowledge of nest habitat, historic records, and inquiries of local residents are useful for locating nests. Often several of these techniques are combined to help find nest sites. Aerial searches have also been used to locate or count large raptors (e.g., eagles), or those that may be conspicuous in open habitats (e.g., tundra). Counts of birds entering or leaving nest colonies or colonial roosts have been attempted on a limited basis. Results from Christmas Bird Counts have provided an index of the abundance of some species. Trapping and banding generally has proven to be an inefficient method of detecting raptors or estimating their populations. Concentrations of migrants at strategically located points around the world afford the best opportunity to count many rap tors in a relatively short period of time, but the influence of many unquantified variables has inhibited extensive interpretation of these counts. Few data exist to demonstrate the effectiveness of these methods. We believe more research on sampling techniques, rather than complete

Assessing Rotation-Invariant Feature Classification for Automated Wildebeest Population Counts.

PubMed

Torney, Colin J; Dobson, Andrew P; Borner, Felix; Lloyd-Jones, David J; Moyer, David; Maliti, Honori T; Mwita, Machoke; Fredrick, Howard; Borner, Markus; Hopcraft, J Grant C

2016-01-01

Accurate and on-demand animal population counts are the holy grail for wildlife conservation organizations throughout the world because they enable fast and responsive adaptive management policies. While the collection of image data from camera traps, satellites, and manned or unmanned aircraft has advanced significantly, the detection and identification of animals within images remains a major bottleneck since counting is primarily conducted by dedicated enumerators or citizen scientists. Recent developments in the field of computer vision suggest a potential resolution to this issue through the use of rotation-invariant object descriptors combined with machine learning algorithms. Here we implement an algorithm to detect and count wildebeest from aerial images collected in the Serengeti National Park in 2009 as part of the biennial wildebeest count. We find that the per image error rates are greater than, but comparable to, two separate human counts. For the total count, the algorithm is more accurate than both manual counts, suggesting that human counters have a tendency to systematically over or under count images. While the accuracy of the algorithm is not yet at an acceptable level for fully automatic counts, our results show this method is a promising avenue for further research and we highlight specific areas where future research should focus in order to develop fast and accurate enumeration of aerial count data. If combined with a bespoke image collection protocol, this approach may yield a fully automated wildebeest count in the near future.

Counting Knights and Knaves

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levin,Oscar; Roberts, Gerri M.

2013-01-01

To understand better some of the classic knights and knaves puzzles, we count them. Doing so reveals a surprising connection between puzzles and solutions, and highlights some beautiful combinatorial identities.

Protecting count queries in study design

PubMed Central

Sarwate, Anand D; Boxwala, Aziz A

2012-01-01

Objective Today's clinical research institutions provide tools for researchers to query their data warehouses for counts of patients. To protect patient privacy, counts are perturbed before reporting; this compromises their utility for increased privacy. The goal of this study is to extend current query answer systems to guarantee a quantifiable level of privacy and allow users to tailor perturbations to maximize the usefulness according to their needs. Methods A perturbation mechanism was designed in which users are given options with respect to scale and direction of the perturbation. The mechanism translates the true count, user preferences, and a privacy level within administrator-specified bounds into a probability distribution from which the perturbed count is drawn. Results Users can significantly impact the scale and direction of the count perturbation and can receive more accurate final cohort estimates. Strong and semantically meaningful differential privacy is guaranteed, providing for a unified privacy accounting system that can support role-based trust levels. This study provides an open source web-enabled tool to investigate visually and numerically the interaction between system parameters, including required privacy level and user preference settings. Conclusions Quantifying privacy allows system administrators to provide users with a privacy budget and to monitor its expenditure, enabling users to control the inevitable loss of utility. While current measures of privacy are conservative, this system can take advantage of future advances in privacy measurement. The system provides new ways of trading off privacy and utility that are not provided in current study design systems. PMID:22511018

Learning to Count: Structured Practice with Spatial Cues Supports the Development of Counting Sequence Knowledge in 3-Year-Old English-Speaking Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dunbar, Kristina; Ridha, Aala; Cankaya, Ozlem; Jiménez Lira, Carolina; LeFevre, Jo-Anne

2017-01-01

Research Findings: Children who speak English are slower to learn the counting sequence between 11 and 20 compared to children who speak Asian languages. In the present research, we examined whether providing children with spatially relevant information during counting would facilitate their acquisition of the counting sequence. Three-year-olds…

Higher leukocyte subpopulation counts in healthy smoker industrial workers than in nonsmoker industrial workers: possible health consequences.

PubMed

Mansoor, M Azam; Stakkestad, Jacob A; Drabløs, Per Arne

2013-01-01

Cigarette smoke contains free radicals, which cause injury to endothelial cells and oxidize bioactive components in the blood. Neutrophils, a subpopulation of leukocytes, contain the enzyme myeloperoxidase that mediates production of hypochlorous acid during oxidative stress. In this study, we investigated whether smoker industrial workers had significantly higher neutrophil counts than nonsmoker industrial workers. We collected blood samples from 183 apparently healthy male and 30 female industrial workers. We obtained blood cell counts, measured the concentration of plasma aminothiols and determined the concentration of serum and erythrocyte folate and serum vitamin B12 in the samples. Smoker industrial workers had significantly higher neutrophil, lymphocyte, monocyte, eosinophil and basophil counts than nonsmoker industrial workers (p < 0.0001, p < 0.0001, p < 0.0001, p < 0.0001 and p = 0.01, respectively). Mean corpuscular volume and mean corpuscular hemoglobin in smoker industrial workers were higher than in nonsmoker industrial workers (p = 0.001 and p = 0.03). Our study demonstrates that smoker industrial workers have higher neutrophil counts than nonsmoker industrial workers. Therefore, our observations suggest that smokers may become more easily prone to chronic inflammation than nonsmokers. About 84% of the study participants were male subjects; therefore, our findings may be more representative for men than women. Copyright © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Prognostic Impact of Neutrophil/Lymphocyte Ratio, Platelet Count, CRP, and Albumin Levels in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Patients Treated with FOLFIRI-Bevacizumab.

PubMed

Artaç, Mehmet; Uysal, Mükremin; Karaağaç, Mustafa; Korkmaz, Levent; Er, Zehra; Güler, Tunç; Börüban, Melih Cem; Bozcuk, Hakan

2017-06-01

Metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) is a lethal disease and fluorouracil-leucovorin-irinotecan (FOLFIRI) plus bevacizumab (bev) is a standard approach. Hence, there is a strong need for identifying new prognostic factors to show the efficacy of FOLFIRI-bev. This is a retrospective study including patients (n = 90) with mCRC from two centers in Turkey. Neutrophil/lymphocyte (N/L) ratio, platelet count, albumin, and C-reactive protein (CRP) were recorded before FOLFIRI-bev therapy. The efficacy of these factors on progression-free survival (PFS) was analyzed with Kaplan Meier and Cox regression analysis. And the cutoff value of N/L ratio was analyzed with ROC analysis. The median age was 56 years (range 21-80). Forty-seven percent of patients with N/L ratio >2.5 showed progressive disease versus 43 % in patients with N/L ratio <2.5 (p = 0.025). The median PFS was 8.1 months for the patients with N/L ratio >2.5 versus 13.5 months for the patients with N/L ratio <2.5 (p = 0.025). At univariate Cox regression analysis, high baseline neutrophil count, LDH, N/L ratio, and CRP were all significantly associated with poor prognosis. At multivariate Cox regression analysis, CRP was confirmed to be a better independent prognostic factor. CRP variable was divided into above the upper limit of normal (ULN) and normal value. The median PFSs of the patients with normal and above ULN were 11.3 versus 5.8 months, respectively (p = 0.022). CRP and N/L ratio are potential predictors for advanced mCRC treated with FOLFIRI-bev.

Modelling habitat associations with fingernail clam (Family: Sphaeriidae) counts at multiple spatial scales using hierarchical count models

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gray, B.R.; Haro, R.J.; Rogala, J.T.; Sauer, J.S.

2005-01-01

1. Macroinvertebrate count data often exhibit nested or hierarchical structure. Examples include multiple measurements along each of a set of streams, and multiple synoptic measurements from each of a set of ponds. With data exhibiting hierarchical structure, outcomes at both sampling (e.g. Within stream) and aggregated (e.g. Stream) scales are often of interest. Unfortunately, methods for modelling hierarchical count data have received little attention in the ecological literature. 2. We demonstrate the use of hierarchical count models using fingernail clam (Family: Sphaeriidae) count data and habitat predictors derived from sampling and aggregated spatial scales. The sampling scale corresponded to that of a standard Ponar grab (0.052 m(2)) and the aggregated scale to impounded and backwater regions within 38-197 km reaches of the Upper Mississippi River. Impounded and backwater regions were resampled annually for 10 years. Consequently, measurements on clams were nested within years. Counts were treated as negative binomial random variates, and means from each resampling event as random departures from the impounded and backwater region grand means. 3. Clam models were improved by the addition of covariates that varied at both the sampling and regional scales. Substrate composition varied at the sampling scale and was associated with model improvements, and reductions (for a given mean) in variance at the sampling scale. Inorganic suspended solids (ISS) levels, measured in the summer preceding sampling, also yielded model improvements and were associated with reductions in variances at the regional rather than sampling scales. ISS levels were negatively associated with mean clam counts. 4. Hierarchical models allow hierarchically structured data to be modelled without ignoring information specific to levels of the hierarchy. In addition, information at each hierarchical level may be modelled as functions of covariates that themselves vary by and within levels. As

An Automated Statistical Technique for Counting Distinct Multiple Sclerosis Lesions.

PubMed

Dworkin, J D; Linn, K A; Oguz, I; Fleishman, G M; Bakshi, R; Nair, G; Calabresi, P A; Henry, R G; Oh, J; Papinutto, N; Pelletier, D; Rooney, W; Stern, W; Sicotte, N L; Reich, D S; Shinohara, R T

2018-04-01

Lesion load is a common biomarker in multiple sclerosis, yet it has historically shown modest association with clinical outcome. Lesion count, which encapsulates the natural history of lesion formation and is thought to provide complementary information, is difficult to assess in patients with confluent (ie, spatially overlapping) lesions. We introduce a statistical technique for cross-sectionally counting pathologically distinct lesions. MR imaging was used to assess the probability of a lesion at each location. The texture of this map was quantified using a novel technique, and clusters resembling the center of a lesion were counted. Validity compared with a criterion standard count was demonstrated in 60 subjects observed longitudinally, and reliability was determined using 14 scans of a clinically stable subject acquired at 7 sites. The proposed count and the criterion standard count were highly correlated ( r = 0.97, P < .001) and not significantly different (t 59 = -.83, P = .41), and the variability of the proposed count across repeat scans was equivalent to that of lesion load. After accounting for lesion load and age, lesion count was negatively associated ( t 58 = -2.73, P < .01) with the Expanded Disability Status Scale. Average lesion size had a higher association with the Expanded Disability Status Scale ( r = 0.35, P < .01) than lesion load ( r = 0.10, P = .44) or lesion count ( r = -.12, P = .36) alone. This study introduces a novel technique for counting pathologically distinct lesions using cross-sectional data and demonstrates its ability to recover obscured longitudinal information. The proposed count allows more accurate estimation of lesion size, which correlated more closely with disability scores than either lesion load or lesion count alone. © 2018 by American Journal of Neuroradiology.

Counting digital filters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zohar, S. (Inventor)

1973-01-01

Several embodiments of a counting digital filter of the non-recursive type are disclosed. In each embodiment two registers, at least one of which is a shift register, are included. The shift register received j sub x-bit data input words bit by bit. The kth data word is represented by the integer.

Prognostic significance of peripheral monocyte count in patients with extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma.

PubMed

Huang, Jia-Jia; Li, Ya-Jun; Xia, Yi; Wang, Yu; Wei, Wen-Xiao; Zhu, Ying-Jie; Lin, Tong-Yu; Huang, Hui-Qiang; Jiang, Wen-Qi; Li, Zhi-Ming

2013-05-03

Extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma (ENKL) has heterogeneous clinical manifestations and prognosis. This study aims to evaluate the prognostic impact of absolute monocyte count (AMC) in ENKL, and provide some immunologically relevant information for better risk stratification in patients with ENKL. Retrospective data from 163 patients newly diagnosed with ENKL were analyzed. The absolute monocyte count (AMC) at diagnosis was analyzed as continuous and dichotomized variables. Independent prognostic factors of survival were determined by Cox regression analysis. The AMC at diagnosis were related to overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with ENKL. Multivariate analysis identified AMC as independent prognostic factors of survival, independent of International Prognostic Index (IPI) and Korean prognostic index (KPI). The prognostic index incorporating AMC and absolute lymphocyte count (ALC), another surrogate factor of immune status, could be used to stratify all 163 patients with ENKL into different prognostic groups. For patients who received chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy (102 cases), the three AMC/ALC index categories identified patients with significantly different survivals. When superimposed on IPI or KPI categories, the AMC/ALC index was better able to identify high-risk patients in the low-risk IPI or KPI category. The baseline peripheral monocyte count is shown to be an effective prognostic indicator of survival in ENKL patients. The prognostic index related to tumor microenvironment might be helpful to identify high-risk patients with ENKL.

Prognostic significance of peripheral monocyte count in patients with extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma (ENKL) has heterogeneous clinical manifestations and prognosis. This study aims to evaluate the prognostic impact of absolute monocyte count (AMC) in ENKL, and provide some immunologically relevant information for better risk stratification in patients with ENKL. Methods Retrospective data from 163 patients newly diagnosed with ENKL were analyzed. The absolute monocyte count (AMC) at diagnosis was analyzed as continuous and dichotomized variables. Independent prognostic factors of survival were determined by Cox regression analysis. Results The AMC at diagnosis were related to overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with ENKL. Multivariate analysis identified AMC as independent prognostic factors of survival, independent of International Prognostic Index (IPI) and Korean prognostic index (KPI). The prognostic index incorporating AMC and absolute lymphocyte count (ALC), another surrogate factor of immune status, could be used to stratify all 163 patients with ENKL into different prognostic groups. For patients who received chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy (102 cases), the three AMC/ALC index categories identified patients with significantly different survivals. When superimposed on IPI or KPI categories, the AMC/ALC index was better able to identify high-risk patients in the low-risk IPI or KPI category. Conclusion The baseline peripheral monocyte count is shown to be an effective prognostic indicator of survival in ENKL patients. The prognostic index related to tumor microenvironment might be helpful to identify high-risk patients with ENKL. PMID:23638998

Aging stability of complete blood count and white blood cell differential parameters analyzed by Abbott CELL-DYN Sapphire hematology analyzer.

PubMed

Hedberg, P; Lehto, T

2009-02-01

This study presents the results of an aging stability study of complete blood count (CBC) and leukocyte differential parameters using the Abbott CELL-DYN Sapphire hematology analyzer. Stability studies showed no substantial change in CBC parameters up to 24-48 h at +23 +/- 2 degrees C (room temperature), except for optical platelet count (PLTo). For specimens aged over 24, the value of impedance platelet count yielded more reliable results than the routine PLTo. White blood cell (WBC) differential parameters, except eosinophils, were stable for up to 48 h at +23 +/- 2 degrees C. CBC parameters were stable for 72 h, except mean platelet volume, which slightly increased between 48 and 72 h, at +4 degrees C. WBC differentials were stable 48-72 h, with a slight decrease observed in absolute neutrophils and lymphocytes at +4 degrees C.

Effects of sampling strategy, detection probability, and independence of counts on the use of point counts

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pendleton, G.W.; Ralph, C. John; Sauer, John R.; Droege, Sam

1995-01-01

Many factors affect the use of point counts for monitoring bird populations, including sampling strategies, variation in detection rates, and independence of sample points. The most commonly used sampling plans are stratified sampling, cluster sampling, and systematic sampling. Each of these might be most useful for different objectives or field situations. Variation in detection probabilities and lack of independence among sample points can bias estimates and measures of precision. All of these factors should be con-sidered when using point count methods.

Dynamic time-correlated single-photon counting laser ranging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, Huan; Wang, Yu-rong; Meng, Wen-dong; Yan, Pei-qin; Li, Zhao-hui; Li, Chen; Pan, Hai-feng; Wu, Guang

2018-03-01

We demonstrate a photon counting laser ranging experiment with a four-channel single-photon detector (SPD). The multi-channel SPD improve the counting rate more than 4×107 cps, which makes possible for the distance measurement performed even in daylight. However, the time-correlated single-photon counting (TCSPC) technique cannot distill the signal easily while the fast moving targets are submersed in the strong background. We propose a dynamic TCSPC method for fast moving targets measurement by varying coincidence window in real time. In the experiment, we prove that targets with velocity of 5 km/s can be detected according to the method, while the echo rate is 20% with the background counts of more than 1.2×107 cps.

Development and test of photon counting lidar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Chun-hui; Wang, Ao-you; Tao, Yu-liang; Li, Xu; Peng, Huan; Meng, Pei-bei

2018-02-01

In order to satisfy the application requirements of spaceborne three dimensional imaging lidar , a prototype of nonscanning multi-channel lidar based on receiver field of view segmentation was designed and developed. High repetition frequency micro-pulse lasers, optics fiber array and Geiger-mode APD, combination with time-correlated single photon counting technology, were adopted to achieve multi-channel detection. Ranging experiments were carried out outdoors. In low echo photon condition, target photon counting showed time correlated and noise photon counting were random. Detection probability and range precision versus threshold were described and range precision increased from 0.44 to 0.11 when threshold increased from 4 to 8.

Normal CD4 Count Range among Healthy Nigerian Population in Ilorin.

PubMed

Afolabi, J K; Fadeyi, A; Desalu, O O; Durotoye, I A; Fawibe, A E; Adeboye, M A N; Olawumi, H O; Babatunde, A S; Ernest, S K; Aderibigbe, S A; Saadu, R; Salami, A K; Aboyeji, A P

For the establishment and monitoring of the immune status, CD4 count is critical. To determine the CD4 count range of apparently healthy Nigerians resident in Ilorin and compare with the national value. An automated blood analyzer was used to determine the full blood count and CD4 count. The percentage of CD4 count was derived by using other variables. Of the 1205 participants, the reference CD4 count (percentage of CD4) range for adult was 400 to 1288 cells/mm 3 (19%-48%) and for children was 582 to 3652 cells/mm 3 (17%-50%). CD4 count and percentage of CD4 were significantly ( P = .001) higher in females than in males, and the CD4 count declined significantly with increasing age ( r = -.174, P ≤ .0001). The percentage of CD4 count shows less variation with age ( r = -.051, P = .076). Adult residents of Ilorin had significantly lower absolute mean CD4 count (808 ± 260) than that of the national reference values of 847.0 ± 307.0 cells/mm 3 ( P = .001). We therefore advocate the use of CD4 count range derived in this study is lower than that of the national reference values.

Compensated count-rate circuit for radiation survey meter

DOEpatents

Todd, Richard A.

1981-01-01

A count-rate compensating circuit is provided which may be used in a portable Geiger-Mueller (G-M) survey meter to ideally compensate for counting loss errors in the G-M tube detector. In a G-M survey meter, wherein the pulse rate from the G-M tube is converted into a pulse rate current applied to a current meter calibrated to indicate dose rate, the compensated circuit generates and controls a reference voltage in response to the rate of pulses from the detector. This reference voltage is gated to the current-generating circuit at a rate identical to the rate of pulses coming from the detector so that the current flowing through the meter is varied in accordance with both the frequency and amplitude of the reference voltage pulses applied thereto so that the count rate is compensated ideally to indicate a true count rate within 1% up to a 50% duty cycle for the detector. A positive feedback circuit is used to control the reference voltage so that the meter output tracks true count rate indicative of the radiation dose rate.

Vehicle counting system using real-time video processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crisóstomo-Romero, Pedro M.

2006-02-01

Transit studies are important for planning a road network with optimal vehicular flow. A vehicular count is essential. This article presents a vehicle counting system based on video processing. An advantage of such system is the greater detail than is possible to obtain, like shape, size and speed of vehicles. The system uses a video camera placed above the street to image transit in real-time. The video camera must be placed at least 6 meters above the street level to achieve proper acquisition quality. Fast image processing algorithms and small image dimensions are used to allow real-time processing. Digital filters, mathematical morphology, segmentation and other techniques allow identifying and counting all vehicles in the image sequences. The system was implemented under Linux in a 1.8 GHz Pentium 4 computer. A successful count was obtained with frame rates of 15 frames per second for images of size 240x180 pixels and 24 frames per second for images of size 180x120 pixels, thus being able to count vehicles whose speeds do not exceed 150 km/h.

Pulse pileup statistics for energy discriminating photon counting x-ray detectors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Adam S.; Harrison, Daniel; Lobastov, Vladimir

Purpose: Energy discriminating photon counting x-ray detectors can be subject to a wide range of flux rates if applied in clinical settings. Even when the incident rate is a small fraction of the detector's maximum periodic rate N{sub 0}, pulse pileup leads to count rate losses and spectral distortion. Although the deterministic effects can be corrected, the detrimental effect of pileup on image noise is not well understood and may limit the performance of photon counting systems. Therefore, the authors devise a method to determine the detector count statistics and imaging performance. Methods: The detector count statistics are derived analyticallymore » for an idealized pileup model with delta pulses of a nonparalyzable detector. These statistics are then used to compute the performance (e.g., contrast-to-noise ratio) for both single material and material decomposition contrast detection tasks via the Cramer-Rao lower bound (CRLB) as a function of the detector input count rate. With more realistic unipolar and bipolar pulse pileup models of a nonparalyzable detector, the imaging task performance is determined by Monte Carlo simulations and also approximated by a multinomial method based solely on the mean detected output spectrum. Photon counting performance at different count rates is compared with ideal energy integration, which is unaffected by count rate. Results: The authors found that an ideal photon counting detector with perfect energy resolution outperforms energy integration for our contrast detection tasks, but when the input count rate exceeds 20%N{sub 0}, many of these benefits disappear. The benefit with iodine contrast falls rapidly with increased count rate while water contrast is not as sensitive to count rates. The performance with a delta pulse model is overoptimistic when compared to the more realistic bipolar pulse model. The multinomial approximation predicts imaging performance very close to the prediction from Monte Carlo simulations. The

Development of spatial preferences for counting and picture naming.

PubMed

Knudsen, Birgit; Fischer, Martin H; Aschersleben, Gisa

2015-11-01

The direction of object enumeration reflects children's enculturation but previous work on the development of such spatial preferences has been inconsistent. Therefore, we documented directional preferences in finger counting, object counting, and picture naming for children (4 groups from 3 to 6 years, N = 104) and adults (N = 56). We found a right-side preference for finger counting in 3- to 6-year-olds and a left-side preference for counting objects and naming pictures by 6 years of age. Children were consistent in their special preferences when comparing object counting and picture naming, but not in other task pairings. Finally, spatial preferences were not related to cardinality comprehension. These results, together with other recent work, suggest a gradual development of spatial-numerical associations from early non-directional mappings into culturally constrained directional mappings.

Is It Counting, or Is It Adding?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eisenhardt, Sara; Fisher, Molly H.; Thomas, Jonathan; Schack, Edna O.; Tassell, Janet; Yoder, Margaret

2014-01-01

The Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSI 2010) expect second grade students to "fluently add and subtract within 20 using mental strategies" (2.OA.B.2). Most children begin with number word sequences and counting approximations and then develop greater skill with counting. But do all teachers really understand how this…

2013 Kids Count in Colorado! Community Matters

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Colorado Children's Campaign, 2013

2013-01-01

"Kids Count in Colorado!" is an annual publication of the Children's Campaign, providing state and county level data on child well-being factors including child health, education, and economic status. Since its first release 20 years ago, "Kids Count in Colorado!" has become the most trusted source for data and information on…

Platelet indices and netrophil to lymphocyte ratio in adults with acute appendicitis.

PubMed

Kostakis, I D; Machairas, N; Damaskos, C; Doula, C; Tsaparas, P; Charalampoudis, P; Spartalis, E; Sotiropoulos, G C; Kouraklis, G

2016-03-01

A study was performed in adults with acute appendicitis and matched controls to assess the utility of the platelet indices and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio, as a diagnostic adjunct. Data were retrospectively collected from a complete blood count test of 155 adult patients (72 men and 83 women) with histologically proven acute appendicitis upon admission, and of 50 healthy adults (20 men and 30 women). The parameters for white blood cells and platelets were compared between the two groups, and for each gender separately. A higher white blood cell count, neutrophil count, neutrophil percentage, neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio and lower lymphocyte percentage was reported in patients with acute appendicitis than that in the healthy controls, with high areas under the curve (AUC), sensitivities, specifi cities, positive predictive values (PPVs) and moderate negative predictive values (NPVs). The lymphocyte count was lower in patients than it was in the healthy controls. The platletcrit was lower in the female patients than that in the female controls, whereas a difference was not detected in the male participants. Differences were not detected with regard to platelet count, mean platelet volume and platelet distribution width for both genders. The neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio increases and lymphocyte percentage decreases in acute appendicitis, and can be used as an additional diagnostic marker. Plateletcrit, and therefore total platelet mass, is reduced in women with acute appendicitis, indicating the involvement of platelets in its pathophysiology. However, it is neither a reliable predictor or excluder of the disease.

Counting “exotics”

Treesearch

Qinfeng Guo

2011-01-01

An introduced or exotic species is commonly defined as an organism accidentally or intentionally introduced to a new location by human activity (Williamson 1996; Richardson et al. 2000; Guo and Ricklefs 2010). However, the counting of exotics is often inconsistent. For example, in the US, previously published plant richness data for each state are only those either...

Avalanche photodiode photon counting receivers for space-borne lidars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sun, Xiaoli; Davidson, Frederic M.

1991-01-01

Avalanche photodiodes (APD) are studied for uses as photon counting detectors in spaceborne lidars. Non-breakdown APD photon counters, in which the APD's are biased below the breakdown point, are shown to outperform: (1) conventional APD photon counters biased above the breakdown point; (2) conventional APD photon counters biased above the breakdown point; and (3) APD's in analog mode when the received optical signal is extremely weak. Non-breakdown APD photon counters were shown experimentally to achieve an effective photon counting quantum efficiency of 5.0 percent at lambda = 820 nm with a dead time of 15 ns and a dark count rate of 7000/s which agreed with the theoretically predicted values. The interarrival times of the counts followed an exponential distribution and the counting statistics appeared to follow a Poisson distribution with no after pulsing. It is predicted that the effective photon counting quantum efficiency can be improved to 18.7 percent at lambda = 820 nm and 1.46 percent at lambda = 1060 nm with a dead time of a few nanoseconds by using more advanced commercially available electronic components.

High-speed optical switch fabrics with large port count.

PubMed

Yeo, Yong-Kee; Xu, Zhaowen; Wang, Dawei; Liu, Jianguo; Wang, Yixin; Cheng, Tee-Hiang

2009-06-22

We report a novel architecture that can be used to construct optical switch fabrics with very high port count and nanoseconds switching speed. It is well known that optical switch fabrics with very fast switching time and high port count are challenging to realize. Currently, one of the most promising solutions is based on a combination of wavelength-tunable lasers and the arrayed waveguide grating router (AWGR). To scale up the number of ports in such switches, a direct method is to use AWGRs with a high channel count. However, such AWGRs introduce very large crosstalk noise due to the close wavelength channel spacing. In this paper, we propose an architecture for realizing a high-port count optical switch fabric using a combination of low-port count AWGRs, optical ON-OFF gates and WDM couplers. Using this new methodology, we constructed a proof-of concept experiment to demonstrate the feasibility of a 256 x 256 optical switch fabric. To our knowledge, this port count is the highest ever reported for switch fabrics of this type.

Color quench correction for low level Cherenkov counting.

PubMed

Tsroya, S; Pelled, O; German, U; Marco, R; Katorza, E; Alfassi, Z B

2009-05-01

The Cherenkov counting efficiency varies strongly with color quenching, thus correction curves must be used to obtain correct results. The external (152)Eu source of a Quantulus 1220 liquid scintillation counting (LSC) system was used to obtain a quench indicative parameter based on spectra area ratio. A color quench correction curve for aqueous samples containing (90)Sr/(90)Y was prepared. The main advantage of this method over the common spectra indicators is its usefulness also for low level Cherenkov counting.

It Is Time to Count Learning Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Henscheid, Jean M.

2015-01-01

As the modern learning community movement turns 30, it is time to determine just how many, and what type, of these programs exist at America's colleges and universities. This article first offers a rationale for counting learning communities followed by a description of how disparate counts and unclear definitions hamper efforts to embed these…

Counting on fine motor skills: links between preschool finger dexterity and numerical skills.

PubMed

Fischer, Ursula; Suggate, Sebastian P; Schmirl, Judith; Stoeger, Heidrun

2017-10-26

Finger counting is widely considered an important step in children's early mathematical development. Presumably, children's ability to move their fingers during early counting experiences to aid number representation depends in part on their early fine motor skills (FMS). Specifically, FMS should link to children's procedural counting skills through consistent repetition of finger-counting procedures. Accordingly, we hypothesized that (a) FMS are linked to early counting skills, and (b) greater FMS relate to conceptual counting knowledge (e.g., cardinality, abstraction, order irrelevance) via procedural counting skills (i.e., one-one correspondence and correctness of verbal counting). Preschool children (N = 177) were administered measures of procedural counting skills, conceptual counting knowledge, FMS, and general cognitive skills along with parent questionnaires on home mathematics and fine motor environment. FMS correlated with procedural counting skills and conceptual counting knowledge after controlling for cognitive skills, chronological age, home mathematics and FMS environments. Moreover, the relationship between FMS and conceptual counting knowledge was mediated by procedural counting skills. Findings suggest that FMS play a role in early counting and therewith conceptual counting knowledge. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Long-term increases in lymphocytes and platelets in human T-lymphotropic virus type II infection

PubMed Central

Bartman, Melissa T.; Kaidarova, Zhanna; Hirschkorn, Dale; Sacher, Ronald A.; Fridey, Joy; Garratty, George; Gibble, Joan; Smith, James W.; Newman, Bruce; Yeo, Anthony E.

2008-01-01

Human T-lymphotropic viruses types I and II (HTLV-I and HTLV-II) cause chronic infections of T lymphocytes that may lead to leukemia and myelopathy. However, their long-term effects on blood counts and hematopoiesis are poorly understood. We followed 151 HTLV-I–seropositive, 387 HTLV-II–seropositive, and 799 HTLV-seronegative former blood donors from 5 U.S. blood centers for a median of 14.0 years. Complete blood counts were performed every 2 years. Multivariable repeated measures analyses were conducted to evaluate the independent effect of HTLV infection and potential confounders on 9 hematologic measurements. Participants with HTLV-II had significant (P < .05) increases in their adjusted lymphocyte counts (+126 cells/mm3; approximately +7%), hemoglobin (+2 g/L [+0.2 g/dL]) and mean corpuscular volume (MCV; 1.0 fL) compared with seronegative participants. Participants with HTLV-I and HTLV-II had higher adjusted platelet counts (+16 544 and +21 657 cells/mm3; P < .05) than seronegatives. Among all participants, time led to decreases in platelet count and lymphocyte counts, and to increases in MCV and monocytes. Sex, race, smoking, and alcohol consumption all had significant effects on blood counts. The HTLV-II effect on lymphocytes is novel and may be related to viral transactivation or immune response. HTLV-I and HTLV-II associations with higher platelet counts suggest viral effects on hematopoietic growth factors or cytokines. PMID:18755983

Effects of Perceptually Rich Manipulatives on Preschoolers' Counting Performance: Established Knowledge Counts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Petersen, Lori A.; McNeil, Nicole M.

2013-01-01

Educators often use concrete objects to help children understand mathematics concepts. However, findings on the effectiveness of concrete objects are mixed. The present study examined how two factors--perceptual richness and established knowledge of the objects--combine to influence children's counting performance. In two experiments, preschoolers…

Kids Count in Indiana: 1996 Data Book.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erickson, Judith B.

This Kids Count report is the third in a series examining statewide trends in the well-being of Indiana's children. The report combines statistics of special concern in Indiana with 10 national Kids Count well-being indicators: (1) percent low birthweight; (2) infant mortality rate; (3) child death rate; (4) birth rate to unmarried teens ages 15…

A Word Count of Modern Arabic Prose.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Landau, Jacob M.

This book presents a word count of Arabic prose based on 60 twentieth-century Egyptian books. The text is divided into an alphabetical list and a word frequency list. This word count is intended as an aid in the: (1) writing of primers and the compilation of graded readers, (2) examination of the vocabulary selection of primers and readers…

Determination of confidence limits for experiments with low numbers of counts. [Poisson-distributed photon counts from astrophysical sources

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kraft, Ralph P.; Burrows, David N.; Nousek, John A.

1991-01-01

Two different methods, classical and Bayesian, for determining confidence intervals involving Poisson-distributed data are compared. Particular consideration is given to cases where the number of counts observed is small and is comparable to the mean number of background counts. Reasons for preferring the Bayesian over the classical method are given. Tables of confidence limits calculated by the Bayesian method are provided for quick reference.

Keto analogues and amino acids supplementation induces a decrease of white blood cell counts and a reduction of muscle damage during intense exercise under thermoneutral conditions.

PubMed

Lima, R C P; Camerino, S R A S; França, T C L; Rodrigues, D S A; Gouveia, M G S; Ximenes-da-Silva, A; Bassini, A; Prado, E S; Cameron, L C

2017-04-19

This study evaluated the acute effect of keto analogue and amino acid (AA-KAAA) supplementation on both white blood cell counts and the established biomarkers of muscle damage during exercise under thermoneutral conditions. Sixteen male cyclists received a ketogenic diet for two days and were divided into two equal groups: a group taking AA-KAAA (KA) or a control group (PL). The athletes performed a two hour cycling session followed by a maximum incremental test until voluntary exhaustion (VExh). Blood samples were obtained at rest and during exercise for further hematological and biochemical analyses. Exercise-induced ammonemia increased in the PL group at VExh (75%) but remained unchanged in the KA group. Both groups exhibited a significant increase in leukocyte and neutrophil counts of ∼85% (∼13 × 10 9 L -1 ), but the shape of the lymphocytes and the eosinophil counts suggest that AA-KAAA supplementation helps prevent lymphocytosis. AA-KAAA supplementation induced a decrease in creatine kinase and aspartate aminotransferase levels at VExh while showing a significant decrease in lactate dehydrogenase at 120 min. We found that AA-KAAA supplementation decreases both the lymphocyte count response in blood and the established biomarkers of muscle damage after intense exercise under a low heat stress environment.

34 CFR 200.91 - SEA counts of eligible children.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 34 Education 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false SEA counts of eligible children. 200.91 Section 200.91... Dropping Out § 200.91 SEA counts of eligible children. To receive an allocation under part D, subpart 1 of Title I of the ESEA, an SEA must provide the Secretary with a count of children and youth under the age...

34 CFR 200.91 - SEA counts of eligible children.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 34 Education 1 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false SEA counts of eligible children. 200.91 Section 200.91... Dropping Out § 200.91 SEA counts of eligible children. To receive an allocation under part D, subpart 1 of Title I of the ESEA, an SEA must provide the Secretary with a count of children and youth under the age...

34 CFR 200.91 - SEA counts of eligible children.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 34 Education 1 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false SEA counts of eligible children. 200.91 Section 200.91... Dropping Out § 200.91 SEA counts of eligible children. To receive an allocation under part D, subpart 1 of Title I of the ESEA, an SEA must provide the Secretary with a count of children and youth under the age...

34 CFR 200.91 - SEA counts of eligible children.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 34 Education 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false SEA counts of eligible children. 200.91 Section 200.91... Dropping Out § 200.91 SEA counts of eligible children. To receive an allocation under part D, subpart 1 of Title I of the ESEA, an SEA must provide the Secretary with a count of children and youth under the age...

34 CFR 200.91 - SEA counts of eligible children.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 34 Education 1 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false SEA counts of eligible children. 200.91 Section 200.91... Dropping Out § 200.91 SEA counts of eligible children. To receive an allocation under part D, subpart 1 of Title I of the ESEA, an SEA must provide the Secretary with a count of children and youth under the age...

House Dust Endotoxin and Peripheral Leukocyte Counts: Results from Two Large Epidemiologic Studies.

PubMed

Fessler, Michael B; Carnes, Megan U; Salo, Päivi M; Wilkerson, Jesse; Cohn, Richard D; King, Debra; Hoppin, Jane A; Sandler, Dale P; Travlos, Greg; London, Stephanie; Thorne, Peter; Zeldin, Darryl

2017-05-31

The peripheral leukocyte count is a biomarker of inflammation and is associated with human all-cause mortality. Although causes of acute leukocytosis are well-described, chronic environmental determinants of leukocyte number are less well understood. We investigated the relationship between house dust endotoxin concentration and peripheral leukocyte counts in human subjects. The endotoxin–leukocyte relationship was evaluated by linear regression in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2005–2006 (n=6,254) and the Agricultural Lung Health Study (ALHS; n=1,708). In the ALHS, we tested for a gene [Toll-like Receptor 4 ( TLR4 ), encoding the endotoxin receptor]-by-environment interaction in the endotoxin–leukocyte relationship using regression models with an interaction term. There is a statistically significant, positive association between endotoxin concentration and total leukocyte number [estimated change, 0.186×10 3 /μL (95% CI: 0.070, 0.301×10 3 /μL) per 10-fold change in endotoxin; p=0.004) in the NHANES. Similar positive associations were found for monocytes, lymphocytes, and neutrophils. Stratified analyses revealed possible effect modification by asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. We observed similar associations in the ALHS. For total leukocytes, there was suggestive evidence in the ALHS of a gene-by-environment interaction for minor allele carrier status at the TLR4 haplotype defined by rs4986790 and rs4986791 (interaction p=0.15). This is, to our knowledge, the first report of an association between house dust endotoxin and leukocyte count in a national survey. The finding was replicated in a farming population. Peripheral leukocyte count may be influenced by residential endotoxin exposure in diverse settings. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP661.

House Dust Endotoxin and Peripheral Leukocyte Counts: Results from Two Large Epidemiologic Studies

PubMed Central

Carnes, Megan U.; Salo, Päivi M.; Wilkerson, Jesse; Cohn, Richard D.; King, Debra; Hoppin, Jane A.; Sandler, Dale P.; Travlos, Greg; London, Stephanie J.; Thorne, Peter S.; Zeldin, Darryl C.

2017-01-01

Background: The peripheral leukocyte count is a biomarker of inflammation and is associated with human all-cause mortality. Although causes of acute leukocytosis are well-described, chronic environmental determinants of leukocyte number are less well understood. Objectives: We investigated the relationship between house dust endotoxin concentration and peripheral leukocyte counts in human subjects. Methods: The endotoxin–leukocyte relationship was evaluated by linear regression in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2005–2006 (n=6,254) and the Agricultural Lung Health Study (ALHS; n=1,708). In the ALHS, we tested for a gene [Toll-like Receptor 4 (TLR4), encoding the endotoxin receptor]-by-environment interaction in the endotoxin–leukocyte relationship using regression models with an interaction term. Results: There is a statistically significant, positive association between endotoxin concentration and total leukocyte number [estimated change, 0.186×103/μL (95% CI: 0.070, 0.301×103/μL) per 10-fold change in endotoxin; p=0.004) in the NHANES. Similar positive associations were found for monocytes, lymphocytes, and neutrophils. Stratified analyses revealed possible effect modification by asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. We observed similar associations in the ALHS. For total leukocytes, there was suggestive evidence in the ALHS of a gene-by-environment interaction for minor allele carrier status at the TLR4 haplotype defined by rs4986790 and rs4986791 (interaction p=0.15). Conclusions: This is, to our knowledge, the first report of an association between house dust endotoxin and leukocyte count in a national survey. The finding was replicated in a farming population. Peripheral leukocyte count may be influenced by residential endotoxin exposure in diverse settings. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP661 PMID:28599265

Analysis of general power counting rules in effective field theory

DOE PAGES

Gavela, Belen; Jenkins, Elizabeth E.; Manohar, Aneesh V.; ...

2016-09-02

We derive the general counting rules for a quantum effective field theory (EFT) in d dimensions. The rules are valid for strongly and weakly coupled theories, and they predict that all kinetic energy terms are canonically normalized. They determine the energy dependence of scattering cross sections in the range of validity of the EFT expansion. We show that the size of the cross sections is controlled by the Λ power counting of EFT, not by chiral counting, even for chiral perturbation theory (χPT). The relation between Λ and f is generalized to d dimensions. We show that the naive dimensionalmore » analysis 4π counting is related to ℏ counting. The EFT counting rules are applied to χPT, low-energy weak interactions, Standard Model EFT and the non-trivial case of Higgs EFT.« less

Learning to count begins in infancy: evidence from 18 month olds' visual preferences.

PubMed

Slaughter, Virginia; Itakura, Shoji; Kutsuki, Aya; Siegal, Michael

2011-10-07

We used a preferential looking paradigm to evaluate infants' preferences for correct versus incorrect counting. Infants viewed a video depicting six fish. In the correct counting sequence, a hand pointed to each fish in turn, accompanied by verbal counting up to six. In the incorrect counting sequence, the hand moved between two of the six fish while there was still verbal counting to six, thereby violating the one-to-one correspondence principle of correct counting. Experiment 1 showed that Australian 18 month olds, but not 15 month olds, significantly preferred to watch the correct counting sequence. In experiment 2, Australian infants' preference for correct counting disappeared when the count words were replaced by beeps or by Japanese count words. In experiment 3, Japanese 18 month olds significantly preferred the correct counting video only when counting was in Japanese. These results show that infants start to acquire the abstract principles governing correct counting prior to producing any counting behaviour.

Learning to count begins in infancy: evidence from 18 month olds' visual preferences

PubMed Central

Slaughter, Virginia; Itakura, Shoji; Kutsuki, Aya; Siegal, Michael

2011-01-01

We used a preferential looking paradigm to evaluate infants' preferences for correct versus incorrect counting. Infants viewed a video depicting six fish. In the correct counting sequence, a hand pointed to each fish in turn, accompanied by verbal counting up to six. In the incorrect counting sequence, the hand moved between two of the six fish while there was still verbal counting to six, thereby violating the one-to-one correspondence principle of correct counting. Experiment 1 showed that Australian 18 month olds, but not 15 month olds, significantly preferred to watch the correct counting sequence. In experiment 2, Australian infants' preference for correct counting disappeared when the count words were replaced by beeps or by Japanese count words. In experiment 3, Japanese 18 month olds significantly preferred the correct counting video only when counting was in Japanese. These results show that infants start to acquire the abstract principles governing correct counting prior to producing any counting behaviour. PMID:21325331

Point count length and detection of forest neotropical migrant birds

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dawson, D.K.; Smith, D.R.; Robbins, C.S.; Ralph, C. John; Sauer, John R.; Droege, Sam

1995-01-01

Comparisons of bird abundances among years or among habitats assume that the rates at which birds are detected and counted are constant within species. We use point count data collected in forests of the Mid-Atlantic states to estimate detection probabilities for Neotropical migrant bird species as a function of count length. For some species, significant differences existed among years or observers in both the probability of detecting the species and in the rate at which individuals are counted. We demonstrate the consequence that variability in species' detection probabilities can have on estimates of population change, and discuss ways for reducing this source of bias in point count studies.

Pill counts and pill rental: unintended entrepreneurial opportunities.

PubMed

Viscomi, Christopher M; Covington, Melissa; Christenson, Catherine

2013-07-01

Prescription opioid diversion and abuse are becoming increasingly prevalent in many regions of the world, particularly the United States. One method advocated to assess compliance with opioid prescriptions is occasional "pill counts." Shortly before a scheduled appointment, a patient is notified that they must bring in the unused portion of their opioid prescription. It has been assumed that if a patient has the correct number and strength of pills that should be present for that point in a prescription interval that they are unlikely to be selling or abusing their opioids. Two cases are presented where patients describe short term rental of opioids from illicit opioid dealers in order to circumvent pill counts. Pill renting appears to be an established method of circumventing pill counts. Pill counts do not assure non-diversion of opioids and provide additional cash flow to illicit opioid dealers.

Atmospheric mold spore counts in relation to meteorological parameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Katial, R. K.; Zhang, Yiming; Jones, Richard H.; Dyer, Philip D.

Fungal spore counts of Cladosporium, Alternaria, and Epicoccum were studied during 8 years in Denver, Colorado. Fungal spore counts were obtained daily during the pollinating season by a Rotorod sampler. Weather data were obtained from the National Climatic Data Center. Daily averages of temperature, relative humidity, daily precipitation, barometric pressure, and wind speed were studied. A time series analysis was performed on the data to mathematically model the spore counts in relation to weather parameters. Using SAS PROC ARIMA software, a regression analysis was performed, regressing the spore counts on the weather variables assuming an autoregressive moving average (ARMA) error structure. Cladosporium was found to be positively correlated (P<0.02) with average daily temperature, relative humidity, and negatively correlated with precipitation. Alternaria and Epicoccum did not show increased predictability with weather variables. A mathematical model was derived for Cladosporium spore counts using the annual seasonal cycle and significant weather variables. The model for Alternaria and Epicoccum incorporated the annual seasonal cycle. Fungal spore counts can be modeled by time series analysis and related to meteorological parameters controlling for seasonallity; this modeling can provide estimates of exposure to fungal aeroallergens.

Mcps-range photon-counting x-ray computed tomography system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sato, Eiichi; Oda, Yasuyuki; Abudurexiti, Abulajiang; Hagiwara, Osahiko; Enomoto, Toshiyuki; Sugimura, Shigeaki; Endo, Haruyuki; Sato, Shigehiro; Ogawa, Akira; Onagawa, Jun

2011-10-01

10 Mcps photon counting was carried out using a detector consisting of a 2.0 mm-thick ZnO (zinc oxide) single-crystal scintillator and an MPPC (multipixel photon counter) module in an X-ray computed tomography (CT) system. The maximum count rate was 10 Mcps (mega counts per second) at a tube voltage of 70 kV and a tube current of 2.0 mA. Next, a photon-counting X-ray CT system consists of an X-ray generator, a turntable, a scan stage, a two-stage controller, the ZnO-MPPC detector, a counter card (CC), and a personal computer (PC). Tomography is accomplished by repeated linear scans and rotations of an object, and projection curves of the object are obtained by the linear scan with a scan velocity of 25 mm/s. The pulses of the event signal from the module are counted by the CC in conjunction with the PC. The exposure time for obtaining a tomogram was 600 s at a scan step of 0.5 mm and a rotation step of 1.0°, and photon-counting CT was accomplished using iodine-based contrast media.

GT3X+ accelerometer placement affects the reliability of step-counts measured during running and pedal-revolution counts measured during bicycling.

PubMed

Gatti, Anthony A; Stratford, Paul W; Brenneman, Elora C; Maly, Monica R

2016-01-01

Accelerometers provide a measure of step-count. Reliability and validity of step-count and pedal-revolution count measurements by the GT3X+ accelerometer, placed at different anatomical locations, is absent in the literature. The purpose of this study was to investigate the reliability and validity of step and pedal-revolution counts produced by the GT3X+ placed at different anatomical locations during running and bicycling. Twenty-two healthy adults (14 men and 8 women) completed running and bicycling activity bouts (5 minutes each) while wearing 6 accelerometers: 2 each at the waist, thigh and shank. Accelerometer and video data were collected during activity. Excellent reliability and validity were found for measurements taken from accelerometers mounted at the waist and shank during running (Reliability: intraclass correlation (ICC) ≥ 0.99; standard error of measurement (SEM) ≤1.0 steps; Pearson ≥ 0.99) and at the thigh and shank during bicycling (Reliability: ICC ≥ 0.99; SEM ≤1.0 revolutions; Pearson ≥ 0.99). Excellent reliability was found between measurements taken at the waist and shank during running (ICC ≥ 0.98; SEM ≤1.6 steps) and between measurements taken at the thigh and shank during bicycling (ICC ≥ 0.99; SEM ≤1.0 revolutions). These data suggest that the GT3X+ can be used for measuring step-count during running and pedal-revolution count during bicycling. Only shank placement is recommended for both activities.

Prognostic significance of combined pretreatment lymphocyte counts and body mass index in patients with head and neck cancer treated with radiation therapy.

PubMed

Wu, Yao-Yu; Chang, Kai-Ping; Lin, Chien-Yu; Pai, Ping-Ching; Wang, Hung-Ming; Hsu, Cheng-Lung; Liao, Chun-Ta; Yen, Tzu-Chen; Fang, Tuan-Jen; Huang, Shiang-Fu; Kang, Chung-Jan; Fang, Ku-Hao; Lin, Wan-Ni; Wang, Yu-Chien; Hsin, Li-Jen; Tsang, Ngan-Ming

2018-05-23

We aimed to investigate the prognostic significance of combined pretreatment lymphocyte counts (LCs) and body mass index (BMI) in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) treated with radiation therapy (RT). Nine hundred and twelve patients with HNC who were treated with RT were retrospectively reviewed. Survival was analyzed by stratifying the patients according to pretreatment LCs and BMI. Patients with low pretreatment LCs and BMI were characterized by a more advanced T stage, fewer nasopharyngeal subsites, less smoking and drinking, and fewer comorbidities. Patients with low pretreatment LCs and BMI had a significantly poorer overall and distant metastasis-free survival than those with high pretreatment LCs and BMI. No significant differences were observed in terms of local or regional recurrence-free survival. Combined pretreatment LCs and BMI may be more effective at predicting overall and distant metastasis-free survival in patients with HNC treated with RT. © 2018 The Authors. Cancer Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Multianode cylindrical proportional counter for high count rates

DOEpatents

Hanson, J.A.; Kopp, M.K.

1980-05-23

A cylindrical, multiple-anode proportional counter is provided for counting of low-energy photons (< 60 keV) at count rates of greater than 10/sup 5/ counts/sec. A gas-filled proportional counter cylinder forming an outer cathode is provided with a central coaxially disposed inner cathode and a plurality of anode wires disposed in a cylindrical array in coaxial alignment with and between the inner and outer cathodes to form a virtual cylindrical anode coaxial with the inner and outer cathodes. The virtual cylindrical anode configuration improves the electron drift velocity by providing a more uniform field strength throughout the counter gas volume, thus decreasing the electron collection time following the detection of an ionizing event. This avoids pulse pile-up and coincidence losses at these high count rates. Conventional RC position encoding detection circuitry may be employed to extract the spatial information from the counter anodes.

Multianode cylindrical proportional counter for high count rates

DOEpatents

Hanson, James A.; Kopp, Manfred K.

1981-01-01

A cylindrical, multiple-anode proportional counter is provided for counting of low-energy photons (<60 keV) at count rates of greater than 10.sup.5 counts/sec. A gas-filled proportional counter cylinder forming an outer cathode is provided with a central coaxially disposed inner cathode and a plurality of anode wires disposed in a cylindrical array in coaxial alignment with and between the inner and outer cathodes to form a virtual cylindrical anode coaxial with the inner and outer cathodes. The virtual cylindrical anode configuration improves the electron drift velocity by providing a more uniform field strength throughout the counter gas volume, thus decreasing the electron collection time following the detection of an ionizing event. This avoids pulse pile-up and coincidence losses at these high count rates. Conventional RC position encoding detection circuitry may be employed to extract the spatial information from the counter anodes.

Point-of-care blood eosinophil count in a severe asthma clinic setting.

PubMed

Heffler, Enrico; Terranova, Giovanni; Chessari, Carlo; Frazzetto, Valentina; Crimi, Claudia; Fichera, Silvia; Picardi, Giuseppe; Nicolosi, Giuliana; Porto, Morena; Intravaia, Rossella; Crimi, Nunzio

2017-07-01

One of the main severe asthma phenotypes is severe eosinophilic or eosinophilic refractory asthma for which novel biologic agents are emerging as therapeutic options. In this context, blood eosinophil counts are one of the most reliable biomarkers. To evaluate the performance of a point-of-care peripheral blood counter in a patients with severe asthma. The blood eosinophil counts of 76 patients with severe asthma were evaluated by point-of-care and standard analyzers. A significant correlation between blood eosinophils assessed by the 2 devices was found (R 2  = 0.854, P < .001); similar correlations were found also for white blood cells, neutrophils, and lymphocytes. The point-of-care device had the ability to predict blood eosinophil cutoffs used to select patients for biologic treatments for severe eosinophilic asthma and the ELEN index, a composite score useful to predict sputum eosinophilia. The results of our study contribute to the validation of a point-of-care device to assess blood eosinophils and open the possibility of using this device for the management of severe asthma management. Copyright © 2017 American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Novel Automated Slide-Based Technology for Visualization, Counting, and Characterization of the Formed Elements of Blood: A Proof of Concept Study.

PubMed

Winkelman, James W; Tanasijevic, Milenko J; Zahniser, David J

2017-08-01

- A novel automated slide-based approach to the complete blood count and white blood cell differential count is introduced. - To present proof of concept for an image-based approach to complete blood count, based on a new slide preparation technique. A preliminary data comparison with the current flow-based technology is shown. - A prototype instrument uses a proprietary method and technology to deposit a precise volume of undiluted peripheral whole blood in a monolayer onto a glass microscope slide so that every cell can be distinguished, counted, and imaged. The slide is stained, and then multispectral image analysis is used to measure the complete blood count parameters. Images from a 600-cell white blood cell differential count, as well as 5000 red blood cells and a variable number of platelets, that are present in 600 high-power fields are made available for a technologist to view on a computer screen. An initial comparison of the basic complete blood count parameters was performed, comparing 1857 specimens on both the new instrument and a flow-based hematology analyzer. - Excellent correlations were obtained between the prototype instrument and a flow-based system. The primary parameters of white blood cell, red blood cell, and platelet counts resulted in correlation coefficients (r) of 0.99, 0.99, and 0.98, respectively. Other indices included hemoglobin (r = 0.99), hematocrit (r = 0.99), mean cellular volume (r = 0.90), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (r = 0.97), and mean platelet volume (r = 0.87). For the automated white blood cell differential counts, r values were calculated for neutrophils (r = 0.98), lymphocytes (r = 0.97), monocytes (r = 0.76), eosinophils (r = 0.96), and basophils (r = 0.63). - Quantitative results for components of the complete blood count and automated white blood cell differential count can be developed by image analysis of a monolayer preparation of a known volume of peripheral blood.

Nomograms Predicting Platinum Sensitivity, Progression-Free Survival, and Overall Survival Using Pretreatment Complete Blood Cell Counts in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer.

PubMed

Paik, E Sun; Sohn, Insuk; Baek, Sun-Young; Shim, Minhee; Choi, Hyun Jin; Kim, Tae-Joong; Choi, Chel Hun; Lee, Jeong-Won; Kim, Byoung-Gie; Lee, Yoo-Young; Bae, Duk-Soo

2017-07-01

This study was conducted to evaluate the prognostic significance of pre-treatment complete blood cell count (CBC), including white blood cell (WBC) differential, in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) patients with primary debulking surgery (PDS) and to develop nomograms for platinum sensitivity, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). We retrospectively reviewed the records of 757 patients with EOC whose primary treatment consisted of surgical debulking and chemotherapy at Samsung Medical Center from 2002 to 2012. We subsequently created nomograms for platinum sensitivity, 3-year PFS, and 5-year OS as prediction models for prognostic variables including age, stage, grade, cancer antigen 125 level, residual disease after PDS, and pre-treatment WBC differential counts. The models were then validated by 10-fold cross-validation (CV). In addition to stage and residual disease after PDS, which are known predictors, lymphocyte and monocyte count were found to be significant prognostic factors for platinum-sensitivity, platelet count for PFS, and neutrophil count for OS on multivariate analysis. The area under the curves of platinum sensitivity, 3-year PFS, and 5-year OS calculated by the 10-fold CV procedure were 0.7405, 0.8159, and 0.815, respectively. Prognostic factors including pre-treatment CBC were used to develop nomograms for platinum sensitivity, 3-year PFS, and 5-year OS of patients with EOC. These nomograms can be used to better estimate individual outcomes.

Sperm count. Do we need a new reference value?

PubMed

Cardona Maya, Walter

2010-03-01

To evaluate the sperm count in fertile men, general population, and infertile men in different regions of the world. Sperm counts were recorded according to their fertility status, proven fertility, men recruited from an andrology/infertility clinic, or healthy men. The average of sperm count in the different studies is lower in infertile men that in fertile men (p>0.001) and in the general population (p>0.001). Based on this analysis the normal sperm count is about 65 million per mL. Using these reference value, only the 25% of the studies in infertile men are above this value, and the 75% studies with fertile men (>65 x 106 sperm/mL).

Effects of lek count protocols on greater sage-grouse population trend estimates

USGS Publications Warehouse

Monroe, Adrian; Edmunds, David; Aldridge, Cameron L.

2016-01-01

Annual counts of males displaying at lek sites are an important tool for monitoring greater sage-grouse populations (Centrocercus urophasianus), but seasonal and diurnal variation in lek attendance may increase variance and bias of trend analyses. Recommendations for protocols to reduce observation error have called for restricting lek counts to within 30 minutes of sunrise, but this may limit the number of lek counts available for analysis, particularly from years before monitoring was widely standardized. Reducing the temporal window for conducting lek counts also may constrain the ability of agencies to monitor leks efficiently. We used lek count data collected across Wyoming during 1995−2014 to investigate the effect of lek counts conducted between 30 minutes before and 30, 60, or 90 minutes after sunrise on population trend estimates. We also evaluated trends across scales relevant to management, including statewide, within Working Group Areas and Core Areas, and for individual leks. To further evaluate accuracy and precision of trend estimates from lek count protocols, we used simulations based on a lek attendance model and compared simulated and estimated values of annual rate of change in population size (λ) from scenarios of varying numbers of leks, lek count timing, and count frequency (counts/lek/year). We found that restricting analyses to counts conducted within 30 minutes of sunrise generally did not improve precision of population trend estimates, although differences among timings increased as the number of leks and count frequency decreased. Lek attendance declined >30 minutes after sunrise, but simulations indicated that including lek counts conducted up to 90 minutes after sunrise can increase the number of leks monitored compared to trend estimates based on counts conducted within 30 minutes of sunrise. This increase in leks monitored resulted in greater precision of estimates without reducing accuracy. Increasing count

Real-time passenger counting by active linear cameras

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khoudour, Louahdi; Duvieubourg, Luc; Deparis, Jean-Pierre

1996-03-01

The companies operating subways are very much concerned with counting the passengers traveling through their transport systems. One of the most widely used systems for counting passengers consists of a mechanical gate equipped with a counter. However, such simple systems are not able to count passengers jumping above the gates. Moreover, passengers carrying large luggage or bags may meet some difficulties when going through such gates. The ideal solution is a contact-free counting system that would bring more comfort of use for the passengers. For these reasons, we propose to use a video processing system instead of these mechanical gates. The optical sensors discussed in this paper offer several advantages including well defined detection areas, fast response time and reliable counting capability. A new technology has been developed and tested, based on linear cameras. Preliminary results show that this system is very efficient when the passengers crossing the optical gate are well separated. In other cases, such as in compact crowd conditions, reasonable accuracy has been demonstrated. These results are illustrated by means of a number of sequences shot in field conditions. It is our belief that more precise measurements could be achieved, in the case of compact crowd, by other algorithms and acquisition techniques of the line images that we are presently developing.

Fast counting electronics for neutron coincidence counting

DOEpatents

Swansen, James E.

1987-01-01

An amplifier-discriminator is tailored to output a very short pulse upon an above-threshold input from a detector which may be a .sup.3 He detector. The short pulse output is stretched and energizes a light emitting diode (LED) to provide a visual output of operation and pulse detection. The short pulse is further fed to a digital section for processing and possible ORing with other like generated pulses. Finally, the output (or ORed output ) is fed to a derandomizing buffer which converts the rapidly and randomly occurring pulses into synchronized and periodically spaced-apart pulses for the accurate counting thereof. Provision is also made for the internal and external disabling of each individual channel of amplifier-discriminators in an ORed plurality of same.

Fast counting electronics for neutron coincidence counting

DOEpatents

Swansen, J.E.

1985-03-05

An amplifier-discriminator is tailored to output a very short pulse upon an above-threshold input from a detector which may be a /sup 3/He detector. The short pulse output is stretched and energizes a light emitting diode (LED) to provide a visual output of operation and pulse detection. The short pulse is further fed to a digital section for processing and possible ORing with other like generated pulses. Finally, the output (or ORed output) is fed to a derandomizing buffer which converts the rapidly and randomly occurring pulses into synchronized and periodically spaced-apart pulses for the accurate counting thereof. Provision is also made for the internal and external disabling of each individual channel of amplifier-discriminators in an ORed plurality of same.

Improvement of the association between self-reported pill count and varenicline levels following exclusion of participants with misreported pill count: A commentary on Peng et al. (2017).

PubMed

Peng, Annie R; Le Foll, Bernard; Morales, Mark; Lerman, Caryn; Schnoll, Robert; Tyndale, Rachel F

2018-04-01

We previously reported poor associations between salivary varenicline and pill counts, and a substantial overestimation of adherence by pill counts in "Measures and predictors of varenicline adherence in the treatment of nicotine dependence" (Peng et al., 2017). We have since conducted supplementary analyses characterizing, and then excluding, individuals with established inaccurate pill count recall. Based on published varenicline pharmacokinetics (including drug levels, and the long half-life) and our detection limits, conservatively we should be able to detect varenicline in anyone who took at least one pill during the 48h prior to saliva collection; thus, those reporting 1 or more pills in this time frame but who had undetectable salivary varenicline were deemed to have inaccurate pill count recall. Correlations between pill counts and salivary varenicline, and Receiver Operating Characteristics curve analyses were conducted following exclusion of participants with inaccurate pill count recall. Nearly 20% of our participants (N=67/376) had inaccurate self-reported pill counts. These participants were younger, non-white, lower income, and unmarried (evaluated using chi-square or Mann-Whitney U test). Following exclusion of these individuals, the correlations between salivary varenicline and pill count improved and the area under the curve (AUC) of pill counts for discriminating adherence improved modestly. When the 20% of individuals with inaccurate pill count recall were excluded, an improved association between self-reported pill count and salivary varenicline was observed, albeit still weak. A substantial overestimation of adherence by pill counts relative to salivary varenicline is still observed even after exclusion of almost 20% of the group having established inaccurate reporting suggesting that these individuals, with identifiable inaccuracies, were only part of the overestimation of adherence. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development of a Photon Counting System for Differential Lidar Signal Detection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Elsayed-Ali, Hani

1997-01-01

Photon counting has been chosen as a means to extend the detection range of current airborne DIAL ozone measurements. Lidar backscattered return signals from the on and off-line lasers experience a significant exponential decay. To extract further data from the decaying ozone return signals, photon counting will be used to measure the low light levels, thus extending the detection range. In this application, photon counting will extend signal measurement where the analog return signal is too weak. The current analog measurement range is limited to approximately 25 kilometers from an aircraft flying at 12 kilometers. Photon counting will be able to exceed the current measurement range so as to follow the mid-latitude model of ozone density as a function of height. This report describes the development of a photon counting system. The initial development phase begins with detailed evaluation of individual photomultiplier tubes. The PMT qualities investigated are noise count rates, single electron response peaks, voltage versus gain values, saturation effects, and output signal linearity. These evaluations are followed by analysis of two distinctive tube base gating schemes. The next phase is to construct and operate a photon counting system in a laboratory environment. The laboratory counting simulations are used to determine optimum discriminator setpoints and to continue further evaluations of PMT properties. The final step in the photon counting system evaluation process is the compiling of photon counting measurements on the existing ozone DIAL laser system.

Modification of Poisson Distribution in Radioactive Particle Counting.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Drotter, Michael T.

This paper focuses on radioactive practicle counting statistics in laboratory and field applications, intended to aid the Health Physics technician's understanding of the effect of indeterminant errors on radioactive particle counting. It indicates that although the statistical analysis of radioactive disintegration is best described by a Poisson…

Counting Tree Growth Rings Moderately Difficult to Distinguish

Treesearch

C. B. Briscoe; M. Chudnoff

1964-01-01

There is an extensive literature dealing with techniques and gadgets to facilitate counting tree growth rings. A relatively simple method is described below, satisfactory for species too difficult to count in the field, but not sufficiently difficult to require the preparation of microscope slides nor staining techniques.

Tutorial on Using Regression Models with Count Outcomes Using R

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beaujean, A. Alexander; Morgan, Grant B.

2016-01-01

Education researchers often study count variables, such as times a student reached a goal, discipline referrals, and absences. Most researchers that study these variables use typical regression methods (i.e., ordinary least-squares) either with or without transforming the count variables. In either case, using typical regression for count data can…

Relationship of milking rate to somatic cell count.

PubMed

Brown, C A; Rischette, S J; Schultz, L H

1986-03-01

Information on milking rate, monthly bucket somatic cell counts, mastitis treatment, and milk production was obtained from 284 lactations of Holstein cows separated into three lactation groups. Significant correlations between somatic cell count (linear score) and other parameters included production in lactation 1 (-.185), production in lactation 2 (-.267), and percent 2-min milk in lactation 2 (.251). Somatic cell count tended to increase with maximum milking rate in all lactations, but correlations were not statistically significant. Twenty-nine percent of cows with milking rate measurements were treated for clinical mastitis. Treated cows in each lactation group produced less milk than untreated cows. In the second and third lactation groups, treated cows had a shorter total milking time and a higher percent 2-min milk than untreated cows, but differences were not statistically significant. Overall, the data support the concept that faster milking cows tend to have higher cell counts and more mastitis treatments, particularly beyond first lactation. However, the magnitude of the relationship was small.

Tracking and people counting using Particle Filter Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sulistyaningrum, D. R.; Setiyono, B.; Rizky, M. S.

2018-03-01

In recent years, technology has developed quite rapidly, especially in the field of object tracking. Moreover, if the object under study is a person and the number of people a lot. The purpose of this research is to apply Particle Filter method for tracking and counting people in certain area. Tracking people will be rather difficult if there are some obstacles, one of which is occlusion. The stages of tracking and people counting scheme in this study include pre-processing, segmentation using Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM), tracking using particle filter, and counting based on centroid. The Particle Filter method uses the estimated motion included in the model used. The test results show that the tracking and people counting can be done well with an average accuracy of 89.33% and 77.33% respectively from six videos test data. In the process of tracking people, the results are good if there is partial occlusion and no occlusion

A comparison of manual and electronic counting for total nucleated cell counts on synovial fluid from canine stifle joints.

PubMed

Atilola, M A; Lumsden, J H; Rooke, F

1986-04-01

Synovial fluids collected from the stifle joints of 20 physically normal adult dogs were subjected to cytological examination. A total nucleated cell count was performed on each sample using both an electronic cell counter and a hemocytometer. The mean of the total counts done with the electronic counter was significantly higher (1008 cells/microL) than that obtained manually with the hemocytometer (848 cells/microL).

An automated approach for annual layer counting in ice cores

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Winstrup, M.; Svensson, A.; Rasmussen, S. O.; Winther, O.; Steig, E.; Axelrod, A.

2012-04-01

The temporal resolution of some ice cores is sufficient to preserve seasonal information in the ice core record. In such cases, annual layer counting represents one of the most accurate methods to produce a chronology for the core. Yet, manual layer counting is a tedious and sometimes ambiguous job. As reliable layer recognition becomes more difficult, a manual approach increasingly relies on human interpretation of the available data. Thus, much may be gained by an automated and therefore objective approach for annual layer identification in ice cores. We have developed a novel method for automated annual layer counting in ice cores, which relies on Bayesian statistics. It uses algorithms from the statistical framework of Hidden Markov Models (HMM), originally developed for use in machine speech recognition. The strength of this layer detection algorithm lies in the way it is able to imitate the manual procedures for annual layer counting, while being based on purely objective criteria for annual layer identification. With this methodology, it is possible to determine the most likely position of multiple layer boundaries in an entire section of ice core data at once. It provides a probabilistic uncertainty estimate of the resulting layer count, hence ensuring a proper treatment of ambiguous layer boundaries in the data. Furthermore multiple data series can be incorporated to be used at once, hence allowing for a full multi-parameter annual layer counting method similar to a manual approach. In this study, the automated layer counting algorithm has been applied to data from the NGRIP ice core, Greenland. The NGRIP ice core has very high temporal resolution with depth, and hence the potential to be dated by annual layer counting far back in time. In previous studies [Andersen et al., 2006; Svensson et al., 2008], manual layer counting has been carried out back to 60 kyr BP. A comparison between the counted annual layers based on the two approaches will be presented

Counting Necklaces and Other Patterns.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Houghton, Chris

1990-01-01

A method for helping students to find formulas involving symmetry under various conditions is explained. Necklace symmetries, orbit counting, tetrahedra and cubes, relationship patterns, and finding patterns are discussed. (CW)

Counting Triangles to Sum Squares

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeMaio, Joe

2012-01-01

Counting complete subgraphs of three vertices in complete graphs, yields combinatorial arguments for identities for sums of squares of integers, odd integers, even integers and sums of the triangular numbers.

Counting conformal correlators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kravchuk, Petr; Simmons-Duffin, David

2018-02-01

We introduce simple group-theoretic techniques for classifying conformallyinvariant tensor structures. With them, we classify tensor structures of general n-point functions of non-conserved operators, and n ≥ 4-point functions of general conserved currents, with or without permutation symmetries, and in any spacetime dimension d. Our techniques are useful for bootstrap applications. The rules we derive simultaneously count tensor structures for flat-space scattering amplitudes in d + 1 dimensions.

Correlation of platelet count and acute ST-elevation in myocardial infarction.

PubMed

Paul, G K; Sen, B; Bari, M A; Rahman, Z; Jamal, F; Bari, M S; Sazidur, S R

2010-07-01

The role of platelets in the pathogenesis of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) has been substantiated by studies that demonstrated significant clinical benefits associated with antiplatelet therapy. Initial platelet counts in Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) may be a useful adjunct for identifying those patients who may or may not respond to fibrinolytic agents. Patient with acute STEMI has variable level of platelet count and with higher platelet count have poor in hospital outcome. There are many predictors of poor outcome in Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) like cardiac biomarkers (Troponin I, Troponin T and CK-MB), C-Reactive Protien (CRP) and WBC (White Blood Cell) counts. Platelet count on presentation of STEMI is one of them. Higher platelet count is associated with higher rate of adverse clinical outcome in ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI), like heart failure, arrhythmia, re-infarction & death. So, categorization of patient with STEMI on the basis of platelet counts may be helpful for risk stratification and management of these patients.

[Correlation between red blood cell count and liver function status].

PubMed

Xie, Xiaomeng; Wang, Leijie; Yao, Mingjie; Wen, Xiajie; Chen, Xiangmei; You, Hong; Jia, Jidong; Zhao, Jingmin; Lu, Fengmin

2016-02-01

To investigate the changes in red blood cell count in patients with different liver diseases and the correlation between red blood cell count and degree of liver damage. The clinical data of 1427 patients with primary liver cancer, 172 patients with liver cirrhosis, and 185 patients with hepatitis were collected, and the Child-Pugh class was determined for all patients. The differences in red blood cell count between patients with different liver diseases were retrospectively analyzed, and the correlation between red blood cell count and liver function status was investigated. The Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis H test, rank sum test, Spearman rank sum correlation test, and chi-square test were performed for different types of data. Red blood cell count showed significant differences between patients with chronic hepatitis, liver cancer, and liver cirrhosis and was highest in patients with chronic hepatitis and lowest in patients with liver cirrhosis (P < 0.05). In the patients with liver cirrhosis, red blood cell count tended to decrease in patients with a higher Child-Pugh class (P < 0.05). For patients with liver cirrhosis, red blood cell count can reflect the degree of liver damage, which may contribute to an improved liver function prediction model for these patients.

Arraycount, an algorithm for automatic cell counting in microwell arrays.

PubMed

Kachouie, Nezamoddin; Kang, Lifeng; Khademhosseini, Ali

2009-09-01

Microscale technologies have emerged as a powerful tool for studying and manipulating biological systems and miniaturizing experiments. However, the lack of software complementing these techniques has made it difficult to apply them for many high-throughput experiments. This work establishes Arraycount, an approach to automatically count cells in microwell arrays. The procedure consists of fluorescent microscope imaging of cells that are seeded in microwells of a microarray system and then analyzing images via computer to recognize the array and count cells inside each microwell. To start counting, green and red fluorescent images (representing live and dead cells, respectively) are extracted from the original image and processed separately. A template-matching algorithm is proposed in which pre-defined well and cell templates are matched against the red and green images to locate microwells and cells. Subsequently, local maxima in the correlation maps are determined and local maxima maps are thresholded. At the end, the software records the cell counts for each detected microwell on the original image in high-throughput. The automated counting was shown to be accurate compared with manual counting, with a difference of approximately 1-2 cells per microwell: based on cell concentration, the absolute difference between manual and automatic counting measurements was 2.5-13%.

45 CFR 263.3 - When do child care expenditures count?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 2 2013-10-01 2012-10-01 true When do child care expenditures count? 263.3... do child care expenditures count? (a) State funds expended to meet the requirements of the CCDF... amounts), or any other Federal child care program, may also count as basic MOE expenditures. The limit...

45 CFR 263.3 - When do child care expenditures count?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false When do child care expenditures count? 263.3... do child care expenditures count? (a) State funds expended to meet the requirements of the CCDF... amounts), or any other Federal child care program, may also count as basic MOE expenditures. The limit...

45 CFR 263.3 - When do child care expenditures count?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false When do child care expenditures count? 263.3... do child care expenditures count? (a) State funds expended to meet the requirements of the CCDF... amounts), or any other Federal child care program, may also count as basic MOE expenditures. The limit...

45 CFR 263.3 - When do child care expenditures count?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 2 2014-10-01 2012-10-01 true When do child care expenditures count? 263.3... do child care expenditures count? (a) State funds expended to meet the requirements of the CCDF... amounts), or any other Federal child care program, may also count as basic MOE expenditures. The limit...

45 CFR 263.3 - When do child care expenditures count?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 2 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false When do child care expenditures count? 263.3... do child care expenditures count? (a) State funds expended to meet the requirements of the CCDF... amounts), or any other Federal child care program, may also count as basic MOE expenditures. The limit...

A new stratification of mourning dove call-count routes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Blankenship, L.H.; Humphrey, A.B.; MacDonald, D.

1971-01-01

The mourning dove (Zenaidura macroura) call-count survey is a nationwide audio-census of breeding mourning doves. Recent analyses of the call-count routes have utilized a stratification based upon physiographic regions of the United States. An analysis of 5 years of call-count data, based upon stratification using potential natural vegetation, has demonstrated that this uew stratification results in strata with greater homogeneity than the physiographic strata, provides lower error variance, and hence generates greatet precision in the analysis without an increase in call-count routes. Error variance was reduced approximately 30 percent for the contiguous United States. This indicates that future analysis based upon the new stratification will result in an increased ability to detect significant year-to-year changes.

Absolute nuclear material assay using count distribution (LAMBDA) space

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Prasad, Mano K.; Snyderman, Neal J.; Rowland, Mark S.

A method of absolute nuclear material assay of an unknown source comprising counting neutrons from the unknown source and providing an absolute nuclear material assay utilizing a model to optimally compare to the measured count distributions. In one embodiment, the step of providing an absolute nuclear material assay comprises utilizing a random sampling of analytically computed fission chain distributions to generate a continuous time-evolving sequence of event-counts by spreading the fission chain distribution in time.

Absolute nuclear material assay using count distribution (LAMBDA) space

DOEpatents

Prasad, Manoj K [Pleasanton, CA; Snyderman, Neal J [Berkeley, CA; Rowland, Mark S [Alamo, CA

2012-06-05

A method of absolute nuclear material assay of an unknown source comprising counting neutrons from the unknown source and providing an absolute nuclear material assay utilizing a model to optimally compare to the measured count distributions. In one embodiment, the step of providing an absolute nuclear material assay comprises utilizing a random sampling of analytically computed fission chain distributions to generate a continuous time-evolving sequence of event-counts by spreading the fission chain distribution in time.

A study of cellular counting to determine minimum thresholds for adequacy for liquid-based cervical cytology using a survey and counting protocol.

PubMed

Kitchener, Henry C; Gittins, Matthew; Desai, Mina; Smith, John H F; Cook, Gary; Roberts, Chris; Turnbull, Lesley

2015-03-01

Liquid-based cytology (LBC) for cervical screening would benefit from laboratory practice guidelines that define specimen adequacy for reporting of slides. The evidence base required to define cell adequacy should incorporate both ThinPrep™ (TP; Hologic, Inc., Bedford, MA, USA) and SurePath™ (SP; BD Diagnostics, Burlington, NC, USA), the two LBC systems used in the UK cervical screening programmes. The objectives of this study were to determine (1) current practice for reporting LBC in England, Wales and Scotland, (2) a reproducible method for cell counting, (3) the cellularity of slides classified as inadequate, negative or abnormal and (4) the impact of varying cellularity on the likelihood of detecting cytological abnormalities. The study involved four separate arms to pursue each of the four objectives. (1) A questionnaire survey of laboratories was conducted. (2) A standard counting protocol was developed and used by three experienced cytopathologists to determine a reliable and reproducible cell counting method. (3) Slide sets which included a range of cytological abnormalities were each sent to three laboratories for cell counting to study the correlation between cell counts and reported cytological outcomes. (4) Dilution of LBC samples by fluid only (unmixed) or by dilution with a sample containing normal cells (mixed) was performed to study the impact on reporting of reducing either the total cell count or the relative proportion of abnormal to normal cells. The study was conducted within the cervical screening programmes in England, Wales and Scotland, using routinely obtained cervical screening samples, and in 56 participating NHS cervical cytology laboratories. The study involved only routinely obtained cervical screening samples. There was no clinical intervention. The main outcome measures were (1) reliability of counting method, (2) correlation of reported cytology grades with cellularity and (3) levels of detection of abnormal cells in

Transition Years Count: An Adolescent Profile. KIDS COUNT County Data Book, 1999.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kentucky Youth Advocates, Inc., Louisville.

This Kids Count data book is the ninth to examine trends in the well-being of Kentucky children, focusing on the transition period of adolescence, based on the view that lessons learned and foundations laid in early adolescence directly impact the transition to adulthood. This statistical portrait is based on trends in indicators of well-being in…

Validation of an automated colony counting system for group A Streptococcus.

PubMed

Frost, H R; Tsoi, S K; Baker, C A; Laho, D; Sanderson-Smith, M L; Steer, A C; Smeesters, P R

2016-02-08

The practice of counting bacterial colony forming units on agar plates has long been used as a method to estimate the concentration of live bacteria in culture. However, due to the laborious and potentially error prone nature of this measurement technique, an alternative method is desirable. Recent technologic advancements have facilitated the development of automated colony counting systems, which reduce errors introduced during the manual counting process and recording of information. An additional benefit is the significant reduction in time taken to analyse colony counting data. Whilst automated counting procedures have been validated for a number of microorganisms, the process has not been successful for all bacteria due to the requirement for a relatively high contrast between bacterial colonies and growth medium. The purpose of this study was to validate an automated counting system for use with group A Streptococcus (GAS). Twenty-one different GAS strains, representative of major emm-types, were selected for assessment. In order to introduce the required contrast for automated counting, 2,3,5-triphenyl-2H-tetrazolium chloride (TTC) dye was added to Todd-Hewitt broth with yeast extract (THY) agar. Growth on THY agar with TTC was compared with growth on blood agar and THY agar to ensure the dye was not detrimental to bacterial growth. Automated colony counts using a ProtoCOL 3 instrument were compared with manual counting to confirm accuracy over the stages of the growth cycle (latent, mid-log and stationary phases) and in a number of different assays. The average percentage differences between plating and counting methods were analysed using the Bland-Altman method. A percentage difference of ±10 % was determined as the cut-off for a critical difference between plating and counting methods. All strains measured had an average difference of less than 10 % when plated on THY agar with TTC. This consistency was also observed over all phases of the growth

Statistical tests to compare motif count exceptionalities

PubMed Central

Robin, Stéphane; Schbath, Sophie; Vandewalle, Vincent

2007-01-01

Background Finding over- or under-represented motifs in biological sequences is now a common task in genomics. Thanks to p-value calculation for motif counts, exceptional motifs are identified and represent candidate functional motifs. The present work addresses the related question of comparing the exceptionality of one motif in two different sequences. Just comparing the motif count p-values in each sequence is indeed not sufficient to decide if this motif is significantly more exceptional in one sequence compared to the other one. A statistical test is required. Results We develop and analyze two statistical tests, an exact binomial one and an asymptotic likelihood ratio test, to decide whether the exceptionality of a given motif is equivalent or significantly different in two sequences of interest. For that purpose, motif occurrences are modeled by Poisson processes, with a special care for overlapping motifs. Both tests can take the sequence compositions into account. As an illustration, we compare the octamer exceptionalities in the Escherichia coli K-12 backbone versus variable strain-specific loops. Conclusion The exact binomial test is particularly adapted for small counts. For large counts, we advise to use the likelihood ratio test which is asymptotic but strongly correlated with the exact binomial test and very simple to use. PMID:17346349

Pinochle Poker: An Activity for Counting and Probability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wroughton, Jacqueline; Nolan, Joseph

2012-01-01

Understanding counting rules is challenging for students; in particular, they struggle with determining when and how to implement combinations, permutations, and the multiplication rule as tools for counting large sets and computing probability. We present an activity--using ideas from the games of poker and pinochle--designed to help students…

21 CFR 1210.16 - Method of bacterial count.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED... FEDERAL IMPORT MILK ACT Inspection and Testing § 1210.16 Method of bacterial count. The bacterial count of milk and cream refers to the number of viable bacteria as determined by the standard plate method of...

21 CFR 1210.16 - Method of bacterial count.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED... FEDERAL IMPORT MILK ACT Inspection and Testing § 1210.16 Method of bacterial count. The bacterial count of milk and cream refers to the number of viable bacteria as determined by the standard plate method of...

Efficient statistical mapping of avian count data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Royle, J. Andrew; Wikle, C.K.

2005-01-01

We develop a spatial modeling framework for count data that is efficient to implement in high-dimensional prediction problems. We consider spectral parameterizations for the spatially varying mean of a Poisson model. The spectral parameterization of the spatial process is very computationally efficient, enabling effective estimation and prediction in large problems using Markov chain Monte Carlo techniques. We apply this model to creating avian relative abundance maps from North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) data. Variation in the ability of observers to count birds is modeled as spatially independent noise, resulting in over-dispersion relative to the Poisson assumption. This approach represents an improvement over existing approaches used for spatial modeling of BBS data which are either inefficient for continental scale modeling and prediction or fail to accommodate important distributional features of count data thus leading to inaccurate accounting of prediction uncertainty.

Point Count Length and Detection of Forest Neotropical Migrant Birds

Treesearch

Deanna K. Dawson; David R. Smith; Chandler S. Robbins

1995-01-01

Comparisons of bird abundances among years or among habitats assume that the rates at which birds are detected and counted are constant within species. We use point count data collected in forests of the Mid-Atlantic states to estimate detection probabilities for Neotropical migrant bird species as a function of count length. For some species, significant differences...

The effect of smoking on neutrophil/lymphocyte and platelet/lymphocyte ratio and platelet ındices: a retrospective study.

PubMed

Tulgar, Y K; Cakar, S; Tulgar, S; Dalkilic, O; Cakiroglu, B; Uyanik, B S

2016-07-01

Smoking commonly leads to death. Although the neutrophil/lymphocyte Ratio, platelet/lymphocyte ratio and platelet indices have been shown to be important for the diagnosis, prognosis and severity of some diseases, the smoking status of patients in these studies has not been well defined. In this study, we compared ratios derived from complete blood count and platelet indices to smoking status and length in smokers and non-smokers. The data of healthy males and females aged between 18-60 years who presented to our institute for a routine check-up were collected, and subjects were divided in two groups - smokers and non-smokers. The presence of medical history or laboratory results which could affect inflammatory response, formed our exclusion criteria. All complete blood count results were noted and persons' smoking habits were calculated as pack/years. White blood cell, neutrophil, basophil and eosinophil counts; mean corpuscular volume, red cell distribution width and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio were significantly higher in smokers when compared to non-smokers (p<0.05). When smokers were grouped according to smoking habits; positive linear correlations were detected between pack/year and Neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio and also pack/year and plateletcrit in smokers (p<0.05). Neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio increases in correlation with pack/year while platelet/lymphocyte ratio is not affected and platelet distribution width is increased in smokers. If smokers are not excluded from studies evaluating neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio and platelet distribution width, the relationship between smoking status as well as pack/year must be determined and reported.

Advances in photon counting for bioluminescence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ingle, Martin B.; Powell, Ralph

1998-11-01

Photon counting systems were originally developed for astronomy, initially by the astronomical community. However, a major application area is in the study of luminescent probes in living plants, fishes and cell cultures. For these applications, it has been necessary to develop camera system capability at very low light levels -- a few photons occasionally -- and also at reasonably high light levels to enable the systems to be focused and to collect quality images of the object under study. The paper presents new data on MTF at extremely low photon flux and conventional ICCD illumination, counting efficiency and dark noise as a function of temperature.

Low photon-count tip-tilt sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saathof, Rudolf; Schitter, Georg

2016-07-01

Due to the low photon-count of dark areas of the universe, signal strength of tip-tilt sensor is low, limiting sky-coverage of reliable tip-tilt measurements. This paper presents the low photon-count tip-tilt (LPC-TT) sensor, which potentially achieves improved signal strength. Its optical design spatially samples and integrates the scene. This increases the probability that several individual sources coincide on a detector segment. Laboratory experiments show feasibility of spatial sampling and integration and the ability to measure tilt angles. By simulation an improvement of the SNR of 10 dB compared to conventional tip-tilt sensors is shown.

Learning to Count: School Finance Formula Count Methods and Attendance-Related Student Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ely, Todd L.; Fermanich, Mark L.

2013-01-01

School systems are under increasing pressure to improve student performance. Several states have recently explored adopting student count methods for school funding purposes that incentivize school attendance and continuous enrollment by adjusting funding for changes in enrollment or attendance over the course of the school year. However, no…

Africa Counts: Number and Pattern in African Culture.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zaslavsky, Claudia

This document describes the contributions of African peoples to the science of mathematics. The development of a number system is seen as related to need. Names of numbers, time reckoning, gesture counting, and counting materials are examined. Mystical beliefs about numbers and special meanings in pattern are presented. Reproductions of patterns,…

Another Crisis Can We Count on the Reserves?

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-05-16

the " marshmallow " of volunteerism is something that is too soft of a concept to be counted upon. It only makes sense to develop a more well-defined...unrealistic. Involuntary activation has proven to be a hollow concept in practice, and planners are reluctant to count on the " marshmallow " of

Material screening with HPGe counting station for PandaX experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, X.; Chen, X.; Fu, C.; Ji, X.; Liu, X.; Mao, Y.; Wang, H.; Wang, S.; Xie, P.; Zhang, T.

2016-12-01

A gamma counting station based on high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector was set up for the material screening of the PandaX dark matter experiments in the China Jinping Underground Laboratory. Low background gamma rate of 2.6 counts/min within the energy range of 20 to 2700 keV is achieved due to the well-designed passive shield. The sentivities of the HPGe detetector reach mBq/kg level for isotopes like K, U, Th, and even better for Co and Cs, resulted from the low-background rate and the high relative detection efficiency of 175%. The structure and performance of the counting station are described in this article. Detailed counting results for the radioactivity in materials used by the PandaX dark-matter experiment are presented. The upgrading plan of the counting station is also discussed.

Analysis of Sample Size, Counting Time, and Plot Size from an Avian Point Count Survey on Hoosier National Forest, Indiana

Treesearch

Frank R. Thompson; Monica J. Schwalbach

1995-01-01

We report results of a point count survey of breeding birds on Hoosier National Forest in Indiana. We determined sample size requirements to detect differences in means and the effects of count duration and plot size on individual detection rates. Sample size requirements ranged from 100 to >1000 points with Type I and II error rates of <0.1 and 0.2. Sample...

[Full blood count reference values in children of 8 to 12 years old residing at 2,760 m above sea level].

PubMed

Armando García-Miranda, L; Contreras, I; Estrada, J A

2014-04-01

To determine reference values for full blood count parameters in a population of children 8 to 12 years old, living at an altitude of 2760 m above sea level. Our sample consisted of 102 individuals on whom a full blood count was performed. The parameters included: total number of red blood cells, platelets, white cells, and a differential count (millions/μl and %) of neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, eosinophils and basophils. Additionally, we obtained values for hemoglobin, hematocrit, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, concentration of corpuscular hemoglobin and red blood cell distribution width. The results were statistically analyzed with a non-parametric test, to divide the sample in quartiles and obtain the lower and upper limits for our intervals. Moreover, the values for the intervals obtained from this analysis were compared to intervals obtained estimating+- 2 standard deviations above and below from our mean values. Our results showed significant differences compared to normal interval values reported for the adult Mexican population in most of the parameters studied. The full blood count is an important laboratory test used routinely for the initial assessment of a patient. Values of full blood counts in healthy individuals vary according to gender, age and geographic location; therefore, each population should have its own reference values. Copyright © 2013 Asociación Española de Pediatría. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Relationships among indoor, outdoor, and personal airborne Japanese cedar pollen counts.

PubMed

Yamamoto, Naomichi; Matsuki, Yuuki; Yokoyama, Hiromichi; Matsuki, Hideaki

2015-01-01

Japanese cedar pollinosis (JCP) is an important illness caused by the inhalation of airborne allergenic cedar pollens, which are dispersed in the early spring throughout the Japanese islands. However, associations between pollen exposures and the prevalence or severity of allergic symptoms are largely unknown, due to a lack of understanding regarding personal pollen exposures in relation to indoor and outdoor concentrations. This study aims to examine the relationships among indoor, outdoor, and personal airborne Japanese cedar pollen counts. We conducted a 4-year monitoring campaign to quantify indoor, outdoor, and personal airborne cedar pollen counts, where the personal passive settling sampler that has been previously validated against a volumetric sampler was used to count airborne pollen grains. A total of 256 sets of indoor, outdoor, and personal samples (768 samples) were collected from 9 subjects. Medians of the seasonally-integrated indoor-to-outdoor, personal-to-outdoor, and personal-to-indoor ratios of airborne pollen counts measured for 9 subjects were 0.08, 0.10, and 1.19, respectively. A greater correlation was observed between the personal and indoor counts (r = 0.89) than between the personal and outdoor counts (r = 0.71), suggesting a potential inaccuracy in the use of outdoor counts as a basis for estimating personal exposures. The personal pollen counts differed substantially among the human subjects (49% geometric coefficient of variation), in part due to the variability in the indoor counts that have been found as major determinants of the personal pollen counts. The findings of this study highlight the need for pollen monitoring in proximity to human subjects to better understand the relationships between pollen exposures and the prevalence or severity of pollen allergy.

Airborne UV photon-counting radiometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bauer, Marc C.; Wilcher, George; Banks, Calvin R.; Wood, Ronald L.

2000-11-01

The radiometric measurements group at the Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) has developed new solar-blind radiometers for the SENSOR TALON flight test. These radiometers will be flown in an instrument pod by the 46th Test Wing at Eglin AFB. The radiometers are required to fit into a single quadrant of a 22-in.-diam sphere turret of the instrument pod. Because of minimal space requirements and photon-counting sensitivity needs, the radiometric measurements group used image intensifiers instead of the standard photomultiplier tubes (PMTs). The new design concept improved the photon-counting sensitivity, dynamic range, and uniformity of the field of view as compared to standard PMTs. A custom data acquisition system was required to miniaturize the electronics and generate a pulse code-modulated (PCM) data stream to the standard tape recording system.

Counting states and the Hadron Resonance Gas: Does X(3872) count?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ortega, Pablo G.; Entem, David R.; Fernández, Francisco; Ruiz Arriola, Enrique

2018-06-01

We analyze how the renowned X(3872), a weakly bound state right below the DDbar* threshold, should effectively be included in a hadronic representation of the QCD partition function. This can be decided by analyzing the DDbar* scattering phase-shifts in the JPC =1++ channel and their contribution to the level density in the continuum from which the abundance in a hot medium can be determined. We show that in a purely molecular picture the bound state contribution cancels the continuum providing a vanishing occupation number density at finite temperature and the X (3872) does not count below the Quark-Gluon Plasma crossover happening at T ∼ 150 MeV. In contrast, within a coupled-channels approach, for a non vanishing c c bar content the cancellation does not occur due to the onset of the X (3940) which effectively counts as an elementary particle for temperatures above T ≳ 250 MeV. Thus, a direct inclusion of the X (3872) in the Hadron Resonance Gas is not justified. We also estimate the role of this cancellation in X(3872) production in heavy-ion collision experiments in terms of the corresponding pT distribution due to a finite energy resolution.

Accounting for What Counts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Milner, Joseph O.; Ferran, Joan E.; Martin, Katharine Y.

2003-01-01

No Child Left Behind legislation makes it clear that outside evaluators determine what gets taught in the classroom. It is important to ensure they measure what truly counts in school. This fact is poignantly and sadly true for the under funded, poorly resourced, "low performing" schools that may be hammered by administration accountants…

Compensated count-rate circuit for radiation survey meter

DOEpatents

Todd, R.A.

1980-05-12

A count-rate compensating circuit is provided which may be used in a portable Geiger-Mueller (G-M) survey meter to ideally compensate for couting loss errors in the G-M tube detector. In a G-M survey meter, wherein the pulse rate from the G-M tube is converted into a pulse rate current applied to a current meter calibrated to indicate dose rate, the compensation circuit generates and controls a reference voltage in response to the rate of pulses from the detector. This reference voltage is gated to the current-generating circuit at a rate identical to the rate of pulses coming from the detector so that the current flowing through the meter is varied in accordance with both the frequency and amplitude of the reference voltage pulses applied thereto so that the count rate is compensated ideally to indicate a true count rate within 1% up to a 50% duty cycle for the detector. A positive feedback circuit is used to control the reference voltage so that the meter output tracks true count rate indicative of the radiation dose rate.

Single electron counting using a dual MCP assembly

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Yuzhen; Liu, Shulin; Zhao, Tianchi; Yan, Baojun; Wang, Peiliang; Yu, Yang; Lei, Xiangcui; Yang, Luping; Wen, Kaile; Qi, Ming; Heng, Yuekun

2016-09-01

The gain, pulse height resolution and peak-to-valley ratio of single electrons detected by using a Chevron configured Microchannel Plate (MCP) assembly are studied. The two MCPs are separated by a 280 μm gap and are biased by four electrodes. The purpose of the study is to determine the optimum bias voltage arrangements for single electron counting. By comparing the results of various bias voltage combinations, we conclude that good performance for the electron counting can be achieved by operating the MCP assembly in saturation mode. In addition, by applying a small reverse bias voltage across the gap while adjusting the bias voltages of the MCPs, optimum performance of electron counting can be obtained.

Particle and Photon Detection: Counting and Energy Measurement

PubMed Central

Janesick, James; Tower, John

2016-01-01

Fundamental limits for photon counting and photon energy measurement are reviewed for CCD and CMOS imagers. The challenges to extend photon counting into the visible/nIR wavelengths and achieve energy measurement in the UV with specific read noise requirements are discussed. Pixel flicker and random telegraph noise sources are highlighted along with various methods used in reducing their contribution on the sensor’s read noise floor. Practical requirements for quantum efficiency, charge collection efficiency, and charge transfer efficiency that interfere with photon counting performance are discussed. Lastly we will review current efforts in reducing flicker noise head-on, in hopes to drive read noise substantially below 1 carrier rms. PMID:27187398

Minimum Disclosure Counting for the Alternative Vote

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wen, Roland; Buckland, Richard

Although there is a substantial body of work on preventing bribery and coercion of voters in cryptographic election schemes for plurality electoral systems, there are few attempts to construct such schemes for preferential electoral systems. The problem is preferential systems are prone to bribery and coercion via subtle signature attacks during the counting. We introduce a minimum disclosure counting scheme for the alternative vote preferential system. Minimum disclosure provides protection from signature attacks by revealing only the winning candidate.

The Audubon Christmas Bird Count: A Valuable Teaching Resource

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ferner, John W.

1977-01-01

The author explains how he uses the Audubon Christmas Bird Count to teach a laboratory exercise in vertebrate population dynamics. Problems and limitations associated with using these Christmas Counts are also enumerated. Graphs illustrate the material. (MA)

Nomograms Predicting Platinum Sensitivity, Progression-Free Survival, and Overall Survival Using Pretreatment Complete Blood Cell Counts in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer

PubMed Central

Paik, E Sun; Sohn, Insuk; Baek, Sun-Young; Shim, Minhee; Choi, Hyun Jin; Kim, Tae-Joong; Choi, Chel Hun; Lee, Jeong-Won; Kim, Byoung-Gie; Lee, Yoo-Young; Bae, Duk-Soo

2017-01-01

Purpose This study was conducted to evaluate the prognostic significance of pre-treatment complete blood cell count (CBC), including white blood cell (WBC) differential, in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) patients with primary debulking surgery (PDS) and to develop nomograms for platinum sensitivity, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). Materials and Methods We retrospectively reviewed the records of 757 patients with EOC whose primary treatment consisted of surgical debulking and chemotherapy at Samsung Medical Center from 2002 to 2012. We subsequently created nomograms for platinum sensitivity, 3-year PFS, and 5-year OS as prediction models for prognostic variables including age, stage, grade, cancer antigen 125 level, residual disease after PDS, and pre-treatment WBC differential counts. The models were then validated by 10-fold cross-validation (CV). Results In addition to stage and residual disease after PDS, which are known predictors, lymphocyte and monocyte count were found to be significant prognostic factors for platinum-sensitivity, platelet count for PFS, and neutrophil count for OS on multivariate analysis. The area under the curves of platinum sensitivity, 3-year PFS, and 5-year OS calculated by the 10-fold CV procedure were 0.7405, 0.8159, and 0.815, respectively. Conclusion Prognostic factors including pre-treatment CBC were used to develop nomograms for platinum sensitivity, 3-year PFS, and 5-year OS of patients with EOC. These nomograms can be used to better estimate individual outcomes. PMID:27669704

UAS-based automatic bird count of a common gull colony

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grenzdörffer, G. J.

2013-08-01

The standard procedure to count birds is a manual one. However a manual bird count is a time consuming and cumbersome process, requiring several people going from nest to nest counting the birds and the clutches. High resolution imagery, generated with a UAS (Unmanned Aircraft System) offer an interesting alternative. Experiences and results of UAS surveys for automatic bird count of the last two years are presented for the bird reserve island Langenwerder. For 2011 1568 birds (± 5%) were detected on the image mosaic, based on multispectral image classification and GIS-based post processing. Based on the experiences of 2011 the results and the accuracy of the automatic bird count 2012 became more efficient. For 2012 1938 birds with an accuracy of approx. ± 3% were counted. Additionally a separation of breeding and non-breeding birds was performed with the assumption, that standing birds cause a visible shade. The final section of the paper is devoted to the analysis of the 3D-point cloud. Thereby the point cloud was used to determine the height of the vegetation and the extend and depth of closed sinks, which are unsuitable for breeding birds.

Counting statistics for genetic switches based on effective interaction approximation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohkubo, Jun

2012-09-01

Applicability of counting statistics for a system with an infinite number of states is investigated. The counting statistics has been studied a lot for a system with a finite number of states. While it is possible to use the scheme in order to count specific transitions in a system with an infinite number of states in principle, we have non-closed equations in general. A simple genetic switch can be described by a master equation with an infinite number of states, and we use the counting statistics in order to count the number of transitions from inactive to active states in the gene. To avoid having the non-closed equations, an effective interaction approximation is employed. As a result, it is shown that the switching problem can be treated as a simple two-state model approximately, which immediately indicates that the switching obeys non-Poisson statistics.

Relationships among Indoor, Outdoor, and Personal Airborne Japanese Cedar Pollen Counts

PubMed Central

Yamamoto, Naomichi; Matsuki, Yuuki; Yokoyama, Hiromichi; Matsuki, Hideaki

2015-01-01

Japanese cedar pollinosis (JCP) is an important illness caused by the inhalation of airborne allergenic cedar pollens, which are dispersed in the early spring throughout the Japanese islands. However, associations between pollen exposures and the prevalence or severity of allergic symptoms are largely unknown, due to a lack of understanding regarding personal pollen exposures in relation to indoor and outdoor concentrations. This study aims to examine the relationships among indoor, outdoor, and personal airborne Japanese cedar pollen counts. We conducted a 4-year monitoring campaign to quantify indoor, outdoor, and personal airborne cedar pollen counts, where the personal passive settling sampler that has been previously validated against a volumetric sampler was used to count airborne pollen grains. A total of 256 sets of indoor, outdoor, and personal samples (768 samples) were collected from 9 subjects. Medians of the seasonally-integrated indoor-to-outdoor, personal-to-outdoor, and personal-to-indoor ratios of airborne pollen counts measured for 9 subjects were 0.08, 0.10, and 1.19, respectively. A greater correlation was observed between the personal and indoor counts (r = 0.89) than between the personal and outdoor counts (r = 0.71), suggesting a potential inaccuracy in the use of outdoor counts as a basis for estimating personal exposures. The personal pollen counts differed substantially among the human subjects (49% geometric coefficient of variation), in part due to the variability in the indoor counts that have been found as major determinants of the personal pollen counts. The findings of this study highlight the need for pollen monitoring in proximity to human subjects to better understand the relationships between pollen exposures and the prevalence or severity of pollen allergy. PMID:26110813

Effect of distance-related heterogeneity on population size estimates from point counts

USGS Publications Warehouse

Efford, Murray G.; Dawson, Deanna K.

2009-01-01

Point counts are used widely to index bird populations. Variation in the proportion of birds counted is a known source of error, and for robust inference it has been advocated that counts be converted to estimates of absolute population size. We used simulation to assess nine methods for the conduct and analysis of point counts when the data included distance-related heterogeneity of individual detection probability. Distance from the observer is a ubiquitous source of heterogeneity, because nearby birds are more easily detected than distant ones. Several recent methods (dependent double-observer, time of first detection, time of detection, independent multiple-observer, and repeated counts) do not account for distance-related heterogeneity, at least in their simpler forms. We assessed bias in estimates of population size by simulating counts with fixed radius w over four time intervals (occasions). Detection probability per occasion was modeled as a half-normal function of distance with scale parameter sigma and intercept g(0) = 1.0. Bias varied with sigma/w; values of sigma inferred from published studies were often 50% for a 100-m fixed-radius count. More critically, the bias of adjusted counts sometimes varied more than that of unadjusted counts, and inference from adjusted counts would be less robust. The problem was not solved by using mixture models or including distance as a covariate. Conventional distance sampling performed well in simulations, but its assumptions are difficult to meet in the field. We conclude that no existing method allows effective estimation of population size from point counts.

Development of a stained cell nuclei counting system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Timilsina, Niranjan; Moffatt, Christopher; Okada, Kazunori

2011-03-01

This paper presents a novel cell counting system which exploits the Fast Radial Symmetry Transformation (FRST) algorithm [1]. The driving force behind our system is a research on neurogenesis in the intact nervous system of Manduca Sexta or the Tobacco Hornworm, which was being studied to assess the impact of age, food and environment on neurogenesis. The varying thickness of the intact nervous system in this species often yields images with inhomogeneous background and inconsistencies such as varying illumination, variable contrast, and irregular cell size. For automated counting, such inhomogeneity and inconsistencies must be addressed, which no existing work has done successfully. Thus, our goal is to devise a new cell counting algorithm for the images with non-uniform background. Our solution adapts FRST: a computer vision algorithm which is designed to detect points of interest on circular regions such as human eyes. This algorithm enhances the occurrences of the stained-cell nuclei in 2D digital images and negates the problems caused by their inhomogeneity. Besides FRST, our algorithm employs standard image processing methods, such as mathematical morphology and connected component analysis. We have evaluated the developed cell counting system with fourteen digital images of Tobacco Hornworm's nervous system collected for this study with ground-truth cell counts by biology experts. Experimental results show that our system has a minimum error of 1.41% and mean error of 16.68% which is at least forty-four percent better than the algorithm without FRST.

Zero adjusted models with applications to analysing helminths count data.

PubMed

Chipeta, Michael G; Ngwira, Bagrey M; Simoonga, Christopher; Kazembe, Lawrence N

2014-11-27

It is common in public health and epidemiology that the outcome of interest is counts of events occurrence. Analysing these data using classical linear models is mostly inappropriate, even after transformation of outcome variables due to overdispersion. Zero-adjusted mixture count models such as zero-inflated and hurdle count models are applied to count data when over-dispersion and excess zeros exist. Main objective of the current paper is to apply such models to analyse risk factors associated with human helminths (S. haematobium) particularly in a case where there's a high proportion of zero counts. The data were collected during a community-based randomised control trial assessing the impact of mass drug administration (MDA) with praziquantel in Malawi, and a school-based cross sectional epidemiology survey in Zambia. Count data models including traditional (Poisson and negative binomial) models, zero modified models (zero inflated Poisson and zero inflated negative binomial) and hurdle models (Poisson logit hurdle and negative binomial logit hurdle) were fitted and compared. Using Akaike information criteria (AIC), the negative binomial logit hurdle (NBLH) and zero inflated negative binomial (ZINB) showed best performance in both datasets. With regards to zero count capturing, these models performed better than other models. This paper showed that zero modified NBLH and ZINB models are more appropriate methods for the analysis of data with excess zeros. The choice between the hurdle and zero-inflated models should be based on the aim and endpoints of the study.

Photon Counting Detectors for the 1.0 - 2.0 Micron Wavelength Range

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krainak, Michael A.

2004-01-01

We describe results on the development of greater than 200 micron diameter, single-element photon-counting detectors for the 1-2 micron wavelength range. The technical goals include quantum efficiency in the range 10-70%; detector diameter greater than 200 microns; dark count rate below 100 kilo counts-per-second (cps), and maximum count rate above 10 Mcps.

Influence of Point Count Length and Repeated Visits on Habitat Model Performance

Treesearch

Randy Dettmers; David A. Buehler; John G. Bartlett; Nathan A. Klaus

1999-01-01

Point counts are commonly used to monitor bird populations, and a substantial amount of research has investigated how conducting counts for different lengths of time affects the accuracy of these counts and the subsequent ability to monitor changes in population trends. However, little work has been done io assess how changes in count duration affect bird-habitat...

Optimizing the duration of point counts for monitoring trends in bird populations

Treesearch

Jared Verner

1988-01-01

Minute-by-minute analysis of point counts of birds in mixed-conifer forests in the Sierra National Forest, central California, showed that cumulative counts of species and individuals increased in a curvilinear fashion but did not reach asymptotes after 10 minutes of counting. Comparison of the expected number of individuals counted per hour with various combinations...

A Spoken Word Count.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Lyle V.; Wepman, Joseph M.

This word count is a composite listing of the different words spoken by a selected sample of 54 English-speaking adults and the frequency with which each of the different words was used in a particular test. The stimulus situation was identical for each subject and consisted of 20 cards of the Thematic Apperception Test. Although most word counts…

LOW ENERGY COUNTING CHAMBERS

DOEpatents

Hayes, P.M.

1960-02-16

A beta particle counter adapted to use an end window made of polyethylene terephthalate was designed. The extreme thinness of the film results in a correspondingly high transmission of incident low-energy beta particles by the window. As a consequence, the counting efficiency of the present counter is over 40% greater than counters using conventional mica end windows.

Activity Monitors Step Count Accuracy in Community-Dwelling Older Adults.

PubMed

Johnson, Marquell

2015-01-01

Objective: To examine the step count accuracy of activity monitors in community-dwelling older adults. Method : Twenty-nine participants aged 67.70 ± 6.07 participated. Three pedometers and the Actical accelerometer step count functions were compared with actual steps taken during a 200-m walk around an indoor track and during treadmill walking at three different speeds. Results : There was no statistical difference between activity monitors step counts and actual steps during self-selected pace walking. During treadmill walking at 0.67 m∙s -1 , all activity monitors step counts were significantly different from actual steps. During treadmill walking at 0.894m∙s -1 , the Omron HJ-112 pedometer step counts were not significantly different from actual steps. During treadmill walking at 1.12 m∙s -1 , the Yamax SW-200 pedometer steps were significantly different from actual steps. Discussion : Activity monitor selection should be deliberate when examining the walking behaviors of community-dwelling older adults, especially for those who walk at a slower pace.

Counting RG flows

DOE PAGES

Gukov, Sergei

2016-01-05

Here, interpreting renormalization group flows as solitons interpolating between different fixed points, we ask various questions that are normally asked in soliton physics but not in renormalization theory. Can one count RG flows? Are there different "topological sectors" for RG flows? What is the moduli space of an RG flow, and how does it compare to familiar moduli spaces of (supersymmetric) dowain walls? Analyzing these questions in a wide variety of contexts -- from counting RG walls to AdS/CFT correspondence -- will not only provide favorable answers, but will also lead us to a unified general framework that is powerfulmore » enough to account for peculiar RG flows and predict new physical phenomena. Namely, using Bott's version of Morse theory we relate the topology of conformal manifolds to certain properties of RG flows that can be used as precise diagnostics and "topological obstructions" for the strong form of the C-theorem in any dimension. Moreover, this framework suggests a precise mechanism for how the violation of the strong C-theorem happens and predicts "phase transitions" along the RG flow when the topological obstruction is non-trivial. Along the way, we also find new conformal manifolds in well-known 4d CFT's and point out connections with the superconformal index and classifying spaces of global symmetry groups.« less

Counting statistics of tunneling current

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Levitov, L. S.; Reznikov, M.

2004-09-01

The form of electron counting statistics of the tunneling current noise in a generic many-body interacting electron system is obtained and universal relations between its different moments are derived. A generalized fluctuation-dissipation theorem providing a relation between current and noise at arbitrary bias-to-temperature ratio eV/kBT is established in the tunneling Hamiltonian approximation. The third correlator of current fluctuations S3 (the skewness of the charge counting distribution) has a universal Schottky-type relation with the current and quasiparticle charge that holds in a wide bias voltage range, both at large and small eV/kBT . The insensitivity of S3 to the Nyquist-Schottky crossover represents an advantage compared to the Schottky formula for the noise power. We discuss the possibility of using the correlator S3 for detecting quasiparticle charge at high temperatures.

Zero-state Markov switching count-data models: an empirical assessment.

PubMed

Malyshkina, Nataliya V; Mannering, Fred L

2010-01-01

In this study, a two-state Markov switching count-data model is proposed as an alternative to zero-inflated models to account for the preponderance of zeros sometimes observed in transportation count data, such as the number of accidents occurring on a roadway segment over some period of time. For this accident-frequency case, zero-inflated models assume the existence of two states: one of the states is a zero-accident count state, which has accident probabilities that are so low that they cannot be statistically distinguished from zero, and the other state is a normal-count state, in which counts can be non-negative integers that are generated by some counting process, for example, a Poisson or negative binomial. While zero-inflated models have come under some criticism with regard to accident-frequency applications - one fact is undeniable - in many applications they provide a statistically superior fit to the data. The Markov switching approach we propose seeks to overcome some of the criticism associated with the zero-accident state of the zero-inflated model by allowing individual roadway segments to switch between zero and normal-count states over time. An important advantage of this Markov switching approach is that it allows for the direct statistical estimation of the specific roadway-segment state (i.e., zero-accident or normal-count state) whereas traditional zero-inflated models do not. To demonstrate the applicability of this approach, a two-state Markov switching negative binomial model (estimated with Bayesian inference) and standard zero-inflated negative binomial models are estimated using five-year accident frequencies on Indiana interstate highway segments. It is shown that the Markov switching model is a viable alternative and results in a superior statistical fit relative to the zero-inflated models.

Children's Numerical Estimation: Flexibility in the Use of Counting.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Newman, Richard S.; Berger, Carl F.

1984-01-01

Using a microcomputer "dart" game, this study of 61 primary school students investigated how children of different ages used counting to make numerical estimates. Results showed developmental differences in accuracy of estimation, fluency in counting and sophistication of self-reported strategy use. (BS)

Complete Blood Count (For Parents)

MedlinePlus

... Test: Basic Metabolic Panel (BMP) Blood Test: Hemoglobin Basic Blood Chemistry Tests Word! Complete Blood Count (CBC) Medical Tests and Procedures (Video Landing Page) Getting a Blood Test (Video) Medical Tests: What to Expect ... View more About Us Contact Us ...

HETEROTROPHIC PLATE COUNT (HPC) METHODOLOGY IN THE UNITED STATES

EPA Science Inventory

ABSTRACT

In the United States (U.S.), the history of bacterial plate counting methods used for water can be traced largely through Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater (Standard Methods). The bacterial count method has evolved from the original St...

Negative Avalanche Feedback Detectors for Photon-Counting Optical Communications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Farr, William H.

2009-01-01

Negative Avalanche Feedback photon counting detectors with near-infrared spectral sensitivity offer an alternative to conventional Geiger mode avalanche photodiode or phototube detectors for free space communications links at 1 and 1.55 microns. These devices demonstrate linear mode photon counting without requiring any external reset circuitry and may even be operated at room temperature. We have now characterized the detection efficiency, dark count rate, after-pulsing, and single photon jitter for three variants of this new detector class, as well as operated these uniquely simple to use devices in actual photon starved free space optical communications links.

Effect of T4 count and cofactors on the incidence of AIDS in homosexual men infected with human immunodeficiency virus.

PubMed

Goedert, J J; Biggar, R J; Melbye, M; Mann, D L; Wilson, S; Gail, M H; Grossman, R J; DiGioia, R A; Sanchez, W C; Weiss, S H

1987-01-16

We prospectively evaluated potential markers and cofactors for the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in 86 homosexual men who were seropositive for human immunodeficiency virus antibodies. During three years of follow-up, 19 men developed AIDS. Risk of AIDS was clearly predicted by the total number of circulating OKT4-positive lymphocytes (T4 count) at enrollment, while the corresponding T8 count was unrelated to subsequent AIDS development. Subjects in Manhattan had a higher risk of Kaposi's sarcoma than did subjects in Washington, DC, and the risk of AIDS tended to increase with numerous homosexual partners. Several of 40 potential cofactors defined ex post facto, including receptive fellatio, enemas, methaqualone use, and high levels of antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen, appeared to be associated with Kaposi's sarcoma but not with Pneumocystis pneumonia. Our data suggest that potent cofactors for Pneumocystis pneumonia were not prominent, pointing to the need for effective drug therapies, particularly to reduce the high AIDS risk of persons with human immunodeficiency virus infection and low T4 counts.

Non-Markovian full counting statistics in quantum dot molecules

PubMed Central

Xue, Hai-Bin; Jiao, Hu-Jun; Liang, Jiu-Qing; Liu, Wu-Ming

2015-01-01

Full counting statistics of electron transport is a powerful diagnostic tool for probing the nature of quantum transport beyond what is obtainable from the average current or conductance measurement alone. In particular, the non-Markovian dynamics of quantum dot molecule plays an important role in the nonequilibrium electron tunneling processes. It is thus necessary to understand the non-Markovian full counting statistics in a quantum dot molecule. Here we study the non-Markovian full counting statistics in two typical quantum dot molecules, namely, serially coupled and side-coupled double quantum dots with high quantum coherence in a certain parameter regime. We demonstrate that the non-Markovian effect manifests itself through the quantum coherence of the quantum dot molecule system, and has a significant impact on the full counting statistics in the high quantum-coherent quantum dot molecule system, which depends on the coupling of the quantum dot molecule system with the source and drain electrodes. The results indicated that the influence of the non-Markovian effect on the full counting statistics of electron transport, which should be considered in a high quantum-coherent quantum dot molecule system, can provide a better understanding of electron transport through quantum dot molecules. PMID:25752245

Total pollen counts do not influence active surface measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moshammer, Hanns; Schinko, Herwig; Neuberger, Manfred

We investigated the temporal association of various aerosol parameters with pollen counts in the pollen season (April 2001) in Linz, Austria. We were especially interested in the relationship between active surface (or Fuchs' surface) because we had shown previously (Atmos. Environ. 37 (2003) 1737-1744) that this parameter during the same observation period was a better predictor for acute respiratory symptoms in school children (like wheezing, shortness of breath, and cough) and reduced lung function on the same day than particle mass (PM 10). While active surface is most sensitive for fine particles with a diameter of less than 100 nm it has no strict upper cut-off regarding particle size and so could eventually be influenced also by larger particles if their numbers were high. All particle mass parameters tested (TSP, PM 10, PM 1) were weakly ( r approximately 0.2) though significantly correlated with pollen counts but neither was active surface nor total particle counts (CPC). The weak association of particle mass and pollen counts was due mainly to similar diurnal variations and a linear trend over time. Only the mass of the coarse fraction (TSP minus PM 10) remained associated with pollen counts significantly after controlling for these general temporal patterns.

Relationship between salivary flow rates and Candida counts in subjects with xerostomia.

PubMed

Torres, Sandra R; Peixoto, Camila Bernardo; Caldas, Daniele Manhães; Silva, Eline Barboza; Akiti, Tiyomi; Nucci, Márcio; de Uzeda, Milton

2002-02-01

This study evaluated the relationship between salivary flow and Candida colony counts in the saliva of patients with xerostomia. Sialometry and Candida colony-forming unit (CFU) counts were taken from 112 subjects who reported xerostomia in a questionnaire. Chewing-stimulated whole saliva was collected and streaked in Candida plates and counted in 72 hours. Species identification was accomplished under standard methods. There was a significant inverse relationship between salivary flow and Candida CFU counts (P =.007) when subjects with high colony counts were analyzed (cutoff point of 400 or greater CFU/mL). In addition, the median sialometry of men was significantly greater than that of women (P =.003), even after controlling for confounding variables like underlying disease and medications. Sjögren's syndrome was associated with low salivary flow rate (P =.007). There was no relationship between the median Candida CFU counts and gender or age. There was a high frequency (28%) of mixed colonization. Candida albicans was the most frequent species, followed by C parapsilosis, C tropicalis, and C krusei. In subjects with high Candida CFU counts there was an inverse relationship between salivary flow and Candida CFU counts.

Counting pollen grains using readily available, free image processing and analysis software.

PubMed

Costa, Clayton M; Yang, Suann

2009-10-01

Although many methods exist for quantifying the number of pollen grains in a sample, there are few standard methods that are user-friendly, inexpensive and reliable. The present contribution describes a new method of counting pollen using readily available, free image processing and analysis software. Pollen was collected from anthers of two species, Carduus acanthoides and C. nutans (Asteraceae), then illuminated on slides and digitally photographed through a stereomicroscope. Using ImageJ (NIH), these digital images were processed to remove noise and sharpen individual pollen grains, then analysed to obtain a reliable total count of the number of grains present in the image. A macro was developed to analyse multiple images together. To assess the accuracy and consistency of pollen counting by ImageJ analysis, counts were compared with those made by the human eye. Image analysis produced pollen counts in 60 s or less per image, considerably faster than counting with the human eye (5-68 min). In addition, counts produced with the ImageJ procedure were similar to those obtained by eye. Because count parameters are adjustable, this image analysis protocol may be used for many other plant species. Thus, the method provides a quick, inexpensive and reliable solution to counting pollen from digital images, not only reducing the chance of error but also substantially lowering labour requirements.

Higher order relativistic galaxy number counts: dominating terms

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nielsen, Jeppe TrØst; Durrer, Ruth, E-mail: Jeppe.Trost@nbi.dk, E-mail: Ruth.Durrer@unige.ch

2017-03-01

We review the number counts to second order concentrating on the terms which dominate on sub horizon scales. We re-derive the result for these terms and compare it with the different versions found in the literature. We generalize our derivation to higher order terms, especially the third order number counts which are needed to compute the 1-loop contribution to the power spectrum.

Counting in Lattices: Combinatorial Problems from Statistical Mechanics.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Randall, Dana Jill

In this thesis we consider two classical combinatorial problems arising in statistical mechanics: counting matchings and self-avoiding walks in lattice graphs. The first problem arises in the study of the thermodynamical properties of monomers and dimers (diatomic molecules) in crystals. Fisher, Kasteleyn and Temperley discovered an elegant technique to exactly count the number of perfect matchings in two dimensional lattices, but it is not applicable for matchings of arbitrary size, or in higher dimensional lattices. We present the first efficient approximation algorithm for computing the number of matchings of any size in any periodic lattice in arbitrary dimension. The algorithm is based on Monte Carlo simulation of a suitable Markov chain and has rigorously derived performance guarantees that do not rely on any assumptions. In addition, we show that these results generalize to counting matchings in any graph which is the Cayley graph of a finite group. The second problem is counting self-avoiding walks in lattices. This problem arises in the study of the thermodynamics of long polymer chains in dilute solution. While there are a number of Monte Carlo algorithms used to count self -avoiding walks in practice, these are heuristic and their correctness relies on unproven conjectures. In contrast, we present an efficient algorithm which relies on a single, widely-believed conjecture that is simpler than preceding assumptions and, more importantly, is one which the algorithm itself can test. Thus our algorithm is reliable, in the sense that it either outputs answers that are guaranteed, with high probability, to be correct, or finds a counterexample to the conjecture. In either case we know we can trust our results and the algorithm is guaranteed to run in polynomial time. This is the first algorithm for counting self-avoiding walks in which the error bounds are rigorously controlled. This work was supported in part by an AT&T graduate fellowship, a University of

MOIRCS Deep Survey. I: DRG Number Counts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kajisawa, Masaru; Konishi, Masahiro; Suzuki, Ryuji; Tokoku, Chihiro; Uchimoto, Yuka; Katsuno; Yoshikawa, Tomohiro; Akiyama, Masayuki; Ichikawa, Takashi; Ouchi, Masami; Omata, Koji; Tanaka, Ichi; Nishimura, Tetsuo; Yamada, Toru

2006-12-01

We use very deep near-infrared imaging data taken with Multi-Object InfraRed Camera and Spectrograph (MOIRCS) on the Subaru Telescope to investigate the number counts of Distant Red Galaxies (DRGs). We have observed a 4x7 arcmin^2 field in the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey North (GOODS-N), and our data reach J=24.6 and K=23.2 (5sigma, Vega magnitude). The surface density of DRGs selected by J-K>2.3 is 2.35+-0.31 arcmin^-2 at K<22 and 3.54+-0.38 arcmin^-2 at K<23, respectively. These values are consistent with those in the GOODS-South and FIRES. Our deep and wide data suggest that the number counts of DRGs turn over at K~22, and the surface density of the faint DRGs with K>22 is smaller than that expected from the number counts at the brighter magnitude. The result indicates that while there are many bright galaxies at 2counts of the DRGs and bluer galaxies with 222 suggest that the mass-dependent color distribution, where most of low-mass galaxies are blue while more massive galaxies tend to have redder colors, had already been established at that epoch.

Single-photon counting multicolor multiphoton fluorescence microscope.

PubMed

Buehler, Christof; Kim, Ki H; Greuter, Urs; Schlumpf, Nick; So, Peter T C

2005-01-01

We present a multicolor multiphoton fluorescence microscope with single-photon counting sensitivity. The system integrates a standard multiphoton fluorescence microscope, an optical grating spectrograph operating in the UV-Vis wavelength region, and a 16-anode photomultiplier tube (PMT). The major technical innovation is in the development of a multichannel photon counting card (mC-PhCC) for direct signal collection from multi-anode PMTs. The electronic design of the mC-PhCC employs a high-throughput, fully-parallel, single-photon counting scheme along with a high-speed electrical or fiber-optical link interface to the data acquisition computer. There is no electronic crosstalk among the detection channels of the mC-PhCC. The collected signal remains linear up to an incident photon rate of 10(8) counts per second. The high-speed data interface offers ample bandwidth for real-time readout: 2 MByte lambda-stacks composed of 16 spectral channels, 256 x 256 pixel image with 12-bit dynamic range can be transferred at 30 frames per second. The modular design of the mC-PhCC can be readily extended to accommodate PMTs of more anodes. Data acquisition from a 64-anode PMT has been verified. As a demonstration of system performance, spectrally resolved images of fluorescent latex spheres and ex-vivo human skin are reported. The multicolor multiphoton microscope is suitable for highly sensitive, real-time, spectrally-resolved three-dimensional imaging in biomedical applications.

[Reference values of neonatal erythrocyte and leukocyte count in Bamako, Mali].

PubMed

Diallo, Dapa Aly; Diawara, Faoumata; Guindo, Aldiouma; Touré, Moustaph; Traoré, Mamadou; Fofana, Aïssata Traoré; Dembélé, Albdoul K; Guindo, Agnès; Diallo, Yacouba Lazare; Diallo, Oumahane; Baraika, Ag Mohamed; Dolo, Amadou Ingré

2013-01-01

Reference values for blood cell count are not established at birth in Mali. This study aimed to determine reference values for erythrocyte and leukocyte at birth in Bamako. Blood was collected from the umbilical cord immediately following its clamping and studied for complete blood cell count in 481 newborns with a birth weight > 2500g, Apgar score ≤ 7 at 5 or 10 minutes, without abnormal hemoglobin mutations and whose mothers were willing in Bamako, Mali. Other than the median and mean values, 2.5 and 97.5 percentiles were calculated. The findings suggest that the normal reference values following a timely clamping of the umbilical cord were (mean ± 1SD and range): RBC = 4,00 ± 0,46.1012/L (3,13 - 4,89), Hb = 14,12 ± 1,49 g/dL (11,20 - 17,00), Hct = 40,27 ± 4,71% (31,62 - 50,18), MCV = 101 ± 5 fl (91 - 112), MCHC = 35,37 ± 2,16 pg/cellule (30,70 - 39,59), MCH = 35,06 ± 0,93 g/dL (33,40 - 36,90), RDW = 17,79 ± 7,33% (15,50 - 20,39), Reticulocytes (109/L) = 133,081 ± 29,95 (66,62 - 200,86), GB (109/L) = 13,24 ± 7,23 (7,20 - 23,70), PMN (109/L) = 7,16 ± 4,70 (3,07 - 14,22), PME (109/L) = 0,28 ± 0,26 (0 - 0,98), PMB(109/L) = 0,05 ± 0,09 (0 - 0,31), Lymphocytes (109/L) = 4,49 ± 2,45 (1,96 - 9,42), Monocytes (10 9 /L) = 1,06 ± 0,73 (0,21 - 2,54), myelocytes = 1.43 ± 1.51%, erythroblasts = 4.52 ± 7.83%. It should be noted that male babies had a lower neutrophil count than female newborns. By taking into account these results when interpreting the blood cell count in Malian newborn infants, costly misdiagnoses should be considerably decreased in a population struggling with low incomes. Le comitée de rédaction se réserve le droit de revoyer aux auteurs avant toute soumission à l'avis des lecteurs les manuscrits qui ne seraient pas conformes à ces modalités de présentation. En outre il leur conseille de sonserver un examplaire du manuscrit, des figures et des tableaux.

A high dynamic range pulse counting detection system for mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Collings, Bruce A; Dima, Martian D; Ivosev, Gordana; Zhong, Feng

2014-01-30

A high dynamic range pulse counting system has been developed that demonstrates an ability to operate at up to 2e8 counts per second (cps) on a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. Previous pulse counting detection systems have typically been limited to about 1e7 cps at the upper end of the systems dynamic range. Modifications to the detection electronics and dead time correction algorithm are described in this paper. A high gain transimpedance amplifier is employed that allows a multi-channel electron multiplier to be operated at a significantly lower bias potential than in previous pulse counting systems. The system utilises a high-energy conversion dynode, a multi-channel electron multiplier, a high gain transimpedance amplifier, non-paralysing detection electronics and a modified dead time correction algorithm. Modification of the dead time correction algorithm is necessary due to a characteristic of the pulse counting electronics. A pulse counting detection system with the capability to count at ion arrival rates of up to 2e8 cps is described. This is shown to provide a linear dynamic range of nearly five orders of magnitude for a sample of aprazolam with concentrations ranging from 0.0006970 ng/mL to 3333 ng/mL while monitoring the m/z 309.1 → m/z 205.2 transition. This represents an upward extension of the detector's linear dynamic range of about two orders of magnitude. A new high dynamic range pulse counting system has been developed demonstrating the ability to operate at up to 2e8 cps on a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. This provides an upward extension of the detector's linear dynamic range by about two orders of magnitude over previous pulse counting systems. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A removal model for estimating detection probabilities from point-count surveys

USGS Publications Warehouse

Farnsworth, G.L.; Pollock, K.H.; Nichols, J.D.; Simons, T.R.; Hines, J.E.; Sauer, J.R.

2002-01-01

Use of point-count surveys is a popular method for collecting data on abundance and distribution of birds. However, analyses of such data often ignore potential differences in detection probability. We adapted a removal model to directly estimate detection probability during point-count surveys. The model assumes that singing frequency is a major factor influencing probability of detection when birds are surveyed using point counts. This may be appropriate for surveys in which most detections are by sound. The model requires counts to be divided into several time intervals. Point counts are often conducted for 10 min, where the number of birds recorded is divided into those first observed in the first 3 min, the subsequent 2 min, and the last 5 min. We developed a maximum-likelihood estimator for the detectability of birds recorded during counts divided into those intervals. This technique can easily be adapted to point counts divided into intervals of any length. We applied this method to unlimited-radius counts conducted in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We used model selection criteria to identify whether detection probabilities varied among species, throughout the morning, throughout the season, and among different observers. We found differences in detection probability among species. Species that sing frequently such as Winter Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) and Acadian Flycatcher (Empidonax virescens) had high detection probabilities (∼90%) and species that call infrequently such as Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) had low detection probability (36%). We also found detection probabilities varied with the time of day for some species (e.g. thrushes) and between observers for other species. We used the same approach to estimate detection probability and density for a subset of the observations with limited-radius point counts.

Constraint counting for frictional jamming

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quint, D. A.; Henkes, S.; Schwarz, J. M.

2012-02-01

While the frictionless jamming transition has been intensely studied in recent years, more realistic frictional packings are less well understood. In frictionless sphere packings, the transition is predicted by a simple mean-field constraint counting argument, the isostaticity argument. For frictional packings, a modified constraint counting argument, which includes slipping contacts at the Coulomb threshold, has had limited success in accounting for the transition. We propose that the frictional jamming transition is not mean field and is triggered by the nucleation of unstable regions, which are themselves dynamical objects due to the Coulomb criterion. We create frictional packings using MD simulations and test for the presence and shape of rigid clusters with the pebble game to identify the partition of the packing into stable and unstable regions. To understand the dynamics of these unstable regions we follow perturbations at contacts crucial to the stability of the ``frictional house of cards.''

VIEW OF A BODY COUNTING ROOM IN BUILDING 122. BODY ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

VIEW OF A BODY COUNTING ROOM IN BUILDING 122. BODY COUNTING MEASURES RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL IN THE BODY. DESIGNED TO MINIMIZE EXTERNAL SOURCES OF RADIATION, BODY COUNTING ROOMS ARE CONSTRUCTED OF PRE-WORLD WAR II (WWII) STEEL. PRE-WWII STEEL, WHICH HAS NOT BEEN AFFECTED BY NUCLEAR FALLOUT, IS LOWER IS RADIOACTIVITY THAN STEEL CREATED AFTER WWII. (10/25/85) - Rocky Flats Plant, Emergency Medical Services Facility, Southwest corner of Central & Third Avenues, Golden, Jefferson County, CO

Recent trends in counts of migrant hawks from northeastern North America

USGS Publications Warehouse

Titus, K.; Fuller, M.R.

1990-01-01

Using simple regression, pooled-sites route-regression, and nonparametric rank-trend analyses, we evaluated trends in counts of hawks migrating past 6 eastern hawk lookouts from 1972 to 1987. The indexing variable was the total count for a season. Bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus), merlin (F. columbarius), osprey (Pandion haliaetus), and Cooper's hawk (Accipiter cooperii) counts increased using route-regression and nonparametric methods (P 0.10). We found no consistent trends (P > 0.10) in counts of sharp-shinned hawks (A. striatus), northern goshawks (A. gentilis) red-shouldered hawks (Buteo lineatus), red-tailed hawks (B. jamaicensis), rough-legged hawsk (B. lagopus), and American kestrels (F. sparverius). Broad-winged hawk (B. platypterus) counts declined (P < 0.05) based on the route-regression method. Empirical comparisons of our results with those for well-studied species such as the peregrine falcon, bald eagle, and osprey indicated agreement with nesting surveys. We suggest that counts of migrant hawks are a useful and economical method for detecting long-term trends in species across regions, particularly for species that otherwise cannot be easily surveyed.

A THUMBNAIL HISTORY OF HETEROTROPHIC PLATE COUNT (HPC) METHODOLOGY IN THE UNITED STATES

EPA Science Inventory

Over the past 100 years, the method of determining the number of bacteria in water, foods or other materials has been termed variously as: bacterial plate count, total plate count, total viable plate count, aerobic plate count, standard plate cound and more recently, heterotrophi...

33 CFR 159.127 - Safety coliform count: Recirculating devices.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Safety coliform count....127 Safety coliform count: Recirculating devices. Thirty-eight of forty samples of flush fluid from a recirculating device must have less than 240 fecal coliform bacteria per 100 milliliters. These samples must be...

Pulse shaping circuit for active counting of superheated emulsion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murai, Ikuo; Sawamura, Teruko

2005-08-01

A pulse shaping circuit for active counting of superheated emulsions is described. A piezoelectric transducer is used for sensing bubble formation acoustically and the acoustic signal is transformed to a shaping pulse for counting. The circuit has a short signal processing time in the order of 10 ms.

Activity Monitors Step Count Accuracy in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Objective: To examine the step count accuracy of activity monitors in community-dwelling older adults. Method: Twenty-nine participants aged 67.70 ± 6.07 participated. Three pedometers and the Actical accelerometer step count functions were compared with actual steps taken during a 200-m walk around an indoor track and during treadmill walking at three different speeds. Results: There was no statistical difference between activity monitors step counts and actual steps during self-selected pace walking. During treadmill walking at 0.67 m∙s−1, all activity monitors step counts were significantly different from actual steps. During treadmill walking at 0.894m∙s−1, the Omron HJ-112 pedometer step counts were not significantly different from actual steps. During treadmill walking at 1.12 m∙s−1, the Yamax SW-200 pedometer steps were significantly different from actual steps. Discussion: Activity monitor selection should be deliberate when examining the walking behaviors of community-dwelling older adults, especially for those who walk at a slower pace. PMID:28138464

Lymphocyte apheresis for chimeric antigen receptor T-cell manufacturing in children and young adults with leukemia and neuroblastoma.

PubMed

Ceppi, Francesco; Rivers, Julie; Annesley, Colleen; Pinto, Navin; Park, Julie R; Lindgren, Catherine; Mgebroff, Stephanie; Linn, Naomi; Delaney, Meghan; Gardner, Rebecca A

2018-06-01

The first step in the production of chimeric antigen receptor T cells is the collection of autologous T cells using apheresis technology. The procedure is technically challenging, because patients often have low leukocyte counts and are heavily pretreated with multiple lines of chemotherapy, marrow transplantation, and/or radiotherapy. Here, we report our experience of collecting T lymphocytes for chimeric antigen receptor T-cell manufacturing in pediatric and young adult patients with leukemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, or neuroblastoma. Apheresis procedures were performed on a COBE Spectra machine using the mononuclear cell program, with a collection target of 1 × 10 9 total mononuclear cells per kilogram. Data were collected regarding preapheresis and postapheresis blood counts, apheresis parameters, products, and adverse events. Ninety-nine patients (ages 1.3-25.7 years) and 102 apheresis events were available for analysis. Patients underwent apheresis at a variety of absolute lymphocyte cell counts, with a median absolute lymphocyte count of 944 cells/μL (range, 142-6944 cells/μL). Twenty-two patients (21.6%) had absolute lymphocyte counts less than 500 cells/μL. The mononuclear cell target was obtained in 100% of all apheresis harvests, and chimeric antigen receptor T-cell production was possible from the majority of collections (94%). Mononuclear cell collection efficiency was 65.4%, and T-lymphocyte collection efficiency was 83.4%. Ten patients (9.8%) presented with minor adverse events during the 102 apheresis procedures, with one exception of a severe allergy. Mononuclear cell apheresis for chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy is well tolerated and safe, and it is possible to obtain an adequate quantity of CD3+ lymphocytes for chimeric antigen receptor T-cell manufacturing in heavily pretreated patients who have low lymphocyte counts. © 2018 AABB.

Verbal Counting in Bilingual Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Donevska-Todorova, Ana

2015-01-01

Informal experiences in mathematics often include playful competitions among young children in counting numbers in as many as possible different languages. Can these enjoyable experiences result with excellence in the formal processes of education? This article discusses connections between mathematical achievements and natural languages within…

Cryogenic, high-resolution x-ray detector with high count rate capability

DOEpatents

Frank, Matthias; Mears, Carl A.; Labov, Simon E.; Hiller, Larry J.; Barfknecht, Andrew T.

2003-03-04

A cryogenic, high-resolution X-ray detector with high count rate capability has been invented. The new X-ray detector is based on superconducting tunnel junctions (STJs), and operates without thermal stabilization at or below 500 mK. The X-ray detector exhibits good resolution (.about.5-20 eV FWHM) for soft X-rays in the keV region, and is capable of counting at count rates of more than 20,000 counts per second (cps). Simple, FET-based charge amplifiers, current amplifiers, or conventional spectroscopy shaping amplifiers can provide the electronic readout of this X-ray detector.

Can reliable sage-grouse lek counts be obtained using aerial infrared technology

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gillette, Gifford L.; Coates, Peter S.; Petersen, Steven; Romero, John P.

2013-01-01

More effective methods for counting greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) are needed to better assess population trends through enumeration or location of new leks. We describe an aerial infrared technique for conducting sage-grouse lek counts and compare this method with conventional ground-based lek count methods. During the breeding period in 2010 and 2011, we surveyed leks from fixed-winged aircraft using cryogenically cooled mid-wave infrared cameras and surveyed the same leks on the same day from the ground following a standard lek count protocol. We did not detect significant differences in lek counts between surveying techniques. These findings suggest that using a cryogenically cooled mid-wave infrared camera from an aerial platform to conduct lek surveys is an effective alternative technique to conventional ground-based methods, but further research is needed. We discuss multiple advantages to aerial infrared surveys, including counting in remote areas, representing greater spatial variation, and increasing the number of counted leks per season. Aerial infrared lek counts may be a valuable wildlife management tool that releases time and resources for other conservation efforts. Opportunities exist for wildlife professionals to refine and apply aerial infrared techniques to wildlife monitoring programs because of the increasing reliability and affordability of this technology.

Extinction map of Chamaeleon I molecular cloud with DENIS star counts.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cambresy, L.; Epchtein, N.; Copet, E.; de Batz, B.; Kimeswenger, S.; Le Bertre, T.; Rouan, D.; Tiphene, D.

1997-08-01

Massive, large scale star counts in the J (1.25μm) band provided by the Deep Near Infrared Survey of the Southern Sky (DENIS) are used for the first time to draw out an extinction map of the Chamaeleon I dark cloud. We derived a 2' resolution map of the cloud from J star counts within an area of 1.5°x3° around the centre of the cloud using an adaptive grid method and applying a wavelet decomposition. Possible contaminating young stellar objects within the cloud are removed, although they are shown to have a negligible effect on the counts. A comparison of our extinction map with the cold contribution of the IRAS 100μm emission shows an almost perfect matching. It is shown that J star counts supersede optical counts on Schmidt plate where A_V_>4.

Standardization of Ga-68 by coincidence measurements, liquid scintillation counting and 4πγ counting.

PubMed

Roteta, Miguel; Peyres, Virginia; Rodríguez Barquero, Leonor; García-Toraño, Eduardo; Arenillas, Pablo; Balpardo, Christian; Rodrígues, Darío; Llovera, Roberto

2012-09-01

The radionuclide (68)Ga is one of the few positron emitters that can be prepared in-house without the use of a cyclotron. It disintegrates to the ground state of (68)Zn partially by positron emission (89.1%) with a maximum energy of 1899.1 keV, and partially by electron capture (10.9%). This nuclide has been standardized in the frame of a cooperation project between the Radionuclide Metrology laboratories from CIEMAT (Spain) and CNEA (Argentina). Measurements involved several techniques: 4πβ-γ coincidences, integral gamma counting and Liquid Scintillation Counting using the triple to double coincidence ratio and the CIEMAT/NIST methods. Given the short half-life of the radionuclide assayed, a direct comparison between results from both laboratories was excluded and a comparison of experimental efficiencies of similar NaI detectors was used instead. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Empirical Derivation of Correction Factors for Human Spiral Ganglion Cell Nucleus and Nucleolus Count Units.

PubMed

Robert, Mark E; Linthicum, Fred H

2016-01-01

Profile count method for estimating cell number in sectioned tissue applies a correction factor for double count (resulting from transection during sectioning) of count units selected to represent the cell. For human spiral ganglion cell counts, we attempted to address apparent confusion between published correction factors for nucleus and nucleolus count units that are identical despite the role of count unit diameter in a commonly used correction factor formula. We examined a portion of human cochlea to empirically derive correction factors for the 2 count units, using 3-dimensional reconstruction software to identify double counts. The Neurotology and House Histological Temporal Bone Laboratory at University of California at Los Angeles. Using a fully sectioned and stained human temporal bone, we identified and generated digital images of sections of the modiolar region of the lower first turn of cochlea, identified count units with a light microscope, labeled them on corresponding digital sections, and used 3-dimensional reconstruction software to identify double-counted count units. For 25 consecutive sections, we determined that double-count correction factors for nucleus count unit (0.91) and nucleolus count unit (0.92) matched the published factors. We discovered that nuclei and, therefore, spiral ganglion cells were undercounted by 6.3% when using nucleolus count units. We determined that correction factors for count units must include an element for undercounting spiral ganglion cells as well as the double-count element. We recommend a correction factor of 0.91 for the nucleus count unit and 0.98 for the nucleolus count unit when using 20-µm sections. © American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery Foundation 2015.

Oral Counting Sequences: A Theoretical Discussion and Analysis through the Lens of Representational Redescription

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Voutsina, Chronoula

2016-01-01

Empirical research has documented how children's early counting develops into an increasingly abstract process, and initial counting procedures are reified as children develop and use more sophisticated counting. In this development, the learning of different oral counting sequences that allow children to count in steps bigger than one is seen as…

Estimation of population trajectories from count data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Link, W.A.; Sauer, J.R.

1997-01-01

Monitoring of changes in animal population size is rarely possible through complete censuses; frequently, the only feasible means of monitoring changes in population size is to use counts of animals obtained by skilled observers as indices to abundance. Analysis of changes in population size can be severely biased if factors related to the acquisition of data are not adequately controlled for. In particular we identify two types of observer effects: these correspond to baseline differences in observer competence, and to changes through time in the ability of individual observers. We present a family of models for count data in which the first of these observer effects is treated as a nuisance parameter. Conditioning on totals of negative binomial counts yields a Dirichlet compound multinomial vector for each observer. Quasi-likelihood is used to estimate parameters related to population trajectory and other parameters of interest; model selection is carried out on the basis of Akaike's information criterion. An example is presented using data on Wood thrush from the North American Breeding Bird Survey.

Lymphocyte-platelet crosstalk in Graves' disease.

PubMed

Kuznik, Boris I; Vitkovsky, Yuri A; Gvozdeva, Olga V; Solpov, Alexey V; Magen, Eli

2014-03-01

Platelets can modulate lymphocytes' role in the pathophysiology of thyroid autoimmune diseases. The present study was performed to clarify the status of platelet-lymphocyte subpopulations aggregation in circulating blood in patients with Graves' disease (GD). One hundred and fifty patients with GD (GD group) and 45 hyperthyroid patients with toxic multinodular goiter (TMG group) were recruited in the study. Control group consisted 150 healthy subjects. Immunophenotyping of lymphocytes was performed by flow cytometry. Detection of lymphocyte-platelet aggregates (LPAs) was done using light microscope after Ficoll-gradient centrifugation. The group of GD patients exhibited reduced CD8 lymphocyte and higher CD19 cell counts compared with TMG group and healthy controls. A greater number of activated CD3, HLA-DR+ lymphocytes were observed in GD than in TMG group and control group. GD group was characterized by lower blood platelet count (232 ± 89 × 10 cells/µL) than TMG group (251 ± 97 × 10 cells/µL; P < 0.05) and control group (262 ± 95 × 10 cells/µL; P < 0.05). In GD group, more platelet-bound lymphocytes (332 ± 91 /µL) were found than that in TMG group (116 ± 67/µL, P < 0.005) and control group (104 ± 58 /µL; P < 0.001). GD is associated with higher levels of activated lymphocytes and lymphocyte-platelet aggregates.

Count distribution for mixture of two exponentials as renewal process duration with applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Low, Yeh Ching; Ong, Seng Huat

2016-06-01

A count distribution is presented by considering a renewal process where the distribution of the duration is a finite mixture of exponential distributions. This distribution is able to model over dispersion, a feature often found in observed count data. The computation of the probabilities and renewal function (expected number of renewals) are examined. Parameter estimation by the method of maximum likelihood is considered with applications of the count distribution to real frequency count data exhibiting over dispersion. It is shown that the mixture of exponentials count distribution fits over dispersed data better than the Poisson process and serves as an alternative to the gamma count distribution.

Experimental Study for Automatic Colony Counting System Based Onimage Processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fang, Junlong; Li, Wenzhe; Wang, Guoxin

Colony counting in many colony experiments is detected by manual method at present, therefore it is difficult for man to execute the method quickly and accurately .A new automatic colony counting system was developed. Making use of image-processing technology, a study was made on the feasibility of distinguishing objectively white bacterial colonies from clear plates according to the RGB color theory. An optimal chromatic value was obtained based upon a lot of experiments on the distribution of the chromatic value. It has been proved that the method greatly improves the accuracy and efficiency of the colony counting and the counting result is not affected by using inoculation, shape or size of the colony. It is revealed that automatic detection of colony quantity using image-processing technology could be an effective way.

Marginalized zero-altered models for longitudinal count data.

PubMed

Tabb, Loni Philip; Tchetgen, Eric J Tchetgen; Wellenius, Greg A; Coull, Brent A

2016-10-01

Count data often exhibit more zeros than predicted by common count distributions like the Poisson or negative binomial. In recent years, there has been considerable interest in methods for analyzing zero-inflated count data in longitudinal or other correlated data settings. A common approach has been to extend zero-inflated Poisson models to include random effects that account for correlation among observations. However, these models have been shown to have a few drawbacks, including interpretability of regression coefficients and numerical instability of fitting algorithms even when the data arise from the assumed model. To address these issues, we propose a model that parameterizes the marginal associations between the count outcome and the covariates as easily interpretable log relative rates, while including random effects to account for correlation among observations. One of the main advantages of this marginal model is that it allows a basis upon which we can directly compare the performance of standard methods that ignore zero inflation with that of a method that explicitly takes zero inflation into account. We present simulations of these various model formulations in terms of bias and variance estimation. Finally, we apply the proposed approach to analyze toxicological data of the effect of emissions on cardiac arrhythmias.

Marginalized zero-altered models for longitudinal count data

PubMed Central

Tabb, Loni Philip; Tchetgen, Eric J. Tchetgen; Wellenius, Greg A.; Coull, Brent A.

2015-01-01

Count data often exhibit more zeros than predicted by common count distributions like the Poisson or negative binomial. In recent years, there has been considerable interest in methods for analyzing zero-inflated count data in longitudinal or other correlated data settings. A common approach has been to extend zero-inflated Poisson models to include random effects that account for correlation among observations. However, these models have been shown to have a few drawbacks, including interpretability of regression coefficients and numerical instability of fitting algorithms even when the data arise from the assumed model. To address these issues, we propose a model that parameterizes the marginal associations between the count outcome and the covariates as easily interpretable log relative rates, while including random effects to account for correlation among observations. One of the main advantages of this marginal model is that it allows a basis upon which we can directly compare the performance of standard methods that ignore zero inflation with that of a method that explicitly takes zero inflation into account. We present simulations of these various model formulations in terms of bias and variance estimation. Finally, we apply the proposed approach to analyze toxicological data of the effect of emissions on cardiac arrhythmias. PMID:27867423

Point Counts Modifications and Breeding Bird Abundances in Central Appalachian Forests

Treesearch

J. Edwards Gates

1995-01-01

The effects of point count duration and radius on detection of breeding birds were compared by recording all birds seen or heard within two consecutive 5-minute intervals and for fixed-radius (within 30 m) or unlimited radius counts. Counts were conducted on Green Ridge State Forest (GRSF) and Savage River State Forest (SRSF) in western Maryland. More than 70 percent...

KIDS COUNT Data Book, 2007: State Profiles of Child Well-Being

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2007

2007-01-01

KIDS COUNT is a national and state-by-state effort to track the status of children in the U.S. By providing policymakers and citizens with benchmarks of child well-being, KIDS COUNT seeks to enrich local, state, and national discussions concerning ways to secure better futures for all children. This 18th annual 2007 KIDS COUNT Data Book examines…

Evaluating point count efficiency relative to territory mapping in cropland birds

Treesearch

Andre Cyr; Denis Lepage; Kathryn Freemark

1995-01-01

Species richness, composition, and abundance of farmland birds were compared between point counts (50-m, 100-m, and 150-m radius half circles) and territory mapping on three 40-ha plots in Québec, Canada. Point counts of smaller radii tended to have larger density estimates than counts of larger radii. Territory mapping detected 10 species more than 150-m...

Counting supersymmetric branes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kleinschmidt, Axel

2011-10-01

Maximal supergravity solutions are revisited and classified, with particular emphasis on objects of co-dimension at most two. This class of solutions includes branes whose tension scales with xxxx. We present a group theory derivation of the counting of these objects based on the corresponding tensor hierarchies derived from E 11 and discrete T- and U-duality transformations. This provides a rationale for the wrapping rules that were recently discussed for σ ≤ 3 in the literature and extends them. Explicit supergravity solutions that give rise to co-dimension two branes are constructed and analysed.

IRT-ZIP Modeling for Multivariate Zero-Inflated Count Data

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Lijuan

2010-01-01

This study introduces an item response theory-zero-inflated Poisson (IRT-ZIP) model to investigate psychometric properties of multiple items and predict individuals' latent trait scores for multivariate zero-inflated count data. In the model, two link functions are used to capture two processes of the zero-inflated count data. Item parameters are…

Scale-dependent associations of Band-tailed Pigeon counts at mineral sites

USGS Publications Warehouse

Overton, Cory T.; Casazza, Michael L.; Coates, Peter S.

2010-01-01

The abundance of Band-tailed Pigeons (Patagioenas fasciata monilis) has declined substantially from historic numbers along the Pacific Coast. Identification of patterns and causative factors of this decline are hampered because habitat use data are limited, and temporal and spatial variability patterns associated with population indices are not known. Furthermore, counts are influenced not only by pigeon abundance but also by rate of visitation to mineral sites, which may not be consistent. To address these issues, we conducted mineral site counts during 2001 and 2002 at 20 locations from 4 regions in the Pacific Northwest, including central Oregon and western Washington, USA, and British Columbia, Canada. We developed inference models that consisted of environmental factors and spatial characteristics at multiple spatial scales. Based on information theory, we compared models within a final set that included variables measured at 3 spatial scales (0.03 ha, 3.14 ha, and 7850 ha). Pigeon counts increased from central Oregon through northern Oregon and decreased into British Columbia. After accounting for this spatial pattern, we found that pigeon counts increased 12% ± 2.7 with a 10% increase in the amount of deciduous forested area within 100 m from a mineral site. Also, distance from the mineral site of interest to the nearest known mineral site was positively related to pigeon counts. These findings provide direction for future research focusing on understanding the relationships between indices of relative abundance and complete counts (censuses) of pigeon populations by identifying habitat characteristics that might influence visitation rates. Furthermore, our results suggest that spatial arrangement of mineral sites influences Band-tailed Pigeon counts and the populations which those counts represent.

Integration of semiconductor quantum dots into nano-bio-chip systems for enumeration of CD4+ T cell counts at the point-of-need†‡

PubMed Central

Jokerst, Jesse V.; Floriano, Pierre N.; Christodoulides, Nicolaos; Simmons, Glennon W.; McDevitt, John T.

2010-01-01

Recent humanitarian efforts have led to the widespread release of antiretroviral drugs for the treatment of the more than 33 million HIV afflicted people living in resource-scarce settings. Here, the enumeration of CD4+ T lymphocytes is required to establish the level at which the immune system has been compromised. The gold standard method used in developed countries, based on flow cytometry, though widely accepted and accurate, is precluded from widespread use in resource-scarce settings due to its high expense, high technical requirements, difficulty in operation-maintenance and the lack of portability for these sophisticated laboratory-confined systems. As part of continuing efforts to develop practical diagnostic instrumentation, the integration of semiconductor nanocrystals (quantum dots, QDs) into a portable microfluidic-based lymphocyte capture and detection device is completed. This integrated system is capable of isolating and counting selected lymphocyte sub-populations (CD3+CD4+) from whole blood samples. By combining the unique optical properties of the QDs with the sample handling capabilities and cost effectiveness of novel microfluidic systems, a practical, portable lymphocyte measurement modality that correlates nicely with flow cytometry (R2 = 0.97) has been developed. This QD-based system reduces the optical requirements significantly relative to molecular fluorophores and the mini-CD4 counting device is projected to be suitable for use in both point-of-need and resource-scarce settings. PMID:19023471

Dysmegakaryocytopoiesis and maintaining platelet count in patients with plasma cell neoplasm.

PubMed

Mair, Yasmin; Zheng, Yan; Cai, Donghong

2013-05-01

Dysmegakaryocytopoiesis in patients with the plasma cell neoplasm (PCN) is rarely discussed in the literature. The puzzling phenomenon, which PCN patients maintaining normal platelet count even when the marrow is mostly replaced by plasma cells, is hardly explored. This study was aimed to determine the frequency of dysmegakaryocytopoiesis in PCN and the relationships between bone marrow (BM) plasma cell percentage, plasma cell immunomarkers, the severity of dysmegakaryocytopoiesis, and peripheral blood platelet count in PCN. We randomly selected 16 cases of PCN, among which 4 were with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance and 12 were with plasma cell myeloma. OUR STUDY SHOWED THAT: (1) Dysmegakaryocytopoiesis was present in all the selected cases of PCN and its severity was not correlated with the percentage of the plasma cells in BM; (2) almost all patients maintained normal platelet count even when BM was mostly replaced by plasma cells; (3) immunomarkers of the neoplastic plasma cells were not associated with dysmegakaryocytopoiesis or maintaining of platelet count. The possible mechanisms behind dysmegakaryocytopoiesis and maintaining of platelet count were also discussed. Despite the universal presence of dysmegakaryocytopoiesis in PCN, the platelet count is maintained at normal range.

Development of an automated asbestos counting software based on fluorescence microscopy.

PubMed

Alexandrov, Maxym; Ichida, Etsuko; Nishimura, Tomoki; Aoki, Kousuke; Ishida, Takenori; Hirota, Ryuichi; Ikeda, Takeshi; Kawasaki, Tetsuo; Kuroda, Akio

2015-01-01

An emerging alternative to the commonly used analytical methods for asbestos analysis is fluorescence microscopy (FM), which relies on highly specific asbestos-binding probes to distinguish asbestos from interfering non-asbestos fibers. However, all types of microscopic asbestos analysis require laborious examination of large number of fields of view and are prone to subjective errors and large variability between asbestos counts by different analysts and laboratories. A possible solution to these problems is automated counting of asbestos fibers by image analysis software, which would lower the cost and increase the reliability of asbestos testing. This study seeks to develop a fiber recognition and counting software for FM-based asbestos analysis. We discuss the main features of the developed software and the results of its testing. Software testing showed good correlation between automated and manual counts for the samples with medium and high fiber concentrations. At low fiber concentrations, the automated counts were less accurate, leading us to implement correction mode for automated counts. While the full automation of asbestos analysis would require further improvements in accuracy of fiber identification, the developed software could already assist professional asbestos analysts and record detailed fiber dimensions for the use in epidemiological research.

Density estimation in aerial images of large crowds for automatic people counting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herrmann, Christian; Metzler, Juergen

2013-05-01

Counting people is a common topic in the area of visual surveillance and crowd analysis. While many image-based solutions are designed to count only a few persons at the same time, like pedestrians entering a shop or watching an advertisement, there is hardly any solution for counting large crowds of several hundred persons or more. We addressed this problem previously by designing a semi-automatic system being able to count crowds consisting of hundreds or thousands of people based on aerial images of demonstrations or similar events. This system requires major user interaction to segment the image. Our principle aim is to reduce this manual interaction. To achieve this, we propose a new and automatic system. Besides counting the people in large crowds, the system yields the positions of people allowing a plausibility check by a human operator. In order to automatize the people counting system, we use crowd density estimation. The determination of crowd density is based on several features like edge intensity or spatial frequency. They indicate the density and discriminate between a crowd and other image regions like buildings, bushes or trees. We compare the performance of our automatic system to the previous semi-automatic system and to manual counting in images. By counting a test set of aerial images showing large crowds containing up to 12,000 people, the performance gain of our new system will be measured. By improving our previous system, we will increase the benefit of an image-based solution for counting people in large crowds.

ESTIMATION OF RADIOACTIVE CALCIUM-45 BY LIQUID SCINTILLATION COUNTING

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lutwak, L.

1959-03-01

A liquid sclntillation counting method is developed for determining radioactive calcium-45 in biological materials. The calcium-45 is extracted, concentrated, and dissolved in absolute ethyl alcohol to which is added 0.4% diphenyloxazol in toluene. Counting efficiency is about 65 percent with standard deviation of the J-57 engin 7.36 percent. (auth)

The effects of protein dietary supplementation on fecal egg counts and hematological parameters in goat kids with subclinical nematodosis.

PubMed

Konwar, Priyanka; Tiwari, S P; Gohain, M; Kumari, Kiran

2015-11-01

The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of dietary supplementation with different levels of protein on fecal egg counts and hematological parameters in goat kids with subclinical nematodosis under semi-intensive condition. 20 goat kids (3-5 months old with an average body weight of 8.90 kg) were randomly allocated to four groups: T1, served as a negative control, without receiving concentrate feed, and T2, T3, and T4 that received concentrate feed containing 16, 20, and 24% digestible crude protein, respectively. The experiment was carried out for 60 days. In this study, protein supplementation had a significant (p<0.05) effect on fecal egg counts even after 15 days; hemoglobin (Hb) (g/dl) after 45 days; total leukocyte count (10(3)/mm(3)) and total erythrocyte count (10(6)/mm(3)) after 30 days; packed cell volume (%), lymphocyte (%), and eosinophil (%) after 15 days of supplementation, whereas monocyte (%) and neutrophil (%) values were not significantly influenced by protein supplementation effect during the entire experiment. The values of mean corpuscular volume (fl) were affected significantly (p<0.05, p<0.01) due to protein supplementation after 30 days, mean corpuscular Hb (MCH) (pg) after 45 days, but MCH concentration (g/dl) was not significantly different among the experimental groups during the entire experiment. The dietary supplementation with different levels of protein significantly improved the hematological profiles and inhibited the nematodosis infection in the experimental goat kids.

Eosinophil count, allergies, and rejection in pediatric heart transplant recipients.

PubMed

Arbon, Kate S; Albers, Erin; Kemna, Mariska; Law, Sabrina; Law, Yuk

2015-08-01

Allograft rejection and long-term immunosuppression remain significant challenges in pediatric heart transplantation. Pediatric recipients are known to have fewer rejection episodes and to develop more allergic conditions than adults. A T-helper 2 cell dominant phenotype, manifested clinically by allergies and an elevated eosinophil count, may be associated with immunologic quiescence in transplant recipients. This study assessed whether the longitudinal eosinophil count and an allergic phenotype were associated with freedom from rejection. This single-center, longitudinal, observational study included 86 heart transplant patients monitored from 1994 to 2011. Post-transplant biannual complete blood counts, allergic conditions, and clinical characteristics related to rejection risk were examined. At least 1 episode of acute cellular rejection (ACR) occurred in 38 patients (44%), antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) occurred in 11 (13%), and 49 patients (57%) were diagnosed with an allergic condition. Patients with ACR or AMR had a lower eosinophil count compared with non-rejectors (p = 0.011 and p = 0.022, respectively). In the multivariable regression analysis, the presence of panel reactive antibodies to human leukocyte antigen I (p = 0.014) and the median eosinophil count (p = 0.011) were the only independent covariates associated with AMR. Eosinophil count (p = 0.010) and female sex (p = 0.009) were independent risk factors for ACR. Allergic conditions or young age at transplant were not protective from rejection. This study demonstrates a novel association between a high eosinophil count and freedom from rejection. Identifying a biomarker for low rejection risk may allow a reduction in immunosuppression. Further investigation into the role of the T-helper 2 cell phenotype and eosinophils in rejection quiescence is warranted. Copyright © 2015 International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Investigation of traffic count procedures on unpaved roads : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1995-04-01

This report inventoried the current costs and procedures of VDOT's : Secondary Count Program, with special attention to costs and procedures : for traffic counts on unpaved roads. A survey of VDOT's nine District : Traffic Engineers on unpaved road c...

Skull counting in late stages after internal contamination by actinides.

PubMed

Tani, Kotaro; Shutt, Arron; Kurihara, Osamu; Kosako, Toshiso

2015-02-01

Monitoring preparation for internal contamination with actinides (e.g. Pu and Am) is required to assess internal doses at nuclear fuel cycle-related facilities. In this paper, the authors focus on skull counting in case of single-incident inhalation of (241)Am and propose an effective procedure for skull counting with an existing system, taking into account the biokinetic behaviour of (241)Am in the human body. The predicted response of the system to skull counting under a certain counting geometry was found to be only ∼1.0 × 10(-5) cps Bq(-1) 1y after intake. However, this disadvantage could be remedied by repeated measurements of the skull during the late stage of the intake due to the predicted response reaching a plateau at about the 1000th day after exposure and exceeding that in the lung counting. Further studies are needed for the development of a new detection system with higher sensitivity to perform reliable internal dose estimations based on direct measurements. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Growth Curve Models for Zero-Inflated Count Data: An Application to Smoking Behavior

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Hui; Powers, Daniel A.

2007-01-01

This article applies growth curve models to longitudinal count data characterized by an excess of zero counts. We discuss a zero-inflated Poisson regression model for longitudinal data in which the impact of covariates on the initial counts and the rate of change in counts over time is the focus of inference. Basic growth curve models using a…

Acute effects of electronic and tobacco cigarette smoking on complete blood count.

PubMed

Flouris, Andreas D; Poulianiti, Konstantina P; Chorti, Maria S; Jamurtas, Athanasios Z; Kouretas, Dimitrios; Owolabi, Emmanuel O; Tzatzarakis, Manolis N; Tsatsakis, Aristidis M; Koutedakis, Yiannis

2012-10-01

The World Health Organisation called for research assessing the safety of electronic cigarette (e-cigarette). We evaluated the acute effect of active and passive e-cigarette and tobacco cigarette smoking on complete blood count (CBC) markers in 15 smokers and 15 never-smokers, respectively. Smokers underwent a control session, an active tobacco cigarette smoking session, and an active e-cigarette smoking session. Never-smokers underwent a control session, a passive tobacco cigarette smoking session, and a passive e-cigarette smoking session. The results demonstrated that CBC indices remained unchanged during the control session and the active and passive e-cigarette smoking sessions (P>0.05). Active and passive tobacco cigarette smoking increased white blood cell, lymphocyte, and granulocyte counts for at least one hour in smokers and never smokers (P<0.05). It is concluded that acute active and passive smoking using the e-cigarettes tested in the current study does not influence CBC indices in smokers and never smokers, respectively. In contrast, acute active and passive tobacco cigarette smoking increase the secondary proteins of acute inflammatory load for at least one hour. More research is needed to evaluate chemical safety issues and other areas of consumer product safety of e-cigarettes, because the nicotine content in the liquids used may vary considerably. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nearest neighbors by neighborhood counting.

PubMed

Wang, Hui

2006-06-01

Finding nearest neighbors is a general idea that underlies many artificial intelligence tasks, including machine learning, data mining, natural language understanding, and information retrieval. This idea is explicitly used in the k-nearest neighbors algorithm (kNN), a popular classification method. In this paper, this idea is adopted in the development of a general methodology, neighborhood counting, for devising similarity functions. We turn our focus from neighbors to neighborhoods, a region in the data space covering the data point in question. To measure the similarity between two data points, we consider all neighborhoods that cover both data points. We propose to use the number of such neighborhoods as a measure of similarity. Neighborhood can be defined for different types of data in different ways. Here, we consider one definition of neighborhood for multivariate data and derive a formula for such similarity, called neighborhood counting measure or NCM. NCM was tested experimentally in the framework of kNN. Experiments show that NCM is generally comparable to VDM and its variants, the state-of-the-art distance functions for multivariate data, and, at the same time, is consistently better for relatively large k values. Additionally, NCM consistently outperforms HEOM (a mixture of Euclidean and Hamming distances), the "standard" and most widely used distance function for multivariate data. NCM has a computational complexity in the same order as the standard Euclidean distance function and NCM is task independent and works for numerical and categorical data in a conceptually uniform way. The neighborhood counting methodology is proven sound for multivariate data experimentally. We hope it will work for other types of data.

Virginia Tech Campaign to Count Gifts Made to Victims

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Strout, Erin

2007-01-01

Virginia Tech has decided to count gifts to a memorial fund for victims of the April 16 shootings toward its goal of raising $1-billion in a capital campaign. Higher-education fund-raising experts agree that counting the memorial-fund contributions toward the total does not break common donation-reporting guidelines. Many big college fund-raising…

Improved confidence intervals when the sample is counted an integer times longer than the blank.

PubMed

Potter, William Edward; Strzelczyk, Jadwiga Jodi

2011-05-01

Past computer solutions for confidence intervals in paired counting are extended to the case where the ratio of the sample count time to the blank count time is taken to be an integer, IRR. Previously, confidence intervals have been named Neyman-Pearson confidence intervals; more correctly they should have been named Neyman confidence intervals or simply confidence intervals. The technique utilized mimics a technique used by Pearson and Hartley to tabulate confidence intervals for the expected value of the discrete Poisson and Binomial distributions. The blank count and the contribution of the sample to the gross count are assumed to be Poisson distributed. The expected value of the blank count, in the sample count time, is assumed known. The net count, OC, is taken to be the gross count minus the product of IRR with the blank count. The probability density function (PDF) for the net count can be determined in a straightforward manner.

The extended leukocyte differential count using the Cytodiff flow cytometric system reveals that higher CD16+ cytotoxic NK+T lymphocyte levels predict superior survival outcomes in patients with metastatic carcinoma.

PubMed

Park, Borae G; Park, Chan-Jeoung; Yoon, Chan-Hee; Jang, Seongsoo; Chi, Hyun-Sook; Ryu, Min-Hee; Kim, Sang-We

2013-05-01

The recently developed Cytodiff flow cytometric system (Beckman Coulter, Miami, FL) enables leukocyte analysis using a single immunophenotyping panel tube composed of six markers and five colors and that can detect 16 leukocyte subpopulations. We performed a preliminary investigation of whether changes in any of 16 leukocyte differentials were associated with survival and treatment outcomes in patients with metastatic carcinoma or not. We measured 16 leukocyte differential counts using the Cytodiff flow cytometric system in peripheral blood samples from 40 patients with metastatic malignancy (27 stomach cancer and 13 lung cancer) before chemotherapy and at 15 day intervals after chemotherapy for 2 months. A higher percentage of CD16+ cytotoxic NK+T lymphocytes was found to be the only significant prognostic factor among by Cox regression analysis and a higher percentage of CD16+ cytotoxic NK+T lymphocytes (>5.0%) showed significantly longer survival outcomes by Kaplan-Meier analysis (P = 0.003). The Cytodiff system enables 16 leukocyte subpopulations in a one tube assay and also can operate with only small amounts of sample, although it cannot differentiate NK cells from T lymphocytes. Hence, the monitoring of all leukocyte subpopulations using Cytodiff flow cytometry may be a helpful prognostic tool for patients with metastatic carcinoma. Copyright © 2012 International Clinical Cytometry Society.

QCD constituent counting rules for neutral vector mesons

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brodsky, Stanley J.; Lebed, Richard F.; Lyubovitskij, Valery E.

QCD constituent counting rules define the scaling behavior of exclusive hadronic scattering and electromagnetic scattering amplitudes at high momentum transfer in terms of the total number of fundamental constituents in the initial and final states participating in the hard subprocess. The scaling laws reflect the twist of the leading Fock state for each hadron and hence the leading operator that creates the composite state from the vacuum. Thus, the constituent counting scaling laws can be used to identify the twist of exotic hadronic candidates such as tetraquarks and pentaquarks. Effective field theories must consistently implement the scaling rules in ordermore » to be consistent with the fundamental theory. Here in this paper, we examine how one can apply constituent counting rules for the exclusive production of one or two neutral vector mesons V 0 in e + e - annihilation, processes in which the V 0 can couple via intermediate photons. In the case of a (narrow) real V 0, the photon virtuality is fixed to a precise value s 1 = m2V 0, thus treating the V 0 as a single fundamental particle. Each real V 0 thus contributes to the constituent counting rules with NV0 = 1 . In effect, the leading operator underlying the V 0 has twist 1. Thus, in the specific physical case of single or double on-shell V 0 production via intermediate photons, the predicted scaling from counting rules coincides with vector-meson dominance (VMD), an effective theory that treats V 0 as an elementary field. However, the VMD prediction fails in the general case where the V 0 is not coupled through an elementary photon field, and then the leading-twist interpolating operator has twist NV 0 = 2 . Analogous effects appear in pp scattering processes.« less

QCD constituent counting rules for neutral vector mesons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brodsky, Stanley J.; Lebed, Richard F.; Lyubovitskij, Valery E.

2018-02-01

QCD constituent counting rules define the scaling behavior of exclusive hadronic scattering and electromagnetic scattering amplitudes at high momentum transfer in terms of the total number of fundamental constituents in the initial and final states participating in the hard subprocess. The scaling laws reflect the twist of the leading Fock state for each hadron and hence the leading operator that creates the composite state from the vacuum. Thus, the constituent counting scaling laws can be used to identify the twist of exotic hadronic candidates such as tetraquarks and pentaquarks. Effective field theories must consistently implement the scaling rules in order to be consistent with the fundamental theory. Here, we examine how one can apply constituent counting rules for the exclusive production of one or two neutral vector mesons V0 in e+e- annihilation, processes in which the V0 can couple via intermediate photons. In the case of a (narrow) real V0, the photon virtuality is fixed to a precise value s1=mV02, thus treating the V0 as a single fundamental particle. Each real V0 thus contributes to the constituent counting rules with NV0=1. In effect, the leading operator underlying the V0 has twist 1. Thus, in the specific physical case of single or double on-shell V0 production via intermediate photons, the predicted scaling from counting rules coincides with vector-meson dominance (VMD), an effective theory that treats V0 as an elementary field. However, the VMD prediction fails in the general case where the V0 is not coupled through an elementary photon field, and then the leading-twist interpolating operator has twist NV 0=2 . Analogous effects appear in p p scattering processes.

QCD constituent counting rules for neutral vector mesons

DOE PAGES

Brodsky, Stanley J.; Lebed, Richard F.; Lyubovitskij, Valery E.

2018-02-08

QCD constituent counting rules define the scaling behavior of exclusive hadronic scattering and electromagnetic scattering amplitudes at high momentum transfer in terms of the total number of fundamental constituents in the initial and final states participating in the hard subprocess. The scaling laws reflect the twist of the leading Fock state for each hadron and hence the leading operator that creates the composite state from the vacuum. Thus, the constituent counting scaling laws can be used to identify the twist of exotic hadronic candidates such as tetraquarks and pentaquarks. Effective field theories must consistently implement the scaling rules in ordermore » to be consistent with the fundamental theory. Here in this paper, we examine how one can apply constituent counting rules for the exclusive production of one or two neutral vector mesons V 0 in e + e - annihilation, processes in which the V 0 can couple via intermediate photons. In the case of a (narrow) real V 0, the photon virtuality is fixed to a precise value s 1 = m2V 0, thus treating the V 0 as a single fundamental particle. Each real V 0 thus contributes to the constituent counting rules with NV0 = 1 . In effect, the leading operator underlying the V 0 has twist 1. Thus, in the specific physical case of single or double on-shell V 0 production via intermediate photons, the predicted scaling from counting rules coincides with vector-meson dominance (VMD), an effective theory that treats V 0 as an elementary field. However, the VMD prediction fails in the general case where the V 0 is not coupled through an elementary photon field, and then the leading-twist interpolating operator has twist NV 0 = 2 . Analogous effects appear in pp scattering processes.« less

Predicting U.S. tuberculosis case counts through 2020.

PubMed

Woodruff, Rachel S Y E L K; Winston, Carla A; Miramontes, Roque

2013-01-01

In 2010, foreign-born persons accounted for 60% of all tuberculosis (TB) cases in the United States. Understanding which national groups make up the highest proportion of TB cases will assist TB control programs in concentrating limited resources where they can provide the greatest impact on preventing transmission of TB disease. The objective of our study was to predict through 2020 the numbers of U.S. TB cases among U.S.-born, foreign-born and foreign-born persons from selected countries of birth. TB case counts reported through the National Tuberculosis Surveillance System from 2000-2010 were log-transformed, and linear regression was performed to calculate predicted annual case counts and 95% prediction intervals for 2011-2020. Data were analyzed in 2011 before 2011 case counts were known. Decreases were predicted between 2010 observed and 2020 predicted counts for total TB cases (11,182 to 8,117 [95% prediction interval 7,262-9,073]) as well as TB cases among foreign-born persons from Mexico (1,541 to 1,420 [1,066-1,892]), the Philippines (740 to 724 [569-922]), India (578 to 553 [455-672]), Vietnam (532 to 429 [367-502]) and China (364 to 328 [249-433]). TB cases among persons who are U.S.-born and foreign-born were predicted to decline 47% (4,393 to 2,338 [2,113-2,586]) and 6% (6,720 to 6,343 [5,382-7,476]), respectively. Assuming rates of declines observed from 2000-2010 continue until 2020, a widening gap between the numbers of U.S.-born and foreign-born TB cases was predicted. TB case count predictions will help TB control programs identify needs for cultural competency, such as languages and interpreters needed for translating materials or engaging in appropriate community outreach.

Real-time bacterial microcolony counting using on-chip microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jung, Jae Hee; Lee, Jung Eun

2016-02-01

Observing microbial colonies is the standard method for determining the microbe titer and investigating the behaviors of microbes. Here, we report an automated, real-time bacterial microcolony-counting system implemented on a wide field-of-view (FOV), on-chip microscopy platform, termed ePetri. Using sub-pixel sweeping microscopy (SPSM) with a super-resolution algorithm, this system offers the ability to dynamically track individual bacterial microcolonies over a wide FOV of 5.7 mm × 4.3 mm without requiring a moving stage or lens. As a demonstration, we obtained high-resolution time-series images of S. epidermidis at 20-min intervals. We implemented an image-processing algorithm to analyze the spatiotemporal distribution of microcolonies, the development of which could be observed from a single bacterial cell. Test bacterial colonies with a minimum diameter of 20 μm could be enumerated within 6 h. We showed that our approach not only provides results that are comparable to conventional colony-counting assays but also can be used to monitor the dynamics of colony formation and growth. This microcolony-counting system using on-chip microscopy represents a new platform that substantially reduces the detection time for bacterial colony counting. It uses chip-scale image acquisition and is a simple and compact solution for the automation of colony-counting assays and microbe behavior analysis with applications in antibacterial drug discovery.

Real-time bacterial microcolony counting using on-chip microscopy

PubMed Central

Jung, Jae Hee; Lee, Jung Eun

2016-01-01

Observing microbial colonies is the standard method for determining the microbe titer and investigating the behaviors of microbes. Here, we report an automated, real-time bacterial microcolony-counting system implemented on a wide field-of-view (FOV), on-chip microscopy platform, termed ePetri. Using sub-pixel sweeping microscopy (SPSM) with a super-resolution algorithm, this system offers the ability to dynamically track individual bacterial microcolonies over a wide FOV of 5.7 mm × 4.3 mm without requiring a moving stage or lens. As a demonstration, we obtained high-resolution time-series images of S. epidermidis at 20-min intervals. We implemented an image-processing algorithm to analyze the spatiotemporal distribution of microcolonies, the development of which could be observed from a single bacterial cell. Test bacterial colonies with a minimum diameter of 20 μm could be enumerated within 6 h. We showed that our approach not only provides results that are comparable to conventional colony-counting assays but also can be used to monitor the dynamics of colony formation and growth. This microcolony-counting system using on-chip microscopy represents a new platform that substantially reduces the detection time for bacterial colony counting. It uses chip-scale image acquisition and is a simple and compact solution for the automation of colony-counting assays and microbe behavior analysis with applications in antibacterial drug discovery. PMID:26902822

Increment of absolute neutrophil count in the third trimester and increased risk of small-for-gestational-age birth: Hirakata Risk Associated with Pregnancy Assessment Research (HIRAPAR).

PubMed

Harita, Nobuko; Kariya, Masatoshi; Hayashi, Tomoshige; Sato, Kyoko Kogawa; Nakamura, Kimihiko; Endo, Ginji; Narimoto, Katsuhiko

2012-09-01

Small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infants, who have growth restriction, have higher perinatal morbidity and mortality. Excessive inflammatory reaction such as neutrophil activation has been observed in pregnant women whose offspring had restricted fetal growth, but the association between white blood cell (WBC) counts and SGA birth has not yet been assessed. We therefore examined the association of WBC count and its change with the risk of SGA birth. We enrolled 2356 pregnant women who had full-term singleton delivery at a private maternity hospital in Hirakata, Japan. SGA was defined as under the 10th percentile of birthweight for gestational age, baby sex, and mother's parity according to the Japanese neonatal anthropometric charts renewed in 2010. Blood samples were measured in the first and third trimesters. We performed multiple logistic regression analysis to assess associations between total and differential WBC counts and SGA birth. Women with SGA birth tended to have higher total WBC count in the third trimester compared with women who did not have SGA birth. This tendency was not observed for total WBC count in the first trimester. After adjustment for age, height, body mass index at entry, smoking habit, weekly gestational weight gain, and pregnancy-induced hypertension, higher total WBC count in the third trimester was associated with an increased risk of SGA birth. Total WBC count in the first trimester did not show any significant association with SGA birth. The ratio of total WBC count in the third trimester to that in the first trimester was associated with SGA birth; the odds ratio for 1 unit increase was 3.02 (95% CI: 1.54-5.92). Regarding differential WBC counts in the third trimester, neutrophil count but not lymphocyte count was associated positively with SGA birth. Higher total WBC and absolute neutrophil counts in the third trimester were associated with SGA birth. In addition, greater ratio of increase in total WBC counts during pregnancy

KidsCount in Colorado! 1994.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buck, Beverly R.

This 1994 Kids Count report focuses on risk-taking behaviors among Colorado adolescents and discusses how prevention and early intervention strategies can impact the lives of the state's children. Statistics and descriptions are given for: (1) alcohol, tobacco, and drug use; (2) teen sexuality, including sexual activity and teen pregnancy and…

South Carolina Kids Count, 2001.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holmes, A. Baron

This Kids Count report examines statewide trends in the well-being of South Carolina's children. The statistical portrait is based on 42 indicators in the areas of demographics, family, economic status, health, readiness and early school performance, scholastic achievement, and adolescent risk behaviors. The indicators are: (1) population; (2)…

KIDS COUNT New Hampshire, 2000.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shemitz, Elllen, Ed.

This Kids Count report presents statewide trends in the well-being of New Hampshire's children. The statistical report is based on 22 indicators of child well-being in 5 interrelated areas: (1) children and families (including child population, births, children living with single parent, and children experiencing parental divorce); (2) economic…

South Carolina Kids Count, 2000.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holmes, A. Baron

This Kids Count report examines statewide trends in the well-being of South Carolina's children. The statistical portrait is based on 41 indicators in the areas of demographics, family, economic status, health, readiness and early school performance, scholastic achievement, and adolescent risk behaviors. The indicators are: (1) population; (2)…

Counting the ions surrounding nucleic acids

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Abstract Nucleic acids are strongly negatively charged, and thus electrostatic interactions—screened by ions in solution—play an important role in governing their ability to fold and participate in biomolecular interactions. The negative charge creates a region, known as the ion atmosphere, in which cation and anion concentrations are perturbed from their bulk values. Ion counting experiments quantify the ion atmosphere by measuring the preferential ion interaction coefficient: the net total number of excess ions above, or below, the number expected due to the bulk concentration. The results of such studies provide important constraints on theories, which typically predict the full three-dimensional distribution of the screening cloud. This article reviews the state of nucleic acid ion counting measurements and critically analyzes their ability to test both analytical and simulation-based models. PMID:28034959

Sources and magnitude of sampling error in redd counts for bull trout

Treesearch

Jason B. Dunham; Bruce Rieman

2001-01-01

Monitoring of salmonid populations often involves annual redd counts, but the validity of this method has seldom been evaluated. We conducted redd counts of bull trout Salvelinus confluentus in two streams in northern Idaho to address four issues: (1) relationships between adult escapements and redd counts; (2) interobserver variability in redd...

Thrombocyte counts in mice after the administration of papaya leaf suspension.

PubMed

Sathasivam, Kathiresan; Ramanathan, Surash; Mansor, Sharif M; Haris, Mas Rosemal M H; Wernsdorfer, Walther H

2009-10-01

Following up a popular use of crude leaf preparations from Carica papaya for the treatment of dengue infections, a suspension of powdered Carica papaya leaves in palm oil has been investigated for its effect on thrombocyte counts in mice, administering by gavage 15 mg of powdered leaves per kg body weight to 5 mice. Equal numbers of animals received corresponding volumes of either palm oil alone or physiological saline solution. Thrombocyte counts before and at 1, 2, 4, 8, 10, 12, 24, 48 and 72 hours after dosing revealed significantly higher mean counts at 1, 2, 4, 8, 10 and 12 after dosing with the C. papaya leaf formulation as compared to the mean count at hour 0. There was only a non-significant rise of thrombocyte counts in the group having received saline solution, possibly the expression of a normal circadian rhythm in mice. The group having received palm oil only showed a protracted increase of platelet counts that was significant at hours 8 and 48 and obviously the result of a hitherto unknown stimulation of thrombocyte release. The results call for a dose-response investigation and for extending the studies to the isolation and identification of the C. papaya substances responsible for the release and/or production of thrombocytes.

A COMPARISON OF GALAXY COUNTING TECHNIQUES IN SPECTROSCOPICALLY UNDERSAMPLED REGIONS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Specian, Mike A.; Szalay, Alex S., E-mail: mspecia1@jhu.edu, E-mail: szalay@jhu.edu

2016-11-01

Accurate measures of galactic overdensities are invaluable for precision cosmology. Obtaining these measurements is complicated when members of one’s galaxy sample lack radial depths, most commonly derived via spectroscopic redshifts. In this paper, we utilize the Sloan Digital Sky Survey’s Main Galaxy Sample to compare seven methods of counting galaxies in cells when many of those galaxies lack redshifts. These methods fall into three categories: assigning galaxies discrete redshifts, scaling the numbers counted using regions’ spectroscopic completeness properties, and employing probabilistic techniques. We split spectroscopically undersampled regions into three types—those inside the spectroscopic footprint, those outside but adjacent to it,more » and those distant from it. Through Monte Carlo simulations, we demonstrate that the preferred counting techniques are a function of region type, cell size, and redshift. We conclude by reporting optimal counting strategies under a variety of conditions.« less

A Method for Counting Moving People in Video Surveillance Videos

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Conte, Donatello; Foggia, Pasquale; Percannella, Gennaro; Tufano, Francesco; Vento, Mario

2010-12-01

People counting is an important problem in video surveillance applications. This problem has been faced either by trying to detect people in the scene and then counting them or by establishing a mapping between some scene feature and the number of people (avoiding the complex detection problem). This paper presents a novel method, following this second approach, that is based on the use of SURF features and of an [InlineEquation not available: see fulltext.]-SVR regressor provide an estimate of this count. The algorithm takes specifically into account problems due to partial occlusions and to perspective. In the experimental evaluation, the proposed method has been compared with the algorithm by Albiol et al., winner of the PETS 2009 contest on people counting, using the same PETS 2009 database. The provided results confirm that the proposed method yields an improved accuracy, while retaining the robustness of Albiol's algorithm.

Investigating Children's Abilities to Count and Make Quantitative Comparisons

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Joohi; Md-Yunus, Sham'ah

2016-01-01

This study was designed to investigate children's abilities to count and make quantitative comparisons. In addition, this study utilized reasoning questions (i.e., how did you know?). Thirty-four preschoolers, mean age 4.5 years old, participated in the study. According to the results, 89% of the children (n = 30) were able to do rote counting and…

Passive hand movements disrupt adults' counting strategies.

PubMed

Imbo, Ineke; Vandierendonck, André; Fias, Wim

2011-01-01

In the present study, we experimentally tested the role of hand motor circuits in simple-arithmetic strategies. Educated adults solved simple additions (e.g., 8 + 3) or simple subtractions (e.g., 11 - 3) while they were required to retrieve the answer from long-term memory (e.g., knowing that 8 + 3 = 11), to transform the problem by making an intermediate step (e.g., 8 + 3 = 8 + 2 + 1 = 10 + 1 = 11) or to count one-by-one (e.g., 8 + 3 = 8…9…10…11). During the process of solving the arithmetic problems, the experimenter did or did not move the participants' hand on a four-point matrix. The results show that passive hand movements disrupted the counting strategy while leaving the other strategies unaffected. This pattern of results is in agreement with a procedural account, showing that the involvement of hand motor circuits in adults' mathematical abilities is reminiscent of finger counting during childhood.

Photon counting statistics analysis of biophotons from hands.

PubMed

Jung, Hyun-Hee; Woo, Won-Myung; Yang, Joon-Mo; Choi, Chunho; Lee, Jonghan; Yoon, Gilwon; Yang, Jong S; Soh, Kwang-Sup

2003-05-01

The photon counting statistics of biophotons emitted from hands is studied with a view to test its agreement with the Poisson distribution. The moments of observed probability up to seventh order have been evaluated. The moments of biophoton emission from hands are in good agreement while those of dark counts of photomultiplier tube show large deviations from the theoretical values of Poisson distribution. The present results are consistent with the conventional delta-value analysis of the second moment of probability.

Enhancing the scientific value of the Christmas Bird Count

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dunn, Erica H.; Francis, C.M.; Blancher, P.J.; Drennan, S.R.; Howe, M.A.; Lepage, D.; Robbins, Chandler S.; Rosenberg, K.V.; Sauer, J.R.; Smith, Kimberly G.

2005-01-01

The Christmas Bird Count (CBC), conducted by the National Audubon Society (NAS) since 1900, constitutes the longest-running and geographically most widespread survey of bird life in the Western Hemisphere. Starting with 25 count locations in its first year, the program has grown continuously ever since, with 20–30 locations currently being added annually. Each CBC consists of a tally of all birds detected within a circle 24.1 km (15 miles) in diameter, on a single day within a few weeks around Christmas (current allowable dates are 14 December through 5 January). More than 50,000 observers now take part each year, in close to 2,000 count circles spread across the U.S. and its territories, southern Canada, and, increasingly, Latin America.

Pitch Counts in Youth Baseball and Softball: A Historical Review.

PubMed

Feeley, Brian T; Schisel, Jessica; Agel, Julie

2018-07-01

Pitching injuries are getting increased attention in the mass media. Many references are made to pitch counts and the role they play in injury prevention. The original purpose of regulating the pitch count in youth baseball was to reduce injury and fatigue to pitchers. This article reviews the history and development of the pitch count limit in baseball, the effect it has had on injury, and the evidence regarding injury rates on softball windmill pitching. Literature search through PubMed, mass media, and organizational Web sites through June 2015. Pitch count limits and rest recommendations were introduced in 1996 after a survey of 28 orthopedic surgeons and baseball coaches showed injuries to baseball pitchers' arms were believed to be from the number of pitches thrown. Follow-up research led to revised recommendations with more detailed guidelines in 2006. Since that time, data show a relationship between innings pitched and upper extremity injury, but pitch type has not clearly been shown to affect injury rates. Current surveys of coaches and players show that coaches, parents, and athletes often do not adhere to these guidelines. There are no pitch count guidelines currently available in softball. The increase in participation in youth baseball and softball with an emphasis on early sport specialization in youth sports activities suggests that there will continue to be a rise in injury rates to young throwers. The published pitch counts are likely to positively affect injury rates but must be adhered to by athletes, coaches, and parents.

KidsCount in Colorado! 1997.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shulman, Shanna

This 1997 Kids Count report examines challenges to Colorado children and youth and how prevention and early intervention can enhance their well-being. The report includes a summary of recent research on brain development and the importance of early experience and stimulation in early intervention programs. The levels of state funding for various…

Kids Count in Colorado! 2003.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boeke, Kaye

This Kids Count report examines state, county, and regional trends in the well-being of Colorado's children. The first part of the report is presented in four chapters. Chapter 1 includes findings regarding the increasing diversity of the child population, linguistic isolation, the impact of parental unemployment, child poverty, and the affordable…

Reviving common standards in point-count surveys for broad inference across studies

USGS Publications Warehouse

Matsuoka, Steven M.; Mahon, C. Lisa; Handel, Colleen M.; Solymos, Peter; Bayne, Erin M.; Fontaine, Patricia C.; Ralph, C.J.

2014-01-01

We revisit the common standards recommended by Ralph et al. (1993, 1995a) for conducting point-count surveys to assess the relative abundance of landbirds breeding in North America. The standards originated from discussions among ornithologists in 1991 and were developed so that point-count survey data could be broadly compared and jointly analyzed by national data centers with the goals of monitoring populations and managing habitat. Twenty years later, we revisit these standards because (1) they have not been universally followed and (2) new methods allow estimation of absolute abundance from point counts, but these methods generally require data beyond the original standards to account for imperfect detection. Lack of standardization and the complications it introduces for analysis become apparent from aggregated data. For example, only 3% of 196,000 point counts conducted during the period 1992-2011 across Alaska and Canada followed the standards recommended for the count period and count radius. Ten-minute, unlimited-count-radius surveys increased the number of birds detected by >300% over 3-minute, 50-m-radius surveys. This effect size, which could be eliminated by standardized sampling, was ≥10 times the published effect sizes of observers, time of day, and date of the surveys. We suggest that the recommendations by Ralph et al. (1995a) continue to form the common standards when conducting point counts. This protocol is inexpensive and easy to follow but still allows the surveys to be adjusted for detection probabilities. Investigators might optionally collect additional information so that they can analyze their data with more flexible forms of removal and time-of-detection models, distance sampling, multiple-observer methods, repeated counts, or combinations of these methods. Maintaining the common standards as a base protocol, even as these study-specific modifications are added, will maximize the value of point-count data, allowing compilation and

Different binarization processes validated against manual counts of fluorescent bacterial cells.

PubMed

Tamminga, Gerrit G; Paulitsch-Fuchs, Astrid H; Jansen, Gijsbert J; Euverink, Gert-Jan W

2016-09-01

State of the art software methods (such as fixed value approaches or statistical approaches) to create a binary image of fluorescent bacterial cells are not as accurate and precise as they should be for counting bacteria and measuring their area. To overcome these bottlenecks, we introduce biological significance to obtain a binary image from a greyscale microscopic image. Using our biological significance approach we are able to automatically count about the same number of cells as an individual researcher would do by manual/visual counting. Using the fixed value or statistical approach to obtain a binary image leads to about 20% less cells in automatic counting. In our procedure we included the area measurements of the bacterial cells to determine the right parameters for background subtraction and threshold values. In an iterative process the threshold and background subtraction values were incremented until the number of particles smaller than a typical bacterial cell is less than the number of bacterial cells with a certain area. This research also shows that every image has a specific threshold with respect to the optical system, magnification and staining procedure as well as the exposure time. The biological significance approach shows that automatic counting can be performed with the same accuracy, precision and reproducibility as manual counting. The same approach can be used to count bacterial cells using different optical systems (Leica, Olympus and Navitar), magnification factors (200× and 400×), staining procedures (DNA (Propidium Iodide) and RNA (FISH)) and substrates (polycarbonate filter or glass). Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Modeling Count Outcomes from HIV Risk Reduction Interventions: A Comparison of Competing Statistical Models for Count Responses

PubMed Central

Xia, Yinglin; Morrison-Beedy, Dianne; Ma, Jingming; Feng, Changyong; Cross, Wendi; Tu, Xin

2012-01-01

Modeling count data from sexual behavioral outcomes involves many challenges, especially when the data exhibit a preponderance of zeros and overdispersion. In particular, the popular Poisson log-linear model is not appropriate for modeling such outcomes. Although alternatives exist for addressing both issues, they are not widely and effectively used in sex health research, especially in HIV prevention intervention and related studies. In this paper, we discuss how to analyze count outcomes distributed with excess of zeros and overdispersion and introduce appropriate model-fit indices for comparing the performance of competing models, using data from a real study on HIV prevention intervention. The in-depth look at these common issues arising from studies involving behavioral outcomes will promote sound statistical analyses and facilitate research in this and other related areas. PMID:22536496

Microfluidic differential immunocapture biochip for specific leukocyte counting

PubMed Central

Hassan, Umer; Watkins, Nicholas N; Reddy, Bobby; Damhorst, Gregory; Bashir, Rashid

2016-01-01

Enumerating specific cell types from whole blood can be very useful for research and diagnostic purposes—e.g., for counting of cD4 and cD8 t cells in HIV/aIDs diagnostics. We have developed a biosensor based on a differential immunocapture technology to enumerate specific cells in 30 min using 10 µl of blood. this paper provides a comprehensive stepwise protocol to replicate our biosensor for cD4 and cD8 cell counts. the biochip can also be adapted to enumerate other specific cell types such as somatic cells or cells from tissue or liquid biopsies. capture of other specific cells requires immobilization of their corresponding antibodies within the capture chamber. therefore, this protocol is useful for research into areas surrounding immunocapture-based biosensor development. the biosensor production requires 24 h, a one-time cell capture optimization takes 6–9 h, and the final cell counting experiment in a laboratory environment requires 30 min to complete. PMID:26963632

X-chromosome-counting mechanisms that determine nematode sex.

PubMed

Nicoll, M; Akerib, C C; Meyer, B J

1997-07-10

Sex is determined in Caenorhabditis elegans by an X-chromosome-counting mechanism that reliably distinguishes the twofold difference in X-chromosome dose between males (1X) and hermaphrodites (2X). This small quantitative difference is translated into the 'on/off' response of the target gene, xol-1, a switch that specifies the male fate when active and the hermaphrodite fate when inactive. Specific regions of X contain counted signal elements whose combined dose sets the activity of xol-1. Here we ascribe the dose effects of one region to a discrete, protein-encoding gene, fox-1. We demonstrate that the dose-sensitive signal elements on chromosome X control xol-1 through two different molecular mechanisms. One involves the transcriptional repression of xol-1 in XX animals. The other uses the putative RNA-binding protein encoded by fox-1 to reduce the level of xol-1 protein. These two mechanisms of repression act together to ensure the fidelity of the X-chromosome counting process.

The GLOBE Earth Day 2004 Contrail Count-a-Thon

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chambers, Lin H.; Cole, Julia

2004-01-01

Early in 2004 the GLOBE Science team suggested a contrail count activity to celebrate Earth Day 2004, which was held this year on April 22nd in the United States and some other countries around the world. The GLOBE contrail team embraced this idea and developed a simplified data collection sheet for this special project. Information about the event was shared through the GLOBE site, UCAR and NASA press releases, the NASA portal (http://www.nasa.gov) and the CERES S'COOL Project (http://scool.larc.nasa.gov). On Earth Day, about 120 observations were received through the GLOBE Contrail Count-a-Thon website, about 70 contrail observations were received through regular GLOBE data reporting, and 19 contrail observations were received through regular S'COOL data reporting. Only observations between 11:00 and 13:00 local time were included in the Count-a-Thon. The event was reported in the Boulder Daily Camera beforehand and in the Oregon Register-Guard after the fact. It was also reported on National Public Radio s Day-to-Day show; whose host even submitted an observation. This poster discusses the Count-a-Thon experience and reports the results.

Automatic counting of microglial cell activation and its applications

PubMed Central

Gallego, Beatriz I.; de Gracia, Pablo

2016-01-01

Glaucoma is a multifactorial optic neuropathy characterized by the damage and death of the retinal ganglion cells. This disease results in vision loss and blindness. Any vision loss resulting from the disease cannot be restored and nowadays there is no available cure for glaucoma; however an early detection and treatment, could offer neuronal protection and avoid later serious damages to the visual function. A full understanding of the etiology of the disease will still require the contribution of many scientific efforts. Glial activation has been observed in glaucoma, being microglial proliferation a hallmark in this neurodegenerative disease. A typical project studying these cellular changes involved in glaucoma often needs thousands of images - from several animals - covering different layers and regions of the retina. The gold standard to evaluate them is the manual count. This method requires a large amount of time from specialized personnel. It is a tedious process and prone to human error. We present here a new method to count microglial cells by using a computer algorithm. It counts in one hour the same number of images that a researcher counts in four weeks, with no loss of reliability. PMID:27651757

The Robustness of Pre-School Children's Tendency to Count Discrete Physical Objects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fletcher, Ben; Pine, Karen J.

2009-01-01

When pre-school children count an array of objects containing one that is broken in half, most count the halves as two separate objects. Two studies explore this predisposition to count discrete physical objects (DPOs) and investigate its robustness in the face of various manipulations. In Experiment 1, 32 children aged three-four years counted…

Counting-loss correction for X-ray spectroscopy using unit impulse pulse shaping.

PubMed

Hong, Xu; Zhou, Jianbin; Ni, Shijun; Ma, Yingjie; Yao, Jianfeng; Zhou, Wei; Liu, Yi; Wang, Min

2018-03-01

High-precision measurement of X-ray spectra is affected by the statistical fluctuation of the X-ray beam under low-counting-rate conditions. It is also limited by counting loss resulting from the dead-time of the system and pile-up pulse effects, especially in a high-counting-rate environment. In this paper a detection system based on a FAST-SDD detector and a new kind of unit impulse pulse-shaping method is presented, for counting-loss correction in X-ray spectroscopy. The unit impulse pulse-shaping method is evolved by inverse deviation of the pulse from a reset-type preamplifier and a C-R shaper. It is applied to obtain the true incoming rate of the system based on a general fast-slow channel processing model. The pulses in the fast channel are shaped to unit impulse pulse shape which possesses small width and no undershoot. The counting rate in the fast channel is corrected by evaluating the dead-time of the fast channel before it is used to correct the counting loss in the slow channel.

Traffic effects on bird counts on North American Breeding Bird Survey routes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Griffith, Emily H.; Sauer, John R.; Royle, J. Andrew

2010-01-01

The North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) is an annual roadside survey used to estimate population change in >420 species of birds that breed in North America. Roadside sampling has been criticized, in part because traffic noise can interfere with bird counts. Since 1997, data have been collected on the numbers of vehicles that pass during counts at each stop. We assessed the effect of traffic by modeling total vehicles as a covariate of counts in hierarchical Poisson regression models used to estimate population change. We selected species for analysis that represent birds detected at low and high abundance and birds with songs of low and high frequencies. Increases in vehicle counts were associated with decreases in bird counts in most of the species examined. The size and direction of these effects remained relatively constant between two alternative models that we analyzed. Although this analysis indicated only a small effect of incorporating traffic effects when modeling roadside counts of birds, we suggest that continued evaluation of changes in traffic at BBS stops should be a component of future BBS analyses.

Kids Count New Hampshire, 1996.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Terry, Susan Palmer; Hall, Douglas E.

This Kids Count report presents statewide trends in the well-being of New Hampshire's children. The statistical report is based on 14 indicators of child well being: (1) children in poverty; (2) fatherless families; (3) maternal education; (4) teen births; (5) births to unmarried mothers; (6) low birth weight births; (7) insurance coverage; (8)…

KidsCount in Colorado! 2001.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boeke, Kaye

This Kids Count report examines statewide and county trends in the well-being of Colorado's children. Indicators are presented in the general areas of demographics, abuse and neglect, child health, family issues, and teen issues. The statistical portrait is based on 16 indicators of well-being: (1) confirmed incidents of child abuse and neglect;…

Health Advocacy--Counting the Costs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dyall, Lorna; Marama, Maria

2010-01-01

Access to, and delivery of, safe and culturally appropriate health services is increasingly important in New Zealand. This paper will focus on counting the costs of health advocacy through the experience of a small non government charitable organisation, the Health Advocates Trust, (HAT) which aimed to provide advocacy services for a wide range of…

KidsCount in Colorado! 2000.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vasquez, Jenifer

This Kids Count report examines statewide and county trends in the well-being of Colorado's children. The statistical portrait is based on 24 indicators of well-being: (1) children receiving AFDC (Aid to Families with Dependent children); (2) children receiving TANF; (3) children qualifying for free lunch; (4) children in out-of-home placements;…

Wyoming Kids Count Factbook, 1997.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wyoming Kids Count, Cheyenne.

This Kids Count factbook details statewide trends in the well-being of Wyoming's children. The 1997 report has been expanded to include detailed information on the status of children by categories of welfare, health, and education. The first part of the factbook documents trends by county for 15 indicators: (1) poverty and population; (2)…

Meal Counting and Claiming Manual.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Food and Nutrition Service (USDA), Washington, DC.

This manual contains information about the selection and implementation of a meal counting and claiming system for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the School Breakfast Program (BSP). Federal reimbursement is provided for each meal that meets program requirements and is served to an eligible student. Part 1 explains the six elements of…

A Unified Approach to Electron Counting in Main-Group Clusters

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGrady, John E.

2004-01-01

A presentation of an extensive review of traditional approaches to teaching electron counting is given. The electron-precise clusters are usually taken as a reference point for rationalizing the structures of their electron-rich counterparts, which are characterized by valence electron counts greater than 5n.

LOW LEVEL COUNTING TECHNIQUES WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO BIOMEDICAL TRACER PROBLEMS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hosain, F.; Nag, B.D.

1959-12-01

Low-level counting techniques in tracer experiments are discussed with emphasis on the measurement of beta and gamma radiations with Geiger and scintillation counting methods. The basic principles of low-level counting are outlined. Screen-wall counters, internal gas counters, low-level beta counters, scintillation spectrometers, liquid scintillators, and big scintillation installations are described. Biomedical tracer investigations are discussed. Applications of low-level techniques in archaeological dating, biology, and other problems are listed. (M.C.G.)

Silicon Quantum Dots with Counted Antimony Donor Implants

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Singh, Meenakshi; Pacheco, Jose L.; Perry, Daniel Lee

2015-10-01

Deterministic control over the location and number of donors is crucial to donor spin quantum bits (qubits) in semiconductor based quantum computing. A focused ion beam is used to implant close to quantum dots. Ion detectors are integrated next to the quantum dots to sense the implants. The numbers of ions implanted can be counted to a precision of a single ion. Regular coulomb blockade is observed from the quantum dots. Charge offsets indicative of donor ionization, are observed in devices with counted implants.

21 CFR 864.8185 - Calibrator for red cell and white cell counting.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... counting is a device that resembles red or white blood cells and that is used to set instruments intended to count red cells, white cells, or both. It is a suspension of particles or cells whose size, shape... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Calibrator for red cell and white cell counting...

21 CFR 864.8185 - Calibrator for red cell and white cell counting.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... counting is a device that resembles red or white blood cells and that is used to set instruments intended to count red cells, white cells, or both. It is a suspension of particles or cells whose size, shape... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Calibrator for red cell and white cell counting...

21 CFR 864.8185 - Calibrator for red cell and white cell counting.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... counting is a device that resembles red or white blood cells and that is used to set instruments intended to count red cells, white cells, or both. It is a suspension of particles or cells whose size, shape... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Calibrator for red cell and white cell counting...

21 CFR 864.8185 - Calibrator for red cell and white cell counting.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... counting is a device that resembles red or white blood cells and that is used to set instruments intended to count red cells, white cells, or both. It is a suspension of particles or cells whose size, shape... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Calibrator for red cell and white cell counting...

21 CFR 864.8185 - Calibrator for red cell and white cell counting.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Calibrator for red cell and white cell counting... Calibrator for red cell and white cell counting. (a) Identification. A calibrator for red cell and white cell counting is a device that resembles red or white blood cells and that is used to set instruments intended...

HgCdTe APD-based linear-mode photon counting components and ladar receivers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jack, Michael; Wehner, Justin; Edwards, John; Chapman, George; Hall, Donald N. B.; Jacobson, Shane M.

2011-05-01

Linear mode photon counting (LMPC) provides significant advantages in comparison with Geiger Mode (GM) Photon Counting including absence of after-pulsing, nanosecond pulse to pulse temporal resolution and robust operation in the present of high density obscurants or variable reflectivity objects. For this reason Raytheon has developed and previously reported on unique linear mode photon counting components and modules based on combining advanced APDs and advanced high gain circuits. By using HgCdTe APDs we enable Poisson number preserving photon counting. A metric of photon counting technology is dark count rate and detection probability. In this paper we report on a performance breakthrough resulting from improvement in design, process and readout operation enabling >10x reduction in dark counts rate to ~10,000 cps and >104x reduction in surface dark current enabling long 10 ms integration times. Our analysis of key dark current contributors suggest that substantial further reduction in DCR to ~ 1/sec or less can be achieved by optimizing wavelength, operating voltage and temperature.

Lymphocyte changes in beta-thalassaemia major.

PubMed Central

Musumeci, S; Schiliro, G; Romeo, M A; Sciotto, A; Rosalba, A; Pizzarelli, G

1979-01-01

Lymphocyte subpopulations were studied in 20 hypertransfused patients with beta-thalassaemia major, some of whom had been splenectomised. B-lymphocytes were normal but T-lymphocytes were decreased in all patients. The T-cell count was lower in the splenectomised patients than in the nonsplenectomised ones. In the former, the active rosette-forming lymphocytes were also diminished, but the difference was not significant. In all patients the percentage of null cells was greater and the activity of K-cells increased compared with controls. PMID:316991

New Jersey Kids Count 2011: The State of Our Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Advocates for Children of New Jersey, 2011

2011-01-01

"New Jersey Kids Count 2011" again documents both advances and setbacks in key areas that affect child well-being--poverty, health, child protection, education, including early learning, and adolescent well-being. To better gauge New Jersey's progress in essential areas, a "New Jersey Kids Count Report Card" that identifies…

Correlation of neutrophil/lymphocyte and platelet/lymphocyte ratio with visual acuity and macular thickness in age-related macular degeneration

PubMed Central

Sengul, Elvan Alper; Artunay, Ozgur; Kockar, Alev; Afacan, Ceyda; Rasier, Rifat; Gun, Palmet; Yalcin, Nazli Gul; Yuzbasioglu, Erdal

2017-01-01

AIM To investigate the place of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) in the diagnosis of and prognosis for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD). METHODS One hundred AMD patients and 100 healthy controls were included in the study. Blood samples were obtained from the venous blood, which is used for routine analysis, and these samples were subjected to complete blood count. NLR was defined as the neutrophil count divided by the number of lymphocytes, and PLR was defined as the platelet count divided by the number of lymphocytes. RESULTS No statistically significant difference was observed between the two groups under consideration in terms of demographic features (P>0.05). The average NLR in the patient group was found to be significantly higher than that in the healthy control group (P<0.05). The average PLR was significantly higher in the patient group as compared to the control group (P<0.05). As best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) increased, both NLR and PLR decreased (significant negative correlations at 49.8% and 63.0%, respectively), whereas as central macular thickness (CMT) increased, both NLR and PLR increased (significant positive correlations at 59.3% and 70.0%, respectively). CONCLUSION NLR and PLR levels are higher among neovascular AMD patients as compared to healthy control group. NLR and PLR levels were found to be inversely proportional to BCVA and directly proportional to CMT. PMID:28546933

Oklahoma Kids Count Factbook, 2002.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ingraham, Sandy

This Kids Count Factbook details county and statewide trends in the well-being of children in Oklahoma. The statistical portrait is based on seven indicators or benchmarks of child well-being: (1) low birthweight infants; (2) infant mortality; (3) births to young teens; (4) child abuse and neglect; (5) child and teen death; (6) high school…

KidsCount in Colorado! 2002.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boeke, Kaye

This Kids Count report examines statewide, countywide, and citywide trends in the well-being of Colorado's children. Following a brief foreword, the report presents state data and city data for 15 major cities in the form of a report card. The report cards relay: demographic data related to number of children by age and race; indicators of child…

Maryland Kids Count Factbook, 2001.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Advocates for Children and Youth, Baltimore, MD.

This 7th annual Kids Count Factbook provides information on trends in the well-being of children in Maryland and its 24 jurisdictions. The statistical portrait is based on 18 indicators of well-being: (1) low birth-weight infants; (2) infant mortality; (3) early prenatal care; (4) binge drinking; (5) child deaths; (6) child injury rate; (7) grade…

Maryland's Kids Count Factbook 1996.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Advocates for Children and Youth, Baltimore, MD.

This Kids Count report details statewide trends in the well-being of Maryland's children. The statistical portrait is based on 14 indicators of child well being: (1) child poverty; (2) child support; (3) births to teens; (4) low birthweight infants; (5) infant mortality; (6) lead screening; (7) child abuse and neglect; (8) child death rate; (9)…

Carbon fiber counting. [aircraft structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pride, R. A.

1980-01-01

A method was developed for characterizing the number and lengths of carbon fibers accidentally released by the burning of composite portions of civil aircraft structure in a jet fuel fire after an accident. Representative samplings of carbon fibers collected on transparent sticky film were counted from photographic enlargements with a computer aided technique which also provided fiber lengths.

KIDS COUNT Data Brief, 2009

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2009

2009-01-01

This 2009 KIDS COUNT Data Brief features highlights of the enhanced, mobile-friendly Data Center; data on the 10 key indicators of child well-being for all U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and many cities, counties, and school districts; and a summary of this year's essay, which calls for improvements to the nation's ability to design and…

Maryland KIDS COUNT Factbook, 1999.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Advocates for Children and Youth, Baltimore, MD.

This Kids Count factbook is the fifth to examine statewide and county trends in the well-being of Maryland's children. The statistical portrait is based on indicators in the domains of economic well-being, good health, safety, and preparing for adulthood. The 16 indicators are: (1) child poverty; (2) child support; (3) births to teens; (4) low…

The Hole-Count Test Revisited: Effects of Test Specimen Thickness

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lyman, C. E.; Ackland, D. W.; Williams, D. B.; Goldstein, J. I.

1989-01-01

For historical reasons the hole count, an important performance test for the Analytical Electron Microscope (AEM), is somewhat arbitrary yielding different numbers for different investigators. This was not a problem a decade ago when AEM specimens were often bathed with large fluxes of stray electrons and hard x rays. At that time the presence or absence of a thick Pt second condenser (C2) aperture could be detected by a simple comparison of the x-ray spectrum taken 'somewhere in the hole' with a spectrum collected on a 'typical thickness' of Mo or Ag foil. A high hole count of about 10-20% indicated that the electron column needed modifications; whereas a hole count of 1-2% was accepted for most AEM work. The absolute level of the hole count is a function of test specimen atomic number, overall specimen shape, and thin-foil thickness. In order that equivalent results may be obtained for any AEM in any laboratory in the world, this test must become standardized. The hole-count test we seek must be as simpl and as nonsubjective as the graphite 0.344nm lattice-line-resolution test. This lattice-resolution test spurred manufacturers to improve the image resolution of the TEM significantly in the 1970s and led to the even more stringent resolution tests of today. A similar phenomenon for AEM instruments would be welcome. The hole-count test can also indicate whether the spurious x-ray signal is generated by high-energy continuum x rays (bremsstrahlung) generated in the electron column (high K-line to L-line ratio) or uncollimated electrons passing through or around the C2 aperture (low K/L ratio).

Graded versus Intermittent Exercise Effects on Lymphocytes in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

PubMed

Broadbent, Suzanne; Coutts, Rosanne

2016-09-01

There is increasing evidence of immune system dysfunction in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), but little is known of the regular exercise effects on immune cell parameters. This pilot study investigated the effects of graded and intermittent exercise on CD4 lymphocyte subset counts and activation compared with usual care. Twenty-four CFS patients (50.2 ± 10 yr) were randomized to graded exercise (GE), intermittent exercise (IE), or usual care (UC) groups; 18 sedentary non-CFS participants (50.6 ± 10 yr) were controls (CTL) for blood and immunological comparisons. Outcome measures were pre- and postintervention flow cytometric analyses of circulating lymphocyte subset cell counts; expression of CD3, CD4, CD25, and CD134; full blood counts; and V˙O2peak. Preintervention, CD3 cell counts, and expression of CD4, CD25, CD134, and CD4CD25CD134 were significantly lower in GE, IE, and UC compared with CTL (P < 0.05). Total lymphocyte concentration was significantly lower in GE and IE groups compared with CTL. There were significant postintervention increases in i) expression of CD4 and CD4CD25CD134 for GE and IE, but CD25 and CD134 for IE only; ii) circulating counts of CD3 and CD4 for GE, and CD3, CD4, CD8, CD3CD4CD8, CD3CD16CD56, CD19, and CD45 for IE; iii) neutrophil concentration for GE; and iv) V˙O2peak and elapsed test time for IE and GE, V˙Epeak for IE. Twelve weeks of GE and IE training significantly improved CD4 lymphocyte activation and aerobic capacity without exacerbating CFS symptoms. IE may be a more effective exercise modality with regard to enhanced CD4 activation in CFS patients.

Deep 3 GHz number counts from a P(D) fluctuation analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vernstrom, T.; Scott, Douglas; Wall, J. V.; Condon, J. J.; Cotton, W. D.; Fomalont, E. B.; Kellermann, K. I.; Miller, N.; Perley, R. A.

2014-05-01

Radio source counts constrain galaxy populations and evolution, as well as the global star formation history. However, there is considerable disagreement among the published 1.4-GHz source counts below 100 μJy. Here, we present a statistical method for estimating the μJy and even sub-μJy source count using new deep wide-band 3-GHz data in the Lockman Hole from the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array. We analysed the confusion amplitude distribution P(D), which provides a fresh approach in the form of a more robust model, with a comprehensive error analysis. We tested this method on a large-scale simulation, incorporating clustering and finite source sizes. We discuss in detail our statistical methods for fitting using Markov chain Monte Carlo, handling correlations, and systematic errors from the use of wide-band radio interferometric data. We demonstrated that the source count can be constrained down to 50 nJy, a factor of 20 below the rms confusion. We found the differential source count near 10 μJy to have a slope of -1.7, decreasing to about -1.4 at fainter flux densities. At 3 GHz, the rms confusion in an 8-arcsec full width at half-maximum beam is ˜ 1.2 μJy beam-1, and a radio background temperature ˜14 mK. Our counts are broadly consistent with published evolutionary models. With these results, we were also able to constrain the peak of the Euclidean normalized differential source count of any possible new radio populations that would contribute to the cosmic radio background down to 50 nJy.

Considerations for monitoring raptor population trends based on counts of migrants

USGS Publications Warehouse

Titus, K.; Fuller, M.R.; Ruos, J.L.; Meyburg, B-U.; Chancellor, R.D.

1989-01-01

Various problems were identified with standardized hawk count data as annually collected at six sites. Some of the hawk lookouts increased their hours of observation from 1979-1985, thereby confounding the total counts. Data recording and missing data hamper coding of data and their use with modern analytical techniques. Coefficients of variation among years in counts averaged about 40%. The advantages and disadvantages of various analytical techniques are discussed including regression, non-parametric rank correlation trend analysis, and moving averages.

Probabilistic techniques for obtaining accurate patient counts in Clinical Data Warehouses

PubMed Central

Myers, Risa B.; Herskovic, Jorge R.

2011-01-01

Proposal and execution of clinical trials, computation of quality measures and discovery of correlation between medical phenomena are all applications where an accurate count of patients is needed. However, existing sources of this type of patient information, including Clinical Data Warehouses (CDW) may be incomplete or inaccurate. This research explores applying probabilistic techniques, supported by the MayBMS probabilistic database, to obtain accurate patient counts from a clinical data warehouse containing synthetic patient data. We present a synthetic clinical data warehouse (CDW), and populate it with simulated data using a custom patient data generation engine. We then implement, evaluate and compare different techniques for obtaining patients counts. We model billing as a test for the presence of a condition. We compute billing’s sensitivity and specificity both by conducting a “Simulated Expert Review” where a representative sample of records are reviewed and labeled by experts, and by obtaining the ground truth for every record. We compute the posterior probability of a patient having a condition through a “Bayesian Chain”, using Bayes’ Theorem to calculate the probability of a patient having a condition after each visit. The second method is a “one-shot” approach that computes the probability of a patient having a condition based on whether the patient is ever billed for the condition Our results demonstrate the utility of probabilistic approaches, which improve on the accuracy of raw counts. In particular, the simulated review paired with a single application of Bayes’ Theorem produces the best results, with an average error rate of 2.1% compared to 43.7% for the straightforward billing counts. Overall, this research demonstrates that Bayesian probabilistic approaches improve patient counts on simulated patient populations. We believe that total patient counts based on billing data are one of the many possible applications of our

Circulating lymphocyte levels and relationship with infection status in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis treated with daclizumab beta.

PubMed

Giovannoni, Gavin; Wiendl, Heinz; Turner, Benjamin; Umans, Kimberly; Mokliatchouk, Oksana; Castro-Borrero, Wanda; Greenberg, Steven J; McCroskery, Peter; Giannattasio, Giorgio

2017-09-01

Reversible lymphocyte count reductions have occurred following daclizumab beta treatment for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. To analyse total and differential lymphocyte levels and relationship with infection status. In DECIDE, blood samples were collected at 12-week intervals from daclizumab beta- ( n = 919) or intramuscular interferon beta-1a-treated ( n = 922) patients. Infections/serious infections were assessed proximate to grade 2/3 lymphopenia or low CD4 + /CD8 + T-cell counts. Total safety population (TSP) data were additionally analysed from the entire clinical development programme ( n = 2236). Over 96 weeks in DECIDE, mean absolute lymphocyte count (ALC), CD4 + and CD8 + T-cell counts decreased <10% (7.1% vs 1.6%, 9.7% vs 2.0%, 9.3% vs 5.9%: daclizumab beta vs interferon beta-1a, respectively); shifts to ALC below lower limit of normal occurred in 13% versus 15%, respectively. Grade 3 lymphopenia was uncommon (TSP: <1%) and transient. Lymphocyte changes generally occurred within 24 weeks after treatment initiation and were reversible within 12 weeks of discontinuation. In DECIDE, mean CD4 + /CD8 + T-cell counts were similar regardless of infection status. TSP data were consistent with DECIDE. When observed, ALC and CD4 + /CD8 + T-cell count decreases in daclizumab beta-treated patients were generally mild-to-modest, reversible upon treatment discontinuation and not associated with increased risk of infections, including opportunistic infections.

Red Blood Cell Count Automation Using Microscopic Hyperspectral Imaging Technology.

PubMed

Li, Qingli; Zhou, Mei; Liu, Hongying; Wang, Yiting; Guo, Fangmin

2015-12-01

Red blood cell counts have been proven to be one of the most frequently performed blood tests and are valuable for early diagnosis of some diseases. This paper describes an automated red blood cell counting method based on microscopic hyperspectral imaging technology. Unlike the light microscopy-based red blood count methods, a combined spatial and spectral algorithm is proposed to identify red blood cells by integrating active contour models and automated two-dimensional k-means with spectral angle mapper algorithm. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm has better performance than spatial based algorithm because the new algorithm can jointly use the spatial and spectral information of blood cells.

How to normalize metatranscriptomic count data for differential expression analysis.

PubMed

Klingenberg, Heiner; Meinicke, Peter

2017-01-01

Differential expression analysis on the basis of RNA-Seq count data has become a standard tool in transcriptomics. Several studies have shown that prior normalization of the data is crucial for a reliable detection of transcriptional differences. Until now it has not been clear whether and how the transcriptomic approach can be used for differential expression analysis in metatranscriptomics. We propose a model for differential expression in metatranscriptomics that explicitly accounts for variations in the taxonomic composition of transcripts across different samples. As a main consequence the correct normalization of metatranscriptomic count data under this model requires the taxonomic separation of the data into organism-specific bins. Then the taxon-specific scaling of organism profiles yields a valid normalization and allows us to recombine the scaled profiles into a metatranscriptomic count matrix. This matrix can then be analyzed with statistical tools for transcriptomic count data. For taxon-specific scaling and recombination of scaled counts we provide a simple R script. When applying transcriptomic tools for differential expression analysis directly to metatranscriptomic data with an organism-independent (global) scaling of counts the resulting differences may be difficult to interpret. The differences may correspond to changing functional profiles of the contributing organisms but may also result from a variation of taxonomic abundances. Taxon-specific scaling eliminates this variation and therefore the resulting differences actually reflect a different behavior of organisms under changing conditions. In simulation studies we show that the divergence between results from global and taxon-specific scaling can be drastic. In particular, the variation of organism abundances can imply a considerable increase of significant differences with global scaling. Also, on real metatranscriptomic data, the predictions from taxon-specific and global scaling can differ

Better Than Counting: Density Profiles from Force Sampling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de las Heras, Daniel; Schmidt, Matthias

2018-05-01

Calculating one-body density profiles in equilibrium via particle-based simulation methods involves counting of events of particle occurrences at (histogram-resolved) space points. Here, we investigate an alternative method based on a histogram of the local force density. Via an exact sum rule, the density profile is obtained with a simple spatial integration. The method circumvents the inherent ideal gas fluctuations. We have tested the method in Monte Carlo, Brownian dynamics, and molecular dynamics simulations. The results carry a statistical uncertainty smaller than that of the standard counting method, reducing therefore the computation time.

Automatic counting and classification of bacterial colonies using hyperspectral imaging

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Detection and counting of bacterial colonies on agar plates is a routine microbiology practice to get a rough estimate of the number of viable cells in a sample. There have been a variety of different automatic colony counting systems and software algorithms mainly based on color or gray-scale pictu...

Internalization of Character Traits by Those Who Teach Character Counts!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harms, Kristyn; Fritz, Susan

2001-01-01

Cooperative extension personnel (n=53) completed a Web-based survey analyzing the impact of the Character Counts! program on extension, their personal lives, and society. Results demonstrated that extension educators and assistants were more likely to make ethical decisions as a result of teaching Character Counts! The need for increased…

Fingerprint Ridge Count: A Polygenic Trait Useful in Classroom Instruction.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mendenhall, Gordon; And Others

1989-01-01

Describes the use of the polygenic trait of total fingerprint ridge count in the classroom as a laboratory investigation. Presents information on background of topic, fingerprint patterns which are classified into three major groups, ridge count, the inheritance model, and activities. Includes an example data sheet format for fingerprints. (RT)

A quantile count model of water depth constraints on Cape Sable seaside sparrows

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cade, B.S.; Dong, Q.

2008-01-01

1. A quantile regression model for counts of breeding Cape Sable seaside sparrows Ammodramus maritimus mirabilis (L.) as a function of water depth and previous year abundance was developed based on extensive surveys, 1992-2005, in the Florida Everglades. The quantile count model extends linear quantile regression methods to discrete response variables, providing a flexible alternative to discrete parametric distributional models, e.g. Poisson, negative binomial and their zero-inflated counterparts. 2. Estimates from our multiplicative model demonstrated that negative effects of increasing water depth in breeding habitat on sparrow numbers were dependent on recent occupation history. Upper 10th percentiles of counts (one to three sparrows) decreased with increasing water depth from 0 to 30 cm when sites were not occupied in previous years. However, upper 40th percentiles of counts (one to six sparrows) decreased with increasing water depth for sites occupied in previous years. 3. Greatest decreases (-50% to -83%) in upper quantiles of sparrow counts occurred as water depths increased from 0 to 15 cm when previous year counts were 1, but a small proportion of sites (5-10%) held at least one sparrow even as water depths increased to 20 or 30 cm. 4. A zero-inflated Poisson regression model provided estimates of conditional means that also decreased with increasing water depth but rates of change were lower and decreased with increasing previous year counts compared to the quantile count model. Quantiles computed for the zero-inflated Poisson model enhanced interpretation of this model but had greater lack-of-fit for water depths > 0 cm and previous year counts 1, conditions where the negative effect of water depths were readily apparent and fitted better with the quantile count model.

Photon-Counting Kinetic Inductance Detectors for the Origins Space Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noroozian, Omid

We propose to develop photon-counting Kinetic Inductance Detectors (KIDs) for the Origins Space Telescope (OST) and any predecessor missions, with the goal of producing background-limited photon-counting sensitivity, and with a preliminary technology demonstration in time to inform the Decadal Survey planning process. The OST, a midto far- infrared observatory concept, is being developed as a major NASA mission to be considered by the next Decadal Survey with support from NASA Headquarters. The objective of such a facility is to allow rapid spectroscopic surveys of the high redshift universe at 420-800 μm, using arrays of integrated spectrometers with moderate resolutions (R=λ/Δλ 1000), to create a powerful new data set for exploring galaxy evolution and the growth of structure in the Universe. A second objective of OST is to perform higher resolution (R 10,000-100,000) spectroscopic surveys at 20-300 µm, a uniquely powerful tool for exploring the evolution of protoplanetary disks into fledgling solar systems. Finally the OST aims to obtain sensitive mid-infrared (5-40 µm) spectroscopy of thermal emission from rocky planets in the habitable zone using the transit method. These OST science objectives are very exciting and represent a wellorganized community agreement. However, they are all impossible to reach without new detector technology, and the OST can’t be recommended or approved if suitable detectors do not exist. In all of the above instrument concepts, photon-counting direct detectors are mission-enabling and essential for reaching the sensitivity permitted by the cryogenic Origins Space Telescope and the performance required for its important science programs. Our group has developed an innovative design for an optically-coupled KID that can reach the photon-counting sensitivity required by the ambitious science goals of the OST mission. A KID is a planar microwave resonator patterned from a superconducting thin film, which

A system for counting fetal and maternal red blood cells.

PubMed

Ge, Ji; Gong, Zheng; Chen, Jun; Liu, Jun; Nguyen, John; Yang, Zongyi; Wang, Chen; Sun, Yu

2014-12-01

The Kleihauer-Betke (KB) test is the standard method for quantitating fetal-maternal hemorrhage in maternal care. In hospitals, the KB test is performed by a certified technologist to count a minimum of 2000 fetal and maternal red blood cells (RBCs) on a blood smear. Manual counting suffers from inherent inconsistency and unreliability. This paper describes a system for automated counting and distinguishing fetal and maternal RBCs on clinical KB slides. A custom-adapted hardware platform is used for KB slide scanning and image capturing. Spatial-color pixel classification with spectral clustering is proposed to separate overlapping cells. Optimal clustering number and total cell number are obtained through maximizing cluster validity index. To accurately identify fetal RBCs from maternal RBCs, multiple features including cell size, roundness, gradient, and saturation difference between cell and whole slide are used in supervised learning to generate feature vectors, to tackle cell color, shape, and contrast variations across clinical KB slides. The results show that the automated system is capable of completing the counting of over 60,000 cells (versus ∼2000 by technologists) within 5 min (versus ∼15 min by technologists). The throughput is improved by approximately 90 times compared to manual reading by technologists. The counting results are highly accurate and correlate strongly with those from benchmarking flow cytometry measurement.

A conceptual guide to detection probability for point counts and other count-based survey methods

Treesearch

D. Archibald McCallum

2005-01-01

Accurate and precise estimates of numbers of animals are vitally needed both to assess population status and to evaluate management decisions. Various methods exist for counting birds, but most of those used with territorial landbirds yield only indices, not true estimates of population size. The need for valid density estimates has spawned a number of models for...