Effect of sample moisture content on XRD-estimated cellulose crystallinity index and crystallite size

Treesearch

Umesh P. Agarwal; Sally A. Ralph; Carlos Baez; Richard S. Reiner; Steve P. Verrill

2017-01-01

Although X-ray diffraction (XRD) has been the most widely used technique to investigate crystallinity index (CrI) and crystallite size (L200) of cellulose materials, there are not many studies that have taken into account the role of sample moisture on these measurements. The present investigation focuses on a variety of celluloses and cellulose...

Immobilization thresholds of electrofishing relative to fish size

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dolan, C.R.; Miranda, L.E.

2003-01-01

Fish size and electrical waveforms have frequently been associated with variation in electrofishing effectiveness. Under controlled laboratory conditions, we measured the electrical power required by five electrical waveforms to immobilize eight fish species of diverse sizes and shapes. Fish size was indexed by total body length, surface area, volume, and weight; shape was indexed by the ratio of body length to body depth. Our objectives were to identify immobilization thresholds, elucidate the descriptors of fish size that were best associated with those immobilization thresholds, and determine whether the vulnerability of a species relative to other species remained constant across electrical treatments. The results confirmed that fish size is a key variable controlling the immobilization threshold and further suggested that the size descriptor best related to immobilization is fish volume. The peak power needed to immobilize fish decreased rapidly with increasing fish volume in small fish but decreased slowly for fish larger than 75-100 cm 3. Furthermore, when we controlled for size and shape, different waveforms did not favor particular species, possibly because of the overwhelming effect of body size. Many of the immobilization inconsistencies previously attributed to species might simply represent the effect of disparities in body size.

Using the index of biotic integrity (IBI) to measure environmental quality in warmwater streams of Wisconsin.

Treesearch

John Lyons

1992-01-01

Describes an index based on attributes of fish assemblages that has proven effective in assessing biotic integrity and environmental health in intermediate-sized, warmwater (i.e., too warm for salmonids) streams and rivers of Wisconsin. Provides detailed guidelines for applying this index.

Remote sensing of environmental particulate pollutants - Optical methods for determinations of size distribution and complex refractive index

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fymat, A. L.

1978-01-01

A unifying approach, based on a generalization of Pearson's differential equation of statistical theory, is proposed for both the representation of particulate size distribution and the interpretation of radiometric measurements in terms of this parameter. A single-parameter gamma-type distribution is introduced, and it is shown that inversion can only provide the dimensionless parameter, r/ab (where r = particle radius, a = effective radius, b = effective variance), at least when the distribution vanishes at both ends. The basic inversion problem in reconstructing the particle size distribution is analyzed, and the existing methods are reviewed (with emphasis on their capabilities) and classified. A two-step strategy is proposed for simultaneously determining the complex refractive index and reconstructing the size distribution of atmospheric particulates.

Finite-size effect and the components of multifractality in transport economics volatility based on multifractal detrending moving average method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Feier; Tian, Kang; Ding, Xiaoxu; Miao, Yuqi; Lu, Chunxia

2016-11-01

Analysis of freight rate volatility characteristics attracts more attention after year 2008 due to the effect of credit crunch and slowdown in marine transportation. The multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis technique is employed to analyze the time series of Baltic Dry Bulk Freight Rate Index and the market trend of two bulk ship sizes, namely Capesize and Panamax for the period: March 1st 1999-February 26th 2015. In this paper, the degree of the multifractality with different fluctuation sizes is calculated. Besides, multifractal detrending moving average (MF-DMA) counting technique has been developed to quantify the components of multifractal spectrum with the finite-size effect taken into consideration. Numerical results show that both Capesize and Panamax freight rate index time series are of multifractal nature. The origin of multifractality for the bulk freight rate market series is found mostly due to nonlinear correlation.

Patient- and cohort-specific dose and risk estimation for abdominopelvic CT: a study based on 100 patients

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tian, Xiaoyu; Li, Xiang; Segars, W. Paul; Frush, Donald P.; Samei, Ehsan

2012-03-01

The purpose of this work was twofold: (a) to estimate patient- and cohort-specific radiation dose and cancer risk index for abdominopelvic computer tomography (CT) scans; (b) to evaluate the effects of patient anatomical characteristics (size, age, and gender) and CT scanner model on dose and risk conversion coefficients. The study included 100 patient models (42 pediatric models, 58 adult models) and multi-detector array CT scanners from two commercial manufacturers (LightSpeed VCT, GE Healthcare; SOMATOM Definition Flash, Siemens Healthcare). A previously-validated Monte Carlo program was used to simulate organ dose for each patient model and each scanner, from which DLP-normalized-effective dose (k factor) and DLP-normalized-risk index values (q factor) were derived. The k factor showed exponential decrease with increasing patient size. For a given gender, q factor showed exponential decrease with both increasing patient size and patient age. The discrepancies in k and q factors across scanners were on average 8% and 15%, respectively. This study demonstrates the feasibility of estimating patient-specific organ dose and cohort-specific effective dose and risk index in abdominopelvic CT requiring only the knowledge of patient size, gender, and age.

SUMMARY OF PROGRESS ON THE STUDY OF BETA TREATMENT OF URANIUM, NOVEMBER 1, 1959-AUGUST 31, 1960

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

Russell, R.B.

Variables affecting the texture and grain size of uranium during beta treatment are summarized. The study of the effect of time and temperature in the beta phase on the growth index (G3) and grain size of the final alpha product is tentatively believed to show that higher beta temperatures for short times (up to about seven minutes) tend to promote slightly more negative growth indices and that higher beta temperatures give rise to somewhat finer grain sizes. Results of studies of both Jominy end-quenched bars and several full-sized rods and tubes quenched by total immersion showed that large thermal gradientsmore » promoted negative growth indices and produced grains somewhat elongated in the direction of the thermal gradient. The effects of endcooling in full-sized pieces quenched by total immersion in cold water showed that the axial growth index is negative up to distances from the end of about half the wall thickness of tubes and about half the radial dimension of rods. The grain refinement penetrates to a lesser distance from the ends. In the radial direction the growth index for these same pieces is largely negative to a distance below the outer diameter of about midwall in two tubes studied. In the case of one tube which was studied more completely, the growth index became negative again as the inner diameter was approached. A water-quenched rod was found to have a negative growth index down to a distance from the surface of about midradius. (auth)« less

[Applicability of traditional landscape metrics in evaluating urban heat island effect].

PubMed

Chen, Ai-Lian; Sun, Ran-Hao; Chen, Li-Ding

2012-08-01

By using 24 landscape metrics, this paper evaluated the urban heat island effect in parts of Beijing downtown area. QuickBird (QB) images were used to extract the landscape type information, and the thermal bands from Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) images were used to extract the land surface temperature (LST) in four seasons of the same year. The 24 landscape pattern metrics were calculated at landscape and class levels in a fixed window with 120 mx 120 m in size, with the applicability of these traditional landscape metrics in evaluating the urban heat island effect examined. Among the 24 landscape metrics, only the percentage composition of landscape (PLAND), patch density (PD), largest patch index (LPI), coefficient of Euclidean nearest-neighbor distance variance (ENN_CV), and landscape division index (DIVISION) at landscape level were significantly correlated with the LST in March, May, and November, and the PLAND, LPI, DIVISION, percentage of like adjacencies, and interspersion and juxtaposition index at class level showed significant correlations with the LST in March, May, July, and December, especially in July. Some metrics such as PD, edge density, clumpiness index, patch cohesion index, effective mesh size, splitting index, aggregation index, and normalized landscape shape index showed varying correlations with the LST at different class levels. The traditional landscape metrics could not be appropriate in evaluating the effects of river on LST, while some of the metrics could be useful in characterizing urban LST and analyzing the urban heat island effect, but screening and examining should be made on the metrics.

Toward customer-centric organizational science: A common language effect size indicator for multiple linear regressions and regressions with higher-order terms.

PubMed

Krasikova, Dina V; Le, Huy; Bachura, Eric

2018-06-01

To address a long-standing concern regarding a gap between organizational science and practice, scholars called for more intuitive and meaningful ways of communicating research results to users of academic research. In this article, we develop a common language effect size index (CLβ) that can help translate research results to practice. We demonstrate how CLβ can be computed and used to interpret the effects of continuous and categorical predictors in multiple linear regression models. We also elaborate on how the proposed CLβ index is computed and used to interpret interactions and nonlinear effects in regression models. In addition, we test the robustness of the proposed index to violations of normality and provide means for computing standard errors and constructing confidence intervals around its estimates. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Effect Sizes in Cluster-Randomized Designs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hedges, Larry V.

2007-01-01

Multisite research designs involving cluster randomization are becoming increasingly important in educational and behavioral research. Researchers would like to compute effect size indexes based on the standardized mean difference to compare the results of cluster-randomized studies (and corresponding quasi-experiments) with other studies and to…

Refractive index of colloidal dispersions of spheroidal particles

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

Meeten, G.H.

1980-09-01

The effect of particle shape on the refractive index of a colloidal dispersion of spheroidal particles is investigated theoretically, using the Rayleigh, Rayleigh- Gans-Debye, and the anomalous diffraction light-scattering approximations. It is shown that departure from particle sphericity modify the dispersion refractive index, both size and shape being of importance.

Cognitive-behavioral high parental involvement treatments for pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder: A meta-analysis.

PubMed

Iniesta-Sepúlveda, Marina; Rosa-Alcázar, Ana I; Sánchez-Meca, Julio; Parada-Navas, José L; Rosa-Alcázar, Ángel

2017-06-01

A meta-analysis on the efficacy of cognitive-behavior-family treatment (CBFT) on children and adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) was accomplished. The purposes of the study were: (a) to estimate the effect magnitude of CBFT in ameliorating obsessive-compulsive symptoms and reducing family accommodation on pediatric OCD and (b) to identify potential moderator variables of the effect sizes. A literature search enabled us to identify 27 studies that fulfilled our selection criteria. The effect size index was the standardized pretest-postest mean change index. For obsessive-compulsive symptoms, the adjusted mean effect size for CBFT was clinically relevant and statistically significant in the posttest (d adj =1.464). For family accommodation the adjusted mean effect size was also positive and statistically significant, but in a lesser extent than for obsessive-compulsive symptoms (d adj =0.511). Publication bias was discarded as a threat against the validity of the meta-analytic results. Large heterogeneity among effect sizes was found. Better results were found when CBFT was individually applied than in group (d + =2.429 and 1.409, respectively). CBFT is effective to reduce obsessive-compulsive symptoms, but offers a limited effect for family accommodation. Additional modules must be included in CBFT to improve its effectiveness on family accommodation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect Sizes in Three-Level Cluster-Randomized Experiments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hedges, Larry V.

2011-01-01

Research designs involving cluster randomization are becoming increasingly important in educational and behavioral research. Many of these designs involve two levels of clustering or nesting (students within classes and classes within schools). Researchers would like to compute effect size indexes based on the standardized mean difference to…

Effect of macronutrients and fiber on postprandial glycemic responses and meal glycemic index and glycemic load value determinations

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Introduction: Meal or dietary glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) values from dietary questionnaires are calculated using GI values of individual foods and for GL after adjusting for serving size. Partially unaddressed is the potential confounding effect of different amounts and proportions o...

Real-time particle size analysis using focused beam reflectance measurement as a process analytical technology tool for a continuous granulation-drying-milling process.

PubMed

Kumar, Vijay; Taylor, Michael K; Mehrotra, Amit; Stagner, William C

2013-06-01

Focused beam reflectance measurement (FBRM) was used as a process analytical technology tool to perform inline real-time particle size analysis of a proprietary granulation manufactured using a continuous twin-screw granulation-drying-milling process. A significant relationship between D20, D50, and D80 length-weighted chord length and sieve particle size was observed with a p value of <0.0001 and R(2) of 0.886. A central composite response surface statistical design was used to evaluate the effect of granulator screw speed and Comil® impeller speed on the length-weighted chord length distribution (CLD) and particle size distribution (PSD) determined by FBRM and nested sieve analysis, respectively. The effect of granulator speed and mill speed on bulk density, tapped density, Compressibility Index, and Flowability Index were also investigated. An inline FBRM probe placed below the Comil-generated chord lengths and CLD data at designated times. The collection of the milled samples for sieve analysis and PSD evaluation were coordinated with the timing of the FBRM determinations. Both FBRM and sieve analysis resulted in similar bimodal distributions for all ten manufactured batches studied. Within the experimental space studied, the granulator screw speed (650-850 rpm) and Comil® impeller speed (1,000-2,000 rpm) did not have a significant effect on CLD, PSD, bulk density, tapped density, Compressibility Index, and Flowability Index (p value > 0.05).

Propagation of Ince-Gaussian beams in uniaxial crystals orthogonal to the optical axis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Y. Q.; Zhou, G. Q.

2012-03-01

An analytical propagation expression of an Ince-Gaussian beam in uniaxial crystals orthogonal to the optical axis is derived. The uniaxial crystal considered here has the property of the extraordinary refractive index being larger than the ordinary refractive index. The Ince-Gaussian beam in the transversal direction along the optical axis spreads more rapidly than that in the other transversal direction. With increasing the ratio of the extraordinary refractive index to the ordinary refractive index, the spreading of the Ince-Gaussian beam in the transversal direction along the optical axis increases and the spreading of the Ince-Gaussian beam in the other transversal direction decreases. The effective beam size in the transversal direction along the optical axis is always larger than that in the other transversal direction. When the even and odd modes of Ince-Gaussian beams exist simultaneously, the effective beam size in the direction along the optical axis of the odd Ince-Gaussian beam is smaller than that of the even Ince-Gaussian beam in the corresponding direction, and the effective beam size in the transversal direction orthogonal to the optical axis of the odd Ince-Gaussian beam is larger than that of the even Ince-Gaussian beam in the corresponding direction.

A new analysis of heart rate variability in the assessment of fetal parasympathetic activity: An experimental study in a fetal sheep model.

PubMed

Garabedian, C; Champion, C; Servan-Schreiber, E; Butruille, L; Aubry, E; Sharma, D; Logier, R; Deruelle, P; Storme, L; Houfflin-Debarge, V; De Jonckheere, J

2017-01-01

Analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) is a recognized tool in the assessment of autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity. Indeed, both time and spectral analysis techniques enable us to obtain indexes that are related to the way the ANS regulates the heart rate. However, these techniques are limited in terms of the lack of thresholds of the numerical indexes, which is primarily due to high inter-subject variability. We proposed a new fetal HRV analysis method related to the parasympathetic activity of the ANS. The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of our method compared to commonly used HRV analysis, with regard to i) the ability to detect changes in ANS activity and ii) inter-subject variability. This study was performed in seven sheep fetuses. In order to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of our index in evaluating parasympathetic activity, we directly administered 2.5 mg intravenous atropine, to inhibit parasympathetic tone, and 5 mg propranolol to block sympathetic activity. Our index, as well as time analysis (root mean square of the successive differences; RMSSD) and spectral analysis (high frequency (HF) and low frequency (LF) spectral components obtained via fast Fourier transform), were measured before and after injection. Inter-subject variability was estimated by the coefficient of variance (%CV). In order to evaluate the ability of HRV parameters to detect fetal parasympathetic decrease, we also estimated the effect size for each HRV parameter before and after injections. As expected, our index, the HF spectral component, and the RMSSD were reduced after the atropine injection. Moreover, our index presented a higher effect size. The %CV was far lower for our index than for RMSSD, HF, and LF. Although LF decreased after propranolol administration, fetal stress index, RMSSD, and HF were not significantly different, confirming the fact that those indexes are specific to the parasympathetic nervous system. In conclusion, our method appeared to be effective in detecting parasympathetic inhibition. Moreover, inter-subject variability was much lower, and effect size higher, with our method compared to other HRV analysis methods.

Linear and Nonlinear Optical Properties of Spherical Quantum Dots: Effects of Hydrogenic Impurity and Conduction Band Non-Parabolicity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rezaei, G.; Vaseghi, B.; Doostimotlagh, N. A.

2012-03-01

Simultaneous effects of an on-center hydrogenic impurity and band edge non-parabolicity on intersubband optical absorption coefficients and refractive index changes of a typical GaAs/AlxGa1-x As spherical quantum dot are theoretically investigated, using the Luttinger—Kohn effective mass equation. So, electronic structure and optical properties of the system are studied by means of the matrix diagonalization technique and compact density matrix approach, respectively. Finally, effects of an impurity, band edge non-parabolicity, incident light intensity and the dot size on the linear, the third-order nonlinear and the total optical absorption coefficients and refractive index changes are investigated. Our results indicate that, the magnitudes of these optical quantities increase and their peaks shift to higher energies as the influences of the impurity and the band edge non-parabolicity are considered. Moreover, incident light intensity and the dot size have considerable effects on the optical absorption coefficients and refractive index changes.

Manipulating the transmission through valve structure composed of zero-index metamaterial

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yongxing; Sun, Zhouzhou; Xu, Ping

2017-11-01

We propose a valve structure composed of zero-index metamaterial to manipulate the electromagnetic wave conveniently and effectively through regulating the phase of reflected waves. Both the structure and characteristics of zero-index metamaterial need not to be changed when manipulating the transmission, which maintains the stability of zero-index metamaterial. Moreover, the good performance of tuning the electromagnetic wave is not limited by the shape and size of our proposed structure. By using our proposed valve structure, we demonstrate the realization of the tunable curved anisotropic ɛ-near-zero material waveguide with irregular shape, arbitrarily sized isotropic ɛ-near-zero material waveguide with high transmittance and the curved isotropic impedance matched ɛ-near-zero material waveguide without polarization limitations.

Does oral polio vaccine at birth affect the size of the thymus? Observations within a randomized trial.

PubMed

Eriksen, Helle Brander; Lund, Najaaraq; Biering-Sørensen, Sofie; Correia, Cizete; Barbosa, Amarildo; Andersen, Andreas; Aaby, Peter; Jeppesen, Dorthe L; Benn, Christine Stabell

2014-05-30

There is increasing evidence that vaccines have an effect on general mortality which goes beyond specific disease protection. Oral polio vaccine (OPV) is widely used in low-income countries, but in observational studies in Guinea-Bissau we observed that not receiving OPV at birth was associated with reduced overall male infant mortality and enhanced immune response to BCG vaccine. We therefore initiated a randomized trial to test the overall effect of OPV at birth (OPV0). A small thymic gland is a predictor of mortality in high-mortality settings. Within the trial we aimed to test whether no-OPV0 was associated with increased thymic size. In 511 normal birth weight infants who were randomized to receive or not receive OPV0, thymic index and thymus/weight index were measured before randomization and after 2 weeks (N=49), 4 weeks (N=308) or 6 weeks (N=27). The association between OPV0 and the log transformed thymic size indicators were analyzed in ANCOVA models with thymic size at follow-up as the outcome and adjusting for thymic size at enrollment and age at follow-up. Estimates were reported as geometric mean ratios (GMR) with 95% confidence intervals, comparing no-OPV0 to OPV0. No-OPV0 was not associated with thymic index after 2 weeks (GMR: 1.14 (0.99-1.30)), after 4 weeks (GMR: 0.98 (0.93-1.05)) or after 6 weeks (GMR: 1.00 (0.81-1.23)). However, no-OPV0 was associated with increased thymus/weight index after 2 weeks (GMR: 1.22 (1.06-1.40)), but the effect was not seen after 4 weeks (GMR: 0.97 (0.92-1.03)) and 6 weeks (GMR: 0.99 (0.82-1.19)). There were no strong sex-differences. Overall there was no effect on thymic size of OPV0 when administered with BCG. The results could indicate that if an effect occurs, it is only within the first weeks after vaccination. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Retrieving the Vertical Structure of the Effective Aerosol Complex Index of Refraction from a Combination of Aerosol in Situ and Remote Sensing Measurements During TARFOX

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Redemann, J.; Turco, R. P.; Liou, K. N.; Russell, P. B.; Bergstrom, R. W.; Schmid, B.; Livingston, J. M.; Hobbs, P. V.; Hartley, W. S.; Ismail, S.

2000-01-01

The largest uncertainty in estimates of the effects of atmospheric aerosols on climate stems from uncertainties in the determination of their microphysical properties, including the aerosol complex index of refraction, which in turn determines their optical properties. A novel technique is used to estimate the aerosol complex index of refraction in distinct vertical layers from a combination of aerosol in situ size distribution and remote sensing measurements during the Tropospheric Aerosol Radiative Forcing Observational Experiment (TARFOX). In particular, aerosol backscatter measurements using the NASA Langley LASE (Lidar Atmospheric Sensing Experiment) instrument and in situ aerosol size distribution data are utilized to derive vertical profiles of the 'effective' aerosol complex index of refraction at 815 nm (i.e., the refractive index that would provide the same backscatter signal in a forward calculation on the basis of the measured in situ particle size distributions for homogeneous, spherical aerosols). A sensitivity study shows that this method yields small errors in the retrieved aerosol refractive indices, provided the errors in the lidar derived aerosol backscatter are less than 30% and random in nature. Absolute errors in the estimated aerosol refractive indices are generally less than 0.04 for the real part and can be as much as 0.042 for the imaginary part in the case of a 30% error in the lidar-derived aerosol backscatter. The measurements of aerosol optical depth from the NASA Ames Airborne Tracking Sunphotometer (AATS-6) are successfully incorporated into the new technique and help constrain the retrieved aerosol refractive indices. An application of the technique to two TARFOX case studies yields the occurrence of vertical layers of distinct aerosol refractive indices. Values of the estimated complex aerosol refractive index range from 1.33 to 1.45 for the real part and 0.001 to 0.008 for the imaginary part. The methodology devised in this study provides, for the first time a complete set of vertically resolved aerosol size distribution and refractive index data, yielding the vertical distribution of aerosol optical properties required for the determination of aersol-induced radiative flux changes

Retrieving the Vertical Structure of the Effective Aerosol Complex Index of Refraction from a Combination of Aerosol in Situ and Remote Sensing Measurements During TARFOX

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Redemann, J.; Turco, R. P.; Liou, K. N.; Russell, P. B.; Bergstrom, R. W.; Schmid, B.; Livingston, J. M.; Hobbs, P. V.; Hartley, W. S.; Ismail, S.;

Influence of particle size on physical and sensory attributes of mango pulp powder

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharma, M.; Kadam, D. M.; Chadha, S.; Wilson, R. A.; Gupta, R. K.

2013-09-01

The present investigation was aimed to observe the effect of particle size on physical, sensory and thermal properties of foam-mat dried mango pulp powder. Mango pulp of Dussehri variety was foam-mat dried using 3% egg white at 65ºC. Dried foam-mats were pulverized and passed through a sieve shaker for obtaining three grades of powder with 50, 60, and 85 mesh size sieves. The particle size of these samples measured using laser diffraction particle size analyzer ranged from 191.26 to 296.19 μm. The data was analysed statistically using ANOVA of SAS. There was a linear increase in lightness (`L' value) with a decrease in particle size, however, `a' value decreased with a decrease in particle size, indicating the decrease in redness. An increase in bulk density and decrease in water solubility index and water absorption index % were observed with a decrease in particle size. Particle size had a significant effect on sensory parameters. Particle size in the range of 258.01 to 264.60μmwas found most acceptable with respect to sensory characteristics. This finding can be exploited for various commercial applicationswhere powder quality is dependent on the particle size and has foremost priority for end users.

Measuring Gap Fraction, Element Clumping Index and LAI in Sierra Forest Stands Using a Full-Waveform Ground-Based Lidar

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zhao, Feng; Strahler, Alan H.; Crystal L. Schaaf; Yao, Tian; Yang, Xiaoyuan; Wang, Zhuosen; Schull, Mitchell A.; Roman, Miguel O.; Woodcock, Curtis E.; Olofsson, Pontus;

A discrimination index for selecting markers of tumor growth dynamic across multiple cancer studies with a cure fraction.

PubMed

Rouam, Sigrid; Broët, Philippe

2013-08-01

To identify genomic markers with consistent effect on tumor dynamics across multiple cancer series, discrimination indices based on proportional hazards models can be used since they do not depend heavily on the sample size. However, the underlying assumption of proportionality of the hazards does not always hold, especially when the studied population is a mixture of cured and uncured patients, like in early-stage cancers. We propose a novel index that quantifies the capability of a genomic marker to separate uncured patients, according to their time-to-event outcomes. It allows to identify genomic markers characterizing tumor growth dynamic across multiple studies. Simulation results show that our index performs better than classical indices based on the Cox model. It is neither affected by the sample size nor the cure rate fraction. In a cross-study of early-stage breast cancers, the index allows to select genomic markers with a potential consistent effect on tumor growth dynamics. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Patient-specific Radiation Dose and Cancer Risk for Pediatric Chest CT

PubMed Central

Samei, Ehsan; Segars, W. Paul; Sturgeon, Gregory M.; Colsher, James G.; Frush, Donald P.

2011-01-01

Purpose: To estimate patient-specific radiation dose and cancer risk for pediatric chest computed tomography (CT) and to evaluate factors affecting dose and risk, including patient size, patient age, and scanning parameters. Materials and Methods: The institutional review board approved this study and waived informed consent. This study was HIPAA compliant. The study included 30 patients (0–16 years old), for whom full-body computer models were recently created from clinical CT data. A validated Monte Carlo program was used to estimate organ dose from eight chest protocols, representing clinically relevant combinations of bow tie filter, collimation, pitch, and tube potential. Organ dose was used to calculate effective dose and risk index (an index of total cancer incidence risk). The dose and risk estimates before and after normalization by volume-weighted CT dose index (CTDIvol) or dose–length product (DLP) were correlated with patient size and age. The effect of each scanning parameter was studied. Results: Organ dose normalized by tube current–time product or CTDIvol decreased exponentially with increasing average chest diameter. Effective dose normalized by tube current–time product or DLP decreased exponentially with increasing chest diameter. Chest diameter was a stronger predictor of dose than weight and total scan length. Risk index normalized by tube current–time product or DLP decreased exponentially with both chest diameter and age. When normalized by DLP, effective dose and risk index were independent of collimation, pitch, and tube potential (<10% variation). Conclusion: The correlations of dose and risk with patient size and age can be used to estimate patient-specific dose and risk. They can further guide the design and optimization of pediatric chest CT protocols. © RSNA, 2011 Supplemental material: http://radiology.rsna.org/lookup/suppl/doi:10.1148/radiol.11101900/-/DC1 PMID:21467251

Patient-specific radiation dose and cancer risk for pediatric chest CT.

PubMed

Li, Xiang; Samei, Ehsan; Segars, W Paul; Sturgeon, Gregory M; Colsher, James G; Frush, Donald P

2011-06-01

To estimate patient-specific radiation dose and cancer risk for pediatric chest computed tomography (CT) and to evaluate factors affecting dose and risk, including patient size, patient age, and scanning parameters. The institutional review board approved this study and waived informed consent. This study was HIPAA compliant. The study included 30 patients (0-16 years old), for whom full-body computer models were recently created from clinical CT data. A validated Monte Carlo program was used to estimate organ dose from eight chest protocols, representing clinically relevant combinations of bow tie filter, collimation, pitch, and tube potential. Organ dose was used to calculate effective dose and risk index (an index of total cancer incidence risk). The dose and risk estimates before and after normalization by volume-weighted CT dose index (CTDI(vol)) or dose-length product (DLP) were correlated with patient size and age. The effect of each scanning parameter was studied. Organ dose normalized by tube current-time product or CTDI(vol) decreased exponentially with increasing average chest diameter. Effective dose normalized by tube current-time product or DLP decreased exponentially with increasing chest diameter. Chest diameter was a stronger predictor of dose than weight and total scan length. Risk index normalized by tube current-time product or DLP decreased exponentially with both chest diameter and age. When normalized by DLP, effective dose and risk index were independent of collimation, pitch, and tube potential (<10% variation). The correlations of dose and risk with patient size and age can be used to estimate patient-specific dose and risk. They can further guide the design and optimization of pediatric chest CT protocols. http://radiology.rsna.org/lookup/suppl/doi:10.1148/radiol.11101900/-/DC1. RSNA, 2011

Consequences of on-line dialysis on polyelectrolyte molar masses determined by size-exclusion chromatography with light scattering detection.

PubMed

Radke, Wolfgang

2016-02-01

Size-exclusion chromatography with light scattering detection experiments conducted on poly(acrylic acid) neutralized to different degrees or using hydroxides with different counterions suggest that the same counterion and degree of neutralization is observed at the detector, irrespective of salt concentration, degree of neutralization and counterion at the time of injection. This strongly supports that during the chromatographic experiment the counterions of the polyelectrolyte are exchanged with those of the eluent, resulting in an effective dialysis of the polyelectrolyte solution during the size-exclusion chromatography experiment. Consequently, the refractive index increment determined by a refractive index detector equals the refractive index increment obtained after excessive dialysis against the pure eluent. Therefore, the species detected and characterized by light scattering coupled to size-exclusion chromatography are not identical to the species injected into the chromatographic system. Despite this structural change during the chromatographic experiments, the correct molar mass for the injected species is obtained by size-exclusion chromatography with light scattering detection. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Method of determining effects of heat-induced irregular refractive index on an optical system.

PubMed

Song, Xifa; Li, Lin; Huang, Yifan

2015-09-01

The effects of an irregular refractive index on optical performance are examined. A method was developed to express a lens's irregular refractive index distribution. An optical system and its mountings were modeled by a thermomechanical finite element (FE) program in the predicted operating temperature range, -45°C-50°C. FE outputs were elaborated using a MATLAB optimization routine; a nonlinear least squares algorithm was adopted to determine which gradient equation best fit each lens's refractive index distribution. The obtained gradient data were imported into Zemax for sequential ray-tracing analysis. The root mean square spot diameter, modulation transfer function, and diffraction ensquared energy were computed for an optical system under an irregular refractive index and under thermoelastic deformation. These properties are greatly reduced by the irregular refractive index effect, which is one-third to five-sevenths the size of the thermoelastic deformation effect. Thus, thermal analyses of optical systems should consider not only thermoelastic deformation but also refractive index irregularities caused by inhomogeneous temperature.

The Consequences of Indexing the Minimum Wage to Average Wages in the U.S. Economy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Macpherson, David A.; Even, William E.

The consequences of indexing the minimum wage to average wages in the U.S. economy were analyzed. The study data were drawn from the 1974-1978 May Current Population Survey (CPS) and the 180 monthly CPS Outgoing Rotation Group files for 1979-1993 (approximate annual sample sizes of 40,000 and 180,000, respectively). The effects of indexing on the…

Estimating search engine index size variability: a 9-year longitudinal study.

PubMed

van den Bosch, Antal; Bogers, Toine; de Kunder, Maurice

One of the determining factors of the quality of Web search engines is the size of their index. In addition to its influence on search result quality, the size of the indexed Web can also tell us something about which parts of the WWW are directly accessible to the everyday user. We propose a novel method of estimating the size of a Web search engine's index by extrapolating from document frequencies of words observed in a large static corpus of Web pages. In addition, we provide a unique longitudinal perspective on the size of Google and Bing's indices over a nine-year period, from March 2006 until January 2015. We find that index size estimates of these two search engines tend to vary dramatically over time, with Google generally possessing a larger index than Bing. This result raises doubts about the reliability of previous one-off estimates of the size of the indexed Web. We find that much, if not all of this variability can be explained by changes in the indexing and ranking infrastructure of Google and Bing. This casts further doubt on whether Web search engines can be used reliably for cross-sectional webometric studies.

An evaluation of a weaning index for wild fishers (Pekania [Martes] pennanti) in California

Treesearch

Sean M. Matthews; J. Mark Higley; John T. Finn; Kerry M. Rennie; Craig M. Thompson; Kathryn L. Purcell; Rick A. Sweitzer; Sandra L. Haire; Paul R. Sievert; Todd K. Fuller

2013-01-01

Conservation concern for fishers (Pekania [Martes] pennanti) in the Pacific states has highlighted a need to develop cost-effective methods of monitoring reproduction in extant and reintroduced fisher populations. We evaluated the efficacy of nipple size as a predictive index of weaning success for females...

Which type of sedentary behaviour intervention is more effective at reducing body mass index in children? A meta-analytic review.

PubMed

Liao, Y; Liao, J; Durand, C P; Dunton, G F

2014-03-01

Sedentary behaviour is emerging as an independent risk factor for paediatric obesity. Some evidence suggests that limiting sedentary behaviour alone could be effective in reducing body mass index (BMI) in children. However, whether adding physical activity and diet-focused components to sedentary behaviour reduction interventions could lead to an additive effect is unclear. This meta-analysis aims to assess the overall effect size of sedentary behaviour interventions on BMI reduction and to compare whether interventions that have multiple components (sedentary behaviour, physical activity and diet) have a higher mean effect size than interventions with single (sedentary behaviour) component. Included studies (n = 25) were randomized controlled trials of children (<18 years) with intervention components aimed to reduce sedentary behaviour and measured BMI at pre- and post-intervention. Effect size was calculated as the mean difference in BMI change between children in an intervention group and a control group. Results indicated that sedentary behaviour interventions had a significant effect on BMI reduction. The pooled effect sizes of multi-component interventions (g = -0.060∼-0.089) did not differ from the single-component interventions (g = -0.154), and neither of them had a significant effect size on its own. Future paediatric obesity interventions may consider focusing on developing strategies to decrease multiple screen-related sedentary behaviours. © 2013 The Authors. obesity reviews © 2013 International Association for the Study of Obesity.

Effect of Body Mass Index on Digital Templating for Total Hip Arthroplasty.

PubMed

Sershon, Robert A; Diaz, Alejandro; Bohl, Daniel D; Levine, Brett R

2017-03-01

Digital templating is becoming more prevalent in orthopedics. Recent investigations report high accuracy using digital templating in total hip arthroplasty (THA); however, the effect of body mass index (BMI) on templating accuracy is not well described. Digital radiographs of 603 consecutive patients (645 hips) undergoing primary THA by a single surgeon were digitally templated using OrthoView (Jacksonville, FL). A 25-mm metallic sphere was used as a calibration marker. Preoperative digital hip templates were compared with the final implant size. Hips were stratified into groups based on BMI: BMI <30 (315), BMI 30-35 (132), BMI 35-40 (97), and BMI >40 (101). Accuracy between templating and final size did not vary by BMI for acetabular or femoral components. Digital templating was within 2 sizes of the final acetabular and femoral implants in 99.1% and 97.1% of cases, respectively. Digital templating is an effective means of predicting the final size of THA components. BMI does not appear to play a major role in altering THA digital templating accuracy. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Modeling of particle radiative properties in coal combustion depending on burnout

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gronarz, Tim; Habermehl, Martin; Kneer, Reinhold

2017-04-01

In the present study, absorption and scattering efficiencies as well as the scattering phase function of a cloud of coal particles are described as function of the particle combustion progress. Mie theory for coated particles is applied as mathematical model. The scattering and absorption properties are determined by several parameters: size distribution, spectral distribution of incident radiation and spectral index of refraction of the particles. A study to determine the influence of each parameter is performed, finding that the largest effect is due to the refractive index, followed by the effect of size distribution. The influence of the incident radiation profile is negligible. As a part of this study, the possibility of applying a constant index of refraction is investigated. Finally, scattering and absorption efficiencies as well as the phase function are presented as a function of burnout with the presented model and the results are discussed.

Single-Trait and Antagonistic Index Selection for Litter Size and Body Weight in Mice

PubMed Central

Eisen, E. J.

1978-01-01

Individual selection based on female performance only was conducted in four lines of mice: L+ for increased litter size, W+ for increased 6-week body weight, L-W+ for a selection index aimed at decreasing litter size and increasing 6-week body weight and L+W- for a selection index aimed at increasing litter size and decreasing 6-week body weight. A fifth line (K) served as an unselected control. All litters were standardized to eight mice at one day of age. Expected heritability was based on twice the regression of offspring on dam (h2d), which contains additive genetic variance due to direct (σ2Ao) and maternal (σ2Am) effects and their covariance (σAoAm). Responses and correlated responses were measured either deviated (method 1) or not deviated (method 2) from the control line. Realized heritabilities (h2R) for litter size were 0.19 ± 0.04 (1) and 0.16 ± 0.03 (2), which were similar to h 2d of 0.17 ± 0.04. The h2 R for 6-week body weight of 0.55 ± 0.07 (1) and 0.44 ± 0.07 (2) agreed with h2d of 0.42 ± 0.02. Realized genetic correlations (r*GR) between litter size and 6-week body weight calculated from the double-selection experiment were 0.52 ± 0.10 (1) and 0.52 ± 0.13 (2), which were not significantly different from the base population estimate of r* Gd = 0.63 ± 0.14. Divergence (L-W + minus L+W-) in the antagonistic index selection lines was 0.21 ± 0.01 index units (I = 0.305 PW - 0.436 PL, where P W and PL are the phenotypic values for 6-week body weight and litter size, respectively.). The h2 R of index units of 0.14 ± 0.02 calculated from divergence agreed with h2d of 0.14 ± 0.04. Divergences in litter size (-0.19 ± 0.07) and 6-week body weight (0.46 ± 0.10) were in the expected direction. Antagonistic index selection yielded about one-half the expected divergence in litter size, while divergence in 6-week body weight was only slightly less than expected. Realized genetic correlations indicated that litter size, 6-week body weight and index units each showed positive pleiotropy with 3-week body weight, postweaning gain and weight at vaginal introitus and negative pleiotropy with age at vaginal introitus. Sex ratio and several components of fitness (days from joining to parturition, percent fertile matings and percent perinatal survival) did not change significantly in the selected lines. PMID:17248819

A randomised controlled trial of adjunctive yoga and adjunctive physical exercise training for cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Bhatia, Triptish; Mazumdar, Sati; Wood, Joel; He, Fanyin; Gur, Raquel E; Gur, Ruben C; Nimgaonkar, Vishwajit L; Deshpande, Smita N

2017-04-01

Yoga and physical exercise have been used as adjunctive intervention for cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia (SZ), but controlled comparisons are lacking. Aims A single-blind randomised controlled trial was designed to evaluate whether yoga training or physical exercise training enhance cognitive functions in SZ, based on a prior pilot study. Consenting, clinically stable, adult outpatients with SZ (n=286) completed baseline assessments and were randomised to treatment as usual (TAU), supervised yoga training with TAU (YT) or supervised physical exercise training with TAU (PE). Based on the pilot study, the primary outcome measure was speed index for the cognitive domain of 'attention' in the Penn computerised neurocognitive battery. Using mixed models and contrasts, cognitive functions at baseline, 21 days (end of training), 3 and 6 months post-training were evaluated with intention-to-treat paradigm. Speed index of attention domain in the YT group showed greater improvement than PE at 6 months follow-up (p<0.036, effect size 0.51). In the PE group, 'accuracy index of attention domain showed greater improvement than TAU alone at 6-month follow-up (p<0.025, effect size 0.61). For several other cognitive domains, significant improvements were observed with YT or PE compared with TAU alone (p<0.05, effect sizes 0.30-1.97). Both YT and PE improved attention and additional cognitive domains well past the training period, supporting our prior reported beneficial effect of YT on speed index of attention domain. As adjuncts, YT or PE can benefit individuals with SZ.

Macular Ganglion Cell Imaging Study: Covariate Effects on the Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomography for Glaucoma Diagnosis.

PubMed

Jeong, Jae Hoon; Choi, Yun Jeong; Park, Ki Ho; Kim, Dong Myung; Jeoung, Jin Wook

2016-01-01

To evaluate the effect of multiple covariates on the diagnostic performance of the Cirrus high-definition optical coherence tomography (HD-OCT) for glaucoma detection. A prospective case-control study was performed and included 173 recently diagnosed glaucoma patients and 63 unaffected individuals from the Macular Ganglion Cell Imaging Study. Regression analysis of receiver operating characteristic were conducted to evaluate the influence of age, spherical equivalent, axial length, optic disc size, and visual field index on the macular ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) and peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) measurements. Disease severity, as measured by visual field index, had a significant effect on the diagnostic performance of all Cirrus HD-OCT parameters. Age, axial length and optic disc size were significantly associated with diagnostic accuracy of average peripapillary RNFL thickness, whereas axial length had a significant effect on the diagnostic accuracy of average GCIPL thickness. Diagnostic performance of the Cirrus HD-OCT may be more accurate in the advanced stages of glaucoma than at earlier stages. A smaller optic disc size was significantly associated with improved the diagnostic ability of average RNFL thickness measurements; however, GCIPL thickness may be less affected by age and optic disc size.

Effects of Group Size and Lack of Sphericity on the Recovery of Clusters in K-means Cluster Analysis.

PubMed

Craen, Saskia de; Commandeur, Jacques J F; Frank, Laurence E; Heiser, Willem J

2006-06-01

K-means cluster analysis is known for its tendency to produce spherical and equally sized clusters. To assess the magnitude of these effects, a simulation study was conducted, in which populations were created with varying departures from sphericity and group sizes. An analysis of the recovery of clusters in the samples taken from these populations showed a significant effect of lack of sphericity and group size. This effect was, however, not as large as expected, with still a recovery index of more than 0.5 in the "worst case scenario." An interaction effect between the two data aspects was also found. The decreasing trend in the recovery of clusters for increasing departures from sphericity is different for equal and unequal group sizes.

Interactive effect of warming, nitrogen and phosphorus limitation on phytoplankton cell size

PubMed Central

Peter, Kalista Higini; Sommer, Ulrich

2015-01-01

Cell size is one of the ecologically most important traits of phytoplankton. The cell size variation is frequently related to temperature and nutrient limitation. In order to disentangle the role of both factors, an experiment was conducted to determine the possible interactions of these factors. Baltic Sea water containing the natural plankton community was used. We performed a factorial combined experiment of temperature, type of nutrient limitation (N vs. P), and strength of nutrient limitation. The type of nutrient limitation was manipulated by altering the N:P ratio of the medium (balanced, N and P limitation) and strength by the dilution rate (0% and 50%) of the semicontinuous cultures. The negative effect of temperature on cell size was strongest under N limitation, intermediate under P limitation, and weakest when N and P were supplied at balanced ratios. However, temperature also influenced the intensity of nutrient imitation, because at higher temperature there was a tendency for dissolved nutrient concentrations to be lower, while the C:N or C:P ratio being higher…higher at identical dilution rates and medium composition. Analyzing the response of cell size to C:N ratios (as index of N limitation) and C:P ratios (as index of P limitation) indicated a clear dominance of the nutrient effect over the direct temperature effect, although the temperature effect was also significant. PMID:25798219

Habitat-effectiveness index for elk on Blue Mountain Winter Ranges.

Treesearch

Jack Ward Thomas; Donavin A. Leckenby; Mark Henjum; Richard J. Pedersen; Larry D. Bryant

1988-01-01

An elk-habitat evaluation procedure for winter ranges in the Blue Mountains of eastern Oregon and Washington is described. The index is based on an interaction of size and spacing of cover and forage areas, roads open to traffic per unit of area, cover quality, and quantity and quality of forage.

Impact of dynamic distribution of floc particles on flocculation effect.

PubMed

Nan, Jun; He, Weipeng; Song, Xinin; Li, Guibai

2009-01-01

Polyaluminum chloride (PAC) was used as coagulant and suspended particles in kaolin water. Online instruments including turbidimeter and particle counter were used to monitor the flocculation process. An evaluation model for demonstrating the impact on the flocculation effect was established based on the multiple linear regression analysis method. The parameter of the index weight of channels quantitatively described how the variation of floc particle population in different size ranges cause the decrement of turbidity. The study showed that the floc particles in different size ranges contributed differently to the decrease of turbidity and that the index weight of channel could excellently indicate the impact degree of floc particles dynamic distribution on flocculation effect. Therefore, the parameter may significantly benefit the development of coagulation and sedimentation techniques as well as the optimal coagulant selection.

Flexible Ureterorenoscopy for Treatment of Kidney Stones: Establishment as Primary Standard Therapy in a Tertiary Stone Center.

PubMed

Ising, Stephan; Labenski, Heike; Baltes, Stefan; Khaffaf, Aso; Thomas, Christian; Wiesner, Christoph

2015-01-01

To analyze the primary stone free rate (pSFR) of flexible ureterorenoscopy (fURS) in the treatment of renal stones and to identify clinical predictors for the primary freedom from renal stones. Two hundred and seventy five patients, who underwent fURS for kidney stones were analyzed. Index stone size was 6 mm. The stone was located in the lower calyx in 48%. Ureteral access sheath was used in 97%. Operation time was 35 min and primary stone clearance was 83%. pSFR increased from 74% in 2012 to 83% in 2013 and 90% in 2014 (p = 0.001). Preoperative stenting, index stone size, cumulative stone size, lithotripsy, ureteral access sheath and operation time were significantly correlated with the pSFR by univariate analysis. Multivariate regression analysis showed index stone size, cumulative stone size, ureteral access sheath and operation time as independent parameters for pSFR. fURS for kidney stones is safe with a high pSFR. Clinical parameters for pSFR are stone size, use of ureteral access sheath and operation time. In future, the effective use of fURS for the removal of kidney stones needs to be checked by prospective randomized trials. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Inversion of multiwavelength Raman lidar data for retrieval of bimodal aerosol size distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Veselovskii, Igor; Kolgotin, Alexei; Griaznov, Vadim; Müller, Detlef; Franke, Kathleen; Whiteman, David N.

2004-02-01

We report on the feasibility of deriving microphysical parameters of bimodal particle size distributions from Mie-Raman lidar based on a triple Nd:YAG laser. Such an instrument provides backscatter coefficients at 355, 532, and 1064 nm and extinction coefficients at 355 and 532 nm. The inversion method employed is Tikhonov's inversion with regularization. Special attention has been paid to extend the particle size range for which this inversion scheme works to ~10 μm, which makes this algorithm applicable to large particles, e.g., investigations concerning the hygroscopic growth of aerosols. Simulations showed that surface area, volume concentration, and effective radius are derived to an accuracy of ~50% for a variety of bimodal particle size distributions. For particle size distributions with an effective radius of <1 μm the real part of the complex refractive index was retrieved to an accuracy of +/-0.05, the imaginary part was retrieved to 50% uncertainty. Simulations dealing with a mode-dependent complex refractive index showed that an average complex refractive index is derived that lies between the values for the two individual modes. Thus it becomes possible to investigate external mixtures of particle size distributions, which, for example, might be present along continental rims along which anthropogenic pollution mixes with marine aerosols. Measurement cases obtained from the Institute for Tropospheric Research six-wavelength aerosol lidar observations during the Indian Ocean Experiment were used to test the capabilities of the algorithm for experimental data sets. A benchmark test was attempted for the case representing anthropogenic aerosols between a broken cloud deck. A strong contribution of particle volume in the coarse mode of the particle size distribution was found.

Inversion of multiwavelength Raman lidar data for retrieval of bimodal aerosol size distribution.

PubMed

Veselovskii, Igor; Kolgotin, Alexei; Griaznov, Vadim; Müller, Detlef; Franke, Kathleen; Whiteman, David N

2004-02-10

We report on the feasibility of deriving microphysical parameters of bimodal particle size distributions from Mie-Raman lidar based on a triple Nd:YAG laser. Such an instrument provides backscatter coefficients at 355, 532, and 1064 nm and extinction coefficients at 355 and 532 nm. The inversion method employed is Tikhonov's inversion with regularization. Special attention has been paid to extend the particle size range for which this inversion scheme works to approximately 10 microm, which makes this algorithm applicable to large particles, e.g., investigations concerning the hygroscopic growth of aerosols. Simulations showed that surface area, volume concentration, and effective radius are derived to an accuracy of approximately 50% for a variety of bimodal particle size distributions. For particle size distributions with an effective radius of < 1 microm the real part of the complex refractive index was retrieved to an accuracy of +/- 0.05, the imaginary part was retrieved to 50% uncertainty. Simulations dealing with a mode-dependent complex refractive index showed that an average complex refractive index is derived that lies between the values for the two individual modes. Thus it becomes possible to investigate external mixtures of particle size distributions, which, for example, might be present along continental rims along which anthropogenic pollution mixes with marine aerosols. Measurement cases obtained from the Institute for Tropospheric Research six-wavelength aerosol lidar observations during the Indian Ocean Experiment were used to test the capabilities of the algorithm for experimental data sets. A benchmark test was attempted for the case representing anthropogenic aerosols between a broken cloud deck. A strong contribution of particle volume in the coarse mode of the particle size distribution was found.

Correlation between landscape fragmentation and sandy desertification: a case study in Horqin Sandy Land, China.

PubMed

Ge, Xiaodong; Dong, Kaikai; Luloff, A E; Wang, Luyao; Xiao, Jun; Wang, Shiying; Wang, Qian

2016-01-01

The exact roles of landscape fragmentation on sandy desertification are still not fully understood, especially with the impact of different land use types in spatial dimension. Taking patch size and shape into consideration, this paper selected the Ratio of Patch Size and the Fractal Dimension Index to establish a model that reveals the association between the area of bare sand land and the fragmentation of different land use types adjacent to bare sand land. Results indicated that (1) grass land and arable land contributed the most to landscape fragmentation processes in the regions adjacent to bare sand land during the period 1980 to 2010. Grass land occupied 54 % of the region adjacent to bare sand land in 1980. The Ratio of Patch Size of grass land decreased from 1980 to 2000 and increased after 2000. The Fractal Dimension Index of grass increased during the period 1980 to 1990 and decreased after 1990. Arable land expanded significantly during this period. The Ratio of Patch Size of arable land increased from 1980 to 1990 and decreased since 1990. The Fractal Dimension Index of arable land increased from 1990 to 2000 and decreased after 2000. (2) The Ratio of Patch Size and the Fractal Dimension Index were significantly related to the area of bare sand land. The role of landscape fragmentation was not linear to sandy desertification. There were both positive and negative effects of landscape fragmentation on sandy desertification. In 1980, the Ratio of Patch Size and the Fractal Dimension Index were negatively related to the area of bare sand land, showing that the landscape fragmentation and regularity of patches contributed to the expansion of sandy desertification. In 1990, 2000, and 2010, the Ratio of Patch Size and the Fractal Dimension Index were mostly positively related to the area of bare sand land, showing the landscape fragmentation and regularity of patches contributed to the reversion of sandy desertification in this phase. The absolute values of the coefficients were the highest for grass land in the regression models, so that grass land had the most important influence on sandy desertification.

Reflectivity of a disordered monolayer estimated by graded refractive index and scattering models.

PubMed

Diamant, Ruth; Garcí-Valenzuela, Augusto; Fernández-Guasti, Manuel

2012-09-01

Reflectivity of a random monolayer, consisting of transparent spherical particles, is estimated using a graded refractive index model, an effective medium approach, and two scattering models. Two cases, a self-standing film and one with a substrate, are considered. Neither the surrounding medium nor the substrate are absorbing materials. Results at normal incidence, with different particle sizes, covering ratios and refractive indexes, are compared. The purpose of this work is to find under which circumstances, for reflectivity at normal incidence, a particle monolayer behaves as a graded refractive index film.

Tapered holey fibers for spot-size and numerical-aperture conversion.

PubMed

Town, G E; Lizier, J T

2001-07-15

Adiabatically tapered holey fibers are shown to be potentially useful for guided-wave spot-size and numerical-aperture conversion. Conditions for adiabaticity and design guidelines are provided in terms of the effective-index model. We also present finite-difference time-domain calculations of downtapered holey fiber, showing that large spot-size conversion factors are obtainable with minimal loss by use of short, optimally shaped tapers.

Applicability of the Effective-Medium Approximation to Heterogeneous Aerosol Particles.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mishchenko, Michael I.; Dlugach, Janna M.; Liu, Li

2016-01-01

The effective-medium approximation (EMA) is based on the assumption that a heterogeneous particle can have a homogeneous counterpart possessing similar scattering and absorption properties. We analyze the numerical accuracy of the EMA by comparing superposition T-matrix computations for spherical aerosol particles filled with numerous randomly distributed small inclusions and Lorenz-Mie computations based on the Maxwell-Garnett mixing rule. We verify numerically that the EMA can indeed be realized for inclusion size parameters smaller than a threshold value. The threshold size parameter depends on the refractive-index contrast between the host and inclusion materials and quite often does not exceed several tenths, especially in calculations of the scattering matrix and the absorption cross section. As the inclusion size parameter approaches the threshold value, the scattering-matrix errors of the EMA start to grow with increasing the host size parameter and or the number of inclusions. We confirm, in particular, the existence of the effective-medium regime in the important case of dust aerosols with hematite or air-bubble inclusions, but then the large refractive-index contrast necessitates inclusion size parameters of the order of a few tenths. Irrespective of the highly restricted conditions of applicability of the EMA, our results provide further evidence that the effective-medium regime must be a direct corollary of the macroscopic Maxwell equations under specific assumptions.

Simultaneous Retrieval of Effective Refractive Index and Density from Size Distribution and Light Scattering Data: Weakly-Absorbing Aerosol

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

Kassianov, Evgueni I.; Barnard, James C.; Pekour, Mikhail S.

2014-10-01

We propose here a novel approach for retrieving in parallel the effective density and real refractive index of weakly absorbing aerosol from optical and size distribution measurements. Here we define “weakly absorbing” as aerosol single-scattering albedos that exceed 0.95 at 0.5 um.The required optical measurements are the scattering coefficient and the hemispheric backscatter fraction, obtained in this work from an integrating nephelometer. The required size spectra come from a Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer and an Aerodynamic Particle Sizer. The performance of this approach is first evaluated using a sensitivity study with synthetically generated but measurement-related inputs. The sensitivity study revealsmore » that the proposed approach is robust to random noise; additionally the uncertainties of the retrieval are almost linearly proportional to the measurement errors, and these uncertainties are smaller for the real refractive index than for the effective density. Next, actual measurements are used to evaluate our approach. These measurements include the optical, microphysical, and chemical properties of weakly absorbing aerosol which are representative of a variety of coastal summertime conditions observed during the Two-Column Aerosol Project (TCAP; http://campaign.arm.gov/tcap/). The evaluation includes calculating the root mean square error (RMSE) between the aerosol characteristics retrieved by our approach, and the same quantities calculated using the conventional volume mixing rule for chemical constituents. For dry conditions (defined in this work as relative humidity less than 55%) and sub-micron particles, a very good (RMSE~3%) and reasonable (RMSE~28%) agreement is obtained for the retrieved real refractive index (1.49±0.02) and effective density (1.68±0.21), respectively. Our approach permits discrimination between the retrieved aerosol characteristics of sub-micron and sub-10micron particles. The evaluation results also reveal that the retrieved density and refractive index tend to decrease with an increase of the relative humidity.« less

The Effect of DEM Source and Grid Size on the Index of Connectivity in Savanna Catchments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jarihani, Ben; Sidle, Roy; Bartley, Rebecca; Roth, Christian

2017-04-01

The term "hydrological connectivity" is increasingly used instead of sediment delivery ratio to describe the linkage between the sources of water and sediment within a catchment to the catchment outlet. Sediment delivery ratio is an empirical parameter that is highly site-specific and tends to lump all processes, whilst hydrological connectivity focuses on the spatially-explicit hydrologic drivers of surficial processes. Detailed topographic information plays a fundamental role in geomorphological interpretations as well as quantitative modelling of sediment fluxes and connectivity. Geomorphometric analysis permits a detailed characterization of drainage area and drainage pattern together with the possibility of characterizing surface roughness. High resolution topographic data (i.e., LiDAR) are not available for all areas; however, remotely sensed topographic data from multiple sources with different grid sizes are used to undertake geomorphologic analysis in data-sparse regions. The Index of Connectivity (IC), a geomorphometric model based only on DEM data, is applied in two small savanna catchments in Queensland, Australia. The influence of the scale of the topographic data is explored by using DEMs from LiDAR ( 1 m), WorldDEM ( 10 m), raw SRTM and hydrologically corrected SRTM derived data ( 30 m) to calculate the index of connectivity. The effect of the grid size is also investigated by resampling the high resolution LiDAR DEM to multiple grid sizes (e.g. 5, 10, 20 m) and comparing the extracted IC.

Habitat fragmentation effects on the orchid bee communities in remnant forests of southeastern Brazil.

PubMed

Knoll, Fátima do Rosário Naschenveng; Penatti, N C

2012-10-01

The effect of habitat fragmentation on the structure of orchid bee communities was analyzed by the investigation of the existence of a spatial structure in the richness and abundance of Euglossini species and by determining the relationship between these data and environmental factors. The surveys were carried out in four different forest fragments and one university campus. Richness, abundance, and diversity of species were analyzed in relation to abiotic (size of the area, extent of the perimeter, perimeter/area ratio, and shape index) and biotic characteristics (vegetation index of the fragment and of the matrix of each of the locations studied). We observed a highly significant positive correlation between the diversity index and the vegetation index of the fragment, landscape and shape index. Our analysis demonstrated that the observed variation could be explained mainly by the vegetation index and the size of the fragment. Variations in relative abundance showed a tendency toward an aggregated spatial distribution between the fragments studied, as well as between the sampling stations within the same habitat, demonstrating the existence of a spatial structure on a small scale in the populations of Euglossini. This distribution will determine the composition of species that coexist in the area after fragmentation. These data help in understanding the differences and similarities in the structure of communities of Euglossini resulting from forest fragmentation.

Formulation and characterization of fisetin nanosuspension

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dzakwan, M.; Pramukantoro, G. E.; Mauludin, R.; Wikarsa, S.

2017-11-01

Fisetin (3,3,4,7-tetrahydroxyflavone) is a natural antioxidant that has shown to posses anticancer, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. However, the poor solubility leads to poor bioavailability and limits its development. The aim of the study is to investigate the effect of fisetin nanosuspension using a precipitation-sonication method and additional stabilizers polysorbat 80, SLS, F68, PVP, PVA and HPMC on particle size average and the polydispersity index. The suspensions of microcrystalline FIS were prepared by a precipitation method with different proportion of stabilizers fixed. The nanosuspension produced was then characterized using Photon Correlation Spectroscopy (PCS) in term of particle size distribution, polydispersity index and morphology particle (SEM). Result showed fisetin nanosuspension were successfully prepared by anti-solvent precipitation with additional stabilizer SLS and PVA. The nanosuspension containing PVA showed smaller average particle size of 406 nm, a polydispersity index of 0.22±0.1 was obtained. The drug particles precipitated with the PVA as stabilizer were spherical in shape.

Geographical variation in relationships between parental body size and offspring phenotype at birth

PubMed Central

Leary, Sam; Fall, Caroline; Osmond, Clive; Lovel, Hermione; Campbell, Doris; Eriksson, Johan; Forrester, Terrence; Godfrey, Keith; Hill, Jacqui; Jie, Mi; Law, Catherine; Newby, Rachel; Robinson, Sian; Yajnik, Chittaranjan

2009-01-01

Background Size and body proportions at birth are partly determined by maternal body composition, but most studies of mother-baby relationships have only considered the effects of maternal height and weight on offspring birthweight, and few have examined the size of effects. Paternal size and body composition also play a role, primarily through the fetal genome, although few studies have investigated relationships with neonatal phenotype. Methods Data from the UK, Finland, India, Sri Lanka, China, DR Congo, Nigeria and Jamaica were used to investigate the effects of maternal measures including estimates of muscle and fat (derived at 30-weeks gestation, N=16 418), and also paternal size (N=3 733) on neonatal phenotype, for singleton, liveborn, term births. Results After accounting for variation in maternal size and shape across populations, differences in neonatal phenotype were markedly reduced. Mother-baby relationships were similar across populations, although some were stronger in developing countries. Maternal height was generally the strongest predictor of neonatal length, maternal head circumference of neonatal head circumference, and maternal skinfold thickness of neonatal skinfolds. Relationships with maternal arm muscle area were generally weak. Data from fathers were limited to height and body mass index, but when compared with maternal height and body mass index, paternal effects were weaker in most studies. Conclusions Differences in maternal body composition account for a large part of the geographical variation in neonatal phenotype. The size of the effects of all maternal measures on neonatal phenotype suggests that nutrition at every stage of the mother's life cycle may influence fetal growth. Further research is needed into father-baby relationships and the genetic mechanisms which influence fetal growth. PMID:16929411

Heart Rate Variability Indexes in Dementia: A Systematic Review with a Quantitative Analysis.

PubMed

da Silva, Vanessa Pereira; Ramalho Oliveira, Bruno Ribeiro; Tavares Mello, Roger Gomes; Moraes, Helena; Deslandes, Andrea Camaz; Laks, Jerson

2018-01-01

Decreased heart rate variability (HRV) indexes indicate low vagal activity and may be associated with development of dementia. The neurodegenerative process is associated with the cardiovascular autonomic control. The aim of this systematic review was to investigate the effect size (ES) magnitude of the HRV indexes in the evaluation of autonomic dysfunction in older persons with dementia. PubMed (Medline), Web of Science, Scopus, Scielo, Lilacs, and APA Psycnet were consulted. Complete original articles published in English or Portuguese, investigating the association between autonomic dysfunction and dementia, using the HRV indexes were included. The search identified 97 potentially relevant articles. After screening the full text, eight articles were included in the qualitative analysis and six were included in the quantitative analysis. Almost all indexes showed a negative ES for all types of dementia and mild cognitive impairment. The most common frequency band of the power spectrum density function was the high frequency, which was reported by six studies. The meta-analysis of high frequency power in Alzheimer's disease group showed high heterogeneity and inconsistent results. The negative effect size suggests an autonomic dysfunction in all types of dementia as well as mild cognitive impairment. However, further analysis is necessary to support these results. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

Macular Ganglion Cell Imaging Study: Covariate Effects on the Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomography for Glaucoma Diagnosis

PubMed Central

Jeong, Jae Hoon; Choi, Yun Jeong; Park, Ki Ho; Kim, Dong Myung

2016-01-01

Purpose To evaluate the effect of multiple covariates on the diagnostic performance of the Cirrus high-definition optical coherence tomography (HD-OCT) for glaucoma detection. Methods A prospective case-control study was performed and included 173 recently diagnosed glaucoma patients and 63 unaffected individuals from the Macular Ganglion Cell Imaging Study. Regression analysis of receiver operating characteristic were conducted to evaluate the influence of age, spherical equivalent, axial length, optic disc size, and visual field index on the macular ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) and peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) measurements. Results Disease severity, as measured by visual field index, had a significant effect on the diagnostic performance of all Cirrus HD-OCT parameters. Age, axial length and optic disc size were significantly associated with diagnostic accuracy of average peripapillary RNFL thickness, whereas axial length had a significant effect on the diagnostic accuracy of average GCIPL thickness. Conclusions Diagnostic performance of the Cirrus HD-OCT may be more accurate in the advanced stages of glaucoma than at earlier stages. A smaller optic disc size was significantly associated with improved the diagnostic ability of average RNFL thickness measurements; however, GCIPL thickness may be less affected by age and optic disc size. PMID:27490718

Louisiana waterthrush and benthic macroinvertebrate response to shale gas development

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wood, Petra; Frantz, Mack W.; Becker, Douglas A.

2016-01-01

Because shale gas development is occurring over large landscapes and consequently is affecting many headwater streams, an understanding of its effects on headwater-stream faunal communities is needed. We examined effects of shale gas development (well pads and associated infrastructure) on Louisiana waterthrush Parkesia motacilla and benthic macroinvertebrate communities in 12 West Virginia headwater streams in 2011. Streams were classed as impacted (n = 6) or unimpacted (n = 6) by shale gas development. We quantified waterthrush demography (nest success, clutch size, number of fledglings, territory density), a waterthrush Habitat Suitability Index, a Rapid Bioassessment Protocol habitat index, and benthic macroinvertebrate metrics including a genus-level stream-quality index for each stream. We compared each benthic metric between impacted and unimpacted streams with a Student's t-test that incorporated adjustments for normalizing data. Impacted streams had lower genus-level stream-quality index scores; lower overall and Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera richness; fewer intolerant taxa, more tolerant taxa, and greater density of 0–3-mm individuals (P ≤ 0.10). We then used Pearson correlation to relate waterthrush metrics to benthic metrics across the 12 streams. Territory density (no. of territories/km of stream) was greater on streams with higher genus-level stream-quality index scores; greater density of all taxa and Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera taxa; and greater biomass. Clutch size was greater on streams with higher genus-level stream-quality index scores. Nest survival analyses (n = 43 nests) completed with Program MARK suggested minimal influence of benthic metrics compared with nest stage and Habitat Suitability Index score. Although our study spanned only one season, our results suggest that shale gas development affected waterthrush and benthic communities in the headwater streams we studied. Thus, these ecological effects of shale gas development warrant closer examination.

The quality of the reported sample size calculations in randomized controlled trials indexed in PubMed.

PubMed

Lee, Paul H; Tse, Andy C Y

2017-05-01

There are limited data on the quality of reporting of information essential for replication of the calculation as well as the accuracy of the sample size calculation. We examine the current quality of reporting of the sample size calculation in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in PubMed and to examine the variation in reporting across study design, study characteristics, and journal impact factor. We also reviewed the targeted sample size reported in trial registries. We reviewed and analyzed all RCTs published in December 2014 with journals indexed in PubMed. The 2014 Impact Factors for the journals were used as proxies for their quality. Of the 451 analyzed papers, 58.1% reported an a priori sample size calculation. Nearly all papers provided the level of significance (97.7%) and desired power (96.6%), and most of the papers reported the minimum clinically important effect size (73.3%). The median (inter-quartile range) of the percentage difference of the reported and calculated sample size calculation was 0.0% (IQR -4.6%;3.0%). The accuracy of the reported sample size was better for studies published in journals that endorsed the CONSORT statement and journals with an impact factor. A total of 98 papers had provided targeted sample size on trial registries and about two-third of these papers (n=62) reported sample size calculation, but only 25 (40.3%) had no discrepancy with the reported number in the trial registries. The reporting of the sample size calculation in RCTs published in PubMed-indexed journals and trial registries were poor. The CONSORT statement should be more widely endorsed. Copyright © 2016 European Federation of Internal Medicine. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Responsiveness of Endoscopic Indices of Disease Activity for Crohn's Disease.

PubMed

Khanna, Reena; Zou, GuangYong; Stitt, Larry; Feagan, Brian G; Sandborn, William J; Rutgeerts, Paul; McDonald, John W D; Dubcenco, Elena; Fogel, Ronald; Panaccione, Remo; Jairath, Vipul; Nelson, Sigrid; Shackelton, Lisa M; Huang, Bidan; Zhou, Qian; Robinson, Anne M; Levesque, Barrett G; D'Haens, Geert

2017-10-01

The Crohn's Disease Endoscopic Index of Severity (CDEIS) and the Simple Endoscopic Score for Crohn's Disease (SES-CD) are commonly used to assess Crohn's disease (CD) activity; however neither instrument is fully validated. We evaluated the responsiveness to change of the SES-CD and CDEIS using data from a trial of adalimumab, a drug therapy of known efficacy. Paired video recordings (N=112) of colonoscopies (baseline and week 8-12) obtained from patients with CD who participated in a trial of adalimumab therapy were reviewed in random order, in duplicate, by four central readers (56 pairs of videos by 2 groups of readers). Responsiveness of the SES-CD and the CDEIS was evaluated by comparing correlations between the observed and pre-specified predictions of change scores for these endoscopic indices with a global endoscopic evaluation of severity (GELS), a patient reported outcome (PRO2), and the Crohn's disease activity index (CDAI), and by calculation of the standardized effect size, and Guyatt's Responsiveness statistic (GRS) using 2 definitions of change; (1) treatment assignment and (2) an absolute change in total PRO2 of 50. The potential application of effect size estimates was demonstrated by calculating hypothetical sample sizes for comparing two independent groups. The impact of removing stenosis as an index item and adjusting for the number of segments observed was also assessed. Changes in both endoscopic instruments and the GELS were highly correlated. The SES-CD displayed numerically higher effect sizes for both definitions of change. The standardized effect size and GRS estimates (95% confidence interval) for the SES-CD based on treatment assignment were 0.84 (0.53, 1.15) and 0.79 (0.48, 1.09). Corresponding values for the CDEIS were 0.72 (0.42, 1.02) and 0.75 (0.45, 1.06). The standardized effect size and GRS estimates for the SES-CD based on an absolute change in total PRO2 of 50 points or greater were 0.76 (0.49, 1.02) and 0.93 (0.64, 1.21). Corresponding values for CDEIS were 0.70 (0.44, 0.97), 0.83 (0.55, 1.10). Removal of stenosis as an index item and adjusting for observed segments did not improve responsiveness estimates. Although both the SES-CD and CDEIS are valid measures of endoscopic disease activity that are moderately responsive to changes in endoscopic disease activity, the SES-CD displayed numerically greater responsiveness in this data set.

Influence of Body Mass Index on Sagittal Knee Range of Motion and Gait Speed Recovery 1-Year After Total Knee Arthroplasty.

PubMed

Bonnefoy-Mazure, Alice; Martz, Pierre; Armand, Stéphane; Sagawa, Yoshimasa; Suva, Domizio; Turcot, Katia; Miozzari, Hermes H; Lübbeke, Anne

2017-08-01

The purpose of this prospective study was to investigate the influence of body mass index (BMI) on gait parameters preoperatively and 1 year after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Seventy-nine patients were evaluated before and 1 year after TKA using clinical gait analysis. The gait velocity, the knee range of motion (ROM) during gait, their gains (difference between baseline and 1 year after TKA), the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), quality of life, and patient satisfaction were assessed. Nonobese (BMI <30 kg/m 2 ) and obese patients (BMI ≥30 kg/m 2 ) were compared. Healthy controls were also assessed. Univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses were used to assess the association between gait speed and ROM gains. Adjustment was performed for gender, age, and WOMAC pain improvement. At baseline, gait velocity and knee ROM were significantly lower in obese compared with those in the nonobese patients (0.99 ± 0.27 m/s vs 1.11 ± 0.18 m/s; effect size, 0.53; P = .021; and ROM, 41.33° ± 9.6° vs 46.05° ± 8.39°; effect size, 0.52; P = .022). Univariate and multivariate linear regressions did not show any significant relation between gait speed gain or knee ROM gain and BMI. At baseline, obese patients were more symptomatic than nonobese (WOMAC pain: 36.1 ± 14.0 vs 50.4 ± 16.9; effect size, 0.9; P < .001), and their improvement was significantly higher (WOMAC pain gain, 44.5 vs 32.3; effect size, 0.59; P = .011). These findings show that all patients improved biomechanically and clinically, regardless of their BMI. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Radiation characteristics and effective optical properties of dumbbell-shaped cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heng, Ri-Liang; Pilon, Laurent

2016-05-01

This study presents experimental measurements of the radiation characteristics of unicellular freshwater cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. during their exponential growth in F medium. Their scattering phase function at 633 nm average spectral absorption and scattering cross-sections between 400 and 750 nm were measured. In addition, an inverse method was used for retrieving the spectral effective complex index of refraction of overlapping or touching bispheres and quadspheres from their absorption and scattering cross-sections. The inverse method combines a genetic algorithm and a forward model based on Lorenz-Mie theory, treating bispheres and quadspheres as projected area and volume-equivalent coated spheres. The inverse method was successfully validated with numerically predicted average absorption and scattering cross-sections of suspensions consisting of bispheres and quadspheres, with realistic size distributions, using the T-matrix method. It was able to retrieve the monomers' complex index of refraction with size parameter up to 11, relative refraction index less than 1.3, and absorption index less than 0.1. Then, the inverse method was applied to retrieve the effective spectral complex index of refraction of Synechocystis sp. approximated as randomly oriented aggregates consisting of two overlapping homogeneous spheres. Both the measured absorption cross-section and the retrieved absorption index featured peaks at 435 and 676 nm corresponding to chlorophyll a, a peak at 625 nm corresponding to phycocyanin, and a shoulder around 485 nm corresponding to carotenoids. These results can be used to optimize and control light transfer in photobioreactors. The inverse method and the equivalent coated sphere model could be applied to other optically soft particles of similar morphologies.

Physical capital and the embodied nature of income inequality: gender differences in the effect of body size on workers' incomes in Canada.

PubMed

Perks, Thomas

2012-02-01

This study assesses the effects of body size--measured using the body mass index--on the income attainment of female and male workers in Canada. Using data from a national representative sample of Canadians, multivariate analyses show that, for female workers, the body size-income relationship is negative. However, for male workers, the body size-income relationship is positive and nonlinear. Using Bourdieu's conceptualization of physical capital, and Shilling's extension of it, it is argued that these results are suggestive of the relative importance of body size to the production and continuation of gender income inequality in Canada.

Sensitivity of the diagnostic radiological index of protection to procedural factors in fluoroscopy.

PubMed

Jones, A Kyle; Pasciak, Alexander S; Wagner, Louis K

2016-07-01

To evaluate the sensitivity of the diagnostic radiological index of protection (DRIP), used to quantify the protective value of radioprotective garments, to procedural factors in fluoroscopy in an effort to determine an appropriate set of scatter-mimicking primary beams to be used in measuring the DRIP. Monte Carlo simulations were performed to determine the shape of the scattered x-ray spectra incident on the operator in different clinical fluoroscopy scenarios, including interventional radiology and interventional cardiology (IC). Two clinical simulations studied the sensitivity of the scattered spectrum to gantry angle and patient size, while technical factors were varied according to measured automatic dose rate control (ADRC) data. Factorial simulations studied the sensitivity of the scattered spectrum to gantry angle, field of view, patient size, and beam quality for constant technical factors. Average energy (Eavg) was the figure of merit used to condense fluence in each energy bin to a single numerical index. Beam quality had the strongest influence on the scattered spectrum in fluoroscopy. Many procedural factors affect the scattered spectrum indirectly through their effect on primary beam quality through ADRC, e.g., gantry angle and patient size. Lateral C-arm rotation, common in IC, increased the energy of the scattered spectrum, regardless of the direction of rotation. The effect of patient size on scattered radiation depended on ADRC characteristics, patient size, and procedure type. The scattered spectrum striking the operator in fluoroscopy is most strongly influenced by primary beam quality, particularly kV. Use cases for protective garments should be classified by typical procedural primary beam qualities, which are governed by the ADRC according to the impacts of patient size, anatomical location, and gantry angle.

Gut microbiome diversity influenced more by the Westernized dietary regime than the body mass index as assessed using effect size statistic.

PubMed

Davis, Shannon C; Yadav, Jagjit S; Barrow, Stephanie D; Robertson, Boakai K

2017-08-01

Human gut microbiome dysbiosis has been associated with the onset of metabolic diseases and disorders. However, the critical factors leading to dysbiosis are poorly understood. In this study, we provide increasing evidence of the association of diet type and body mass index (BMI) and how they relatively influence the taxonomic structure of the gut microbiota with respect to the causation of gut microbiome dysbiosis. The study included randomly selected Alabama residents (n = 81), including females (n = 45) and males (n = 36). The demographics data included age (33 ± 13.3 years), height (1.7 ± 0.11 meters), and weight (82.3 ± 20.6 kg). The mean BMI was 28.3 ± 7.01, equating to an overweight BMI category. A cross-sectional case-control design encompassing the newly recognized effect size approach to bioinformatics analysis was used to analyze data from donated stool samples and accompanying nutrition surveys. We investigated the microbiome variations in the Bacteroidetes-Firmicutes ratio relative to BMI, food categories, and dietary groups at stratified abundance percentages of <20%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, and ≥70%. We further investigated variation in the Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes phyla composition (at the genus and species level) in relation to BMI, food categories, and dietary groups (Westernized or healthy). The Pearson Correlation coefficient as an indication of effect size across Alpha diversity indices was used to test the hypothesis (H 0 ): increased BMI has greater effect on taxonomic diversity than Westernized diet type, (H a ): increased BMI does not have a greater effect on taxonomic diversity than Westernized diet type. In conclusion, we rejected the (H 0 ) as our results demonstrated that Westernized diet type had an effect size of 0.22 posing a greater impact upon the gut microbiota diversity than an increased BMI with an effect size of 0.16. This implied Westernized diet as a critical factor in causing dysbiosis as compared to an overweight or obese body mass index. © 2017 The Authors. MicrobiologyOpen published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Plant canopy gap-size analysis theory for improving optical measurements of leaf-area index

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Jing M.; Cihlar, Josef

1995-09-01

Optical instruments currently available for measuring the leaf-area index (LAI) of a plant canopy all utilize only the canopy gap-fraction information. These instruments include the Li-Cor LAI-2000 Plant Canopy Analyzer, Decagon, and Demon. The advantages of utilizing both the canopy gap-fraction and gap-size information are shown. For the purpose of measuring the canopy gap size, a prototype sunfleck-LAI instrument named Tracing Radiation and Architecture of Canopies (TRAC), has been developed and tested in two pure conifer plantations, red pine (Pinus resinosa Ait.) and jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb). A new gap-size-analysis theory is presented to quantify the effect of canopy architecture on optical measurements of LAI based on the gap-fraction principle. The theory is an improvement on that of Lang and Xiang [Agric. For. Meteorol. 37, 229 (1986)]. In principle, this theory can be used for any heterogeneous canopies.

The absorption Ångström exponent of black carbon: from numerical aspects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Chao; Eddy Chung, Chul; Yin, Yan; Schnaiter, Martin

2018-05-01

The absorption Ångström exponent (AAE) is an important aerosol optical parameter used for aerosol characterization and apportionment studies. The AAE of black carbon (BC) particles is widely accepted to be 1.0, although observational estimates give quite a wide range of 0.6-1.3. With considerable uncertainties related to observations, a numerical study is a powerful method, if not the only one, to provide a better and more accurate understanding on BC AAE. This study calculates BC AAE using realistic particle geometries based on fractal aggregate and an accurate numerical optical model (namely the multiple-sphere T-matrix method), and considers bulk properties of an ensemble of BC particles following lognormal size distributions. At odds with the expectations, BC AAE is not 1.0, even when BC is assumed to have small sizes and a wavelength-independent refractive index. With a wavelength-independent refractive index, the AAE of fresh BC is approximately 1.05 and relatively insensitive to particle size. For BC with geometric mean diameters larger than 0.12 µm, BC AAE becomes smaller when BC particles are aged (compact structures or coated by other non-absorptive materials). For coated BC, we prescribe the coating fraction variation based on a laboratory study, where smaller BC cores are shown to develop larger coating fractions than those of bigger BC cores. For both compact and coated BC, the AAE is highly sensitive to particle size distribution, ranging from approximately 0.8 to even over 1.4 with wavelength-independent refractive index. When the refractive index is allowed to vary with wavelength, a feature with observational backing, the BC AAE may show an even wider range. For different BC morphologies, we derive simple empirical equations on BC AAE based on our numerical results, which can serve as a guide for the response of BC AAE to BC size and refractive index. Due to its complex influences, the effects of BC geometry is better to be discussed at certain BC properties, i.e., known size and refractive index.

RESPONSIVENESS OF THE ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING SCALE OF THE KNEE OUTCOME SURVEY AND NUMERIC PAIN RATING SCALE IN PATIENTS WITH PATELLOFEMORAL PAIN

PubMed Central

Piva, Sara R.; Gil, Alexandra B.; Moore, Charity G.; Fitzgerald, G. Kelley

2016-01-01

Objective To assess internal and external responsiveness of the Activity of Daily Living Scale of the Knee Outcome Survey and Numeric Pain Rating Scale on patients with patellofemoral pain. Design One group pre-post design. Subjects A total of 60 individuals with patellofemoral pain (33 women; mean age 29.9 (standard deviation 9.6) years). Methods The Activity of Daily Living Scale and the Numeric Pain Rating Scale were assessed before and after 8 weeks of physical therapy program. Patients completed a global rating of change scale at the end of therapy. The standardized effect size, Guyatt responsiveness index, and the minimum clinical important difference were calculated. Results Standardized effect size of the Activity of Daily Living Scale was 0.63, Guyatt responsiveness index was 1.4, area under the curve was 0.83 (95% confidence interval: 0.72, 0.94), and the minimum clinical important difference corresponded to an increase of 7.1 percentile points. Standardized effect size of the Numeric Pain Rating Scale was 0.72, Guyatt responsiveness index was 2.2, area under the curve was 0.80 (95% confidence interval: 0.70, 0.92), and the minimum clinical important difference corresponded to a decrease of 1.16 points. Conclusion Information from this study may be helpful to therapists when evaluating the effectiveness of rehabilitation intervention on physical function and pain, and to power future clinical trials on patients with patellofemoral pain. PMID:19229444

Responsiveness of the activities of daily living scale of the knee outcome survey and numeric pain rating scale in patients with patellofemoral pain.

PubMed

Piva, Sara R; Gil, Alexandra B; Moore, Charity G; Fitzgerald, G Kelley

2009-02-01

To assess internal and external responsiveness of the Activity of Daily Living Scale of the Knee Outcome Survey and Numeric Pain Rating Scale on patients with patellofemoral pain. One group pre-post design. A total of 60 individuals with patellofemoral pain (33 women; mean age 29.9 (standard deviation 9.6) years). The Activity of Daily Living Scale and the Numeric Pain Rating Scale were assessed before and after 8 weeks of physical therapy program. Patients completed a global rating of change scale at the end of therapy. The standardized effect size, Guyatt responsiveness index, and the minimum clinical important difference were calculated. Standardized effect size of the Activity of Daily Living Scale was 0.63, Guyatt responsiveness index was 1.4, area under the curve was 0.83 (95% confidence interval: 0.72, 0.94), and the minimum clinical important difference corresponded to an increase of 7.1 percentile points. Standardized effect size of the Numeric Pain Rating Scale was 0.72, Guyatt responsiveness index was 2.2, area under the curve was 0.80 (95% confidence interval: 0.70, 0.92), and the minimum clinical important difference corresponded to a decrease of 1.16 points. Information from this study may be helpful to therapists when evaluating the effectiveness of rehabilitation intervention on physical function and pain, and to power future clinical trials on patients with patellofemoral pain.

A comparison of selected MMPI-2 and MMPI-2-RF validity scales in assessing effort on cognitive tests in a military sample.

PubMed

Jones, Alvin; Ingram, M Victoria

2011-10-01

Using a relatively new statistical paradigm, Optimal Data Analysis (ODA; Yarnold & Soltysik, 2005), this research demonstrated that newly developed scales for the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) and MMPI-2 Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF) specifically designed to assess over-reporting of cognitive and/or somatic symptoms were more effective than the MMPI-2 F-family of scales in predicting effort status on tests of cognitive functioning in a sample of 288 military members. ODA demonstrated that when all scales were performing at their theoretical maximum possible level of classification accuracy, the Henry Heilbronner Index (HHI), Response Bias Scale (RBS), Fake Bad Scale (FBS), and the Symptom Validity Scale (FBS-r) outperformed the F-family of scales on a variety of ODA indexes of classification accuracy, including an omnibus measure (effect strength total, EST) of the descriptive and prognostic utility of ODA models developed for each scale. Based on the guidelines suggested by Yarnold and Soltysik for evaluating effect strengths for ODA models, the newly developed scales had effects sizes that were moderate in size (37.66 to 45.68), whereas the F-family scales had effects strengths that ranged from weak to moderate (15.42 to 32.80). In addition, traditional analysis demonstrated that HHI, RBS, FBS, and FBS-R had large effect sizes (0.98 to 1.16) based on Cohen's (1988) suggested categorization of effect size when comparing mean scores for adequate versus inadequate effort groups, whereas F-family of scales had small to medium effect sizes (0.25 to 0.76). The MMPI-2-RF Infrequent Somatic Responses Scale (F(S)) tended to perform in a fashion similar to F, the best performing F-family scale.

Effect of Metformin-sustained Release Therapy on Low-density Lipoprotein Size and Adiponectin in the South Indian Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.

PubMed

Kumar, D Rama Nagendra; Seshadri, Krishna G; Pandurangi, Monna

2017-01-01

The aim of the study is to compare surrogate markers of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, such as adiponectin (APN) levels and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) size, before and after sustained release metformin (Met-SR) therapy in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). Sixty women with PCOS and sixty age-matched controls in the age group 18-45 years were recruited after obtaining informed consent. Women with PCOS were initiated on Met-SR 1 g orally, which was increased to 1.5 g after 2 weeks and continued up to 24 weeks. Demographic data along with family history of type 2 diabetes mellitus, PCOS, and CVD were collected. Lipid profile plasma APN levels and LDL size were measured before and after therapy in the PCOS group. Data analysis was performed using the GraphPad Prism-5 software. Women with PCOS had greater dyslipidemia, lower APN level and LDL size, and increased lipid accumulating product index as compared to controls. After 6 months of Met-SR therapy, women with PCOS demonstrated significant increase in plasma APN levels and LDL size and significant decrease in weight, waist-hip ratio (WHR), waist circumference (WC), and blood pressure (BP). A significant decrease was observed in body mass index (BMI) in the overweight and obese PCOS subgroups. Met-SR increases LDL size, APN concentration and decreases weight, WC, WHR, and BP in patients with PCOS. Met-SR may have salutary effects on LDL particle size through effects on APN levels in women with PCOS.

A Physical Activity Intervention for Brazilian Students From Low Human Development Index Areas: A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial.

PubMed

Filho, Valter C Barbosa; da Silva, Kelly Samara; Mota, Jorge; Beck, Carmem; da Silva Lopes, Adair

2016-11-01

Promoting physical activity (PA) in low- and middle-income countries is an important public health topic as well as a challenge for practice. This study aimed to assess the effect of a school-based intervention on different PA-related variables among students. This cluster-randomized-controlled trial included 548 students in the intervention group and 537 in the control group (11-18 years-old) from 6 schools in neighborhoods with low Human Development Index (0.170-0.491) in Fortaleza, Brazil. The intervention included strategies focused on training teachers, opportunities for PA in the school environment and health education. Variables measured at baseline and again at the 4-months follow-up included the weekly time in different types of moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA), preference for PA during leisure-time, PA behavioral change stage and active commuting to school. Generalized linear models and binary logistic regressions were used. An intervention effect was found by increasing the weekly time in MVPA (effect size = 0.17), popular games (effect size = 0.35), and the amount of PA per week (effect size = 0.27) among students (all P < .05). The intervention was effective in promoting improvements in some PA outcomes, but the changes were not sufficient to increase the proportion of those meeting PA recommendations.

Direct Demonstration of the Concept of Unrestricted Effective-Medium Approximation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mishchenko, Michael I.; Dlugach, Zhanna M.; Zakharova, Nadezhda T.

2014-01-01

The modified unrestricted effective-medium refractive index is defined as one that yields accurate values of a representative set of far-field scattering characteristics (including the scattering matrix) for an object made of randomly heterogeneous materials. We validate the concept of the modified unrestricted effective-medium refractive index by comparing numerically exact superposition T-matrix results for a spherical host randomly filled with a large number of identical small inclusions and Lorenz-Mie results for a homogeneous spherical counterpart. A remarkable quantitative agreement between the superposition T-matrix and Lorenz-Mie scattering matrices over the entire range of scattering angles demonstrates unequivocally that the modified unrestricted effective-medium refractive index is a sound (albeit still phenomenological) concept provided that the size parameter of the inclusions is sufficiently small and their number is sufficiently large. Furthermore, it appears that in cases when the concept of the modified unrestricted effective-medium refractive index works, its actual value is close to that predicted by the Maxwell-Garnett mixing rule.

Small and large particle limits of single scattering albedo for homogeneous, spherical particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moosmüller, H.; Sorensen, C. M.

2018-01-01

The aerosol single scattering albedo (SSA) is the dominant intensive particle parameter determining aerosols direct radiative forcing. For homogeneous spherical particles and a complex refractive index independent of wavelength, the SSA is solely dependent on size parameter (ratio of particle circumference and wavelength) and complex refractive index of the particle. Here, we explore this dependency for the small and large particle limits with size parameters much smaller and much larger than one. We show that in the small particle limit of Rayleigh scattering, a novel, generalized size parameter can be introduced that unifies the SSA dependence on particle size parameter independent of complex refractive index. In the large particle limit, SSA decreases with increasing product of imaginary part of the refractive index and size parameter, another generalized parameter, until this product becomes about one, then stays fairly constant until the imaginary part of the refractive index becomes comparable with the real part minus one. Beyond this point, particles start to acquire metallic character and SSA quickly increases with the imaginary part of the refractive index and approaches one.

The acute and post-discontinuation effects of a glucocorticoid receptor (GR) antagonist probe on sleep and the HPA axis in chronic insomnia: a pilot study.

PubMed

Buckley, Theresa; Duggal, Vandana; Schatzberg, Alan F

2008-06-15

Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) hyperactivity has been reported in patients with chronic insomnia without depression. Aglucocorticoid receptor (GR) antagonist may re-regulate HPA axis activity even after discontinuation and may have clinical benefit. Ten subjects with chronic insomnia participated in a placebo controlled double-blinded prospective 30-day pilot study of the acute and post-discontinuation effects of a 5-day course of 600 mg of the glucocorticoid antagonist, mifepristone. Sleep outcome measures were polysomnogram and Insomnia Severity Index. Hormonal outcome measures were mean overnight cortisol and ACTH (23:00-07:00). We predicted sleep would improve and that overnight cortisol and ACTH would decrease at 2 weeks post-treatment discontinuation. At 2 weeks post-discontinuation, Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) decreased by 4.0 points (effect size = 0.97). Polysomnogram findings were limited. Mean cortisol (0.84 microg/dL, effect size = 0.91) and ACTH (5.50 pg/mL, effect size = 0.96) were still mildly increased (23:00 to 07:00). Post hoc analysis revealed that, the ratio of cortisol/ ACTH decreased (-0.21, effect size = 1.15) as did mean cortisol from 18:00 to 23:00 (-0.47 microg/dL, effect size = 0.56). This is the first study of a GR antagonist in chronic insomnia. Sleep improvement manifests in terms of decreased ISI post-treatment discontinuation. The decrease in cortisol in the early evening (18:00 to 23:00) in combination with the decrease in cortisol/ ACTH ratio may be an indicator of the longer-term biological mode of action of the drug.

Heat transfer performance characteristics of hybrid nanofluids as coolant in louvered fin automotive radiator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sahoo, Rashmi R.; Sarkar, Jahar

2017-06-01

Present study deals with the enhancement of convective heat transfer performance of EG brine based various hybrid nanofluids i.e. Ag, Cu, SiC, CuO and TiO2 in 0-1% volume fraction of Al2O3 nanofluid, as coolants for louvered fin automobile radiator. The effects of nanoparticles combination and operating parameters on thermo physical properties, heat transfer, effectiveness, pumping power and performance index of hybrid nanofluids have been evaluated. Comparison of studied hybrid nanofluids based on radiator size and pumping power has been made as well. Among all studied hybrid nanofluids, 1% Ag hybrid nanofluid (0.5% Ag and 0.5% Al2O3) yields highest effectiveness and heat transfer rate as well as pumping power. However, SiC + Al2O3 dispersed hybrid nanofluid yields maximum performance index and hence this can be recommended for best coolant. For the same radiator size and heat transfer rate, pumping power increases by using Ag hybrid nanofluids leading to increase in engine thermal efficiency and hence reduction in engine fuel consumption. For same coolant flow rate and heat transfer rate, the radiator size reduces and pumping power increases by using Ag hybrid nanofluids leading to reduction in radiator size, weight and cost.

Meta-Analysis With Complex Research Designs: Dealing With Dependence From Multiple Measures and Multiple Group Comparisons

PubMed Central

Scammacca, Nancy; Roberts, Greg; Stuebing, Karla K.

2013-01-01

Previous research has shown that treating dependent effect sizes as independent inflates the variance of the mean effect size and introduces bias by giving studies with more effect sizes more weight in the meta-analysis. This article summarizes the different approaches to handling dependence that have been advocated by methodologists, some of which are more feasible to implement with education research studies than others. A case study using effect sizes from a recent meta-analysis of reading interventions is presented to compare the results obtained from different approaches to dealing with dependence. Overall, mean effect sizes and variance estimates were found to be similar, but estimates of indexes of heterogeneity varied. Meta-analysts are advised to explore the effect of the method of handling dependence on the heterogeneity estimates before conducting moderator analyses and to choose the approach to dependence that is best suited to their research question and their data set. PMID:25309002

Relationship between seed bank expression, adult longevity and aridity in species of Chaetanthera (Asteraceae) in central Chile.

PubMed

Arroyo, M T K; Chacon, P; Cavieres, L A

2006-09-01

Broad surveys have detected inverse relationships between seed and adult longevity and between seed size and adult longevity. However, low and unpredictable precipitation is also associated with seed bank (SB) expression in semi-arid and arid areas. The relationship between adult longevity, SB formation, seed mass and aridity is examined in annual and perennial herbs of Chaetanthera (Asteraceae) from the Chilean Mediterranean-type climate and winter-rainfall desert areas over a precipitation range of one order of magnitude. Seeds of 18 species and subtaxa (32 populations) were buried in field locations, and exhumed after two successive germination periods. Seeds not germinating in the field were tested in a growth chamber, and remnant intact seed tested for viability. Seed banks were classed as transient or persistent. The effect of life form, species, population and burial time on persistent SB size was assessed with factorial ANOVA. Persistent seed bank size was compared with the Martonne aridity index (shown to be a surrogate for inter-annual variation in precipitation) and seed size using linear regression. ANCOVA assessed the effect of life-form on SB size with aridity as covariate. Three species had a transient SB and 15 a persistent SB. ANOVA revealed a significant effect of life-form on SB size with annuals having larger SB size and greater capacity to form a persistent SB than perennials. Significant inter-population variation in SB size was found in 64% of cases. Seed mass was negatively correlated with persistent SB size. Persistent seed bank size was significantly correlated with the Martonne aridity index in the perennial and annual species, with species from more arid areas having larger persistent SBs. However, when aridity was considered as a covariate, ANCOVA revealed no significant differences between the annual and perennial herbs. Persistent seed bank size in Chaetanthera appears to reflect environmental selection rather than any trade-off with adult longevity.

Sample Size in Clinical Cardioprotection Trials Using Myocardial Salvage Index, Infarct Size, or Biochemical Markers as Endpoint.

PubMed

Engblom, Henrik; Heiberg, Einar; Erlinge, David; Jensen, Svend Eggert; Nordrehaug, Jan Erik; Dubois-Randé, Jean-Luc; Halvorsen, Sigrun; Hoffmann, Pavel; Koul, Sasha; Carlsson, Marcus; Atar, Dan; Arheden, Håkan

2016-03-09

Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) can quantify myocardial infarct (MI) size and myocardium at risk (MaR), enabling assessment of myocardial salvage index (MSI). We assessed how MSI impacts the number of patients needed to reach statistical power in relation to MI size alone and levels of biochemical markers in clinical cardioprotection trials and how scan day affect sample size. Controls (n=90) from the recent CHILL-MI and MITOCARE trials were included. MI size, MaR, and MSI were assessed from CMR. High-sensitivity troponin T (hsTnT) and creatine kinase isoenzyme MB (CKMB) levels were assessed in CHILL-MI patients (n=50). Utilizing distribution of these variables, 100 000 clinical trials were simulated for calculation of sample size required to reach sufficient power. For a treatment effect of 25% decrease in outcome variables, 50 patients were required in each arm using MSI compared to 93, 98, 120, 141, and 143 for MI size alone, hsTnT (area under the curve [AUC] and peak), and CKMB (AUC and peak) in order to reach a power of 90%. If average CMR scan day between treatment and control arms differed by 1 day, sample size needs to be increased by 54% (77 vs 50) to avoid scan day bias masking a treatment effect of 25%. Sample size in cardioprotection trials can be reduced 46% to 65% without compromising statistical power when using MSI by CMR as an outcome variable instead of MI size alone or biochemical markers. It is essential to ensure lack of bias in scan day between treatment and control arms to avoid compromising statistical power. © 2016 The Authors. Published on behalf of the American Heart Association, Inc., by Wiley Blackwell.

Modelling and optimising of physicochemical features of walnut-oil beverage emulsions by implementation of response surface methodology: effect of preparation conditions on emulsion stability.

PubMed

Homayoonfal, Mina; Khodaiyan, Faramarz; Mousavi, Mohammad

2015-05-01

The major purpose of this study is to apply response surface methodology to model and optimise processing conditions for the preparation of beverage emulsions with maximum emulsion stability and viscosity, minimum particle size, turbidity loss rate, size index and peroxide value changes. A three-factor, five-level central composite design was conducted to estimate the effects of three independent variables: ultrasonic time (UT, 5-15 min), walnut-oil content (WO, 4-10% (w/w)) and Span 80 content (S80, 0.55-0.8). The results demonstrated the empirical models were satisfactorily (p < 0.0001) fitted to the experimental data. Evaluation of responses by analysis of variance indicated high coefficient determination values. The overall optimisation of preparation conditions was an UT of 14.630 min, WO content of 8.238% (w/w), and S80 content of 0.782% (w/w). Under this optimum region, responses were found to be 219.198, 99.184, 0.008, 0.008, 2.43 and 16.65 for particle size, emulsion stability, turbidity loss rate, size index, viscosity and peroxide value changes, respectively. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Optical monitoring of thermal effects in RPE during heating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schuele, G.; Huie, Ph.; Yellachich, D.; Molnar, F. E.; O'Conell-Rodwell, C.; Vitkin, E.; Perelman, L. T.; Palanker, D.

2005-04-01

Fast and non-invasive detection of cellular stress is useful for fundamental research and practical applications in medicine and biology. Using Light Scattering Spectroscopy we extract information about changes in refractive index and size of the cellular organelles. Particle sizes down to 50nm in diameter can be detected using light within the spectral range of 450-850 nm. We monitor the heat-induced sub-cellular structural changes in human RPE cells and, for comparison, in transfected NIH-3T3 cells which express luciferase linked to the heat shock protein (HSP). Using inverse light scattering fitting algorithm, we reconstruct the size distribution of the sub-micron organelles from the light scattering spectrum. The most significant (up to 70%) and rapid (20sec) temperature-related changes can be linked to an increase of refractive index of the 160nm sized mitochondria. The start of this effect coincides with the onset of HSP expression. This technique provides an insight into metabolic processes within organelles larger than 50nm without exogenous staining and opens doors for non-invasive real-time assessment of cellular stress, which can be used for monitoring of retinal laser treatments like transpupillary thermo therapy or PDT.

Body size estimation of self and others in females varying in BMI.

PubMed

Thaler, Anne; Geuss, Michael N; Mölbert, Simone C; Giel, Katrin E; Streuber, Stephan; Romero, Javier; Black, Michael J; Mohler, Betty J

2018-01-01

Previous literature suggests that a disturbed ability to accurately identify own body size may contribute to overweight. Here, we investigated the influence of personal body size, indexed by body mass index (BMI), on body size estimation in a non-clinical population of females varying in BMI. We attempted to disentangle general biases in body size estimates and attitudinal influences by manipulating whether participants believed the body stimuli (personalized avatars with realistic weight variations) represented their own body or that of another person. Our results show that the accuracy of own body size estimation is predicted by personal BMI, such that participants with lower BMI underestimated their body size and participants with higher BMI overestimated their body size. Further, participants with higher BMI were less likely to notice the same percentage of weight gain than participants with lower BMI. Importantly, these results were only apparent when participants were judging a virtual body that was their own identity (Experiment 1), but not when they estimated the size of a body with another identity and the same underlying body shape (Experiment 2a). The different influences of BMI on accuracy of body size estimation and sensitivity to weight change for self and other identity suggests that effects of BMI on visual body size estimation are self-specific and not generalizable to other bodies.

Body size estimation of self and others in females varying in BMI

PubMed Central

Geuss, Michael N.; Mölbert, Simone C.; Giel, Katrin E.; Streuber, Stephan; Romero, Javier; Black, Michael J.; Mohler, Betty J.

2018-01-01

Previous literature suggests that a disturbed ability to accurately identify own body size may contribute to overweight. Here, we investigated the influence of personal body size, indexed by body mass index (BMI), on body size estimation in a non-clinical population of females varying in BMI. We attempted to disentangle general biases in body size estimates and attitudinal influences by manipulating whether participants believed the body stimuli (personalized avatars with realistic weight variations) represented their own body or that of another person. Our results show that the accuracy of own body size estimation is predicted by personal BMI, such that participants with lower BMI underestimated their body size and participants with higher BMI overestimated their body size. Further, participants with higher BMI were less likely to notice the same percentage of weight gain than participants with lower BMI. Importantly, these results were only apparent when participants were judging a virtual body that was their own identity (Experiment 1), but not when they estimated the size of a body with another identity and the same underlying body shape (Experiment 2a). The different influences of BMI on accuracy of body size estimation and sensitivity to weight change for self and other identity suggests that effects of BMI on visual body size estimation are self-specific and not generalizable to other bodies. PMID:29425218

Methodological concerns for meta-analyses of meditation: Comment on Sedlmeier et al. (2012).

PubMed

Orme-Johnson, David W; Dillbeck, Michael C

2014-03-01

We commend Sedlmeier et al. (2012) for their significant undertaking of meta-analysis of all meditation types on all psychological variables, but additional analyses may modify some of their conclusions. Whereas they suggest from visual inspection of funnel diagrams that there may be publication bias of underreporting low-effect studies on the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique, quantitative tests do not indicate the presence of bias for any type of meditation. We additionally found that there was no significant difference in effect sizes between studies originating from researchers affiliated with a TM organization and studies from other universities. We found that comparison of different types of meditation on their global index was confounded because their global index aggregated different sets of variables for the different groups. That is, using composite indices that only aggregated variables for which each group had at least 3 studies confirmed the authors' conclusion that effect sizes for different research designs were not different, but found that effect sizes for the TM technique were significantly larger than effect sizes for mindfulness meditation or other meditations. We also located 35 studies on the TM technique that appear to meet the authors' inclusion criteria that were missed by their meta-analysis, and several others on important psychosocial behavioral variables, such as job performance, substance abuse, and prison recidivism that were not reviewed. In addition, we suggest that future meta-analyses on psychological variables include cross-validating physiological studies.

Using the Modified Precursor Method to Estimate the Size of Cycle 24

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, Robert M.; Hathaway, David H.

2008-01-01

Modified geomagnetic precursor techniques for predicting the size of the following sunspot cycle are developed, where these techniques use the 12-month moving averages of the number of disturbed days (when Ap greater than or equals 25), the Ap index, the aa index, and the aaI index at about 4 yr during the declining portion of the preceding sunspot cycle. For cycle 24, these techniques suggest that its RM will measure about 130 +/- 14, a value outside the consensus prediction interval of the low prediction (90 +/- 10) given by the NOAA Solar Cycle 24 Prediction Panel. Furthermore, cycle 24 is predicted to be a fast-rising cycle (ASC = 44 +/- 5 months), peaking before April 2012, presuming the official start of cycle 24 in March 2008. Also discussed are the variation of solar cycle lengths and Hale cycle effects, as related to cycles 23 and 24.

Heterogeneity Coefficients for Mahalanobis' D as a Multivariate Effect Size.

PubMed

Del Giudice, Marco

2017-01-01

The Mahalanobis distance D is the multivariate generalization of Cohen's d and can be used as a standardized effect size for multivariate differences between groups. An important issue in the interpretation of D is heterogeneity, that is, the extent to which contributions to the overall effect size are concentrated in a small subset of variables rather than evenly distributed across the whole set. Here I present two heterogeneity coefficients for D based on the Gini coefficient, a well-known index of inequality among values of a distribution. I discuss the properties and limitations of the two coefficients and illustrate their use by reanalyzing some published findings from studies of gender differences.

Propagational characteristics in a warm hybrid plasmonic waveguide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahmodi Moghadam, M.; Shahmansouri, M.; Farokhi, B.

2017-12-01

We theoretically analyze the properties of guided modes in a warm planar conductor-gap-dielectric (CGD) system. The latter consists of a high index dielectric, separated from a warm metallic plasma with a low index nano-sized dielectric layer (gap) by using the hydrodynamic model coupled to Maxwell's equations. The effects of thermal pressure on the confinement and the propagation losses of Hybrid Plasmon Polariton (HPP) modes are studied. We found that the thermal effect leads to a reduction in the effective refractive index as well as in the propagation losses of the HPP mode. Furthermore, the cutoff thickness in the warm CGD waveguide is found to be smaller than that in a cold CGD waveguide. The results may be useful in understanding the essential physics of active/passive Plasmonic devices and chip-scale systems.

Precision, Reliability, and Effect Size of Slope Variance in Latent Growth Curve Models: Implications for Statistical Power Analysis

PubMed Central

Brandmaier, Andreas M.; von Oertzen, Timo; Ghisletta, Paolo; Lindenberger, Ulman; Hertzog, Christopher

2018-01-01

Latent Growth Curve Models (LGCM) have become a standard technique to model change over time. Prediction and explanation of inter-individual differences in change are major goals in lifespan research. The major determinants of statistical power to detect individual differences in change are the magnitude of true inter-individual differences in linear change (LGCM slope variance), design precision, alpha level, and sample size. Here, we show that design precision can be expressed as the inverse of effective error. Effective error is determined by instrument reliability and the temporal arrangement of measurement occasions. However, it also depends on another central LGCM component, the variance of the latent intercept and its covariance with the latent slope. We derive a new reliability index for LGCM slope variance—effective curve reliability (ECR)—by scaling slope variance against effective error. ECR is interpretable as a standardized effect size index. We demonstrate how effective error, ECR, and statistical power for a likelihood ratio test of zero slope variance formally relate to each other and how they function as indices of statistical power. We also provide a computational approach to derive ECR for arbitrary intercept-slope covariance. With practical use cases, we argue for the complementary utility of the proposed indices of a study's sensitivity to detect slope variance when making a priori longitudinal design decisions or communicating study designs. PMID:29755377

Atmospheric aerosols: Their Optical Properties and Effects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1976-01-01

Measured properties of atmospheric aerosol particles are presented. These include aerosol size frequency distribution and complex retractive index. The optical properties of aerosols are computed based on the presuppositions of thermodynamic equilibrium and of Mie-theory.

Determination of Atmospheric Aerosol Characteristics from the Polarization of Scattered Radiation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harris, F. S., Jr.; McCormick, M. P.

1973-01-01

Aerosols affect the polarization of radiation in scattering, hence measured polarization can be used to infer the nature of the particles. Size distribution, particle shape, real and absorption parts of the complex refractive index affect the scattering. From Lorenz-Mie calculations of the 4-Stokes parameters as a function of scattering angle for various wavelengths the following polarization parameters were plotted: total intensity, intensity of polarization in plane of observation, intensity perpendicular to the plane of observation, polarization ratio, polarization (using all 4-Stokes parameters), plane of the polarization ellipse and its ellipticity. A six-component log-Gaussian size distribution model was used to study the effects of the nature of the polarization due to variations in the size distribution and complex refractive index. Though a rigorous inversion from measurements of scattering to detailed specification of aerosol characteristics is not possible, considerable information about the nature of the aerosols can be obtained. Only single scattering from aerosols was used in this paper. Also, the background due to Rayleigh gas scattering, the reduction of effects as a result of multiple scattering and polarization effects of possible ground background (airborne platforms) were not included.

Effect of DEM resolution and comparison between different weighting factors for hydrologic connectivity index

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cantreul, Vincent; Cavalli, Marco; Degré, Aurore

2016-04-01

The emerging concept of hydrological connectivity is difficult to quantify. Some indices have been proposed. The most cited is Borselli's one. It mainly uses the DEM as input. The pixel size may strongly impacts the result of the calculation. It has not been studied yet in silty areas. Another important aspect is the choice of the weighting factor which strongly influences the index value. The objective of this poster is so to compare 8 different DEM's resolutions (12, 24, 48, 72, 96, 204, 504 and 996cm) and 3 different weighting factors (factor C of Wischmeier, Manning's factor and rugosity index) in the Borselli's index calculation. The IC was calculated in a 124ha catchment (Hevillers), in the loess belt, in Belgium. The DEM used is coming from a UAV with a maximum resolution of 12 cm. Permanent covered surfaces are not considered in order to avoid artefact due to the vegetation (2% of the surface). Regarding the DEM pixel size, the IC increases for a given pixel when the pixel size decreases. That confirms some results observed in the Alpine region by Cavalli (2014). The mean difference between 12 cm and 10 m resolution is 35% with higher values up to 100% for higher connectivity zones (flow paths). Another result is the lower impact of connections in the watershed (grass strips…) at lower pixel sizes. This is linked to the small width of some connections which are sometimes comparing to cell size. Furthermore, a great loss of precision is observed from the 500 cm pixel size and upper. That remark is quite intuitive. Finally, some very well disconnected zones appear for the highest resolutions. Regarding the weighting factor, IC values calculated using C factor are lower than with the rugosity index which is only a topographic factor. With very high resolution DEM, it permits to represent the fine topography. For the C factor, the zones up to very well disconnected areas (grass strips, wood…) are well represented with lower index values than downstream zones. On the contrary, areas up to very well connected zones (roads, paths…) are higher and much more connected than downstream areas. For the Manning's factor, the values are very low and not very well contrasted. This factor is not enough discriminant for this study. In conclusion, high resolution DEM (1 meter or higher) is needed for the IC calculation (precison, impact of connections…). Very high resolution permits to identify very well disconnected areas but it multiplies the calculation time. For the weighting factor, rugosity index and C factor have each some advantages. It is planned to test other approaches for the IC calculation. Key-words: hydrological connectivity index, DEM, resolution, weighting factor, comparison

Nanocrystal doped matrixes

DOEpatents

Parce, J. Wallace; Bernatis, Paul; Dubrow, Robert; Freeman, William P.; Gamoras, Joel; Kan, Shihai; Meisel, Andreas; Qian, Baixin; Whiteford, Jeffery A.; Ziebarth, Jonathan

2010-01-12

Matrixes doped with semiconductor nanocrystals are provided. In certain embodiments, the semiconductor nanocrystals have a size and composition such that they absorb or emit light at particular wavelengths. The nanocrystals can comprise ligands that allow for mixing with various matrix materials, including polymers, such that a minimal portion of light is scattered by the matrixes. The matrixes of the present invention can also be utilized in refractive index matching applications. In other embodiments, semiconductor nanocrystals are embedded within matrixes to form a nanocrystal density gradient, thereby creating an effective refractive index gradient. The matrixes of the present invention can also be used as filters and antireflective coatings on optical devices and as down-converting layers. Processes for producing matrixes comprising semiconductor nanocrystals are also provided. Nanostructures having high quantum efficiency, small size, and/or a narrow size distribution are also described, as are methods of producing indium phosphide nanostructures and core-shell nanostructures with Group II-VI shells.

Extinction spectra of suspensions of microspheres: determination of the spectral refractive index and particle size distribution with nanometer accuracy.

PubMed

Gienger, Jonas; Bär, Markus; Neukammer, Jörg

2018-01-10

A method is presented to infer simultaneously the wavelength-dependent real refractive index (RI) of the material of microspheres and their size distribution from extinction measurements of particle suspensions. To derive the averaged spectral optical extinction cross section of the microspheres from such ensemble measurements, we determined the particle concentration by flow cytometry to an accuracy of typically 2% and adjusted the particle concentration to ensure that perturbations due to multiple scattering are negligible. For analysis of the extinction spectra, we employ Mie theory, a series-expansion representation of the refractive index and nonlinear numerical optimization. In contrast to other approaches, our method offers the advantage to simultaneously determine size, size distribution, and spectral refractive index of ensembles of microparticles including uncertainty estimation.

The effect of doped zinc on the structural properties of nano-crystalline (Se0.8Te0.2)100-xZnx

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Arun; Singh, Harkawal; Gill, P. S.; Goyal, Navdeep

2016-05-01

The effect of metallic zinc (Zn) on the structural properties of (Se0.8Te0.2)1-XZnX (x=0, 2, 6, 8, 10) samples analyzed by X-ray Diffraction (XRD). The presence of sharp peaks in XRD patterns confirmed the crystalline nature of the samples and is indexed in orthorhombic crystal structure. XRD studies predicts that the average particle size of all the samples are about 46.29 nm, which is less than 100 nm and hence have strong tendency of agglomeration. Williamson-Hall plot method was used to evaluate the lattice strain. The dislocation density and no. of unit cells of the samples were calculated which show the inverse relation with each other. Morphology index derived from FWHM of XRD data explains the direct relationship with the particle size.

Behavioral and Emotional Problems Associated With Convergence Insufficiency in Children: An Open Trial.

PubMed

Borsting, Eric; Mitchell, G Lynn; Arnold, L Eugene; Scheiman, Mitchell; Chase, Christopher; Kulp, Marjean; Cotter, Susan

2016-10-01

This study investigated behavioral and emotional characteristics of children with convergence insufficiency (CI), before and after treatment with office-based vergence accommodative therapy (OBVAT). Parents of 44 children ages 9 to 17 years with symptomatic CI completed the Conners 3 ADHD Index and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) before and after OBVAT. Pre-treatment scores were compared with normative data and post-treatment scores were compared with baseline using the Wilcoxon sign rank test. Following OBVAT, CI children showed a significant mean improvement (p < .0001, effect size of 0.58) on the Conners 3 ADHD Index with the largest changes occurring in the 23 children who scored the highest at baseline. On the CBCL, anxious/depressed, somatic, and internalizing problems improved significantly (p < .001, effect sizes of -0.36, -1.15, and -0.67, respectively). In an open trial, attention and internalizing problems improved significantly following treatment for CI. © The Author(s) 2013.

Development and validation of a Client Problem Profile and Index for drug treatment.

PubMed

Joe, George W; Simpson, D Dwayne; Greener, Jack M; Rowan-Szal, Grace A

2004-08-01

The development of the Client Problem Profile and Index are described, and initial concurrent and predictive validity data are presented for a sample of 547 patients in outpatient methadone treatment. Derived from the TCU Brief Intake for drug treatment admissions, the profile covers 14 problem areas related to drug use (particularly cocaine, heroin/opiate, marijuana, other illegal drugs, and multiple drug use), HIV risks, psychosocial-functioning, health, employment, and criminality. Analyses of predictive validity show the profile and its index (number of problem areas) were significantly related to therapeutic engagement, during-treatment performance, and posttreatment follow-up outcomes. Low moderate to high moderate effect sizes were observed in analyses of the index's discrimination.

Laser beam propagation in atmospheric turbulence

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Murty, S. S. R.

1979-01-01

The optical effects of atmospheric turbulence on the propagation of low power laser beams are reviewed in this paper. The optical effects are produced by the temperature fluctuations which result in fluctuations of the refractive index of air. The commonly-used models of index-of-refraction fluctuations are presented. Laser beams experience fluctuations of beam size, beam position, and intensity distribution within the beam due to refractive turbulence. Some of the observed effects are qualitatively explained by treating the turbulent atmosphere as a collection of moving gaseous lenses of various sizes. Analytical results and experimental verifications of the variance, covariance and probability distribution of intensity fluctuations in weak turbulence are presented. For stronger turbulence, a saturation of the optical scintillations is observed. The saturation of scintillations involves a progressive break-up of the beam into multiple patches; the beam loses some of its lateral coherence. Heterodyne systems operating in a turbulent atmosphere experience a loss of heterodyne signal due to the destruction of coherence.

Effect of dynamic high pressure on emulsifying and encapsulant properties of cashew tree gum.

PubMed

Porto, Bruna Castro; Cristianini, Marcelo

2018-04-15

Dynamic high pressure (DHP) has been applied in the physical modification of biopolymers as polysaccharides, proteins and gums. It is known that DHP is able to promote degradation of polysaccharides (e.g. molecular weight reduction). However, few studies have assessed the effect of DHP on the emulsifying and encapsulating properties of polysaccharides. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the effect of DHP on the emulsifying (average droplet size and particle size distribution, optical and confocal scanning laser microscopy, rheology, zeta potential and electric conductivity, creaming index, and turbidity) and encapsulating (scanning electronic microscopy, flavor retention, average droplet size, and particle size distribution) properties of cashew tree gum (CG). The application of DHP process improved the emulsifying capacity of cashew tree gum (CG) by reducing the medium droplet size (D3,2 and D4,3), increasing the turbidity and improving the emulsion stability. However, no effect of DHP was observed on the encapsulating capacity of CG. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Morphology parameters for intracranial aneurysm rupture risk assessment.

PubMed

Dhar, Sujan; Tremmel, Markus; Mocco, J; Kim, Minsuok; Yamamoto, Junichi; Siddiqui, Adnan H; Hopkins, L Nelson; Meng, Hui

2008-08-01

The aim of this study is to identify image-based morphological parameters that correlate with human intracranial aneurysm (IA) rupture. For 45 patients with terminal or sidewall saccular IAs (25 unruptured, 20 ruptured), three-dimensional geometries were evaluated for a range of morphological parameters. In addition to five previously studied parameters (aspect ratio, aneurysm size, ellipticity index, nonsphericity index, and undulation index), we defined three novel parameters incorporating the parent vessel geometry (vessel angle, aneurysm [inclination] angle, and [aneurysm-to-vessel] size ratio) and explored their correlation with aneurysm rupture. Parameters were analyzed with a two-tailed independent Student's t test for significance; significant parameters (P < 0.05) were further examined by multivariate logistic regression analysis. Additionally, receiver operating characteristic analyses were performed on each parameter. Statistically significant differences were found between mean values in ruptured and unruptured groups for size ratio, undulation index, nonsphericity index, ellipticity index, aneurysm angle, and aspect ratio. Logistic regression analysis further revealed that size ratio (odds ratio, 1.41; 95% confidence interval, 1.03-1.92) and undulation index (odds ratio, 1.51; 95% confidence interval, 1.08-2.11) had the strongest independent correlation with ruptured IA. From the receiver operating characteristic analysis, size ratio and aneurysm angle had the highest area under the curve values of 0.83 and 0.85, respectively. Size ratio and aneurysm angle are promising new morphological metrics for IA rupture risk assessment. Because these parameters account for vessel geometry, they may bridge the gap between morphological studies and more qualitative location-based studies.

Cellulose polymorphy, crystallite size, and the Segal crystallinity index

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The X-ray diffraction-based Segal Crystallinity Index (CI) was calculated for simulated different sizes of crystallites for cellulose I' and II. The Mercury software was used, and different crystallite sizes were based on different input peak widths at half of the maximum peak intensity (pwhm). The ...

Portion-size preference as a function of individuals' body mass index.

PubMed

Reily, N M; Herman, C P; Vartanian, L R

2016-09-01

Large portions of food are often blamed for rising rates of obesity. We tested the possibility that people who are heavier may tend to select or prefer larger portions than do people who are lighter. Participants (total N  = 798) were asked to choose between a small and larger portion of pasta for a hypothetical meal (Studies 1, 2 and 4), to indicate their ideal portion from a range of portion-size options (Study 2), or to select their preferred portion size from each of 28 portion pairs (Study 3). Across all studies, there were no significant differences between heavier and lighter participants in their portion-size selection (effect sizes ranged from d  = -0.06 to 0.33). The pattern was the same regardless of whether we grouped participants as having a body mass index (BMI) <25 vs. ≥25, as having a BMI of <30 vs. ≥30, or treated BMI as a continuous predictor. Given the lack of association between BMI and portion-size preference, we suggest that factors other than portion size, such as differences in meal frequency, food type, plate clearing or compensation at subsequent meals, may need to be considered in order to explain the increasing prevalence of obesity.

Associations of Maternal Light/Moderate Leisure-Time Walking and Yoga With Offspring Birth Size.

PubMed

Badon, Sylvia E; Littman, Alyson J; Chan, K C Gary; Williams, Michelle A; Enquobahrie, Daniel A

2018-06-01

Although perinatal walking and yoga have been associated with decreased risks of pregnancy complications, associations with offspring birth size have been inconsistent. We investigated associations of prepregnancy and early pregnancy leisure-time light/moderate walking and yoga practice with birth size. Study participants (N = 3687) reported leisure-time physical activity duration (hours per week) in the year before pregnancy and early pregnancy. Birth size was abstracted from medical records. Regression was used to determine mean differences in birth weight, head circumference, and ponderal index. Interaction terms were used to assess effect modification by offspring sex. About one-third of women reported light/moderate leisure-time walking and about 10% reported yoga practice. Women in the highest tertile for prepregnancy (mean: 2.9 h/wk; range: 1.4-20 h/wk) or early pregnancy (mean: 5.9 h/wk; range: 3.1-24 h/wk) light/moderate walking had offspring with 0.9 and 1.5 kg/m 3 greater ponderal index (95% confidence interval, 0.3 to 1.4 and 0.7 to 2.4, respectively) compared with women who reported no light/moderate walking in the same time period. Light/moderate walking was not associated with birth weight or head circumference. Yoga practice was not associated with birth size. Associations were similar by offspring sex. Light/moderate leisure-time walking may be associated with greater offspring ponderal index.

Prey life-history and bioenergetic responses across a predation gradient.

PubMed

Rennie, M D; Purchase, C F; Shuter, B J; Collins, N C; Abrams, P A; Morgan, G E

2010-10-01

To evaluate the importance of non-consumptive effects of predators on prey life histories under natural conditions, an index of predator abundance was developed for naturally occurring populations of a common prey fish, the yellow perch Perca flavescens, and compared to life-history variables and rates of prey energy acquisition and allocation as estimated from mass balance models. The predation index was positively related to maximum size and size at maturity in both male and female P. flavescens, but not with life span or reproductive investment. The predation index was positively related to size-adjusted specific growth rates and growth efficiencies but negatively related to model estimates of size-adjusted specific consumption and activity rates in both vulnerable (small) and invulnerable (large) size classes of P. flavescens. These observations suggest a trade-off between growth and activity rates, mediated by reduced activity in response to increasing predator densities. Lower growth rates and growth efficiencies in populations with fewer predators, despite increased consumption suggests either 1) a reduction in prey resources at lower predator densities or 2) an intrinsic cost of rapid prey growth that makes it unfavourable unless offset by a perceived threat of predation. This study provides evidence of trade-offs between growth and activity rates induced by predation risk in natural prey fish populations and illustrates how behavioural modification induced through predation can shape the life histories of prey fish species. © 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2010 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

Geometrical-optics approximation of forward scattering by gradient-index spheres.

PubMed

Li, Xiangzhen; Han, Xiang'e; Li, Renxian; Jiang, Huifen

2007-08-01

By means of geometrical optics we present an approximation method for acceleration of the computation of the scattering intensity distribution within a forward angular range (0-60 degrees ) for gradient-index spheres illuminated by a plane wave. The incident angle of reflected light is determined by the scattering angle, thus improving the approximation accuracy. The scattering angle and the optical path length are numerically integrated by a general-purpose integrator. With some special index models, the scattering angle and the optical path length can be expressed by a unique function and the calculation is faster. This method is proved effective for transparent particles with size parameters greater than 50. It fails to give good approximation results at scattering angles whose refractive rays are in the backward direction. For different index models, the geometrical-optics approximation is effective only for forward angles, typically those less than 60 degrees or when the refractive-index difference of a particle is less than a certain value.

Avoidable Burden of Risk Factors for Serious Road Traffic Crashes in Iran: A Modeling Study.

PubMed

Khosravi Shadmani, Fatemeh; Mansori, Kamyar; Karami, Manoochehr; Zayeri, Farid; Shadman, Reza Khosravi; Hanis, Shiva Mansouri; Soori, Hamid

2017-03-01

The aim of this study was to model the avoidable burden of the risk factors of road traffic crashes in Iran and to prioritize interventions to reduce that burden. The prevalence and the effect size of the risk factors were obtained from data documented by the traffic police of Iran in 2013. The effect size was estimated using an ordinal regression model. The potential impact fraction index was applied to calculate the avoidable burden in order to prioritize interventions. This index was calculated for theoretical, plausible, and feasible minimum risk level scenarios. The joint effects of the risk factors were then estimated for all the scenarios. The highest avoidable burdens in the theoretical, plausible, and feasible minimum risk level scenarios for the non-use of child restraints on urban roads were 52.25, 28.63, and 46.67, respectively. In contrast, the value of this index for speeding was 76.24, 37.00, and 62.23, respectively, for rural roads. On the basis of the different scenarios considered in this research, we suggest focusing on future interventions to decrease the prevalence of speeding, the non-use of child restraints, the use of cell phones while driving, and helmet disuse, and the laws related to these items should be considered seriously.

Effect of patient size on radiation dose for abdominal MDCT with automatic tube current modulation: phantom study.

PubMed

Schindera, Sebastian T; Nelson, Rendon C; Toth, Thomas L; Nguyen, Giao T; Toncheva, Greta I; DeLong, David M; Yoshizumi, Terry T

2008-02-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate in a phantom study the effect of patient size on radiation dose for abdominal MDCT with automatic tube current modulation. One or two 4-cm-thick circumferential layers of fat-equivalent material were added to the abdomen of an anthropomorphic phantom to simulate patients of three sizes: small (cross-sectional dimensions, 18 x 22 cm), average size (26 x 30 cm), and oversize (34 x 38 cm). Imaging was performed with a 64-MDCT scanner with combined z-axis and xy-axis tube current modulation according to two protocols: protocol A had a noise index of 12.5 H, and protocol B, 15.0 H. Radiation doses to three abdominal organs and the skin were assessed. Image noise also was measured. Despite increasing patient size, the image noise measured was similar for protocol A (range, 11.7-12.2 H) and protocol B (range, 13.9-14.8 H) (p > 0.05). With the two protocols, in comparison with the dose of the small patient, the abdominal organ doses of the average-sized patient and the oversized patient increased 161.5-190.6%and 426.9-528.1%, respectively (p < 0.001). The skin dose increased as much as 268.6% for the average-sized patient and 816.3% for the oversized patient compared with the small patient (p < 0.001). Oversized patients undergoing abdominal MDCT with tube current modulation receive significantly higher doses than do small patients. The noise index needs to be adjusted to the body habitus to ensure dose efficiency.

Bayesian Gaussian regression analysis of malnutrition for children under five years of age in Ethiopia, EMDHS 2014.

PubMed

Mohammed, Seid; Asfaw, Zeytu G

2018-01-01

The term malnutrition generally refers to both under-nutrition and over-nutrition, but this study uses the term to refer solely to a deficiency of nutrition. In Ethiopia, child malnutrition is one of the most serious public health problem and the highest in the world. The purpose of the present study was to identify the high risk factors of malnutrition and test different statistical models for childhood malnutrition and, thereafter weighing the preferable model through model comparison criteria. Bayesian Gaussian regression model was used to analyze the effect of selected socioeconomic, demographic, health and environmental covariates on malnutrition under five years old child's. Inference was made using Bayesian approach based on Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) simulation techniques in BayesX. The study found that the variables such as sex of a child, preceding birth interval, age of the child, father's education level, source of water, mother's body mass index, head of household sex, mother's age at birth, wealth index, birth order, diarrhea, child's size at birth and duration of breast feeding showed significant effects on children's malnutrition in Ethiopia. The age of child, mother's age at birth and mother's body mass index could also be important factors with a non linear effect for the child's malnutrition in Ethiopia. Thus, the present study emphasizes a special care on variables such as sex of child, preceding birth interval, father's education level, source of water, sex of head of household, wealth index, birth order, diarrhea, child's size at birth, duration of breast feeding, age of child, mother's age at birth and mother's body mass index to combat childhood malnutrition in developing countries.

Bayesian assessment of uncertainty in aerosol size distributions and index of refraction retrieved from multiwavelength lidar measurements.

PubMed

Herman, Benjamin R; Gross, Barry; Moshary, Fred; Ahmed, Samir

2008-04-01

We investigate the assessment of uncertainty in the inference of aerosol size distributions from backscatter and extinction measurements that can be obtained from a modern elastic/Raman lidar system with a Nd:YAG laser transmitter. To calculate the uncertainty, an analytic formula for the correlated probability density function (PDF) describing the error for an optical coefficient ratio is derived based on a normally distributed fractional error in the optical coefficients. Assuming a monomodal lognormal particle size distribution of spherical, homogeneous particles with a known index of refraction, we compare the assessment of uncertainty using a more conventional forward Monte Carlo method with that obtained from a Bayesian posterior PDF assuming a uniform prior PDF and show that substantial differences between the two methods exist. In addition, we use the posterior PDF formalism, which was extended to include an unknown refractive index, to find credible sets for a variety of optical measurement scenarios. We find the uncertainty is greatly reduced with the addition of suitable extinction measurements in contrast to the inclusion of extra backscatter coefficients, which we show to have a minimal effect and strengthens similar observations based on numerical regularization methods.

Food Serving Size Knowledge in African American Women and the Relationship with Body Mass Index

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shah, Meena; Adams-Huet, Beverley; Elston, Elizabeth; Hubbard, Stacy; Carson, Kristin

2010-01-01

Objective: To examine serving size knowledge in African Americans and how it is related to body mass index (BMI). Design: Serving size knowledge of food commonly consumed by African Americans was assessed by asking the subjects to select the amount of food considered to be a single serving size by the United States Department of Agriculture and…

Self-microemulsifying smaller molecular volume oil (Capmul MCM) using non-ionic surfactants: a delivery system for poorly water-soluble drug.

PubMed

Bandivadeka, Mithun Mohanraor; Pancholi, Shyam Sundar; Kaul-Ghanekar, Ruchika; Choudhari, Amit; Koppikar, Soumya

2012-07-01

The main purpose of this work is to formulate self-microemulsifying drug delivery system (SMEDDS) using smaller molecular oil with Atorvastatin calcium as a model drug. Solubility of the selected drug was accessed in oils and surfactants. Percent transmittance (%T) test study was performed to identify the efficient self-microemulsifying formulations. Those formulations which showed higher value for %T were evaluated for droplet size, polydispersity index, ζ potential, refractive index and cloud point measurement. Effect of drug loading on droplet size, increasing dilution in different media, thermodynamic stability and in vitro dissolution was performed to observe the performance of the selected formulation. Further cytotoxicity and permeation enhancement studies were carried out on Caco2 cell lines. Of all the oils accessed for drug solubility, Capmul MCM showed higher solubility capacity for Atorvastatin calcium. Capmul MCM was better microemulsified using combination of Tween 20 and Labrasol surfactant. Droplet size was as low as 86.93 nm with polydispersity index and ζ potential at 0.195 ± 0.011 and -7.27 ± 3.11 mV respectively. The selected undiluted formulation showed refractive index values ranging from 1.40 to 1.47 indicating the isotropicity of the formulation. The selected formulation was robust to dilution in different media and thermodynamically stable. Dissolution profile was enhanced for the selected drug as compared to marketed formulation with t85% and DE values at 10 min and 80.15 respectively. Also cytotoxicity measurement showed minimum effect with good permeation enhancing capacity. Thus our study demonstrates the use of smaller molecular oil (Capmul MCM) for developing self-microemulsifying drug delivery system for better in vitro and in vivo performance.

A topographical map approach to representing treatment efficacy: a focus on positive psychology interventions.

PubMed

Gorlin, Eugenia I; Lee, Josephine; Otto, Michael W

2018-01-01

A recent meta-analysis by Bolier et al. indicated that positive psychology interventions have overall small to moderate effects on well-being, but results were quite heterogeneous across intervention trials. Such meta-analytic research helps condense information on the efficacy of a broad psychosocial intervention by averaging across many effects; however, such global averages may provide limited navigational guidance for selecting among specific interventions. Here, we introduce a novel method for displaying qualitative and quantitative information on the efficacy of interventions using a topographical map approach. As an initial prototype for demonstrating this method, we mapped 50 positive psychology interventions targeting well-being (as captured in the Bolier et al. [2013] meta-analysis, [Bolier, L., Haverman, M., Westerhof, G. J., Riper, H., Smit, F., & Bohlmeijer, E. (2013). Positive psychology interventions: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies. BMC Public Health, 13, 83]). Each intervention domain/subdomain was mapped according to its average effect size (indexed by vertical elevation), number of studies providing effect sizes (indexed by horizontal area), and therapist/client burden (indexed by shading). The geographical placement of intervention domains/subdomains was determined by their conceptual proximity, allowing viewers to gauge the general conceptual "direction" in which promising intervention effects can be found. The resulting graphical displays revealed several prominent features of the well-being intervention "landscape," such as more strongly and uniformly positive effects of future-focused interventions (including, goal-pursuit and optimism training) compared to past/present-focused ones.

Dependent scattering and absorption by densely packed discrete spherical particles: Effects of complex refractive index

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, L. X.; Tan, J. Y.; Zhao, J. M.; Wang, F. Q.; Wang, C. A.; Wang, Y. Y.

2017-07-01

Due to the dependent scattering and absorption effects, the radiative transfer equation (RTE) may not be suitable for dealing with radiative transfer in dense discrete random media. This paper continues previous research on multiple and dependent scattering in densely packed discrete particle systems, and puts emphasis on the effects of particle complex refractive index. The Mueller matrix elements of the scattering system with different complex refractive indexes are obtained by both electromagnetic method and radiative transfer method. The Maxwell equations are directly solved based on the superposition T-matrix method, while the RTE is solved by the Monte Carlo method combined with the hard sphere model in the Percus-Yevick approximation (HSPYA) to consider the dependent scattering effects. The results show that for densely packed discrete random media composed of medium size parameter particles (equals 6.964 in this study), the demarcation line between independent and dependent scattering has remarkable connections with the particle complex refractive index. With the particle volume fraction increase to a certain value, densely packed discrete particles with higher refractive index contrasts between the particles and host medium and higher particle absorption indexes are more likely to show stronger dependent characteristics. Due to the failure of the extended Rayleigh-Debye scattering condition, the HSPYA has weak effect on the dependent scattering correction at large phase shift parameters.

An Index of Competition Based on Relative Crown Position and Size

Treesearch

Dwight D. O' Neal; Allan E. Houston; Edward R. Buckner; James S. Meadows

1995-01-01

A new competition index, the Crown Position Index (CPI) was evaluated using a 41-year-old, well stocked, upland hardwood stand in southwestern Tennessee. CPI wss based on relative crown position and crown size as expressed by crown projections and relative heights of crop trees and their competitors. Comparisons were made among CPI, the Hegyl (1974)...

Meta-Analysis of Interventions for Basic Mathematics Computation in Single-Case Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Methe, Scott A.; Kilgus, Stephen P.; Neiman, Cheryl; Riley-Tillman, T. Chris

2012-01-01

This study examined interventions for addition and subtraction that were implemented through single-case design (SCD) research studies. We attempted to extend prior SCD meta-analyses by examining differences in effect sizes across several moderating variables and by including a novel index of effect, improvement rate difference (IRD). We also…

Effects of Buffer Size and Shape on Associations between the Built Environment and Energy Balance

PubMed Central

Berrigan, David; Hart, Jaime E.; Hipp, J. Aaron; Hoehner, Christine M.; Kerr, Jacqueline; Major, Jacqueline M.; Oka, Masayoshi; Laden, Francine

2014-01-01

Uncertainty in the relevant spatial context may drive heterogeneity in findings on the built environment and energy balance. To estimate the effect of this uncertainty, we conducted a sensitivity analysis defining intersection and business densities and counts within different buffer sizes and shapes on associations with self-reported walking and body mass index. Linear regression results indicated that the scale and shape of buffers influenced study results and may partly explain the inconsistent findings in the built environment and energy balance literature. PMID:24607875

Adverse health in parents of children with disabilities and chronic health conditions: a meta-analysis using the parenting stress index's health sub-domain.

PubMed

Miodrag, N; Burke, M; Tanner-Smith, E; Hodapp, R M

2015-03-01

Compared with parents of same-aged children without disabilities, parents of children with disabilities and with chronic health conditions (CHC) show higher levels of stress and depression. Fewer studies, however, examine the physical health of these parents, and studies report mixed findings. Many studies, however, report mother's self-reported health using the Health Sub-domain of Abidin's Parenting Stress Index (PSI). We therefore conducted a meta-analysis comparing the physical health of parents of children with developmental disabilities (DD) and CHC vs. parents of children without DD/CHC in studies utilising this measure. Eligible studies used the long form of the PSI and reported results from the 5-item Health sub-domain. Group comparison effect sizes were synthesised in a meta-analysis, and we also examined the potential relations of child, parent, and study characteristics. Our search yielded 19 eligible studies. Compared with parents of children without DD/CHC, parents of children with DD/CHC reported higher PSI health problem scores, with a weighted mean effect size of 0.39 (95% CI = 0.23-0.55). Effect sizes ranged from -0.13 to 1.46 and there was evidence of heterogeneity in the effect sizes (τ2  = 0.07; Q18  = 48.64, P < 0.01; I2  = 63.0%). Studies with higher numbers of reporting quality indicators generally reported larger effects and more recent studies showed smaller effects. Although several child and parent characteristics were moderately associated with effect sizes, none reached statistical significance. Practitioners should be alerted to the need for health prevention and treatment in this at-risk parent group. © 2014 MENCAP and International Association of the Scientific Study of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Catch rates relative to angler party size with implications for monitoring angler success

USGS Publications Warehouse

Miranda, L.E.

2005-01-01

Angler catch rates often are used to monitor angler success, assess the need for additional management actions, and evaluate the effectiveness of management practices. Potential linkages between catch rate and angler party size were examined to assess how party size might affect the use of catch rate as an index of angler success in recreational fisheries. Data representing 22,355 completed interviews conducted at access points in lakes and reservoirs throughout Mississippi during 1987-2003 were analyzed. Total party catch was not proportional to total party effort; thus, catch rate decreased as party size increased. Depending on the taxa targeted, the average catch rate per angler decreased 40-50% between parties of one and parties of two, although subsequent decreases were less substantial. Because party size accounted for a considerable portion of the variability in catch rate over time and space, failure to remove this variability weakens the manager's ability to detect differences or changes in catch rates. Therefore, the use of catch rates to monitor fisheries may be inappropriate unless party size is taken into account. Party size may influence the angler's ability to catch fish through a variety of processes, including partitioning a limited number of catchable fish among members of a party and party composition. When catch rates are used to estimate total catch rather than to index angler success, party size is not a concern.

Effect of TiCl4 treatment on the refractive index of nanoporous TiO2 films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Jeeyoung; Lee, Myeongkyu

2015-12-01

We investigate the effect of TiCl4 treatment on the refractive index of a nanoporous TiO2 film. A nanoparticulate TiO2 film prepared on a glass substrate was immersed in a TiCl4 aqueous solution. The subsequent reaction of TiCl4 with H2O produces TiO2 and thus modifies the density and the refractive index of the film. With increasing TiCl4 concentration, the refractive index initially increased and then declined after being maximized (n = 2.02 at 633 nm) at 0.08 M concentration. A refractive index change as large as 0.45 could be obtained with the TiCl4 treatment, making it possible to achieve diffraction efficiency exceeding 80% in a diffraction grating-embedded TiO2 film. For high TiCl4 concentrations of 0.32 M and 0.64 M, the refractive index remained nearly unchanged. This was attributed to the limited permeability of high-viscosity TiCl4 solutions into the nanoporous films. The measured pore size distributions were in good agreement with the results of a diffraction analysis and refractive index measurement.

Lepidium meyenii (Maca) increases litter size in normal adult female mice

PubMed Central

Ruiz-Luna, Ana C; Salazar, Stephanie; Aspajo, Norma J; Rubio, Julio; Gasco, Manuel; Gonzales, Gustavo F

2005-01-01

Background Lepidium meyenii, known as Maca, grows exclusively in the Peruvian Andes over 4000 m altitude. It has been used traditionally to increase fertility. Previous scientific studies have demonstrated that Maca increases spermatogenesis and epididymal sperm count. The present study was aimed to investigate the effects of Maca on several fertility parameters of female mice at reproductive age. Methods Adult female Balb/C mice were divided at random into three main groups: i) Reproductive indexes group, ii) Implantation sites group and iii) Assessment of uterine weight in ovariectomized mice. Animals received an aqueous extract of lyophilized Yellow Maca (1 g/Kg BW) or vehicle orally as treatment. In the fertility indexes study, animals received the treatment before, during and after gestation. The fertility index, gestation index, post-natal viability index, weaning viability index and sex ratio were calculated. Sexual maturation was evaluated in the female pups by the vaginal opening (VO) day. In the implantation study, females were checked for implantation sites at gestation day 7 and the embryos were counted. In ovariectomized mice, the uterine weight was recorded at the end of treatment. Results Implantation sites were similar in mice treated with Maca and in controls. All reproductive indexes were similar in both groups of treatment. The number of pups per dam at birth and at postnatal day 4 was significantly higher in the group treated with Maca. VO day occurred earlier as litter size was smaller. Maca did not affect VO day. In ovariectomized mice, the treatment with Maca increased significantly the uterine weights in comparison to their respective control group. Conclusion Administration of aqueous extract of Yellow Maca to adult female mice increases the litter size. Moreover, this treatment increases the uterine weight in ovariectomized animals. Our study confirms for the first time some of the traditional uses of Maca to enhance female fertility. PMID:15869705

Multiple imputation to deal with missing EQ-5D-3L data: Should we impute individual domains or the actual index?

PubMed

Simons, Claire L; Rivero-Arias, Oliver; Yu, Ly-Mee; Simon, Judit

2015-04-01

Missing data are a well-known and widely documented problem in cost-effectiveness analyses alongside clinical trials using individual patient-level data. Current methodological research recommends multiple imputation (MI) to deal with missing health outcome data, but there is little guidance on whether MI for multi-attribute questionnaires, such as the EQ-5D-3L, should be carried out at domain or at summary score level. In this paper, we evaluated the impact of imputing individual domains versus imputing index values to deal with missing EQ-5D-3L data using a simulation study and developed recommendations for future practice. We simulated missing data in a patient-level dataset with complete EQ-5D-3L data at one point in time from a large multinational clinical trial (n = 1,814). Different proportions of missing data were generated using a missing at random (MAR) mechanism and three different scenarios were studied. The performance of using each method was evaluated using root mean squared error and mean absolute error of the actual versus predicted EQ-5D-3L indices. In large sample sizes (n > 500) and a missing data pattern that follows mainly unit non-response, imputing domains or the index produced similar results. However, domain imputation became more accurate than index imputation with pattern of missingness following an item non-response. For smaller sample sizes (n < 100), index imputation was more accurate. When MI models were misspecified, both domain and index imputations were inaccurate for any proportion of missing data. The decision between imputing the domains or the EQ-5D-3L index scores depends on the observed missing data pattern and the sample size available for analysis. Analysts conducting this type of exercises should also evaluate the sensitivity of the analysis to the MAR assumption and whether the imputation model is correctly specified.

Lepidium meyenii (Maca) increases litter size in normal adult female mice.

PubMed

Ruiz-Luna, Ana C; Salazar, Stephanie; Aspajo, Norma J; Rubio, Julio; Gasco, Manuel; Gonzales, Gustavo F

2005-05-03

Lepidium meyenii, known as Maca, grows exclusively in the Peruvian Andes over 4000 m altitude. It has been used traditionally to increase fertility. Previous scientific studies have demonstrated that Maca increases spermatogenesis and epididymal sperm count. The present study was aimed to investigate the effects of Maca on several fertility parameters of female mice at reproductive age. Adult female Balb/C mice were divided at random into three main groups: i) Reproductive indexes group, ii) Implantation sites group and iii) Assessment of uterine weight in ovariectomized mice. Animals received an aqueous extract of lyophilized Yellow Maca (1 g/Kg BW) or vehicle orally as treatment. In the fertility indexes study, animals received the treatment before, during and after gestation. The fertility index, gestation index, post-natal viability index, weaning viability index and sex ratio were calculated. Sexual maturation was evaluated in the female pups by the vaginal opening (VO) day. In the implantation study, females were checked for implantation sites at gestation day 7 and the embryos were counted. In ovariectomized mice, the uterine weight was recorded at the end of treatment. Implantation sites were similar in mice treated with Maca and in controls. All reproductive indexes were similar in both groups of treatment. The number of pups per dam at birth and at postnatal day 4 was significantly higher in the group treated with Maca. VO day occurred earlier as litter size was smaller. Maca did not affect VO day. In ovariectomized mice, the treatment with Maca increased significantly the uterine weights in comparison to their respective control group. Administration of aqueous extract of Yellow Maca to adult female mice increases the litter size. Moreover, this treatment increases the uterine weight in ovariectomized animals. Our study confirms for the first time some of the traditional uses of Maca to enhance female fertility.

Effects of basin size on low-flow stream chemistry and subsurface contact time in the neversink river watershed, New York

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wolock, D.M.; Fan, J.; Lawrence, G.B.

1997-01-01

The effects of basin size on low-flow stream chemistry and subsurface contact time were examined for a part of the Neversink River watershed in southern New York State. Acid neutralizing capacity (ANC), the sum of base cation concentrations (SBC), pH and concentrations of total aluminum (Al), dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and silicon (Si) were measured during low stream flow at the outlets of nested basins ranging in size from 0.2 to 166.3 km2. ANC, SBC, pH, Al and DOC showed pronounced changes as basin size increased from 0.2 to 3 km2, but relatively small variations were observed as basin size increased beyond 3 km2. An index of subsurface contact time computed from basin topography and soil hydraulic conductivity also showed pronounced changes as basin size increased from 0.2 to 3 km2 and smaller changes as basin size increased beyond 3 km2. These results suggest that basin size affects low-flow stream chemistry because of the effects of basin size on subsurface contact time. ?? 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Impact of Particle Size and Polydispersity Index on the Clinical Applications of Lipidic Nanocarrier Systems.

PubMed

Danaei, M; Dehghankhold, M; Ataei, S; Hasanzadeh Davarani, F; Javanmard, R; Dokhani, A; Khorasani, S; Mozafari, M R

2018-05-18

Lipid-based drug delivery systems, or lipidic carriers, are being extensively employed to enhance the bioavailability of poorly-soluble drugs. They have the ability to incorporate both lipophilic and hydrophilic molecules and protecting them against degradation in vitro and in vivo. There is a number of physical attributes of lipid-based nanocarriers that determine their safety, stability, efficacy, as well as their in vitro and in vivo behaviour. These include average particle size/diameter and the polydispersity index (PDI), which is an indication of their quality with respect to the size distribution. The suitability of nanocarrier formulations for a particular route of drug administration depends on their average diameter, PDI and size stability, among other parameters. Controlling and validating these parameters are of key importance for the effective clinical applications of nanocarrier formulations. This review highlights the significance of size and PDI in the successful design, formulation and development of nanosystems for pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and other applications. Liposomes, nanoliposomes, vesicular phospholipid gels, solid lipid nanoparticles, transfersomes and tocosomes are presented as frequently-used lipidic drug carriers. The advantages and limitations of a range of available analytical techniques used to characterize lipidic nanocarrier formulations are also covered.

Responsiveness of physical function outcomes following physiotherapy intervention for osteoarthritis of the knee: an outcome comparison study.

PubMed

French, Helen P; Fitzpatrick, Martina; FitzGerald, Oliver

2011-12-01

To compare the responsiveness of two self-report measures and three physical performance measures of function following physiotherapy for osteoarthritis of the knee. Single centre study in acute hospital setting. Patients referred for physiotherapy with osteoarthritis of the knee were recruited. The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC), Lequesne Algofunctional Index (LAI), timed-up-and-go test (TUGT), timed-stand test (TST) and six-minute walk test (6MWT) were administered at first and final physiotherapy visits. Wilcoxon Signed Rank tests were used to determine the effect of physiotherapy on each outcome. Responsiveness was calculated using effect size, standardised response mean and a median-based measure of responsiveness due to some outlying data. Thirty-nine patients with a mean age of 65.3 (standard deviation 6.9) years were investigated before and after a course of exercise-based physiotherapy. There was a significant improvement in all outcomes except the WOMAC scores. All measures demonstrated small effect sizes for all statistics (<0.50), except the 6MWT which was in the moderate range for one of the indices (standardised response mean 0.54). The LAI was more responsive than the WOMAC total score and the WOMAC physical function subscale for all responsiveness statistics, whilst the 6MWT was more responsive than the TST and the TUGT. The median-based effect size index produced the smallest effect sizes for all measures (0.1 to 0.43). These results can be used to guide decision making about which physical function outcome measures should be used to evaluate effectiveness of rehabilitation of people with osteoarthritis of the knee at group level in a clinical setting. Copyright © 2010 Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Swirling cavitation improves the emulsifying properties of commercial soy protein isolate.

PubMed

Yang, Feng; Liu, Xue; Ren, Xian'e; Huang, Yongchun; Huang, Chengdu; Zhang, Kunming

2018-04-01

Since emulsifying properties are important functional properties of soy protein, many physical, chemical, and enzymatic methods have been applied to treat soy protein to improve emulsifying properties. In this study, we investigated the effects of swirling cavitation at different pressures and for different times on emulsifying and physicochemical properties of soy protein isolate (SPI). The SPI treated with swirling cavitation showed a significant decrease in particle size and increase in solubility. Emulsions formed from treated SPI had higher emulsifying activity and emulsifying stability indexes, smaller oil droplet sizes, lower flocculation indexes, higher adsorbed proteins, lower interfacial protein concentrations, and lower creaming indexes than those formed from untreated SPI, indicating that swirling cavitation improved the emulsifying properties of the SPI. Furthermore, swirling cavitation treatment significantly enhanced the surface hydrophobicity, altered the disulfide bond and exposed sulfhydryl group contents of the SPI. The secondary structure of the SPI was also influenced by swirling cavitation, with an increase in β-sheet content and a decrease in α-helix, β-turn, and random coil contents. In addition, several significant correlations between physicochemical and emulsifying properties were revealed by Pearson correlation analysis, suggesting that the physicochemical changes observed in treated SPI, including the decreased particle size, increased solubility and surface hydrophobicity, and enhanced β-sheet formation, may explain the improved emulsifying properties of the isolate. Thus, our findings implied that swirling cavitation treatment may be an effective technique to improve the emulsifying properties of SPI. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Impact of power index, hydroureteronephrosis, stone size, and composition on the efficacy of in situ boosted ESWL for primary proximal ureteral calculi.

PubMed

Singh, I; Gupta, N P; Hemal, A K; Dogra, P N; Ansari, M S; Seth, A; Aron, M

2001-07-01

The efficacy, safety, feasibility, and outcome of in situ treatment applied to select proximal ureteral calculi was assessed and analyzed with a view to avoiding auxiliary interventions and providing high clearance rates in the shortest possible time. We studied the impact of several clinically important variables, including power index, degree of hydroureteronephrosis (HDUN), stone size, and composition on the efficacy of sequential in situ boosted extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) in a select group. The power index requirement for the in situ boosted protocol and the impact of the stone size/composition, degree of HDUN, and clearance rates were also analyzed. An in situ (no instrumentation) boosted protocol was applied to 130 primary unimpacted proximal ureteral calculi with no prior intervention. A typical session with the Siemens Lithostar Plus comprised 3000 shock waves, in installments of 500, deployed at a power setting of 1 to 4 kV with a gradual stepwise escalation. Sequential boosted additional sessions of ESWL were administered on days 2, 7, and 14, tailored to the degree of fragmentation, clearance status, and amount of residual stone bulk. Several parameters (shock waves, kilovolts used, fluoroscopy time, number of sessions, stone size, composition, fragmentation, clearance, and HDUN) were recorded and the results analyzed statistically. The results were excellent in 83.8%, with a mean duration to complete clearance of 11.3 days. In situ ESWL failed in 7.69%, and the auxiliary intervention rate was 10.7%. Pre-ESWL HDUN was present in 78.3%, the mean power index was 184.6/session/case, and the average stone burden was 8.9 mm(2). Calcium oxalate monohydrate was the most common stone (56%). Renal colic was the most common side effect observed. The power index, fragmentation at the first session, and stone size were found to be the most favorable significant variables affecting stone clearance. The degree of HDUN, number of sessions, and stone composition did not significantly impact the clearance rates. In situ boosted ESWL should be the first-line therapeutic modality in select unimpacted primary proximal ureteral stones.

Determination of the complex refractive index and size distribution of atmospheric particulates from bistatic-monostatic lidar and solar radiometer measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reagan, J. A.; Byrne, D. M.; Herman, B. M.; King, M. D.; Spinhirne, J. D.

1980-01-01

A method is presented for inferring both the size distribution and the complex refractive index of atmospheric particulates from combined bistatic-monostatic lidar and solar radiometer observations. The basic input measurements are spectral optical depths at several visible and near-infrared wavelengths as obtained with a solar radiometer and backscatter and angular scatter coefficients as obtained from a biostatic-monostatic lidar. The spectral optical depth measurements obtained from the radiometer are mathematically inverted to infer a columnar particulate size distribution. Advantage is taken of the fact that the shape of the size distribution obtained by inverting the particulate optical depth is relatively insensitive to the particle refractive index assumed in the inversion. Bistatic-monostatic angular scatter and backscatter lidar data are then processed to extract an optimum value for the particle refractive index subject to the constraint that the shape of the particulate size distribution be the same as that inferred from the solar radiometer data. Specifically, the scattering parameters obtained from the bistatic-monostatic lidar data are compared with corresponding theoretical computations made for various assumed refractive index values. That value which yields best agreement, in a weighted least squares sense, is selected as the optimal refractive index estimate. The results of this procedure applied to a set of simulated measurements as well as to measurements collected on two separate days are presented and discussed.

Continuous-Flow Production of Injectable Liposomes via a Microfluidic Approach

PubMed Central

Zizzari, Alessandra; Bianco, Monica; Perrone, Elisabetta; Amato, Francesco; Maruccio, Giuseppe; Rendina, Filippo; Arima, Valentina

2017-01-01

Injectable liposomes are characterized by a suitable size and unique lipid mixtures, which require time-consuming and nonstraightforward production processes. The complexity of the manufacturing methods may affect liposome solubility, the phase transition temperatures of the membranes, the average particle size, and the associated particle size distribution, with a possible impact on the drug encapsulation and release. By leveraging the precise steady-state control over the mixing of miscible liquids and a highly efficient heat transfer, microfluidic technology has proved to be an effective and direct methodology to produce liposomes. This approach results particularly efficient in reducing the number of the sizing steps, when compared to standard industrial methods. Here, Microfluidic Hydrodynamic Focusing chips were produced and used to form liposomes upon tuning experimental parameters such as lipids concentration and Flow-Rate-Ratios (FRRs). Although modelling evidenced the dependence of the laminar flow on the geometric constraints and the FRR conditions, for the specific formulation investigated in this study, the lipids concentration was identified as the primary factor influencing the size of the liposomes and their polydispersity index. This was attributed to a predominance of the bending elasticity modulus over the vesiculation index in the lipid mixture used. Eventually, liposomes of injectable size were produced using microfluidic one-pot synthesis in continuous flow. PMID:29232873

Specimen size effects on ductile?brittle transition temperature in Charpy impact testing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurishita, H.; Yamamoto, T.; Narui, M.; Suwarno, H.; Yoshitake, T.; Yano, Y.; Yamazaki, M.; Matsui, H.

2004-08-01

One key issue for small specimen test techniques is to clarify specimen size effects on test results. In consideration of size effects on determining the ductile-to-brittle transition temperature (DBTT) in Charpy impact testing, a method to evaluate the plastic constraint loss for differently sized Charpy V-notch (CVN) specimens is proposed and applied to a ferritic-martensitic steel, 2WFK, developed by JNC. In the method, a constraint factor, α, that is an index of the plastic constraint is defined as α=σ ∗/σ y∗. Here, σ ∗ is the critical cleavage fracture stress which is a material constant and σ y∗ is the uniaxial yield stress at the DBTT at the strain rate generated in the Charpy impact test. The procedures for evaluating each of σ ∗ and σ y∗ are described and a result of σ ∗ and σ y∗, thus the value of α, is presented for different types of miniaturized and full-sized CVN specimens of 2WFK.

Evaluation research of small and medium-sized enterprise informatization on big data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Na

2017-09-01

Under the background of big data, key construction of small and medium-sized enterprise informationization level was needed, but information construction cost was large, while information cost of inputs can bring benefit to small and medium-sized enterprises. This paper established small and medium-sized enterprise informatization evaluation system from hardware and software security level, information organization level, information technology application and the profit level, and information ability level. The rough set theory was used to brief indexes, and then carry out evaluation by support vector machine (SVM) model. At last, examples were used to verify the theory in order to prove the effectiveness of the method.

Dose coefficients in pediatric and adult abdominopelvic CT based on 100 patient models.

PubMed

Tian, Xiaoyu; Li, Xiang; Segars, W Paul; Frush, Donald P; Paulson, Erik K; Samei, Ehsan

2013-12-21

Recent studies have shown the feasibility of estimating patient dose from a CT exam using CTDI(vol)-normalized-organ dose (denoted as h), DLP-normalized-effective dose (denoted as k), and DLP-normalized-risk index (denoted as q). However, previous studies were limited to a small number of phantom models. The purpose of this work was to provide dose coefficients (h, k, and q) across a large number of computational models covering a broad range of patient anatomy, age, size percentile, and gender. The study consisted of 100 patient computer models (age range, 0 to 78 y.o.; weight range, 2-180 kg) including 42 pediatric models (age range, 0 to 16 y.o.; weight range, 2-80 kg) and 58 adult models (age range, 18 to 78 y.o.; weight range, 57-180 kg). Multi-detector array CT scanners from two commercial manufacturers (LightSpeed VCT, GE Healthcare; SOMATOM Definition Flash, Siemens Healthcare) were included. A previously-validated Monte Carlo program was used to simulate organ dose for each patient model and each scanner, from which h, k, and q were derived. The relationships between h, k, and q and patient characteristics (size, age, and gender) were ascertained. The differences in conversion coefficients across the scanners were further characterized. CTDI(vol)-normalized-organ dose (h) showed an exponential decrease with increasing patient size. For organs within the image coverage, the average differences of h across scanners were less than 15%. That value increased to 29% for organs on the periphery or outside the image coverage, and to 8% for distributed organs, respectively. The DLP-normalized-effective dose (k) decreased exponentially with increasing patient size. For a given gender, the DLP-normalized-risk index (q) showed an exponential decrease with both increasing patient size and patient age. The average differences in k and q across scanners were 8% and 10%, respectively. This study demonstrated that the knowledge of patient information and CTDIvol/DLP values may be used to estimate organ dose, effective dose, and risk index in abdominopelvic CT based on the coefficients derived from a large population of pediatric and adult patients.

Dose coefficients in pediatric and adult abdominopelvic CT based on 100 patient models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tian, Xiaoyu; Li, Xiang; Segars, W. Paul; Frush, Donald P.; Paulson, Erik K.; Samei, Ehsan

2013-12-01

Recent studies have shown the feasibility of estimating patient dose from a CT exam using CTDIvol-normalized-organ dose (denoted as h), DLP-normalized-effective dose (denoted as k), and DLP-normalized-risk index (denoted as q). However, previous studies were limited to a small number of phantom models. The purpose of this work was to provide dose coefficients (h, k, and q) across a large number of computational models covering a broad range of patient anatomy, age, size percentile, and gender. The study consisted of 100 patient computer models (age range, 0 to 78 y.o.; weight range, 2-180 kg) including 42 pediatric models (age range, 0 to 16 y.o.; weight range, 2-80 kg) and 58 adult models (age range, 18 to 78 y.o.; weight range, 57-180 kg). Multi-detector array CT scanners from two commercial manufacturers (LightSpeed VCT, GE Healthcare; SOMATOM Definition Flash, Siemens Healthcare) were included. A previously-validated Monte Carlo program was used to simulate organ dose for each patient model and each scanner, from which h, k, and q were derived. The relationships between h, k, and q and patient characteristics (size, age, and gender) were ascertained. The differences in conversion coefficients across the scanners were further characterized. CTDIvol-normalized-organ dose (h) showed an exponential decrease with increasing patient size. For organs within the image coverage, the average differences of h across scanners were less than 15%. That value increased to 29% for organs on the periphery or outside the image coverage, and to 8% for distributed organs, respectively. The DLP-normalized-effective dose (k) decreased exponentially with increasing patient size. For a given gender, the DLP-normalized-risk index (q) showed an exponential decrease with both increasing patient size and patient age. The average differences in k and q across scanners were 8% and 10%, respectively. This study demonstrated that the knowledge of patient information and CTDIvol/DLP values may be used to estimate organ dose, effective dose, and risk index in abdominopelvic CT based on the coefficients derived from a large population of pediatric and adult patients.

A descriptive study of effect-size reporting in research reviews.

PubMed

Floyd, Judith A

2017-06-01

To describe effect-size reporting in research reviews completed in support of evidence-based practice in nursing. Many research reviews report nurses' critical appraisal of level, quality and overall strength of evidence available to address clinical questions. Several studies of research-review quality suggest effect-size information would be useful to include in these reviews, but none focused on reviewers' attention to effect sizes. Descriptive. One hundred and four reviews indexed in CINAHL as systematic reviews and published from July 2012-February 2014 were examined. Papers were required to be peer-reviewed, written in English, contain an abstract and have at least one nurse author. Reviews were excluded if they did not use critical appraisal methods to address evidence of correlation, prediction or effectiveness. Data from remaining papers (N = 73) were extracted by three or more independent coders using a structured coding form and detailed codebook. Data were stored, viewed and analysed using Microsoft Office Excel ® spreadsheet functions. Sixteen percent (n = 12) of the sample contained effect-size information. Of the 12, six included all the effect-size information recommended by APA guidelines. Independent of completeness of reporting, seven contained discussion of effect sizes in the paper, but none included effect-size information in abstracts. Research reviews available to practicing nurses often fail to include information needed to accurately assess how much improvement may result from implementation of evidence-based policies, programs, protocols or practices. Manuscript reviewers are urged to hold authors to APA standards for reporting/discussing effect-size information in both primary research reports and research reviews. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Effect of beam types on the scintillations: a review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baykal, Yahya; Eyyuboglu, Halil T.; Cai, Yangjian

2009-02-01

When different incidences are launched in atmospheric turbulence, it is known that the intensity fluctuations exhibit different characteristics. In this paper we review our work done in the evaluations of the scintillation index of general beam types when such optical beams propagate in horizontal atmospheric links in the weak fluctuations regime. Variation of scintillation indices versus the source and medium parameters are examined for flat-topped-Gaussian, cosh- Gaussian, cos-Gaussian, annular, elliptical Gaussian, circular (i.e., stigmatic) and elliptical (i.e., astigmatic) dark hollow, lowest order Bessel-Gaussian and laser array beams. For flat-topped-Gaussian beam, scintillation is larger than the single Gaussian beam scintillation, when the source sizes are much less than the Fresnel zone but becomes smaller for source sizes much larger than the Fresnel zone. Cosh-Gaussian beam has lower on-axis scintillations at smaller source sizes and longer propagation distances as compared to Gaussian beams where focusing imposes more reduction on the cosh- Gaussian beam scintillations than that of the Gaussian beam. Intensity fluctuations of a cos-Gaussian beam show favorable behaviour against a Gaussian beam at lower propagation lengths. At longer propagation lengths, annular beam becomes advantageous. In focused cases, the scintillation index of annular beam is lower than the scintillation index of Gaussian and cos-Gaussian beams starting at earlier propagation distances. Cos-Gaussian beams are advantages at relatively large source sizes while the reverse is valid for annular beams. Scintillations of a stigmatic or astigmatic dark hollow beam can be smaller when compared to stigmatic or astigmatic Gaussian, annular and flat-topped beams under conditions that are closely related to the beam parameters. Intensity fluctuation of an elliptical Gaussian beam can also be smaller than a circular Gaussian beam depending on the propagation length and the ratio of the beam waist size along the long axis to that along the short axis (i.e., astigmatism). Comparing against the fundamental Gaussian beam on equal source size and equal power basis, it is observed that the scintillation index of the lowest order Bessel-Gaussian beam is lower at large source sizes and large width parameters. However, for excessively large width parameters and beyond certain propagation lengths, the advantage of the lowest order Bessel-Gaussian beam seems to be lost. Compared to Gaussian beam, laser array beam exhibits less scintillations at long propagation ranges and at some midrange radial displacement parameters. When compared among themselves, laser array beams tend to have reduced scintillations for larger number of beamlets, longer wavelengths, midrange radial displacement parameters, intermediate Gaussian source sizes, larger inner scales and smaller outer scales of turbulence. The number of beamlets used does not seem to be so effective in this improvement of the scintillations.

Intentional and automatic numerical processing as predictors of mathematical abilities in primary school children

PubMed Central

Pina, Violeta; Castillo, Alejandro; Cohen Kadosh, Roi; Fuentes, Luis J.

2015-01-01

Previous studies have suggested that numerical processing relates to mathematical performance, but it seems that such relationship is more evident for intentional than for automatic numerical processing. In the present study we assessed the relationship between the two types of numerical processing and specific mathematical abilities in a sample of 109 children in grades 1–6. Participants were tested in an ample range of mathematical tests and also performed both a numerical and a size comparison task. The results showed that numerical processing related to mathematical performance only when inhibitory control was involved in the comparison tasks. Concretely, we found that intentional numerical processing, as indexed by the numerical distance effect in the numerical comparison task, was related to mathematical reasoning skills only when the task-irrelevant dimension (the physical size) was incongruent; whereas automatic numerical processing, indexed by the congruency effect in the size comparison task, was related to mathematical calculation skills only when digits were separated by small distance. The observed double dissociation highlights the relevance of both intentional and automatic numerical processing in mathematical skills, but when inhibitory control is also involved. PMID:25873909

Retrieving the complex refractive index of atmospheric aerosols from ratios of solar spectral extinction measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fymat, A. L.; Mease, K. D.

1978-01-01

The technique proposed by Fymat (1976) for retrieving the complex refractive index of atmospheric aerosols using narrowband spectral transmission ratios, taken within an overall narrow spectral interval, is investigated in the case of modelled polydispersions of rural, maritime-continental, maritime-sea spray and meteoric dust aerosols. It is confirmed that for not too broad size distributions most of the information comes from a narrow size range of 'active' aerosols so that, under these circumstances, the refractive index components can indeed be retrieved essentially independently of the size distribution. For 0.1% accurate data in three colors, the technique can provide the real and imaginary components of the index respectively within 0.07% and 0.3% accuracy.

Generalized index for spatial data sets as a measure of complete spatial randomness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hackett-Jones, Emily J.; Davies, Kale J.; Binder, Benjamin J.; Landman, Kerry A.

2012-06-01

Spatial data sets, generated from a wide range of physical systems can be analyzed by counting the number of objects in a set of bins. Previous work has been limited to equal-sized bins, which are inappropriate for some domains (e.g., circular). We consider a nonequal size bin configuration whereby overlapping or nonoverlapping bins cover the domain. A generalized index, defined in terms of a variance between bin counts, is developed to indicate whether or not a spatial data set, generated from exclusion or nonexclusion processes, is at the complete spatial randomness (CSR) state. Limiting values of the index are determined. Using examples, we investigate trends in the generalized index as a function of density and compare the results with those using equal size bins. The smallest bin size must be much larger than the mean size of the objects. We can determine whether a spatial data set is at the CSR state or not by comparing the values of a generalized index for different bin configurations—the values will be approximately the same if the data is at the CSR state, while the values will differ if the data set is not at the CSR state. In general, the generalized index is lower than the limiting value of the index, since objects do not have access to the entire region due to blocking by other objects. These methods are applied to two applications: (i) spatial data sets generated from a cellular automata model of cell aggregation in the enteric nervous system and (ii) a known plant data distribution.

Extraction of citral oil from lemongrass (Cymbopogon Citratus) by steam-water distillation technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alam, P. N.; Husin, H.; Asnawi, T. M.; Adisalamun

2018-04-01

In Indonesia, production of citral oil from lemon grass (Cymbopogon Cytratus) is done by a traditional technique whereby a low yield results. To improve the yield, an appropriate extraction technology is required. In this research, a steam-water distillation technique was applied to extract the essential oil from the lemongrass. The effects of sample particle size and bed volume on yield and quality of citral oil produced were investigated. The drying and refining time of 2 hours were used as fixed variables. This research results that minimum citral oil yield of 0.53% was obtained on sample particle size of 3 cm and bed volume of 80%, whereas the maximum yield of 1.95% on sample particle size of 15 cm and bed volume of 40%. The lowest specific gravity of 0.80 and the highest specific gravity of 0.905 were obtained on sample particle size of 8 cm with bed volume of 80% and particle size of 12 cm with bed volume of 70%, respectively. The lowest refractive index of 1.480 and the highest refractive index of 1.495 were obtained on sample particle size of 8 cm with bed volume of 70% and sample particle size of 15 cm with bed volume of 40%, respectively. The solubility of the produced citral oil in alcohol was 70% in ratio of 1:1, and the citral oil concentration obtained was around 79%.

Intravenous bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaws: Influence of coadjuvant antineoplastic treatment and study of buccodental condition

PubMed Central

Bagán, José; Poveda-Roda, Rafael

2013-01-01

Objectives: To determine whether coadjuvant antineoplastic treatment can influence the number and size of bone exposures among patients with intravenous bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaws (iBRONJ), and to analyze the buccodental condition of these patients. Material and methods: The study sample comprised 67 patients with iBRONJ, 53 patients without iBRONJ receiving treatment with intravenous bisphosphonates, and 36 healthy subjects. In all three groups, measurements were made of the CAO index and of resting whole saliva and stimulated whole saliva. In the patients with iBRONJ, the size (cm) and number of bone exposures were recorded. The data obtained were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA), the Mann-Whitney U-test, and multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results: A total of 57.6% of the patients presented single bone exposure, 25.4% presented two, and 17% more than two exposures. The mean exposure size was 2.3±1.9 cm. Neither the bivariate analysis nor the multivariate multiple regression analysis found coadjuvant antineoplastic treatment to exert a statistically significant effect upon the number and size of bone exposures. On the other hand, there were statistically significant differences among the three study groups in relation to the CAO index (p=0.02) and the number of missing teeth (p=0.00). The resting whole saliva and stimulated whole saliva levels were similar in the three groups, though the patients with osteonecrosis of the jaws showed comparatively lower SWS levels. Conclusions: Coadjuvant antineoplastic treatment alone appears to exert no influence upon the size and number of bone exposures in iBRONJ. The patients with this disease show a higher CAO index and a larger number of missing teeth. Key words:Osteonecrosis of the jaws, bisphosphonates, bone exposure, CAO index, resting whole saliva, stimulated whole saliva. PMID:23229272

Sub-wavelength Laser Nanopatterning using Droplet Lenses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duocastella, Martí; Florian, Camilo; Serra, Pere; Diaspro, Alberto

2015-11-01

When a drop of liquid falls onto a screen, e.g. a cell phone, the pixels lying underneath appear magnified. This lensing effect is a combination of the curvature and refractive index of the liquid droplet. Here, the spontaneous formation of such lenses is exploited to overcome the diffraction limit of a conventional laser direct-writing system. In particular, micro-droplets are first laser-printed at user-defined locations on a surface and they are later used as lenses to focus the same laser beam. Under conditions described herein, nanopatterns can be obtained with a reduction in spot size primarily limited by the refractive index of the liquid. This all-optics approach is demonstrated by writing arbitrary patterns with a feature size around 280 nm, about one fourth of the processing wavelength.

Index Compression and Efficient Query Processing in Large Web Search Engines

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ding, Shuai

2013-01-01

The inverted index is the main data structure used by all the major search engines. Search engines build an inverted index on their collection to speed up query processing. As the size of the web grows, the length of the inverted list structures, which can easily grow to hundreds of MBs or even GBs for common terms (roughly linear in the size of…

Refractometry of melanocyte cell nuclei using optical scatter images recorded by digital Fourier microscopy.

PubMed

Seet, Katrina Y T; Nieminen, Timo A; Zvyagin, Andrei V

2009-01-01

The cell nucleus is the dominant optical scatterer in the cell. Neoplastic cells are characterized by cell nucleus polymorphism and polychromism-i.e., the nuclei exhibits an increase in the distribution of both size and refractive index. The relative size parameter, and its distribution, is proportional to the product of the nucleus size and its relative refractive index and is a useful discriminant between normal and abnormal (cancerous) cells. We demonstrate a recently introduced holographic technique, digital Fourier microscopy (DFM), to provide a sensitive measure of this relative size parameter. Fourier holograms were recorded and optical scatter of individual scatterers were extracted and modeled with Mie theory to determine the relative size parameter. The relative size parameter of individual melanocyte cell nuclei were found to be 16.5+/-0.2, which gives a cell nucleus refractive index of 1.38+/-0.01 and is in good agreement with previously reported data. The relative size parameters of individual malignant melanocyte cell nuclei are expected to be greater than 16.5.

Semantic size of abstract concepts: it gets emotional when you can't see it.

PubMed

Yao, Bo; Vasiljevic, Milica; Weick, Mario; Sereno, Margaret E; O'Donnell, Patrick J; Sereno, Sara C

2013-01-01

Size is an important visuo-spatial characteristic of the physical world. In language processing, previous research has demonstrated a processing advantage for words denoting semantically "big" (e.g., jungle) versus "small" (e.g., needle) concrete objects. We investigated whether semantic size plays a role in the recognition of words expressing abstract concepts (e.g., truth). Semantically "big" and "small" concrete and abstract words were presented in a lexical decision task. Responses to "big" words, regardless of their concreteness, were faster than those to "small" words. Critically, we explored the relationship between semantic size and affective characteristics of words as well as their influence on lexical access. Although a word's semantic size was correlated with its emotional arousal, the temporal locus of arousal effects may depend on the level of concreteness. That is, arousal seemed to have an earlier (lexical) effect on abstract words, but a later (post-lexical) effect on concrete words. Our findings provide novel insights into the semantic representations of size in abstract concepts and highlight that affective attributes of words may not always index lexical access.

Questionnaire and behavioral task measures of impulsivity are differentially associated with body mass index: A comprehensive meta-analysis.

PubMed

Emery, Rebecca L; Levine, Michele D

2017-08-01

Although impulsivity has been implicated in the development and maintenance of obesity, evidence linking impulsivity to obesity has been mixed. These mixed findings may be related to differences in the type of impulsivity measures used and the varied domains of impulsivity assessed by each measure. The present meta-analysis aimed to examine the impact of measurement selection on the relationship between impulsivity and body mass index (BMI). A total of 142 articles met inclusion criteria and were comprised of 315,818 participants. Effect sizes consisted of Fisher's z-transformed correlation coefficients, which were weighted by the inverse variance to establish the grand mean estimate of the relationship between impulsivity and BMI. Overall weighted mean effect sizes also were computed for each type and domain of impulsivity measure. Moderator analyses were conducted using a mixed-effects approach to determine if the relationship between impulsivity and BMI varied between the types of impulsivity measures used. On average, participants were 32.25 (SD = 12.41) years of age, with a BMI of 26.63 (SD = 5.73) kg/m2. The overall relationship between impulsivity and BMI was small but significant (r = .07). Behavioral task measures of impulsivity produced significantly larger effect sizes (r = .10) than did questionnaire measures of impulsivity (r = .05). Domains of impulsivity that assessed disinhibited behaviors (r = .10), attentional deficits (r = .11), impulsive decision-making (r = .10), and cognitive inflexibility (r = .17) produced significant effect sizes. These meta-analytic findings demonstrate that impulsivity is positively associated with BMI and further document that this association varies by the type of impulsivity measure used and the domain of impulsivity assessed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Implementation of 3D spatial indexing and compression in a large-scale molecular dynamics simulation database for rapid atomic contact detection.

PubMed

Toofanny, Rudesh D; Simms, Andrew M; Beck, David A C; Daggett, Valerie

2011-08-10

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations offer the ability to observe the dynamics and interactions of both whole macromolecules and individual atoms as a function of time. Taken in context with experimental data, atomic interactions from simulation provide insight into the mechanics of protein folding, dynamics, and function. The calculation of atomic interactions or contacts from an MD trajectory is computationally demanding and the work required grows exponentially with the size of the simulation system. We describe the implementation of a spatial indexing algorithm in our multi-terabyte MD simulation database that significantly reduces the run-time required for discovery of contacts. The approach is applied to the Dynameomics project data. Spatial indexing, also known as spatial hashing, is a method that divides the simulation space into regular sized bins and attributes an index to each bin. Since, the calculation of contacts is widely employed in the simulation field, we also use this as the basis for testing compression of data tables. We investigate the effects of compression of the trajectory coordinate tables with different options of data and index compression within MS SQL SERVER 2008. Our implementation of spatial indexing speeds up the calculation of contacts over a 1 nanosecond (ns) simulation window by between 14% and 90% (i.e., 1.2 and 10.3 times faster). For a 'full' simulation trajectory (51 ns) spatial indexing reduces the calculation run-time between 31 and 81% (between 1.4 and 5.3 times faster). Compression resulted in reduced table sizes but resulted in no significant difference in the total execution time for neighbour discovery. The greatest compression (~36%) was achieved using page level compression on both the data and indexes. The spatial indexing scheme significantly decreases the time taken to calculate atomic contacts and could be applied to other multidimensional neighbor discovery problems. The speed up enables on-the-fly calculation and visualization of contacts and rapid cross simulation analysis for knowledge discovery. Using page compression for the atomic coordinate tables and indexes saves ~36% of disk space without any significant decrease in calculation time and should be considered for other non-transactional databases in MS SQL SERVER 2008.

Implementation of 3D spatial indexing and compression in a large-scale molecular dynamics simulation database for rapid atomic contact detection

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations offer the ability to observe the dynamics and interactions of both whole macromolecules and individual atoms as a function of time. Taken in context with experimental data, atomic interactions from simulation provide insight into the mechanics of protein folding, dynamics, and function. The calculation of atomic interactions or contacts from an MD trajectory is computationally demanding and the work required grows exponentially with the size of the simulation system. We describe the implementation of a spatial indexing algorithm in our multi-terabyte MD simulation database that significantly reduces the run-time required for discovery of contacts. The approach is applied to the Dynameomics project data. Spatial indexing, also known as spatial hashing, is a method that divides the simulation space into regular sized bins and attributes an index to each bin. Since, the calculation of contacts is widely employed in the simulation field, we also use this as the basis for testing compression of data tables. We investigate the effects of compression of the trajectory coordinate tables with different options of data and index compression within MS SQL SERVER 2008. Results Our implementation of spatial indexing speeds up the calculation of contacts over a 1 nanosecond (ns) simulation window by between 14% and 90% (i.e., 1.2 and 10.3 times faster). For a 'full' simulation trajectory (51 ns) spatial indexing reduces the calculation run-time between 31 and 81% (between 1.4 and 5.3 times faster). Compression resulted in reduced table sizes but resulted in no significant difference in the total execution time for neighbour discovery. The greatest compression (~36%) was achieved using page level compression on both the data and indexes. Conclusions The spatial indexing scheme significantly decreases the time taken to calculate atomic contacts and could be applied to other multidimensional neighbor discovery problems. The speed up enables on-the-fly calculation and visualization of contacts and rapid cross simulation analysis for knowledge discovery. Using page compression for the atomic coordinate tables and indexes saves ~36% of disk space without any significant decrease in calculation time and should be considered for other non-transactional databases in MS SQL SERVER 2008. PMID:21831299

Effects of decreasing resolution on spectral and spatial information content in an agricultural area. [Pottawatmie study site, Iowa and Nebraska

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1983-01-01

The effects of decreasing spatial resolution from 6 1/4 miles square to 50 miles square are described. The effects of increases in cell size is studied on; the mean and variance of spectral data; spatial trends; and vegetative index numbers. Information content changes on cadastral, vegetal, soil, water and physiographic information are summarized.

Growth hormone therapy and respiratory disorders: long-term follow-up in PWS children.

PubMed

Berini, Jenny; Spica Russotto, Valeria; Castelnuovo, Paolo; Di Candia, Stefania; Gargantini, Luigi; Grugni, Graziano; Iughetti, Lorenzo; Nespoli, Luigi; Nosetti, Luana; Padoan, Giovanni; Pilotta, Alba; Trifirò, Giuliana; Chiumello, Giuseppe; Salvatoni, Alessandro

2013-09-01

Adenotonsillar tissue hypertrophy and obstructive sleep apnea have been reported during short-term GH treatment in children with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS). We conducted an observational study to evaluate the effects of long-term GH therapy on sleep-disordered breathing and adenotonsillar hypertrophy in children with PWS. This was a longitudinal observational study. We evaluated 75 children with genetically confirmed PWS, of whom 50 fulfilled the criteria and were admitted to our study. The patients were evaluated before treatment (t0), after 6 weeks (t1), after 6 months (t2), after 12 months (t3), and yearly (t4-t6) thereafter, for up to 4 years of GH therapy. The central apnea index, obstructive apnea hypopnea index (OAHI), respiratory disturbance index, and minimal blood oxygen saturation were evaluated overnight using polysomnography. We evaluated the adenotonsillar size using a flexible fiberoptic endoscope. The percentage of patients with an OAHI of >1 increased from 3 to 22, 36, and 38 at t1, t4, and t6, respectively (χ(2) = 12.2; P < .05). We observed a decrease in the respiratory disturbance index from 1.4 (t0) to 0.8 (t3) (P < .05) and the central apnea index from 1.2 (t0) to 0.1 (t4) (P < .0001). We had to temporarily suspend treatment for 3 patients at t1, t4, and t5 because of severe obstructive sleep apnea. The percentage of patients with severe adenotonsillar hypertrophy was significantly higher at t4 and t5 than at t0. The OAHI directly correlated with the adenoid size (adjusted for age) (P < .01) but not with the tonsil size and IGF-1 levels. Long-term GH treatment in patients with PWS is safe; however, we recommend annual polysomnography and adenotonsillar evaluation.

Effect of Replacing Race with Apolipoprotein L1 Genotype in Calculation of Kidney Donor Risk Index

PubMed Central

Julian, B. A.; Gaston, R. S.; Brown, W. M.; Reeves-Daniel, A. M.; Israni, A. K.; Schladt, D. P.; Pastan, S. O.; Mohan, S.; Freedman, B. I.; Divers, J.

2016-01-01

Renal allografts from deceased African Americans with two apolipoprotein L1 gene (APOL1) renal-risk variants fail sooner than kidneys from donors with fewer variants. Kidney Donor Risk Index (KDRI) was developed to evaluate organ offers by predicting allograft longevity and includes African American race as a risk factor. Substituting APOL1 genotype for race may refine the KDRI. For 622 deceased African American kidney donors, we applied 10-fold cross-validation approach to estimate contribution of APOL1 variants to a revised KDRI. Cross-validation was repeated 10,000 times to generate distribution of effect size associated with APOL1 genotype. Average effect size was used to derive the revised KDRI weighting. Mean current-KDRI score for all donors was 1.4930 versus mean revised-KDRI score 1.2518 for 529 donors with 0/1 variant and 1.8527 for 93 donors with 2 variants. Original and revised KDRIs had comparable survival prediction errors after transplantation, but the spread in Kidney Donor Profile Index based on presence/absence of 2 APOL1 variants was 37 percentage points. Replacing donor race with APOL1 genotype in KDRI better defines risk associated with kidneys transplanted from deceased African American donors, substantially improves KDRI score for 85-90% of kidneys offered, and enhances the link between donor quality and recipient need. PMID:27862962

The Peroxidation of Leukocytes Index Ratio Reveals the Prooxidant Effect of Green Tea Extract

PubMed Central

Manafikhi, Husseen; Raguzzini, Anna; Longhitano, Yaroslava; Reggi, Raffaella; Zanza, Christian

2016-01-01

Despite tea increased plasma nonenzymatic antioxidant capacity, the European Food Safety Administration (EFSA) denied claims related to tea and its protection from oxidative damage. Furthermore, the Supplement Information Expert Committee (DSI EC) expressed some doubts on the safety of green tea extract (GTE). We performed a pilot study in order to evaluate the effect of a single dose of two capsules of a GTE supplement (200 mg × 2) on the peroxidation of leukocytes index ratio (PLIR) in relation to uric acid (UA) and ferric reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP), as well as the sample size to reach statistical significance. GTE induced a prooxidant effect on leukocytes, whereas FRAP did not change, in agreement with the EFSA and the DSI EC conclusions. Besides, our results confirm the primary role of UA in the antioxidant defences. The ratio based calculation of the PLIR reduced the sample size to reach statistical significance, compared to the resistance to an exogenous oxidative stress and to the functional capacity of oxidative burst. Therefore, PLIR could be a sensitive marker of redox status. PMID:28101300

The Peroxidation of Leukocytes Index Ratio Reveals the Prooxidant Effect of Green Tea Extract.

PubMed

Peluso, Ilaria; Manafikhi, Husseen; Raguzzini, Anna; Longhitano, Yaroslava; Reggi, Raffaella; Zanza, Christian; Palmery, Maura

2016-01-01

Despite tea increased plasma nonenzymatic antioxidant capacity, the European Food Safety Administration (EFSA) denied claims related to tea and its protection from oxidative damage. Furthermore, the Supplement Information Expert Committee (DSI EC) expressed some doubts on the safety of green tea extract (GTE). We performed a pilot study in order to evaluate the effect of a single dose of two capsules of a GTE supplement (200 mg × 2) on the peroxidation of leukocytes index ratio (PLIR) in relation to uric acid (UA) and ferric reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP), as well as the sample size to reach statistical significance. GTE induced a prooxidant effect on leukocytes, whereas FRAP did not change, in agreement with the EFSA and the DSI EC conclusions. Besides, our results confirm the primary role of UA in the antioxidant defences. The ratio based calculation of the PLIR reduced the sample size to reach statistical significance, compared to the resistance to an exogenous oxidative stress and to the functional capacity of oxidative burst. Therefore, PLIR could be a sensitive marker of redox status.

Electrically controlled cloud of bulk nanobubbles in water solutions

PubMed Central

Postnikov, Alexander V.; Uvarov, Ilia V.; Lokhanin, Mikhail V.

2017-01-01

Using different experimental techniques we visualize a cloud of gas in water that is produced electrochemically by the alternating polarity process. Liquid enriched with gas does not contain bubbles strongly scattering visible light but its refractive index changes significantly near the electrodes. The change of the refractive index is a collective effect of bulk nanobubbles with a diameter smaller than 200 nm. Any alternative explanation fails to explain the magnitude of the effect. Spatial structure of the cloud is investigated with the optical lever method. Its dynamics is visualised observing optical distortion of the electrode images or using differential interference contrast method. The cloud covers concentric electrodes, in a steady state it is roughly hemispherical with a size two times larger than the size of the electrode structure. When the electrical pulses are switched off the cloud disappears in less than one second. The total concentration of gases can reach very high value estimated as 3.5 × 1020 cm−3 that corresponds to an effective supersaturation of 500 and 150 for hydrogen and oxygen, respectively. PMID:28727812

Tunable Nanoantennas for Surface Enhanced Infrared Absorption Spectroscopy by Colloidal Lithography and Post-Fabrication Etching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Kai; Duy Dao, Thang; Nagao, Tadaaki

2017-03-01

We fabricated large-area metallic (Al and Au) nanoantenna arrays on Si substrates using cost-effective colloidal lithography with different micrometer-sized polystyrene spheres. Variation of the sphere size leads to tunable plasmon resonances in the middle infrared (MIR) range. The enhanced near-fields allow us to detect the surface phonon polaritons in the natural SiO2 thin layers. We demonstrated further tuning capability of the resonances by employing dry etching of the Si substrates with the nanoantennas acting as the etching masks. The effective refractive index of the nanoantenna surroundings is efficiently decreased giving rise to blueshifts of the resonances. In addition, partial removal of the Si substrates elevates the nanoantennas from the high-refractive-index substrates making more enhanced near-fields accessible for molecular sensing applications as demonstrated here with surface-enhanced infrared absorption (SEIRA) spectroscopy for a thin polymer film. We also directly compared the plasmonic enhancement from the Al and Au nanoantenna arrays.

k-neighborhood Decentralization: A Comprehensive Solution to Index the UMLS for Large Scale Knowledge Discovery

PubMed Central

Xiang, Yang; Lu, Kewei; James, Stephen L.; Borlawsky, Tara B.; Huang, Kun; Payne, Philip R.O.

2011-01-01

The Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) is the largest thesaurus in the biomedical informatics domain. Previous works have shown that knowledge constructs comprised of transitively-associated UMLS concepts are effective for discovering potentially novel biomedical hypotheses. However, the extremely large size of the UMLS becomes a major challenge for these applications. To address this problem, we designed a k-neighborhood Decentralization Labeling Scheme (kDLS) for the UMLS, and the corresponding method to effectively evaluate the kDLS indexing results. kDLS provides a comprehensive solution for indexing the UMLS for very efficient large scale knowledge discovery. We demonstrated that it is highly effective to use kDLS paths to prioritize disease-gene relations across the whole genome, with extremely high fold-enrichment values. To our knowledge, this is the first indexing scheme capable of supporting efficient large scale knowledge discovery on the UMLS as a whole. Our expectation is that kDLS will become a vital engine for retrieving information and generating hypotheses from the UMLS for future medical informatics applications. PMID:22154838

k-Neighborhood decentralization: a comprehensive solution to index the UMLS for large scale knowledge discovery.

PubMed

Xiang, Yang; Lu, Kewei; James, Stephen L; Borlawsky, Tara B; Huang, Kun; Payne, Philip R O

2012-04-01

The Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) is the largest thesaurus in the biomedical informatics domain. Previous works have shown that knowledge constructs comprised of transitively-associated UMLS concepts are effective for discovering potentially novel biomedical hypotheses. However, the extremely large size of the UMLS becomes a major challenge for these applications. To address this problem, we designed a k-neighborhood Decentralization Labeling Scheme (kDLS) for the UMLS, and the corresponding method to effectively evaluate the kDLS indexing results. kDLS provides a comprehensive solution for indexing the UMLS for very efficient large scale knowledge discovery. We demonstrated that it is highly effective to use kDLS paths to prioritize disease-gene relations across the whole genome, with extremely high fold-enrichment values. To our knowledge, this is the first indexing scheme capable of supporting efficient large scale knowledge discovery on the UMLS as a whole. Our expectation is that kDLS will become a vital engine for retrieving information and generating hypotheses from the UMLS for future medical informatics applications. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effects of buffer size and shape on associations between the built environment and energy balance.

PubMed

James, Peter; Berrigan, David; Hart, Jaime E; Hipp, J Aaron; Hoehner, Christine M; Kerr, Jacqueline; Major, Jacqueline M; Oka, Masayoshi; Laden, Francine

2014-05-01

Uncertainty in the relevant spatial context may drive heterogeneity in findings on the built environment and energy balance. To estimate the effect of this uncertainty, we conducted a sensitivity analysis defining intersection and business densities and counts within different buffer sizes and shapes on associations with self-reported walking and body mass index. Linear regression results indicated that the scale and shape of buffers influenced study results and may partly explain the inconsistent findings in the built environment and energy balance literature. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Complex Refractive Index of Volcanic Ash Aerosol Retrieved From Spectral Mass Extinction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reed, Benjamin E.; Peters, Daniel M.; McPheat, Robert; Grainger, R. G.

2018-01-01

The complex refractive indices of eight volcanic ash samples, chosen to have a representative range of SiO2 contents, were retrieved from simultaneous measurements of their spectral mass extinction coefficient and size distribution. The mass extinction coefficients, at 0.33-19 μm, were measured using two optical systems: a Fourier transform spectrometer in the infrared and two diffraction grating spectrometers covering visible and ultraviolet wavelengths. The particle size distribution was measured using a scanning mobility particle sizer and an optical particle counter; values for the effective radius of ash particles measured in this study varied from 0.574 to 1.16 μm. Verification retrievals on high-purity silica aerosol demonstrated that the Rayleigh continuous distribution of ellipsoids (CDEs) scattering model significantly outperformed Mie theory in retrieving the complex refractive index, when compared to literature values. Assuming the silica particles provided a good analogue of volcanic ash, the CDE scattering model was applied to retrieve the complex refractive index of the eight ash samples. The Lorentz formulation of the complex refractive index was used within the retrievals as a convenient way to ensure consistency with the Kramers-Kronig relation. The short-wavelength limit of the electric susceptibility was constrained by using independently measured reference values of the complex refractive index of the ash samples at a visible wavelength. The retrieved values of the complex refractive indices of the ash samples showed considerable variation, highlighting the importance of using accurate refractive index data in ash cloud radiative transfer models.

Oxygen index: An approximate value for the evaluation of combustion characteristics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zartmann, I.; Reinwardt, D.; Franke, A.

1986-01-01

The oxygen index has gained international recognition for the determination of combustion characteristics of plastic material. The amounts of oxygen and nitrogen were more accurately determined for existing test equipment in order to specify the oxygen index as precisely and as reproducible as possible. Parameters are outlined such as the size of the ignition flame, ignition of test pieces, test piece sizes and test temperature. The minimum oxygen index was determined by the dimension and duration of the fire. The results are sufficiently accurate for factory operating conditions and are also reproducible.

Conductivity studies of Chitosan doped with different ammonium salts: Effect of ion size

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohan, C. Raja; Senthilkumar, M.; Jayakumar, K.

2015-06-01

In the present investigation influence of ion size on the electrical properties of various ammonium salts of various concentrations doped with Chitosan liquid electrolyte has been studied. The attachment of ammonium salts with Chitosan has been confirmed through FTIR Spectrum. Polarizability is calculated from the refractive index data. Addition of ammonium salts increases the conductivity. It is also observed that increase in ion size, increases the ionic conductivity due to increase in amorphous nature of the material. Increase in concentration leads to increase in conductivity due to the presence of more number of free ions.

Discrete hierarchy of sizes and performances in the exchange-traded fund universe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vandermarliere, B.; Ryckebusch, J.; Schoors, K.; Cauwels, P.; Sornette, D.

2017-03-01

Using detailed statistical analyses of the size distribution of a universe of equity exchange-traded funds (ETFs), we discover a discrete hierarchy of sizes, which imprints a log-periodic structure on the probability distribution of ETF sizes that dominates the details of the asymptotic tail. This allows us to propose a classification of the studied universe of ETFs into seven size layers approximately organized according to a multiplicative ratio of 3.5 in their total market capitalization. Introducing a similarity metric generalizing the Herfindhal index, we find that the largest ETFs exhibit a significantly stronger intra-layer and inter-layer similarity compared with the smaller ETFs. Comparing the performance across the seven discerned ETF size layers, we find an inverse size effect, namely large ETFs perform significantly better than the small ones both in 2014 and 2015.

Determination of the size, concentration, and refractive index of silica nanoparticles from turbidity spectra.

PubMed

Khlebtsov, Boris N; Khanadeev, Vitaly A; Khlebtsov, Nikolai G

2008-08-19

The size and concentration of silica cores determine the size and concentration of silica/gold nanoshells in final preparations. Until now, the concentration of silica/gold nanoshells with Stober's silica core has been evaluated through the material balance assumption. Here, we describe a method for simultaneous determination of the average size and concentration of silica nanospheres from turbidity spectra measured within the 400-600 nm spectral band. As the refractive index of silica nanoparticles is the key input parameter for optical determination of their concentration, we propose an optical method and provide experimental data on a direct determination of the refractive index of silica particles n = 1.475 +/- 0.005. Finally, we exemplify our method by determining the particle size and concentration for 10 samples and compare the results with transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and dynamic light scattering data.

Ultrasonic velocimetry studies on different salts of chitosan: Effect of ion size.

PubMed

Mohan, C Raja; Sathya, R; Nithiananthi, P; Jayakumar, K

2017-11-01

In the present investigation, the effect of ion size on the thermodynamical properties such as ultrasonic velocity (U), adiabatic compressibility (β), acoustic impedance (Z), adiabatic bulk modulus (K s ), relaxation strength (r s ) have been obtained for the different salts of chitosan viz., formate (3.5Å), acetate (4.5Å), Succinate (5Å) and Adipate (6Å). To find the effect of ion size, the effect due to water has been removed by calculating the change in ultrasonic velocity (dU), change in adiabatic compressibility (dβ), in acoustic impedance (dZ), in adiabatic bulk modulus (dK s ), and in relaxation strength (dr s ). Space filling factor and polarizability has been obtained from the refractive index data through Lorentz-Lorentz relation. FTIR studies confirm the formation of different quaternary salts of chitosan and their size (mass) effects which has been verified with Hooke's law. All the said properties vary both with ion size and concentration of different salts of chitosan. This investigation may throw some light on better usage of chitosan in biomedical applications. The detailed results are presented and discussed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effective and Accurate Morphology Models for Asian and Saharan Mineral Dust Scattering Properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stegmann, P.; Yang, P.

2017-12-01

It is well known that mineral dust particles from desert sources can have a significant influence on the planetary radiation balance. In order to determine the sign and magnitude of the dust radiative forcing effect, complex models have been and continue to be developed. Key factors which influence the single-scattering properties of mineral dust are dust source regions and thus mineralogical composition, and its mixture with water, sea salt, and products of human activity, such as soot. The ensemble of mineral dust scattering particles may then be modeled either as a simple placeholder shape, often ellipsoidal, through the utilization of an appropriate effective medium refractive index scheme. On the other hand, the scattering particles may be represented in a more rigorous manner, such as Voronoi-tessellated aggregates including fractal soot chains. The consequences and differences of either choice are investigated in the project at hand. It will be shown that the effective medium model indicates a drastic dependence of the mineral dust particle composition on the particle size. Thus the refractive index of a dust particle is in fact a function of its size, amongst other factors. Regional differences between African and Asian mineral dust are also of significance.

Effects of land conversion from native shrub to pistachio orchard on soil erodibility in an arid region.

PubMed

Yakupoglu, Tugrul; Gundogan, Recep; Dindaroglu, Turgay; Kara, Zekeriya

2017-10-29

Land-use change through degrading natural vegetation for agricultural production adversely affects many of soil properties particularly organic carbon content of soils. The native shrub land and grassland of Gaziantep-Adiyaman plateau that is an important pistachio growing eco-region have been cleared to convert into pistachio orchard for the last 50 to 60 years. In this study, the effects of conversion of natural vegetation into agricultural uses on soil erodibility have been investigated. Soil samples were collected from surface of agricultural fields and adjacent natural vegetation areas, and samples were analyzed for some soil erodibility indices such as dispersion ratio (DR), erosion ratio (ER), structural stability index (SSI), Henin's instability index (I s ), and aggregate size distribution after wet sieving (AggSD). According to the statistical evaluation, these two areas were found as different from each other in terms of erosion indices except for I s index (P < 0.001 for DR and ER or P < 0.01 for SSI). In addition, native shrub land and converted land to agriculture were found different in terms of AggSD in all aggregate size groups. As a contrary to expectations, correlation tests showed that there were no any interaction between soil organic carbon and measured erodibility indices in two areas. In addition, significant relationships were determined between measured variables and soil textural fractions as statistical. These obtaining findings were attributed to changing of textural component distribution and initial aggregate size distribution results from land-use change in the study area. Study results were explained about hierarchical aggregate formation mechanism.

Women gaze behaviour in assessing female bodies: the effects of clothing, body size, own body composition and body satisfaction.

PubMed

Cundall, Amelia; Guo, Kun

2017-01-01

Often with minimally clothed figures depicting extreme body sizes, previous studies have shown women tend to gaze at evolutionary determinants of attractiveness when viewing female bodies, possibly for self-evaluation purposes, and their gaze distribution is modulated by own body dissatisfaction level. To explore to what extent women's body-viewing gaze behaviour is affected by clothing type, dress size, subjective measurements of regional body satisfaction and objective measurements of own body composition (e.g., chest size, body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio), in this self-paced body attractiveness and body size judgement experiment, we compared healthy, young women's gaze distributions when viewing female bodies in tight and loose clothing of different dress sizes. In contrast to tight clothing, loose clothing biased gaze away from the waist-hip to the leg region, and subsequently led to enhanced body attractiveness ratings and body size underestimation for larger female bodies, indicating the important role of clothing in mediating women's body perception. When viewing preferred female bodies, women's higher satisfaction of a specific body region was associated with an increased gaze towards neighbouring body areas, implying satisfaction might reduce the need for comparison of confident body parts; furthermore undesirable body composition measurements were correlated with a gaze avoidance process if the construct was less changeable (i.e. chest size) but a gaze comparison process if the region was more changeable (i.e. body mass index, dress size). Clearly, own body satisfaction and body composition measurements had an evident impact on women's body-viewing gaze allocation, possibly through different cognitive processes.

Counter-propagating optical trapping system for size and refractive index measurement of microparticles.

PubMed

Flynn, Richard A; Shao, Bing; Chachisvilis, Mirianas; Ozkan, Mihrimah; Esener, Sadik C

2006-01-15

We propose and demonstrate a novel approach to measure the size and refractive index of microparticles based on two beam optical trapping, where forward scattered light is detected to give information about the particle. The counter-propagating optical trap measurement (COTM) system exploits the capability of optical traps to measure pico-Newton forces for microparticles' refractive index and size characterization. Different from the current best technique for microparticles' refractive index measurement, refractometry, a bulk technique requiring changing the fluid composition of the sample, our optical trap technique works with any transparent fluid and enables single particle analysis without the use of biological markers. A ray-optics model is used to explore the physical operation of the COTM system, predict system performance and aid system design. Experiments demonstrate the accuracy of refractive index measurement of Deltan=0.013 and size measurement of 3% of diameter with 2% standard deviation. Present performance is instrumentation limited, and a potential improvement by more than two orders of magnitude can be expected in the future. With further development in parallelism and miniaturization, the system offers advantages for cell manipulation and bioanalysis compatible with lab-on-a-chip systems.

Atmospheric particulate analysis using angular light scattering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hansen, M. Z.

1980-01-01

Using the light scattering matrix elements measured by a polar nephelometer, a procedure for estimating the characteristics of atmospheric particulates was developed. A theoretical library data set of scattering matrices derived from Mie theory was tabulated for a range of values of the size parameter and refractive index typical of atmospheric particles. Integration over the size parameter yielded the scattering matrix elements for a variety of hypothesized particulate size distributions. A least squares curve fitting technique was used to find a best fit from the library data for the experimental measurements. This was used as a first guess for a nonlinear iterative inversion of the size distributions. A real index of 1.50 and an imaginary index of -0.005 are representative of the smoothed inversion results for the near ground level atmospheric aerosol in Tucson.

Using a laser source to measure the refractive index of glass beads and Debye theory analysis.

PubMed

Li, Shui-Yan; Qin, Shuang; Li, Da-Hai; Wang, Qiong-Hua

2015-11-20

Using a monochromatic laser beam to illuminate a homogeneous glass bead, some rainbows will appear around it. This paper concentrates on the study of the scattering intensity distribution and the method of measuring the refractive index for glass beads based on the Debye theory. It is found that the first rainbow due to the scattering superposition of backward light of the low-refractive-index glass beads can be explained approximately with the diffraction, the external reflection plus the one internal reflection, while the second rainbow of high-refractive-index glass beads is due to the contribution from the diffraction, the external reflection, the direct transmission, and the two internal reflections. The scattering intensity distribution is affected by the refractive index, the radius of the glass bead, and the incident beam width. The effects of the refractive index and the glass bead size on the first and second minimum deviation angle position are analyzed in this paper. The results of the measurements agree very well with the specifications.

Study on the effect of carbon nanotube coating on the refractive index sensing sensitivity of fiber modal interferometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Ya-nan; Xie, Wen-ge; Wang, Jianzhang; Wang, Pengzhao

2018-01-01

Refractive index sensing of liquid is important in the domain of chemistry and biology. Fiber optical sensors provide an excellent way to measure the refractive index due to their feasible integration to other fiber optics components, high sensitivity, small size, and distributed sensing. However, conventional optical sensors have different shortages. To find a practical way to measure the refractive index of liquid, this paper intended to combine Carbon Nanotube (CNT) with non-core fiber (NCF) to prepare a kind of modal interferometer sensor and to explore the effect of CNT coating on refractive index sensing properties of the modal interferometer. Firstly, a structure of single mode non-core single mode (SNS) fiber with a CNT film coating was proposed and simulated. The simulation results showed that the CNT coating could improve the refractive index sensitivity of the interferometer sensor. Then in the experiment part, the CNT solution was fabricated and deposited onto the NCF, and a refractive index sensing system was built to examine the property of the CNT-coated SNS interferometer sensor. During the experiment, the influence factors of sensitivity were summarized by testing the sensing performance under different conditions, and it was demonstrated that the CNT coating could improve the contrast of the interference spectrum, and also had the possibility to increase the refractive index sensitivity of the interferometer sensor.

Effect of oxygen therapy on myocardial salvage in ST elevation myocardial infarction: the randomized SOCCER trial.

PubMed

Khoshnood, Ardavan; Carlsson, Marcus; Akbarzadeh, Mahin; Bhiladvala, Pallonji; Roijer, Anders; Nordlund, David; Höglund, Peter; Zughaft, David; Todorova, Lizbet; Mokhtari, Arash; Arheden, Håkan; Erlinge, David; Ekelund, Ulf

2018-04-01

Recent studies suggest that administration of O2 in patients with acute myocardial infarction may have negative effects. With the use of cardiac MRI (CMR), we evaluated the effects of supplemental O2 in patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) accepted for acute percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). This study was a randomized-controlled trial conducted at two university hospitals in Sweden. Normoxic STEMI patients were randomized in the ambulance to either supplemental O2 (10 l/min) or room air until the conclusion of the PCI. CMR was performed 2-6 days after the inclusion. The primary endpoint was the myocardial salvage index assessed by CMR. The secondary endpoints included infarct size and myocardium at risk. At inclusion, the O2 (n=46) and air (n=49) patient groups had similar patient characteristics. There were no significant differences in myocardial salvage index [53.9±25.1 vs. 49.3±24.0%; 95% confidence interval (CI): -5.4 to 14.6], myocardium at risk (31.9±10.0% of the left ventricle in the O2 group vs. 30.0±11.8% in the air group; 95% CI: -2.6 to 6.3), or infarct size (15.6±10.4% of the left ventricle vs. 16.0±11.0%; 95% CI: -4.7 to 4.1). In STEMI patients undergoing acute PCI, we found no effect of high-flow oxygen compared with room air on the size of ischemia before PCI, myocardial salvage, or the resulting infarct size. These results support the safety of withholding supplemental oxygen in normoxic STEMI patients.

Citation-based Estimation of Scholarly Activity Among Domestic Academic Radiation Oncologists: Five-Year Update.

PubMed

Choi, Mehee; Holliday, Emma B; Jagsi, Reshma; Wilson, Lynn D; Fuller, Clifton D; Thomas, Charles R

2014-03-01

To analyze up-to-date Hirsch index ( h -index) data to estimate the scholarly productivity of academic radiation oncology faculty. Bibliometric citation database searches were performed for radiation oncology faculty at domestic residency-training institutions. Outcomes analyzed included the number of manuscripts, number of citations, and h -index between 1996 and 2012. Analyses of overall h -index rankings with stratification by academic ranking, gender, and departmental faculty size were performed. One thousand thirty-seven radiation oncologists from 87 programs were included. Overall, the mean h -index was 10.8. Among the top 10% by h -index, 38% were chairpersons, all were senior faculty, and 11% were women. As expected, higher h -index was associated with higher academic ranking and senior faculty status. Recursive partitioning analysis revealed an h -index threshold of 20 ( p <0.001) as an identified breakpoint between senior vs. junior faculty. Furthermore, h -index breakpoints of 12 ( p <0.001) and 25 ( p <0.001) were identified between assistant professor vs. associate professor, and associate professor vs. professor levels, respectively. Multivariate analysis identified higher academic ranking, male gender, and larger departmental faculty size as independent variables associated with higher h -index. The current results suggest an overall rise in scholarly citation metrics among domestic academic radiation oncologists, with a current mean h- index of 10.8, vs. 8.5 in 2008. Significant relationships exist between h -index and academic rank, gender, and departmental size. The results offer up-to-date benchmarks for evaluating academic radiation oncologist to the national average and potentially has utility in the process of appointment and promotion decisions.

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

Jones, A. Kyle, E-mail: kyle.jones@mdanderson.org

Purpose: To evaluate the sensitivity of the diagnostic radiological index of protection (DRIP), used to quantify the protective value of radioprotective garments, to procedural factors in fluoroscopy in an effort to determine an appropriate set of scatter-mimicking primary beams to be used in measuring the DRIP. Methods: Monte Carlo simulations were performed to determine the shape of the scattered x-ray spectra incident on the operator in different clinical fluoroscopy scenarios, including interventional radiology and interventional cardiology (IC). Two clinical simulations studied the sensitivity of the scattered spectrum to gantry angle and patient size, while technical factors were varied according tomore » measured automatic dose rate control (ADRC) data. Factorial simulations studied the sensitivity of the scattered spectrum to gantry angle, field of view, patient size, and beam quality for constant technical factors. Average energy (E{sub avg}) was the figure of merit used to condense fluence in each energy bin to a single numerical index. Results: Beam quality had the strongest influence on the scattered spectrum in fluoroscopy. Many procedural factors affect the scattered spectrum indirectly through their effect on primary beam quality through ADRC, e.g., gantry angle and patient size. Lateral C-arm rotation, common in IC, increased the energy of the scattered spectrum, regardless of the direction of rotation. The effect of patient size on scattered radiation depended on ADRC characteristics, patient size, and procedure type. Conclusions: The scattered spectrum striking the operator in fluoroscopy is most strongly influenced by primary beam quality, particularly kV. Use cases for protective garments should be classified by typical procedural primary beam qualities, which are governed by the ADRC according to the impacts of patient size, anatomical location, and gantry angle.« less

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

Jones, A; Pasciak, A; Wagner, L

Purpose: To evaluate the sensitivity of the Diagnostic Radiological Index of Protection (DRIP) to procedural factors in fluoroscopy in an effort to determine an appropriate set of scatter-mimicking primary beams (SMPB) to be used in measuring the DRIP. Methods: A series of clinical and factorial Monte Carlo simulations were conducted to determine the shape of the scattered X-ray spectra incident on the operator in different clinical fluoroscopy scenarios. Two clinical evaluations studied the sensitivity of the scattered spectrum to gantry angle and patient size while technical factors were varied according to measured automatic dose rate control (ADRC) data. Factorial evaluationsmore » studied the sensitivity of the scattered spectrum to gantry angle, field of view, patient size and beam quality for constant technical factors. Average energy was the figure of merit used to condense fluence in each energy bin to a single numerical index. Results: Beam quality had the strongest influence on the scattered spectrum in fluoroscopy. Many procedural factors affected the scattered spectrum indirectly through their effects on primary beam quality through ADRC, e.g., gantry angle and patient size. Lateral C-arm rotation, common in interventional cardiology, increased the energy of the scattered spectrum, regardless of the direction of rotation. The effect of patient size on scattered radiation depended on ADRC characteristics, patient size, and procedure type. Conclusion: The scattered spectrum striking the operator in fluoroscopy, and therefore the DRIP, is most strongly influenced by primary beam quality, particularly kV. Use cases for protective garments should be classified by typical procedural primary beam qualities, which are governed by the ADRC according to the impacts of patient size, anatomical location, and gantry angle. These results will help determine an appropriate set of SMPB to be used for measuring the DRIP.« less

Time budgets of Snow Geese Chen caerulescens and Ross's Geese Chen rossii in mixed flocks: Implications of body size, ambient temperature and family associations

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jonsson, J.E.; Afton, A.D.

2009-01-01

Body size affects foraging and forage intake rates directly via energetic processes and indirectly through interactions with social status and social behaviour. Ambient temperature has a relatively greater effect on the energetics of smaller species, which also generally are more vulnerable to predator attacks than are larger species. We examined variability in an index of intake rates and an index of alertness in Lesser Snow Geese Chen caerulescens caerulescens and Ross's Geese Chen rossii wintering in southwest Louisiana. Specifically we examined variation in these response variables that could be attributed to species, age, family size and ambient temperature. We hypothesized that the smaller Ross's Geese would spend relatively more time feeding, exhibit relatively higher peck rates, spend more time alert or raise their heads up from feeding more frequently, and would respond to declining temperatures by increasing their proportion of time spent feeding. As predicted, we found that Ross's Geese spent more time feeding than did Snow Geese and had slightly higher peck rates than Snow Geese in one of two winters. Ross's Geese spent more time alert than did Snow Geese in one winter, but alert rates differed by family size, independent of species, in contrast to our prediction. In one winter, time spent foraging and walking was inversely related to average daily temperature, but both varied independently of species. Effects of age and family size on time budgets were generally independent of species and in accordance with previous studies. We conclude that body size is a key variable influencing time spent feeding in Ross's Geese, which may require a high time spent feeding at the expense of other activities. ?? 2008 The Authors.

In Vivo Pharmacodynamics of Cefquinome in a Neutropenic Mouse Thigh Model of Streptococcus suis Serotype 2 at Varied Initial Inoculum Sizes

PubMed Central

Guo, Chunna; Liao, Xiaoping; Wang, Mingru; Wang, Feng; Yan, Chaoqun; Xiao, Xia; Sun, Jiang

2015-01-01

Streptococcus suis serotype 2 is an emerging zoonotic pathogen and causes severe disease in both pigs and human beings. Cefquinome (CEQ), a fourth-generation cephalosporin, exhibits broad-spectrum activity against Gram-positive bacteria such as S. suis. This study evaluated the in vitro and in vivo antimicrobial activities of CEQ against four strains of S. suis serotype 2 in a murine neutropenic thigh infection model. We investigated the effect of varied inoculum sizes (106 to 108 CFU/thigh) on the pharmacokinetic (PK)/pharmacodynamic (PD) indices and magnitudes of a particular PK/PD index or dose required for efficacy. Dose fractionation studies included total CEQ doses ranging from 0.625 to 640 mg/kg/24 h. Data were analyzed via a maximum effect (Emax) model using nonlinear regression. The PK/PD studies demonstrated that the percentage of time that serum drug levels were above the MIC of free drug (%ƒT>MIC) in a 24-h dosing interval was the primary index driving the efficacy of both inoculum sizes (R2 = 91% and R2 = 63%). CEQ doses of 2.5 and 40 mg/kg body weight produced prolonged postantibiotic effects (PAEs) of 2.45 to 8.55 h. Inoculum sizes had a significant influence on CEQ efficacy. Compared to the CEQ exposure and dosages in tests using standard inocula, a 4-fold dose (P = 0.006) and a 2-fold exposure time (P = 0.01) were required for a 1-log kill using large inocula of 108 CFU/thigh. PMID:26666923

[Effect of 2,3-butanedione monoxime on calcium paradox-induced heart injury in rats].

PubMed

Kong, Ling-Heng; Gu, Xiao-Ming; Su, Xing-Li; Sun, Na; Wei, Ming; Zhu, Juan-Xia; Chang, Pan; Zhou, Jing-Jun

2016-05-01

To investigate the Effect of 2,3-butanedione monoxime (BDM) on calcium paradox-induced heart injury and its underlying mechanisms. Thirty-two adult male SD rats were randomized into 4 groups, namely the control group, BDM treatment control group, calcium paradox group, and BDM treatment group. Isolated Sprague Dawley male rat hearts underwent Langendorff perfusion and the left ventricular pressure (LVP) and left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) were monitored. Left ventricular developed pressure (LVDP) was calculated to evaluate the myocardial performance. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) content in the coronary flow was determined. Triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining was used to measure the infarct size, and myocardial cell apoptosis was tested with TUNEL method. Western blotting was used to determine the expression of cleaved caspase-3 and cytochrome c. Compared with the control group, BDM at 20 mmol/L had no effect on cardiac performance, cell death, apoptotic index or the content of LDH, cleaved caspase-3 and cytochrome c at the end of perfusion under control conditions (P>0.05). Calcium paradox treatment significantly decreased the cardiac function and the level of LVDP and induced a larger infarct size (P<0.01), an increased myocardial apoptosis index (P<0.01), and up-regulated expressions of cleaved caspase-3 and cytochrome c (P<0.01). BDM (20 mmol/L) significantly attenuated these effects induced by calcium paradox, and markedly down-regulated the levels of LVEDP and LDH (P<0.01), lowered myocardial apoptosis index, decreased the content of cleaved caspase-3 and cytochrome c (P<0.01), increased LVDP, and reduced the infarct size (P<0.01). BDM suppresses cell apoptosis and contracture and improves heart function and cell survival in rat hearts exposed to calcium paradox, suggesting the value of BDM as an potential drug for myocardial ischemia reperfusion injur.

Population size influences amphibian detection probability: implications for biodiversity monitoring programs.

PubMed

Tanadini, Lorenzo G; Schmidt, Benedikt R

2011-01-01

Monitoring is an integral part of species conservation. Monitoring programs must take imperfect detection of species into account in order to be reliable. Theory suggests that detection probability may be determined by population size but this relationship has not yet been assessed empirically. Population size is particularly important because it may induce heterogeneity in detection probability and thereby cause bias in estimates of biodiversity. We used a site occupancy model to analyse data from a volunteer-based amphibian monitoring program to assess how well different variables explain variation in detection probability. An index to population size best explained detection probabilities for four out of six species (to avoid circular reasoning, we used the count of individuals at a previous site visit as an index to current population size). The relationship between the population index and detection probability was positive. Commonly used weather variables best explained detection probabilities for two out of six species. Estimates of site occupancy probabilities differed depending on whether the population index was or was not used to model detection probability. The relationship between the population index and detectability has implications for the design of monitoring and species conservation. Most importantly, because many small populations are likely to be overlooked, monitoring programs should be designed in such a way that small populations are not overlooked. The results also imply that methods cannot be standardized in such a way that detection probabilities are constant. As we have shown here, one can easily account for variation in population size in the analysis of data from long-term monitoring programs by using counts of individuals from surveys at the same site in previous years. Accounting for variation in population size is important because it can affect the results of long-term monitoring programs and ultimately the conservation of imperiled species.

Permeability and compressibility of resedimented Gulf of Mexico mudrock

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Betts, W. S.; Flemings, P. B.; Schneider, J.

2011-12-01

We use a constant-rate-of strain consolidation test on resedimented Gulf of Mexico mudrock to determine the compression index (Cc) to be 0.618 and the expansion index (Ce) to be 0.083. We used crushed, homogenized Pliocene and Pleistocene mudrock extracted from cored wells in the Eugene Island block 330 oil field. This powdered material has a liquid limit (LL) of 87, a plastic limit (PL) of 24, and a plasticity index (PI) of 63. The particle size distribution from hydrometer analyses is approximately 65% clay-sized particles (<2 μm) with the remainder being less than 70 microns in diameter. Resedimented specimens have been used to characterize the geotechnical and geophysical behavior of soils and mudstones independent of the variability of natural samples and without the effects of sampling disturbance. Previous investigations of resedimented offshore Gulf of Mexico sediments (e.g. Mazzei, 2008) have been limited in scope. This is the first test of the homogenized Eugene Island core material. These results will be compared to in situ measurements to determine the controls on consolidation over large stress ranges.

Size of pneumothorax can be a new indication for surgical treatment in primary spontaneous pneumothorax: a prospective study.

PubMed

Sayar, Adnan; Kök, Abdulaziz; Citak, Necati; Metin, Muzaffer; Büyükkale, Songül; Gürses, Atilla

2014-01-01

Surgical treatment of primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) is usually performed in cases of prolonged air leak (PAL) or recurrence. We investigated the effect of the size of pneumothorax in surgically treated PSP cases. Between 2007 and 2008, 181 patients hospitalized with the diagnosis of PSP were prospectively recorded. The size of pneumothorax was calculated in percentages by the method defined by Kircher and Swartzel. Patients were divided into two groups, according to pneumothorax size: Group A (large pneumothorax, ≥50%), and Group B (small or moderate pneumothorax, <50%). The mean size of pneumothorax was 80.5 ± 10.4% in Group A (n = 54, 29%) and 39.5 ± 6.5% in Group B (n = 127, 71%). History of smoking and smoking index were significantly higher in Group A patients (p = 0.02, p <0.001, respectively). Fifty-five patients (29.3%) required surgery because of PAL or ipsilateral recurrence. The rate of patients requiring surgical operation was significantly higher in Group A (51.9%) than in Group B (n = 25; p <0.001). Rates of PAL and recurrence were higher in Group A than in Group B (p = 0.007, p = 0.004, respectively). The size of pneumothorax is larger in those with a smoking history and a higher smoking index. Surgical therapy can be considered in cases with a pneumothorax size ≥50% after the first episode immediately.

Relation of number and size of fires to fire-season weather indexes in western Washington and western Oregon.

Treesearch

Owen P. Cramer

1959-01-01

Hard-hitting fire-fighting crews and effective fire prevention held down this year's fire losses despite critical weather." Have you ever read such a statement and wondered how much of the apparently good record was really due to weather conditions?

Aerosol properties in the upper clouds of Venus from glory observations by the Venus Monitoring Camera (Venus Express mission)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Markiewicz, Wojciech J.; Petrova, Elena V.; Shalygina, Oksana S.

2018-01-01

From the angular positions of the glory features observed on the upper cloud deck of Venus in three VMC channels (at 0.365, 0.513, and 0.965 μm), the dominating sizes of cloud particles and their refractive indices have been retrieved, and their spatial and temporal variations have been analyzed. For this, the phase profiles of brightness were compared to the single-scattering phase functions of particles of different sizes, since diffuse multiple scattering in the clouds does not move the angular positions of the glory, which is produced by the single scattering by cloud particles, but only makes them less pronounced. We presented the measured phase profiles in two ways: they were built for individual images and for individual small regions observed in series of successive images. The analysis of the data of both types has yielded consistent results. The presently retrieved radii of cloud particle average approximately 1.0-1.2 μm (though some values reach 1.4 μm) and demonstrate a variable pattern versus latitude and local solar time (LST). The decrease of particle sizes at high latitudes (down to 0.6 μm at 60°S) earlier found from the 0.965-μm and partly 0.365-μm data has been definitely confirmed in the analysis of the data of all three channels considered. To obtain the consistent estimates of particle sizes from the UV glory maximum and minimum positions, we have to vary the effective variance of the particle sizes, while it was fixed constant in our previous studies. The twofold increase of this parameter (from 0.07 to 0.14) diminishes the estimates of particle sizes by 10-15%, while the effect on the retrieved refractive index is negligible. The obtained estimates of the refractive index are more or less uniformly distributed over the covered latitude and LST ranges, and most of them are higher than those of concentrated sulfuric acid solution. This confirms our previous result obtained only at 0.965 μm, and now we may state that the cases of a relatively high real part of the refractive index are often observed for the 1-μm mode of cloud particles on Venus. Consequently, an additional component with a high value of the refractive index is required to be present in the cloud droplets. We suggest that this component is in small submicron particles; during the condensation process, they become incorporated into sulfuric acid droplets, which results in forming the complex UV absorbing particles with an increased refractive index. We suppose that this material can be ferric chloride that is one of the candidates for the so-called unknown UV absorber in the upper clouds of Venus.

Long-Term Excessive Body Weight and Adult Left Ventricular Hypertrophy Are Linked Through Later-Life Body Size and Blood Pressure: The Bogalusa Heart Study.

PubMed

Zhang, Huijie; Zhang, Tao; Li, Shengxu; Guo, Yajun; Shen, Wei; Fernandez, Camilo; Harville, Emily; Bazzano, Lydia A; Urbina, Elaine M; He, Jiang; Chen, Wei

2017-05-12

Childhood adiposity is associated with cardiac structure in later life, but little is known regarding to what extent childhood body weight affects adult left ventricular geometric patterns through adult body size and blood pressure (BP). Determine quantitatively the mediation effect of adult body weight and BP on the association of childhood body mass index (BMI) with adult left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy. This longitudinal study consisted of 710 adults, aged 26 to 48 years, who had been examined for BMI and BP measured ≥4× during childhood and ≥2× during adulthood, with a mean follow-up period of 28.0 years. After adjusting for age, race, and sex, adult BMI had a significant mediation effect (76.4%; P <0.01) on the childhood BMI-adult LV mass index association. The mediation effects of adult systolic BP (15.2%), long-term burden (12.1%), and increasing trends of systolic BP (7.9%) were all significant ( P <0.01). Furthermore, these mediators also had significant mediation effects on the association of childhood BMI with adult LV hypertrophy, eccentric hypertrophy, and concentric hypertrophy. Importantly, the mediation effects of adult BMI were all significantly stronger than those of adult systolic BP on LV mass index, LV hypertrophy, and LV remodeling patterns ( P <0.01). Additionally, the mediation effect of systolic BP on concentric hypertrophy was significantly stronger than that on eccentric hypertrophy ( P <0.01). These findings suggest that increased childhood BMI has long-term adverse impact on subclinical changes in adult cardiac structure, and early life excessive body weight and adult LV hypertrophy are linked through later life excessive body weight and elevated BP. © 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.

Extracting forest canopy structure from spatial information of high resolution optical imagery: tree crown size versus leaf area index

Treesearch

C. Song; M.B. Dickinson

2008-01-01

Leaves are the primary interface where energy, water and carbon exchanges occur between the forest ecosystems and the atmosphere. Leaf area index (LAI) is a measure of the amount of leaf area in a stand, and the tree crown size characterizes how leaves are clumped in the canopy. Both LAI and tree crown size are of essential ecological and management value. There is a...

Friends With Health Benefits: The Long-Term Benefits of Early Peer Social Integration for Blood Pressure and Obesity in Midlife.

PubMed

Cundiff, Jenny M; Matthews, Karen A

2018-05-01

In adults, greater social integration is associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, including hypertension. Social integration earlier in life may be similarly associated with cardiovascular risk. Using a longitudinal sample of 267 Black and White men, we examined whether greater social integration with peers during childhood and adolescence, assessed by parent report, prospectively predicts lower blood pressure and body mass index two decades later in adulthood and whether these effects differ by race, given well-documented racial disparities in hypertension. Boys who were reported by their parents to be more socially integrated with peers evidenced lower blood pressure and body mass index in adulthood, and this effect was not accounted for by body mass index in childhood, childhood socioeconomic status, childhood hostility, childhood physical health, extraversion measured in adolescence, or concurrent adult self-reports of social integration. Results did not differ by race, but analyses were not powered to detect interactions of small effect size.

Self-reported clothing size as a proxy measure for body size.

PubMed

Hughes, Laura A E; Schouten, Leo J; Goldbohm, R Alexandra; van den Brandt, Piet A; Weijenberg, Matty P

2009-09-01

Few studies have considered the potential utility of clothing size as a predictor of diseases associated with body weight. We used data on weight-stable men and women from a subcohort of the Netherlands Cohort Study to assess the correlation of clothing size with other anthropometric variables. Cox regression using the case-cohort approach was performed to establish whether clothing size can predict cancer risk after 13.3 years of follow-up, and if additionally considering body mass index (BMI) in the model improves the prediction. Trouser and skirt size correlated well with circumference measurements. Skirt size predicted endometrial cancer risk, and this effect was slightly attenuated when BMI was added to the model. Trouser size predicted risk of renal cell carcinoma, regardless of whether BMI was in the model. Clothing size appears to predict cancer risk independently of BMI, suggesting that clothing size is a useful measure to consider in epidemiologic studies when waist circumference is not available.

Effect of Climate Factors on the Childhood Pneumonia in Papua New Guinea: A Time-Series Analysis.

PubMed

Kim, Jinseob; Kim, Jong-Hun; Cheong, Hae-Kwan; Kim, Ho; Honda, Yasushi; Ha, Mina; Hashizume, Masahiro; Kolam, Joel; Inape, Kasis

2016-02-15

This study aimed to assess the association between climate factors and the incidence of childhood pneumonia in Papua New Guinea quantitatively and to evaluate the variability of the effect size according to their geographic properties. The pneumonia incidence in children under five-year and meteorological factors were obtained from six areas, including monthly rainfall and the monthly average daily maximum temperatures during the period from 1997 to 2006 from national health surveillance data. A generalized linear model was applied to measure the effect size of local and regional climate factor. The pooled risk of pneumonia in children per every 10 mm increase of rainfall was 0.24% (95% confidence interval: -0.01%-0.50%), and risk per every 1 °C increase of the monthly mean of the maximum daily temperatures was 4.88% (95% CI: 1.57-8.30). Southern oscillation index and dipole mode index showed an overall negative effect on childhood pneumonia incidence, -0.57% and -4.30%, respectively, and the risk of pneumonia was higher in the dry season than in the rainy season (pooled effect: 12.08%). There was a variability in the relationship between climate factors and pneumonia which is assumed to reflect distribution of the determinants of and vulnerability to pneumonia in the community.

Semantic Size of Abstract Concepts: It Gets Emotional When You Can’t See It

PubMed Central

Yao, Bo; Vasiljevic, Milica; Weick, Mario; Sereno, Margaret E.; O’Donnell, Patrick J.; Sereno, Sara C.

2013-01-01

Size is an important visuo-spatial characteristic of the physical world. In language processing, previous research has demonstrated a processing advantage for words denoting semantically “big” (e.g., jungle) versus “small” (e.g., needle) concrete objects. We investigated whether semantic size plays a role in the recognition of words expressing abstract concepts (e.g., truth). Semantically “big” and “small” concrete and abstract words were presented in a lexical decision task. Responses to “big” words, regardless of their concreteness, were faster than those to “small” words. Critically, we explored the relationship between semantic size and affective characteristics of words as well as their influence on lexical access. Although a word’s semantic size was correlated with its emotional arousal, the temporal locus of arousal effects may depend on the level of concreteness. That is, arousal seemed to have an earlier (lexical) effect on abstract words, but a later (post-lexical) effect on concrete words. Our findings provide novel insights into the semantic representations of size in abstract concepts and highlight that affective attributes of words may not always index lexical access. PMID:24086421

A density management diagram for Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.): A tool for assessing the forest's protective effect

Treesearch

Giorgio Vacchiano; Renzo Motta; James N. Long; John D. Shaw

2008-01-01

Density management diagrams (DMD) are graphical tools used in the design of silvicultural regimes in even-aged forests. They depict the relationship between stand density, average tree size, stand yield and dominant height, based upon relevant ecological and allometric relationships such as the self-thinning rule, the yield-density effect, and site index curves. DMD...

Predictive Factors for Patients Undergoing ASD Device Occlusion Who "Crossover" to Surgery.

PubMed

Mulukutla, Venkatachalam; Qureshi, Athar M; Pignatelli, Ricardo; Ing, Frank F

2018-03-01

The aim of this study was to define characteristics of those patients who are referred for device closure of an Atrial septal defect (ASD), but identified to "crossover" surgery. All patients who underwent surgical and device (Amplatzer or Helex occluder) closures of secundum ASDs from 2001 to 2010 were reviewed and organized into three groups: surgical closure, device closure, and "crossover" group. 369 patients underwent ASD closure (265 device, 104 surgical). 42 of the 265 patients referred for device closure "crossed over" to the surgical group at various stages of the catheterization procedure. The device group had defect size measuring 14.2 mm (mean) and an ASD index (Defect Size (mm)/BSA) of 14.0 compared to the corresponding values in the surgical group (20.1 mm, ASD index 25.9) (P < 0.001) and in the "crossover" group (20.7 mm, 22.6 ASD index) (P < 0.001). 79 patients in the device group had a deficient rim, and 86% were located in the retroaortic region. 33 patients in the "crossover" group had deficient rims with 70% deficiency in the posterior/inferior rim. The device group with deficient rims had an ASD index of 14.7 compared with the crossover group ASD index of 23.8 (P < 0.001). Comparing the device and "crossover" groups, an ASD index greater than 23.7 had a 90% specificity in "crossing over" to surgery. The crossover and surgical groups had statistically larger ASD defect size indexes compared with the device group. Deficient rim in the posterior/inferior rim is associated with a large ASD size index which is a predictive factor for crossing over to surgery. Catheterization did not negatively impact surgical results in the "crossover" group.

Light scattering properties of spheroidal particles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Asano, S.

1979-01-01

In the present paper, the light scattering characteristics of spheroidal particles are evaluated within the framework of a scattering theory developed for a homogeneous isotropic spheroid. This approach is shown to be well suited for computing the scattering quantities of spheroidal particles of fairly large sizes (up to a size parameter of 30). The effects of particle size, shape, index of refraction, and orientation on the scattering efficiency factors and the scattering intensity functions are studied and interpreted physically. It is shown that, in the case of oblique incidence, the scattering properties of a long slender prolate spheroid resemble those of an infinitely long circular cylinder.

Calibrating abundance indices with population size estimators of red back salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) in a New England forest

PubMed Central

Ellison, Aaron M.; Jackson, Scott

2015-01-01

Herpetologists and conservation biologists frequently use convenient and cost-effective, but less accurate, abundance indices (e.g., number of individuals collected under artificial cover boards or during natural objects surveys) in lieu of more accurate, but costly and destructive, population size estimators to detect and monitor size, state, and trends of amphibian populations. Although there are advantages and disadvantages to each approach, reliable use of abundance indices requires that they be calibrated with accurate population estimators. Such calibrations, however, are rare. The red back salamander, Plethodon cinereus, is an ecologically useful indicator species of forest dynamics, and accurate calibration of indices of salamander abundance could increase the reliability of abundance indices used in monitoring programs. We calibrated abundance indices derived from surveys of P. cinereus under artificial cover boards or natural objects with a more accurate estimator of their population size in a New England forest. Average densities/m2 and capture probabilities of P. cinereus under natural objects or cover boards in independent, replicate sites at the Harvard Forest (Petersham, Massachusetts, USA) were similar in stands dominated by Tsuga canadensis (eastern hemlock) and deciduous hardwood species (predominantly Quercus rubra [red oak] and Acer rubrum [red maple]). The abundance index based on salamanders surveyed under natural objects was significantly associated with density estimates of P. cinereus derived from depletion (removal) surveys, but underestimated true density by 50%. In contrast, the abundance index based on cover-board surveys overestimated true density by a factor of 8 and the association between the cover-board index and the density estimates was not statistically significant. We conclude that when calibrated and used appropriately, some abundance indices may provide cost-effective and reliable measures of P. cinereus abundance that could be used in conservation assessments and long-term monitoring at Harvard Forest and other northeastern USA forests. PMID:26020008

Characterizing the Joint Effect of Diverse Test-Statistic Correlation Structures and Effect Size on False Discovery Rates in a Multiple-Comparison Study of Many Outcome Measures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Feiveson, Alan H.; Ploutz-Snyder, Robert; Fiedler, James

2011-01-01

In their 2009 Annals of Statistics paper, Gavrilov, Benjamini, and Sarkar report the results of a simulation assessing the robustness of their adaptive step-down procedure (GBS) for controlling the false discovery rate (FDR) when normally distributed test statistics are serially correlated. In this study we extend the investigation to the case of multiple comparisons involving correlated non-central t-statistics, in particular when several treatments or time periods are being compared to a control in a repeated-measures design with many dependent outcome measures. In addition, we consider several dependence structures other than serial correlation and illustrate how the FDR depends on the interaction between effect size and the type of correlation structure as indexed by Foerstner s distance metric from an identity. The relationship between the correlation matrix R of the original dependent variables and R, the correlation matrix of associated t-statistics is also studied. In general R depends not only on R, but also on sample size and the signed effect sizes for the multiple comparisons.

An efficient compression scheme for bitmap indices

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

Wu, Kesheng; Otoo, Ekow J.; Shoshani, Arie

2004-04-13

When using an out-of-core indexing method to answer a query, it is generally assumed that the I/O cost dominates the overall query response time. Because of this, most research on indexing methods concentrate on reducing the sizes of indices. For bitmap indices, compression has been used for this purpose. However, in most cases, operations on these compressed bitmaps, mostly bitwise logical operations such as AND, OR, and NOT, spend more time in CPU than in I/O. To speedup these operations, a number of specialized bitmap compression schemes have been developed; the best known of which is the byte-aligned bitmap codemore » (BBC). They are usually faster in performing logical operations than the general purpose compression schemes, but, the time spent in CPU still dominates the total query response time. To reduce the query response time, we designed a CPU-friendly scheme named the word-aligned hybrid (WAH) code. In this paper, we prove that the sizes of WAH compressed bitmap indices are about two words per row for large range of attributes. This size is smaller than typical sizes of commonly used indices, such as a B-tree. Therefore, WAH compressed indices are not only appropriate for low cardinality attributes but also for high cardinality attributes.In the worst case, the time to operate on compressed bitmaps is proportional to the total size of the bitmaps involved. The total size of the bitmaps required to answer a query on one attribute is proportional to the number of hits. These indicate that WAH compressed bitmap indices are optimal. To verify their effectiveness, we generated bitmap indices for four different datasets and measured the response time of many range queries. Tests confirm that sizes of compressed bitmap indices are indeed smaller than B-tree indices, and query processing with WAH compressed indices is much faster than with BBC compressed indices, projection indices and B-tree indices. In addition, we also verified that the average query response time is proportional to the index size. This indicates that the compressed bitmap indices are efficient for very large datasets.« less

Effect of amylose, particle size & morphology on the functionality of starches of traditional rice cultivars.

PubMed

Bhat, Farhan Mohiuddin; Riar, Charanjit Singh

2016-11-01

The research was carried out to investigate the effect of starch powder particle size, morphology, amylose content and varietal effect on physicochemical, X-ray diffraction pattern, thermal and pasting characteristics. The results indicated that starches isolated from seven traditional rice cultivars of temperate region of India have possessed higher yield (82.47-86.83%) with lower degree of granule damage and higher level of starch crystallinity (36.55-39.15%). The water and oil binding capacities were observed to correlate positively with amylose content. The bulk density and color parameters of starches were found to have linked with starch powder particle size coupled with arrangement and morphology of the starch granules. The rice cultivars having smaller starch powder particle size indicated lowest degree of crystallinity. Morphological studies revealed that the starches with tightly packed granules had greater mean granular width, while granules with openly spaced granular morphology depicted the higher values for mean granular length. The peak height index (PHI) among different starches ranged from 1.01 to 2.57 whereas the gelatinization range varied from 10.66 to 10.88. Concluding, the differences in distributional pattern of starch granule size and shape and powder particle size indicated a significant effect on the functional properties of starch. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Development of multiple-unit pellet system tablets by employing the SeDeM expert diagram system I: pellets with different sizes.

PubMed

Hamman, Hannlie; Hamman, Josias; Wessels, Anita; Scholtz, Jacques; Steenekamp, Jan Harm

2017-07-03

Multiple-unit pellet systems (MUPS) provide several pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic advantages over single-unit dosage forms, however, compression of pellets into MUPS tablets present certain challenges. Although the SeDeM Expert Diagram System (SeDeM EDS) was originally developed to provide information about the most appropriate excipient and the minimum amount thereof that is required for producing direct compressible tablets, this study investigated the possibility to apply the SeDeM EDS in the production of MUPS tablets. In addition, the effect of pellet size (i.e. 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, and 2.5 mm) on SeDeM EDS predictions regarding the MUPS tablet formulations was investigated. The compressibility incidence factor values were below the acceptable value (i.e. 5.00) for all the pellet sizes. Kollidon ® VA 64 was identified as the most appropriate excipient to improve compressibility. The compression indices, namely, the parameter index (IP), parametric profile index (IPP), and good compression index (GCI) indicated that acceptable MUPS tablets could be produced from the final pellet-excipient blends based on predictions from the SeDeM EDS. These MUPS tablets complied with specifications for friability, hardness, and mass variation. The SeDeM EDS system is therefore applicable to assist in the formulation of acceptable MUPS tablets.

Scattering and Absorption Properties of Polydisperse Wavelength-sized Particles Covered with Much Smaller Grains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dlugach, Jana M.; Mishchenko, Michael I.; Mackowski, Daniel W.

2012-01-01

Using the results of direct, numerically exact computer solutions of the Maxwell equations, we analyze scattering and absorption characteristics of polydisperse compound particles in the form of wavelength-sized spheres covered with a large number of much smaller spherical grains.The results pertain to the complex refractive indices1.55 + i0.0003,1.55 + i0.3, and 3 + i0.1. We show that the optical effects of dusting wavelength-sized hosts by microscopic grains can vary depending on the number and size of the grains as well as on the complex refractive index. Our computations also demonstrate the high efficiency of the new superposition T-matrix code developed for use on distributed memory computer clusters.

Measuring the Refractive Index of Highly Crystalline Monolayer MoS2 with High Confidence

PubMed Central

Zhang, Hui; Ma, Yaoguang; Wan, Yi; Rong, Xin; Xie, Ziang; Wang, Wei; Dai, Lun

2015-01-01

Monolayer molybdenum disulphide (MoS2) has attracted much attention, due to its attractive properties, such as two-dimensional properties, direct bandgap, valley-selective circular dichroism, and valley Hall effect. However, some of its fundamental physical parameters, e.g. refractive index, have not been studied in detail because of measurement difficulties. In this work, we have synthesized highly crystalline monolayer MoS2 on SiO2/Si substrates via chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method and devised a method to measure their optical contrast spectra. Using these contrast spectra, we extracted the complex refractive index spectrum of monolayer MoS2 in the wavelength range of 400 nm to 750 nm. We have analyzed the pronounced difference between the obtained complex refractive index spectrum and that of bulk MoS2. The method presented here is effective for two-dimensional materials of small size. Furthermore, we have calculated the color contour plots of the contrast as a function of both SiO2 thickness and incident light wavelength for monolayer MoS2 using the obtained refractive index spectrum. These plots are useful for both fundamental study and device application. PMID:25676089

Measuring the refractive index of highly crystalline monolayer MoS2 with high confidence.

PubMed

Zhang, Hui; Ma, Yaoguang; Wan, Yi; Rong, Xin; Xie, Ziang; Wang, Wei; Dai, Lun

2015-02-13

Monolayer molybdenum disulphide (MoS2) has attracted much attention, due to its attractive properties, such as two-dimensional properties, direct bandgap, valley-selective circular dichroism, and valley Hall effect. However, some of its fundamental physical parameters, e.g. refractive index, have not been studied in detail because of measurement difficulties. In this work, we have synthesized highly crystalline monolayer MoS2 on SiO2/Si substrates via chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method and devised a method to measure their optical contrast spectra. Using these contrast spectra, we extracted the complex refractive index spectrum of monolayer MoS2 in the wavelength range of 400 nm to 750 nm. We have analyzed the pronounced difference between the obtained complex refractive index spectrum and that of bulk MoS2. The method presented here is effective for two-dimensional materials of small size. Furthermore, we have calculated the color contour plots of the contrast as a function of both SiO2 thickness and incident light wavelength for monolayer MoS2 using the obtained refractive index spectrum. These plots are useful for both fundamental study and device application.

Measuring the Refractive Index of Highly Crystalline Monolayer MoS2 with High Confidence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Hui; Ma, Yaoguang; Wan, Yi; Rong, Xin; Xie, Ziang; Wang, Wei; Dai, Lun

2015-02-01

Monolayer molybdenum disulphide (MoS2) has attracted much attention, due to its attractive properties, such as two-dimensional properties, direct bandgap, valley-selective circular dichroism, and valley Hall effect. However, some of its fundamental physical parameters, e.g. refractive index, have not been studied in detail because of measurement difficulties. In this work, we have synthesized highly crystalline monolayer MoS2 on SiO2/Si substrates via chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method and devised a method to measure their optical contrast spectra. Using these contrast spectra, we extracted the complex refractive index spectrum of monolayer MoS2 in the wavelength range of 400 nm to 750 nm. We have analyzed the pronounced difference between the obtained complex refractive index spectrum and that of bulk MoS2. The method presented here is effective for two-dimensional materials of small size. Furthermore, we have calculated the color contour plots of the contrast as a function of both SiO2 thickness and incident light wavelength for monolayer MoS2 using the obtained refractive index spectrum. These plots are useful for both fundamental study and device application.

Small body size in an insect shifts development, prior to adult eclosion, towards early reproduction

PubMed Central

Thorne, Ashley D; Pexton, John J; Dytham, Calvin; Mayhew, Peter J

2006-01-01

Life-history theory has suggested that individual body size can strongly affect the allocation of resources to reproduction and away from other traits such as survival. In many insects, adults eclose with a proportion of their potential lifetime egg production that is already mature (the ovigeny index). We establish for the solitary parasitoid wasp Aphaereta genevensis that the ovigeny index decreases with adult body size, despite both initial egg load and potential lifetime fecundity increasing with body size. This outcome is predicted by adaptive models and is the first unequivocal intraspecific demonstration. Evidence suggests that a high ovigeny index carries a cost of reduced longevity in insects. Our results therefore contribute to the emerging evidence that small body size can favour a developmental shift in juveniles that favours early reproduction, but which has adverse late-life consequences. These findings are likely to have important implications for developmental biologists and population biologists. PMID:16600887

Aperture averaging and BER for Gaussian beam in underwater oceanic turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gökçe, Muhsin Caner; Baykal, Yahya

2018-03-01

In an underwater wireless optical communication (UWOC) link, power fluctuations over finite-sized collecting lens are investigated for a horizontally propagating Gaussian beam wave. The power scintillation index, also known as the irradiance flux variance, for the received irradiance is evaluated in weak oceanic turbulence by using the Rytov method. This lets us further quantify the associated performance indicators, namely, the aperture averaging factor and the average bit-error rate (). The effects on the UWOC link performance of the oceanic turbulence parameters, i.e., the rate of dissipation of kinetic energy per unit mass of fluid, the rate of dissipation of mean-squared temperature, Kolmogorov microscale, the ratio of temperature to salinity contributions to the refractive index spectrum as well as system parameters, i.e., the receiver aperture diameter, Gaussian source size, laser wavelength and the link distance are investigated.

Larval Competition Reduces Body Condition in the Female Seed Beetle, Callosobruchus maculatus

PubMed Central

Schade, Daynika J.; Vamosi, Steven M.

2012-01-01

Early body condition may be important for adult behavior and fitness, and is impacted by a number of environmental conditions and biotic interactions. Reduced fecundity of adult females exposed to larval competition may be caused by reduced body condition or shifts in relative body composition, yet these mechanisms have not been well researched. Here, body mass, body size, scaled body mass index, and two body components (water content and lean dry mass) of adult Callosobruchus maculatus (Fabricius) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Bruchinae) females exposed to larval competition or reared alone were examined. Experimental females emerged at significantly smaller body mass and body size than control females. Additionally, scaled body mass index and water content, but not lean dry mass, were significantly reduced in experimental females. To our knowledge, these are the first results that demonstrate a potential mechanism for previously documented direct effects of competition on fecundity in female bruchine beetles. PMID:22954282

Larval competition reduces body condition in the female seed beetle, Callosobruchus maculatus.

PubMed

Schade, Daynika J; Vamosi, Steven M

2012-01-01

Early body condition may be important for adult behavior and fitness, and is impacted by a number of environmental conditions and biotic interactions. Reduced fecundity of adult females exposed to larval competition may be caused by reduced body condition or shifts in relative body composition, yet these mechanisms have not been well researched. Here, body mass, body size, scaled body mass index, and two body components (water content and lean dry mass) of adult Callosobruchus maculatus (Fabricius) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Bruchinae) females exposed to larval competition or reared alone were examined. Experimental females emerged at significantly smaller body mass and body size than control females. Additionally, scaled body mass index and water content, but not lean dry mass, were significantly reduced in experimental females. To our knowledge, these are the first results that demonstrate a potential mechanism for previously documented direct effects of competition on fecundity in female bruchine beetles.

Aircraft vortex marking program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pompa, M. F.

1979-01-01

A simple, reliable device for identifying atmospheric vortices, principally as generated by in-flight aircraft and with emphasis on the use of nonpolluting aerosols for marking by injection into such vortex (-ices) is presented. The refractive index and droplet size were determined from an analysis of aerosol optical and transport properties as the most significant parameters in effecting vortex optimum light scattering (for visual sighting) and visual persistency of at least 300 sec. The analysis also showed that a steam-ejected tetraethylene glycol aerosol with droplet size near 1 micron and refractive index of approximately 1.45 could be a promising candidate for vortex marking. A marking aerosol was successfully generated with the steam-tetraethylene glycol mixture from breadboard system hardware. A compact 25 lb/f thrust (nominal) H2O2 rocket chamber was the key component of the system which produced the required steam by catalytic decomposition of the supplied H2O2.

Determination of the aerosol size distribution by analytic inversion of the extinction spectrum in the complex anomalous diffraction approximation.

PubMed

Franssens, G; De Maziére, M; Fonteyn, D

2000-08-20

A new derivation is presented for the analytical inversion of aerosol spectral extinction data to size distributions. It is based on the complex analytic extension of the anomalous diffraction approximation (ADA). We derive inverse formulas that are applicable to homogeneous nonabsorbing and absorbing spherical particles. Our method simplifies, generalizes, and unifies a number of results obtained previously in the literature. In particular, we clarify the connection between the ADA transform and the Fourier and Laplace transforms. Also, the effect of the particle refractive-index dispersion on the inversion is examined. It is shown that, when Lorentz's model is used for this dispersion, the continuous ADA inverse transform is mathematically well posed, whereas with a constant refractive index it is ill posed. Further, a condition is given, in terms of Lorentz parameters, for which the continuous inverse operator does not amplify the error.

Retrievals of Aerosol and Cloud Particle Microphysics Using Polarization and Depolarization Techniques

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mishchenko, Michael; Hansen, James E. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The recent availability of theoretical techniques for computing single and multiple scattering of light by realistic polydispersions of spherical and nonspherical particles and the strong dependence of the Stokes scattering matrix on particle size, shape, and refractive index make polarization and depolarization measurements a powerful particle characterization tool. In this presentation I will describe recent applications of photopolarimetric and lidar depolarization measurements to remote sensing characterization of tropospheric aerosols, polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs), and contrails. The talk will include (1) a short theoretical overview of the effects of particle microphysics on particle single-scattering characteristics; (2) the use of multi-angle multi-spectral photopolarimetry to retrieve the optical thickness, size distribution, refractive index, and number concentration of tropospheric aerosols over the ocean surface; and (3) the application of the T-matrix method to constraining the PSC and contrail particle microphysics using multi-spectral measurements of lidar backscatter and depolarization.

Genome size and metabolic intensity in tetrapods: a tale of two lines

PubMed Central

Vinogradov, Alexander E; Anatskaya, Olga V

2005-01-01

We show the negative link between genome size and metabolic intensity in tetrapods, using the heart index (relative heart mass) as a unified indicator of metabolic intensity in poikilothermal and homeothermal animals. We found two separate regression lines of heart index on genome size for reptiles–birds and amphibians–mammals (the slope of regression is steeper in reptiles–birds). We also show a negative correlation between GC content and nucleosome formation potential in vertebrate DNA, and, consistent with this relationship, a positive correlation between genome GC content and nuclear size (independent of genome size). It is known that there are two separate regression lines of genome GC content on genome size for reptiles–birds and amphibians–mammals: reptiles–birds have the relatively higher GC content (for their genome sizes) compared to amphibians–mammals. Our results suggest uniting all these data into one concept. The slope of negative regression between GC content and nucleosome formation potential is steeper in exons than in non-coding DNA (where nucleosome formation potential is generally higher), which indicates a special role of non-coding DNA for orderly chromatin organization. The chromatin condensation and nuclear size are supposed to be key parameters that accommodate the effects of both genome size and GC content and connect them with metabolic intensity. Our data suggest that the reptilian–birds clade evolved special relationships among these parameters, whereas mammals preserved the amphibian-like relationships. Surprisingly, mammals, although acquiring a more complex general organization, seem to retain certain genome-related properties that are similar to amphibians. At the same time, the slope of regression between nucleosome formation potential and GC content is steeper in poikilothermal than in homeothermal genomes, which suggests that mammals and birds acquired certain common features of genomic organization. PMID:16519230

Retrieval of Aerosol Microphysical Properties from AERONET Photo-Polarimetric Measurements. 2: A New Research Algorithm and Case Demonstration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Xu, Xiaoguang; Wang, Jun; Zeng, Jing; Spurr, Robert; Liu, Xiong; Dubovik, Oleg; Li, Li; Li, Zhengqiang; Mishchenko, Michael I.; Siniuk, Aliaksandr;

Impact of Game-Based Health Promotion Programs on Body Mass Index in Overweight/Obese Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

PubMed

Ameryoun, Ahmad; Sanaeinasab, Hormoz; Saffari, Mohsen; Koenig, Harold G

Sedentary lifestyle is growing among children and adolescents that may contribute to problems such as overweight and obesity. Consequently, interventions to improve weight loss in this population are necessary. The aim of this current review was to evaluate the effectiveness of game-based interventions to reduce body mass index (BMI) among children who were overweight or obese. All randomized controlled trials with a game-based approach for lowering weight in obese/overweight youths aged 5-18 years old were identified from January 2005 to June 2017 across PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Scopus, and ScienceDirect. Two independent reviewers completed data extraction sheets on information such as sample size, country of origin, age of participants, type of interventions, and BMI change from pre- to posttest. A consensus on collected data was obtained, and a final list of studies meeting inclusion and exclusion criteria was arrived at. Data were analyzed using Comprehensive Meta-analysis software, and effect size was measured by standardized mean difference (SMD) and Hedges' g measure. Heterogeneity and publication bias were also examined using I 2 index and funnel plot. A total of 388 articles were identified from electronic and manuals' searches. After deletion of duplicated articles, 138 articles remained that were then screened in terms of relevance. Of those, 41 articles were examined to determine eligibility. Finally, 10 articles met inclusion/exclusion criteria and were entered into the quantitative meta-analysis. Results indicated a small but significant effect size in terms of BMI reduction [SMD, -0.234; standard error (SE), 0.069] among included studies. The average BMI z-score reduction was -0.181 (SE, 0.071). Trials which used other types of interventions along with active game-based approaches achieved greater effect sizes than single game-based interventions. There was a significant difference between studies based on their country of origin, BMI value, and intervention type. Those conducted in United States, those including participants with BMI ≥30, and studies with multicomponent intervention reported a higher reduction of BMI than others. However, no significant difference in BMI was found in terms of variables such as age, sample size, type of participant (overweight/obese), intervention duration, or participant gender. No publication bias was identified, and studies were homogenous (I 2  = 22.5%). Interventions that involve active gaming may produce small effects in terms of improving BMI among children who are overweight/obese. Therefore, we recommend that supplemental interventions be used to enhance the effectiveness of game-based interventions.

Relationship Between Canopy Dynamics and Stem Volume Production of Four Species Receiving Irrigation and Fertilization

Treesearch

Chrisopher B Allen; Rodney E. Will; Terry Sarigumba; Marshall A. Jacobson; Richard F. Daniels; Stephen A. Kennerly

2004-01-01

We measured the effects of irrigation and varying levels of fertilization on intercepted photosynthetically active radiation (IPAR), projected leaf area index (LAI), and foliar nitrogen concentration ([N]) in order to determine the relationship between resource availability, canopy size, and stem-volume growth. Stands of sycamore (Platanus occidentalis...

Tree Size Inequality Reduces Forest Productivity: An Analysis Combining Inventory Data for Ten European Species and a Light Competition Model.

PubMed

Bourdier, Thomas; Cordonnier, Thomas; Kunstler, Georges; Piedallu, Christian; Lagarrigues, Guillaume; Courbaud, Benoit

2016-01-01

Plant structural diversity is usually considered as beneficial for ecosystem functioning. For instance, numerous studies have reported positive species diversity-productivity relationships in plant communities. However, other aspects of structural diversity such as individual size inequality have been far less investigated. In forests, tree size inequality impacts directly tree growth and asymmetric competition, but consequences on forest productivity are still indeterminate. In addition, the effect of tree size inequality on productivity is likely to vary with species shade-tolerance, a key ecological characteristic controlling asymmetric competition and light resource acquisition. Using plot data from the French National Geographic Agency, we studied the response of stand productivity to size inequality for ten forest species differing in shade tolerance. We fitted a basal area stand production model that included abiotic factors, stand density, stand development stage and a tree size inequality index. Then, using a forest dynamics model we explored whether mechanisms of light interception and light use efficiency could explain the tree size inequality effect observed for three of the ten species studied. Size inequality negatively affected basal area increment for seven out of the ten species investigated. However, this effect was not related to the shade tolerance of these species. According to the model simulations, the negative tree size inequality effect could result both from reduced total stand light interception and reduced light use efficiency. Our results demonstrate that negative relationships between size inequality and productivity may be the rule in tree populations. The lack of effect of shade tolerance indicates compensatory mechanisms between effect on light availability and response to light availability. Such a pattern deserves further investigations for mixed forests where complementarity effects between species are involved. When studying the effect of structural diversity on ecosystem productivity, tree size inequality is a major facet that should be taken into account.

Two-year Follow-up of a Pragmatic Randomised Controlled Trial Examining the Effect of Adding a Carer's Skill Training Intervention in Inpatients with Anorexia Nervosa.

PubMed

Magill, Nicholas; Rhind, Charlotte; Hibbs, Rebecca; Goddard, Elizabeth; Macdonald, Pamela; Arcelus, Jon; Morgan, John; Beecham, Jennifer; Schmidt, Ulrike; Landau, Sabine; Treasure, Janet

2016-03-01

Active family engagement improves outcomes from adolescent inpatient care, but the impact on adult anorexia nervosa is uncertain. The aim of this study was to describe the 2-year outcome following a pragmatic randomised controlled trial in which a skill training intervention (Experienced Caregivers Helping Others) for carers was added to inpatient care. Patient, caregiver and service outcomes were measured for 2 years following discharge from the index inpatient admission. There were small-sized/moderate-sized effects and consistent improvements in all outcomes from both patients and carers in the Experienced Caregivers Helping Others group over 2 years. The marked change in body mass index and carers' time caregiving following inpatient care was sustained. Approximately 20% of cases had further periods of inpatient care. In this predominately adult anorexia nervosa sample, enabling carers to provide active support and management skills may improve the benefits in all symptom domains that gradually follow from a period of inpatient care. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.

Do stressed mothers have heavier children?: A meta-analysis on the relationship between maternal stress and child body mass index

PubMed Central

Tate, Eleanor B.; Wood, Wendy; Liao, Yue; Dunton, Genevieve F.

2015-01-01

Child obesity continues to be a prevalent public health issue. This meta-analysis synthesized 17 studies investigating the association between levels of psychological stress experienced by mothers and the body mass index of their children. The overall standardized mean difference effect size was positive and significantly different from zero in cross-sectional d = 0.20 [k = 14, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.06, 0.34] and longitudinal studies d = 0.18 (k = 5, 95% CI: 0.00, 0.351), and had significant heterogeneity in both [cross-sectional, Q(13) = 193.00, p < 0.001; longitudinal, Q(4) = 29.46, p < 0.001]. In longitudinal studies, effect sizes were larger when children also would have experienced the stressor, Q(6) = 4.68, p < 0.05, for toddlers than infants, Q(4) = 5.04, p < 0.05, and in higher quality studies, Q(4) = 14.58, p < 0.05. Results highlight the potential benefits of including a parent stress management component in childhood obesity prevention programs. PMID:25879393

An alternative index of satellite telemetry location error

USGS Publications Warehouse

Keating, Kim A.

1994-01-01

Existing indices of satellite telemetry error offer objective standards for censoring poor locations, but have drawbacks. Examining distances and relative directions between consecutive satellite telemetry locations, I developed an alternative error index, ξ, and compared its performance with that of the location quality index, NQ (Serv. Argos 1988). In controlled tests, ξ was more (P ≤ 0.005) effective for improving precision than was a threshold of NQ > 1. The ξ index also conferred greater control over the trade off between sample size and precision, making ξ more cost-effective than NQ. Performances of ξ and NQ were otherwise comparable. In field tests with bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis), rejecting locations where ξ ≥ 1.5 km reduced (P 1 and 63% fewer data were censored, so that the extent of animals' movements was better indicated by using ξ rather than NQ. Because use of ξ may lead to underestimating the number of long-range, short-term forays (especially when the frequency of forays is high relative to sampling frequency), potential bias should be considered before using ξ. Nonetheless, ξ should be a useful alternative to NQ in many animal-tracking studies.

A transmission Kikuchi diffraction study of cementite in a quenched and tempered steel

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

Saleh, Ahmed A., E-mail: asaleh@uow.edu.au; Casillas, Gilberto; Pereloma, Elena V.

2016-04-15

This is the first transmission Kikuchi diffraction (TKD) study to report the indexing of nano-sized cementite as distinct structures and its orientation relationship with the body-centered cubic matrix in a quenched and tempered steel. Crystallographic analysis via TKD and selected area diffraction returned the well-known Bagaryatskii and Isaichev orientation relationships. However, the indexing of nano-sized cementite via TKD was sensitive to the thickness of the electron transparent region such that TEM remains the most precise method to characterise such precipitates. - Highlights: • Nano-sized cementite in a QT steel has been investigated by TKD and TEM. • Cementite has beenmore » indexed as distinct structures via TKD. • Crystallographic analysis returned the Bagaryatskii and Isaichev ORs. • Success of TKD is sensitive to the thickness of the electron transparent region. • TEM remains the most precise technique to characterise nano-sized precipitates.« less

Survival analysis and classification methods for forest fire size

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

Factors affecting wildland-fire size distribution include weather, fuels, and fire suppression activities. We present a novel application of survival analysis to quantify the effects of these factors on a sample of sizes of lightning-caused fires from Alberta, Canada. Two events were observed for each fire: the size at initial assessment (by the first fire fighters to arrive at the scene) and the size at “being held” (a state when no further increase in size is expected). We developed a statistical classifier to try to predict cases where there will be a growth in fire size (i.e., the size at “being held” exceeds the size at initial assessment). Logistic regression was preferred over two alternative classifiers, with covariates consistent with similar past analyses. We conducted survival analysis on the group of fires exhibiting a size increase. A screening process selected three covariates: an index of fire weather at the day the fire started, the fuel type burning at initial assessment, and a factor for the type and capabilities of the method of initial attack. The Cox proportional hazards model performed better than three accelerated failure time alternatives. Both fire weather and fuel type were highly significant, with effects consistent with known fire behaviour. The effects of initial attack method were not statistically significant, but did suggest a reverse causality that could arise if fire management agencies were to dispatch resources based on a-priori assessment of fire growth potentials. We discuss how a more sophisticated analysis of larger data sets could produce unbiased estimates of fire suppression effect under such circumstances. PMID:29320497

Survival analysis and classification methods for forest fire size.

PubMed

Tremblay, Pier-Olivier; Duchesne, Thierry; Cumming, Steven G

2018-01-01

Factors affecting wildland-fire size distribution include weather, fuels, and fire suppression activities. We present a novel application of survival analysis to quantify the effects of these factors on a sample of sizes of lightning-caused fires from Alberta, Canada. Two events were observed for each fire: the size at initial assessment (by the first fire fighters to arrive at the scene) and the size at "being held" (a state when no further increase in size is expected). We developed a statistical classifier to try to predict cases where there will be a growth in fire size (i.e., the size at "being held" exceeds the size at initial assessment). Logistic regression was preferred over two alternative classifiers, with covariates consistent with similar past analyses. We conducted survival analysis on the group of fires exhibiting a size increase. A screening process selected three covariates: an index of fire weather at the day the fire started, the fuel type burning at initial assessment, and a factor for the type and capabilities of the method of initial attack. The Cox proportional hazards model performed better than three accelerated failure time alternatives. Both fire weather and fuel type were highly significant, with effects consistent with known fire behaviour. The effects of initial attack method were not statistically significant, but did suggest a reverse causality that could arise if fire management agencies were to dispatch resources based on a-priori assessment of fire growth potentials. We discuss how a more sophisticated analysis of larger data sets could produce unbiased estimates of fire suppression effect under such circumstances.

On-the-Fly Cross Flow Laser Guided Separation of Aerosol Particles Based on Size, Refractive Index and Density-Theoretical Analysis

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-12-20

Optical chromatography Size determination by eluting particles ,” Talanta 48(3), 551–557 (1999). 15. A. Ashkin, and J. M. Dziedzic, “Optical levitation ...the use of optical force in the gas phase, for example, levitation of airborne particles [15,16], and more recent studies on aerosol optical guiding...On-the-fly cross flow laser guided separation of aerosol particles based on size, refractive index and density–theoretical analysis A. A. Lall

In Vivo Pharmacodynamics of Cefquinome in a Neutropenic Mouse Thigh Model of Streptococcus suis Serotype 2 at Varied Initial Inoculum Sizes.

PubMed

Guo, Chunna; Liao, Xiaoping; Wang, Mingru; Wang, Feng; Yan, Chaoqun; Xiao, Xia; Sun, Jiang; Liu, Yahong

2016-02-01

Streptococcus suis serotype 2 is an emerging zoonotic pathogen and causes severe disease in both pigs and human beings. Cefquinome (CEQ), a fourth-generation cephalosporin, exhibits broad-spectrum activity against Gram-positive bacteria such as S. suis. This study evaluated the in vitro and in vivo antimicrobial activities of CEQ against four strains of S. suis serotype 2 in a murine neutropenic thigh infection model. We investigated the effect of varied inoculum sizes (10(6) to 10(8) CFU/thigh) on the pharmacokinetic (PK)/pharmacodynamic (PD) indices and magnitudes of a particular PK/PD index or dose required for efficacy. Dose fractionation studies included total CEQ doses ranging from 0.625 to 640 mg/kg/24 h. Data were analyzed via a maximum effect (Emax) model using nonlinear regression. The PK/PD studies demonstrated that the percentage of time that serum drug levels were above the MIC of free drug (%ƒT>MIC) in a 24-h dosing interval was the primary index driving the efficacy of both inoculum sizes (R(2) = 91% and R(2) = 63%). CEQ doses of 2.5 and 40 mg/kg body weight produced prolonged postantibiotic effects (PAEs) of 2.45 to 8.55 h. Inoculum sizes had a significant influence on CEQ efficacy. Compared to the CEQ exposure and dosages in tests using standard inocula, a 4-fold dose (P = 0.006) and a 2-fold exposure time (P = 0.01) were required for a 1-log kill using large inocula of 10(8) CFU/thigh. Copyright © 2016, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Beyond statistical inference: A decision theory for science

PubMed Central

KILLEEN, PETER R.

2008-01-01

Traditional null hypothesis significance testing does not yield the probability of the null or its alternative and, therefore, cannot logically ground scientific decisions. The decision theory proposed here calculates the expected utility of an effect on the basis of (1) the probability of replicating it and (2) a utility function on its size. It takes significance tests—which place all value on the replicability of an effect and none on its magnitude—as a special case, one in which the cost of a false positive is revealed to be an order of magnitude greater than the value of a true positive. More realistic utility functions credit both replicability and effect size, integrating them for a single index of merit. The analysis incorporates opportunity cost and is consistent with alternate measures of effect size, such as r2 and information transmission, and with Bayesian model selection criteria. An alternate formulation is functionally equivalent to the formal theory, transparent, and easy to compute. PMID:17201351

Beyond statistical inference: a decision theory for science.

PubMed

Killeen, Peter R

2006-08-01

Traditional null hypothesis significance testing does not yield the probability of the null or its alternative and, therefore, cannot logically ground scientific decisions. The decision theory proposed here calculates the expected utility of an effect on the basis of (1) the probability of replicating it and (2) a utility function on its size. It takes significance tests--which place all value on the replicability of an effect and none on its magnitude--as a special case, one in which the cost of a false positive is revealed to be an order of magnitude greater than the value of a true positive. More realistic utility functions credit both replicability and effect size, integrating them for a single index of merit. The analysis incorporates opportunity cost and is consistent with alternate measures of effect size, such as r2 and information transmission, and with Bayesian model selection criteria. An alternate formulation is functionally equivalent to the formal theory, transparent, and easy to compute.

Modelled Cost-Effectiveness of a Package Size Cap and a Kilojoule Reduction Intervention to Reduce Energy Intake from Sugar-Sweetened Beverages in Australia.

PubMed

Crino, Michelle; Herrera, Ana Maria Mantilla; Ananthapavan, Jaithri; Wu, Jason H Y; Neal, Bruce; Lee, Yong Yi; Zheng, Miaobing; Lal, Anita; Sacks, Gary

2017-09-06

Interventions targeting portion size and energy density of food and beverage products have been identified as a promising approach for obesity prevention. This study modelled the potential cost-effectiveness of: a package size cap on single-serve sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs) >375 mL ( package size cap ), and product reformulation to reduce energy content of packaged SSBs ( energy reduction ). The cost-effectiveness of each intervention was modelled for the 2010 Australia population using a multi-state life table Markov model with a lifetime time horizon. Long-term health outcomes were modelled from calculated changes in body mass index to their impact on Health-Adjusted Life Years (HALYs). Intervention costs were estimated from a limited societal perspective. Cost and health outcomes were discounted at 3%. Total intervention costs estimated in AUD 2010 were AUD 210 million. Both interventions resulted in reduced mean body weight ( package size cap : 0.12 kg; energy reduction : 0.23 kg); and HALYs gained ( package size cap : 73,883; energy reduction : 144,621). Cost offsets were estimated at AUD 750.8 million ( package size cap ) and AUD 1.4 billion ( energy reduction ). Cost-effectiveness analyses showed that both interventions were "dominant", and likely to result in long term cost savings and health benefits. A package size cap and kJ reduction of SSBs are likely to offer excellent "value for money" as obesity prevention measures in Australia.

Modelled Cost-Effectiveness of a Package Size Cap and a Kilojoule Reduction Intervention to Reduce Energy Intake from Sugar-Sweetened Beverages in Australia

PubMed Central

Mantilla Herrera, Ana Maria; Neal, Bruce; Zheng, Miaobing; Lal, Anita; Sacks, Gary

2017-01-01

Interventions targeting portion size and energy density of food and beverage products have been identified as a promising approach for obesity prevention. This study modelled the potential cost-effectiveness of: a package size cap on single-serve sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs) >375 mL (package size cap), and product reformulation to reduce energy content of packaged SSBs (energy reduction). The cost-effectiveness of each intervention was modelled for the 2010 Australia population using a multi-state life table Markov model with a lifetime time horizon. Long-term health outcomes were modelled from calculated changes in body mass index to their impact on Health-Adjusted Life Years (HALYs). Intervention costs were estimated from a limited societal perspective. Cost and health outcomes were discounted at 3%. Total intervention costs estimated in AUD 2010 were AUD 210 million. Both interventions resulted in reduced mean body weight (package size cap: 0.12 kg; energy reduction: 0.23 kg); and HALYs gained (package size cap: 73,883; energy reduction: 144,621). Cost offsets were estimated at AUD 750.8 million (package size cap) and AUD 1.4 billion (energy reduction). Cost-effectiveness analyses showed that both interventions were “dominant”, and likely to result in long term cost savings and health benefits. A package size cap and kJ reduction of SSBs are likely to offer excellent “value for money” as obesity prevention measures in Australia. PMID:28878175

Characteristics of Landslide Size Distribution in Response to Different Rainfall Scenarios

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Y.; Lan, H.; Li, L.

2017-12-01

There have long been controversies on the characteristics of landslide size distribution in response to different rainfall scenarios. For inspecting the characteristics, we have collected a large amount of data, including shallow landslide inventory with landslide areas and landslide occurrence times recorded, and a longtime daily rainfall series fully covering all the landslide occurrences. Three indexes were adopted to quantitatively describe the characteristics of landslide-related rainfall events, which are rainfall duration, rainfall intensity, and the number of rainy days. The first index, rainfall duration, is derived from the exceptional character of a landslide-related rainfall event, which can be explained in terms of the recurrence interval or return period, according to the extreme value theory. The second index, rainfall intensity, is the average rainfall in this duration. The third index is the number of rainy days in this duration. These three indexes were normalized using the standard score method to ensure that they are in the same order of magnitude. Based on these three indexes, landslide-related rainfall events were categorized by a k-means method into four scenarios: moderate rainfall, storm, long-duration rainfall, and long-duration intermittent rainfall. Then, landslides were in turn categorized into four groups according to the scenarios of rainfall events related to them. Inverse-gamma distribution was applied to characterize the area distributions of the four different landslide groups. A tail index and a rollover of the landslide size distribution can be obtained according to the parameters of the distribution. Characteristics of landslide size distribution show that the rollovers of the size distributions of landslides related to storm and long-duration rainfall are larger than those of landslides in the other two groups. It may indicate that the location of rollover may shift right with the increase of rainfall intensity and the extension of rainfall duration. In addition, higher rainfall intensities are prone to trigger larger rainfall-induced landslides since the tail index of landslide area distribution are smaller for higher rainfall intensities, which indicate higher probabilities of large landslides.

The lupus impact tracker is responsive to changes in clinical activity measured by the systemic lupus erythematosus responder index.

PubMed

Devilliers, H; Bonithon-Kopp, C; Jolly, M

2017-04-01

Objective The lupus impact tracker (LIT) is a 10-item patient reported outcome tool to measure the impact of systemic lupus erythematosus or its treatment on patients' daily lives. Herein, we describe the responsiveness of the LIT and LupusQoL to changes in disease activity, using the systemic lupus erythematosus responder index (SRI). Methods A total of 325 adult systemic lupus erythematosus patients were enrolled in an observational, longitudinal, multicentre study, conducted across the USA and Canada. Data (demographics, LIT, LupusQoL, BILAG, SELENA-SLEDAI) were obtained three months apart. Modified SRI was defined as: a decrease in SELENA-SLEDAI (4 points); no new BILAG A, and no greater than one new BILAG B; and no increase in the physician global assessment. Standardised response mean and effect size for LIT and LupusQoL domains were calculated among SRI responders and non-responders. Wilcoxon's test was used to compare the LIT and LupusQoL variation by SRI responder status. Results Of the participants 90% were women, 53% were white, 33% were of African descendant and 17% were Hispanic. Mean (SD) age and SELENA-SLEDAI at baseline were 42.3 (16.2) years and 4.3 (3.8), respectively. Mean (SD) LIT score at baseline was 39.4 (22.9). LIT standardised response mean (effect size) among SRI responders and non-responders were -0.69 (-0.36) and -0.20 (-0.12), respectively ( P = 0.02). For LupusQoL, two domains were responsive to SRI: standardised response mean (effect size) for physical health and pain domains were 0.42 (0.23) and 0.65 (0.44), respectively. Conclusions LIT is moderately responsive to SRI in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Inclusion of this tool in clinical care and clinical trials may provide further insights into its responsiveness. This is the first systemic lupus erythematosus patient reported outcome tool to be evaluated against composite responder index (SRI) used in clinical trials.

Early Weight Gain, Linear Growth, and Mid-Childhood Blood Pressure: A Prospective Study in Project Viva.

PubMed

Perng, Wei; Rifas-Shiman, Sheryl L; Kramer, Michael S; Haugaard, Line K; Oken, Emily; Gillman, Matthew W; Belfort, Mandy B

2016-02-01

In recent years, the prevalence of hypertension and prehypertension increased markedly among children and adolescents, highlighting the importance of identifying determinants of elevated blood pressure early in life. Low birth weight and rapid early childhood weight gain are associated with higher future blood pressure. However, few studies have examined the timing of postnatal weight gain in relation to later blood pressure, and little is known regarding the contribution of linear growth. We studied 957 participants in Project Viva, an ongoing US prebirth cohort. We examined the relations of gains in body mass index z-score and length/height z-score during 4 early life age intervals (birth to 6 months, 6 months to 1 year, 1 to 2 years, and 2 to 3 years) with blood pressure during mid-childhood (6-10 years) and evaluated whether these relations differed by birth size. After accounting for confounders, each additional z-score gain in body mass index during birth to 6 months and 2 to 3 years was associated with 0.81 (0.15, 1.46) and 1.61 (0.33, 2.89) mm Hg higher systolic blood pressure, respectively. Length/height gain was unrelated to mid-childhood blood pressure, and there was no evidence of effect modification by birth size for body mass index or length/height z-score gain. Our findings suggest that more rapid gain in body mass index during the first 6 postnatal months and in the preschool years may lead to higher systolic blood pressure in mid-childhood, regardless of size at birth. Strategies to reduce accrual of excess adiposity during early life may reduce mid-childhood blood pressure, which may also impact adult blood pressure and cardiovascular health. © 2015 American Heart Association, Inc.

Influence of milling time on fineness of Centella Asiatica particle size produced using planetary ball mill

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borhan, M. Z.; Ahmad, R.; Rusop, M.; Abdullah, S.

2012-11-01

Centella Asiatica (C. Asiatica)contains asiaticoside as bioactive constituent which can be potentially used in skin healing process. Unfortunately, the normal powders are difficult to be absorbed by the body effectively. In order to improve the value of use, nano C. Asiatica powder was prepared. The influence of milling time was carried out at 0.5, 2, 4, 6, 8 hours and 10 hours. The effect of ball milling at different times was characterized using particles size analysis and FTIR Spectroscopy. The fineness of ground product was evaluated by recording the z-Average (nm), undersize distribution and polydispersity index (PdI). The results show that the smallest size particles by mean is 233 nm while FTIR spectra shows that there is no changing in the major component in the C. Asiatica powders with milling time.

Anomalous change of Airy disk with changing size of spherical particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pan, Linchao; Zhang, Fugen; Meng, Rui; Xu, Jie; Zuo, Chenze; Ge, Baozhen

2016-02-01

Use of laser diffraction is considered as a method of reliable principle and mature technique in measurements of particle size distributions. It is generally accepted that for a certain relative refractive index, the size of the scattering pattern (also called Airy disk) of spherical particles monotonically decreases with increasing particle size. This fine structure forms the foundation of the laser diffraction method. Here we show that the Airy disk size of non-absorbing spherical particles becomes larger with increasing particle size in certain size ranges. To learn more about this anomalous change of Airy disk (ACAD), we present images of Airy disk and curves of Airy disk size versus particle size for spherical particles of different relative refractive indices by using Mie theory. These figures reveal that ACAD occurs periodically for non-absorbing particles and will disappear when the absorbing efficiency is higher than certain value. Then by using geometrical optics (GO) approximation, we derive the analytical formulae for the bounds of the size ranges where ACAD occurs. From the formulae, we obtain laws of ACAD as follows: (1) for non-absorbing particles, ACAD occurs periodically, and when the particle size tends to infinity, the period tends to a certain value. As the relative refractive index increases, (2) the particle size ranges where ACAD occurs shift to smaller values, (3) the period of ACAD becomes smaller, and (4) the width of the size ranges where ACAD occurs becomes narrower. In addition, we can predict from the formulae that ACAD also exists for particles whose relative refractive index is smaller than 1.

Effective DQE (eDQE) for monoscopic and stereoscopic chest radiography imaging systems with the incorporation of anatomical noise.

PubMed

Boyce, Sarah J; Choudhury, Kingshuk Roy; Samei, Ehsan

2013-09-01

Stereoscopic chest biplane correlation imaging (stereo∕BCI) has been proposed as an alternative modality to single view chest x-ray (CXR). The metrics effective modulation transfer function (eMTF), effective normalized noise power spectrum (eNNPS), and effective detective quantum efficiency (eDQE) have been proposed as clinically relevant metrics for assessing clinical system performance taking into consideration the magnification and scatter effects. This study compared the metrics eMTF, eNNPS, eDQE, and detectability index for stereo∕BCI and single view CXR under isodose conditions at two magnifications for two anthropomorphic phantoms of differing sizes. Measurements for the eMTF were taken for two phantom sizes with an opaque edge test device using established techniques. The eNNPS was measured at two isodose conditions for two phantoms using established techniques. The scatter was measured for two phantoms using an established beam stop method. All measurements were also taken at two different magnifications with two phantoms. A geometrical phantom was used for comparison with prior results for CXR although the results for an anatomy free phantom are not expected to vary for BCI. Stereo∕BCI resulted in improved metrics compared to single view CXR. Results indicated that magnification can potentially improve the detection performance primarily due to the air gap which reduced scatter by ∼20%. For both phantoms, at isodose, eDQE(0) for stereo∕BCI was ∼100 times higher than that for CXR. Magnification at isodose improved eDQE(0) by ∼10 times for stereo∕BCI. Increasing the dose did not improve eDQE. The detectability index for stereo∕BCI was ∼100 times better than single view CXR for all conditions. The detectability index was also not improved with increased dose. The findings indicate that stereo∕BCI with magnification may improve detectability of subtle lung nodules compared to single view CXR. Results were improved with magnification for the smaller phantom but not for the larger phantom. The effective DQE and the detectability index did not improve with increasing dose.

Effective DQE (eDQE) for monoscopic and stereoscopic chest radiography imaging systems with the incorporation of anatomical noise

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

Boyce, Sarah J.; Choudhury, Kingshuk Roy; Samei, Ehsan

2013-09-15

Purpose: Stereoscopic chest biplane correlation imaging (stereo/BCI) has been proposed as an alternative modality to single view chest x-ray (CXR). The metrics effective modulation transfer function (eMTF), effective normalized noise power spectrum (eNNPS), and effective detective quantum efficiency (eDQE) have been proposed as clinically relevant metrics for assessing clinical system performance taking into consideration the magnification and scatter effects. This study compared the metrics eMTF, eNNPS, eDQE, and detectability index for stereo/BCI and single view CXR under isodose conditions at two magnifications for two anthropomorphic phantoms of differing sizes.Methods: Measurements for the eMTF were taken for two phantom sizes withmore » an opaque edge test device using established techniques. The eNNPS was measured at two isodose conditions for two phantoms using established techniques. The scatter was measured for two phantoms using an established beam stop method. All measurements were also taken at two different magnifications with two phantoms. A geometrical phantom was used for comparison with prior results for CXR although the results for an anatomy free phantom are not expected to vary for BCI.Results: Stereo/BCI resulted in improved metrics compared to single view CXR. Results indicated that magnification can potentially improve the detection performance primarily due to the air gap which reduced scatter by ∼20%. For both phantoms, at isodose, eDQE(0) for stereo/BCI was ∼100 times higher than that for CXR. Magnification at isodose improved eDQE(0) by ∼10 times for stereo/BCI. Increasing the dose did not improve eDQE. The detectability index for stereo/BCI was ∼100 times better than single view CXR for all conditions. The detectability index was also not improved with increased dose.Conclusions: The findings indicate that stereo/BCI with magnification may improve detectability of subtle lung nodules compared to single view CXR. Results were improved with magnification for the smaller phantom but not for the larger phantom. The effective DQE and the detectability index did not improve with increasing dose.« less

Easy-to-Fabricate and High-Sensitivity LSPR Type Specific Protein Detection Sensor Using AAO Nano-Pore Size Control

PubMed Central

Kim, Sae-Wan; Lee, Jae-Sung; Lee, Sang-Won; Kang, Byoung-Ho; Kwon, Jin-Beom; Kim, Ok-Sik; Kim, Ju-Seong; Kim, Eung-Soo; Kwon, Dae-Hyuk; Kang, Shin-Won

2017-01-01

In this study, we developed a pore size/pore area-controlled optical biosensor-based anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) nanostructure. As the pore size of AAO increases, the unit cell of AAO increases, which also increases the non-pore area to which the antibody binds. The increase in the number of antibodies immobilized on the surface of the AAO enables effective detection of trace amounts of antigen, because increased antigen-antibody bonding results in a larger surface refractive index change. High sensitivity was thus achieved through amplification of the interference wave of two vertically-incident reflected waves through the localized surface plasmon resonance phenomenon. The sensitivity of the fabricated sensor was evaluated by measuring the change in wavelength with the change in the refractive index of the device surface, and sensitivity was increased with increasing pore-size and non-pore area. The sensitivity of the fabricated sensor was improved and up to 11.8 ag/mL serum amyloid A1 antigen was detected. In addition, the selectivity of the fabricated sensor was confirmed through a reaction with a heterogeneous substance, C-reactive protein antigen. By using hard anodization during fabrication of the AAO, the fabrication time of the device was reduced and the AAO chip was fabricated quickly and easily. PMID:28406469

Influence of local inhomogeneities induced in corneal ablation on the evolution of contrast sensitivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ortiz, Dolores; Saiz, Jose M.; González, Francisco

2004-04-01

The presence of local inhomogeneities in corneal tissue after refractive surgery has an influence on visual performance. Here we focus on the corneal ablation associated with Lasik surgery and its effect on the modulation transfer function (MTF) that we obtained by modifying a personalized Kooijman model. Inhomogeneities induced by the ablation occur in the form of Gaussian-distributed refractive-index variations of a given correlation length. We show how variation of refractive-index deviation and correlation length (size) of the inhomogeneities allows us to obtain pairs of values that are able to achieve a MTF evolution similar to that observed for contrast sensitivity in the same patients. An estimate of the characteristics of the local effects is obtained.

Biomass and productivity of three phytoplankton size classes in San Francisco Bay.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cole, B.E.; Cloern, J.E.; Alpine, A.E.

1986-01-01

The 5-22 mu m size accounted for 40-50% of annual production in each embayment, but production by phytoplanton >22 mu m ranged from 26% in the S reach to 54% of total phytoplankton production in the landward embayment of the N reach. A productivity index is derived that predicts daily productivity for each size class as a function of ambient irradiance and integrated chlorophyll a in the photic zone. For the whole phytoplankton community and for each size class, this index was constant at approx= 0.76 g C m-2 (g chlorophyll a Einstein)-1. The annual means of maximum carbon assimilation numbers were usually similar for the three size classes. Spatial and temporal variations in size-fractionated productivity are primarily due to differences in biomass rather than size-dependent carbon assimilation rates. -from Authors

The effect of lifelong exercise frequency on arterial stiffness.

PubMed

Shibata, Shigeki; Fujimoto, Naoki; Hastings, Jeffrey L; Carrick-Ranson, Graeme; Bhella, Paul S; Hearon, Christopher; Levine, Benjamin D

2018-05-20

This study examined the effect of different 'doses' of lifelong (>25 years) exercise on arterial stiffening (a hallmark of vascular ageing) in older adults. There are clear dose-dependent effects of lifelong exercise training on human arterial stiffness that vary according to the site and size of the arteries. Similar to what we have observed previously with ventricular stiffening, 4-5 days week -1 of committed exercise over a lifetime are necessary to preserve 'youthful' vascular compliance, especially of the large central arteries. Casual exercise training of two to three times per week may be sufficient for middle-sized arteries like the carotid to minimize arterial stiffening with ageing. However, there is little effect of exercise training on the small-sized peripheral arteries at any dose. Central arterial stiffness increases with sedentary ageing. While near-daily, vigorous lifelong (>25 years) endurance exercise training prevents arterial stiffening with ageing, this rigorous routine of exercise training over a lifetime is impractical for most individuals. The aim was to examine whether a less frequent 'dose' of lifelong exercise training (four to five sessions per week for > 30 min) that is consistent with current physical activity recommendations elicits similar benefits on central arterial stiffening with ageing. A cross-sectional examination of 102 seniors (>60 years old) who had a consistent lifelong exercise history was performed. Subjects were stratified into four groups based on exercise frequency as an index of exercise 'dose': sedentary: fewer than two sessions per week; casual exercisers: two to three sessions per week; committed exercisers: four to five sessions per week; and Masters athletes: six to seven sessions per week plus regular competitions. Detailed measurements of arterial stiffness and left ventricular afterload were collected. Biological aortic age and central pulse wave velocity were younger in committed exercisers and Masters athletes compared to sedentary seniors. Total arterial compliance index (TACi) was lower, while carotid β-stiffness index and effective arterial elastance were higher in sedentary seniors compared to the other groups. There appeared to be a dose-response threshold for carotid β-stiffness index and TACi. Peripheral arterial stiffness was not significantly different among the groups. These data suggest that four to five weekly exercise sessions over a lifetime is associated with reduced central arterial stiffness in the elderly. A less frequent dose of lifelong exercise (two to three sessions per week) is associated with decreased ventricular afterload and peripheral resistance, while peripheral arterial stiffness is unaffected by any dose of exercise. © 2018 The Authors. The Journal of Physiology © 2018 The Physiological Society.

Probability of identity by descent in metapopulations.

PubMed Central

Kaj, I; Lascoux, M

1999-01-01

Equilibrium probabilities of identity by descent (IBD), for pairs of genes within individuals, for genes between individuals within subpopulations, and for genes between subpopulations are calculated in metapopulation models with fixed or varying colony sizes. A continuous-time analog to the Moran model was used in either case. For fixed-colony size both propagule and migrant pool models were considered. The varying population size model is based on a birth-death-immigration (BDI) process, to which migration between colonies is added. Wright's F statistics are calculated and compared to previous results. Adding between-island migration to the BDI model can have an important effect on the equilibrium probabilities of IBD and on Wright's index. PMID:10388835

Size and shape dependent optical properties of InAs quantum dots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Imran, Ali; Jiang, Jianliang; Eric, Deborah; Yousaf, Muhammad

2018-01-01

In this study Electronic states and optical properties of self assembled InAs quantum dots embedded in GaAs matrix have been investigated. Their carrier confinement energies for single quantum dot are calculated by time-independent Schrödinger equation in which hamiltonianian of the system is based on effective mass approximation and position dependent electron momentum. Transition energy, absorption coefficient, refractive index and high frequency dielectric constant for spherical, cylindrical and conical quantum dots with different sizes in different dimensions are calculated. Comparative studies have revealed that size and shape greatly affect the electronic transition energies and absorption coefficient. Peaks of absorption coefficients have been found to be highly shape dependent.

Evaluating thermoregulation in reptiles: an appropriate null model.

PubMed

Christian, Keith A; Tracy, Christopher R; Tracy, C Richard

2006-09-01

Established indexes of thermoregulation in ectotherms compare body temperatures of real animals with a null distribution of operative temperatures from a physical or mathematical model with the same size, shape, and color as the actual animal but without mass. These indexes, however, do not account for thermal inertia or the effects of inertia when animals move through thermally heterogeneous environments. Some recent models have incorporated body mass, to account for thermal inertia and the physiological control of warming and cooling rates seen in most reptiles, and other models have incorporated movement through the environment, but none includes all pertinent variables explaining body temperature. We present a new technique for calculating the distribution of body temperatures available to ectotherms that have thermal inertia, random movements, and different rates of warming and cooling. The approach uses a biophysical model of heat exchange in ectotherms and a model of random interaction with thermal environments over the course of a day to create a null distribution of body temperatures that can be used with conventional thermoregulation indexes. This new technique provides an unbiased method for evaluating thermoregulation in large ectotherms that store heat while moving through complex environments, but it can also generate null models for ectotherms of all sizes.

Physicochemical and functional properties of coconut (Cocos nucifera L) cake dietary fibres: Effects of cellulase hydrolysis, acid treatment and particle size distribution.

PubMed

Zheng, Yajun; Li, Yan

2018-08-15

Effects of cellulase hydrolysis, acid treatment and particle size distribution on the structure, physicochemical and functional properties of coconut cake dietary fiber (DCCDF) were studied. Results showed that both the cellulase hydrolysis and acid treatment contributed to the structural modification of DCCDF as evident from XRD, FT-IR and SEM analysis. Moreover, the cellulase hydrolysis enhanced soluble carbohydrate content, water holding capacity (WHC) and swelling capacity (WSC), α-amylase inhibition activity (α-AAIR), glucose dialysis retardation index (GDRI) and cation-exchange capacity (CEC) of DCCDF; but it had undesirable effects on colour, oil holding capacity (OHC) and emulsifying capacity (EC). On other hand, acid treatment decreased the WHC, WSC and GDRI, but improved the colour, CEC, OHC and emulsion stability of DCCDF. Furthermore, the WHC, WSC and EC of DCCDF increased as the particle size reduced from 250 to 167 μm, while the GDRI, OHC, α-AAIR and emulsion stability decreased with decreasing particle size. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Partitioning direct and indirect effects reveals the response of water-limited ecosystems to elevated CO2.

PubMed

Fatichi, Simone; Leuzinger, Sebastian; Paschalis, Athanasios; Langley, J Adam; Donnellan Barraclough, Alicia; Hovenden, Mark J

2016-10-24

Increasing concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide are expected to affect carbon assimilation and evapotranspiration (ET), ultimately driving changes in plant growth, hydrology, and the global carbon balance. Direct leaf biochemical effects have been widely investigated, whereas indirect effects, although documented, elude explicit quantification in experiments. Here, we used a mechanistic model to investigate the relative contributions of direct (through carbon assimilation) and indirect (via soil moisture savings due to stomatal closure, and changes in leaf area index) effects of elevated CO 2 across a variety of ecosystems. We specifically determined which ecosystems and climatic conditions maximize the indirect effects of elevated CO 2 The simulations suggest that the indirect effects of elevated CO 2 on net primary productivity are large and variable, ranging from less than 10% to more than 100% of the size of direct effects. For ET, indirect effects were, on average, 65% of the size of direct effects. Indirect effects tended to be considerably larger in water-limited ecosystems. As a consequence, the total CO 2 effect had a significant, inverse relationship with the wetness index and was directly related to vapor pressure deficit. These results have major implications for our understanding of the CO 2 response of ecosystems and for global projections of CO 2 fertilization, because, although direct effects are typically understood and easily reproducible in models, simulations of indirect effects are far more challenging and difficult to constrain. Our findings also provide an explanation for the discrepancies between experiments in the total CO 2 effect on net primary productivity.

Spatial and radiometric characterization of multi-spectrum satellite images through multi-fractal analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alonso, Carmelo; Tarquis, Ana M.; Zúñiga, Ignacio; Benito, Rosa M.

2017-03-01

Several studies have shown that vegetation indexes can be used to estimate root zone soil moisture. Earth surface images, obtained by high-resolution satellites, presently give a lot of information on these indexes, based on the data of several wavelengths. Because of the potential capacity for systematic observations at various scales, remote sensing technology extends the possible data archives from the present time to several decades back. Because of this advantage, enormous efforts have been made by researchers and application specialists to delineate vegetation indexes from local scale to global scale by applying remote sensing imagery. In this work, four band images have been considered, which are involved in these vegetation indexes, and were taken by satellites Ikonos-2 and Landsat-7 of the same geographic location, to study the effect of both spatial (pixel size) and radiometric (number of bits coding the image) resolution on these wavelength bands as well as two vegetation indexes: the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI). In order to do so, a multi-fractal analysis of these multi-spectral images was applied in each of these bands and the two indexes derived. The results showed that spatial resolution has a similar scaling effect in the four bands, but radiometric resolution has a larger influence in blue and green bands than in red and near-infrared bands. The NDVI showed a higher sensitivity to the radiometric resolution than EVI. Both were equally affected by the spatial resolution. From both factors, the spatial resolution has a major impact in the multi-fractal spectrum for all the bands and the vegetation indexes. This information should be taken in to account when vegetation indexes based on different satellite sensors are obtained.

ERP index of the morphological family size effect during word recognition.

PubMed

Kwon, Youan; Nam, Kichun; Lee, Yoonhyoung

2012-12-01

The purpose of this study was to examine whether the N400 is affected by the semantic richness of associated neighboring word members or by the density of the orthographic syllable neighborhood. Another purpose of this study was to investigate the source of the different LPC in respect to the semantic richness. To do so, the density of the syllable neighborhood and the size of the morphological family of a word were orthogonally manipulated. ERPs from 24 participants were collected during a go/no-go semantic categorization task. The results showed that the N400 effect was mainly influenced by the density of the syllable neighborhood rather than by the morphological family size. The results also showed that words with a larger morphological family size generate significantly larger LPC than words with a smaller morphological family size. The present study did not support the assumption that the main source of the N400 effect is the semantic richness of the associated neighbors. The present results suggest that the N400 is more sensitive to the density of the syllable neighborhood and LPC is sensitive to the density of the semantic neighborhood reflected by the morphological family size. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect size and cost-effectiveness estimates of breast and cervical cancer screening reminders by population size through complete enumeration of Japanese local municipalities.

PubMed

Komoto, Shigekazu; Nishiwaki, Yuji; Okamura, Tomonori; Tanaka, Hideo; Takebayashi, Toru

2014-01-16

Client reminders are known to increase cancer screening attendance rates. However, there are significant costs associated with them, and their effect by population size is unknown. In 2007 and 2008, the Japanese Government surveyed breast and cervical cancer screening in every municipality in Japan. From the results, we selected all 1,464 municipalities that carried out both screening types. We examined whether changes in screening attendance rates between 2007 and 2008 were associated with client reminders, number of public health nurses per 100,000 population, financial strength index, and 2007 attendance rates for different population sizes. We then calculated cost-effectiveness estimates of client reminders by population size and screening type. Client reminders were associated with increased attendance rates in populations <100,000. For populations of 50,000-100,000, there was a 2.76% increase in breast cancer screening (95% CI: 0.41, 5.11), and a 2.25% increase in cervical cancer screening (95% CI: 0.89, 3.61). The incremental cost per additional attendance was higher in populations <50,000 than in populations of 50,000-100,000 (breast, $100 versus $54; cervical, $149 versus $67 respectively). Client reminders for breast and cervical cancer screening increased attendance rates in smaller municipalities in Japan.

Features of Talbot effect on phase diffraction grating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brazhnikov, Denis G.; Danko, Volodymyr P.; Kotov, Myhaylo M.; Kovalenko, Andriy V.

2018-01-01

The features of the Talbot effect using the phase diffraction gratings have been considered. A phase grating, unlike an amplitude grating, gives a constant light intensity in the observation plane at a distance multiple to half of the Talbot length ZT. In this case, the subject of interest consists in so-called fractional Talbot effect with the periodic intensity distribution observed in planes shifted from the position nZT/2 (the so-called Fresnel images). Binary phase diffraction gratings with varying phase steps have been investigated. Gratings were made photographically on holographic plates PFG-01. The phase shift was obtained by modulating the emulsion refraction index of the plates. Two types of gratings were used: a square grating with a fill factor of 0.5 and a checkerwise grating (square areas with a bigger and lower refractive index alternate in a checkerboard pattern). By the example of these gratings, the possibility of obtaining in the observation plane an image of a set of equidistant spots with a size smaller than the size of the phase-shifting elements of the grating (the so-called Talbot focusing) has been shown. Clear images of spots with a sufficient signal-to-noise ratio have been obtained for a square grating. Their period was equal to the period of the grating. For a grating with a checkerwise distribution of the refractive index, the spots have been located in positions corresponding to the centres of cells. In addition, the quality of the resulting pattern strongly depended on the magnitude of a grating phase step. As a result of the work, the possibility to obtain Talbot focusing has been shown and the use of this effect to wavefront investigation with a gradient sensor has been demonstrated.

Breast Density and Risk of Breast Cancer in Asian Women: A Meta-analysis of Observational Studies.

PubMed

Bae, Jong-Myon; Kim, Eun Hee

2016-11-01

The established theory that breast density is an independent predictor of breast cancer risk is based on studies targeting white women in the West. More Asian women than Western women have dense breasts, but the incidence of breast cancer is lower among Asian women. This meta-analysis investigated the association between breast density in mammography and breast cancer risk in Asian women. PubMed and Scopus were searched, and the final date of publication was set as December 31, 2015. The effect size in each article was calculated using the interval-collapse method. Summary effect sizes (sESs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated by conducting a meta-analysis applying a random effect model. To investigate the dose-response relationship, random effect dose-response meta-regression (RE-DRMR) was conducted. Six analytical epidemiology studies in total were selected, including one cohort study and five case-control studies. A total of 17 datasets were constructed by type of breast density index and menopausal status. In analyzing the subgroups of premenopausal vs. postmenopausal women, the percent density (PD) index was confirmed to be associated with a significantly elevated risk for breast cancer (sES, 2.21; 95% CI, 1.52 to 3.21; I 2 =50.0%). The RE-DRMR results showed that the risk of breast cancer increased 1.73 times for each 25% increase in PD in postmenopausal women (95% CI, 1.20 to 2.47). In Asian women, breast cancer risk increased with breast density measured using the PD index, regardless of menopausal status. We propose the further development of a breast cancer risk prediction model based on the application of PD in Asian women.

Density estimation in wildlife surveys

Treesearch

Jonathan Bart; Sam Droege; Paul Geissler; Bruce Peterjohn; C. John Ralph

2004-01-01

Several authors have recently discussed the problems with using index methods to estimate trends in population size. Some have expressed the view that index methods should virtually never be used. Others have responded by defending index methods and questioning whether better alternatives exist. We suggest that index methods are often a costeffective component of valid...

Effect of Climate Factors on the Childhood Pneumonia in Papua New Guinea: A Time-Series Analysis

PubMed Central

Kim, Jinseob; Kim, Jong-Hun; Cheong, Hae-Kwan; Kim, Ho; Honda, Yasushi; Ha, Mina; Hashizume, Masahiro; Kolam, Joel; Inape, Kasis

2016-01-01

This study aimed to assess the association between climate factors and the incidence of childhood pneumonia in Papua New Guinea quantitatively and to evaluate the variability of the effect size according to their geographic properties. The pneumonia incidence in children under five-year and meteorological factors were obtained from six areas, including monthly rainfall and the monthly average daily maximum temperatures during the period from 1997 to 2006 from national health surveillance data. A generalized linear model was applied to measure the effect size of local and regional climate factor. The pooled risk of pneumonia in children per every 10 mm increase of rainfall was 0.24% (95% confidence interval: −0.01%–0.50%), and risk per every 1 °C increase of the monthly mean of the maximum daily temperatures was 4.88% (95% CI: 1.57–8.30). Southern oscillation index and dipole mode index showed an overall negative effect on childhood pneumonia incidence, −0.57% and −4.30%, respectively, and the risk of pneumonia was higher in the dry season than in the rainy season (pooled effect: 12.08%). There was a variability in the relationship between climate factors and pneumonia which is assumed to reflect distribution of the determinants of and vulnerability to pneumonia in the community. PMID:26891307

Growth of white firs defoliated by Modoc budworm in northeastern California

Treesearch

George T. Ferrell

1980-01-01

Open-grown, pole-sized white firs defoliated by Modoc budwonn (Choristoneura viridis) in northeastern California in the years 1959-62 and 1973-75 suffered only minor growth reductions and topkilling compared with the effects that more protracted budworm outbreaks have had elsewhere on their conifer hosts. Growth index analysis indicated that the firs...

Refractive index-based determination of detergent concentration and its application to the study of membrane proteins

PubMed Central

Strop, Pavel; Brunger, Axel T.

2005-01-01

The concentration of detergent in membrane protein preparations can have a critical role on protein stability, function, and the potential for crystallization. Unfortunately, dialysis or protein concentration can lead to an unknown amount of detergent in the final membrane protein preparations. Here we present a method for the determination of detergent concentration based on refractive index of the detergent solution. This method was applied to quantitate the amount of detergent remaining in solution after concentration in various concentrators. We found that the ability of the tested detergents to pass through the molecular weight cutoff membrane correlates well with detergent micelle size. Therefore, the micelle size can be used as a rough guide to estimate the retention of a given detergent in various molecular weight cutoff concentrators. The refractive index method is exceptionally informative when coupled with size exclusion chromatography and light scattering, and can be used to determine the oligomeric state of the membrane protein, the size of a protein-associated micelle, as well as the amount and size of the unbound detergent micelle. PMID:16046633

Refractive index-based determination of detergent concentration and its application to the study of membrane proteins.

PubMed

Strop, Pavel; Brunger, Axel T

2005-08-01

The concentration of detergent in membrane protein preparations can have a critical role on protein stability, function, and the potential for crystallization. Unfortunately, dialysis or protein concentration can lead to an unknown amount of detergent in the final membrane protein preparations. Here we present a method for the determination of detergent concentration based on refractive index of the detergent solution. This method was applied to quantitate the amount of detergent remaining in solution after concentration in various concentrators. We found that the ability of the tested detergents to pass through the molecular weight cutoff membrane correlates well with detergent micelle size. Therefore, the micelle size can be used as a rough guide to estimate the retention of a given detergent in various molecular weight cutoff concentrators. The refractive index method is exceptionally informative when coupled with size exclusion chromatography and light scattering, and can be used to determine the oligomeric state of the membrane protein, the size of a protein-associated micelle, as well as the amount and size of the unbound detergent micelle.

Formulation design space for stable, pH sensitive crystalline nifedipine nanoparticles.

PubMed

Jog, Rajan; Unachukwu, Kenechi; Burgess, Diane J

2016-11-30

Enteric coated formulations protect drugs from degrading in the harsh environment of the stomach (acidic pH and enzymes), and promotes drug delivery to and absorption into the duodenum and/or later parts of the intestine. Four DoE models were applied to optimize formulation parameters for the preparation of pH sensitive nifedipine nanoparticles. Stability studies were performed on the optimized formulations to monitor any possible variation in particle size distribution, homogeneity index, surface charge and drug release (pH 1.2 and pH 6.8). Stability studies were performed for 3 months at 4°C, 25°C and 40°C. A combination of Eudragit ® L 100-55 and polyvinyl alcohol was determined to be the most effective in stabilizing the nanoparticle suspension. The average particle size distribution, polydispersity index and surface charge of the optimized pH sensitive nifedipine nanoparticles were determined to be 131.86±8.21nm, 0.135±0.008 and -7.631±0.146mV, respectively. Following three months storage, it was observed that the formulations stored at 4°C were stable in terms of particle size distribution, polydispersity index, surface charge, drug loading and drug release, whereas those stored at 25°C and 40°C were relatively unstable. A predictive model to prepare stable pH sensitive nifedipine nanoparticles, was successfully developed using multiple linear regression analysis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A geometrical optics approach for modeling aperture averaging in free space optical communication applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuksel, Heba; Davis, Christopher C.

2006-09-01

Intensity fluctuations at the receiver in free space optical (FSO) communication links lead to a received power variance that depends on the size of the receiver aperture. Increasing the size of the receiver aperture reduces the power variance. This effect of the receiver size on power variance is called aperture averaging. If there were no aperture size limitation at the receiver, then there would be no turbulence-induced scintillation. In practice, there is always a tradeoff between aperture size, transceiver weight, and potential transceiver agility for pointing, acquisition and tracking (PAT) of FSO communication links. We have developed a geometrical simulation model to predict the aperture averaging factor. This model is used to simulate the aperture averaging effect at given range by using a large number of rays, Gaussian as well as uniformly distributed, propagating through simulated turbulence into a circular receiver of varying aperture size. Turbulence is simulated by filling the propagation path with spherical bubbles of varying sizes and refractive index discontinuities statistically distributed according to various models. For each statistical representation of the atmosphere, the three-dimensional trajectory of each ray is analyzed using geometrical optics. These Monte Carlo techniques have proved capable of assessing the aperture averaging effect, in particular, the quantitative expected reduction in intensity fluctuations with increasing aperture diameter. In addition, beam wander results have demonstrated the range-cubed dependence of mean-squared beam wander. An effective turbulence parameter can also be determined by correlating beam wander behavior with the path length.

Control range: a controllability-based index for node significance in directed networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Bingbo; Gao, Lin; Gao, Yong

2012-04-01

While a large number of methods for module detection have been developed for undirected networks, it is difficult to adapt them to handle directed networks due to the lack of consensus criteria for measuring the node significance in a directed network. In this paper, we propose a novel structural index, the control range, motivated by recent studies on the structural controllability of large-scale directed networks. The control range of a node quantifies the size of the subnetwork that the node can effectively control. A related index, called the control range similarity, is also introduced to measure the structural similarity between two nodes. When applying the index of control range to several real-world and synthetic directed networks, it is observed that the control range of the nodes is mainly influenced by the network's degree distribution and that nodes with a low degree may have a high control range. We use the index of control range similarity to detect and analyze functional modules in glossary networks and the enzyme-centric network of homo sapiens. Our results, as compared with other approaches to module detection such as modularity optimization algorithm, dynamic algorithm and clique percolation method, indicate that the proposed indices are effective and practical in depicting structural and modular characteristics of sparse directed networks.

Assessing clarity of message communication for mandated USEPA drinking water quality reports.

PubMed

Phetxumphou, Katherine; Roy, Siddhartha; Davy, Brenda M; Estabrooks, Paul A; You, Wen; Dietrich, Andrea M

2016-04-01

The United States Environmental Protection Agency mandates that community water systems (CWSs), or drinking water utilities, provide annual consumer confidence reports (CCRs) reporting on water quality, compliance with regulations, source water, and consumer education. While certain report formats are prescribed, there are no criteria ensuring that consumers understand messages in these reports. To assess clarity of message, trained raters evaluated a national sample of 30 CCRs using the Centers for Disease Control Clear Communication Index (Index) indices: (1) Main Message/Call to Action; (2) Language; (3) Information Design; (4) State of the Science; (5) Behavioral Recommendations; (6) Numbers; and (7) Risk. Communication materials are considered qualifying if they achieve a 90% Index score. Overall mean score across CCRs was 50 ± 14% and none scored 90% or higher. CCRs did not differ significantly by water system size. State of the Science (3 ± 15%) and Behavioral Recommendations (77 ± 36%) indices were the lowest and highest, respectively. Only 63% of CCRs explicitly stated if the water was safe to drink according to federal and state standards and regulations. None of the CCRs had passing Index scores, signaling that CWSs are not effectively communicating with their consumers; thus, the Index can serve as an evaluation tool for CCR effectiveness and a guide to improve water quality communications.

Plasmonic refractive index sensing using strongly coupled metal nanoantennas: nonlocal limitations.

PubMed

Wang, Hancong

2018-06-25

Localized surface plasmon resonance based on coupled metallic nanoparticles has been extensively studied in the refractive index sensing and the detection of molecules. The amount of resonance peak-shift depends on the refractive index of surrounding medium and the geometry/symmetry of plasmonic oligomers. It has recently been found that as the feature size or the gap distance of plasmonic nanostructures approaches several nanometers, quantum effects can change the plasmon coupling in nanoparticles. However, most of the research on plasmonic sensing has been done based on classical local calculations even for the interparticle gap below ~3 nm, in which the nonlocal screening plays an important role. Here, we theoretically investigate the nonlocal effect on the evolution of various plasmon resonance modes in strongly coupled nanoparticle dimer and trimer antennas with the gap down to 1 nm. Then, the refractive index sensing in these nonlocal systems is evaluated and compared with the results in classical calculations. We find that in the nonlocal regime, both refractive index sensibility factor and figure of merit are actually smaller than their classical counterparts mainly due to the saturation of plasmon shifts. These results would be beneficial for the understanding of interaction between light and nonlocal plasmonic nanostructures and the development of plasmonic devices such as nanosensors and nanoantennas.

A longitudinal study of the relationships between the Big Five personality traits and body size perception.

PubMed

Hartmann, Christina; Siegrist, Michael

2015-06-01

The present study investigated the longitudinal development of body size perception in relation to different personality traits. A sample of Swiss adults (N=2905, 47% men), randomly selected from the telephone book, completed a questionnaire on two consecutive years (2012, 2013). Body size perception was assessed with the Contour Drawing Rating Scale and personality traits were assessed with a short version of the Big Five Inventory. Longitudinal analysis of change indicated that men and women scoring higher on conscientiousness perceived themselves as thinner one year later. In contrast, women scoring higher on neuroticism perceived their body size as larger one year later. No significant effect was observed for men scoring higher on neuroticism. These results were independent of weight changes, body mass index, age, and education. Our findings suggest that personality traits contribute to body size perception among adults. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The optical design of 3D ICs for smartphone and optro-electronics sensing module

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Jiun-Woei

2018-03-01

Smartphone require limit space for image system, current lens, used in smartphones are refractive type, the effective focal length is limited the thickness of phone physical size. Other, such as optro-electronics sensing chips, proximity optical sensors, and UV indexer chips are integrated into smart phone with limit space. Due to the requirement of multiple lens in smartphone, proximity optical sensors, UV indexer and other optro-electronics sensing chips in a limited space of CPU board in future smart phone, optro-electronics 3D IC's integrated with optical lens or components may be a key technology for 3 C products. A design for reflective lens is fitted to CMOS, proximity optical sensors, UV indexer and other optro-electronics sensing chips based on 3-D IC. The reflective lens can be threes times of effective focal lens, and be able to resolve small object. The system will be assembled and integrated in one 3-D IC more easily.

Atmospheric effects on infrared measurements at ground level: Application to monitoring of transport infrastructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boucher, Vincent; Dumoulin, Jean

2014-05-01

Being able to perform easily non-invasive diagnostics for surveillance and monitoring of critical transport infrastructures is a major preoccupation of many technical offices. Among all the existing electromagnetic methods [1], long term thermal monitoring by uncooled infrared camera [2] is a promising technique due to its dissemination potential according to its low cost on the market. Nevertheless, Knowledge of environmental parameters during measurement in outdoor applications is required to carry out accurate measurement corrections induced by atmospheric effects at ground level. Particularly considering atmospheric effects and measurements in foggy conditions close as possible to those that can be encountered around transport infrastructures, both in visible and infrared spectra. In the present study, atmospheric effects are first addressed by using data base available in literature and modelling. Atmospheric attenuation by particles depends greatly of aerosols density, but when relative humidity increases, water vapor condenses onto the particulates suspended in the atmosphere. This condensed water increases the size of the aerosols and changes their composition and their effective refractive index. The resulting effect of the aerosols on the absorption and scattering of radiation will correspondingly be modified. In a first approach, we used aerosols size distributions derived from Shettle and Fenn [3] for urban area which could match some of experimental conditions encountered during trials on transport infrastructures opened to traffic. In order to calculate the influence of relative humidity on refractive index, the Hänel's model [4] could be used. The change in the particulate size is first related to relative humidity through dry particle radius, particle density and water activity. Once the wet aerosol particle size is found, the effective complex refractive index is the volume weighted average of the refractive indexes of the dry aerosol substance and the water. These changes in refractive indexes lead to the evolution of extinction coefficient Kext according to relative humidity. Using such models in very low visibility conditions leads to the following question: Up to which optical depth (i.e. tau=Kext.d) can we use a simple scattering model as Mie Theory? To show the effect of multiple scattering on previous transmission estimation, Monte-Carlo calculations have been performed. Calculations used a software dedicated to photometrical rendering of fog (PROF [5]). Up to an optical depth tau=1, simple and multiple scatterings differ of less than 2%. For tau >1 the simple scattering model is no more available to keep the error less than 10%. Finally, study of fog effect is proposed. Results obtained by numerical simulations but also by experiments carried out in a dedicated fog tunnel are presented and discussed. Perspectives about possible implementation on on site measurement systems are evocated. REFERENCES [1]Proto M. et al., , 2010. Transport infrastructure surveillance and monitoring by electromagnetic sensing: the ISTIMES project. Sensors, 10,10620-10639, doi: 10.3390/s101210620. [2]J. Dumoulin, A. Crinière, R. Averty ," Detection and thermal characterization of the inner structure of the "Musmeci" bridge deck by infrared thermography monitoring ",Journal of Geophysics and Engineering, Volume 10, Number 2, November 2013, IOP Science, doi:10.1088/1742-2132/10/6/064003. [3]Shettle. P. and Fenn R. W., "Models for the aerosols of the lower atmosphere and the effects of humidity variations on their optical properties", Air Force Geophysics Laboratory 79-0214, (1979). [4]30. Hänel, Gottfried, "The properties of atmospheric aerosol particles as functions of the relarive humidity at thermodynamic equilibrium with the surrounding moist air, in Advances in Geophysics, 73-188. Edited by H.E. Landsberg, and J. Van Mieghem, Academic Press, New York, 1976. [5]31. Dumont E., "Semi-Monte Carlo light tracing applied to the study of road visibility in fog", In Monte Carlo and Quasi-Monte Carlo Methods 1998, Spanier & Niederreiter (Eds.), Springer-Verlag (Pub.), pp.177-187, 1998.

Parallel In Situ Indexing for Data-intensive Computing

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

Kim, Jinoh; Abbasi, Hasan; Chacon, Luis

2011-09-09

As computing power increases exponentially, vast amount of data is created by many scientific re- search activities. However, the bandwidth for storing the data to disks and reading the data from disks has been improving at a much slower pace. These two trends produce an ever-widening data access gap. Our work brings together two distinct technologies to address this data access issue: indexing and in situ processing. From decades of database research literature, we know that indexing is an effective way to address the data access issue, particularly for accessing relatively small fraction of data records. As data sets increasemore » in sizes, more and more analysts need to use selective data access, which makes indexing an even more important for improving data access. The challenge is that most implementations of in- dexing technology are embedded in large database management systems (DBMS), but most scientific datasets are not managed by any DBMS. In this work, we choose to include indexes with the scientific data instead of requiring the data to be loaded into a DBMS. We use compressed bitmap indexes from the FastBit software which are known to be highly effective for query-intensive workloads common to scientific data analysis. To use the indexes, we need to build them first. The index building procedure needs to access the whole data set and may also require a significant amount of compute time. In this work, we adapt the in situ processing technology to generate the indexes, thus removing the need of read- ing data from disks and to build indexes in parallel. The in situ data processing system used is ADIOS, a middleware for high-performance I/O. Our experimental results show that the indexes can improve the data access time up to 200 times depending on the fraction of data selected, and using in situ data processing system can effectively reduce the time needed to create the indexes, up to 10 times with our in situ technique when using identical parallel settings.« less

Long-term follow-up after latissimus dorsi transfer for irreparable posterosuperior rotator cuff tears.

PubMed

El-Azab, Hossam Mahmoud; Rott, Olaf; Irlenbusch, Ulrich

2015-03-18

Irreparable posterosuperior rotator cuff tears are treated in several ways. Transfer of the latissimus dorsi is an alternative with acceptable mid-term results, but long-term results have rarely been published. The cases of 108 consecutive patients with 115 shoulders treated with latissimus dorsi transfer between 2000 and 2005 were reviewed clinically and radiographically. Ninety-three shoulders in eighty-six patients were included in the follow-up analysis. The mean duration of follow-up was 9.3 years (range, 6.6 to 11.7 years), and the mean age at the operation was fifty-six years (range, forty to seventy-two years). Outcome measures included the Constant-Murley score (Constant score), American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) index, and visual analog scale (VAS) for pain. The progress of cuff tear arthropathy was determined with radiographic evaluation according to the system described by Hamada et al. The mean relative Constant score improved from 44% preoperatively to 71% at the time of follow-up (p < 0.0001, effect size = 0.6), excluding the clinical failures. Similarly, the mean ASES index improved from 30 to 70 (p < 0.0001, effect size = 0.7), and the mean VAS score decreased from 7.8 to 2.4 (p < 0.0001, effect size = 0.8). A pain-free outcome was reported in only eighteen shoulders (19%). Active shoulder movement improved significantly (p < 0.05). The mean Hamada radiographic grade of cuff tear arthropathy increased from 1.7 (range, 0 to 2) preoperatively to 2.2 (range, 1 to 5) (p < 0.0001, effect size = 0.2). The rate of clinical failure of latissimus dorsi transfer was 10%, and the rate of shoulder prosthetic replacement after latissimus dorsi transfer was 4%. Pain relief and improvement of shoulder function were maintained a mean of 9.3 years after latissimus dorsi transfer for irreparable posterosuperior cuff defects. The younger the patient, the better the outcome. Copyright © 2015 by The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Incorporated.

An Echocardiographic Study of Left Ventricular Size and Cardiac Function in Adolescent Females with Anorexia Nervosa.

PubMed

Escudero, Carolina A; Potts, James E; Lam, Pei-Yoong; De Souza, Astrid M; Mugford, Gerald J; Sandor, George G S

2016-01-01

This retrospective case-control study investigated cardiac dimensions and ventricular function in female adolescents with anorexia nervosa (AN) compared with controls. Echocardiographic measurements of left ventricular (LV) dimensions, LV mass index, left atrial size and cardiac index were made. Detailed measures of systolic and diastolic ventricular function were made including tissue Doppler imaging. Patients were stratified by body mass index ≤10th percentile (AN ≤ 10th) and >10th percentile (AN > 10th). Ninety-five AN patients and 58 controls were included. AN and AN ≤ 10th groups had reduced LV dimensions, LV mass index, left atrial size and cardiac index compared with controls. There were no differences between groups in measures of systolic function. Measures of diastolic tissue Doppler imaging were decreased in AN and AN ≤ 10th. No differences in echocardiographic measurements existed between controls and AN > 10th. Female adolescents with AN have preserved systolic function and abnormalities of diastolic ventricular function. AN ≤ 10th may be a higher risk group. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.

Replacement of the Faces subtest by Visual Reproductions within Wechsler Memory Scale-Third Edition (WMS-III) visual memory indexes: implications for discrepancy analysis.

PubMed

Hawkins, Keith A; Tulsky, David S

2004-06-01

Within discrepancy analysis differences between scores are examined for abnormality. Although larger differences are generally associated with rising impairment probabilities, the relationship between discrepancy size and abnormality varies across score pairs in relation to the correlation between the contrasted scores in normal subjects. Examinee ability level also affects the size of discrepancies observed normally. Wechsler Memory Scale-Third Edition (WMS-III) visual index scores correlate only modestly with other Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Third Edition (WAIS-III) and WMS-III index scores; consequently, differences between these scores and others have to be very large before they become unusual, especially for subjects of higher intelligence. The substitution of the Faces subtest by Visual Reproductions within visual memory indexes formed by the combination of WMS-III visual subtests (creating immediate recall, delayed recall, and combined immediate and delayed index scores) results in higher correlation coefficients, and a decline in the discrepancy size required to surpass base rate thresholds for probable impairment. This gain appears not to occur at the cost of a diminished sensitivity to diverse pathologies. New WMS-III discrepancy base rate data are supplied to complement those currently available to clinicians.

Simulated Seasonal Photoperiods and Fluctuating Temperatures Have Limited Effects on Blood Feeding and Life History in Aedes triseriatus (Diptera: Culicidae)

PubMed Central

Westby, K. M.

2015-01-01

Biotic and abiotic factors change seasonally and impact life history in temperate-zone ectotherms. Temperature and photoperiod are factors that change in predictable ways. Most studies testing for effects of temperature on vectors use constant temperatures and ignore potential correlated effects of photoperiod. In two experiments, we tested for effects of larval rearing environments creating ecologically relevant temperatures and photoperiods simulating early and late season conditions (June and August), or constant temperatures (cool and warm) with the June or August photoperiods, respectively. We determined effects on survivorship, development, size, and a composite performance index in a temperate-zone population of Aedes triseriatus (Say). We followed cohorts of resulting females, all held under the same environmental conditions, to assess carry-over effects of rearing conditions for larvae on longevity, blood feeding, and egg production. Larval survivorship was affected by treatment in one experiment. Development time was greater in the June and cool treatments, but the constant and fluctuating temperatures did not differ. Significantly larger mosquitoes were produced in fluctuating versus constant temperature treatments. There were no significant treatment effects on the composite performance index. Adult female longevity was lower after rearing at constant versus fluctuating temperature, but there was no difference between June and August, nor did size affect longevity. There was no effect of treatments on blood feeding and a limited effect on egg production. We conclude that seasonal temperatures and photoperiods during development have limited effects on this population of A. triseriatus and find little evidence of strong effects of fluctuating versus constant temperatures. PMID:26336255

Estimation of Reineke and Volume-Based Maximum Size-Density Lines For Shortleaf Pine

Treesearch

Thomas B. Lynch; Robert F. Wittwer; Douglas J. Stevenson

2004-01-01

Maximum size-density relationships for Reineke's stand density index as well as for a relationship based on average tree volume were fitted to data from more than a decade of annual remeasurements of plots in unthinned naturally occurring shor tleaf pine in southeaster n Oklahoma. Reineke's stand density index is based on a maximum line of the form log(N) = a...

Production of polycaprolactone nanoparticles with low polydispersity index in a tubular recirculating system by using a multifactorial design of experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colmenares Roldán, Gabriel Jaime; Agudelo Gomez, Liliana María; Carlos Cornelio, Jesús Antonio; Rodriguez, Luis Fernando; Pinal, Rodolfo; Hoyos Palacio, Lina Marcela

2018-03-01

Encapsulation and controlled release of substances using polymeric nanoparticles require that these have a high reproducibility, homogeneity, and control over their properties (diameter and polydispersity), especially when they are to be used in medical, pharmaceutical, or nutritional applications among others. In conventional production systems, it is tough to ensure these characteristics; hence, the cost increases when we try to control these properties. This paper shows a comparison between a recirculating system and the standard nanoprecipitation technique for producing polymeric nanoparticles. In previous investigations, we evaluate the effect of recirculating flow and the ratio between the organic and aqueous phase. For this paper, we evaluated the effect of polymer and surfactant concentrations using a multifactorial design of experiments on the recirculating system and on the standard nanoprecipitation system. The response of the design was the average diameter of the nanoparticles and polydispersity index. Finally, we found that the polymer and surfactant concentrations could change the average diameter and polydispersity index of the nanoparticles obtained. On the other hand, it was found that the effect of the polymer concentration was stronger than the surfactant concentration to reduce the average diameter of the nanoparticles. The results of the present study show that the proposed recirculation system presents a high potential to produce polymer nanoparticles with good morphological characteristics, particle size distributions in the nano range, and with a low polydispersity. The average mean size of nanoparticles of polycaprolactone for the design using the recirculating system was of 61 to 140 nm and the values of polydispersity index PDI for this design were between 0.097 and 0.22, while for the design using the standard nanoprecipitation technique, the obtained diameters were 74 to 176 nm and the polydispersity was between 0.26 and 0.41.

Observation of stimulated Mie-Bragg scattering from large-size-gold-nanorod suspension in water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Guang S.; Yong, Ken-Tye; Zhu, Jing; Prasad, P. N.

2012-04-01

Highly directional backward stimulated scattering has been observed from large-size-gold nanorods suspended in water, pumped with ˜816 nm and ˜10 ns laser pulses. In comparison with other known stimulated scattering effects, the newly observed effect exhibits the following features. (i) The scattering centers are impurity particles with a size comparable in order of magnitude to the incident wavelength. (ii) There is no frequency shift between the pump wavelength and the stimulated scattering wavelength. (iii) The pump threshold can be significantly lower than that of stimulated Brillouin scattering in pure water. The nonfrequency shift can be explained by the formation of a standing-wave Bragg grating induced by the interference between the forward pump beam and the backward Mie-scattering beam. The low pump threshold results from stronger initial Mie-scattering (seed) signals and the intensity-dependent refractive-index change of the scattering medium enhanced by metallic nanoparticles.

Distribution, diversity and abundance of bacterial laccase-like genes in different particle size fractions of sediments in a subtropical mangrove ecosystem.

PubMed

Luo, Ling; Zhou, Zhi-Chao; Gu, Ji-Dong

2015-10-01

This study investigated the diversity and abundance of bacterial lacasse-like genes in different particle size fractions, namely sand, silt, and clay of sediments in a subtropical mangrove ecosystem. Moreover, the effects of nutrient conditions on bacterial laccase-like communities as well as the correlation between nutrients and, both the abundance and diversity indices of laccase-like bacteria in particle size fractions were also studied. Compared to bulk sediments, Bacteroidetes, Caldithrix, Cyanobacteria and Chloroflexi were dominated in all 3 particle-size fractions of intertidal sediment (IZ), but Actinobacteria and Firmicutes were lost after the fractionation procedures used. The diversity index of IZ fractions decreased in the order of bulk > clay > silt > sand. In fractions of mangrove forest sediment (MG), Verrucomicrobia was found in silt, and both Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes appeared in clay, but no new species were found in sand. The declining order of diversity index in MG fractions was clay > silt > sand > bulk. Furthermore, the abundance of lacasse-like bacteria varied with different particle-size fractions significantly (p < 0.05), and decreased in the order of sand > clay > silt in both IZ and MG fractions. Additionally, nutrient availability was found to significantly affect the diversity and community structure of laccase-like bacteria (p < 0.05), while the total organic carbon contents were positively related to the abundance of bacterial laccase-like genes in particle size fractions (p < 0.05). Therefore, this study further provides evidence that bacterial laccase plays a vital role in turnover of sediment organic matter and cycling of nutrients.

The 4-parameter Compressible Packing Model (CPM) including a critical cavity size ratio

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roquier, Gerard

2017-06-01

The 4-parameter Compressible Packing Model (CPM) has been developed to predict the packing density of mixtures constituted by bidisperse spherical particles. The four parameters are: the wall effect and the loosening effect coefficients, the compaction index and a critical cavity size ratio. The two geometrical interactions have been studied theoretically on the basis of a spherical cell centered on a secondary class bead. For the loosening effect, a critical cavity size ratio, below which a fine particle can be inserted into a small cavity created by touching coarser particles, is introduced. This is the only parameter which requires adaptation to extend the model to other types of particles. The 4-parameter CPM demonstrates its efficiency on frictionless glass beads (300 values), spherical particles numerically simulated (20 values), round natural particles (125 values) and crushed particles (335 values) with correlation coefficients equal to respectively 99.0%, 98.7%, 97.8%, 96.4% and mean deviations equal to respectively 0.007, 0.006, 0.007, 0.010.

Evaluating Goodness-of-Fit Indexes for Testing Measurement Invariance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheung, Gordon W.; Rensvold, Roger B.

2002-01-01

Examined 20 goodness-of-fit indexes based on the minimum fit function using a simulation under the 2-group situation. Results support the use of the delta comparative fit index, delta Gamma hat, and delta McDonald's Noncentrality Index to evaluation measurement invariance. These three approaches are independent of model complexity and sample size.…

The Role of Tonsillectomy in Adults with Tonsillar Hypertrophy and Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

PubMed

Smith, Matthew M; Peterson, Ed; Yaremchuk, Kathleen L

2017-08-01

Objective To determine if tonsillectomy alone is an effective treatment in improving obstructive sleep apnea in adult subjects with tonsillar hypertrophy and to evaluate the effect of tonsillectomy on patient-reported quality-of-life indices. Study Design Case series with planned data collection. Setting Academic hospital. Subjects and Methods Thirty-four subjects completed enrollment and intervention from January 2011 to January 2016. Subjects completed pre- and postoperative quality-of-life questionnaires, including the Insomnia Severity Index, Epworth Sleepiness Scale, and the Functional Outcomes of Sleep Questionnaire-10. Surgical response to treatment was defined by a >50% decrease in the Apnea-Hypopnea Index and a decrease in the overall Apnea-Hypopnea Index to <20. Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-rank tests were used to test each variable to assess for a change from pre- to postintervention. Subjects were then split into 3 BMI subgroups, with results also evaluated by Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-rank tests. Results There was a significant difference discovered between the mean preoperative Apnea-Hypopnea Index of 31.57 and the mean postoperative value of 8.12 ( P < .001). All patient-reported outcomes improved significantly following tonsillectomy. After stratifying all outcome variables (Apnea-Hypopnea Index, Epworth Sleepiness Scale, Insomnia Severity Index, and Functional Outcomes of Sleep Questionnaire-10) by sex, race, and tonsil size, no statistically significant difference was noted among any of these subgroups. There was a 78% surgical response to treatment. Conclusion Tonsillectomy appears to be an effective treatment for obstructive sleep apnea in a select population of adults with tonsillar hypertrophy.

Is the Eureka cluster a collisional family of Mars Trojan asteroids?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christou, Apostolos A.; Borisov, Galin; Dell'Oro, Aldo; Cellino, Alberto; Bagnulo, Stefano

2017-09-01

We explore the hypothesis that the Eureka family of sub-km asteroids in the L5 region of Mars could have formed in a collision. We estimate the size distribution index from available information on family members; model the orbital dispersion of collisional fragments; and carry out a formal calculation of the collisional lifetime as a function of size. We find that, as initially conjectured by Rivkin et al. (2003), the collisional lifetime of objects the size of (5261) Eureka is at least a few Gyr, significantly longer than for similar-sized Main Belt asteroids. In contrast, the observed degree of orbital compactness is inconsistent with all but the least energetic family-forming collisions. Therefore, the family asteroids may be ejecta from a cratering event sometime in the past ∼ 1 Gyr if the orbits are gradually dispersed by gravitational diffusion and the Yarkovsky effect (Ćuk et al., 2015). The comparable sizes of the largest family members require either negligible target strength or a particular impact geometry under this scenario (Durda et al., 2007; Benavidez et al., 2012). Alternatively, the family may have formed by a series of YORP-induced fission events (Pravec et al., 2010). The shallow size distribution of the family is similar to that of small MBAs (Gladman et al., 2009) interpreted as due to the dominance of this mechanism for Eureka-family-sized asteroids (Jacobson et al., 2014). However, our population index estimate is likely a lower limit due to the small available number of family asteroids and observational incompleteness. Future searches for fainter family members, further observational characterisation of the known Trojans' physical properties as well as orbital and rotational evolution modelling will help distinguish between different formation models.

Efficacy of Indexing and Abstracting Services for the Dissemination of Agricultural Information Resources in the Institure for Agricultural Research Library, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gabriel, KASA, M.

2012-10-01

The efficacy of Indexing and Abstracting service for effective organization, storage and retrieval of information resources for agricultural research in Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria necessitated examining the situation in Agricultural Library, Institute for Agricultural Research, Samaru. The study examines the processes, awareness and problems militating against the effective exploitation of the indexing and abstracting services in the Agricultural library established in 1975. The study was conducted ex post facto, data collected span from 2006 ñ 2010. Total sample sizes of 752 patrons and 20,236 intellectually indexed and abstracted resources were involved in the study. Data collected were subjected to descriptive and inferential statistics. The result revealed that a total of 644 articles were indexed and abstracted, 35% of these was done in 2010. Results for awareness show 452 (60.11%) to be aware in 2008. A total 584 articles were indexed and abstracted from which 167 (28.59%) was retrieved in 2006. Patrons, 270 (35.90%) attributed the poor use of the service to assumption it is a referral unit. The hypothesis testing revealed that there is significant association between articles indexed and abstracted with information consulted by patrons (?2cal,100.31>?2tab,9.488) at 5% level of probability and df, 4. In conclusion, enormous documents on Nigerian agriculture are indexed and abstracted in the unit, implying that the service is desirous and consistent. The study recommends that the unit should explore the use of modern technology, employ a permanent subject specialist, train and retrain the unit staff as well as intensify it general orientation campaigns to focus on awareness and use of the indexing and abstracting services.

Retrieval of the complex refractive index of aerosol droplets from optical tweezers measurements.

PubMed

Miles, Rachael E H; Walker, Jim S; Burnham, Daniel R; Reid, Jonathan P

2012-03-07

The cavity enhanced Raman scattering spectrum recorded from an aerosol droplet provides a unique fingerprint of droplet radius and refractive index, assuming that the droplet is homogeneous in composition. Aerosol optical tweezers are used in this study to capture a single droplet and a Raman fingerprint is recorded using the trapping laser as the source for the Raman excitation. We report here the retrieval of the real part of the refractive index with an uncertainty of ± 0.0012 (better than ± 0.11%), simultaneously measuring the size of the micrometre sized liquid droplet with a precision of better than 1 nm (< ± 0.05% error). In addition, the equilibrium size of the droplet is shown to depend on the laser irradiance due to optical absorption, which elevates the droplet temperature above that of the ambient gas phase. Modulation of the illuminating laser power leads to a modulation in droplet size as the temperature elevation is altered. By measuring induced size changes of <1 nm, we show that the imaginary part of the refractive index can be retrieved even when less than 10 × 10(-9) with an accuracy of better than ± 0.5 × 10(-9). The combination of these measurements allows the complex refractive index of a droplet to be retrieved with high accuracy, with the possibility of making extremely sensitive optical absorption measurements on aerosol samples and the testing of frequently used mixing rules for treating aerosol optical properties. More generally, this method provides an extremely sensitive approach for measuring refractive indices, particularly under solute supersaturation conditions that cannot be accessed by simple bulk-phase measurements.

The adjusted effect of maternal body mass index, energy and macronutrient intakes during pregnancy, and gestational weight gain on body composition of full-term neonates.

PubMed

Pereira-da-Silva, Luis; Cabo, Catarina; Moreira, Ana Catarina; Virella, Daniel; Guerra, Tatiana; Camoes, Tania; Silva, Ana Rita; Neves, Rute; Ferreira, Goncalo Cordeiro

2014-11-01

To evaluate the effect of prepregnancy body mass index (BMI), energy and macronutrient intakes during pregnancy, and gestational weight gain (GWG) on the body composition of full-term appropriate-for-gestational age neonates. This is a cross-sectional study of a systematically recruited convenience sample of mother-infant pairs. Food intake during pregnancy was assessed by food frequency questionnaire and its nutritional value by the Food Processor Plus (ESHA Research Inc, Salem, OR). Neonatal body composition was assessed both by anthropometry and air displacement plethysmography. Explanatory models for neonatal body composition were tested by multiple linear regression analysis. A total of 100 mother-infant pairs were included. Prepregnancy overweight was positively associated with offspring weight, weight/length, BMI, and fat-free mass in the whole sample; in males, it was also positively associated with midarm circumference, ponderal index, and fat mass. Higher energy intake from carbohydrate was positively associated with midarm circumference and weight/length in the whole sample. Higher GWG was positively associated with weight, length, and midarm circumference in females. Positive adjusted associations were found between both prepregnancy BMI and energy intake from carbohydrate and offspring body size in the whole sample. Positive adjusted associations were also found between prepregnancy overweight and adiposity in males, and between GWG and body size in females. Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

The Effective Dynamic Ranges for Glaucomatous Visual Field Progression With Standard Automated Perimetry and Stimulus Sizes III and V.

PubMed

Wall, Michael; Zamba, Gideon K D; Artes, Paul H

2018-01-01

It has been shown that threshold estimates below approximately 20 dB have little effect on the ability to detect visual field progression in glaucoma. We aimed to compare stimulus size V to stimulus size III, in areas of visual damage, to confirm these findings by using (1) a different dataset, (2) different techniques of progression analysis, and (3) an analysis to evaluate the effect of censoring on mean deviation (MD). In the Iowa Variability in Perimetry Study, 120 glaucoma subjects were tested every 6 months for 4 years with size III SITA Standard and size V Full Threshold. Progression was determined with three complementary techniques: pointwise linear regression (PLR), permutation of PLR, and linear regression of the MD index. All analyses were repeated on "censored'' datasets in which threshold estimates below a given criterion value were set to equal the criterion value. Our analyses confirmed previous observations that threshold estimates below 20 dB contribute much less to visual field progression than estimates above this range. These findings were broadly similar with stimulus sizes III and V. Censoring of threshold values < 20 dB has relatively little impact on the rates of visual field progression in patients with mild to moderate glaucoma. Size V, which has lower retest variability, performs at least as well as size III for longitudinal glaucoma progression analysis and appears to have a larger useful dynamic range owing to the upper sensitivity limit being higher.

MIB-1 proliferative activity in invasive breast cancer measured by image analysis.

PubMed Central

Querzoli, P; Albonico, G; Ferretti, S; Rinaldi, R; Magri, E; Indelli, M; Nenci, I

1996-01-01

AIMS: To determine cell proliferation in infiltrating breast carcinomas. METHODS: Using the MIB-1 monoclonal antibody, the proliferation index was measured in paraffin wax sections of 871 breast cancers. The MIB-1 proliferation index was compared with other markers of disease progression: size, lymph node status, histotype, oestrogen and progesterone receptor status, expression of p53 and Neu, and DNA ploidy. All parameters were measured using image analysis. In 347 tumours, the MIB-1 and Ki-67 proliferation indexes were compared. Follow up data were available for 170 cases (median 66.5 months). RESULTS: Of the tumours, 314 (36%) had a high proliferation index. The MIB-1 proliferation index was correlated directly with size, nodal status, overexpression of p53 and Neu, and the DNA index; and inversely with oestrogen and progesterone receptor status. The correlation between MIB-1 and Ki-67 proliferation indexes was statistically significant. In patients with pT1 tumours, a low proliferation index correlated with a longer relapse-free interval and overall survival; node negative patients with a low proliferation index had a longer overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: The MIB-1 proliferation index is a reliable, practical and useful method of measuring proliferative activity and is an important predictor of clinical behaviour. PMID:8944614

New methods for indexing multi-lattice diffraction data

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

Gildea, Richard J.; Waterman, David G.; CCP4, Research Complex at Harwell, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot OX11 0FA

2014-10-01

A new indexing method is presented which is capable of indexing multiple crystal lattices from narrow wedges of data. The efficacy of this method is demonstrated with both semi-synthetic multi-lattice data and real multi-lattice data recorded from microcrystals of ∼1 µm in size. A new indexing method is presented which is capable of indexing multiple crystal lattices from narrow wedges of diffraction data. The method takes advantage of a simplification of Fourier transform-based methods that is applicable when the unit-cell dimensions are known a priori. The efficacy of this method is demonstrated with both semi-synthetic multi-lattice data and real multi-latticemore » data recorded from crystals of ∼1 µm in size, where it is shown that up to six lattices can be successfully indexed and subsequently integrated from a 1° wedge of data. Analysis is presented which shows that improvements in data-quality indicators can be obtained through accurate identification and rejection of overlapping reflections prior to scaling.« less

Linear and nonlinear magneto-optical properties of an off-center single dopant in a spherical core/shell quantum dot

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feddi, E.; Talbi, A.; Mora-Ramos, M. E.; El Haouari, M.; Dujardin, F.; Duque, C. A.

2017-11-01

Using the effective mass approximation and a variational procedure, we have investigated the nonlinear optical absorption coefficient and the relative refractive index changes associated to a single dopant confined in core/shell quantum dots considering the influences of the core/shell dimensions, externally applied magnetic field, and dielectric mismatch. The results show that the optical absorption coefficient and the coefficients of relative refractive index change depend strongly on the core/shell sizes and they are blue shifted when the spatial confinement increases so this effect is magnified by higher structural dimensions. Additionally, it is obtained that both studied optical properties are sensitive to the dielectric environment in such a way that their amplitudes are very affected by the local field corrections.

Structural color mechanism in the Papilio blumei butterfly.

PubMed

Lo, Mei-Ling; Lee, Cheng-Chung

2014-02-01

The structural color found in biological systems has complicated nanostructure. It is very important to determine its color mechanism. In this study, the 2D photonic crystal structures of the Papilio blumei butterfly were constructed, and the corresponding reflectance spectra were simulated by the finite-difference time-domain method. The structural color of the butterfly depends on the incident angle of light, film thickness, film material (film refractive index), and the size of the air hole (effective refractive index). Analysis of simulations can help us understand the hue, brightness, and saturation of structural color on the butterfly wing. As a result, the analysis can help us fabricate expected structural color.

Comparison of aloe vera mouthwash with triamcinolone acetonide 0.1% on oral lichen planus: a randomized double-blinded clinical trial.

PubMed

Mansourian, Arash; Momen-Heravi, Fatemeh; Saheb-Jamee, Mahnaz; Esfehani, Mahsa; Khalilzadeh, Omid; Momen-Beitollahi, Jalil

2011-12-01

Corticosteroids are the mainstay for treatment of oral lichen planus (OLP) and have their own side effects. The aim of this study was to compare the therapeutic effects of aloe vera (AV) mouthwash with triamcinolone acetonide 0.1% (TA) on OLP. A total of 46 patients with OLP were enrolled in this study. The patients were randomly divided into 2 groups. Each group was treated with received AV mouthwash or TA. The treatment period for both groups was 4 weeks. The basement data were recorded for each patient. Patients were evaluated on days 8, 16 and after completing the course of treatment (visit 1-3). The last follow-up was 2 months after the start of treatment (visit 4). Visual analogue scale was used for evaluating pain and burning sensation and Thongprasom index for clinical improvement and healing. In addition, lesion sizes were measured and recorded at each visit using a grid. Baseline characteristics, including pain and burning sensation score, size and clinical characteristics of the lesions according to Thongprasom index, were not different between the 2 treatment groups. Both AV and TA significantly reduced visual analogue scale score, Thongprasom score and size of the lesions after treatment (P < 0.001) and after 2 months of discontinuation of the treatment (P < 0.001). In the AV group, 74% of patients and in the TA group 78% of patients showed some degrees of healing in the last follow-up. AV mouthwash is an effective substitute for TA in the treatment of OLP.

Body size ideals and dissatisfaction in Ghanaian adolescents: role of media, lifestyle and well-being.

PubMed

Michels, N; Amenyah, S D

2017-05-01

To inspire effective health promotion campaigns, we tested the relationship of ideal body size and body size dissatisfaction with (1) the potential resulting health-influencing factors diet, physical activity and well-being; and (2) with media as a potential influencer of body ideals. This is a cross-sectional study in 370 Ghanaian adolescents (aged 11-18 years). Questionnaires included disordered eating (EAT26), diet quality (FFQ), physical activity (IPAQ), well-being (KINDL) and media influence on appearance (SATAQ: pressure, internalisation and information). Ideal body size and body size dissatisfaction were assessed using the Stunkard figure rating scale. Body mass index (BMI), skinfolds and waist were measured. Linear regressions were adjusted for gender, age and parental education. Also, mediation was tested: 'can perceived media influence play a role in the effects of actual body size on body size dissatisfaction?'. Body size dissatisfaction was associated with lower well-being and more media influence (pressure and internalisation) but not with physical activity, diet quality or disordered eating. An underweight body size ideal might worsen disordered eating but was not significantly related to the other predictors of interest. Only a partial mediation effect by media pressure was found: especially overweight adolescents felt media pressure, and this media pressure was associated with more body size dissatisfaction. To prevent disordered eating and low well-being, health messages should include strategies that reduce body size dissatisfaction and increase body esteem by not focussing on the thin body ideal. Changing body size ideals in the media might be an appropriate way since media pressure was a mediator in the BMI-dissatisfaction relation. Copyright © 2017 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Behavioral Voice Therapy in School-Age Children with Vocal Fold Nodules. EBP Briefs. Volume 6, Issue 5

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watts, Christopher R.

2012-01-01

Does behavioral voice therapy effectively improve voice quality and eliminate or reduce the size of vocal fold pathology in school-age children who have vocal nodules? An evidence-based practice intervention review was conducted to answer this research question. The following resources were searched: Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health…

ERP Index of the Morphological Family Size Effect during Word Recognition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kwon, Youan; Nam, Kichun; Lee, Yoonhyoung

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine whether the N400 is affected by the semantic richness of associated neighboring word members or by the density of the orthographic syllable neighborhood. Another purpose of this study was to investigate the source of the different LPC in respect to the semantic richness. To do so, the density of the…

78 FR 29797 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; NASDAQ OMX PHLX LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-05-21

... currency, (2) type, size and crossing intention (3) in the case of FLEX index options and FLEX equity... available. If the Requesting Member has not indicated an intention to cross or act as principal with respect... reject the BBO(s). If the Requesting Member has indicated an intention to cross or act as principal with...

A mediator effect size in randomized clinical trials.

PubMed

Kraemer, Helena Chmura

2014-12-01

To understand the process by which a treatment (T) achieves an effect on outcome (O) and thus to improve the effect of T on O, it is vital to detect mediators, to compare the impact of different mediators, and to develop hypotheses about the causal factors (all mediators) linking T and O. An index is needed to facilitate interpretation of the potential clinical importance of a mediator (M) of choice of T on treatment O in randomized clinical trials (RCTs). Ideally such a mediator effect size should (1) be invariant under any rescaling of M and O consistent with the model used, and (2) reflect the difference between the overall observed effect of T on O and what the maximal effect of T on O could be were the association between T and M broken. A mediator effect size is derived first for the traditional linear model, and then more generally for any categorical (ordered or non-ordered) potential mediator. Issues such as the problem of multiple treatments, outcomes and mediators, and of causal inferences, and the correspondence between this approach and earlier ones, are discussed. Illustrations are given of the application of the approach. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Life stress events and alcohol misuse: distinguishing contributing stress events from consequential stress events.

PubMed

Hart, Kenneth E; Fazaa, Norman

2004-07-01

This study examined the relationship between life stress events and level of alcohol misuse using two stress indices. The first index consisted of stress events that are not likely to be caused by alcohol misuse (i.e., alcohol uncontaminated stress events). The second stress index consisted of items that were judged as being likely consequences of alcohol misuse (i.e., alcohol contaminated stress events). Results based on a questionnaire study of 378 undergraduates in 2000 showed that level of alcohol misuse was much more strongly related to alcohol contaminated life stress events than alcohol uncontaminated life events. Comparative analysis of the coefficients of determination indicated the effect size of the association to alcohol contaminated life stress events was 240% larger than the corresponding effect size for the association to alcohol uncontaminated life events. Results suggest that studies, which are tests of the tension reduction hypothesis, should employ greater methodological rigor to ensure measures of life stress events are not inadvertently assessing the consequences of alcohol misuse. The results highlight the need to distinguish between stressful life events that contribute to alcohol misuse and stressful life events that are consequential to alcohol misuse.

Effect of confinement in small space flight size cages on insulin sensitivity of exercise-trained rats

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mondon, C. E.; Dolkas, C. B.; Reaven, G. M.

1983-01-01

The effect of confinement in small cages (simulating the size to be used in future space Shuttle missions) on insulin sensitivity was studied in rats having an increased insulin sensitivity due to exercise training prior to confinement. Oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT) were given to both control and exercise-trained rats before and after placement in the small cages for 7 days. The insulin resistance was assessed by the product of the area of the insulin and glucose curves of the OGTT (IG index). Results show that the values obtained before confinement were one-half as high in exercise-trained rats as those in control rats, reflecting an increased sensitivity to insulin with exercise training. After 7 days confinement, the IG index was found to be not significantly different from initial values for both control and exercise-trained rats. These findings suggest that increased insulin sensitivity in exercise-trained rats persists 7 days after cessation of running activity. The data also indicate that exercise training, before flight, may be beneficial in minimizing the loss of insulin sensitivity expected with decreased use of gravity dependent muscles during exposure to hypogravity in space flight.

Do stressed mothers have heavier children? A meta-analysis on the relationship between maternal stress and child body mass index.

PubMed

Tate, E B; Wood, W; Liao, Y; Dunton, G F

2015-05-01

Child obesity continues to be a prevalent public health issue. This meta-analysis synthesized 17 studies investigating the association between levels of psychological stress experienced by mothers and the body mass index of their children. The overall standardized mean difference effect size was positive and significantly different from zero in cross-sectional d = 0.20 (k = 14, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.06, 0.34) and longitudinal studies d = 0.18 (k = 5, 95% CI: 0.00, 0.351) and had significant heterogeneity in both (cross-sectional, Q[13] = 193.00, P < 0.001; longitudinal, Q[4] = 29.46, P < 0.001). In longitudinal studies, effect sizes were larger when children also would have experienced the stressor, Q(6) = 4.68, P < 0.05, for toddlers than infants, Q(4) = 5.04, P < 0.05, and in higher quality studies, Q(4) = 14.58, P < 0.05. Results highlight the potential benefits of including a parent stress management component in childhood obesity prevention programmes. © 2015 World Obesity.

Influence of undersized cementless hip stems on primary stability and strain distribution.

PubMed

Fottner, Andreas; Woiczinski, Matthias; Kistler, Manuel; Schröder, Christian; Schmidutz, Tobias F; Jansson, Volkmar; Schmidutz, Florian

2017-10-01

Undersizing of cementless hip stems is a risk factor for aseptic loosening and early subsidence. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of undersized stems and determine whether a biomechanical study can predict the clinical results. Three consecutive sizes of a clinically proven stem (CLS Spotorno) were implanted into six composite femora (size large, Sawbones ® ), respectively. According to the Canal Fill Index (CFI), two stems (size 11.25 and 12.5) were undersized (CFI < 80%) and one stem (size 13.75) had an appropriate size (CFI > 80%). The primary stability was evaluated by measurement of 3-dimensional (3D)-micromotions under physiological adapted load and surface strains were recorded before and after implantation to detect stress-shielding processes. Both undersized stems revealed significantly higher micromotions in all regions compared to the appropriate stem. The highest micromotions were registered at the distal tip of the three stem sizes. The changes in surface strain did not show a significant difference between the three stem sizes, but the highest strain reduction was observed proximally indicating a tendency for stress shielding. This study confirms the clinical assumption that undersized stem result in a significantly reduced primary stability. Furthermore, in vitro studies allow to determine the effects of undersizing and stress shielding processes.

Test-retest reliability of pulse amplitude tonometry measures of vascular endothelial function: implications for clinical trial design.

PubMed

McCrea, Cindy E; Skulas-Ray, Ann C; Chow, Mosuk; West, Sheila G

2012-02-01

Endothelial dysfunction is an important outcome for assessing vascular health in intervention studies. However, reliability of the standard non-invasive method (flow-mediated dilation) is a significant challenge for clinical applications and multicenter trials. We evaluated the repeatability of pulse amplitude tonometry (PAT) to measure change in pulse wave amplitude during reactive hyperemia (Itamar Medical Ltd, Caesarea, Israel). Twenty healthy adults completed two PAT tests (mean interval = 19.5 days) under standardized conditions. PAT-derived measures of endothelial function (reactive hyperemia index, RHI) and arterial stiffness (augmentation index, AI) showed strong repeatability (intra-class correlations = 0.74 and 0.83, respectively). To guide future research, we also analyzed sample size requirements for a range of effect sizes. A crossover design powered at 0.90 requires 28 participants to detect a 15% change in RHI. Our study is the first to show that PAT measurements are repeatable in adults over an interval greater than 1 week.

Reducing image noise in computed tomography (CT) colonography: effect of an integrated circuit CT detector.

PubMed

Liu, Yu; Leng, Shuai; Michalak, Gregory J; Vrieze, Thomas J; Duan, Xinhui; Qu, Mingliang; Shiung, Maria M; McCollough, Cynthia H; Fletcher, Joel G

2014-01-01

To investigate whether the integrated circuit (IC) detector results in reduced noise in computed tomography (CT) colonography (CTC). Three hundred sixty-six consecutive patients underwent clinically indicated CTC using the same CT scanner system, except for a difference in CT detectors (IC or conventional). Image noise, patient size, and scanner radiation output (volume CT dose index) were quantitatively compared between patient cohorts using each detector system, with separate comparisons for the abdomen and pelvis. For the abdomen and pelvis, despite significantly larger patient sizes in the IC detector cohort (both P < 0.001), image noise was significantly lower (both P < 0.001), whereas volume CT dose index was unchanged (both P > 0.18). Based on the observed image noise reduction, radiation dose could alternatively be reduced by approximately 20% to result in similar levels of image noise. Computed tomography colonography images acquired using the IC detector had significantly lower noise than images acquired using the conventional detector. This noise reduction can permit further radiation dose reduction in CTC.

Research on droplet size measurement of impulse antiriots water cannon based on sheet laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fa-dong, Zhao; Hong-wei, Zhuang; Ren-jun, Zhan

2014-04-01

As a new-style counter-personnel non-lethal weapon, it is the non-steady characteristic and large water mist field that increase the difficulty of measuring the droplet size distribution of impulse anti-riots water cannon which is the most important index to examine its tactical and technology performance. A method based on the technologies of particle scattering, sheet laser imaging and high speed handling was proposed and an universal droplet size measuring algorithm was designed and verified. According to this method, the droplet size distribution was measured. The measuring results of the size distribution under the same position with different timescale, the same axial distance with different radial distance, the same radial distance with different axial distance were analyzed qualitatively and some rational cause was presented. The droplet size measuring method proposed in this article provides a scientific and effective experiment method to ascertain the technical and tactical performance and optimize the relative system performance.

Complex refractive index of Martian dust - Mariner 9 ultraviolet observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pang, K.; Ajello, J. M.; Hord, C. W.; Egan, W. G.

1976-01-01

Mariner 9 ultraviolet spectrometer observations of the 1971 dust clouds obscuring the surface of Mars have been analyzed by matching the observed dust phase function with Mie scattering calculations for size distributions of homogeneous and isotropic material. Preliminary results indicate an effective particle radius of not less than 0.2. The real component of the index of refraction is not less than 1.8 at both 268 and 305 nm; corresponding values for the imagery component are 0.02 and 0.01. These values are consistent with those found by Mead (1970) for the visible and near-visible wavelengths. The refractive index and the absorption coefficient increase rapidly with decreasing wavelength in going from the visible to the ultraviolet, indicating the presence of an ultraviolet absorption band which may shield organisms from ultraviolet irradiation.

Need for common internal controls when assessing the relative efficacy of pharmacologic agents using a meta-analytic approach: case study of cyclooxygenase 2-selective inhibitors for the treatment of osteoarthritis.

PubMed

Lee, Chin; Hunsche, Elke; Balshaw, Robert; Kong, Sheldon X; Schnitzer, Thomas J

2005-08-15

To evaluate the role of common internal controls in a meta-analysis of the relative efficacy of cyclooxygenase 2-selective inhibitors (coxibs) in the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA). A systematic search of Medline and US Food and Drug Administration electronic databases was performed to identify randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials of coxibs (etoricoxib, celecoxib, rofecoxib, valdecoxib) in patients with hip and/or knee OA. The effect size for coxibs and common active internal controls (nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs [NSAIDs], naproxen) were determined by the mean changes from baseline in Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index pain subscores as compared with placebo. The effect size for all coxib groups combined (0.44) indicated greater efficacy as compared with placebo, but significant heterogeneity (P < 0.0001) was observed. Rofecoxib at dosages of 12.5 mg/day and 25 mg/day and etoricoxib at a dosage of 60 mg/day had similar effect sizes (0.68 and 0.73, respectively), but these effect sizes were comparatively greater than those for both celecoxib at dosages of 200 mg/day and 100 mg twice daily or valdecoxib at a dosage of 10 mg/day (0.26 and 0.16, respectively). The effect sizes for NSAIDs or naproxen versus placebo, as determined using data from rofecoxib/etoricoxib trials, were consistently higher than the effect sizes derived from trials of celecoxib/valdecoxib. Significant heterogeneity was present in the overall effect size for NSAIDs (P = 0.007) and naproxen (P = 0.04) groups based on data available from all coxib trials. Coxibs and common active internal controls showed larger effect sizes versus placebo in the rofecoxib/etoricoxib trials than in the celecoxib/valdecoxib trials. These findings suggest systematic differences among published coxib trials and emphasize the need for direct-comparison trials. In the absence of such trials, common internal controls should be assessed when performing indirect meta-analytic comparisons.

Self-objectification and disordered eating: A meta-analysis.

PubMed

Schaefer, Lauren M; Thompson, J Kevin

2018-06-01

Objectification theory posits that self-objectification increases risk for disordered eating. The current study sought to examine the relationship between self-objectification and disordered eating using meta-analytic techniques. Data from 53 cross-sectional studies (73 effect sizes) revealed a significant moderate positive overall effect (r = .39), which was moderated by gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and measurement of self-objectification. Specifically, larger effect sizes were associated with female samples and the Objectified Body Consciousness Scale. Effect sizes were smaller among heterosexual men and African American samples. Age, body mass index, country of origin, measurement of disordered eating, sample type and publication type were not significant moderators. Overall, results from the first meta-analysis to examine the relationship between self-objectification and disordered eating provide support for one of the major tenets of objectification theory and suggest that self-objectification may be a meaningful target in eating disorder interventions, though further work is needed to establish temporal and causal relationships. Findings highlight current gaps in the literature (e.g., limited representation of males, and ethnic and sexual minorities) with implications for guiding future research. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Food cue reactivity and craving predict eating and weight gain: a meta-analytic review.

PubMed

Boswell, Rebecca G; Kober, Hedy

2016-02-01

According to learning-based models of behavior, food cue reactivity and craving are conditioned responses that lead to increased eating and subsequent weight gain. However, evidence supporting this relationship has been mixed. We conducted a quantitative meta-analysis to assess the predictive effects of food cue reactivity and craving on eating and weight-related outcomes. Across 69 reported statistics from 45 published reports representing 3,292 participants, we found an overall medium effect of food cue reactivity and craving on outcomes (r = 0.33, p < 0.001; approximately 11% of variance), suggesting that cue exposure and the experience of craving significantly influence and contribute to eating behavior and weight gain. Follow-up tests revealed a medium effect size for the effect of both tonic and cue-induced craving on eating behavior (r = 0.33). We did not find significant differences in effect sizes based on body mass index, age, or dietary restraint. However, we did find that visual food cues (e.g. pictures and videos) were associated with a similar effect size to real food exposure and a stronger effect size than olfactory cues. Overall, the present findings suggest that food cue reactivity, cue-induced craving and tonic craving systematically and prospectively predict food-related outcomes. These results have theoretical, methodological, public health and clinical implications. © 2015 World Obesity.

The Effect of Structural Quality on Fatigue Life in 319 Aluminum Alloy Castings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Özdeş, Hüseyin; Tiryakioğlu, Murat

2017-02-01

Tensile and fatigue life data for 319 aluminum alloy from seventeen datasets reported in four independent studies from the literature have been reanalyzed. Analysis of fatigue life data involved mean stress correction for different R ratios used in fatigue testing, inclusion of survival (runout) data along with failure data, as well as volumetric correction for Weibull distributions for different specimen sizes used in these studies. Tensile data have been transformed into the structural quality index, Q T, which is used as a measure of the structural quality of castings. A distinct relationship has been observed between the expected fatigue life and mean quality index. Moreover, fatigue strengths at 104 and 106 cycles have been found increase with quality index, providing further evidence about the relationship observed between structural quality and fatigue performance. Empirical equations between Basquin parameters and structural quality index have been developed. The use of the comprehensive methodology to estimate fatigue life is demonstrated with an example.

The modified Yi qi decoction protects cardiac ischemia-reperfusion induced injury in rats.

PubMed

Yu, Xiao; Zhao, Xiao-Dong; Bao, Rong-Qi; Yu, Jia-Yu; Zhang, Guo-Xing; Chen, Jing-Wei

2017-06-21

To investigate the effects and involved mechanisms of the modified Yi Qi decoction (MYQ) in cardiac ischemia-reperfusion (IR) induced injury. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to a 30-min coronary arterial occlusion followed by reperfusion, low or high dose decoction of MYQ was administrated orally for 1 week or 1 month. Both in 1 week and 1 month IR rat groups, cardiac function indexes were significantly impaired compared with sham group rats, accompanied with higher ratio of infarct size to risk size, decreased expressions of sodium calcium exchanger (NCX1) and sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca 2+ -ATPase (Serca2a), and different expressions of autophagic proteins, Beclin-1 and LC3. Treatment with MYQ (low or high dose) for 1 week showed no marked beneficial effects on cardiac function and cardiac injury (ratio of infarct size to risk size), although expressions of anti-apoptotic protein, Bcl-2, NCX1 and Serca2a were increased. Treatment with MYQ (low or high dose) for 1 month showed significantly improved effects on cardiac function and cardiac injury (ratio of infarct size to risk size), accompanied with increase of Bcl-2, NCX1 and Serca2a expressions, and decrease of Bax (a pro-apoptotic protein) and Beclin-1 expressions. The results show that MYQ have potential therapeutic effects on IR-induced cardiac injury, which may be through regulation of apoptotic proteins, cytosolic Ca 2+ handling proteins and autophagic proteins signal pathways.

Size-dependent axisymmetric vibration of functionally graded circular plates in bifurcation/limit point instability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ashoori, A. R.; Vanini, S. A. Sadough; Salari, E.

2017-04-01

In the present paper, vibration behavior of size-dependent functionally graded (FG) circular microplates subjected to thermal loading are carried out in pre/post-buckling of bifurcation/limit-load instability for the first time. Two kinds of frequently used thermal loading, i.e., uniform temperature rise and heat conduction across the thickness direction are considered. Thermo-mechanical material properties of FG plate are supposed to vary smoothly and continuously throughout the thickness based on power law model. Modified couple stress theory is exploited to describe the size dependency of microplate. The nonlinear governing equations of motion and associated boundary conditions are extracted through generalized form of Hamilton's principle and von-Karman geometric nonlinearity for the vibration analysis of circular FG plates including size effects. Ritz finite element method is then employed to construct the matrix representation of governing equations which are solved by two different strategies including Newton-Raphson scheme and cylindrical arc-length method. Moreover, in the following a parametric study is accompanied to examine the effects of the several parameters such as material length scale parameter, temperature distributions, type of buckling, thickness to radius ratio, boundary conditions and power law index on the dimensionless frequency of post-buckled/snapped size-dependent FG plates in detail. It is found that the material length scale parameter and thermal loading have a significant effect on vibration characteristics of size-dependent circular FG plates.

Assessing the impact of biomedical research in academic institutions of disparate sizes

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

Background The evaluation of academic research performance is nowadays a priority issue. Bibliometric indicators such as the number of publications, total citation counts and h-index are an indispensable tool in this task but their inherent association with the size of the research output may result in rewarding high production when evaluating institutions of disparate sizes. The aim of this study is to propose an indicator that may facilitate the comparison of institutions of disparate sizes. Methods The Modified Impact Index (MII) was defined as the ratio of the observed h-index (h) of an institution over the h-index anticipated for that institution on average, given the number of publications (N) it produces i.e. (α and β denote the intercept and the slope, respectively, of the line describing the dependence of the h-index on the number of publications in log10 scale). MII values higher than 1 indicate that an institution performs better than the average, in terms of its h-index. Data on scientific papers published during 2002–2006 and within 36 medical fields for 219 Academic Medical Institutions from 16 European countries were used to estimate α and β and to calculate the MII of their total and field-specific production. Results From our biomedical research data, the slope β governing the dependence of h-index on the number of publications in biomedical research was found to be similar to that estimated in other disciplines (≈0.4). The MII was positively associated with the average number of citations/publication (r = 0.653, p < 0.001), the h-index (r = 0.213, p = 0.002), the number of publications with ≥ 100 citations (r = 0.211, p = 0.004) but not with the number of publications (r = -0.020, p = 0.765). It was the most highly associated indicator with the share of country-specific government budget appropriations or outlays for research and development as % of GDP in 2004 (r = 0.229) followed by the average number of citations/publication (r = 0.153) whereas the corresponding correlation coefficient for the h-index was close to 0 (r = 0.029). MII was calculated for first 10 top-ranked European universities in life sciences and biomedicine, as provided by Times Higher Education ranking system, and their total and field-specific performance was compared. Conclusion The MII should complement the use of h-index when comparing the research output of institutions of disparate sizes. It has a conceptual interpretation and, with the data provided here, can be computed for the total research output as well as for field-specific publication sets of institutions in biomedicine. PMID:19480665

Assessing the impact of biomedical research in academic institutions of disparate sizes.

PubMed

Sypsa, Vana; Hatzakis, Angelos

2009-05-29

The evaluation of academic research performance is nowadays a priority issue. Bibliometric indicators such as the number of publications, total citation counts and h-index are an indispensable tool in this task but their inherent association with the size of the research output may result in rewarding high production when evaluating institutions of disparate sizes. The aim of this study is to propose an indicator that may facilitate the comparison of institutions of disparate sizes. The Modified Impact Index (MII) was defined as the ratio of the observed h-index (h) of an institution over the h-index anticipated for that institution on average, given the number of publications (N) it produces i.e. MII = h/10alphaNbeta (alpha and beta denote the intercept and the slope, respectively, of the line describing the dependence of the h-index on the number of publications in log10 scale). MII values higher than 1 indicate that an institution performs better than the average, in terms of its h-index. Data on scientific papers published during 2002-2006 and within 36 medical fields for 219 Academic Medical Institutions from 16 European countries were used to estimate alpha and beta and to calculate the MII of their total and field-specific production. From our biomedical research data, the slope beta governing the dependence of h-index on the number of publications in biomedical research was found to be similar to that estimated in other disciplines ( approximately 0.4). The MII was positively associated with the average number of citations/publication (r = 0.653, p < 0.001), the h-index (r = 0.213, p = 0.002), the number of publications with > or = 100 citations (r = 0.211, p = 0.004) but not with the number of publications (r = -0.020, p = 0.765). It was the most highly associated indicator with the share of country-specific government budget appropriations or outlays for research and development as % of GDP in 2004 (r = 0.229) followed by the average number of citations/publication (r = 0.153) whereas the corresponding correlation coefficient for the h-index was close to 0 (r = 0.029). MII was calculated for first 10 top-ranked European universities in life sciences and biomedicine, as provided by Times Higher Education ranking system, and their total and field-specific performance was compared. The MII should complement the use of h-index when comparing the research output of institutions of disparate sizes. It has a conceptual interpretation and, with the data provided here, can be computed for the total research output as well as for field-specific publication sets of institutions in biomedicine.

Improved patient size estimates for accurate dose calculations in abdomen computed tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Chang-Lae

2017-07-01

The radiation dose of CT (computed tomography) is generally represented by the CTDI (CT dose index). CTDI, however, does not accurately predict the actual patient doses for different human body sizes because it relies on a cylinder-shaped head (diameter : 16 cm) and body (diameter : 32 cm) phantom. The purpose of this study was to eliminate the drawbacks of the conventional CTDI and to provide more accurate radiation dose information. Projection radiographs were obtained from water cylinder phantoms of various sizes, and the sizes of the water cylinder phantoms were calculated and verified using attenuation profiles. The effective diameter was also calculated using the attenuation of the abdominal projection radiographs of 10 patients. When the results of the attenuation-based method and the geometry-based method shown were compared with the results of the reconstructed-axial-CT-image-based method, the effective diameter of the attenuation-based method was found to be similar to the effective diameter of the reconstructed-axial-CT-image-based method, with a difference of less than 3.8%, but the geometry-based method showed a difference of less than 11.4%. This paper proposes a new method of accurately computing the radiation dose of CT based on the patient sizes. This method computes and provides the exact patient dose before the CT scan, and can therefore be effectively used for imaging and dose control.

Influence of size and shape of sub-micrometer light scattering centers in ZnO-assisted TiO2 photoanode for dye-sensitized solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pham, Trang T. T.; Mathews, Nripan; Lam, Yeng-Ming; Mhaisalkar, Subodh

2018-03-01

Sub-micrometer cavities have been incorporated in the TiO2 photoanode of dye-sensitized solar cell to enhance its optical property with light scattering effect. These are large pores of several hundred nanometers in size and scatter incident light due to the difference refraction index between the scattering center and the surrounding materials, according to Mie theory. The pores are created using polystyrene (PS) or zinc oxide (ZnO) templates reported previously which resulted in ellipsoidal and spherical shapes, respectively. The effect of size and shape of scattering center was modeled using a numerical analysis finite-difference time-domain (FDTD). The scattering cross-section was not affected significantly with different shapes if the total displacement volume of the scattering center is comparable. Experiments were carried out to evaluate the optical property with varying size of ZnO templates. Photovoltaic effect of dye-sensitized solar cells made from these ZnO-assisted films were investigated with incident-photon-to-current efficiency to understand the effect of scattering center size on the enhancement of absorption. With 380 nm macropores incorporated, the power conversion efficiency has increased by 11% mostly thanks to the improved current density, while 170 nm and 500 nm macropores samples did not have increment in sufficiently wide range of absorbing wavelengths.

Restless Legs Syndrome and Depression: Effect Mediation by Disturbed Sleep and Periodic Limb Movements.

PubMed

Koo, Brian B; Blackwell, Terri; Lee, Hochang B; Stone, Katie L; Louis, Elan D; Redline, Susan

2016-11-01

To investigate an association between restless legs syndrome (RLS) and depression and to what extent sleep disturbance, periodic limb movements during sleep (PLMS), and antidepressant medication mediate this relationship. A cross-sectional analysis was conducted of the Osteoporotic Fractures in Older Men Study data in 982 men assessed for RLS (International RLS Study Group scale [IRLSS]) and depression (Geriatric Depression Scale [GDS]), who underwent actigraphy (for sleep latency/efficiency) and polysomnography (for PLMS). Men were split into three groups: no RLS (N = 815), mild RLS (IRLSS ≤ 12, N = 85), moderate-to-severe RLS (IRLSS > 12, N = 82). Depression was defined as GDS score ≥ 6. Logistic and linear regression assessed associations of RLS and depression or number depressive symptoms, respectively. Models were adjusted for age, site, race, education, body mass index, personal habits, benzodiazepine/dopaminergic medication, physical activity, cardiovascular risk factors, and apnea-hypopnea index. Of 982 men, 167 (17.0%) had RLS. Depression was significantly associated with moderate-to-severe RLS after adjustment (versus no RLS: OR [95% CI] 2.85 [1.23, 6.64]). Further adjustment for potential mediators attenuated effect size modestly, most for sleep efficiency (OR: 2.85-2.55). Compared with no RLS, moderate-to-severe RLS was associated with the number of depressive symptoms after adjustment (adjusted means [95% CI]; no RLS: 1.14 [1.05, 1.24] versus IRLSS > 12: 1.69 [1.32, 2.11]). Further adjustment for potential mediators did not alter effect size. For men with PLMS index at least median, number of depressive symptoms significantly increased as RLS category became more severe. Depression is more common as RLS severity worsens. The RLS-depression relationship is modestly explained by sleep disturbance and PLMS. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Effect of ovarian endometrioma on uterine and ovarian blood flow in infertile women.

PubMed

El-Mazny, Akmal; Kamel, Ahmed; Ramadan, Wafaa; Gad-Allah, Sherine; Abdelaziz, Suzy; Hussein, Ahmed M

2016-01-01

Angiogenesis has been found to be among the most important factors in the pathogenesis of endometriosis. The formation of new blood vessels is critical for the survival of newly implanted endometriotic foci. The use of 3-D power Doppler allows for the demonstration of the dynamic vascular changes that occur during the process of in vitro fertilization (IVF). We aimed to evaluate the effect of ovarian endometrioma on uterine and ovarian blood flow in infertile women. In a case-control study at a university teaching hospital, 138 women with unilateral ovarian endometrioma scheduled for IVF were compared to 138 women with male-factor or unexplained infertility. In the mid-luteal (peri-implantation) phase of the cycle, endometrial thickness, uterine and ovarian artery pulsatility index and resistance index, endometrial and ovarian volume, 3-D power Doppler vascularization index (VI), flow index (FI), and vascularization FI (VFI) values were measured in both groups. There were no significant differences ( P >0.05) in endometrial thickness, uterine ovarian artery pulsatility index and resistance index, endometrial and ovarian volume, or VI, FI, and VFI between the two groups. Furthermore, the endometrial and ovarian Doppler indices were not influenced by endometrioma size. No significant differences were observed in the ovarian Doppler indices between endometrioma-containing ovaries and contralateral ovaries. Ovarian endometrioma is not associated with impaired endometrial and ovarian blood flows in infertile women scheduled for IVF, and it is not likely to affect endometrial receptivity or ovarian function through a vascular mechanism.

Can a Toy Encourage Lower Calorie Meal Bundle Selection in Children? A Field Experiment on the Reinforcing Effects of Toys on Food Choice.

PubMed

Reimann, Martin; Lane, Kristen

2017-01-01

The goal of this research was to test whether including an inexpensive nonfood item (toy) with a smaller-sized meal bundle (420 calories), but not with the regular-sized meal bundle version (580 calories), would incentivize children to choose the smaller-sized meal bundle, even among children with overweight and obesity. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the effect in a between-subjects field experiment of a toy on smaller-sized meal choice (here, a binary choice between a smaller-sized or regular-sized meal bundles). A random sample of 109 elementary school children from two schools in the Tucson, Arizona metropolitan area (55 females; Mage = 8.53 years, SDage = 2.14; MBMI = 18.30, SDBMI = 4.42) participated. Children's height and weight were measured and body-mass-index (BMI) was calculated, adjusting for age and sex. In our sample, 21 children were considered to be either overweight or obese. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the effect of a toy on smaller-sized meal choice. Results revealed that the inclusion of a toy with a smaller-sized meal, but not with the regular-sized version, predicted smaller-sized meal choice (P < .001), suggesting that children can be incentivized to choose less food when such is paired with a toy. BMI neither moderated nor nullified the effect of toy on smaller-sized meal choice (P = .125), suggesting that children with overweight and obesity can also be incentivized to choose less. This article is the first to suggest that fast-food restaurant chains may well utilize toys to motivate children to choose smaller-sized meal bundles. Our findings may be relevant for consumers, health advocates, policy makers, and marketers who would benefit from a strategy that presents healthier, but still desirable, meal bundle options.

Can a Toy Encourage Lower Calorie Meal Bundle Selection in Children? A Field Experiment on the Reinforcing Effects of Toys on Food Choice

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

The goal of this research was to test whether including an inexpensive nonfood item (toy) with a smaller-sized meal bundle (420 calories), but not with the regular-sized meal bundle version (580 calories), would incentivize children to choose the smaller-sized meal bundle, even among children with overweight and obesity. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the effect in a between-subjects field experiment of a toy on smaller-sized meal choice (here, a binary choice between a smaller-sized or regular-sized meal bundles). A random sample of 109 elementary school children from two schools in the Tucson, Arizona metropolitan area (55 females; Mage = 8.53 years, SDage = 2.14; MBMI = 18.30, SDBMI = 4.42) participated. Children’s height and weight were measured and body-mass-index (BMI) was calculated, adjusting for age and sex. In our sample, 21 children were considered to be either overweight or obese. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the effect of a toy on smaller-sized meal choice. Results revealed that the inclusion of a toy with a smaller-sized meal, but not with the regular-sized version, predicted smaller-sized meal choice (P < .001), suggesting that children can be incentivized to choose less food when such is paired with a toy. BMI neither moderated nor nullified the effect of toy on smaller-sized meal choice (P = .125), suggesting that children with overweight and obesity can also be incentivized to choose less. This article is the first to suggest that fast-food restaurant chains may well utilize toys to motivate children to choose smaller-sized meal bundles. Our findings may be relevant for consumers, health advocates, policy makers, and marketers who would benefit from a strategy that presents healthier, but still desirable, meal bundle options. PMID:28085904

Experimental Effects on IR Reflectance Spectra: Particle Size and Morphology

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

Beiswenger, Toya N.; Myers, Tanya L.; Brauer, Carolyn S.

For geologic and extraterrestrial samples it is known that both particle size and morphology can have strong effects on the species’ infrared reflectance spectra. Due to such effects, the reflectance spectra cannot be predicted from the absorption coefficients alone. This is because reflectance is both a surface as well as a bulk phenomenon, incorporating both dispersion as well as absorption effects. The same spectral features can even be observed as either a maximum or minimum. The complex effects depend on particle size and preparation, as well as the relative amplitudes of the optical constants n and k, i.e. the realmore » and imaginary components of the complex refractive index. While somewhat oversimplified, upward-going amplitude in the reflectance spectrum usually result from surface scattering, i.e. rays that have been reflected from the surface without penetration, whereas downward-going peaks are due to either absorption or volume scattering, i.e. rays that have penetrated or refracted into the sample interior and are not reflected. While the effects are well known, we report seminal measurements of reflectance along with quantified particle size of the samples, the sizing obtained from optical microscopy measurements. The size measurements are correlated with the reflectance spectra in the 1.3 – 16 micron range for various bulk materials that have a combination of strong and weak absorption bands in order to understand the effects on the spectral features as a function of the mean grain size of the sample. We report results for both sodium sulfate Na2SO4 as well as ammonium sulfate (NH4)2SO4; the optical constants have been measured for (NH4)2SO4. To go a step further from the field to the laboratory we explore our understanding of particle size effects on reflectance spectra in the field using standoff detection. This has helped identify weaknesses and strengths in detection using standoff distances of up 160 meters away from the Target. The studies have shown that particle size has an enormous influence on the measured reflectance spectra of such materials; successful identification requires sufficient, representative reflectance data to include the particle sizes of interest.« less

Exact simulation of polarized light reflectance by particle deposits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramezan Pour, B.; Mackowski, D. W.

2015-12-01

The use of polarimetric light reflection measurements as a means of identifying the physical and chemical characteristics of particulate materials obviously relies on an accurate model of predicting the effects of particle size, shape, concentration, and refractive index on polarized reflection. The research examines two methods for prediction of reflection from plane parallel layers of wavelength—sized particles. The first method is based on an exact superposition solution to Maxwell's time harmonic wave equations for a deposit of spherical particles that are exposed to a plane incident wave. We use a FORTRAN-90 implementation of this solution (the Multiple Sphere T Matrix (MSTM) code), coupled with parallel computational platforms, to directly simulate the reflection from particle layers. The second method examined is based upon the vector radiative transport equation (RTE). Mie theory is used in our RTE model to predict the extinction coefficient, albedo, and scattering phase function of the particles, and the solution of the RTE is obtained from adding—doubling method applied to a plane—parallel configuration. Our results show that the MSTM and RTE predictions of the Mueller matrix elements converge when particle volume fraction in the particle layer decreases below around five percent. At higher volume fractions the RTE can yield results that, depending on the particle size and refractive index, significantly depart from the exact predictions. The particle regimes which lead to dependent scattering effects, and the application of methods to correct the vector RTE for particle interaction, will be discussed.

Effects of a 12-week marching in place and chair rise daily exercise intervention on ADL and functional mobility in frail older adults.

PubMed

Kato, Yoshiji; Islam, Mohammod M; Koizumi, Daisuke; Rogers, Michael E; Takeshima, Nobuo

2018-04-01

[Purpose] To determine the effects of a 12-week intervention consisting of marching in place and chair rising daily exercise on activities of daily living and functional mobility (ability to quickly rise from a chair and walk) in frail older adults. [Subjects and Methods] Thirty-one participants were divided into exercise (n=18, age=77.6 ± 7.2 years; 11 males, 7 females) and non-exercise (n=13, age=79.6 ± 7.7 years; 7 males, 6 females) groups. The exercise group performed 12 weeks of training, 7 days per week, and 20 minutes per session. The exercise program consisted of low to moderate intensity marching in place and chair rising movements. The speed of movements was gradually increased over time. The Barthel index, mean power during chair stand, and time to complete a 10-m walk were assessed before and after the intervention. [Results] Significant improvements were noted in the exercise group compared to the non-exercise group for the Barthel Index (11.6%), mean power (33%), and 10-M walk (14.6%) with a medium effect size, and relative mean power (power/body mass) (32.9%) with a large effect size. [Conclusion] The progressive marching in place and chair rising exercise intervention appears to be effective in improving activities of daily living and functional mobility among frail older adults.

Hemodynamics of Pericardial Aortic Valves: Contemporary Stented versus Stentless Valves in a Matched Comparison

PubMed Central

Holinski, Sebastian; Zhigalov, Konstantin; Zielinski, Christina Barbara; Grubitzsch, Herko

2017-01-01

Purpose: Hemodynamic performance of aortic valve bioprostheses is essential for reliable function and durability. So far, the supra-annularly implanted stentless Sorin Freedom Solo (SFS) demonstrated unsurpassed hemodynamic properties. As contemporary stented and externally mounted pericardial bioprostheses, like the Labcor Dokimos Plus (LDP), also improve hemodynamic performance, these types of valves were compared in this study. Methods: A total of 218 patients, who underwent aortic valve replacement with the LDP or the SFS, were matched retrospectively 1:1 on variables affecting hemodynamic measurements: implanted valve size, age, sex, and body surface area (BSA). With matching tolerance for valve size and gender of 0%, for age and BSA of 5%, 57 patient-pairs were yielded. Operative data, clinical, and hemodynamic outcome were analyzed. Results: Except for slightly higher left ventricular function and lower procedural times in the SFS group, preoperative, operative, and postoperative characteristics of patient-pairs did not differ significantly. Mean pressure gradients, effective orifice areas (EOAs), and indexed EOAs were comparable. Corresponding to valve sizes of 21, 23, 25, and 27 mm, the indexed EOAs of the LDP and SFS prostheses were 1.08 ± 0.33, 0.92 ± 0.19, 0.93 ± 0.24, 0.99 ± 0.13 cm2/m2 and 0.81 ± 0.13, 0.92 ± 0.28, 0.95 ± 0.20, 1.04 ± 0.27 cm2/m2, respectively. Conclusion: Contemporary stented and stentless pericardial bioprostheses showed excellent hemodynamic properties without significant differences in EOAs and indexed EOAs. PMID:28890465

Measurements of refractive index and size of a spherical drop from Gaussian beam scattering in the primary rainbow region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Haitao; Sun, Hui; Shen, Jianqi; Tropea, Cameron

2018-03-01

The primary rainbow observed when light is scattered by a spherical drop has been exploited in the past to measure drop size and relative refractive index. However, if higher spatial resolution is required in denser drop ensembles/sprays, and to avoid then multiple drops simultaneously appearing in the measurement volume, a highly focused beam is desirable, inevitably with a Gaussian intensity profile. The present study examines the primary rainbow pattern resulting when a Gaussian beam is scattered by a spherical drop and estimates the attainable accuracy when extracting size and refractive index. The scattering is computed using generalized Lorenz-Mie theory (GLMT) and Debye series decomposition of the Gaussian beam scattering. The results of these simulations show that the measurement accuracy is dependent on both the beam waist radius and the position of the drop in the beam waist.

The correlation between tonsil size and academic performance is not a direct one, but the results of various factors.

PubMed

Kargoshaie, A A; Najafi, M; Akhlaghi, M; Khazraie, H R; Hekmatdoost, A

2009-10-01

Chronic upper airway obstruction most often occurs when both tonsils and adenoid are enlarged but may occur when either is enlarged. Obstructive sleep syndrome in young children has been reported to be associated with an adverse effect on learning and academic performance. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of relative size of the tonsil on academic performance in 4th grade school children. In 320 children, physical examination to determine the size of tonsils was performed by the otorhinolaryngologist. A questionnaire was developed to assess sleep patterns and problems, and socio-demographic data for the student participants. Furthermore, their school performance was assessed using their grade in mathematics, science, reading, spelling, and handwriting. No association between tonsil size and academic performance was found. Snoring frequency, body mass index and body weight showed a positive relation with tonsil size. There was no association between tonsil size and sleepiness during the day, sleeping habits, hyperactivity, enuresis, history of tonsillectomy in children and parental cigarette smoking and education. In conclusion, this study did not show any significant relationship between tonsil size and academic performance in 4th grade students. Further studies are recommended with a larger sample size, cognitive exams for evaluation of attention, and follow-up of the students until high school, when the discrepancy of the students' academic performance is more obvious.

Ergonomic Analysis of the Work Condition in Aluminum Crafts Industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soewardi, H.; Taufiq, A.; Pradipta, T.

2017-12-01

Indonesia has plenty of abundant natural wealth. This natural wealth produces natural materials that can be utilized as a craft product. The craft workers generally still work manually and the work is done repeatedly in one cycle so it is very susceptible to musculoskeletal disorders. Musculoskeletal disorders will cause decrease of worker’s effectiveness and efficiency in completing the task. Thus, this fact has some adverse impact for the company. The purpose of this study is to analyze some task in manufacturing a traditional cooking tool (griddle) which encompasses mold of the griddle, refine of the griddle and the finishing touch by using the Occupational Repetitive Action Index (OCRA index) method. This method consists of high frequency movements, large forces, awkward postures, insufficient resting time and other factor such as vibration. Result of this study shows that in the molding operation, the worker has uncertain and medium risk on right hand in manufacturing small and large size of griddle with OCRA index is 2.5 and 5.3 respectively. In the refining operation the worker has light and medium risk on left hand in manufacturing small and large size with OCRA index is 3.6 and 5.8 using grinding machine and 5.8, 5.2, 6.3 and 5.0 using miser tool. In finishing operation, the worker has high risk on right hand in numbering of code griddle and has medium risk on right hand and medium on left hand in labeling with OCRA index is 9, 6.1 and 6.8 While in assembling operation the worker has no risk. Score that it indicates the risk level of the task in such job. Thus the following actions are to improve the work condition ergonomicly in all operation in alumunium craft.

Intra-specific competition (crowding) of giant sequoias (Sequoiadendron giganteum)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stohlgren, Thomas J.

1993-01-01

Information on the size and location of 1916 giant sequoias (Sequoiadendron giganteum (Lindl.) Buchholz) in Muir Grove, Sequoia National Park, in the southern Sierra Nevada of California was used to assess intra-specific crowding. Study objectives were to: (1) determine which parameters associated with intra-specific competition (i.e. size and distance to nearest neighbor, crowding/root system area overlap, or number of neighbors) might be important in spatial pattern development, growth, and survivorship of established giant sequoias; (2) quantify the level of intra-specific crowding of different sized live sequoias based on a model of estimated overlapping root system areas (i.e. an index of relative crowding); (3) compare the level of intra-specific crowding of similarly sized live and dead giant sequoias (less than 30 cm diameter at breast height (dbh) at the time of inventory (1969). Mean distances to the nearest live giant sequoia neighbor were not significantly different (at α = 0.05) for live and dead sequoias in similar size classes. A zone of influence competition model (i.e. index of crowding) based on horizontal overlap of estimated root system areas was developed for 1753 live sequoias. The model, based only on the spatial arrangement of live sequoias, was then tested on dead sequoias of less than 30 cm dbh (n = 163 trees; also recorded in 1969). The dead sequoias had a significantly higher crowding index than 561 live trees of similar diameter. Results showed that dead sequoias of less than 16.6 cm dbh had a significantly greater mean number of live neighbors and mean crowding index than live sequoias of similar size. Intra-specific crowding may be an important mechanism in determining the spatial distribution of sequoias in old-growth forests.

Training artificial neural networks directly on the concordance index for censored data using genetic algorithms.

PubMed

Kalderstam, Jonas; Edén, Patrik; Bendahl, Pär-Ola; Strand, Carina; Fernö, Mårten; Ohlsson, Mattias

2013-06-01

The concordance index (c-index) is the standard way of evaluating the performance of prognostic models in the presence of censored data. Constructing prognostic models using artificial neural networks (ANNs) is commonly done by training on error functions which are modified versions of the c-index. Our objective was to demonstrate the capability of training directly on the c-index and to evaluate our approach compared to the Cox proportional hazards model. We constructed a prognostic model using an ensemble of ANNs which were trained using a genetic algorithm. The individual networks were trained on a non-linear artificial data set divided into a training and test set both of size 2000, where 50% of the data was censored. The ANNs were also trained on a data set consisting of 4042 patients treated for breast cancer spread over five different medical studies, 2/3 used for training and 1/3 used as a test set. A Cox model was also constructed on the same data in both cases. The two models' c-indices on the test sets were then compared. The ranking performance of the models is additionally presented visually using modified scatter plots. Cross validation on the cancer training set did not indicate any non-linear effects between the covariates. An ensemble of 30 ANNs with one hidden neuron was therefore used. The ANN model had almost the same c-index score as the Cox model (c-index=0.70 and 0.71, respectively) on the cancer test set. Both models identified similarly sized low risk groups with at most 10% false positives, 49 for the ANN model and 60 for the Cox model, but repeated bootstrap runs indicate that the difference was not significant. A significant difference could however be seen when applied on the non-linear synthetic data set. In that case the ANN ensemble managed to achieve a c-index score of 0.90 whereas the Cox model failed to distinguish itself from the random case (c-index=0.49). We have found empirical evidence that ensembles of ANN models can be optimized directly on the c-index. Comparison with a Cox model indicates that near identical performance is achieved on a real cancer data set while on a non-linear data set the ANN model is clearly superior. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of Aerobic Exercise Training on Ventilatory Efficiency and Respiratory Drive in Obese Subjects.

PubMed

Chlif, Mehdi; Chaouachi, Anis; Ahmaidi, Said

2017-07-01

Obese patients show a decline in exercise capacity and diverse degrees of dyspnea in association with mechanical abnormalities, increased ventilatory requirements secondary to the increased metabolic load, and a greater work of breathing. Consequently, obese patients may be particularly predisposed to the development of respiratory muscle fatigue during exercise. The aim of this study was to assess inspiratory muscle performance during incremental exercise in 19 obese male subjects (body mass index 41 ± 6 kg/m 2 ) after aerobic exercise training using the noninvasive, inspiratory muscle tension-time index (T T0.1 ). Measurements performed included anthropometric parameters, lung function assessed by spirometry, rate of perceived breathlessness with the modified Borg dyspnea scale (0-10), breathing pattern, maximal exercise capacity, and inspiratory muscle performance with a breath-by-breath automated exercise metabolic system during an incremental exercise test. T T0.1 was calculated using the equation, T T0.1 = P 0.1 /P Imax × T I /T tot (where P 0.1 represents mouth occlusion pressure, P Imax is maximal inspiratory pressure, and T I /T tot is the duty cycle). At rest, there was no statistically significant difference for spirometric parameters and cardiorespiratory parameters between pre- and post-training. At maximal exercise, the minute ventilation, the rate of exchange ratio, the rate of perceived breathlessness, and the respiratory muscle performance parameters were not significantly different pre- and post-training; in contrast, tidal volume ( P = .037, effect size = 1.51), breathing frequency ( P = .049, effect size = 0.97), power output ( P = .048, effect size = 0.79), peak oxygen uptake ( P = .02, effect size = 0.92) were significantly higher after training. At comparable work load, training induces lower minute ventilation, mouth occlusion pressure, ratio of occlusion pressure to maximal inspiratory pressure, T T0.1 , and rate of perceived breathlessness. Aerobic exercise at ventilatory threshold can induce significant improvement in respiratory muscle strength, maximal exercise capacity, and inspiratory muscle performance and decreased dyspnea perception in obese subjects. Copyright © 2017 by Daedalus Enterprises.

Modulation of genetic associations with serum urate levels by body-mass-index in humans.

PubMed

Huffman, Jennifer E; Albrecht, Eva; Teumer, Alexander; Mangino, Massimo; Kapur, Karen; Johnson, Toby; Kutalik, Zoltán; Pirastu, Nicola; Pistis, Giorgio; Lopez, Lorna M; Haller, Toomas; Salo, Perttu; Goel, Anuj; Li, Man; Tanaka, Toshiko; Dehghan, Abbas; Ruggiero, Daniela; Malerba, Giovanni; Smith, Albert V; Nolte, Ilja M; Portas, Laura; Phipps-Green, Amanda; Boteva, Lora; Navarro, Pau; Johansson, Asa; Hicks, Andrew A; Polasek, Ozren; Esko, Tõnu; Peden, John F; Harris, Sarah E; Murgia, Federico; Wild, Sarah H; Tenesa, Albert; Tin, Adrienne; Mihailov, Evelin; Grotevendt, Anne; Gislason, Gauti K; Coresh, Josef; D'Adamo, Pio; Ulivi, Sheila; Vollenweider, Peter; Waeber, Gerard; Campbell, Susan; Kolcic, Ivana; Fisher, Krista; Viigimaa, Margus; Metter, Jeffrey E; Masciullo, Corrado; Trabetti, Elisabetta; Bombieri, Cristina; Sorice, Rossella; Döring, Angela; Reischl, Eva; Strauch, Konstantin; Hofman, Albert; Uitterlinden, Andre G; Waldenberger, Melanie; Wichmann, H-Erich; Davies, Gail; Gow, Alan J; Dalbeth, Nicola; Stamp, Lisa; Smit, Johannes H; Kirin, Mirna; Nagaraja, Ramaiah; Nauck, Matthias; Schurmann, Claudia; Budde, Kathrin; Farrington, Susan M; Theodoratou, Evropi; Jula, Antti; Salomaa, Veikko; Sala, Cinzia; Hengstenberg, Christian; Burnier, Michel; Mägi, Reedik; Klopp, Norman; Kloiber, Stefan; Schipf, Sabine; Ripatti, Samuli; Cabras, Stefano; Soranzo, Nicole; Homuth, Georg; Nutile, Teresa; Munroe, Patricia B; Hastie, Nicholas; Campbell, Harry; Rudan, Igor; Cabrera, Claudia; Haley, Chris; Franco, Oscar H; Merriman, Tony R; Gudnason, Vilmundur; Pirastu, Mario; Penninx, Brenda W; Snieder, Harold; Metspalu, Andres; Ciullo, Marina; Pramstaller, Peter P; van Duijn, Cornelia M; Ferrucci, Luigi; Gambaro, Giovanni; Deary, Ian J; Dunlop, Malcolm G; Wilson, James F; Gasparini, Paolo; Gyllensten, Ulf; Spector, Tim D; Wright, Alan F; Hayward, Caroline; Watkins, Hugh; Perola, Markus; Bochud, Murielle; Kao, W H Linda; Caulfield, Mark; Toniolo, Daniela; Völzke, Henry; Gieger, Christian; Köttgen, Anna; Vitart, Veronique

2015-01-01

We tested for interactions between body mass index (BMI) and common genetic variants affecting serum urate levels, genome-wide, in up to 42569 participants. Both stratified genome-wide association (GWAS) analyses, in lean, overweight and obese individuals, and regression-type analyses in a non BMI-stratified overall sample were performed. The former did not uncover any novel locus with a major main effect, but supported modulation of effects for some known and potentially new urate loci. The latter highlighted a SNP at RBFOX3 reaching genome-wide significant level (effect size 0.014, 95% CI 0.008-0.02, Pinter= 2.6 x 10-8). Two top loci in interaction term analyses, RBFOX3 and ERO1LB-EDARADD, also displayed suggestive differences in main effect size between the lean and obese strata. All top ranking loci for urate effect differences between BMI categories were novel and most had small magnitude but opposite direction effects between strata. They include the locus RBMS1-TANK (men, Pdifflean-overweight= 4.7 x 10-8), a region that has been associated with several obesity related traits, and TSPYL5 (men, Pdifflean-overweight= 9.1 x 10-8), regulating adipocytes-produced estradiol. The top-ranking known urate loci was ABCG2, the strongest known gout risk locus, with an effect halved in obese compared to lean men (Pdifflean-obese= 2 x 10-4). Finally, pathway analysis suggested a role for N-glycan biosynthesis as a prominent urate-associated pathway in the lean stratum. These results illustrate a potentially powerful way to monitor changes occurring in obesogenic environment.

Modulation of Genetic Associations with Serum Urate Levels by Body-Mass-Index in Humans

PubMed Central

Huffman, Jennifer E.; Albrecht, Eva; Teumer, Alexander; Mangino, Massimo; Kapur, Karen; Johnson, Toby; Kutalik, Zoltán; Pirastu, Nicola; Pistis, Giorgio; Lopez, Lorna M.; Haller, Toomas; Salo, Perttu; Goel, Anuj; Li, Man; Tanaka, Toshiko; Dehghan, Abbas; Ruggiero, Daniela; Malerba, Giovanni; Smith, Albert V.; Nolte, Ilja M.; Portas, Laura; Phipps-Green, Amanda; Boteva, Lora; Navarro, Pau; Johansson, Asa; Hicks, Andrew A.; Polasek, Ozren; Esko, Tõnu; Peden, John F.; Harris, Sarah E.; Murgia, Federico; Wild, Sarah H.; Tenesa, Albert; Tin, Adrienne; Mihailov, Evelin; Grotevendt, Anne; Gislason, Gauti K.; Coresh, Josef; D'Adamo, Pio; Ulivi, Sheila; Vollenweider, Peter; Waeber, Gerard; Campbell, Susan; Kolcic, Ivana; Fisher, Krista; Viigimaa, Margus; Metter, Jeffrey E.; Masciullo, Corrado; Trabetti, Elisabetta; Bombieri, Cristina; Sorice, Rossella; Döring, Angela; Reischl, Eva; Strauch, Konstantin; Hofman, Albert; Uitterlinden, Andre G.; Waldenberger, Melanie; Wichmann, H-Erich; Davies, Gail; Gow, Alan J.; Dalbeth, Nicola; Stamp, Lisa; Smit, Johannes H.; Kirin, Mirna; Nagaraja, Ramaiah; Nauck, Matthias; Schurmann, Claudia; Budde, Kathrin; Farrington, Susan M.; Theodoratou, Evropi; Jula, Antti; Salomaa, Veikko; Sala, Cinzia; Hengstenberg, Christian; Burnier, Michel; Mägi, Reedik; Klopp, Norman; Kloiber, Stefan; Schipf, Sabine; Ripatti, Samuli; Cabras, Stefano; Soranzo, Nicole; Homuth, Georg; Nutile, Teresa; Munroe, Patricia B.; Hastie, Nicholas; Campbell, Harry; Rudan, Igor; Cabrera, Claudia; Haley, Chris; Franco, Oscar H.; Merriman, Tony R.; Gudnason, Vilmundur; Pirastu, Mario; Penninx, Brenda W.; Snieder, Harold; Metspalu, Andres; Ciullo, Marina; Pramstaller, Peter P.; van Duijn, Cornelia M.; Ferrucci, Luigi; Gambaro, Giovanni; Deary, Ian J.; Dunlop, Malcolm G.; Wilson, James F.; Gasparini, Paolo; Gyllensten, Ulf; Spector, Tim D.; Wright, Alan F.; Hayward, Caroline; Watkins, Hugh; Perola, Markus; Bochud, Murielle; Kao, W. H. Linda; Caulfield, Mark; Toniolo, Daniela; Völzke, Henry; Gieger, Christian; Köttgen, Anna; Vitart, Veronique

2015-01-01

We tested for interactions between body mass index (BMI) and common genetic variants affecting serum urate levels, genome-wide, in up to 42569 participants. Both stratified genome-wide association (GWAS) analyses, in lean, overweight and obese individuals, and regression-type analyses in a non BMI-stratified overall sample were performed. The former did not uncover any novel locus with a major main effect, but supported modulation of effects for some known and potentially new urate loci. The latter highlighted a SNP at RBFOX3 reaching genome-wide significant level (effect size 0.014, 95% CI 0.008-0.02, Pinter= 2.6 x 10-8). Two top loci in interaction term analyses, RBFOX3 and ERO1LB-EDARADD, also displayed suggestive differences in main effect size between the lean and obese strata. All top ranking loci for urate effect differences between BMI categories were novel and most had small magnitude but opposite direction effects between strata. They include the locus RBMS1-TANK (men, Pdifflean-overweight= 4.7 x 10-8), a region that has been associated with several obesity related traits, and TSPYL5 (men, Pdifflean-overweight= 9.1 x 10-8), regulating adipocytes-produced estradiol. The top-ranking known urate loci was ABCG2, the strongest known gout risk locus, with an effect halved in obese compared to lean men (Pdifflean-obese= 2 x 10-4). Finally, pathway analysis suggested a role for N-glycan biosynthesis as a prominent urate-associated pathway in the lean stratum. These results illustrate a potentially powerful way to monitor changes occurring in obesogenic environment. PMID:25811787

Effect of heliostat size on the levelized cost of electricity for power towers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pidaparthi, Arvind; Hoffmann, Jaap

2017-06-01

The objective of this study is to investigate the effects of heliostat size on the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) for power tower plants. These effects are analyzed in a power tower with a net capacity of 100 MWe, 8 hours of thermal energy storage and a solar multiple of 1.8 in Upington, South Africa. A large, medium and a small size heliostat with a total area of 115.56 m2, 43.3 m2 and 15.67 m2 respectively are considered for comparison. A radial-staggered pattern and an external cylindrical receiver are considered for the heliostat field layouts. The optical performance of the optimized heliostat field layouts has been evaluated by the Hermite (analytical) method using SolarPILOT, a tool used for the generation and optimization of the heliostat field layout. The heliostat cost per unit is calculated separately for the three different heliostat sizes and the effects due to size scaling, learning curve benefits and the price index is included. The annual operation and maintenance (O&M) costs are estimated separately for the three heliostat fields, where the number of personnel required in the field is determined by the number of heliostats in the field. The LCOE values are used as a figure of merit to compare the different heliostat sizes. The results, which include the economic and the optical performance along with the annual O&M costs, indicate that lowest LCOE values are achieved by the medium size heliostat with an area of 43.3 m2 for this configuration. This study will help power tower developers determine the optimal heliostat size for power tower plants currently in the development stage.

The Effect of Viewing Eccentricity on Enumeration

PubMed Central

Palomares, Melanie; Smith, Paul R.; Pitts, Carole Holley; Carter, Breana M.

2011-01-01

Visual acuity and contrast sensitivity progressively diminish with increasing viewing eccentricity. Here we evaluated how visual enumeration is affected by visual eccentricity, and whether subitizing capacity, the accurate enumeration of a small number (∼3) of items, decreases with more eccentric viewing. Participants enumerated gratings whose (1) stimulus size was constant across eccentricity, and (2) whose stimulus size scaled by a cortical magnification factor across eccentricity. While we found that enumeration accuracy and precision decreased with increasing eccentricity, cortical magnification scaling of size neutralized the deleterious effects of increasing eccentricity. We found that size scaling did not affect subitizing capacities, which were nearly constant across all eccentricities. We also found that size scaling modulated the variation coefficients, a normalized metric of enumeration precision, defined as the standard deviation divided by the mean response. Our results show that the inaccuracy and imprecision associated with increasing viewing eccentricity is due to limitations in spatial resolution. Moreover, our results also support the notion that the precise number system is restricted to small numerosities (represented by the subitizing limit), while the approximate number system extends across both small and large numerosities (indexed by variation coefficients) at large eccentricities. PMID:21695212

The effect of viewing eccentricity on enumeration.

PubMed

Palomares, Melanie; Smith, Paul R; Pitts, Carole Holley; Carter, Breana M

2011-01-01

Visual acuity and contrast sensitivity progressively diminish with increasing viewing eccentricity. Here we evaluated how visual enumeration is affected by visual eccentricity, and whether subitizing capacity, the accurate enumeration of a small number (∼3) of items, decreases with more eccentric viewing. Participants enumerated gratings whose (1) stimulus size was constant across eccentricity, and (2) whose stimulus size scaled by a cortical magnification factor across eccentricity. While we found that enumeration accuracy and precision decreased with increasing eccentricity, cortical magnification scaling of size neutralized the deleterious effects of increasing eccentricity. We found that size scaling did not affect subitizing capacities, which were nearly constant across all eccentricities. We also found that size scaling modulated the variation coefficients, a normalized metric of enumeration precision, defined as the standard deviation divided by the mean response. Our results show that the inaccuracy and imprecision associated with increasing viewing eccentricity is due to limitations in spatial resolution. Moreover, our results also support the notion that the precise number system is restricted to small numerosities (represented by the subitizing limit), while the approximate number system extends across both small and large numerosities (indexed by variation coefficients) at large eccentricities.

Market Impact and Order Book Characteristics in the Korean Futures Market

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Junghoon; Youn, Janghyuk; Chang, Woojin

We have examined the order book characteristics and market impact on the Korean stock index futures market (KOSPI 200 index futures). The distribution of order volumes generally follows power-law distribution. The estimated exponents are 1.9 for market order, 2.5 for limit order, and 2.1 for cancel order. This result is different from the case of stocks where the exponent of market order is larger than that of limit order. The order likelihood is distinctively high in every 50's of order volume, which implies the behavioral characteristics of human preference on round-up numbers. The distributions of bid-ask spread and the best quotes volume provide the evidence of the liquidity of KOSPI 200 index futures market. We have obtained the concave relationship between market impact and transaction volume as well. Finally, the market response behavior is observed regarding various transaction sizes. The size of market response is estimated to be proportional to the size of transaction. Also, the larger the transaction size is, the longer it takes to recover the stability from the impact triggered by transaction.

Improved identification of the solution space of aerosol microphysical properties derived from the inversion of profiles of lidar optical data, part 1: theory.

PubMed

Kolgotin, Alexei; Müller, Detlef; Chemyakin, Eduard; Romanov, Anton

2016-12-01

Multiwavelength Raman/high spectral resolution lidars that measure backscatter coefficients at 355, 532, and 1064 nm and extinction coefficients at 355 and 532 nm can be used for the retrieval of particle microphysical parameters, such as effective and mean radius, number, surface-area and volume concentrations, and complex refractive index, from inversion algorithms. In this study, we carry out a correlation analysis in order to investigate the degree of dependence that may exist between the optical data taken with lidar and the underlying microphysical parameters. We also investigate if the correlation properties identified in our study can be used as a priori or a posteriori constraints for our inversion scheme so that the inversion results can be improved. We made the simplifying assumption of error-free optical data in order to find out what correlations exist in the best case situation. Clearly, for practical applications, erroneous data need to be considered too. On the basis of simulations with synthetic optical data, we find the following results, which hold true for arbitrary particle size distributions, i.e., regardless of the modality or the shape of the size distribution function: surface-area concentrations and extinction coefficients are linearly correlated with a correlation coefficient above 0.99. We also find a correlation coefficient above 0.99 for the extinction coefficient versus (1) the ratio of the volume concentration to effective radius and (2) the product of the number concentration times the sum of the squares of the mean radius and standard deviation of the investigated particle size distributions. Besides that, we find that for particles of any mode fraction of the particle size distribution, the complex refractive index is uniquely defined by extinction- and backscatter-related Ångström exponents, lidar ratios at two wavelengths, and an effective radius.

Awareness and compliance with recommended running shoe guidelines among U.S. Army soldiers.

PubMed

Teyhen, Deydre S; Thomas, Rachelle M; Roberts, Candi C; Gray, Brian E; Robbins, Travis; McPoil, Thomas; Childs, John D; Molloy, Joseph M

2010-11-01

The purpose of this study was to determine awareness and compliance with recommended running shoe selection, sizing, and replacement guidelines among U.S. Army soldiers. Soldiers (n = 524) attending training at Fort Sam Houston, Texas completed self-report questionnaires and a foot assessment, which included measurement of foot size and arch height index. Researchers examined each soldier's running shoes for type, wear pattern, and general condition. Thirty-five percent of the soldiers wore shoes that were inappropriately sized; 56.5% wore shoes that were inappropriate for their foot type. Thirty-five percent of the soldiers had excessively worn shoes and 63% did not know recommended shoe replacement guidelines. Further efforts may be necessary to ensure that soldiers are aware of and compliant with recommended running shoe selection, sizing, and replacement guidelines. Future research is needed to determine whether adherence to these guidelines has a favorable effect on reducing risk of overuse injury.

Fiber-chip edge coupler with large mode size for silicon photonic wire waveguides.

PubMed

Papes, Martin; Cheben, Pavel; Benedikovic, Daniel; Schmid, Jens H; Pond, James; Halir, Robert; Ortega-Moñux, Alejandro; Wangüemert-Pérez, Gonzalo; Ye, Winnie N; Xu, Dan-Xia; Janz, Siegfried; Dado, Milan; Vašinek, Vladimír

2016-03-07

Fiber-chip edge couplers are extensively used in integrated optics for coupling of light between planar waveguide circuits and optical fibers. In this work, we report on a new fiber-chip edge coupler concept with large mode size for silicon photonic wire waveguides. The coupler allows direct coupling with conventional cleaved optical fibers with large mode size while circumventing the need for lensed fibers. The coupler is designed for 220 nm silicon-on-insulator (SOI) platform. It exhibits an overall coupling efficiency exceeding 90%, as independently confirmed by 3D Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) and fully vectorial 3D Eigenmode Expansion (EME) calculations. We present two specific coupler designs, namely for a high numerical aperture single mode optical fiber with 6 µm mode field diameter (MFD) and a standard SMF-28 fiber with 10.4 µm MFD. An important advantage of our coupler concept is the ability to expand the mode at the chip edge without leading to high substrate leakage losses through buried oxide (BOX), which in our design is set to 3 µm. This remarkable feature is achieved by implementing in the SiO 2 upper cladding thin high-index Si 3 N 4 layers. The Si 3 N 4 layers increase the effective refractive index of the upper cladding near the facet. The index is controlled along the taper by subwavelength refractive index engineering to facilitate adiabatic mode transformation to the silicon wire waveguide while the Si-wire waveguide is inversely tapered along the coupler. The mode overlap optimization at the chip facet is carried out with a full vectorial mode solver. The mode transformation along the coupler is studied using 3D-FDTD simulations and with fully-vectorial 3D-EME calculations. The couplers are optimized for operating with transverse electric (TE) polarization and the operating wavelength is centered at 1.55 µm.

Relations between the Sizes of Galaxies and Their Dark Matter Halos at Redshifts 0 < z < 3

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

Huang, Kuang-Han; Fall, S. Michael; Ferguson, Henry C.

2017-03-20

We derive relations between the effective radii R {sub eff} of galaxies and the virial radii R {sub 200} {sub c} of their dark matter halos over the redshift range 0 < z < 3. For galaxies, we use the measured sizes from deep images taken with Hubble Space Telescope for the Cosmic Assembly Near-infrared Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey; for halos, we use the inferred sizes from abundance matching to cosmological dark matter simulations via a stellar mass–halo mass (SMHM) relation. For this purpose, we derive a new SMHM relation based on the same selection criteria and other assumptions asmore » for our sample of galaxies with size measurements. As a check on the robustness of our results, we also derive R {sub eff}–R {sub 200} {sub c} relations for three independent SMHM relations from the literature. We find that galaxy R {sub eff} is proportional on average to halo R {sub 200} {sub c}, confirming and extending to high redshifts the z = 0 results of Kravtsov. Late-type galaxies (with low Sérsic index and high specific star formation rate (sSFR)) follow a linear R {sub eff}– R {sub 200} {sub c} relation, with effective radii at 0.5 < z < 3 close to those predicted by simple models of disk formation; at z < 0.5, the sizes of late-type galaxies appear to be slightly below this prediction. Early-type galaxies (with high Sérsic index and low sSFR) follow a roughly parallel R {sub eff}– R {sub 200} {sub c} relation, ∼0.2–0.3 dex below the one for late-type galaxies. Our observational results, reinforced by recent hydrodynamical simulations, indicate that galaxies grow quasi-homologously with their dark matter halos.« less

The Effective Dynamic Ranges for Glaucomatous Visual Field Progression With Standard Automated Perimetry and Stimulus Sizes III and V

PubMed Central

Zamba, Gideon K. D.; Artes, Paul H.

2018-01-01

Purpose It has been shown that threshold estimates below approximately 20 dB have little effect on the ability to detect visual field progression in glaucoma. We aimed to compare stimulus size V to stimulus size III, in areas of visual damage, to confirm these findings by using (1) a different dataset, (2) different techniques of progression analysis, and (3) an analysis to evaluate the effect of censoring on mean deviation (MD). Methods In the Iowa Variability in Perimetry Study, 120 glaucoma subjects were tested every 6 months for 4 years with size III SITA Standard and size V Full Threshold. Progression was determined with three complementary techniques: pointwise linear regression (PLR), permutation of PLR, and linear regression of the MD index. All analyses were repeated on “censored'' datasets in which threshold estimates below a given criterion value were set to equal the criterion value. Results Our analyses confirmed previous observations that threshold estimates below 20 dB contribute much less to visual field progression than estimates above this range. These findings were broadly similar with stimulus sizes III and V. Conclusions Censoring of threshold values < 20 dB has relatively little impact on the rates of visual field progression in patients with mild to moderate glaucoma. Size V, which has lower retest variability, performs at least as well as size III for longitudinal glaucoma progression analysis and appears to have a larger useful dynamic range owing to the upper sensitivity limit being higher. PMID:29356822

Reflexology has an acute (immediate) haemodynamic effect in healthy volunteers: a double-blind randomised controlled trial.

PubMed

Jones, Jenny; Thomson, Patricia; Lauder, William; Howie, Kate; Leslie, Stephen J

2012-11-01

Reflexologists claim that massage to specific points of the feet increases blood supply to internal organs. This study measured changes in cardiovascular parameters in subjects receiving reflexology to areas of their feet thought to correspond to the heart (intervention) compared with other areas which are not (control). 16 reflexology-naive healthy volunteers received an active and control reflexology treatment in an RCT, double-blind repeated measures study. 'Beat-to-beat' continuous measurement of selected cardiovascular parameters, State Anxiety Inventory. Cardiac index decreased significantly in the intervention group during left foot treatment (LFT) (baseline mean 2.6; standard deviation (SD) 0.75; 95% CI ± 0.38 vs. LFT mean 2.45; SD 0.68; CI 0.35), effect size (p = 0.035, omega squared effect (w2) = 0.002; w = 0.045). Reflexology massage applied to the upper part of the left foot may have a modest specific effect on the cardiac index of healthy volunteers. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Screening actuator locations for static shape control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haftka, Raphael T.

1990-01-01

Correction of shape distortion due to zero-mean normally distributed errors in structural sizes which are random variables is examined. A bound on the maximum improvement in the expected value of the root-mean-square shape error is obtained. The shape correction associated with the optimal actuators is also characterized. An actuator effectiveness index is developed and shown to be helpful in screening actuator locations in the structure. The results are specialized to a simple form for truss structures composed of nominally identical members. The bound and effectiveness index are tested on a 55-m radiometer antenna truss structure. It is found that previously obtained results for optimum actuators had a performance close to the bound obtained here. Furthermore, the actuators associated with the optimum design are shown to have high effectiveness indices. Since only a small fraction of truss elements tend to have high effectiveness indices, the proposed screening procedure can greatly reduce the number of truss members that need to be considered as actuator sites.

More reliable inference for the dissimilarity index of segregation

PubMed Central

Allen, Rebecca; Burgess, Simon; Davidson, Russell; Windmeijer, Frank

2015-01-01

Summary The most widely used measure of segregation is the so‐called dissimilarity index. It is now well understood that this measure also reflects randomness in the allocation of individuals to units (i.e. it measures deviations from evenness, not deviations from randomness). This leads to potentially large values of the segregation index when unit sizes and/or minority proportions are small, even if there is no underlying systematic segregation. Our response to this is to produce adjustments to the index, based on an underlying statistical model. We specify the assignment problem in a very general way, with differences in conditional assignment probabilities underlying the resulting segregation. From this, we derive a likelihood ratio test for the presence of any systematic segregation, and bias adjustments to the dissimilarity index. We further develop the asymptotic distribution theory for testing hypotheses concerning the magnitude of the segregation index and show that the use of bootstrap methods can improve the size and power properties of test procedures considerably. We illustrate these methods by comparing dissimilarity indices across school districts in England to measure social segregation. PMID:27774035

Rotating of low-refractive-index microparticles with a quasi-perfect optical vortex.

PubMed

Liang, Yansheng; Lei, Ming; Yan, Shaohui; Li, Manman; Cai, Yanan; Wang, Zhaojun; Yu, Xianghua; Yao, Baoli

2018-01-01

Low-refractive-index microparticles, such as hollow microspheres, have shown great significance in some applications, such as biomedical sensing and targeted drug delivery. However, optical trapping and manipulation of low-refractive-index microparticles are challenging, owing to the repelling force exerted by typical optical traps. In this paper, we demonstrated optical trapping and rotating of large-sized low-refractive-index microparticles by using quasi-perfect optical vortex (quasi-POV) beams, which were generated by Fourier transform of high-order quasi-Bessel beams. Numerical simulation was carried out to characterize the focusing property of the quasi-POV beams. The dynamics of low-refractive-index microparticles in the quasi-POV with various topological charges was investigated in detail. To improve the trapping and rotating performances of the vortex, a point trap was introduced at the center of the ring. Experimental results showed that the quasi-POV was preferable for manipulation of large-sized low-refractive-index microparticles, with its control of the particles' rotating velocity dependent only on the topological charge due to the unchanged orbital radius.

Controlling chitosan-based encapsulation for protein and vaccine delivery

PubMed Central

Koppolu, Bhanu prasanth; Smith, Sean G.; Ravindranathan, Sruthi; Jayanthi, Srinivas; Kumar, Thallapuranam K.S.; Zaharoff, David A.

2014-01-01

Chitosan-based nano/microencapsulation is under increasing investigation for the delivery of drugs, biologics and vaccines. Despite widespread interest, the literature lacks a defined methodology to control chitosan particle size and drug/protein release kinetics. In this study, the effects of precipitation-coacervation formulation parameters on chitosan particle size, protein encapsulation efficiency and protein release were investigated. Chitosan particle sizes, which ranged from 300 nm to 3 μm, were influenced by chitosan concentration, chitosan molecular weight and addition rate of precipitant salt. The composition of precipitant salt played a significant role in particle formation with upper Hofmeister series salts containing strongly hydrated anions yielding particles with a low polydispersity index (PDI) while weaker anions resulted in aggregated particles with high PDIs. Sonication power had minimal effect on mean particle size, however, it significantly reduced polydispersity. Protein loading efficiencies in chitosan nano/microparticles, which ranged from 14.3% to 99.2%, was inversely related to the hydration strength of precipitant salts, protein molecular weight and directly related to the concentration and molecular weight of chitosan. Protein release rates increased with particle size and were generally inversely related to protein molecular weight. This study demonstrates that chitosan nano/microparticles with high protein loading efficiencies can be engineered with well-defined sizes and controllable release kinetics through manipulation of specific formulation parameters. PMID:24560459

Size-controlled fabrication of zein nano/microparticles by modified anti-solvent precipitation with/without sodium caseinate

PubMed Central

Li, Feng; Chen, Yan; Liu, Shubo; Qi, Jian; Wang, Weiying; Wang, Chenhua; Zhong, Ruiyue; Chen, Zhijun; Li, Xiaoming; Guan, Yuanzhou; Kong, Wei; Zhang, Yong

2017-01-01

Zein-based nano/microparticles have been demonstrated to be promising carrier systems for both the food industry and biomedical applications. However, the fabrication of size-controlled zein particles has been a challenging issue. In this study, a modified anti-solvent precipitation method was developed, and the effects of various factors, such as mixing method, solvent/anti-solvent ratio, temperature, zein concentrations and the presence of sodium caseinate (SC) on properties of zein particles were investigated. Evidence is presented that, among the previously mentioned factors, the mixing method, especially mixing rate, could be used as an effective parameter to control the size of zein particles without changing other parameters. Moreover, through fine-tuning the mixing rate together with zein concentration, particles with sizes ranging from nanometers to micrometers and low polydispersity index values could be easily obtained. Based on the size-controlled fabrication method, SC-coated zein nanoparticles could also be obtained in a size-controlled manner by incubation of the coating material with the already-formed zein particles. The resultant nanoparticles showed better performance in both drug loading and controlled release, compared with zein/SC hybrid nanoparticles fabricated by adding aqueous ethanol solution to SC solution. The possible mechanisms of the nanoprecipitation process and self-assembly formation of these nanoparticles are discussed. PMID:29184408

Size-controlled fabrication of zein nano/microparticles by modified anti-solvent precipitation with/without sodium caseinate.

PubMed

Li, Feng; Chen, Yan; Liu, Shubo; Qi, Jian; Wang, Weiying; Wang, Chenhua; Zhong, Ruiyue; Chen, Zhijun; Li, Xiaoming; Guan, Yuanzhou; Kong, Wei; Zhang, Yong

2017-01-01

Zein-based nano/microparticles have been demonstrated to be promising carrier systems for both the food industry and biomedical applications. However, the fabrication of size-controlled zein particles has been a challenging issue. In this study, a modified anti-solvent precipitation method was developed, and the effects of various factors, such as mixing method, solvent/anti-solvent ratio, temperature, zein concentrations and the presence of sodium caseinate (SC) on properties of zein particles were investigated. Evidence is presented that, among the previously mentioned factors, the mixing method, especially mixing rate, could be used as an effective parameter to control the size of zein particles without changing other parameters. Moreover, through fine-tuning the mixing rate together with zein concentration, particles with sizes ranging from nanometers to micrometers and low polydispersity index values could be easily obtained. Based on the size-controlled fabrication method, SC-coated zein nanoparticles could also be obtained in a size-controlled manner by incubation of the coating material with the already-formed zein particles. The resultant nanoparticles showed better performance in both drug loading and controlled release, compared with zein/SC hybrid nanoparticles fabricated by adding aqueous ethanol solution to SC solution. The possible mechanisms of the nanoprecipitation process and self-assembly formation of these nanoparticles are discussed.

Specific surface area as a maturity index of lunar fines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gammage, R. B.; Holmes, H. F.

1975-01-01

Mature surface fines have an equilibrium specific surface area of about 0.6 sq m/g the equivalent mean particle size being about 3 microns. The adsorption behavior of inert gases (reversible isotherms) indicates that the particles are also nonporous in the size range of pores from 10 to 3000 A. Apparently, in mature soils there is a balance in the forces which cause fining, attrition, pore filling, and growth of lunar dust grains. Immature, lightly irradiated soils usually have coarser grains which reduce in size as aging proceeds. The specific surface area, determined by nitrogen or krypton sorption at 77 K, is a valuable index of soil maturity.

High-efficiency water-loaded microwave antenna in ultra-high-frequency band

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gong, Zilun; Bartone, Chris; Yang, Fuyi; Yao, Jie

2018-03-01

High-index dielectrics are widely used in microwave antennas to control the radiation characteristics. Liquid water, with a high dielectric index at microwave frequency, is an interesting material to achieving tunable functionalities. Here, we demonstrate a water-loaded microwave antenna system that has high loss-tolerance and wideband tunability enabled by fluidity. Our simulation and experimental results show that the resonance frequency can be effectively tuned by the size of loading water. Furthermore, the antenna systems with water loading can achieve high radiation efficiency (>90%) in the ultra-high-frequency (0.3-3 GHz) band. This work brings about opportunities in realistic tunable microwave antenna designs enabled by liquid.

Accurate in situ measurement of complex refractive index and particle size in intralipid emulsions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Miao L.; Goyal, Kashika G.; Worth, Bradley W.; Makkar, Sorab S.; Calhoun, William R.; Bali, Lalit M.; Bali, Samir

2013-08-01

A first accurate measurement of the complex refractive index in an intralipid emulsion is demonstrated, and thereby the average scatterer particle size using standard Mie scattering calculations is extracted. Our method is based on measurement and modeling of the reflectance of a divergent laser beam from the sample surface. In the absence of any definitive reference data for the complex refractive index or particle size in highly turbid intralipid emulsions, we base our claim of accuracy on the fact that our work offers several critically important advantages over previously reported attempts. First, our measurements are in situ in the sense that they do not require any sample dilution, thus eliminating dilution errors. Second, our theoretical model does not employ any fitting parameters other than the two quantities we seek to determine, i.e., the real and imaginary parts of the refractive index, thus eliminating ambiguities arising from multiple extraneous fitting parameters. Third, we fit the entire reflectance-versus-incident-angle data curve instead of focusing on only the critical angle region, which is just a small subset of the data. Finally, despite our use of highly scattering opaque samples, our experiment uniquely satisfies a key assumption behind the Mie scattering formalism, namely, no multiple scattering occurs. Further proof of our method's validity is given by the fact that our measured particle size finds good agreement with the value obtained by dynamic light scattering.

Accurate in situ measurement of complex refractive index and particle size in intralipid emulsions.

PubMed

Dong, Miao L; Goyal, Kashika G; Worth, Bradley W; Makkar, Sorab S; Calhoun, William R; Bali, Lalit M; Bali, Samir

2013-08-01

A first accurate measurement of the complex refractive index in an intralipid emulsion is demonstrated, and thereby the average scatterer particle size using standard Mie scattering calculations is extracted. Our method is based on measurement and modeling of the reflectance of a divergent laser beam from the sample surface. In the absence of any definitive reference data for the complex refractive index or particle size in highly turbid intralipid emulsions, we base our claim of accuracy on the fact that our work offers several critically important advantages over previously reported attempts. First, our measurements are in situ in the sense that they do not require any sample dilution, thus eliminating dilution errors. Second, our theoretical model does not employ any fitting parameters other than the two quantities we seek to determine, i.e., the real and imaginary parts of the refractive index, thus eliminating ambiguities arising from multiple extraneous fitting parameters. Third, we fit the entire reflectance-versus-incident-angle data curve instead of focusing on only the critical angle region, which is just a small subset of the data. Finally, despite our use of highly scattering opaque samples, our experiment uniquely satisfies a key assumption behind the Mie scattering formalism, namely, no multiple scattering occurs. Further proof of our method's validity is given by the fact that our measured particle size finds good agreement with the value obtained by dynamic light scattering.

Refractive index sensor based on lateral-offset of coreless silica interferometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baharin, Nur Faizzah; Azmi, Asrul Izam; Abdullah, Ahmad Sharmi; Mohd Noor, Muhammad Yusof

2018-02-01

A compact, cost-effective and high sensitivity fiber interferometer refractive index (RI) sensor based on symmetrical offset coreless silica fiber (CSF) configuration is proposed, optimized and demonstrated. The sensor is formed by splicing a section of CSF between two CSF sections in an offset manner. Thus, two distinct optical paths are created with large index difference, the first path through the connecting CSF sections and the second path is outside the CSF through the surrounding media. RI sensing is established from direct interaction of light with surrounding media, hence high sensitivity can be achieved with a relatively compact sensor length. In the experimental work, a 1.5 mm sensor demonstrates RI sensitivity of 750 nm/RIU for RI range between 1.33 and 1.345. With the main attributes of high sensitivity and compact size, the proposed sensor can be further developed for related applications including blood diagnosis, water quality control and food industries.

Effects of Saponification Rate on Electrooptical Properties and Morphology of Poly(vinyl alcohol)/Liquid Crystal Composite Films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ono, Hiroshi; Kawatsuki, Nobuhiro

1995-03-01

The relationship between the saponification rate of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), and the electrooptical properties and morphology of the PVA/liquid crystal (LC) composite films was investigated. Light transmission clazing and the LC droplet size were varied by changing the saponification rate or the blend ratio of two kinds of PVA with different saponification rates because the refractive index and surface tension could be controlled by the saponification rate of PVA. The threshold voltage decreased with increasing saponification rate though the extrapolation length was decreased. It was suggested that the electrooptical properties were strongly dependent on the droplet size.

Atmospheric aerosols: Their Optical Properties and Effects (supplement)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1976-01-01

A digest of technical papers is presented. Topics include aerosol size distribution from spectral attenuation with scattering measurements; comparison of extinction and backscattering coefficients for measured and analytic stratospheric aerosol size distributions; using hybrid methods to solve problems in radiative transfer and in multiple scattering; blue moon phenomena; absorption refractive index of aerosols in the Denver pollution cloud; a two dimensional stratospheric model of the dispersion of aerosols from the Fuego volcanic eruption; the variation of the aerosol volume to light scattering coefficient; spectrophone in situ measurements of the absorption of visible light by aerosols; a reassessment of the Krakatoa volcanic turbidity, and multiple scattering in the sky radiance.

Morphology-Dependent Resonances of Spherical Droplets with Numerous Microscopic Inclusions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mishchenko, Michael I.; Liu, Li; Mackowski, Daniel W.

2014-01-01

We use the recently extended superposition T-matrix method to study the behavior of a sharp Lorenz-Mie resonance upon filling a spherical micrometer-sized droplet with tens and hundreds of randomly positioned microscopic inclusions. We show that as the number of inclusions increases, the extinction cross-section peak and the sharp asymmetry-parameter minimum become suppressed, widen, and move toward smaller droplet size parameters, while ratios of diagonal elements of the scattering matrix exhibit sharp angular features indicative of a distinctly nonspherical particle. Our results highlight the limitedness of the concept of an effective refractive index of an inhomogeneous spherical particle.

Analysis of multinomial models with unknown index using data augmentation

USGS Publications Warehouse

Royle, J. Andrew; Dorazio, R.M.; Link, W.A.

2007-01-01

Multinomial models with unknown index ('sample size') arise in many practical settings. In practice, Bayesian analysis of such models has proved difficult because the dimension of the parameter space is not fixed, being in some cases a function of the unknown index. We describe a data augmentation approach to the analysis of this class of models that provides for a generic and efficient Bayesian implementation. Under this approach, the data are augmented with all-zero detection histories. The resulting augmented dataset is modeled as a zero-inflated version of the complete-data model where an estimable zero-inflation parameter takes the place of the unknown multinomial index. Interestingly, data augmentation can be justified as being equivalent to imposing a discrete uniform prior on the multinomial index. We provide three examples involving estimating the size of an animal population, estimating the number of diabetes cases in a population using the Rasch model, and the motivating example of estimating the number of species in an animal community with latent probabilities of species occurrence and detection.

Parental exposure to heavy fuel oil induces developmental toxicity in offspring of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus intermedius.

PubMed

Duan, Meina; Xiong, Deqi; Yang, Mengye; Xiong, Yijun; Ding, Guanghui

2018-05-03

The present study investigated the toxic effects of parental (maternal/paternal) exposure to heavy fuel oil (HFO) on the adult reproductive state, gamete quality and development of the offspring of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus intermedius. Adult sea urchins were exposed to effluents from HFO-oiled gravel columns for 7 days to simulate an oil-contaminated gravel shore, and then gametes of adult sea urchins were used to produce embryos to determine developmental toxicity. For adult sea urchins, no significant difference in the somatic size and weight was found between the various oil loadings tested, while the gonad weight and gonad index were significantly decreased at higher oil loadings. The spawning ability of adults and fecundity of females significantly decreased. For gametes, no effect was observed on the egg size and fertilization success in any of the groups. However, a significant increase in the percentage of anomalies in the offspring was observed and then quantified by an integrative toxicity index (ITI) at 24 and 48 h post fertilization. The offspring from exposed parents showed higher ITI values with more malformed embryos. The results confirmed that parental exposure to HFO can cause adverse effects on the offspring and consequently affect the recruitment and population maintenance of sea urchins. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Variability of the occurrence frequency of solar flares as a function of peak hard X-ray rate

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bai, T.

1993-01-01

We study the occurrence frequency of solar flares as a function of the hard X-ray peak count rate, using observations of the Solar Maximum Mission. The size distributions are well represented by power-law distributions with negative indices. As a better alternative to the conventional method, we devise a maximum likelihood method of determining the power-law index of the size distribution. We find that the power-law index of the size distribution changes with time and with the phase of the 154-day periodicity. The size distribution is steeper during the maximum years of solar cycle 21 (1980 and 1981) than during the declining phase (1982-1984). The size distribution, however, is flatter during the maximum phase of the 154-day periodicity than during the minimum phase. The implications of these findings are discussed.

The intellectual profile of abused and neglected children in the Philippines: An analysis of SB5 IQ scores of sexually abused, physically abused and neglected children.

PubMed

Bengwasan, Peejay D

2018-05-24

Child abuse and neglect have been associated with cognitive deficits, among other effects on child development. This study explores the prediction that child abuse and neglect has an impact on Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales 5th Edition (SB5) IQ scores, in relation to gender, age and type of abuse experienced. 300 children with experiences of abuse and neglect were included in the study, comprising 100 sexually abused, 100 physically abused and 100 neglected children. Overall, all scores on the SB5 were found to be significantly lower than the minimum average scores on the test. Verbal IQ (VIQ) scores were likewise found to be significantly lower than Nonverbal IQ (NVIQ) scores. Full Scale IQ (FSIQ) scores did not reveal heterogeneity when gender was factored in. Age and type of abuse (with a moderate effect size) on the other hand, showed significant differences among groups. Statistical analyses of SB5 Factor Index Scores revealed that abused children, in general, have significantly higher Visual-Spatial Processing (VS) and Quantitative Reasoning (QR) scores and lower scores in Knowledge (KN). There was a large effect size found in such an analysis. Age (with a large effect size), gender and type of abuse (with moderate effect sizes) give significant variations to this obtained profile. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Eliciting mixed emotions: a meta-analysis comparing models, types, and measures.

PubMed

Berrios, Raul; Totterdell, Peter; Kellett, Stephen

2015-01-01

The idea that people can experience two oppositely valenced emotions has been controversial ever since early attempts to investigate the construct of mixed emotions. This meta-analysis examined the robustness with which mixed emotions have been elicited experimentally. A systematic literature search identified 63 experimental studies that instigated the experience of mixed emotions. Studies were distinguished according to the structure of the underlying affect model-dimensional or discrete-as well as according to the type of mixed emotions studied (e.g., happy-sad, fearful-happy, positive-negative). The meta-analysis using a random-effects model revealed a moderate to high effect size for the elicitation of mixed emotions (d IG+ = 0.77), which remained consistent regardless of the structure of the affect model, and across different types of mixed emotions. Several methodological and design moderators were tested. Studies using the minimum index (i.e., the minimum value between a pair of opposite valenced affects) resulted in smaller effect sizes, whereas subjective measures of mixed emotions increased the effect sizes. The presence of more women in the samples was also associated with larger effect sizes. The current study indicates that mixed emotions are a robust, measurable and non-artifactual experience. The results are discussed in terms of the implications for an affect system that has greater versatility and flexibility than previously thought.

Eliciting mixed emotions: a meta-analysis comparing models, types, and measures

PubMed Central

Berrios, Raul; Totterdell, Peter; Kellett, Stephen

2015-01-01

The idea that people can experience two oppositely valenced emotions has been controversial ever since early attempts to investigate the construct of mixed emotions. This meta-analysis examined the robustness with which mixed emotions have been elicited experimentally. A systematic literature search identified 63 experimental studies that instigated the experience of mixed emotions. Studies were distinguished according to the structure of the underlying affect model—dimensional or discrete—as well as according to the type of mixed emotions studied (e.g., happy-sad, fearful-happy, positive-negative). The meta-analysis using a random-effects model revealed a moderate to high effect size for the elicitation of mixed emotions (dIG+ = 0.77), which remained consistent regardless of the structure of the affect model, and across different types of mixed emotions. Several methodological and design moderators were tested. Studies using the minimum index (i.e., the minimum value between a pair of opposite valenced affects) resulted in smaller effect sizes, whereas subjective measures of mixed emotions increased the effect sizes. The presence of more women in the samples was also associated with larger effect sizes. The current study indicates that mixed emotions are a robust, measurable and non-artifactual experience. The results are discussed in terms of the implications for an affect system that has greater versatility and flexibility than previously thought. PMID:25926805

Global scale variability of the mineral dust longwave refractive index from laboratory chamber experiments: re‒evaluation of its direct radiative effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Di Biagio, C.; Formenti, P.; Balkanski, Y.; Caponi, L.; Cazaunau, M.; Pangui, E.; Journet, E.; Nowak, S.; Caquineau, S.; Andreae, M. O.; Kandler, K.; Saeed, T.; Piketh, S.; Seibert, D.; Williams, E.; Boucher, O.; Doussin, J. F.

2017-12-01

New measurements of the longwave complex refractive index (LW CRI) of mineral dust and its global variability were obtained in situ in the 4.2 m3CESAM simulation chamber at LISA (Laboratoire Interuniversitaire des Systemes Atmospheriques) in Créteil, France. Aerosols generated by mechanical shaking from nineteen natural soils with contrasted mineralogical composition were suspended in the chamber, where their LW extinction spectra (2-16 μm), size distribution, and mineralogical composition were measured. The CRI of the dust aerosol was obtained by optical calculations based upon the measured extinction spectrum and size distribution. Laboratory results indicate that the LW refractive index of dust strongly varies with the source region of emission in link with the changes of its mineralogy. In the 2-16 μm spectral range, the imaginary refractive index (k) is between 0.001 and 0.92, and the real part (n) in the range 0.84-1.94. The strength of the dust absorption at 7 and 11.4 µm depends on the amount of calcite within the samples, while the absorption between 8 and 14 µm is determined by the relative abundance of quartz and clays. A linear relationship between the magnitude of k at 7, 9.2, and 11.4 µm and the mass concentration of calcite and quartz absorbing at these wavelengths was found, which suggests that predictive rules could be established to estimate the LW refractive index of dust in specific bands based on an assumed or predicted mineralogical composition. Our observations also suggest that the LW CRI of dust does not change as a result of the loss of coarse particles by gravitational settling, so that a constant value can be assumed close to sources and following transport. This unprecedented dataset of refractive indices was used as input into the LMDZORINCA model coupled with the RRTM radiative transfer module in order to re‒evaluate the direct dust LW radiative effect. This represents a first attempt to use regional‒dependent values of the LW refractive indices rather than generic values in models. Results from the simulations indicate that with these new refractive indices the LW direct effect of dust is significantly smaller compared to most of the already published results.

Treatment of Osteoarthritis of the Knee with a Combination of Autologous Conditioned Serum and Physiotherapy: A Two-Year Observational Study.

PubMed

Baselga García-Escudero, Jaime; Miguel Hernández Trillos, Pedro

2015-01-01

Autologous conditioned serum (ACS) is an autologous blood product that has shown efficacy against knee osteoarthritis (OA) in randomized controlled trials. However, there are few reports of its effectiveness in everyday practice. Here, we report clinical efficacy results from a two-year prospective observational study of patients with highly symptomatic knee OA who received ACS in conjunction with physiotherapy. 118 patients with unilateral knee OA (Kellgren-Lawrence grades I-IV), who were candidates for surgery but instead chose conservative treatment, were treated with a combination of four intra-articular injections of ACS (2 mL each) once weekly over four weeks and subsequent physiotherapy applied 4 weeks after ACS injection. Main endpoints of the study were pain (Numeric Rating Scale [NRS]) assessed at 0, 3, 6, 12 and 24 months, and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) global score, assessed at 0 and 24 months. The effect size (Cohen's d) was calculated for pain and WOMAC outcomes, with effect sizes >0.8 considered large. By 3 months, there were significant improvements in pain (NRS) from baseline (-63.0%, p<0.001), which were maintained over 24 months. Mean WOMAC global score was reduced at 24 months compared to baseline (-56.9%, p<0.001), as were WOMAC subscores of pain (-86.0%, p<0.001) and function (-51.3%, p<0.001). Effect sizes for pain (>5) and WOMAC improvement (8.0-13.6) were very large. Only one patient received total knee joint replacement during the study. Clinical improvement did not correlate with gender, age, Kellgren-Lawrence grade, or body mass index. Treatment with ACS and physiotherapy produced a rapid decline in pain, which was sustained for the entire two years of the study. This was accompanied by a large improvement in WOMAC scores at two years. These results confirm that ACS combined with physiotherapy is an effective treatment for OA of the knee.

Comparison of patient specific dose metrics between chest radiography, tomosynthesis, and CT for adult patients of wide ranging body habitus

PubMed Central

Zhang, Yakun; Li, Xiang; Segars, W. Paul; Samei, Ehsan

2014-01-01

Purpose: Given the radiation concerns inherent to the x-ray modalities, accurately estimating the radiation doses that patients receive during different imaging modalities is crucial. This study estimated organ doses, effective doses, and risk indices for the three clinical chest x-ray imaging techniques (chest radiography, tomosynthesis, and CT) using 59 anatomically variable voxelized phantoms and Monte Carlo simulation methods. Methods: A total of 59 computational anthropomorphic male and female extended cardiac-torso (XCAT) adult phantoms were used in this study. Organ doses and effective doses were estimated for a clinical radiography system with the capability of conducting chest radiography and tomosynthesis (Definium 8000, VolumeRAD, GE Healthcare) and a clinical CT system (LightSpeed VCT, GE Healthcare). A Monte Carlo dose simulation program (PENELOPE, version 2006, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain) was used to mimic these two clinical systems. The Duke University (Durham, NC) technique charts were used to determine the clinical techniques for the radiographic modalities. An exponential relationship between CTDIvol and patient diameter was used to determine the absolute dose values for CT. The simulations of the two clinical systems compute organ and tissue doses, which were then used to calculate effective dose and risk index. The calculation of the two dose metrics used the tissue weighting factors from ICRP Publication 103 and BEIR VII report. Results: The average effective dose of the chest posteroanterior examination was found to be 0.04 mSv, which was 1.3% that of the chest CT examination. The average effective dose of the chest tomosynthesis examination was found to be about ten times that of the chest posteroanterior examination and about 12% that of the chest CT examination. With increasing patient average chest diameter, both the effective dose and risk index for CT increased considerably in an exponential fashion, while these two dose metrics only increased slightly for radiographic modalities and for chest tomosynthesis. Effective and organ doses normalized to mAs all illustrated an exponential decrease with increasing patient size. As a surface organ, breast doses had less correlation with body size than that of lungs or liver. Conclusions: Patient body size has a much greater impact on radiation dose of chest CT examinations than chest radiography and tomosynthesis. The size of a patient should be considered when choosing the best thoracic imaging modality. PMID:24506654

Power Scaling of Petroleum Field Sizes and Movie Box Office Earnings.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haley, J. A.; Barton, C. C.

2017-12-01

The size-cumulative frequency distribution of petroleum fields has long been shown to be power scaling, Mandelbrot, 1963, and Barton and Scholz, 1995. The scaling exponents for petroleum field volumes range from 0.8 to 1.08 worldwide and are used to assess the size and number of undiscovered fields. The size-cumulative frequency distribution of movie box office earnings also exhibits a power scaling distribution for domestic, overseas, and worldwide gross box office earnings for the top 668 earning movies released between 1939 and 2016 (http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/). Box office earnings were reported in the dollars-of-the-day and were converted to 2015 U.S. dollars using the U.S. consumer price index (CPI) for domestic and overseas earnings. Because overseas earnings are not reported by country and there is no single inflation index appropriate for all overseas countries. Adjusting the box office earnings using the CPI index has two effects on the power functions fit. The first is that the scaling exponent has a narrow range (2.3 - 2.5) between the three data sets; and second, the scatter of the data points fit by the power function is reduced. The scaling exponents for the adjusted value are; 2.3 for domestic box office earnings, 2.5 for overseas box office earnings, and 2.5 worldwide box office earnings. The smaller the scaling exponent the greater the proportion of all earnings is contributed by a smaller proportion of all the movies: where E = P (a-2)/(a-1) where E is the percentage of earnings, P is the percentage of all movies in the data set. The scaling exponents for box office earnings (2.3 - 2.5) means that approximately 20% of the top earning movies contribute 70-55% of all the earnings for domestic, worldwide earnings respectively.

The effects of mindfulness and relaxation training for insomnia (MRTI) on postmenopausal women: a pilot study.

PubMed

Garcia, Marcelo C; Kozasa, Elisa H; Tufik, Sergio; Mello, Luiz Eugênio A M; Hachul, Helena

2018-05-21

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of mindfulness and relaxation training for insomnia on insomnia and quality of life in postmenopausal women. Thirty postmenopausal women aged 50 to 65 years, who were not using hormone therapy, and had a diagnosis of insomnia and an apnea-hypopnea index of less than 15, were randomly assigned to two groups: a mindfulness intervention group and a control group. They were assessed before the intervention, and 8 weeks after its completion using questionnaires assessing sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index), insomnia (Insomnia Severity Index), quality of life in menopause (Menopause-Specific Quality of Life), menopausal symptoms (Kupperman Menopausal Index), and level of attention (Mindfulness Awareness Attention Scale). They were also assessed through ambulatory polysomnography. This is a pilot study and is limited by its small sample size. The results of the questionnaires showed significant differences in the group that received mindfulness training compared with the control group, namely, improvements in sleep quality, a reduction in the severity of insomnia, a better quality of life, improved attention levels, and a reduction in menopausal and vasomotor symptoms. Polysomnography results showed no differences between the groups. Eight weeks mindfulness meditation training improved sleep quality, quality of life, attention levels, and reduced vasomotor symptoms in postmenopausal women with insomnia.

Revisiting the effects of hydrodynamic sorting and sedimentary recycling on chemical weathering indices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Yulong; Yang, Shouye; Su, Ni; Li, Chao; Yin, Ping; Wang, Zhongbo

2018-04-01

Although the proxies based on elemental geochemistry of siliciclastic sediments have been well developed to indicate the intensity of chemical weathering in various catchments, their geological indications and limitations, and especially how the differentiation of minerals and sediment grain size influences the applications of these proxies needs more clarification. This paper investigates the interactive effects of weathering, hydraulic sorting and sedimentary recycling on river sediment chemistry, and further validates the application of various weathering indices by measuring mineralogical and geochemical compositions of bank sediments and suspended particulate matters (SPMs) from five rivers in East China bearing various sizes, geologic settings and climatic regimes. For a specific river, the silicate weathering intensity registered in the fine SPMs is systematically stronger than that in the coarse-grained bank sediments. Most of the weathering indices not only reflect the integrated weathering history of various catchments but also depend on hydraulic sorting effect during sediment transport and depositional processes. The correlation between CIA (chemical index of alteration) and WIP (weathering index of Parker) offers an approach to predict the weathering trends of the fine SPMs, coarse bank sediments and recycled sediments under the influence of quartz dilution. To minimize the effects of hydrodynamic sorting and sedimentary recycling, we suggest that the fine sediments (e.g. SPMs and <2 μm fraction of bank sediments) in rivers can better reflect the average of present-day weathering crust in catchments and the weathered terrigenous materials into marginal seas and oceans.

Echocardiographic Evaluation of the Right Atrial Area Index in Dogs with Pulmonary Hypertension.

PubMed

Vezzosi, T; Domenech, O; Iacona, M; Marchesotti, F; Zini, E; Venco, L; Tognetti, R

2018-01-01

Right atrial area (RAA) is a prognostic factor in human patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Reference intervals for RAA have been described in healthy dogs. To evaluate RAA indexed to the body surface area in dogs with PAH as an indicator of right atrial size, PAH severity and right-sided congestive heart failure (R-CHF). A total of 119 client-owned dogs, 48 dogs with PAH and 71 control dogs. Prospective observational study. Pulmonary arterial hypertension was classified according to the tricuspid regurgitation pressure gradient (TRPG) as mild (36-50 mmHg), moderate (51-75 mmHg), or severe (>75 mmHg). The RAA index was calculated as the RAA divided by body surface area. The RAA index was higher in dogs with moderate PAH (13.3 cm 2 /m 2 ; range, 3.4-24.7 cm 2 /m 2 ) and severe PAH (12.1 cm 2 /m 2 ; range, 5.4-21.8 cm 2 /m 2 ) than in those with mild PAH (6.7 cm 2 /m 2 ; range, 4.8-10.7 cm 2 /m 2 ) or in controls (7.3 cm 2 /m 2 ; range, 4.2-10.2 cm 2 /m 2 ; P < 0.001). The RAA index was higher (P < 0.0001) in dogs with R-CHF (17.5 cm 2 /m 2 ; range, 12.7-24.7 cm 2 /m 2 ) compared to those without R-CHF (7.6 cm 2 /m 2 ; range, 4.4-19.4 cm 2 /m 2 ). The most accurate cutoff value of the RAA index to identify R-CHF was >12.3 cm 2 /m 2 (sensitivity, 100%; specificity, 89.5%). In dogs with PAH, severity of tricuspid regurgitation (TR) was the only independent predictor of RAA index based on multivariate analysis (P < 0.02). The RAA index can be used to evaluate right atrial size in dogs and may be more effective than TRPG in predicting R-CHF in dogs with PAH. The severity of TR is the main determinant of the RAA index in dogs with PAH. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.

The Probability of Obtaining Two Statistically Different Test Scores as a Test Index

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Muller, Jorg M.

2006-01-01

A new test index is defined as the probability of obtaining two randomly selected test scores (PDTS) as statistically different. After giving a concept definition of the test index, two simulation studies are presented. The first analyzes the influence of the distribution of test scores, test reliability, and sample size on PDTS within classical…

Higher convection volume exchange with online hemodiafiltration is associated with survival advantage for dialysis patients: the effect of adjustment for body size.

PubMed

Davenport, Andrew; Peters, Sanne A E; Bots, Michiel L; Canaud, Bernard; Grooteman, Muriel P C; Asci, Gulay; Locatelli, Francesco; Maduell, Francisco; Morena, Marion; Nubé, Menso J; Ok, Ercan; Torres, Ferran; Woodward, Mark; Blankestijn, Peter J

2016-01-01

Mortality remains high for hemodialysis patients. Online hemodiafiltration (OL-HDF) removes more middle-sized uremic toxins but outcomes of individual trials comparing OL-HDF with hemodialysis have been discrepant. Secondary analyses reported higher convective volumes, easier to achieve in larger patients, and improved survival. Here we tested different methods to standardize OL-HDF convection volume on all-cause and cardiovascular mortality compared with hemodialysis. Pooled individual patient analysis of four prospective trials compared thirds of delivered convection volume with hemodialysis. Convection volumes were either not standardized or standardized to weight, body mass index, body surface area, and total body water. Data were analyzed by multivariable Cox proportional hazards modeling from 2793 patients. All-cause mortality was reduced when the convective dose was unstandardized or standardized to body surface area and total body water; hazard ratio (95% confidence intervals) of 0.65 (0.51-0.82), 0.74 (0.58-0.93), and 0.71 (0.56-0.93) for those receiving higher convective doses. Standardization by body weight or body mass index gave no significant survival advantage. Higher convection volumes were generally associated with greater survival benefit with OL-HDF, but results varied across different ways of standardization for body size. Thus, further studies should take body size into account when evaluating the impact of delivered convection volume on mortality end points. Copyright © 2015 International Society of Nephrology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effect of vacuum annealing and substrate temperature on structural and optical properties of ZnIn2Se4 thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El-Nahass, M. M.; Attia, A. A.; Salem, G. F.; Ali, H. A. M.; Ismail, M. I.

2013-09-01

Zinc indium selenide (ZnIn2Se4) thin films were prepared by the thermal evaporation technique with high deposition rate. The effect of thermal annealing in vacuum on the crystallinity of the as-deposited films was studied at different temperatures (523, 573 and 623 K). The effect of substrate temperature (623 K) for different thickness values (173, 250, 335 and 346 nm) on the optical parameters of ZnIn2Se4 was also studied. The structural studies showed nanocrystalline nature of the room temperature (300 K) deposited films with crystallite size of about a few nanometers. The crystallite size increased up to 31 nm with increasing the annealing temperature in vacuum. From the reflection and transmission data, the refractive index n and the extinction coefficient k were estimated for ZnIn2Se4 thin films and they were found to be independent of film thickness. Analysis of the absorption coefficient data of the as-deposited films revealed the existence of allowed direct and indirect transitions with optical energy gaps of 2.21 eV and 1.71 eV, respectively. These values decreased with increasing annealing temperature. At substrate temperature of 623 K, the direct band gap increased to 2.41 eV whereas the value of indirect band gap remained nearly unchanged. The dispersion analysis showed that the values of the oscillator energy Eo, dispersion energy Ed, dielectric constant at infinite frequency ε∞, and lattice dielectric constant εL were changed appreciably under the effect of annealing and substrate temperature. The covalent nature of structure was studied as a function of the annealing and substrate temperature using an empirical relation for the dispersion energy Ed. Generalized Miller's rule and linear refractive index were used to estimate the nonlinear susceptibility and nonlinear refractive index of the thin films.

Infant formula supplementation with long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids has no effect on Bayley developmental scores at 18 months of age--IPD meta-analysis of 4 large clinical trials.

PubMed

Beyerlein, Andreas; Hadders-Algra, Mijna; Kennedy, Katherine; Fewtrell, Mary; Singhal, Atul; Rosenfeld, Eva; Lucas, Alan; Bouwstra, Hylco; Koletzko, Berthold; von Kries, Rüdiger

2010-01-01

To find out whether supplementation of formula milk by long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) affects neurodevelopment at 18 months of age in term or preterm infants by an individual patient data (IPD) meta-analysis. Data of 870 children from 4 large randomised clinical trials for formula milk with and without LCPUFAs allowed for assessing the effect of LCPUFA with adjustment for potential confounders and extensive subgroup analysis on prematurity, LCPUFA source, and dosage. Any additional clinical trials examining the effect of LCPUFA supplementation on Bayley Scales of Infant Development at 18 months were regarded as relevant. Two relevant studies were identified by MEDLINE, but were not available to us. An IPD meta-analysis was performed with subgroup analyses by preterm delivery, very low birth weight (<1500 g), trials with higher amounts of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (AA), and specific sources of LCPUFA. The sample size of 870 children was sufficient to detect clinically relevant differences in Bayley Scales even in subgroups. There were no significant differences in mental or psychomotor developmental indexes between LCPUFA-supplemented and control groups for all children or in subgroups. This was confirmed with adjustment for the possible confounders: sex, gestational age, birth weight, maternal age, and maternal smoking. The adjusted mean differences in mental developmental index and psychomotor developmental index for all of the children were -0.8 (95% confidence interval -2.8 to 1.2) and -1.0 (-2.7 to 0.7), respectively. These data based on considerable sample size provide substantial evidence that LCPUFA supplementation of infant formula does not have a clinically meaningful effect on the neurodevelopment as assessed by Bayley scores at 18 months. Inclusion of all relevant data should not have led to differing conclusions except, possibly, for very-low-birth-weight infants.

Density estimation in wildlife surveys

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bart, Jonathan; Droege, Sam; Geissler, Paul E.; Peterjohn, Bruce G.; Ralph, C. John

2004-01-01

Several authors have recently discussed the problems with using index methods to estimate trends in population size. Some have expressed the view that index methods should virtually never be used. Others have responded by defending index methods and questioning whether better alternatives exist. We suggest that index methods are often a cost-effective component of valid wildlife monitoring but that double-sampling or another procedure that corrects for bias or establishes bounds on bias is essential. The common assertion that index methods require constant detection rates for trend estimation is mathematically incorrect; the requirement is no long-term trend in detection "ratios" (index result/parameter of interest), a requirement that is probably approximately met by many well-designed index surveys. We urge that more attention be given to defining bird density rigorously and in ways useful to managers. Once this is done, 4 sources of bias in density estimates may be distinguished: coverage, closure, surplus birds, and detection rates. Distance, double-observer, and removal methods do not reduce bias due to coverage, closure, or surplus birds. These methods may yield unbiased estimates of the number of birds present at the time of the survey, but only if their required assumptions are met, which we doubt occurs very often in practice. Double-sampling, in contrast, produces unbiased density estimates if the plots are randomly selected and estimates on the intensive surveys are unbiased. More work is needed, however, to determine the feasibility of double-sampling in different populations and habitats. We believe the tension that has developed over appropriate survey methods can best be resolved through increased appreciation of the mathematical aspects of indices, especially the effects of bias, and through studies in which candidate methods are evaluated against known numbers determined through intensive surveys.

Circadian changes in uterine artery and ovarian stromal blood flow after pituitary down-regulation.

PubMed

Chan, Carina C W; Ng, Ernest H Y; Tang, Oi-Shan; Ho, Pak-Chung

2005-09-01

To investigate changes in the uterine artery and ovarian stromal blood flow in relation to the time of the day after pituitary down-regulation during in vitro fertilization treatment. Thirteen women were recruited. The uterine artery blood flow was studied using pulsed color Doppler ultrasonography and the ovarian stromal blood flow was measured using three-dimensional power Doppler ultrasonography. Ultrasound scan examinations and blood pressure measurements were performed in the morning and evening. The diastolic and the mean arterial pressures were significantly higher in the evening. An increase in the uterine artery pulsatility index and resistance index in the evening was observed. The ovarian vascularization index, vascularization flow index, and right ovarian flow index were significantly lower in the evening. Despite the small sample size, we have demonstrated the presence of a diurnal change in uterine artery and ovarian stromal blood flow after pituitary down-regulation. Such changes may be related to the systemic change in the sympathetic system and hence vascular resistance. Future study regarding ovarian stromal blood flow should take into account the effect of the time of the day on the readings in order to avoid misleading interpretation of data.

Real refractive indices and formation yields of secondary organic aerosol generated from photooxidation of limonene and α-pinene: the effect of the HC/NO(x) ratio.

PubMed

Kim, Hwajin; Barkey, Brian; Paulson, Suzanne E

2012-06-21

The refractive index is an important property affecting aerosol optical properties, which in turn help determine the aerosol direct effect and satellite retrieval results. Here, we investigate the real refractive indices (m(r)) of secondary organic aerosols (SOA) generated from the photooxidation of limonene and α-pinene with different HC/NO(x) ratios. Refractive indices were obtained from polar nephelometer data using parallel and perpendicular polarized 532 nm light combined with measured size distributions, and retrievals were performed using a genetic algorithm and Mie-Lorenz scattering theory. The absolute error associated with the m(r) retrieval is ±0.03, and reliable retrievals are possible for mass concentrations above 5-20 μg/m(3) depending on particle size. The limonene SOA data suggest the most important factor controlling the refractive index is the HC/NO(x) ratio; the refractive index is much less sensitive to the aerosol age or mass concentration. The refractive index ranges from about 1.34 to 1.56 for limonene and from 1.36 to 1.52 for α-pinene, and generally decreases as the HC/NO(x) ratio increases. Especially for limonene, the particle diameter is also inversely related to the HC/NO(x) ratio; the final size mode increases from 220 to 330 nm as the HC/NO(x) ratio decreases from 33 to 6. In an effort to explore the ability of models from the literature to explain the observed refractive indices, a recent limonene oxidation mechanism was combined with SOA partitioning and a structure-property relationship for estimating refractive indices of condensing species. The resulting refractive indices fell in a much narrower range (1.475 ± 0.02) of m(r) than observed experimentally. We hypothesize the experimentally observed high m(r) values are due to oligomerization and the low values to water uptake, small soluble molecules such as glyoxal and other factors, each of which is not included in the oxidation mechanism. Aerosol formation yields were measured over the mass concentration range from 6 to ∼150 μg/m(3), over which they increased steadily, and were higher for high HC/NO(x) ratio experiments.

Compositional modes in the ash fraction of some modern pyroclastic deposits: their determination and significance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Rosa, R.

This paper illustrates some problems involved in the quantitative compositional study of pyroclastic deposits and proposes criteria for selecting the main petrographic and textural classes for modal analysis. The relative proportions of the different classes are obtained using a point-counting procedure applied to medium-coarse ash samples that reduces the dependence of the modal composition on grain size and avoids tedious counting of different grain-size fractions. The major purposes of a quantified measure of component distributions are to: (a) document the nature of the fragmenting magma; (b) define the eruptive dynamics of the eruptions on a detailed scale; and (c) ensure accuracy in classifying pyroclastic deposits. Compositional modes of the ash fraction of pyroclastic deposits vary systematically, and their graphical representation defines the compositional and textural characteristics of pyroclastic fragments associated with different eruptive styles. Textural features of the glass component can be very helpful for inferring aspects of eruptive dynamics. Four major parameters can be used to represent the component composition of pyroclastic ash deposits: (a) juvenile index (JI); (b) crystallinity index (CrI); (c) juvenile vesicularity index (JVI); and (d) free crystal index (FCrI). The FCrI is defined as the ratio between single and total crystal fragments in the juvenile component (single crystals+crystals in juvenile glass). This parameter may provide an effective estimate of the mechanical energy of eruptions. Variations in FCrI vs JVI discriminate among pyroclastic deposits of different origin and define compositional fields that represent ash derived from different fragmentation styles.

Genotype-Specific Measles Transmissibility: A Branching Process Analysis.

PubMed

Ackley, Sarah F; Hacker, Jill K; Enanoria, Wayne T A; Worden, Lee; Blumberg, Seth; Porco, Travis C; Zipprich, Jennifer

2018-04-03

Substantial heterogeneity in measles outbreak sizes may be due to genotype-specific transmissibility. Using a branching process analysis, we characterize differences in measles transmission by estimating the association between genotype and the reproduction number R among postelimination California measles cases during 2000-2015 (400 cases, 165 outbreaks). Assuming a negative binomial secondary case distribution, we fit a branching process model to the distribution of outbreak sizes using maximum likelihood and estimated the reproduction number R for a multigenotype model. Genotype B3 is found to be significantly more transmissible than other genotypes (P = .01) with an R of 0.64 (95% confidence interval [CI], .48-.71), while the R for all other genotypes combined is 0.43 (95% CI, .28-.54). This result is robust to excluding the 2014-2015 outbreak linked to Disneyland theme parks (referred to as "outbreak A" for conciseness and clarity) (P = .04) and modeling genotype as a random effect (P = .004 including outbreak A and P = .02 excluding outbreak A). This result was not accounted for by season of introduction, age of index case, or vaccination of the index case. The R for outbreaks with a school-aged index case is 0.69 (95% CI, .52-.78), while the R for outbreaks with a non-school-aged index case is 0.28 (95% CI, .19-.35), but this cannot account for differences between genotypes. Variability in measles transmissibility may have important implications for measles control; the vaccination threshold required for elimination may not be the same for all genotypes or age groups.

Effect of relative weight group change on nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy derived lipoprotein particle size and concentrations among adolescents.

PubMed

Jago, Russell; Drews, Kimberly L; Otvos, James D; Foster, Gary D; Marcus, Marsha D; Buse, John B; Mietus-Snyder, Michele; Willi, Steven M

2014-05-01

To examine whether longitudinal changes in relative weight category (as indicated by change in body mass index [BMI] classification group) were associated with changes in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-derived lipoprotein particles among US youth. Secondary analysis of data from a clustered randomized controlled trial. BMI and fasting blood samples were obtained from 2069 participants at the start of the 6th grade and end of the 8th grade. BMI was categorized as normal weight, overweight, or obese at both time points. Lipoprotein particle profiles were measured with NMR spectroscopy at both time points. Regression models were used to examine changes in relative weight group and change in lipoprotein variables. A total of 38% of participants changed relative weight category (BMI group) during the 2.5-year study period. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and non-high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol decreased almost universally, but more with improved BMI category. There were adverse effects on LDL size and total LDL particles, HDL size, and cholesterol for participants who remained obese or whose relative weight group worsened. Changes in relative category had no impact on HDL particles. Improvement in relative weight group from 6th to 8th grade was associated with favorable changes in non-HDL cholesterol, very low-density lipoprotein size, LDL size, HDL size, and LDL particles but had no effect on HDL particles. Findings indicate that an improvement in relative weight group between 6th and 8th grade had an effect on NMR-derived particles sizes and concentrations among a large group of adolescents, which overrepresented low-income minorities. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

INTEGRATED AND FIBER OPTICS: Calculation and measurement of waveguide characteristics of single-mode fiber waveguides with a depressed cladding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belov, A. V.; Kurkov, Andrei S.; Chikolini, A. V.

1989-02-01

A method was developed for calculating the effective cutoff length, the size of a mode spot, and the chromatic dispersion over the profile of the refractive index (measured in the preform stage) of single-mode fiber waveguides with a depressed cladding. The results of such calculations are shown to agree with the results of measurements of these quantities.

An Accurate Analytic Approximation for Light Scattering by Non-absorbing Spherical Aerosol Particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lewis, E. R.

2017-12-01

The scattering of light by particles in the atmosphere is a ubiquitous and important phenomenon, with applications to numerous fields of science and technology. The problem of scattering of electromagnetic radiation by a uniform spherical particle can be solved by the method of Mie and Debye as a series of terms depending on the size parameter, x=2πr/λ, and the complex index of refraction, m. However, this solution does not provide insight into the dependence of the scattering on the radius of the particle, the wavelength, or the index of refraction, or how the scattering varies with relative humidity. Van de Hulst demonstrated that the scattering efficiency (the scattering cross section divided by the geometric cross section) of a non-absorbing sphere, over a wide range of particle sizes of atmospheric importance, depends not on x and m separately, but on the quantity 2x(m-1); this is the basis for the anomalous diffraction approximation. Here an analytic approximation for the scattering efficiency of a non-absorbing spherical particle is presented in terms of this new quantity that is accurate over a wide range of particle sizes of atmospheric importance and which readily displays the dependences of the scattering efficiency on particle radius, index of refraction, and wavelength. For an aerosol for which the particle size distribution is parameterized as a gamma function, this approximation also yields analytical results for the scattering coefficient and for the Ångström exponent, with the dependences of scattering properties on wavelength and index of refraction clearly displayed. This approximation provides insight into the dependence of light scattering properties on factors such as relative humidity, readily enables conversion of scattering from one index of refraction to another, and demonstrates the conditions under which the aerosol index (the product of the aerosol optical depth and the Ångström exponent) is a useful proxy for the number of cloud condensation nuclei.

Comparing fixed sampling with minimizer sampling when using k-mer indexes to find maximal exact matches.

PubMed

Almutairy, Meznah; Torng, Eric

2018-01-01

Bioinformatics applications and pipelines increasingly use k-mer indexes to search for similar sequences. The major problem with k-mer indexes is that they require lots of memory. Sampling is often used to reduce index size and query time. Most applications use one of two major types of sampling: fixed sampling and minimizer sampling. It is well known that fixed sampling will produce a smaller index, typically by roughly a factor of two, whereas it is generally assumed that minimizer sampling will produce faster query times since query k-mers can also be sampled. However, no direct comparison of fixed and minimizer sampling has been performed to verify these assumptions. We systematically compare fixed and minimizer sampling using the human genome as our database. We use the resulting k-mer indexes for fixed sampling and minimizer sampling to find all maximal exact matches between our database, the human genome, and three separate query sets, the mouse genome, the chimp genome, and an NGS data set. We reach the following conclusions. First, using larger k-mers reduces query time for both fixed sampling and minimizer sampling at a cost of requiring more space. If we use the same k-mer size for both methods, fixed sampling requires typically half as much space whereas minimizer sampling processes queries only slightly faster. If we are allowed to use any k-mer size for each method, then we can choose a k-mer size such that fixed sampling both uses less space and processes queries faster than minimizer sampling. The reason is that although minimizer sampling is able to sample query k-mers, the number of shared k-mer occurrences that must be processed is much larger for minimizer sampling than fixed sampling. In conclusion, we argue that for any application where each shared k-mer occurrence must be processed, fixed sampling is the right sampling method.

Comparing fixed sampling with minimizer sampling when using k-mer indexes to find maximal exact matches

PubMed Central

Torng, Eric

2018-01-01

Bioinformatics applications and pipelines increasingly use k-mer indexes to search for similar sequences. The major problem with k-mer indexes is that they require lots of memory. Sampling is often used to reduce index size and query time. Most applications use one of two major types of sampling: fixed sampling and minimizer sampling. It is well known that fixed sampling will produce a smaller index, typically by roughly a factor of two, whereas it is generally assumed that minimizer sampling will produce faster query times since query k-mers can also be sampled. However, no direct comparison of fixed and minimizer sampling has been performed to verify these assumptions. We systematically compare fixed and minimizer sampling using the human genome as our database. We use the resulting k-mer indexes for fixed sampling and minimizer sampling to find all maximal exact matches between our database, the human genome, and three separate query sets, the mouse genome, the chimp genome, and an NGS data set. We reach the following conclusions. First, using larger k-mers reduces query time for both fixed sampling and minimizer sampling at a cost of requiring more space. If we use the same k-mer size for both methods, fixed sampling requires typically half as much space whereas minimizer sampling processes queries only slightly faster. If we are allowed to use any k-mer size for each method, then we can choose a k-mer size such that fixed sampling both uses less space and processes queries faster than minimizer sampling. The reason is that although minimizer sampling is able to sample query k-mers, the number of shared k-mer occurrences that must be processed is much larger for minimizer sampling than fixed sampling. In conclusion, we argue that for any application where each shared k-mer occurrence must be processed, fixed sampling is the right sampling method. PMID:29389989

Demographic history of an elusive carnivore: using museums to inform management

PubMed Central

Holbrook, Joseph D; DeYoung, Randy W; Tewes, Michael E; Young, John H

2012-01-01

Elusive carnivores present a challenge to managers because traditional survey methods are not suitable. We applied a genetic approach using museum specimens to examine how historical and recent conditions influenced the demographic history of Puma concolor in western and southern Texas, USA. We used 10 microsatellite loci and indexed population trends by estimating historical and recent genetic diversity, genetic differentiation and effective population size. Mountain lions in southern Texas exhibited a 9% decline in genetic diversity, whereas diversity remained stable in western Texas. Genetic differentiation between western and southern Texas was minimal historically (FST = 0.04, P < 0.01), but increased 2–2.5 times in our recent sample. An index of genetic drift for southern Texas was seven to eight times that of western Texas, presumably contributing to the current differentiation between western and southern Texas. Furthermore, southern Texas exhibited a >50% temporal decline in effective population size, whereas western Texas showed no change. Our results illustrate that population declines and genetic drift have occurred in southern Texas, likely because of contemporary habitat loss and predator control. Population monitoring may be needed to ensure the persistence of mountain lions in the southern Texas region. This study highlights the utility of sampling museum collections to examine demographic histories and inform wildlife management. PMID:23028402

Reproductive effects of Ficus asperifolia (Moraceae) in female rats.

PubMed

Watcho, Pierre; Ngadjui, Esther; Alango, Nkeng-Efouet P; Benoît, Nguelefack T; Kamanyi, Albert

2009-03-01

The reproductive effects of Ficus asperifolia in female rats were investigated in the present study. Sperm-positive adult female rats were orally administered (P.O.) either the aqueous and methanol extracts of Ficus asperifolia (100 and 500mg/kg), distilled water (10ml/kg) or 5%Tween 80 (10ml/kg) for seven days. On day 10 of pregnancy, the implantation sites were recorded. In the fertility study, adult female rats received the same test substances for 21 days and, the fertility index and litter size determined. In the uterotrophic test, normal and ovariectomized immature rats were treated for seven days with the dry extract of Ficus asperifolia (100 and 500mg/kg) in the absence and presence of 17ȃ-estradiol benzoate 1µg/animal/day, s.c. On day 8, the uterine growth index was measured. Results of the study showed a significant increase (p<0.05) in the implantation sites and litter size of animals receiving 100mg/kg of the aqueous extract of Ficus asperifolia. In the estrogenic assay, normal immature rats were sensitive to the treatment with Ficus asperifolia than the ovariectomized ones. Our results give added scientific support to the popular use of Ficus asperifolia in the treatment of some cases of women's sterility/infertility related problems.

Determining Number Concentrations and Diameters of Polystyrene Particles by Measuring the Effective Refractive Index of Colloids Using Surface Plasmon Resonance.

PubMed

Tuoriniemi, Jani; Moreira, Beatriz; Safina, Gulnara

2016-10-04

The capabilities of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) for characterization of colloidal particles were evaluated for 100, 300, and 460 nm nominal diameter polystyrene (PS) latexes. First the accuracy of measuring the effective refractive index (n eff ) of turbid colloids using SPR was quantified. It was concluded that for submicrometer sized PS particles the accuracy is limited by the reproducibility between replicate injections of samples. An SPR method was developed for obtaining the particle mean diameter (d part ) and the particle number concentration (c p ) by fitting the measured n eff of polystyrene (PS) colloids diluted in series with theoretical values calculated using the coherent scattering theory (CST). The d part and c p determined using SPR agreed with reference values obtained from size distributions measured by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the mass concentrations stated by the manufacturer. The 100 nm particles adsorbed on the sensing surface, which hampered the analysis. Once the adsorption problem has been overcome, the developed SPR method has potential to become a versatile tool for characterization of colloidal particles. In particular, SPR could form the basis of rapid and accurate methods for measuring the c p of submicrometer particles in dispersion.

Effect of the degree of substitution of octenyl succinic anhydride-banana starch on emulsion stability.

PubMed

Bello-Pérez, Luis A; Bello-Flores, Christopher A; Nuñez-Santiago, María del Carmen; Coronel-Aguilera, Claudia P; Alvarez-Ramirez, J

2015-11-05

Banana starch was esterified with octenylsuccinic anhydride (OSA) at different degree substitution (DS) and used to stabilize emulsions. Morphology, emulsion stability, emulsification index, rheological properties and particle size distribution of the emulsions were tested. Emulsions dyed with Solvent Red 26 showed affinity for the oil phase. Backscattering light showed three regions in the emulsion where the emulsified region was present. Starch concentration had higher effect in the emulsification index (EI) than the DS used in the study because similar values were found with OSA-banana and native starches. However, OSA-banana presented greater stability of the emulsified region. Rheological tests in emulsions with OSA-banana showed G'>G" values and low dependence of G' with the frequency, indicating a dominant elastic response to shear. When emulsions were prepared under high-pressure conditions, the emulsions with OSA-banana starch with different DS showed a bimodal distribution of particle size. The emulsion with OSA-banana starch and the low DS showed similar mean droplet diameter than its native counterpart. In contrast, the highest DS led to the highest mean droplet diameter. It is concluded that OSA-banana starch with DS can be used to stabilize specific emulsion types. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

5 CFR 591.219 - How does OPM compute shelter price indexes?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... estimates in hedonic regressions (a type of multiple regression) to compute for each COLA survey area the price index for rental and/or rental equivalent units of comparable quality and size between the COLA...

5 CFR 591.219 - How does OPM compute shelter price indexes?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... estimates in hedonic regressions (a type of multiple regression) to compute for each COLA survey area the price index for rental and/or rental equivalent units of comparable quality and size between the COLA...

5 CFR 591.219 - How does OPM compute shelter price indexes?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... estimates in hedonic regressions (a type of multiple regression) to compute for each COLA survey area the price index for rental and/or rental equivalent units of comparable quality and size between the COLA...

5 CFR 591.219 - How does OPM compute shelter price indexes?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... estimates in hedonic regressions (a type of multiple regression) to compute for each COLA survey area the price index for rental and/or rental equivalent units of comparable quality and size between the COLA...

Graft patency is associated with higher health-related quality of life after coronary artery bypass surgery.

PubMed

Samano, Ninos; Bodin, Lennart; Karlsson, Jan; Geijer, Håkan; Arbeus, Mikael; Souza, Domingos

2017-03-01

The objective of this study was to investigate whether graft patency was associated with higher health-related quality of life in coronary artery bypass grafting patients and to compare this study with the general Swedish population. Patients were included from 3 randomized trials and 1 prospective cohort trial. The generic health-related quality of life instrument, EQ-5D (VAS and index) was used. Graft patency was assessed with computed tomography angiography. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to the number of occluded distal anastomosis: Group I with no to 1 occlusion ( n  = 209) and Group II with 2 to 4 occlusions ( n  = 24). Two hundred and thirty-three patients underwent computed tomography angiography at a mean of 7.5 (1-18) years post-operatively. The mean difference in EQ-VAS and EQ-5D index between Groups II and I after model adjustment was -19.8 (95% CI -25.3 to -14.3; P  < 0.001) and -0.13 (95% CI -0.19 to -0.08; P  < 0.001), respectively. The EQ-5D index for the study population was similar compared with the Swedish population, 0.851 and 0.832, respectively, with an effect-size of 0.112 (trivial). The EQ-5D index of the study population was higher compared with the ischemic heart disease group in the Swedish population, 0.851 vs 0.60, with an effect-size of 0.999 (large). Graft patency was associated with higher health-related quality of life in coronary artery bypass patients. This patient group reported similar function and wellbeing compared to the general Swedish population and better health status than those in the same disease group in the general population. Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT02547194 and the Research and Development registry in Sweden: 167861. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved.

Towards Intravenous Drug Delivery: Augmenting the Stability and Dispersity of Bis-Demethoxy Curcumin Analog by Bottom-Up Strategy.

PubMed

Francis, Arul Prakash; Ramaprabhu, Sundara; Devasena, Thiyagarajan

2016-01-01

Intravenous route is the best strategy to accomplish fastest and highest delivery of drugs. Hydrophobic drugs like curcumin and its analog exhibit disadvantages like low bioavailability, poor absorption and rapid precipitation on intravenous delivery, all leading to its poor therapeutic value. These can be by-passed by enhancing the dispersity, stability and decreasing the size of the drug by nanotization. Thus, with an intention to deliver bis-demethoxy curcumin analog via intravenous route, we have studied the effect of DMSO, ethanol and acetone on the size, size distribution, stability and yield and identified the best solvent in terms of smallest size, narrow size distribution, more stability and high yield of nano bis-demethoxy curcumin analog (NBDMCA). NBDMCA prepared using DMSO showed the lowest mean particle size cum polydispersity index and highest zeta potential when compared to ethanol and acetone. Hence the DMSO based formulation can provide prolonged action and better efficacy at minimal doses. Thus, the DMSO based NBDMCA can emerge as an ideal therapeutic tool for human use.

Design and characterization of dielectric subwavelength focusing lens with polarization dependence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Sung W.; Pang, Lin; Fainman, Yeshaiahu

2016-03-01

We introduce and develop design, fabrication and characterization methodology for engineering the effective refractive index of a composite dielectric planar surface created by controlling the density of deeply subwavelength low index nanoholes (e.g., air) in a high index dielectric layer (e.g., Si). The nanoscale properties of a composite dielectric layer allows for full control of the optical wavefront phase by designing arbitrary space-variant refractive index profiles. We present the composite dielectric metasurface microlens exploiting symmetric design to achieve polarization invariant impulse response, and use asymmetric design to demonstrate polarization sensitive impulse response of the lens. This composite dielectric layers lenses were fabricated by patterning nanohole distributions on a dielectric surface and etching to submicron depths. Our dielectric microlens with asymmetric distribution of neff (neff x ≠ neff y) demonstrates a graded index lens with polarization dependent focusing with of 32um and 22 um for linearly x- and y-polarized light, respectively operating at a wavelength of λ = 1550nm. We also show numerically and demonstrate experimentally achromatic performance of the devices operating in the wavelength range of 1500nm - 1900nm with FWHM of the focal spots of about 4um. Namely, we have constructed a graded index lens that can overcome diffraction effects even when aperture/wavelength (D/λ) is smaller than 40. The demonstrated novel approach to engineer dielectric composite nanosurfaces has the potential to realize arbitrary phase functions with minimal insertion loss, submicron thickness and miniaturization to reduce element size and weight, and may have a significant impact on numerous miniature imaging systems applications.

Multivariate models for prediction of rheological characteristics of filamentous fermentation broth from the size distribution.

PubMed

Petersen, Nanna; Stocks, Stuart; Gernaey, Krist V

2008-05-01

The main purpose of this article is to demonstrate that principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares regression (PLSR) can be used to extract information from particle size distribution data and predict rheological properties. Samples from commercially relevant Aspergillus oryzae fermentations conducted in 550 L pilot scale tanks were characterized with respect to particle size distribution, biomass concentration, and rheological properties. The rheological properties were described using the Herschel-Bulkley model. Estimation of all three parameters in the Herschel-Bulkley model (yield stress (tau(y)), consistency index (K), and flow behavior index (n)) resulted in a large standard deviation of the parameter estimates. The flow behavior index was not found to be correlated with any of the other measured variables and previous studies have suggested a constant value of the flow behavior index in filamentous fermentations. It was therefore chosen to fix this parameter to the average value thereby decreasing the standard deviation of the estimates of the remaining rheological parameters significantly. Using a PLSR model, a reasonable prediction of apparent viscosity (micro(app)), yield stress (tau(y)), and consistency index (K), could be made from the size distributions, biomass concentration, and process information. This provides a predictive method with a high predictive power for the rheology of fermentation broth, and with the advantages over previous models that tau(y) and K can be predicted as well as micro(app). Validation on an independent test set yielded a root mean square error of 1.21 Pa for tau(y), 0.209 Pa s(n) for K, and 0.0288 Pa s for micro(app), corresponding to R(2) = 0.95, R(2) = 0.94, and R(2) = 0.95 respectively. Copyright 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Digestive enzymes and gut morphometric parameters of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus): Influence of body size and temperature

PubMed Central

Marchand, Adrien; Turies, Cyril; Kerambrun, Elodie; Palluel, Olivier; Bado-Nilles, Anne; Beaudouin, Rémy; Porcher, Jean-Marc; Geffard, Alain; Dedourge-Geffard, Odile

2018-01-01

Determining digestive enzyme activity is of potential interest to obtain and understand valuable information about fish digestive physiology, since digestion is an elementary process of fish metabolism. We described for the first time (i) three digestive enzymes: amylase, trypsin and intestinal alkaline phosphatase (IAP), and (ii) three gut morphometric parameters: relative gut length (RGL), relative gut mass (RGM) and Zihler’s index (ZI) in threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus), and we studied the effect of temperature and body size on these parameters. When mimicking seasonal variation in temperature, body size had no effect on digestive enzyme activity. The highest levels of amylase and trypsin activity were observed at 18°C, while the highest IAP activity was recorded at 20°C. When sticklebacks were exposed to three constant temperatures (16, 18 and 21°C), a temporal effect correlated to fish growth was observed with inverse evolution patterns between amylase activity and the activities of trypsin and IAP. Temperature (in both experiments) had no effect on morphometric parameters. However, a temporal variation was recorded for both RGM (in the second experiment) and ZI (in both experiments), and the later was correlated to fish body mass. PMID:29614133

A Double Blind, Placebo- controlled Trial of Rosiglitazone for Clozapine induced Glucose Metabolism Impairment in patients with Schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Henderson, David C.; Fan, Xiaoduo; Sharma, Bikash; Copeland, Paul M.; Borba, Christina P; Boxill, Ryan; Freudenreich, Oliver; Cather, Corey; Evins, A. Eden; Goff, Donald C.

2014-01-01

Objective The primary purpose of this eight week double blind, placebo-controlled trial of rosiglitazone 4 mg/day was to examine its effect on insulin sensitivity index (SI) and glucose utilization (SG) in clozapine-treated schizophrenia subjects with insulin resistance. Methods Eighteen subjects were randomized and accessed with a Frequently Sampled Intravenous Glucose Tolerance Test (FSIVGTT) at the baseline and week 8 to estimate SG, and SI. Results Controlling for the baseline, comparing the rosiglitazone group to placebo group, there was a non-significant improvement of SG (0.016± 0.006 to 0.018± 0.008, effect size= 0.23, p= 0.05) with a trend of improvement in SI in the rosiglitazone group (4.6± 2.8 to 7.8± 6.7, effect size= 0.18, p= 0.08). There was a significant reduction in small low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C)- particle number (987± 443 to 694± 415, effect size= 0.30, p= 0.04). Conclusion Rosiglitazone may have a role in addressing the insulin resistance and lipid abnormalities associated with clozapine. PMID:19183127

Digestive enzymes and gut morphometric parameters of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus): Influence of body size and temperature.

PubMed

Hani, Younes Mohamed Ismail; Marchand, Adrien; Turies, Cyril; Kerambrun, Elodie; Palluel, Olivier; Bado-Nilles, Anne; Beaudouin, Rémy; Porcher, Jean-Marc; Geffard, Alain; Dedourge-Geffard, Odile

2018-01-01

Determining digestive enzyme activity is of potential interest to obtain and understand valuable information about fish digestive physiology, since digestion is an elementary process of fish metabolism. We described for the first time (i) three digestive enzymes: amylase, trypsin and intestinal alkaline phosphatase (IAP), and (ii) three gut morphometric parameters: relative gut length (RGL), relative gut mass (RGM) and Zihler's index (ZI) in threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus), and we studied the effect of temperature and body size on these parameters. When mimicking seasonal variation in temperature, body size had no effect on digestive enzyme activity. The highest levels of amylase and trypsin activity were observed at 18°C, while the highest IAP activity was recorded at 20°C. When sticklebacks were exposed to three constant temperatures (16, 18 and 21°C), a temporal effect correlated to fish growth was observed with inverse evolution patterns between amylase activity and the activities of trypsin and IAP. Temperature (in both experiments) had no effect on morphometric parameters. However, a temporal variation was recorded for both RGM (in the second experiment) and ZI (in both experiments), and the later was correlated to fish body mass.

Soil or Dust for Health Risk Assessment Studies in Urban Environment.

PubMed

Gabarrón, M; Faz, A; Acosta, J A

2017-10-01

To identify the best material (soil or dust) to be selected for health-risk assessment studies, road dust and urban soil from three cities with different population densities were collected, and size fractions were analysed for metal content (Pb, Zn, Cu, Cd, Cr, Co, and Ni). Results showed similar distribution of the size particles among cities, predominating fractions between 75 and 2000 μm in road dust and particles below 75 μm in soil. Metals were mainly bound to PM10 in both soil and road dust increasing the risk of adverse health effects, overall through inhalation exposure. The risk assessment showed that the most hazardous exposure pathway was the ingestion via, followed by dermal absorption and inhalation route. Values of hazard quotient showed that the risk for children due to the ingestion and dermal absorption was higher than adults, and slightly larger at PM10 comparing to <75-μm fraction for the inhalation route. Higher risk values were found for road dust, although any hazard index or cancer risk index value did not overreach the safe value of 10 -6 .

Fabrication of terahertz metamaterials using electrohydrodynamic jet printing for sensitive detection of yeast

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pradhipta Tenggara, Ayodya; Park, S. J.; Teguh Yudistira, Hadi; Ahn, Y. H.; Byun, Doyoung

2017-03-01

We demonstrated the fabrication of terahertz metamaterial sensor for the accurate and on-site detection of yeast using electrohydrodynamic jet printing, which is inexpensive, simple, and environmentally friendly. The very small sized pattern up to 5 µm-width of electrical split ring resonator unit structures could be printed on a large area on both a rigid substrate and flexible substrate, i.e. silicon wafer and polyimide film using the drop on demand technique to eject liquid ink containing silver nanoparticles. Experimental characterization and simulation were performed to study their performances in detecting yeast of different weights. It was shown that the metamaterial sensor fabricated on a flexible polyimide film had higher sensitivity by more than six times than the metamaterial sensor fabricated on a silicon wafer, due to the low refractive index of the PI substrate and due to the extremely thin substrate thickness which lowers the effective index further. The resonance frequency shift saturated when the yeast weights were 145 µg and 215 µg for metamaterial structures with gap size 6.5 µm fabricated on the silicon substrate and on the polyimide substrate, respectively.

A radio characterization of Galactic compact bubbles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ingallinera, A.; Trigilio, C.; Umana, G.; Leto, P.; Noriega-Crespo, A.; Flagey, N.; Paladini, R.; Agliozzo, C.; Buemi, C. S.

2014-02-01

We report the radio observations of a subsample of the 428 Galactic compact bubbles discovered at 24 μm with the MIPSGAL survey. Pervasive through the entire Galactic plane, these objects are thought to be different kinds of evolved stars. The very large majority of the bubbles (˜70 per cent) are however not yet classified. We conducted radio observations with the Expanded Very Large Array at 6 and 20 cm in order to obtain the spectral index of 55 bubbles. We found that at least 70 per cent of the 31 bubbles for which we were effectively able to compute the spectral index (or its lower limit) are likely to be thermal emitters. We were also able to resolve some bubbles, obtaining that the size of the radio nebula is usually similar to the IR size, although our low resolution (with respect to IR images) did not allow further morphological studies. Comparisons between radio flux densities and IR archive data from Spitzer and IRAS suggest that at least three unclassified bubbles can be treated as planetary nebula candidates.

Impact of Age, Sex and Indexation Method on MR Left Ventricular Reference Values in the Framingham Heart Study Offspring Cohort

PubMed Central

Yeon, Susan B.; Salton, Carol J.; Gona, Philimon; Chuang, Michael L.; Blease, Susan J.; Han, Yuchi; Tsao, Connie W.; Danias, Peter G.; Levy, Daniel; O’Donnell, Christopher J.; Manning, Warren J.

2014-01-01

Purpose To determine normative values for left ventricular (LV) volumes, mass, concentricity and ejection fraction (EF) and investigate associations between sex, age and body size with LV parameters in community dwelling adults. Materials and Methods 1794 Framingham Heart Study Offspring cohort members underwent LV short-axis oriented, contiguous multislice ciné SSFP MR of the left ventricle; from these a healthy referent group (N=852, 61±9 years, 40% men) free of clinical cardiac disease and hypertension (SBP<140, DBP<90 mmHg, never used antihypertensive medication ≥ 30 years prior to scanning) was identified. Referent participants were stratified by sex and age group (≤55, 56-65, >65 years); LV parameters were indexed to measures of body size. Results Men have greater LV volumes and mass than women both before and after indexation to height, powers of height, and body surface area (p<0.01 all), but indexation to fat-free mass yielded greater LV volume and mass in women. In both sexes, LV volumes and mass decrease with advancing age, though indexation attenuates this association. LVEF is greater in women than men (68±5% vs. 66±5%, p<0.01) and increases with age in both sexes (p<0.05). Conclusion Among non-hypertensive adults free of cardiac disease, men have greater LV volumes and mass with sex differences generally persisting after indexation to body size. LV volumes and mass tend to decrease with greater age in both sexes. Female sex and advanced age were both associated with greater LVEF. PMID:24817313

Light scattering by lunar-like particle size distributions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goguen, Jay D.

1991-01-01

A fundamental input to models of light scattering from planetary regoliths is the mean phase function of the regolith particles. Using the known size distribution for typical lunar soils, the mean phase function and mean linear polarization for a regolith volume element of spherical particles of any composition were calculated from Mie theory. The two contour plots given here summarize the changes in the mean phase function and linear polarization with changes in the real part of the complex index of refraction, n - ik, for k equals 0.01, the visible wavelength 0.55 micrometers, and the particle size distribution of the typical mature lunar soil 72141. A second figure is a similar index-phase surface, except with k equals 0.1. The index-phase surfaces from this survey are a first order description of scattering by lunar-like regoliths of spherical particles of arbitrary composition. They form the basis of functions that span a large range of parameter-space.

Preparation of psoralen polymer-lipid hybrid nanoparticles and their reversal of multidrug resistance in MCF-7/ADR cells.

PubMed

Huang, Qingqing; Cai, Tiange; Li, Qianwen; Huang, Yinghong; Liu, Qian; Wang, Bingyue; Xia, Xi; Wang, Qi; Whitney, John C C; Cole, Susan P C; Cai, Yu

2018-11-01

Multidrug resistance (MDR) is the leading cause of failure for breast cancer in the clinic. Thus far, polymer-lipid hybrid nanoparticles (PLN) loaded chemotherapeutic agents has been used to overcome MDR in breast cancer. In this study, we prepared psoralen polymer-lipid hybrid nanoparticles (PSO-PLN) to reverse drug resistant MCF-7/ADR cells in vitro and in vivo. PSO-PLN was prepared by the emulsification evaporation-low temperature solidification method. The formulation, water solubility and bioavailability, particle size, zeta potential and entrapment efficiency, and in vitro release experiments were optimized in order to improve the activity of PSO to reverse MDR. Optimal formulation: soybean phospholipids 50 mg, poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) 15 mg, PSO 3 mg, and Tween-80 1%. The PSO-PLN possessed a round appearance, uniform size, exhibited no adhesion. The average particle size was 93.59 ± 2.87 nm, the dispersion co-efficient was 0.249 ± 0.06, the zeta potential was 25.47 ± 2.84 mV. In vitro analyses revealed that PSO resistance index was 3.2, and PSO-PLN resistance index was 5.6, indicating that PSO-PLN versus MCF-7/ADR reversal effect was significant. Moreover, PSO-PLN is somewhat targeted to the liver, and has an antitumor effect in the xenograft model of drug-resistant MCF-7/ADR cells. In conclusion, PSO-PLN not only reverses MDR but also improves therapeutic efficiency by enhancing sustained release of PSO.

The effects of anesthetic agents on pupillary function during general anesthesia using the automated infrared quantitative pupillometer.

PubMed

Shirozu, Kazuhiro; Setoguchi, Hidekazu; Tokuda, Kentaro; Karashima, Yuji; Ikeda, Mizuko; Kubo, Makoto; Nakamura, Katsuya; Hoka, Sumio

2017-04-01

Pupil reactivity can be used to evaluate central nervous system function and can be measured using a quantitative pupillometer. However, whether anesthetic agents affect the accuracy of the technique remains unclear. We examined the effects of anesthetic agents on pupillary reactivity. Thirty-five patients scheduled for breast or thyroid surgery were enrolled in the study. Patients were divided into four groups based on the technique used to maintain anesthesia: a sevoflurane-remifentanil (SEV/REM) group, a sevoflurane (SEV) group, a desflurane-remifentanil (DES/REM) group, and a propofol-remifentanil (PRO/REM) group. We measured maximum resting pupil size (MAX), reduction pupil size ratio (%CH), latency duration (LAT) and neurological pupil index (NPi). A marked reduction in MAX and %CH compared with baseline was observed in all groups, but LAT was unchanged during surgery. NPi reduced within the first hour of surgery in the SEV/REM, SEV, and DES/REM groups, but was not significantly different in the PRO/REM group. Compared with the PRO/REM group, mean %CH and NPi in patients anesthetized with SEV/REM, SEV or DES/REM were markedly lower at 1 h after surgery had commenced. There was no correlation between NPi and bispectral index. Fentanyl given alone decreased pupil size and %CH in light reflex, but did not change the NPi. NPi was decreased by inhalational anesthesia not but intravenous anesthesia. The difference in pupil reactivity between inhalational anesthetic and propofol may indicate differences in the alteration of midbrain reflexs in patients under inhalational or intravenous anesthesia.

Macrodebris and microplastics from beaches in Slovenia.

PubMed

Laglbauer, Betty J L; Franco-Santos, Rita Melo; Andreu-Cazenave, Miguel; Brunelli, Lisa; Papadatou, Maria; Palatinus, Andreja; Grego, Mateja; Deprez, Tim

2014-12-15

The amount of marine debris in the environment is increasing worldwide, which results in an array of negative effects to biota. This study provides the first account of macrodebris on the beach and microplastics in the sediment (shoreline and infralittoral) in relation to tourism activities in Slovenia. The study assessed the quality and quantity of macrodebris and the quality, size and quantity of microplastics at six beaches, contrasting those under the influences of tourism and those that were not. Beach cleanliness was estimated using the Clean Coast Index. Tourism did not seem to have an effect on macrodebris or microplastic quantity at beaches. Over 64% of macrodebris was plastic, and microplastics were ubiquitous, which calls for classification of plastics as hazardous materials. Standard measures for marine debris assessment are needed, especially in the form of an all-encompassing debris index. Recommendations for future assessments are provided for the Adriatic region. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A tale of two mechanisms: a meta-analytic approach toward understanding the autonomic basis of cardiovascular reactivity to acute psychological stress.

PubMed

Brindle, Ryan C; Ginty, Annie T; Phillips, Anna C; Carroll, Douglas

2014-10-01

A series of meta-analyses was undertaken to determine the contributions of sympathetic and parasympathetic activation to cardiovascular stress reactivity. A literature search yielded 186 studies of sufficient quality that measured indices of sympathetic (n = 113) and/or parasympathetic activity (n = 73). A range of psychological stressors perturbed blood pressure and heart rate. There were comparable aggregate effects for sympathetic activation, as indexed by increased plasma epinephrine and norepinephrine, and shortened pre-ejection period and parasympathetic deactivation, as indexed by heart rate variability measures. Effect sizes varied with stress task, sex, and age. In contrast to alpha-adrenergic blockade, beta-blockade attenuated cardiovascular reactivity. Cardiovascular reactivity to acute psychological stress would appear to reflect both beta-adrenergic activation and vagal withdrawal to a largely equal extent. Copyright © 2014 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

Correction to the plant canopy gap-size analysis theory used by the Tracing Radiation and Architecture of Canopies instrument

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leblanc, Sylvain G.

2002-12-01

A plant canopy gap-size analyzer, the Tracing Radiation and Architecture of Canopies (TRAC), developed by Chen and Cihlar [Appl. Opt. 34, 6211 (1995)] and commercialized by 3rd Wave Engineering (Nepean, Canada), has been used around the world to quantify the fraction of photosynthetically active radiation absorbed by plant canopies, the leaf area index (LAI), and canopy architectural parameters. The TRAC is walked under a canopy along transects to measure sunflecks that are converted into a gap-size distribution. A numerical gap-removal technique is performed to remove gaps that are not theoretically possible in a random canopy. The resulting reduced gap-size distribution is used to quantify the heterogeneity of the canopy and to improve LAI measurements. It is explicitly shown here that the original derivation of the clumping index was missing a normalization factor. For a very clumped canopy with a large gap fraction, the resulting LAI can be more than 100% smaller than previously estimated. A test case is used to demonstrate that the new clumping index derivation allows a more accurate change of LAI to be measured.

A spring-block analogy for the dynamics of stock indexes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sándor, Bulcsú; Néda, Zoltán

2015-06-01

A spring-block chain placed on a running conveyor belt is considered for modeling stylized facts observed in the dynamics of stock indexes. Individual stocks are modeled by the blocks, while the stock-stock correlations are introduced via simple elastic forces acting in the springs. The dragging effect of the moving belt corresponds to the expected economic growth. The spring-block system produces collective behavior and avalanche like phenomena, similar to the ones observed in stock markets. An artificial index is defined for the spring-block chain, and its dynamics is compared with the one measured for the Dow Jones Industrial Average. For certain parameter regions the model reproduces qualitatively well the dynamics of the logarithmic index, the logarithmic returns, the distribution of the logarithmic returns, the avalanche-size distribution and the distribution of the investment horizons. A noticeable success of the model is that it is able to account for the gain-loss asymmetry observed in the inverse statistics. Our approach has mainly a pedagogical value, bridging between a complex socio-economic phenomena and a basic (mechanical) model in physics.

Determination of absorption coefficient of nanofluids with unknown refractive index from reflection and transmission spectra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Joong Bae; Lee, Seungyoon; Lee, Kyungeun; Lee, Ikjin; Lee, Bong Jae

2018-07-01

It has been shown that the absorption coefficient of a nanofluid can be actively tuned by changing material, size, shape, and concentration of the nanoparticle suspension. In applications of engineered nanofluids for the direct absorption of solar radiation, it is important to experimentally characterize the absorption coefficient of nanofluids in the solar spectrum. If the refractive index of the base fluid (i.e., the solution without nanoparticles) is known a priori, the absorption coefficient of nanofluids can be easily determined from the transmission spectrum. However, if the refractive index of the base fluid is not known, it is not straightforward to extract the absorption coefficient solely from the transmission spectrum. The present work aims to develop an analytical method of determining the absorption coefficient of nanofluids with unknown refractive index by measuring both reflection and transmission spectra. The proposed method will be validated with deionized water, and the effect of measurement uncertainty will be carefully examined. Finally, the general applicability of the proposed method will also be demonstrated for Therminol VP-1 as well as the Therminol VP-1 - graphite nanofluid.

49 CFR Appendix A to Part 564 - Information to be Submitted for Replaceable Light Sources

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

..., and any other interchangeability dimensions for indexing the bulb base in the bulb holder. B. Diameter..., diameters, key/keyway sizes, and any other interchangeability dimensions for indexing the bulb base in the...

49 CFR Appendix A to Part 564 - Information to be Submitted for Replaceable Light Sources

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

..., and any other interchangeability dimensions for indexing the bulb base in the bulb holder. B. Diameter..., diameters, key/keyway sizes, and any other interchangeability dimensions for indexing the bulb base in the...

49 CFR Appendix A to Part 564 - Information To Be Submitted for Replaceable Light Sources

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

..., and any other interchangeability dimensions for indexing the bulb base in the bulb holder. B. Diameter..., diameters, key/keyway sizes, and any other interchangeability dimensions for indexing the bulb base in the...

49 CFR Appendix A to Part 564 - Information To Be Submitted for Replaceable Light Sources

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

..., and any other interchangeability dimensions for indexing the bulb base in the bulb holder. B. Diameter..., diameters, key/keyway sizes, and any other interchangeability dimensions for indexing the bulb base in the...

49 CFR Appendix A to Part 564 - Information To Be Submitted for Replaceable Light Sources

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

..., and any other interchangeability dimensions for indexing the bulb base in the bulb holder. B. Diameter..., diameters, key/keyway sizes, and any other interchangeability dimensions for indexing the bulb base in the...

Breakfast size is related to body mass index for men, but not women.

PubMed

Kent, Lillian M; Worsley, Anthony

2010-04-01

The objective of this study was to examine the effect of self-reported breakfast size, daily eating, and other health habits on body mass index (BMI). We hypothesized that a consumption of a substantial breakfast compared with skipping or small breakfasts would be associated with lower BMI. Three independent, cross-sectional, screening surveys were conducted by Sydney Adventist Hospital in 1976, 1986, and 2005 in the surrounding community. The archived survey forms of 384 men and 338 women in 1976, 244 men and 229 women in 1986, and 270 men and 62 women in 2005 were randomly selected. Body mass index was determined from height and weight measured by hospital staff. The reported amount consumed at breakfast was one of several eating habits that predicted BMI for men but not women. It explained 5% to 6% of the variance in male BMI in all 3 years examined. As the reported breakfast amount increased, men's BMI decreased. Lifestyle confounders including vegetarianism and physical activity did not affect this relationship. However, the consumption of breakfast was significantly positively associated with consumption of cereals, bread, fruit, and spreads, while coffee consumption was significantly associated with smaller breakfasts or breakfast skipping. The consumption of relatively large breakfasts may influence BMI in men, and its promotion may help reduce the prevalence of obesity in Australia and elsewhere. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Refractive index sensor based on total scattering of plasmonic nanotube

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yao, Kaiqiang; Zeng, Qingbing; Hu, Zengrong; Zhan, Yaohui

2018-03-01

Plasmonic nanostructures can couple free space light into anultrafine space; therefore,they are employed extensively in the refractive index sensors to minimize the device size or further improve the detection sensitivity. In this work, the optical response of the plasmonic nanotube are investigated comprehensively by using full wave finite element method. With a subwavelength scale, the silver nanotube have prominent scattering peaks in the visible range, which is very suitable for observing through the dark field microscope. The geometric dependence of the scattering spectra and the sensing performance are evaluated carefully. Results show that the scattering peaks are in linear relationship to the circumstance refractive index and a sensitivity of 337 nm/RIUcan be achieved easily by such a plasmonicnanotube with an optimized size.

O the Determination of the Complex Refractive Index of Powdered Materials in the 9 TO 11 Micrometer Spectral Region Utilizing AN Attenuated Total Reflectance Technique.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gillespie, James Bryce

1982-03-01

A specific method of determining the complex refractive index of powdered materials using attenuated total reflectance (ATR) spectroscopy was investigated. A very precise laser/goniometric ATR system was assembled and applied to powdered samples of carbon blacks, graphite, kaolin clay, quartz, calcite, and sodalime glass beads. The reflectivity data fell into two categories: (1) data representative of a medium having a unique effective refractive index and (2) data representative of a scattering medium having no unique refractive index. Data of the first kind were obtained from all the carbon black, graphite, and kaolin clay samples. The Fahrenfort-Visser solution of the Fresnel equations was applied to the goniometric reflectivity data for these samples to obtain the complex refractive index of these effective media. The complex refractive index obtained in this manner is not that of the bulk material but is instead a value which may be related to the bulk material value through some refractive index mixing rule. A systematic experiment using carbon black of particle size 0.0106 mm diameter was conducted to determine the applicability of several mixture rules for the volume packing fraction range of .2 to .6 which is most often encountered. The Bruggemann effective medium theory produced credible results while the Lorentz-Lorenz rule and the empirical Biot-Arago rule were invalid in this volume packing region. The Bruggemann rule was applied to lampblack, Mogul-L carbon black, graphite, and kaolin clay to obtain the complex refractive indices of these materials from the ATR spectroscopy data. Goniometric reflectivity data representative of an inhomogeneous scattering medium were obtained from all the powdered quartz, powdered calcite, and sodalime glass beads samples. These samples all contained particles with diameters nearly as large as the wavelength. These data demonstrate that the ATR technique, coupled with an effective medium analysis, may be used to obtain optical constants of powdered materials only when the particles are small compared to the wavelength.

Aerosol Measurements of the Fine and Ultrafine Particle Content of Lunar Regolith

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greenberg, Paul S.; Chen, Da-Ren; Smith, Sally A.

2007-01-01

We report the first quantitative measurements of the ultrafine (20 to 100 nm) and fine (100 nm to 20 m) particulate components of Lunar surface regolith. The measurements were performed by gas-phase dispersal of the samples, and analysis using aerosol diagnostic techniques. This approach makes no a priori assumptions about the particle size distribution function as required by ensemble optical scattering methods, and is independent of refractive index and density. The method provides direct evaluation of effective transport diameters, in contrast to indirect scattering techniques or size information derived from two-dimensional projections of high magnification-images. The results demonstrate considerable populations in these size regimes. In light of the numerous difficulties attributed to dust exposure during the Apollo program, this outcome is of significant importance to the design of mitigation technologies for future Lunar exploration.

Reproductive biology of the Alaska skate Bathyraja parmifera, with comments on an intersexual individual.

PubMed

Matta, M E

2015-09-01

A total of 1357 specimens of Alaska skate Bathyraja parmifera were collected in the eastern Bering Sea by fisheries observers and during scientific groundfish surveys from 2003 to 2005. Male and female gonads were examined for maturity stage and seasonal reproductive timing. Based on seasonal reproductive data, including the occurrence of egg cases, ovum size, ovum number, shell-gland width and gonado-somatic index, this species appears to reproduce continually throughout the year. Potential effects of maternal size upon the size and number of mature oocytes were also investigated, with total length having a significant, although weak, influence on both. Morphology of a single intersexual individual encountered during the collection period is also described. Published 2015. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Development of local complexity metrics to quantify the effect of anatomical noise on detectability of lung nodules in chest CT imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Solomon, Justin; Rubin, Geoffrey; Smith, Taylor; Harrawood, Brian; Choudhury, Kingshuk Roy; Samei, Ehsan

2017-03-01

The purpose of this study was to develop metrics of local anatomical complexity and compare them with detectability of lung nodules in CT. Data were drawn retrospectively from a published perception experiment in which detectability was assessed in cases enriched with virtual nodules (13 radiologists x 157 total nodules = 2041 responses). A local anatomical complexity metric called the distractor index was developed, defined as the Gaussian weighted proportion (i.e., average) of distracting local voxels (50 voxels in-plane, 5 slices). A distracting voxel was classified by thresholding image data that had been selectively filtered to enhance nodule-like features. The distractor index was measured for each nodule location in the nodule-free images. The local pixel standard deviation (STD) was also measured for each nodule. Other confounding factors of search fraction (proportion of lung voxels to total voxels in the given slice) and peripheral distance (defined as the 3D distance of the nodule from the trachea bifurcation) were measured. A generalized linear mixed-effects statistical model (no interaction terms, probit link function, random reader term) was fit to the data to determine the influence of each metric on detectability. In order of decreasing effect size: distractor index, STD, and search fraction all significantly affected detectability (P < 0.001). Distance to the trachea did not have a significant effect (P < 0.05). These data demonstrate that local lung complexity degrades detection of lung nodules and the distractor index could serve as a good surrogate metric to quantify anatomical complexity.

Raman Lidar Measurements of Aerosol Extinction and Backscattering. Report 2; Derivation of Aerosol Real Refractive Index, Single-Scattering Albedo, and Humidification Factor using Raman Lidar and Aircraft Size Distribution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ferrare, R. A.; Melfi, S. H.; Whiteman, D. N.; Evans, K. D.; Poellot, M.; Kaufman, Y. J.

1998-01-01

Aerosol backscattering and extinction profiles measured by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Scanning Raman Lidar (SRL) during the remote cloud sensing (RCS) intensive operations period (IOP) at the Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) southern Great Plains (SGP) site during two nights in April 1994 are discussed. These profiles are shown to be consistent with the simultaneous aerosol size distribution measurements made by a PCASP (Passive Cavity Aerosol Spectrometer Probe) optical particle counter flown on the University of North Dakota Citation aircraft. We describe a technique which uses both lidar and PCASP measurements to derive the dependence of particle size on relative humidity, the aerosol real refractive index n, and estimate the effective single-scattering albedo Omega(sub 0). Values of n ranged between 1.4-1.5 (dry) and 1.37-1.47 (wet); Omega(sub 0) varied between 0.7 and 1.0. The single-scattering albedo derived from this technique is sensitive to the manner in which absorbing particles are represented in the aerosol mixture; representing the absorbing particles as an internal mixture rather than the external mixture assumed here results in generally higher values of Omega(sub 0). The lidar measurements indicate that the change in particle size with relative humidity as measured by the PCASP can be represented in the form discussed by Hattel with the exponent gamma = 0.3 + or - 0.05. The variations in aerosol optical and physical characteristics captured in the lidar and aircraft size distribution measurements are discussed in the context of the meteorological conditions observed during the experiment.

Raman lidar measurements of aerosol extinction and backscattering: 2. Derivation of aerosol real refractive index, single-scattering albedo, and humidification factor using Raman lidar and aircraft size distribution measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferrare, R. A.; Melfi, S. H.; Whiteman, D. N.; Evans, K. D.; Poellot, M.; Kaufman, Y. J.

1998-08-01

Aerosol backscattering and extinction profiles measured by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Scanning Raman Lidar (SRL) during the remote cloud sensing (RCS) intensive operations period (IOP) at the Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) southern Great Plains (SGP) site during two nights in April 1994 are discussed. These profiles are shown to be consistent with the simultaneous aerosol size distribution measurements made by a PCASP (Passive Cavity Aerosol Spectrometer Probe) optical particle counter flown on the University of North Dakota Citation aircraft. We describe a technique which uses both lidar and PCASP measurements to derive the dependence of particle size on relative humidity, the aerosol real refractive index n, and estimate the effective single-scattering albedo ω0. Values of n ranged between 1.4-1.5 (dry) and 1.37-1.47 (wet); ω0 varied between 0.7 and 1.0. The single-scattering albedo derived from this technique is sensitive to the manner in which absorbing particles are represented in the aerosol mixture; representing the absorbing particles as an internal mixture rather than the external mixture assumed here results in generally higher values of ω0. The lidar measurements indicate that the change in particle size with relative humidity as measured by the PCASP can be represented in the form discussed by Hanel [1976] with the exponent γ = 0.3 ± 0.05. The variations in aerosol optical and physical characteristics captured in the lidar and aircraft size distribution measurements are discussed in the context of the meteorological conditions observed during the experiment.

The local surface plasmon resonance property and refractive index sensitivity of metal elliptical nano-ring arrays

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

Lin, Weihua, E-mail: linwh-whu@hotmail.com; Wang, Qian; Dong, Anhua

2014-11-15

In this paper, we systematically investigate the optical property and refractive index sensitivity (RIS) of metal elliptical nano-ring (MENR) arranged in rectangle lattice by finite-difference time-domain method. Eight kinds of considered MENRs are divided into three classes, namely fixed at the same outer size, at the same inner size, and at the same middle size. All MENR arrays show a bonding mode local surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) peak in the near-infrared region under longitudinal and transverse polarizations, and lattice diffraction enhanced LSPR peaks emerge, when the LSPR peak wavelength (LSPRPW) matches the effective lattice constant of the array. The LSPRPWmore » is determined by the charge moving path length, the parallel and cross interactions induced by the stable distributed charges, and the moving charges inter-attraction. High RIS can be achieved by small particle distance arrays composed of MENRs with big inner size and small ring-width. On the other hand, for a MENR array, the comprehensive RIS (including RIS and figure of merit) under transverse polarization is superior to that under longitudinal polarization. Furthermore, on condition that compared arrays are fixed at the same lattice constant, the phenomenon that the RIS of big ring-width MENR arrays may be higher than that of small ring-width MENR arrays only appears in the case of compared arrays with relatively small lattice constant and composed of MENRs fixed at the same inner size simultaneously. Meanwhile, the LSPRPW of the former MENR arrays is also larger than that of the latter MENR arrays. Our systematic results may help experimentalists work with this type of systems.« less

Layered chalcogenide glass structures for IR lenses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gibson, Daniel; Bayya, Shyam; Sanghera, Jas; Nguyen, Vinh; Scribner, Dean; Maksimovic, Velimir; Gill, John; Yi, Allen; Deegan, John; Unger, Blair

2014-07-01

A technique for fabricating novel infrared (IR) lenses can enable a reduction in the size and weight of IR imaging optics through the use of layered glass structures. These structures can range from having a few thick glass layers, mimicking cemented doublets and triplets, to having many thin glass layers approximating graded index (GRIN) lenses. The effectiveness of these structures relies on having materials with diversity in refractive index (large Δn) and dispersion and similar thermo-viscous behavior (common glass transition temperature, ΔTg = 10°C). A library of 13 chalcogenide glasses with broad IR transmission (NIR through LWIR bands) was developed to satisfy these criteria. The lens fabrication methodology, including glass design and synthesis, sheet fabrication, preform making, lens molding and surface finishing are presented.

RATIONAL DETERMINATION METHOD OF PROBABLE FREEZING INDEX FOR n-YEARS CONSIDERING THE REGIONAL CHARACTERISTICS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kawabata, Shinichiro; Hayashi, Keiji; Kameyama, Shuichi

This paper investigates a method for ob taining the probable freezing index for n -years from past frostaction damage and meteorological data. From investigati on of Japanese cold winter data from the areas of Hokkaido, Tohoku and south of Tohoku, it was found that the extent of cold winter had regularity by location south or north. Also, after obtaining return periods of cold winters by area, obvious regional characteristics were found. Mild winters are rare in Hokkaido. However, it was clarified that when Hokkaido had cold winters, its size increased. It wa s effective to determine the probable freezing indices as 20-, 15- and 10-year return periods for Hokkaido, Tohoku and south of Tohoku, respectively.

High concentration of H2 and O2 nanobubbles in water electrolytes and their collective optical effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Postnikov, A. V.; Uvarov, I. V.; Lokhanin, M. V.; Svetovoy, V. B.

2017-09-01

Water electrolysis with a fast change of the polarity pumps in the liquid a huge amount of hydrogen and oxygen gases. In contrast with the DC electrolysis the gases do not form visible bubbles but change significantly the refractive index of the liquid nearby the electrodes from n = 1.35 to the values smaller than 1.19. The decrease of n is registered as distortion of the images of the electrodes. We argue that all the gas is collected in H2 and O2 nanobubbles with a size smaller than 200 nm. The concentration of nanobubbles with a size of 100 nm is estimated as 1021 m-3. Due to a significant contribution from the Laplace pressure the effective supersaturation reaches 500 for hydrogen and 150 for oxygen.

The Mass-Size Relation of Quenched, Quiescent Galaxies in the WISP Survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pahl, Anthony; Scarlata, Claudia; Rutkowski, Michael J.; Zanella, Anita; Bagley, Micaela B.; Colbert, James W.; Baronchelli, Ivano; Henry, Alaina L.; Hathi, Nimish P.; Teplitz, Harry I.; Rafelski, Marc; Dai, Yu Sophia; Malkan, Matthew Arnold; Mehta, Vihang; Beck, Melanie

2016-01-01

The relation between the stellar mass and size, if measured for galaxies of similar types, can be a useful tool for studying galactic evolution. We study the mass-size relation of quenched, quiescent galaxies to determine the effect of star-formation history on the growth of these objects over time. The WFC3 Infrared Spectroscopic Parallels (WISP) survey is a large HST IR grism survey of over 385 fields of ~4 arcmin2 each, and it is ideal for studying the star-formation rate with its broad spectral coverage. Using a subset of these fields with deep IR data and measurements across both filters (28 fields), we perform a color selection and identify 83 quenched galaxies with a median z~1.6. With GALFIT, we measure their effective radius and sersic index on the 2-D surface brightness distribution in the F110W band. We perform fitting of grism spectra of the observed galaxies to derive redshift, stellar mass and age for all galaxies. We combine the size, stellar mass, and stellar age determinations to investigate whether the evolution of the mass-size relation over time is primarily driven by the entrance of newly quenched galaxies or by processes affecting the individual quenched galaxies.

Visual search for arbitrary objects in real scenes.

PubMed

Wolfe, Jeremy M; Alvarez, George A; Rosenholtz, Ruth; Kuzmova, Yoana I; Sherman, Ashley M

2011-08-01

How efficient is visual search in real scenes? In searches for targets among arrays of randomly placed distractors, efficiency is often indexed by the slope of the reaction time (RT) × Set Size function. However, it may be impossible to define set size for real scenes. As an approximation, we hand-labeled 100 indoor scenes and used the number of labeled regions as a surrogate for set size. In Experiment 1, observers searched for named objects (a chair, bowl, etc.). With set size defined as the number of labeled regions, search was very efficient (~5 ms/item). When we controlled for a possible guessing strategy in Experiment 2, slopes increased somewhat (~15 ms/item), but they were much shallower than search for a random object among other distinctive objects outside of a scene setting (Exp. 3: ~40 ms/item). In Experiments 4-6, observers searched repeatedly through the same scene for different objects. Increased familiarity with scenes had modest effects on RTs, while repetition of target items had large effects (>500 ms). We propose that visual search in scenes is efficient because scene-specific forms of attentional guidance can eliminate most regions from the "functional set size" of items that could possibly be the target.

Zooplankton taxonomic and size diversity in Mediterranean coastal lagoons (NE Iberian Peninsula): Influence of hydrology, nutrient composition, food resource availability and predation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Badosa, Anna; Boix, Dani; Brucet, Sandra; López-Flores, Rocío; Gascón, Stéphanie; Quintana, Xavier D.

2007-01-01

The influence of hydrology, nutrient composition, food resource availability and predation on zooplankton taxonomic and size diversity was analyzed in several shallow lagoons of a Mediterranean salt marsh (Baix Ter Wetlands, NE Iberian Peninsula). Taxonomic diversity correlated better with variables related to the trophic state, such as nutrient concentrations, whereas size diversity was more sensitive to fish predation. However, the fish predation influence on the size diversity was only significant when fishes reached high densities. Under low fish densities no predation effects were observed and the food resource availability (FR a) appeared to be more important in structuring the zooplankton community. Nevertheless, the two diversity indexes showed opposite responses to this factor. With increasing FR a the taxonomic diversity increased and the size diversity decreased. Neither taxonomic nor size diversity of the zooplankton community correlated with other physical or biotic factors such as hydrological variability or macroinvertebrate predation. The relationships found suggest that the size diversity is mainly related to biotic interactions, such as fish predation or inter/intraspecific competition, while the taxonomic diversity appears to be more sensitive to abiotic factors such as the nutrient composition.

Aggregated Indexing of Biomedical Time Series Data

PubMed Central

Woodbridge, Jonathan; Mortazavi, Bobak; Sarrafzadeh, Majid; Bui, Alex A.T.

2016-01-01

Remote and wearable medical sensing has the potential to create very large and high dimensional datasets. Medical time series databases must be able to efficiently store, index, and mine these datasets to enable medical professionals to effectively analyze data collected from their patients. Conventional high dimensional indexing methods are a two stage process. First, a superset of the true matches is efficiently extracted from the database. Second, supersets are pruned by comparing each of their objects to the query object and rejecting any objects falling outside a predetermined radius. This pruning stage heavily dominates the computational complexity of most conventional search algorithms. Therefore, indexing algorithms can be significantly improved by reducing the amount of pruning. This paper presents an online algorithm to aggregate biomedical times series data to significantly reduce the search space (index size) without compromising the quality of search results. This algorithm is built on the observation that biomedical time series signals are composed of cyclical and often similar patterns. This algorithm takes in a stream of segments and groups them to highly concentrated collections. Locality Sensitive Hashing (LSH) is used to reduce the overall complexity of the algorithm, allowing it to run online. The output of this aggregation is used to populate an index. The proposed algorithm yields logarithmic growth of the index (with respect to the total number of objects) while keeping sensitivity and specificity simultaneously above 98%. Both memory and runtime complexities of time series search are improved when using aggregated indexes. In addition, data mining tasks, such as clustering, exhibit runtimes that are orders of magnitudes faster when run on aggregated indexes. PMID:27617298

A roughness-corrected index of relative bed stability for regional stream surveys

EPA Science Inventory

Quantitative regional assessments of streambed sedimentation and its likely causes are hampered because field investigations typically lack the requisite sample size, measurements, or precision for sound geomorphic and statistical interpretation. We adapted an index of relative b...

Effects of sleep management with self-help treatment for the Japanese elderly with chronic insomnia: a quasi-experimental study.

PubMed

Tamura, Norihisa; Tanaka, Hideki

2017-08-01

This study aimed to determine whether sleep management with self-help treatment is more effective in improving insomnia, compared to a waiting-list control. A total of 51 participants with insomnia, aged ≥60 years, were assigned to two groups: the treatment group or waiting-list control group. Intervention included sleep education, group work, moderately intense exercise, and self-help treatment using a sleep diary for 2 weeks. Participants completed the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI-J) and sleep diaries wearing an activity recorder pre- and post-treatment. The treatment group showed a significant improvement in the ISI-J with a fairly large effect size (Cohen's d: within = 0.78, between = 0.70), whereas the waiting-list control group did not. Sleep diary and activity recorder data showed small to moderate effect sizes in the treatment group. Thus, sleep management with self-help treatment was superior to a waiting-list control for insomnia severity in the targeted elderly population.

Efficacy of metacognitive therapy in improving mental health: A meta-analysis of single-case studies.

PubMed

Rochat, Lucien; Manolov, Rumen; Billieux, Joël

2018-06-01

Metacognitive therapy and one of its treatment components, the attention training technique, are increasingly being delivered to improve mental health. We examined the efficacy of metacognitive therapy and/or attention training technique on mental health outcomes from single-case studies. A total of 14 studies (53 patients) were included. We used the d-statistic for multiple baseline data and the percentage change index to compute the effect sizes. Metacognitive therapy has a large effect on depression, anxiety, other psychopathological symptoms, and all outcomes together. Effect sizes were significantly moderated by the number of sessions, the severity and duration of symptoms, and patient gender, but not by study quality or attention training technique when used as a stand-alone treatment. At the follow-up, 77.36% of the individuals were considered recovered or had maintained improvement. Metacognitive therapy and attention training technique strongly contribute to improving mental health outcomes. This study effectively informs evidence-based practice in the clinical milieu. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Differential ethnic associations between maternal flexibility and play sophistication in toddlers born very low birth weight

PubMed Central

Erickson, Sarah J.; Montague, Erica Q.; Maclean, Peggy C.; Bancroft, Mary E.; Lowe, Jean R.

2013-01-01

Children born very low birth weight (<1500 grams, VLBW) are at increased risk for developmental delays. Play is an important developmental outcome to the extent that child’s play and social communication are related to later development of self-regulation and effective functional skills, and play serves as an important avenue of early intervention. The current study investigated associations between maternal flexibility and toddler play sophistication in Caucasian, Spanish speaking Hispanic, English speaking Hispanic, and Native American toddlers (18-22 months adjusted age) in a cross-sectional cohort of 73 toddlers born VLBW and their mothers. We found that the association between maternal flexibility and toddler play sophistication differed by ethnicity (F(3,65) = 3.34, p = .02). In particular, Spanish speaking Hispanic dyads evidenced a significant positive association between maternal flexibility and play sophistication of medium effect size. Results for Native Americans were parallel to those of Spanish speaking Hispanic dyads: the relationship between flexibility and play sophistication was positive and of small-medium effect size. Findings indicate that for Caucasians and English speaking Hispanics, flexibility evidenced a non-significant (negative and small effect size) association with toddler play sophistication. Significant follow-up contrasts revealed that the associations for Caucasian and English speaking Hispanic dyads were significantly different from those of the other two ethnic groups. Results remained unchanged after adjusting for the amount of maternal language, an index of maternal engagement and stimulation; and after adjusting for birth weight, gestational age, gender, test age, cognitive ability, as well maternal age, education, and income. Our results provide preliminary evidence that ethnicity and acculturation may mediate the association between maternal interactive behavior such as flexibility and toddler developmental outcomes, as indexed by play sophistication. Addressing these association differences is particularly important in children born VLBW because interventions targeting parent interaction strategies such as maternal flexibility must account for ethnic-cultural differences in order to promote toddler developmental outcomes through play paradigms. PMID:22982287

Sensitivity metric approach for retrieval of aerosol properties from multiangular and multispectral polarized radiances

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miecznik, Grzegorz; Illing, Rainer; Petroy, Shelley; Sokolik, Irina N.

2005-07-01

Linearly polarized radiation is sensitive to the microphysical properties of aerosols, namely, to the particle- size distribution and refractive index. The discriminating power of polarized radiation increases strongly with the increasing range of scattering angles and the addition of multiple wavelengths. The polarization and directionality of the Earth's reflectances (POLDER) missions demonstrate that some aerosol properties can be successfully derived from spaceborne polarimetric, multiangular measurements at two visible wavelengths. We extend the concept to analyze the retrieval capabilities of a spaceborne instrument with six polarimetric channels at 412, 445, 555, 865, 1250, and 2250 nm, measuring approximately 100 scattering angles covering a range between 50 and 150 deg. Our focus is development of an analysis methodology that can help quantify the benefits of such multiangular and multispectral polarimetric measurements. To that goal we employ a sensitivity metric approach in a framework of the principal-component analysis. The radiances and noise used to construct the sensitivity metric are calculated with the realistic solar flux for representative orbital viewing geometries, accounting for surface reflection from the ground, and statistical and calibration errors of a notional instrument. Spherical aerosol particles covering a range of representative microphysical properties (effective radius, effective variance, real and imaginary parts of the refractive index, single-scattering albedo) are considered in the calculations. We find that there is a limiting threshold for the effective size (approximately 0.7 μm), below which the weak scattering intensity results in a decreased signal-to-noise ratio and minimal polarization sensitivity, precluding reliable aerosol retrievals. For such small particles, close to the Rayleigh scattering limit, the total intensity provides a much stronger aerosol signature than the linear polarization, inspiring retrieval when the combined signals of intensities and the polarization fraction are used. We also find a strong correlation between aerosol parameters, in particular between the effective size and the variance, which forces one to simultaneously retrieve at least these two parameters.

Single image super-resolution based on convolutional neural networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zou, Lamei; Luo, Ming; Yang, Weidong; Li, Peng; Jin, Liujia

2018-03-01

We present a deep learning method for single image super-resolution (SISR). The proposed approach learns end-to-end mapping between low-resolution (LR) images and high-resolution (HR) images. The mapping is represented as a deep convolutional neural network which inputs the LR image and outputs the HR image. Our network uses 5 convolution layers, which kernels size include 5×5, 3×3 and 1×1. In our proposed network, we use residual-learning and combine different sizes of convolution kernels at the same layer. The experiment results show that our proposed method performs better than the existing methods in reconstructing quality index and human visual effects on benchmarked images.

A Computational-Experimental Development of Vortex Generator Use for a Transitioning S-Diffuser

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wendt, Bruce J.; Dudek, Julianne C.

1996-01-01

The development of an effective design strategy for surface-mounted vortex generator arrays in a subsonic diffuser is described in this report. This strategy uses the strengths of both computational and experimental analyses to determine beneficial vortex generator locations and sizes. A parabolized Navier-Stokes solver, RNS3D, was used to establish proper placement of the vortex generators for reduction in circumferential total pressure distortion. Experimental measurements were used to determine proper vortex generator sizing to minimize total pressure recovery losses associated with vortex generator device drag. The best result achieved a 59% reduction in the distortion index DC60, with a 0.3% reduction in total pressure recovery.

Anemia and Iron Status Among Different Body Size Phenotypes in Chinese Adult Population: a Nation-Wide, Health and Nutrition Survey.

PubMed

Li, Jiang; Xiao, Cheng; Yang, Hui; Zhou, Yun; Wang, Rui; Cao, Yongtong

2017-12-09

Previous studies have shown that there is a controversial relationship between iron homeostasis and obesity. This study aims to explore the relationship of anemia and iron status with different body size phenotypes in adult Chinese population. Using information on iron status-related parameters and lifestyle data from 8462 participants of the 2009 wave of China Health and Nutrition Survey (2009 CHNS), we performed multivariable logistic regression analyses to estimate the odds ratios (ORs) for the risk of anemia and iron parameters according to different body size phenotypes. Participants with higher body mass index (BMI) had a lower anemia prevalence with significant trends in both metabolic status groups (P < 0.001). Serum ferritin, transferrin, and soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR)/log ferritin index were significant in different metabolic status groups and in different body size phenotypes, respectively. The ORs for higher ferritin and transferrin increased across different body size phenotypes in both genders, and for sTfR/log ferritin index decreased (P < 0.01 for trend). This association was still statistically significant after adjustment for multiple confounders. We found an inverse association of BMI levels with the prevalence of anemia and strong association of serum ferritin and transferrin with higher risk of obesity or overweight in both metabolic status groups.

Feasibility of Biventricular Repair in Right Dominant Unbalanced Atrioventricular Septal Defect: A New Echocardiographic Metric to Refine Surgical Decision-Making.

PubMed

Lugones, Ignacio; Biancolini, María Fernanda; Biancolini, Julio César; Dios, Ana M S de; Lugones, Germán

2017-07-01

Unbalanced forms of atrioventricular septal defect continue to be challenging and present poor surgical outcomes. Echocardiographic indicators such as atrioventricular valve index, right ventricle/left ventricle inflow angle, and size of the ventricular septal defect have been identified as relevant discriminators that may guide surgical strategy. Our purpose is to describe another metric to refine surgical decision-making. We outline a geometrical description of the anatomic features of atrioventricular septal defect and describe equations that help explain the interplay between the main echocardiographic variables. A new metric called "indexed ventricular septal defect" is defined as the size of the defect in relation to the valve diameter. We derive a final equation relating this index with the atrioventricular valve index and the right ventricle/left ventricle inflow angle. In the light of that equation, we discuss the interdependence of variables and employ data from a Congenital Heart Surgeons' Society study to set the limits of the new index. Combined use of indexed ventricular septal defect and atrioventricular valve index might help clarify surgical decision-making in patients with mild and moderate unbalance (modified atrioventricular valve index between 0.2 and 0.39). For indexed ventricular septal defect smaller than 0.2, biventricular repair may be recommended. Between 0.2 and 0.35, this strategy could probably be achieved depending on other factors. However, other strategies should be considered for those patients showing an indexed ventricular septal defect between 0.35 and 0.5. For values above 0.5 to 0.55, univentricular palliation might be a reasonable strategy.

Evaluation of Movement Restriction Zone Sizes in Controlling Classical Swine Fever Outbreaks

PubMed Central

Yadav, Shankar; Olynk Widmar, Nicole; Lay, Donald C.; Croney, Candace; Weng, Hsin-Yi

2017-01-01

The objective of this study was to compare the impacts of movement restriction zone sizes of 3, 5, 9, and 11 km with that of 7 km (the recommended zone size in the United States) in controlling a classical swine fever (CSF) outbreak. In addition to zone size, different compliance assumptions and outbreak types (single site and multiple site) were incorporated in the study. Three assumptions of compliance level were simulated: baseline, baseline ± 10%, and baseline ± 15%. The compliance level was held constant across all zone sizes in the baseline simulation. In the baseline ± 10% and baseline ± 15% simulations, the compliance level was increased for 3 and 5 km and decreased for 9 and 11 km from the baseline by the indicated percentages. The compliance level remained constant in all simulations for the 7-km zone size. Four single-site (i.e., with one index premises at the onset of outbreak) and four multiple-site (i.e., with more than one index premises at the onset of outbreak) CSF outbreak scenarios in Indiana were simulated incorporating various zone sizes and compliance assumptions using a stochastic between-premises disease spread model to estimate epidemic duration, percentage of infected, and preemptively culled swine premises. Furthermore, a risk assessment model that incorporated the results from the disease spread model was developed to estimate the number of swine premises under movement restrictions that would experience animal welfare outcomes of overcrowding or feed interruption during a CSF outbreak in Indiana. Compared with the 7-km zone size, the 3-km zone size resulted in a longer median epidemic duration, larger percentages of infected premises, and preemptively culled premises (P’s < 0.001) across all compliance assumptions and outbreak types. With the assumption of a higher compliance level, the 5-km zone size significantly (P < 0.001) reduced the epidemic duration and percentage of swine premises that would experience animal welfare outcomes in both outbreak types, whereas assumption of a lower compliance level for 9- and 11-km zone sizes significantly (P < 0.001) increased the epidemic duration and percentage of swine premises with animal welfare outcomes compared with the 7-km zone size. The magnitude of impact due to a zone size varied across the outbreak types (single site and multiple site). Overall, the 7-km zone size was found to be most effective in controlling CSF outbreaks, whereas the 5-km zone size was comparable to the 7-km zone size in some circumstances. PMID:28119920

Measuring mental workload: ocular astigmatism aberration as a novel objective index.

PubMed

Jiménez, Raimundo; Cárdenas, David; González-Anera, Rosario; Jiménez, José R; Vera, Jesús

2018-04-01

This study assessed the effect of two perceptually matched mental tasks with different levels of mental demand on ocular aberrations in a group of young adults. We measured ocular aberration with a wavefront sensor, and total, internal and corneal RMS (root mean square) aberrations were calculated from Zernike coefficients, considering natural and scaled pupils (5, 4.5, and 4 mm). We found that total, internal and corneal astigmatism RMS showed significant differences between mental tasks with natural pupils (p < .05), and this effect was maintained with 5 mm scaled pupils (total RMS astigmatism, p < .05). Consistently, pupil size, intraocular pressure, perceived mental load and cognitive performance were influenced by the level of mental complexity (p < .05 for all). The findings suggest that ocular astigmatism aberration, mediated by intraocular pressure, could be an objective, valid reliable index to evaluate the impact of cognitive processing in conjunction with others physiological markers in real world contexts. Practitioner Summary: The search continues for a valid, reliable, convenient method of measuring mental workload. In this study we found ocular astigmatism aberration is sensitive to the cumulative effect of mental effort. It shows promise of being a novel ocular index which may help to assess mental workload in real situations.

Impact of oral cyclophosphamide on health-related quality of life in patients with active scleroderma lung disease: results from the scleroderma lung study.

PubMed

Khanna, Dinesh; Yan, Xiaohong; Tashkin, Donald P; Furst, Daniel E; Elashoff, Robert; Roth, Michael D; Silver, Richard; Strange, Charlie; Bolster, Marcy; Seibold, James R; Riley, David J; Hsu, Vivien M; Varga, John; Schraufnagel, Dean E; Theodore, Arthur; Simms, Robert; Wise, Robert; Wigley, Fredrick; White, Barbara; Steen, Virginia; Read, Charles; Mayes, Maureen; Parsley, Ed; Mubarak, Kamal; Connolly, M Kari; Golden, Jeffrey; Olman, Mitchell; Fessler, Barri; Rothfield, Naomi; Metersky, Mark; Clements, Philip J

2007-05-01

To assess the impact of cyclophosphamide (CYC) on the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of patients with scleroderma after 12 months of treatment. One hundred fifty-eight subjects participated in the Scleroderma Lung Study, with 79 each randomized to CYC and placebo arms. The study evaluated the results of 3 measures of health status: the Short Form 36 (SF-36), the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) disability index (DI), and Mahler's dyspnea index, and the results of 1 preference-based measure, the SF-6D. The differences in the HRQOL between the 2 groups at 12 months were calculated using a linear mixed model. Responsiveness was evaluated using the effect size. The proportion of subjects in each treatment group whose scores improved at least as much as or more than the minimum clinically important difference (MCID) in HRQOL measures was assessed. After adjustment for baseline scores, differences in the HAQ DI, SF-36 role physical, general health, vitality, role emotional, mental health scales, and SF-36 mental component summary (MCS) score were statistically significant for CYC versus placebo (P < 0.05). Effect sizes were negligible (<0.20) for all of the scales of the SF-36, HAQ DI, and SF-6D at 12 months. In contrast, a higher proportion of patients who received CYC achieved the MCID compared with placebo in the HAQ DI score (30.9% versus 14.8%), transitional dyspnea index score (46.4% versus 12.7%), SF-36 MCS score (33.3% versus 18.5%), and SF-6D score (21.3% versus 3.8%). One year of treatment with CYC leads to an improvement in HRQOL in patients with scleroderma lung disease.

Development and validation of a prediction algorithm for the onset of common mental disorders in a working population.

PubMed

Fernandez, Ana; Salvador-Carulla, Luis; Choi, Isabella; Calvo, Rafael; Harvey, Samuel B; Glozier, Nicholas

2018-01-01

Common mental disorders are the most common reason for long-term sickness absence in most developed countries. Prediction algorithms for the onset of common mental disorders may help target indicated work-based prevention interventions. We aimed to develop and validate a risk algorithm to predict the onset of common mental disorders at 12 months in a working population. We conducted a secondary analysis of the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey, a longitudinal, nationally representative household panel in Australia. Data from the 6189 working participants who did not meet the criteria for a common mental disorders at baseline were non-randomly split into training and validation databases, based on state of residence. Common mental disorders were assessed with the mental component score of 36-Item Short Form Health Survey questionnaire (score ⩽45). Risk algorithms were constructed following recommendations made by the Transparent Reporting of a multivariable prediction model for Prevention Or Diagnosis statement. Different risk factors were identified among women and men for the final risk algorithms. In the training data, the model for women had a C-index of 0.73 and effect size (Hedges' g) of 0.91. In men, the C-index was 0.76 and the effect size was 1.06. In the validation data, the C-index was 0.66 for women and 0.73 for men, with positive predictive values of 0.28 and 0.26, respectively Conclusion: It is possible to develop an algorithm with good discrimination for the onset identifying overall and modifiable risks of common mental disorders among working men. Such models have the potential to change the way that prevention of common mental disorders at the workplace is conducted, but different models may be required for women.

Feasibility of precise navigation in high and low latitude regions under scintillation conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Juan, José Miguel; Sanz, Jaume; González-Casado, Guillermo; Rovira-Garcia, Adrià; Camps, Adriano; Riba, Jaume; Barbosa, José; Blanch, Estefania; Altadill, David; Orus, Raul

2018-02-01

Scintillation is one of the most challenging problems in Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) navigation. This phenomenon appears when the radio signal passes through ionospheric irregularities. These irregularities represent rapid changes on the refraction index and, depending on their size, they can produce also diffractive effects affecting the signal amplitude and, eventually producing cycle slips. In this work, we show that the scintillation effects on the GNSS signal are quite different in low and high latitudes. For low latitude receivers, the main effects, from the point of view of precise navigation, are the increase of the carrier phase noise (measured by σϕ) and the fade on the signal intensity (measured by S4) that can produce cycle slips in the GNSS signal. With several examples, we show that the detection of these cycle slips is the most challenging problem for precise navigation, in such a way that, if these cycle slips are detected, precise navigation can be achieved in these regions under scintillation conditions. For high-latitude receivers the situation differs. In this region the size of the irregularities is typically larger than the Fresnel length, so the main effects are related with the fast change on the refractive index associated to the fast movement of the irregularities (which can reach velocities up to several km/s). Consequently, the main effect on the GNSS signals is a fast fluctuation of the carrier phase (large σϕ), but with a moderate fade in the amplitude (moderate S4). Therefore, as shown through several examples, fluctuations at high-latitude usually do not produce cycle slips, being the effect quite limited on the ionosphere-free combination and, in general, precise navigation can be achieved also during strong scintillation conditions.

SymDex: increasing the efficiency of chemical fingerprint similarity searches for comparing large chemical libraries by using query set indexing.

PubMed

Tai, David; Fang, Jianwen

2012-08-27

The large sizes of today's chemical databases require efficient algorithms to perform similarity searches. It can be very time consuming to compare two large chemical databases. This paper seeks to build upon existing research efforts by describing a novel strategy for accelerating existing search algorithms for comparing large chemical collections. The quest for efficiency has focused on developing better indexing algorithms by creating heuristics for searching individual chemical against a chemical library by detecting and eliminating needless similarity calculations. For comparing two chemical collections, these algorithms simply execute searches for each chemical in the query set sequentially. The strategy presented in this paper achieves a speedup upon these algorithms by indexing the set of all query chemicals so redundant calculations that arise in the case of sequential searches are eliminated. We implement this novel algorithm by developing a similarity search program called Symmetric inDexing or SymDex. SymDex shows over a 232% maximum speedup compared to the state-of-the-art single query search algorithm over real data for various fingerprint lengths. Considerable speedup is even seen for batch searches where query set sizes are relatively small compared to typical database sizes. To the best of our knowledge, SymDex is the first search algorithm designed specifically for comparing chemical libraries. It can be adapted to most, if not all, existing indexing algorithms and shows potential for accelerating future similarity search algorithms for comparing chemical databases.

Evaluation of a flow cytometry method to determine size and real refractive index distributions in natural marine particle populations.

PubMed

Agagliate, Jacopo; Röttgers, Rüdiger; Twardowski, Michael S; McKee, David

2018-03-01

A flow cytometric (FC) method was developed to retrieve particle size distributions (PSDs) and real refractive index (n r ) information in natural waters. Geometry and signal response of the sensors within the flow cytometer (CytoSense, CytoBuoy b.v., Netherlands) were characterized to form a scattering inversion model based on Mie theory. The procedure produced a mesh of diameter and n r isolines where each particle is assigned the diameter and n r values of the closest node, producing PSDs and particle real refractive index distributions. The method was validated using polystyrene bead standards of known diameter and polydisperse suspensions of oil with known n r , and subsequently applied to natural samples collected across a broad range of UK shelf seas. FC PSDs were compared with independent PSDs produced from data of two LISST-100X instruments (type B and type C). PSD slopes and features were found to be consistent between the FC and the two LISST-100X instruments, but LISST concentrations were found in disagreement with FC concentrations and with each other. FC n r values were found to agree with expected refractive index values of typical marine particle components across all samples considered. The determination of particle size and refractive index distributions enabled by the FC method has potential to facilitate identification of the contribution of individual subpopulations to the bulk inherent optical properties and biogeochemical properties of the particle population.

78 FR 42436 - Procedures To Establish Appropriate Minimum Block Sizes for Large Notional Off-Facility Swaps and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-07-16

... (ICE). Gold (COMEX and NYSE Liffe).. 2,500 troy oz. Goldman Sachs Commodity Index 5,000 times dollars... (NYMEX) 1,000 troy oz. PG&E Citygate Basis (ICE and 62,500 MMBtu. NYMEX). PJM Western Hub Real Time Off...). Platinum (NYMEX) 500 troy oz. Rainfall Index (CME)......... 10,000 times dollars. index. Rough Rice (CBOT...

[Research on the measurement range of particle size with total light scattering method in vis-IR region].

PubMed

Sun, Xiao-gang; Tang, Hong; Dai, Jing-min

2008-12-01

The problem of determining the particle size range in the visible-infrared region was studied using the independent model algorithm in the total scattering technique. By the analysis and comparison of the accuracy of the inversion results for different R-R distributions, the measurement range of particle size was determined. Meanwhile, the corrected extinction coefficient was used instead of the original extinction coefficient, which could determine the measurement range of particle size with higher accuracy. Simulation experiments illustrate that the particle size distribution can be retrieved very well in the range from 0. 05 to 18 microm at relative refractive index m=1.235 in the visible-infrared spectral region, and the measurement range of particle size will vary with the varied wavelength range and relative refractive index. It is feasible to use the constrained least squares inversion method in the independent model to overcome the influence of the measurement error, and the inverse results are all still satisfactory when 1% stochastic noise is added to the value of the light extinction.

Scintillation of astigmatic dark hollow beams in weak atmospheric turbulence.

PubMed

Cai, Yangjian; Eyyuboğlu, Halil T; Baykal, Yahya

2008-07-01

The scintillation properties of astigmatic dark hollow beams (DHBs) in weak atmospheric turbulence were investigated in detail. An explicit expression for the on-axis scintillation index of an astigmatic DHB propagating in weak atmospheric turbulence was derived. It was found that the scintillation index value of an astigmatic DHB with suitable astigmatism (i.e., ratio of the beam waist size in the x direction to that in the y direction), dark size, beam waist size, and wavelength can be smaller than that of a stigmatic DHB and that of stigmatic and astigmatic flat-topped, annular, and Gaussian beams in weak atmospheric turbulence particularly at long propagation ranges. Our results will be useful in long-distance free-space optical communications.

Impact of Body Mass Index, Age, Prostate Volume, and Genetic Polymorphisms on Prostate-specific Antigen Levels in a Control Population.

PubMed

Cornu, Jean-Nicolas; Cancel-Tassin, Geraldine; Cox, David G; Roupret, Morgan; Koutlidis, Nicolas; Bigot, Pierre; Valeri, Antoine; Ondet, Valerie; Gaffory, Cécile; Fournier, Georges; Azzouzi, Abdel-Rahmene; Cormier, Luc; Cussenot, Olivier

2016-07-01

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is still the cornerstone of prostate cancer (PCa) screening and diagnosis in both research and current clinical practice. Inaccuracy of PSA is partly due to the influence of a number of genetic, clinical, and biological factors modifying PSA blood levels. In the present study, we detailed the respective influence of each factor among age, body mass index (BMI), prostate volume, and five single-nucleotide polymorphisms-rs10788160 (10q26), rs10993994 (10q11), rs11067228 (12q24), rs17632542 (19q13.33), and rs2928679 (8p21)-on PSA values in a cohort of 1374 men without PCa. Our results show that genetic factors, when risk variants are combined, influence PSA levels with an effect size similar to that of BMI. Taken together, the respective correlations of clinical parameters and genetic parameters would make it possible to correct and adjust PSA values more effectively in each individual. These results establish the basis to understand and implement a more personalised approach for the interpretation of PSA blood levels in the context of PCa screening and diagnosis. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) values in an individual may vary according to genetic predisposition. The effect size of this variation can be significant, comparable with those resulting from clinical characteristics. Personalised PSA testing should take this into account. Copyright © 2016 European Association of Urology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A geometrical optics approach for modeling atmospheric turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuksel, Heba; Atia, Walid; Davis, Christopher C.

2005-08-01

Atmospheric turbulence has a significant impact on the quality of a laser beam propagating through the atmosphere over long distances. Turbulence causes the optical phasefront to become distorted from propagation through turbulent eddies of varying sizes and refractive index. Turbulence also results in intensity scintillation and beam wander, which can severely impair the operation of target designation and free space optical (FSO) communications systems. We have developed a new model to assess the effects of turbulence on laser beam propagation in such applications. We model the atmosphere along the laser beam propagation path as a spatial distribution of spherical bubbles or curved interfaces. The size and refractive index discontinuity represented by each bubble are statistically distributed according to various models. For each statistical representation of the atmosphere, the path of a single ray, or a bundle of rays, is analyzed using geometrical optics. These Monte Carlo techniques allow us to assess beam wander, beam spread, and phase shifts along the path. An effective Cn2 can be determined by correlating beam wander behavior with the path length. This model has already proved capable of assessing beam wander, in particular the (Range)3 dependence of mean-squared beam wander, and in estimating lateral phase decorrelations that develop across the laser phasefront as it propagates through turbulence. In addition, we have developed efficient computational techniques for various correlation functions that are important in assessing the effects of turbulence. The Monte Carlo simulations are compared and show good agreement with the predictions of wave theory.

Testing the role of patch openness as a causal mechanism for apparent area sensitivity in a grassland specialist.

PubMed

Keyel, Alexander C; Bauer, Carolyn M; Lattin, Christine R; Romero, L Michael; Reed, J Michael

2012-06-01

Area sensitivity, species being disproportionately present on larger habitat patches, has been identified in many taxa. We propose that some apparently area-sensitive species are actually responding to how open a habitat patch is, rather than to patch size. We tested this hypothesis for Bobolinks (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) by comparing density and occupancy to a novel openness index, patch area, and edge effects. Bobolink density and occupancy showed significant relationships with openness, but logistic models based on an openness occupancy threshold had greater explanatory power. Thresholds remained approximately consistent from June through August, and shifted to be more open in September. Variance partitioning supported the openness index as unique and relevant. We found no relationships between measures of body condition (body mass, body size, circulating corticosterone levels) and either openness or area. Our findings have implications for studies of area sensitivity, especially with regards to inconsistencies reported within species: specifically, (1) whether or not a study finds a species to be area sensitive may depend on whether small, open sites were sampled, and (2) area regressions were sensitive to observed densities at the largest sites, suggesting that variation in these fields could lead to inconsistent area sensitivity responses. Responses to openness may be a consequence of habitat selection mediated by predator effects. Finally, openness measures may have applications for predicting effects of habitat management or development, such as adding wind turbines, in open habitat.

Engineering multi-stage nanovectors for controlled degradation and tunable release kinetics

PubMed Central

Martinez, Jonathan O.; Chiappini, Ciro; Ziemys, Arturas; Faust, Ari M.; Kojic, Milos; Liu, Xuewu; Ferrari, Mauro; Tasciotti, Ennio

2013-01-01

Nanovectors hold substantial promise in abating the off-target effects of therapeutics by providing a means to selectively accumulate payloads at the target lesion, resulting in an increase in the therapeutic index. A sophisticated understanding of the factors that govern the degradation and release dynamics of these nanovectors is imperative to achieve these ambitious goals. In this work, we elucidate the relationship that exists between variations in pore size and the impact on the degradation, loading, and release of multistage nanovectors. Larger pored vectors displayed faster degradation and higher loading of nanoparticles, while exhibiting the slowest release rate. The degradation of these particles was characterized to occur in a multi-step progression where they initially decreased in size leaving the porous core isolated, while the pores gradually increased in size. Empirical loading and release studies of nanoparticles along with diffusion modeling revealed that this prolonged release was modulated by the penetration within the porous core of the vectors regulated by their pore size. PMID:23911070

Update on the recommended viewing protocol for FAXIL threshold contrast detail detectability test objects used in television fluoroscopy.

PubMed

Launders, J H; McArdle, S; Workman, A; Cowen, A R

1995-01-01

The significance of varying the viewing conditions that may affect the perceived threshold contrast of X-ray television fluoroscopy systems has been investigated. Factors investigated include the ambient room lighting and the viewing distance. The purpose of this study is to find the optimum viewing protocol with which to measure the threshold detection index. This is a particular problem when trying to compare the image quality of television fluoroscopy systems in different input field sizes. The results show that the viewing distance makes a significant difference to the perceived threshold contrast, whereas the ambient light conditions make no significant difference. Experienced observers were found to be capable of finding the optimum viewing distance for detecting details of each size, in effect using a flexible viewing distance. This allows the results from different field sizes to be normalized to account for both the magnification and the entrance air kerma rate differences, which in turn allow for a direct comparison of performance in different field sizes.

Development of nanostructured lipid carrier for dacarbazine delivery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Almousallam, Musallam; Moia, Claudia; Zhu, Huijun

2015-09-01

Dacarbazine (Dac) is one of the most commonly used chemotherapy drugs for treating various cancers. However, its poor water solubility, short half-life in blood circulation, low response rate and high side effect limit its application. This study aimed to improve the drug solubility and prolong drug release by developing nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) for Dac delivery. The NLC and Dac-encapsulated NLC were synthesized with precirol ATO 5 and isopropyl myristate as lipids, tocopheryl polyethylene glycol succinate, soybean lecithin and Kolliphor P 188 as co-surfactants. The NLCs with controlled size were achieved using high shear dispersion following solidification of oil-in-water emulsion. For Dac encapsulation, the smallest NLC with 155 ± 10 nm in size, 0.2 ± 0.01 polydispersion index and -43.4 ± 2 mV zeta potential was selected. The resultant DLC-Dac possessed size, polydispersion index and zeta potential of 190 ± 10, 0.2 ± 0.01, and -43.5 ± 1.2, respectively. The drug encapsulation efficiency and drug loading were 98.5 % and 14 %, respectively. In vitro drug release study showed a biphasic pattern, with 50 % released in the first 2 h, and the remaining released sustainably for up to 30 h. This is the first report on the development of NLC for Dac delivery, implying that NLC could be a new potential candidate as drug carrier to improve the therapeutic profile of Dac.

Observation of a Saharan dust outbreaks in the frame of the Convective and Orographically-induced Precipitation Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Di Girolamo, Paolo; Summa, Donato; Bhawar, Rohini; Di Iorio, Tatiana; Caccaini, Marco; Veselovskii, Igor; Kolgotin, Alexey

2009-03-01

The Raman lidar system BASIL was operational in Achern (Supersite R, Lat: 48.64° N, Long: 8.06° E, Elev.: 140 m) in the frame of the Convective and Orographically-induced Precipitation Study. BASIL operated continuously over a period of approx. 36 hours from 06:22 UTC on 1 August to 18:28 UTC on 2 August 2007, to cover IOPs 13 a-b. In this timeframe the signature of a severe Saharan dust outbreak episode was captured. An inversion algorithm was used to retrieve particle size distribution parameters, i.e., mean and effective radius, number, surface area, and volume concentration, and complex refractive index, as well as the parameters of a bimodal particle size distribution, from the multi-wavelength lidar data of particle backscattering and extinction. The inversion method employs Tikhonov's inversion with regularization. Size distribution parameters are estimated as a function of altitude at different times during the dust outbreak event. Retrieval results reveal the dominance in the upper dust layer of a coarse mode with radii 3-4 μm. Number density and volume concentration are in the range 100-800 cm-3 and 5-40 μm3/cm3, respectively, while real and imaginary part of the complex refractive index are in the range 1.41-1.53 and 0.003-0.014, respectively.

{331}-Faceted trisoctahedral gold nanocrystals: synthesis, superior electrocatalytic performance and highly efficient SERS activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Yahui; Miao, Tingting; Zhang, Peina; Bi, Cuixia; Xia, Haibing; Wang, Dayang; Tao, Xutang

2015-04-01

We investigate the effect of gold (Au) seeds prepared in cetyltrimethylammonium chloride solution (CTAC-Au seeds) on the index facets of trisoctahedral gold nanocrystals (TOH Au NCs). We demonstrate that monodisperse {331}-faceted TOH Au NCs with controllable sizes (from 60 to 255 nm) can be successfully prepared in high yield by using 3.0 nm CTAC-Au seeds or as-prepared 70 nm TOH Au NCs as seeds. We find that the electrocatalytic performance on methanol oxidation and surface enhancement Raman spectroscopy (SERS) activity of {331}-faceted TOH Au NCs is size-dependent. In comparison with well-known nanoporous gold (0.088 mA cm-2), {331}-faceted TOH Au NCs with sizes of 110 nm exhibit fairly high catalytic activity (0.178 mA cm-2) on methanol oxidation (1.0 M) in alkaline media due to the presence of increasing density of atomic steps, ledges, and kinks on the NC surfaces. Their current density is reduced by less than 7% after 500 cycling tests. {331}-Faceted TOH Au NCs with sizes of 175 nm exhibit the highest SERS activity for 4-aminothiophenol (4-ATP) molecules. The enhancement factors of a1 modes of 4-ATP molecules can reach the order of 109 when the 4-ATP concentration is 3 × 10-6 M. Moreover, Raman signals (ag modes) of 4,4'-dimercaptoazobenzene (DMAB) molecules on TOH Au NCs are stronger than those on spherical Au NCs of comparable size due to the enhanced laser-induced transformation of 4-ATP molecules by high-index {331}-facets during SERS measurement. Furthermore, the SERS intensities of 4-methylbenzenethiol (4-MTP) molecules on TOH Au NCs are also higher than those on spherical Au NCs of comparable size due to sharp extremities.We investigate the effect of gold (Au) seeds prepared in cetyltrimethylammonium chloride solution (CTAC-Au seeds) on the index facets of trisoctahedral gold nanocrystals (TOH Au NCs). We demonstrate that monodisperse {331}-faceted TOH Au NCs with controllable sizes (from 60 to 255 nm) can be successfully prepared in high yield by using 3.0 nm CTAC-Au seeds or as-prepared 70 nm TOH Au NCs as seeds. We find that the electrocatalytic performance on methanol oxidation and surface enhancement Raman spectroscopy (SERS) activity of {331}-faceted TOH Au NCs is size-dependent. In comparison with well-known nanoporous gold (0.088 mA cm-2), {331}-faceted TOH Au NCs with sizes of 110 nm exhibit fairly high catalytic activity (0.178 mA cm-2) on methanol oxidation (1.0 M) in alkaline media due to the presence of increasing density of atomic steps, ledges, and kinks on the NC surfaces. Their current density is reduced by less than 7% after 500 cycling tests. {331}-Faceted TOH Au NCs with sizes of 175 nm exhibit the highest SERS activity for 4-aminothiophenol (4-ATP) molecules. The enhancement factors of a1 modes of 4-ATP molecules can reach the order of 109 when the 4-ATP concentration is 3 × 10-6 M. Moreover, Raman signals (ag modes) of 4,4'-dimercaptoazobenzene (DMAB) molecules on TOH Au NCs are stronger than those on spherical Au NCs of comparable size due to the enhanced laser-induced transformation of 4-ATP molecules by high-index {331}-facets during SERS measurement. Furthermore, the SERS intensities of 4-methylbenzenethiol (4-MTP) molecules on TOH Au NCs are also higher than those on spherical Au NCs of comparable size due to sharp extremities. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Extra TEM images and extinction spectra of the corresponding TOH Au NCs obtained with CTAB-Au seeds and CTAC-Au seeds, cyclic voltammograms of the corresponding TOH Au NCs with {221} facets and {331} facets in 0.50 M H2SO4 medium, cyclic voltammograms of TOH Au NCs with different sizes in 0.50 M H2SO4 medium and in 0.50 M KOH medium, the variation of oxidation peak current density of the GCEs modified by the 110 nm TOH Au NCs at different scanning cycle numbers, experimental extinction spectra of TOH Au NCs of different sizes, SERS spectra of 4-ATP molecules on the aggregates of 175 nm TOH Au NCs and 170 nm spherical Au NCs, the normal Raman spectrum of the neat film of the 4-ATP molecule, and summarized data of the Raman intensity and SERS enhancement factors of the TOH Au NCs with different sizes in specific Raman bands. See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr01049g

Impact of age, sex, and indexation method on MR left ventricular reference values in the Framingham Heart Study offspring cohort.

PubMed

Yeon, Susan B; Salton, Carol J; Gona, Philimon; Chuang, Michael L; Blease, Susan J; Han, Yuchi; Tsao, Connie W; Danias, Peter G; Levy, Daniel; O'Donnell, Christopher J; Manning, Warren J

2015-04-01

To determine normative values for left ventricular (LV) volumes, mass, concentricity, and ejection fraction (EF) and investigate associations between sex, age, and body size with LV parameters in community-dwelling adults. In all, 1794 Framingham Heart Study Offspring cohort members underwent LV short-axis oriented, contiguous multislice cine steady-state free precession MR of the left ventricle; from these a healthy referent group (n = 852, 61 ± 9 years, 40% men) free of clinical cardiac disease and hypertension (SBP < 140, DBP < 90 mmHg, never used antihypertensive medication ≥30 years prior to scanning) was identified. Referent participants were stratified by sex and age group (≤55, 56-65, >65 years); LV parameters were indexed to measures of body size. Men have greater LV volumes and mass than women both before and after indexation to height, powers of height, and body surface area (P < 0.01 all), but indexation to fat-free mass yielded greater LV volume and mass in women. In both sexes, LV volumes and mass decrease with advancing age, although indexation attenuates this association. LVEF is greater in women than men (68 ± 5% vs. 66 ± 5%, P < 0.01) and increases with age in both sexes (P < 0.05). Among nonhypertensive adults free of cardiac disease, men have greater LV volumes and mass with sex differences generally persisting after indexation to body size. LV volumes and mass tend to decrease with greater age in both sexes. Female sex and advanced age were both associated with greater LVEF. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2015;41:1038-1045. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The role of parental cognitive, behavioral, and motor profiles in clinical variability in individuals with chromosome 16p11.2 deletions.

PubMed

Moreno-De-Luca, Andres; Evans, David W; Boomer, K B; Hanson, Ellen; Bernier, Raphael; Goin-Kochel, Robin P; Myers, Scott M; Challman, Thomas D; Moreno-De-Luca, Daniel; Slane, Mylissa M; Hare, Abby E; Chung, Wendy K; Spiro, John E; Faucett, W Andrew; Martin, Christa L; Ledbetter, David H

2015-02-01

Most disorders caused by copy number variants (CNVs) display significant clinical variability, often referred to as incomplete penetrance and variable expressivity. Genetic and environmental sources of this variability are not well understood. To investigate the contributors to phenotypic variability in probands with CNVs involving the same genomic region; to measure the effect size for de novo mutation events; and to explore the contribution of familial background to resulting cognitive, behavioral, and motor performance outcomes in probands with de novo CNVs. Family-based study design with a volunteer sample of 56 individuals with de novo 16p11.2 deletions and their noncarrier parents and siblings from the Simons Variation in Individuals Project. We used linear mixed-model analysis to measure effect size and intraclass correlation to determine the influence of family background for a de novo CNV on quantitative traits representing the following 3 neurodevelopmental domains: cognitive ability (Full-Scale IQ), social behavior (Social Responsiveness Scale), and neuromotor performance (Purdue Pegboard Test). We included an anthropometric trait, body mass index, for comparison. A significant deleterious effect of the 16p11.2 deletion was demonstrated across all domains. Relative to the biparental mean, the effect sizes were -1.7 SD for cognitive ability, 2.2 SD for social behavior, and -1.3 SD for neuromotor performance (P < .001). Despite large deleterious effects, significant positive correlations between parents and probands were preserved for the Full-Scale IQ (0.42 [P = .03]), the verbal IQ (0.53 [P = .004]), and the Social Responsiveness Scale (0.52 [P = .009]) scores. We also observed a 1-SD increase in the body mass index of probands compared with siblings, with an intraclass correlation of 0.40 (P = .07). Analysis of families with de novo CNVs provides the least confounded estimate of the effect size of the 16p11.2 deletion on heritable, quantitative traits and demonstrates a 1- to 2-SD effect across all neurodevelopmental dimensions. Significant parent-proband correlations indicate that family background contributes to the phenotypic variability seen in this and perhaps other CNV disorders and may have implications for counseling families regarding their children's developmental and psychiatric prognoses. Use of biparental mean scores rather than general population mean scores may be more relevant to examine the effect of a mutation or any other cause of trait variation on a neurodevelopmental outcome and possibly on systems of diagnosis and trait ascertainment for developmental disorders.

Left atrial size quantification using non-contrast-enhanced cardiac computed tomography - association with cardiovascular risk factors and gender-specific distribution in the general population: the Heinz Nixdorf Recall study.

PubMed

Mahabadi, Amir A; Lehmann, Nils; Sonneck, Nina C; Kälsch, Hagen; Bauer, Marcus; Kara, Kaffer; Geisel, Marie H; Moebus, Susanne; Jöckel, Karl-Heinz; Erbel, Raimund; Möhlenkamp, Stefan

2014-10-01

Left atrial (LA) size is associated with cardiovascular mortality and morbidity. Once cardiac computed tomography (CT) is performed, information on LA size is readily available without additional contrast media or radiation exposure. To determine the association of CT-derived LA area and body surface area-adjusted (BSA) LA index with cardiovascular risk factors and describe age- and gender-specific normative values in a general population cohort. This study included 3945 participants (mean age, 59 ± 8 years; 53% women) from the community-based Heinz Nixdorf Recall Study. LA area in an axial image at the level of the mitral valve was quantified from non-contrast-enhanced electron-beam CT by manual delineations of the boundaries of the LA with exclusion of subjects with prevalent cardiovascular disease. Definition of normative values was performed in subjects without predictors of LA enlargement. LA quantification was feasible in all subjects. Men had larger LA size (1856 mm(2) vs. 1677 mm(2), P < 0.0001), while after adjustment for BSA, this effect was inverted (910 mm(2)/m(2) vs. 933 mm(2)/m(2) for men and women, P < 0.0001). Determinants of body size were major predictors of LA size (body mass index [BMI]: R(2) = 0.195, BSA: R(2 )= 0.216, both P < 0.0001). Blood pressure was associated with LA size (parameter-estimate [95% confidence interval] = 51.0 (4.9-57.1) mm(2)/10 mmHg for systolic, 31.4 (25.4-37.4) mm(2)/5 mmHg for diastolic blood pressure, 214.6 (186.9-242.3) mm(2) for antihypertensive medication, P < 0.0001 for all). Cholesterol levels, lipid-lowering therapy, and diabetes were associated with LA in univariable analysis, however, correlations were low (r(2 )≤ 0.026). Current smoking was associated with reduced LA size (-115.9 [-149.0 - -82.8] mm(2), P < 0.0001). In multivariable regression, BMI, blood pressure, antihypertensive medication, and smoking remained associated with LA size (P < 0.005). Non-contrast-enhanced cardiac CT enables LA quantification with body size, hypertension, and smoking status being predictors of LA size. © The Foundation Acta Radiologica 2013 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

[Grain Size Distribution Characteristics of Suspended Particulate Matter as Influenced by the Apparent Pollution in the Eutrophic Urban Landscape Water Body].

PubMed

Gong, Dan-yan; Pan, Yang; Huang, Yong; Bao, Wei; Li, Qian-qian

2016-03-15

Grain size distribution characteristics of suspended particulate matter (SPM) reflects the apparent polluted condition of the urban landscape water. In order to explore the internal relationship between the eutrophication of urban landscape water's apparent pollution and grain size distribution of SPM, and its influencing factors, this paper selected five representative sampling sites in Feng Jin River which is a typical eutrophication river in Suzhou City, measured the grain size distribution of SPM, sensation pollution index (SPI) and water quality index, and analyzed their correlation. The results showed that: The rich nutrient water possessed a similar characteristics in grain size distribution. The grain size distribution of SPM in water was multimodal, and the the peak position was roughly the same; the grain size distribution of SPM was composed by multiple components. It could be roughly divided into six parts with the particle size range of every group being < 1.5 µm, 1.5-8 µm, 8-35 µm, 35-186 µm, 186-516 µm, > 516 µm. The component III was superior (with an average volume fraction of 38.3%-43.2%), and its volume fraction had a significant positive relation with the SPI value and the Chl-a content. The increase of component III volume fraction was the reflection of particle size's result of increasing SPI value. The increase of component III volume fraction was mainly derived from the increasing algal content. The volume fraction of group IV + group VI + group V was significantly higher under the condition of exogenous enter. When there was no exogenous component, the volume fraction of group IV + group VI + group V had a significant negative correlation with SPI value; when there were exogenous components, the volume fraction of group IV + group VI + group V had a weak positive correlation with SPI value, but the correlation did not reach a significant level. Environmental factors (Fv/Fm and DO) and exogenous factors had an influence by functioning on the algal content which signified the polluted material, and then affected the volume fraction of particle size's components and the quality of apparent water. Hydrodynamic conditions mainly had a certain influence on the median particle size, and had no effect on the apparent polluted condition of water.

Lesion size affects diagnostic performance of IOTA logistic regression models, IOTA simple rules and risk of malignancy index in discriminating between benign and malignant adnexal masses.

PubMed

Di Legge, A; Testa, A C; Ameye, L; Van Calster, B; Lissoni, A A; Leone, F P G; Savelli, L; Franchi, D; Czekierdowski, A; Trio, D; Van Holsbeke, C; Ferrazzi, E; Scambia, G; Timmerman, D; Valentin, L

2012-09-01

To estimate the ability to discriminate between benign and malignant adnexal masses of different size using: subjective assessment, two International Ovarian Tumor Analysis (IOTA) logistic regression models (LR1 and LR2), the IOTA simple rules and the risk of malignancy index (RMI). We used a multicenter IOTA database of 2445 patients with at least one adnexal mass, i.e. the database previously used to prospectively validate the diagnostic performance of LR1 and LR2. The masses were categorized into three subgroups according to their largest diameter: small tumors (diameter < 4 cm; n = 396), medium-sized tumors (diameter, 4-9.9 cm; n = 1457) and large tumors (diameter ≥ 10 cm, n = 592). Subjective assessment, LR1 and LR2, IOTA simple rules and the RMI were applied to each of the three groups. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative likelihood ratio (LR+, LR-), diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) and area under the receiver-operating characteristics curve (AUC) were used to describe diagnostic performance. A moving window technique was applied to estimate the effect of tumor size as a continuous variable on the AUC. The reference standard was the histological diagnosis of the surgically removed adnexal mass. The frequency of invasive malignancy was 10% in small tumors, 19% in medium-sized tumors and 40% in large tumors; 11% of the large tumors were borderline tumors vs 3% and 4%, respectively, of the small and medium-sized tumors. The type of benign histology also differed among the three subgroups. For all methods, sensitivity with regard to malignancy was lowest in small tumors (56-84% vs 67-93% in medium-sized tumors and 74-95% in large tumors) while specificity was lowest in large tumors (60-87%vs 83-95% in medium-sized tumors and 83-96% in small tumors ). The DOR and the AUC value were highest in medium-sized tumors and the AUC was largest in tumors with a largest diameter of 7-11 cm. Tumor size affects the performance of subjective assessment, LR1 and LR2, the IOTA simple rules and the RMI in discriminating correctly between benign and malignant adnexal masses. The likely explanation, at least in part, is the difference in histology among tumors of different size. Copyright © 2012 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Does a future-oriented temporal perspective relate to body mass index, eating, and exercise? A meta-analysis.

PubMed

Sweeney, Allison M; Culcea, Ileana

2017-05-01

The present study aimed to quantify the magnitude of the association between future temporal perspective and Body Mass Index (BMI), diet, and exercise, respectively, and to clarify whether subjective future-focus scales or delay-discounting tasks are a more robust predictor of health behaviors. A systematic search was conducted for studies that included a dispositional measure of future temporal perspective and a measure of BMI, eating, and/or exercise behavior. Effect sizes for BMI, eating, and exercise were calculated using a random-effects model. The aggregate effect sizes for BMI (r = 0.14, k = 36, 95% CI = 0.10 - 0.18, p < 0.001), eating (r = 0.16, k = 18, 95% CI = 0.12-0.21, p < 0.001), and exercise (r = 0.12, k = 18, 95% CI = 0.09-0.14, p < 0.001) were significant and small in magnitude. Neither the type of future temporal perspective task (delay-discounting vs. subjective future-focus scale) nor the percentage of obese participants moderated the effect of temporal perspective on BMI, eating, or exercise. Although small in magnitude, the association between temporal perspective and health outcomes is comparable to other individual differences, such as personality and temperament. Future research is needed to examine how increasing the value placed on future outcomes can be integrated into long-term health behavior change interventions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Spatial regression models of park and land-use impacts on the urban heat island in central Beijing.

PubMed

Dai, Zhaoxin; Guldmann, Jean-Michel; Hu, Yunfeng

2018-06-01

Understanding the relationship between urban land structure and land surface temperatures (LST) is important for mitigating the urban heat island (UHI). This paper explores this relationship within central Beijing, an area located within the 2nd Ring Road. The urban variables include the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), the Normalized Difference Build-up Index (NDBI), the area of building footprints, the area of main roads, the area of water bodies and a gravity index for parks that account for both park size and distance. The data are captured over 8 grids of square cells (30 m, 60 m, 90 m, 120 m, 150 m, 180 m, 210 m, 240 m). The research involves: (1) estimating land surface temperatures using Landsat 8 satellite imagery, (2) building the database of urban variables, and (3) conducting regression analyses. The results show that (1) all the variables impact surface temperatures, (2) spatial regressions are necessary to capture neighboring effects, and (3) higher-order polynomial functions are more suitable for capturing the effects of NDVI and NDBI. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Fire effects in the northern Chihuahuan Desert derived from Landsat-5 Thematic Mapper spectral indices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

White, Joseph D.; Swint, Pamela

2014-01-01

Fire effects on desert ecosystems may be long-lasting based on ecological impact of fire in these environments which potentially is detected from multispectral sensors. To assess this, we analyzed changes in spectral characteristics from 1986 to 2010 of pixels associated with the location of fires that occurred between 1986 and 1999 in Big Bend National Park, USA, located in the northern Chihuahuan Desert. Using Landsat-5 Thematic Mapper (TM) data, we derived spectral indices including the simple ratio (SR), normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), soil-adjusted vegetation index (SAVI), and normalized burn ratio (NBR) from 1989, 1999, and 2010 from the TM data and compared changes in spectral index values for sites with and without observed fire. We found that the NDVI and SAVI had significantly different values over the time for burned sites of different fire sizes. When differences of the spectral indices were calculated from each time period, time since fire was correlated with the SR and NBR indices. These results showed that large fires potentially had a persistent and long-term change in vegetation cover and soil characteristics which were detected by the extraordinary long-data collection period of the Landsat-5 TM sensor.

In-line open-cavity Fabry-Pérot interferometer formed by C-shaped fiber fortemperature-insensitive refractive index sensing.

PubMed

Wu, Chuang; Liu, Zhengyong; Zhang, A Ping; Guan, Bai-Ou; Tam, Hwa-Yaw

2014-09-08

We report an open-cavity optical fiber Fabry-Pérot interferometer (FPI) capable of measuring refractive index with very low temperature cross-sensitivity. The FPI was constructed by splicing a thin piece of C-shaped fiber between two standard single-mode fibers. The refractive index (RI) response of the FPI was characterized using water-ethanol mixtures with RI in the range of 1.33 to 1.36. The RI sensitivity was measured to be 1368 nm/RIU at the wavelength of 1600 nm with good linearity. Thanks to its all-glass structure, the FPI exhibits very low temperature cross-sensitivity of 3.04 × 10⁻⁷ RIU/°C. The effects of cavity length on the performance of the sensor were also studied. A shorter cavity gives rise to broader measurement range while offering larger detection limit, and vice versa. What's more, the effect of material dispersion of analyte on the sensitivity of open-cavity FPIs was identified for the first time. The sensor is compact in size and easy to fabricate. It is potentially useful for label-free optical sensing of chemical and biological samples.

[Study on artificial neural network combined with multispectral remote sensing imagery for forest site evaluation].

PubMed

Gong, Yin-Xi; He, Cheng; Yan, Fei; Feng, Zhong-Ke; Cao, Meng-Lei; Gao, Yuan; Miao, Jie; Zhao, Jin-Long

2013-10-01

Multispectral remote sensing data containing rich site information are not fully used by the classic site quality evaluation system, as it merely adopts artificial ground survey data. In order to establish a more effective site quality evaluation system, a neural network model which combined remote sensing spectra factors with site factors and site index relations was established and used to study the sublot site quality evaluation in the Wangyedian Forest Farm in Inner Mongolia Province, Chifeng City. Based on the improved back propagation artificial neural network (BPANN), this model combined multispectral remote sensing data with sublot survey data, and took larch as example, Through training data set sensitivity analysis weak or irrelevant factor was excluded, the size of neural network was simplified, and the efficiency of network training was improved. This optimal site index prediction model had an accuracy up to 95.36%, which was 9.83% higher than that of the neural network model based on classic sublot survey data, and this shows that using multi-spectral remote sensing and small class survey data to determine the status of larch index prediction model has the highest predictive accuracy. The results fully indicate the effectiveness and superiority of this method.

Relation between climatic factors, diet and reproductive parameters of Little Terns over a decade

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramos, Jaime A.; Pedro, Patrícia; Matos, Antonio; Paiva, Vitor H.

2013-11-01

We used 10 years of data on clutch size, egg size and diet, and 8 years of data on timing of laying on Little Terns (Sternula albifrons) breeding in Ria Formosa lagoon system, Algarve, Portugal to assess whether diet acts as an important intermediary between climatic conditions and breeding parameters. We used Generalized Linear Models to relate (1) the relative occurrence and size of the main prey species, sand smelts (Atherina spp.), with environmental variables, a large-scale climate variable, the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index, and a local scale variable, the sea-surface temperature (SST), and (2) the respective effects of sand smelts relative occurrence, NAO index and SST on Little Tern breeding parameters. The diet of Little Terns was dominated by sand smelts, with a frequency occurrence of over 60% in all years. The winter SST (February) was negatively associated with the relative occurrence of sand smelts in the diet of Little Terns during the breeding season which, in turn, was positively associated with Little Tern clutch size. Our results suggest that negative NAO conditions in the Atlantic Ocean, often associated with rougher sea conditions (greater vertical mixing, stronger winds and lower SST) were related with earlier breeding, and lower SST in the surroundings of the colony during winter-spring favour the abundance of prey fish for Little Terns as well as their reproductive parameters. Climate patterns at both large and local scales are likely to change in the future, which may have important implications for estuarine seabirds in Southern Europe.

Tadalafil once daily and extracorporeal shock wave therapy in the management of patients with Peyronie's disease and erectile dysfunction: results from a prospective randomized trial.

PubMed

Palmieri, A; Imbimbo, C; Creta, M; Verze, P; Fusco, F; Mirone, V

2012-04-01

Extracorporeal shock wave therapy improves erectile function in patients with Peyronie's disease. However, erectile dysfunction still persists in many cases. We aimed to investigate the effects of extracorporeal shock wave therapy plus tadalafil 5 mg once daily in the management of patients with Peyronie's disease and erectile dysfunction not previously treated. One hundred patients were enrolled in a prospective, randomized, controlled study. Patients were randomly allocated to receive either extracorporeal shock wave therapy alone for 4 weeks (n = 50) or extracorporeal shock wave therapy plus tadalafil 5 mg once daily for 4 weeks (n = 50). Main outcome measures were: erectile function (evaluated through the shortened version of the International Index of Erectile Function), pain during erection (evaluated through a Visual Analog Scale), plaque size, penile curvature and quality of life (evaluated through an internal questionnaire). Follow-up evaluations were performed after 12 and 24 weeks. In both groups, at 12 weeks follow-up, mean Visual Analog Scale score, mean International Index of Erectile Function score and mean quality of life score ameliorated significantly while mean plaque size and mean curvature degree were unchanged. Intergroup analysis revealed a significantly higher mean International Index of Erectile Function score and quality of life score in patients receiving the combination. After 24 weeks, intergroup analysis revealed a significantly higher mean International Index of Erectile Function score and mean quality of life score in patients that received extracorporeal shock wave therapy plus tadalafil. In conclusion extracorporeal shock wave therapy plus tadalafil 5 mg once daily may represent a valid conservative strategy for the management of patients with Peyronie's disease and erectile dysfunction. © 2011 The Authors. International Journal of Andrology © 2011 European Academy of Andrology.

Blended-Learning Pain Neuroscience Education for People With Chronic Spinal Pain: Randomized Controlled Multicenter Trial.

PubMed

Malfliet, Anneleen; Kregel, Jeroen; Meeus, Mira; Roussel, Nathalie; Danneels, Lieven; Cagnie, Barbara; Dolphens, Mieke; Nijs, Jo

2018-05-01

Available evidence favors the use of pain neuroscience education (PNE) in patients with chronic pain. However, PNE trials are often limited to small sample sizes and, despite the current digital era, the effects of blended-learning PNE (ie, the combination of online digital media with traditional educational methods) have not yet been investigated. The study objective was to examine whether blended-learning PNE is able to improve disability, catastrophizing, kinesiophobia, and illness perceptions. This study was a 2-center, triple-blind randomized controlled trial (participants, statistician, and outcome assessor were masked). The study took place at university hospitals in Ghent and Brussels, Belgium. Participants were 120 people with nonspecific chronic spinal pain (ie, chronic neck pain and low back pain). The intervention was 3 sessions of PNE or biomedically focused back/neck school education (addressing spinal anatomy and physiology). Measurements were self-report questionnaires (Pain Disability Index, Pain Catastrophizing Scale, Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia, Illness Perception Questionnaire, and Pain Vigilance and Awareness Questionnaire). None of the treatment groups showed a significant change in the perceived disability (Pain Disability Index) due to pain (mean group difference posteducation: 1.84; 95% CI = -2.80 to 6.47). Significant interaction effects were seen for kinesiophobia and several subscales of the Illness Perception Questionnaire, including negative consequences, cyclical time line, and acute/chronic time line. In-depth analysis revealed that only in the PNE group were these outcomes significantly improved (9% to 17% improvement; 0.37 ≤ Cohen d ≥ 0.86). Effect sizes are small to moderate, which might raise the concern of limited clinical utility; however, changes in kinesiophobia exceed the minimal detectable difference. PNE should not be used as the sole treatment modality but should be combined with other treatment strategies. Blended-learning PNE was able to improve kinesiophobia and illness perceptions in participants with chronic spinal pain. As effect sizes remained small to medium, PNE should not be used as a sole treatment but rather should be used as a key element within a comprehensive active rehabilitation program. Future studies should compare the effects of blended-learning PNE with offline PNE and should consider cost-effectiveness.

Tailoring the negative-refractive-index metamaterials composed of semiconductor-metal-semiconductor gold ring/disk cavity heptamers to support strong Fano resonances in the visible spectrum.

PubMed

Ahmadivand, Arash; Pala, Nezih

2015-02-01

In this study, we investigated numerically the plasmon response of a planar negative-index metamaterial composed of symmetric molecular orientations of Au ring/disk nanocavities in a heptamer cluster. Using the plasmon hybridization theory and considering the optical response of an individual nanocluster, we determined the accurate geometrical sizes for a ring/disk nanocavity heptamer. It is shown that the proposed well-organized nanocluster can be tailored to support strong and sharp Fano resonances in the visible spectrum. Surrounding and filling the heptamer clusters by various metasurfaces with different chemical characteristics, and illuminating the structure with an incident light source, we proved that this configuration reflects low losses and isotropic features, including a pronounced Fano dip in the visible spectrum. Technically, employing numerical methods and tuning the geometrical sizes of the structure, we tuned and induced the Fano dip in the visible range, while the dark and bright plasmon resonance extremes are blueshifted to shorter wavelengths dramatically. Considering the calculated transmission window, we quantified the effective refractive index for the structure, while the substance of the substrate material was varied. Using Si, GaP, and InP semiconductors as substrate materials, we calculated and compared the corresponding figure of merit (FOM) for different regimes. The highest possible FOM was obtained for the GaP-Au-GaP negative-refractive-index metamaterial composed of ring/disk nanocavity heptamers as 62.4 at λ∼690  nm (arounnd the position of the Fano dip). Despite the outstanding symmetric nature of the suggested heptamer array, we provided sharp Fano dips by the appropriate tuning of the geometrical and chemical parameters. This study yields a method to employ ring/disk nanocavity heptamers as a negative-refractive-index metamaterial in designing highly accurate localization of surface plasmon resonance sensing devices and biochemical sensors.

Predictors of dietary quality in low-income pregnant women: a path analysis.

PubMed

Fowles, Eileen R; Bryant, Miranda; Kim, SungHun; Walker, Lorraine O; Ruiz, Roberta Jeanne; Timmerman, Gayle M; Brown, Adama

2011-01-01

Despite the potential importance of nutrition to pregnancy outcomes, little is known about the factors influencing dietary quality, especially during the first trimester. The aim of this study was to examine the relationships of distress (an index of depression and stress), social support, and eating habits with dietary quality in low-income pregnant women. A cross-sectional design and path analytic methods was used in a clinic-based sample of low-income women (n = 118) in their first trimester of pregnancy. Women completed questionnaires and received training on estimating food portion sizes. Three 24-hour dietary recalls were collected over 2 weeks. Overall dietary quality was assessed using the Dietary Quality Index-Pregnancy. The final path model fit well (comparative fit index [CFI] = .97, root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] = .05) and revealed that distress had a direct effect on poor eating habits (β = .36) and a direct (β = -.23) and indirect effect on dietary quality (β = -.30). Poor eating habits had a direct effect on dietary quality (β = -.18). Social support had no effect on dietary quality. Age had significant direct effects on education (β = .39) and nutritional knowledge (β = .18) and an indirect effect on dietary quality (total effect, β = .19). Maternal age, education, and nutritional knowledge did not have significant effects on psychosocial variables. Psychosocial distress and poor eating habits contributed to inadequate dietary quality. Assessing for depression, stress, poor eating habits, and overall dietary quality during the crucial first trimester may identify women needing more intensive dietary monitoring and intervention throughout pregnancy.

Breast cancer tumour growth modelling for studying the association of body size with tumour growth rate and symptomatic detection using case-control data.

PubMed

Abrahamsson, Linda; Czene, Kamila; Hall, Per; Humphreys, Keith

2015-08-21

A large body size is associated with larger breast cancer tumours at diagnosis. Standard regression models for tumour size at diagnosis are not sufficient for unravelling the mechanisms behind the association. Using Swedish case-control data, we identified 1352 postmenopausal women with incident invasive breast cancer diagnosed between 1993 and 1995. We used a novel continuous tumour growth model, which models tumour sizes at diagnosis through three submodels: for tumour growth, time to symptomatic detection, and screening sensitivity. Tumour size at other time points is thought of as a latent variable. We quantified the relationship between body size with tumour growth and time to symptomatic detection. High body mass index and large breast size are, respectively, significantly associated with fast tumour growth rate and delayed time to symptomatic detection (combined P value = 5.0 × 10(-5) and individual P values = 0.089 and 0.022). We also quantified the role of mammographic density in screening sensitivity. The times at which tumours will be symptomatically detected may vary substantially between women with different breast sizes. The proposed tumour growth model represents a novel and useful approach for quantifying the effects of breast cancer risk factors on tumour growth and detection.

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

Arbique, G; Anderson, J; Guild, J

Purpose: The National Lung Screening Trial mandated manual low dose CT technique factors, where up to a doubling of radiation output could be used over a regular to large patient size range. Recent guidance from the AAPM and ACR for lung cancer CT screening recommends radiation output adjustment for patient size either through AEC or a manual technique chart. This study evaluated the use of AEC for output control and dose reduction. Methods: The study was performed on a multidetector helical CT scanner (Aquillion ONE, Toshiba Medical) equipped with iterative reconstruction (ADIR-3D), AEC was adjusted with a standard deviation (SD)more » image quality noise index. The protocol SD parameter was incrementally increased to reduce patient population dose while image quality was evaluated by radiologist readers scoring the clinical utility of images on a Likert scale. Results: Plots of effective dose vs. body size (water cylinder diameter reported by the scanner) demonstrate monotonic increase in patient dose with increasing patient size. At the initial SD setting of 19 the average CTDIvol for a standard size patient was ∼ 2.0 mGy (1.2 mSv effective dose). This was reduced to ∼1.0 mGy (0.5 mSv) at an SD of 25 with no noticeable reduction in clinical utility of images as demonstrated by Likert scoring. Plots of effective patient diameter and BMI vs body size indicate that these metrics could also be used for manual technique charts. Conclusion: AEC offered consistent and reliable control of radiation output in this study. Dose for a standard size patient was reduced to one-third of the 3 mGy CTDIvol limit required for ACR accreditation of lung cancer CT screening. Gary Arbique: Research Grant, Toshiba America Medical Systems; Cecelia Brewington: Research Grant, Toshiba America Medical Systems; Di Zhang: Employee, Toshiba America Medical Systems.« less

Robust SMES controller design for stabilization of inter-area oscillation considering coil size and system uncertainties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ngamroo, Issarachai

2010-12-01

It is well known that the superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) is able to quickly exchange active and reactive power with the power system. The SMES is expected to be the smart storage device for power system stabilization. Although the stabilizing effect of SMES is significant, the SMES is quite costly. Particularly, the superconducting magnetic coil size which is the essence of the SMES, must be carefully selected. On the other hand, various generation and load changes, unpredictable network structure, etc., cause system uncertainties. The power controller of SMES which is designed without considering such uncertainties, may not tolerate and loses stabilizing effect. To overcome these problems, this paper proposes the new design of robust SMES controller taking coil size and system uncertainties into account. The structure of the active and reactive power controllers is the 1st-order lead-lag compensator. No need for the exact mathematical representation, system uncertainties are modeled by the inverse input multiplicative perturbation. Without the difficulty of the trade-off of damping performance and robustness, the optimization problem of control parameters is formulated. The particle swarm optimization is used for solving the optimal parameters at each coil size automatically. Based on the normalized integral square error index and the consideration of coil current constraint, the robust SMES with the smallest coil size which still provides the satisfactory stabilizing effect, can be achieved. Simulation studies in the two-area four-machine interconnected power system show the superior robustness of the proposed robust SMES with the smallest coil size under various operating conditions over the non-robust SMES with large coil size.

Cortical and reticular contributions to human precision and power grip.

PubMed

Tazoe, Toshiki; Perez, Monica A

2017-04-15

The corticospinal tract contributes to the control of finger muscles during precision and power grip. We explored the neural mechanisms contributing to changes in corticospinal excitability during these gripping configurations. Motor evoked potentials (MEPs) elicited by cortical, but not by subcortical, stimulation were more suppressed during power grip compared with precision grip and index finger abduction. Intracortical inhibition was more reduced during power grip compared with the other tasks. An acoustic startle cue, a stimulus that engages the reticular system, suppressed MEP size during power grip to a lesser extent than during the other tasks at a cortical level and this positively correlated with changes in intracortical inhibition. Our findings suggest that changes in corticospinal excitability during gross more than fine finger manipulations are largely cortical in origin and that the reticular system contributed, at least in part, to these effects. It is well accepted that the corticospinal tract contributes to the control of finger muscles during precision and power grip in humans but the neural mechanisms involved remain poorly understood. Here, we examined motor evoked potentials elicited by cortical and subcortical stimulation of corticospinal axons (MEPs and CMEPs, respectively) and the activity in intracortical circuits (suppression of voluntary electromyography) and spinal motoneurons (F-waves) in an intrinsic hand muscle during index finger abduction, precision grip and power grip. We found that the size of MEPs, but not CMEPs, was more suppressed during power grip compared with precision grip and index finger abduction, suggesting a cortical origin for these effects. Notably, intracortical inhibition was more reduced during power grip compared with the other tasks. To further examine the origin of changes in intracortical inhibition we assessed the contribution of the reticular system, which projects to cortical neurons, and projects to spinal motoneurons controlling hand muscles. An acoustic startle cue, which engages the reticular system, suppressed MEP size during power grip to a lesser extent than during the other tasks and this positively correlated with changes in intracortical inhibition. A startle cue decreased intracortical inhibition, but not CMEPs, during power grip. F-waves remained unchanged across conditions. Our novel findings show that changes in corticospinal excitability present during power grip compared with fine finger manipulations are largely cortical in origin and suggest that the reticular system contributed, at least in part, to these effects. © 2016 The Authors. The Journal of Physiology © 2016 The Physiological Society.

Complex refractive index of Martian dust - Wavelength dependence and composition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pang, K.; Ajello, J. M.

1977-01-01

The size distribution and complex refractive index of Martian dust-cloud particles observed in 1971 with the Mariner 9 UV spectrometer are determined by matching the observed single-scattering albedo and phase function with Mie-scattering calculations for size distributions of spheres. Values of phase function times single-scattering albedo are presented for 12 wavelength intervals in the range from 190 to 350 nm, and best-fit values are obtained for the absorption index. It is found that the absorption index of the dust particles increases with decreasing wavelength from 350 to about 210 nm and then drops off shortward of 210 nm, with a structural shoulder occurring in the absorption spectrum between 240 and 250 nm. A search for a candidate material that can explain the strong UV absorption yields TiO2, whose anatase polymorph has an absorption spectrum matching that of the Martian dust. The TiO2 content of the dust particles is estimated to be a few percent or less.

Maternal anthropometrics are associated with fetal size in different periods of pregnancy and at birth. The Generation R Study.

PubMed

Ay, L; Kruithof, C J; Bakker, R; Steegers, E A P; Witteman, J C M; Moll, H A; Hofman, A; Mackenbach, J P; Hokken-Koelega, A C S; Jaddoe, V W V

2009-06-01

We aimed to examine the associations of maternal anthropometrics with fetal weight measured in different periods of pregnancy and with birth outcomes. Population-based birth cohort study. Data of pregnant women and their children in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. In 8541 mothers, height, prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) and gestational weight gain were available. Fetal growth was measured by ultrasound in mid- and late pregnancy. Regression analyses were used to assess the impact of maternal anthropometrics on fetal weight and birth outcomes. Fetal weight and birth outcomes: weight (grams) and the risks of small (<5th percentile) and large (>95th percentile) size for gestational age at birth. Maternal BMI in pregnancy was positively associated with estimated fetal weight during pregnancy. The effect estimates increased with advancing gestational age. All maternal anthropometrics were positively associated with fetal size (P-values for trend <0.01). Mothers with both their prepregnancy BMI and gestational weight gain quartile in the lowest and highest quartiles showed the highest risks of having a small and large size for gestational age child at birth, respectively. The effect of prepregnancy BMI was strongly modified by gestational weight gain. Fetal growth is positively affected by maternal BMI during pregnancy. Maternal height, prepregnancy BMI and gestational weight gain are all associated with increased risks of small and large size for gestational age at birth in the offspring, with an increased effect when combined.

Procedural learning is impaired in dyslexia: Evidence from a meta-analysis of serial reaction time studies☆

PubMed Central

Lum, Jarrad A.G.; Ullman, Michael T.; Conti-Ramsden, Gina

2013-01-01

A number of studies have investigated procedural learning in dyslexia using serial reaction time (SRT) tasks. Overall, the results have been mixed, with evidence of both impaired and intact learning reported. We undertook a systematic search of studies that examined procedural learning using SRT tasks, and synthesized the data using meta-analysis. A total of 14 studies were identified, representing data from 314 individuals with dyslexia and 317 typically developing control participants. The results indicate that, on average, individuals with dyslexia have worse procedural learning abilities than controls, as indexed by sequence learning on the SRT task. The average weighted standardized mean difference (the effect size) was found to be 0.449 (CI95: .204, .693), and was significant (p < .001). However, moderate levels of heterogeneity were found between study-level effect sizes. Meta-regression analyses indicated that studies with older participants that used SRT tasks with second order conditional sequences, or with older participants that used sequences that were presented a large number of times, were associated with smaller effect sizes. These associations are discussed with respect to compensatory and delayed memory systems in dyslexia. PMID:23920029

Allometric considerations when assessing aortic aneurysms in Turner syndrome: Implications for activity recommendations and medical decision-making.

PubMed

Corbitt, Holly; Maslen, Cheryl; Prakash, Siddharth; Morris, Shaine A; Silberbach, Michael

2018-02-01

In Turner syndrome, the potential to form thoracic aortic aneurysms requires routine patient monitoring. However, the short stature that typically occurs complicates the assessment of severity and risk because the relationship of body size to aortic dimensions is different in Turner syndrome compared to the general population. Three allometric formula have been proposed to adjust aortic dimensions, all employing body surface area: aortic size index, Turner syndrome-specific Z-scores, and Z-scores based on a general pediatric and young adult population. In order to understand the differences between these formula we evaluated the relationship between age and aortic size index and compared Turner syndrome-specific Z-scores and pediatric/young adult based Z-scores in a group of girls and women with Turner syndrome. Our results suggest that the aortic size index is highly age-dependent for those under 15 years; and that Turner-specific Z-scores are significantly lower than Z-scores referenced to the general population. Higher Z-scores derived from the general reference population could result in stigmatization, inappropriate restriction from sports, and increasing the risk of unneeded medical or operative treatments. We propose that when estimating aortic dissection risk clinicians use Turner syndrome-specific Z-score for those under fifteen years of age. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Associations of insulin resistance, inflammation and liver synthetic function with very low-density lipoprotein: The Cardiovascular Health Study.

PubMed

Jiang, Z Gordon; de Boer, Ian H; Mackey, Rachel H; Jensen, Majken K; Lai, Michelle; Robson, Simon C; Tracy, Russell; Kuller, Lewis H; Mukamal, Kenneth J

2016-03-01

Production of very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) is increased in states of metabolic syndrome, leading to hypertriglyceridemia. However, metabolic syndrome is often associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, which leads to liver fibrosis and inflammation that may decrease VLDL production. In this study, we aim to determine the interactive impact on VLDL profiles from insulin resistance, impairment in liver synthetic function and inflammation. We examined cross-sectional associations of insulin sensitivity, inflammation, and liver synthetic function with VLDL particle (VLDL-P) concentration and size among 1,850 older adults in the Cardiovascular Health Study. Indices for high insulin sensitivity and low liver synthetic function were associated with lower concentrations of VLDL-P. In addition, insulin resistance preferentially increased concentration of large VLDL and was associated with mean VLDL size. Indices for inflammation however demonstrated a nonlinear relationship with both VLDL-P concentration and VLDL size. When mutually adjusted, one standard deviation (SD) increment in Matsuda index and C-reactive protein (CRP) were associated with 4.9 nmol/L (-8.2 to -1.5, p=0.005) and 6.3 nmol/L (-11.0 to -1.6, p=0.009) lower VLDL-P concentration respectively. In contrast, one-SD increment in factor VII, a marker for liver synthetic function, was associated with 16.9 nmol/L (12.6-21.2, p<0.001) higher VLDL-P concentration. Furthermore, a one-SD increment in the Matsuda index was associated with 1.1 nm (-2.0 to -0.3, p=0.006) smaller mean VLDL size, whereas CRP and factor VII were not associated with VLDL size. Insulin sensitivity, inflammation and markers for liver synthetic function differentially impact VLDL-P concentration and VLDL size. These results underscore the complex effects of insulin resistance and its complications on VLDL production. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Estimating animal populations and body sizes from burrows: Marine ecologists have their heads buried in the sand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schlacher, Thomas A.; Lucrezi, Serena; Peterson, Charles H.; Connolly, Rod M.; Olds, Andrew D.; Althaus, Franziska; Hyndes, Glenn A.; Maslo, Brooke; Gilby, Ben L.; Leon, Javier X.; Weston, Michael A.; Lastra, Mariano; Williams, Alan; Schoeman, David S.

2016-06-01

Most ecological studies require knowledge of animal abundance, but it can be challenging and destructive of habitat to obtain accurate density estimates for cryptic species, such as crustaceans that tunnel deeply into the seafloor, beaches, or mudflats. Such fossorial species are, however, widely used in environmental impact assessments, requiring sampling techniques that are reliable, efficient, and environmentally benign for these species and environments. Counting and measuring the entrances of burrows made by cryptic species is commonly employed to index population and body sizes of individuals. The fundamental premise is that burrow metrics consistently predict density and size. Here we review the evidence for this premise. We also review criteria for selecting among sampling methods: burrow counts, visual censuses, and physical collections. A simple 1:1 correspondence between the number of holes and population size cannot be assumed. Occupancy rates, indexed by the slope of regression models, vary widely between species and among sites for the same species. Thus, 'average' or 'typical' occupancy rates should not be extrapolated from site- or species specific field validations and then be used as conversion factors in other situations. Predictions of organism density made from burrow counts often have large uncertainty, being double to half of the predicted mean value. Whether such prediction uncertainty is 'acceptable' depends on investigators' judgements regarding the desired detectable effect sizes. Regression models predicting body size from burrow entrance dimensions are more precise, but parameter estimates of most models are specific to species and subject to site-to-site variation within species. These results emphasise the need to undertake thorough field validations of indirect census techniques that include tests of how sensitive predictive models are to changes in habitat conditions or human impacts. In addition, new technologies (e.g. drones, thermal-, acoustic- or chemical sensors) should be used to enhance visual census techniques of burrows and surface-active animals.

Distribution pattern and number of ticks on lizards.

PubMed

Dudek, Krzysztof; Skórka, Piotr; Sajkowska, Zofia Anna; Ekner-Grzyb, Anna; Dudek, Monika; Tryjanowski, Piotr

2016-02-01

The success of ectoparasites depends primarily on the site of attachment and body condition of their hosts. Ticks usually tend to aggregate on vertebrate hosts in specific areas, but the distribution pattern may depend on host body size and condition, sex, life stage or skin morphology. Here, we studied the distribution of ticks on lizards and tested the following hypothesis: occurrence or high abundance of ticks is confined with body parts with smaller scales and larger interscalar length because such sites should provide ticks with superior attachment conditions. This study was performed in field conditions in central Poland in 2008-2011. In total, 500 lizards (Lacerta agilis) were caught and 839 ticks (Ixodes ricinus, larvae and nymphs) were collected from them. Using generalised linear mixed models, we found that the ticks were most abundant on forelimbs and their axillae, with 90% of ticks attached there. This part of the lizard body and the region behind the hindlimb were covered by the smallest scales with relatively wide gaps between them. This does not fully support our hypothesis that ticks prefer locations with easy access to skin between scales, because it does not explain why so few ticks were in the hindlimb area. We found that the abundance of ticks was positively correlated with lizard body size index (snout-vent length). Tick abundance was also higher in male and mature lizards than in female and young individuals. Autotomy had no effect on tick abundance. We found no correlation between tick size and lizard morphology, sex, autotomy and body size index. The probability of occurrence of dead ticks was positively linked with the total number of ticks on the lizard but there was no relationship between dead tick presence and lizard size, sex or age. Thus lizard body size and sex are the major factors affecting the abundance of ticks, and these parasites are distributed nearly exclusively on the host's forelimbs and their axillae. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Manufacturing of New Welding Fluxes Using Silicomanganese Slag

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kryukov, Roman E.; Kozyrev, Nikolay A.; Kozyreva, Olga A.; Usoltsev, Aleksander A.

2017-10-01

There were developed the composition and manufacturing technology of new welding flux using industrial products such as slag of silicomanganese production. The effect of fractional composition on welding and fabrication characteristics was studied. It was found that using of small-sized fracture of welding flux at a rate of 30-40% decreases the oxide non-metallic impurity rating of the weld and herewith doesn’t affect its constituents. To increase technical-and-economic indexes it was suggested to mix small-sized fracture and water glass. The use of ceramic flux made by mixing the dust fraction of silicomanganese slug with fraction size less than 0.45 mm and water glass provides the decrease of non-metallic impurity rating of the weld. Herewith the increase of its content from 15 to 40% doesn’t have a significant influence on the non-metallic impurity rating of the weld and its constituents.

Characterization of X80 and X100 Microalloyed Pipeline Steel Using Quantitative X-ray Diffraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wiskel, J. B.; Li, X.; Ivey, D. G.; Henein, H.

2018-06-01

Quantitative X-ray diffraction characterization of four (4) X80 and three (3) X100 microalloyed steels was undertaken. The effect of through-thickness position, processing parameters, and composition on the measured crystallite size, microstrain, and J index (relative magnitude of crystallographic texture) was determined. Microstructure analysis using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and electron-backscattered diffraction was also undertaken. The measured value of microstrain increased with increasing alloy content and decreasing cooling interrupt temperature. Microstructural features corresponding to crystallite size in the X80 steels were both above and below the detection limit for quantitative X-ray diffraction. The X100 steels consistently exhibited microstructure features below the crystallite size detection limit. The yield stress of each steel increased with increasing microstrain. The increase in microstrain from X80 to X100 is also associated with a change in microstructure from predominantly polygonal ferrite to bainitic ferrite.

The paradoxical moon illusions.

PubMed

Gilinsky, A S

1980-02-01

An adaptation theory of visual space is developed and applied to the data of a variety of studies of visual space perception. By distinguishing between the perceived distance of an object and that of the background or sky, the theory resolves the paradox of the moon illusions and relates both perceived size and perceived distance of the moon to the absolute level of spatial adaptation. The theory assumes that visual space expands or contracts in adjustment to changes in the sensory indicators of depth and provides a measure, A, of this adaptation-level. Changes in A have two effects--one on perceived size, one on perceived distance. Since A varies systematically as a function of angle of regard, availability of cues, and the total space-value, A is a measure of the moon illusions, and a practical index of individual differences by pilots and astronauts in the perception of the size and distance of objects on the ground and in the air.

Beauty, body size and wages: Evidence from a unique data set.

PubMed

Oreffice, Sonia; Quintana-Domeque, Climent

2016-09-01

We analyze how attractiveness rated at the start of the interview in the German General Social Survey is related to weight, height, and body mass index (BMI), separately by gender and accounting for interviewers' characteristics or fixed effects. We show that height, weight, and BMI all strongly contribute to male and female attractiveness when attractiveness is rated by opposite-sex interviewers, and that anthropometric characteristics are irrelevant to male interviewers when assessing male attractiveness. We also estimate whether, controlling for beauty, body size measures are related to hourly wages. We find that anthropometric attributes play a significant role in wage regressions in addition to attractiveness, showing that body size cannot be dismissed as a simple component of beauty. Our findings are robust to controlling for health status and accounting for selection into working. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Determining the unique refractive index properties of solid polystyrene aerosol using broadband Mie scattering from optically trapped beads.

PubMed

Jones, Stephanie H; King, Martin D; Ward, Andrew D

2013-12-21

A method is described to measure the refractive index dispersion with wavelength of optically trapped solid particles in air. Knowledge of the refraction properties of solid particles is critical for the study of aerosol; both in the laboratory and in the atmosphere for climate studies. Single micron-sized polystyrene beads were optically trapped in air using a vertically aligned counter-propagating configuration of focussed laser beams. Each bead was illuminated using white light from a broadband light emitting diode (LED) and elastic scattering within the bead was collected onto a spectrograph. The resulting Mie spectra were analysed to accurately determine polystyrene bead radii to ±0.4 nm and values of the refractive index to ±0.0005 over a wavelength range of 480-700 nm. We demonstrate that optical trapping combined with elastic scattering can be used to both accurately size polystyrene beads suspended in air and determine their wavelength dependent refractive index. The refractive index dispersions are in close agreement with reported values for polystyrene beads in aqueous dispersion. Our results also demonstrate a variation in the refractive index of polystyrene, from bead to bead, in a commercial sample. The measured variation highlights that care must be taken when using polystyrene beads as a calibration aerosol.

Prognostic indices of perioperative outcome following transperitoneal laparoscopic adrenalectomy.

PubMed

Kiziloz, Halil; Meraney, Anoop; Dorin, Ryan; Nip, Jonathan; Kesler, Stuart; Shichman, Steven

2014-08-01

We sought to identify preoperative patient and tumor characteristics that may be useful prognostic indicators of postsurgical outcome in patients undergoing laparoscopic adrenalectomy (LA). Data from 92 patients who underwent 93 transabdominal LA procedures between 2006-2012 were retrieved. Patients were stratified based on estimated blood loss (EBL), length of stay (LOS), and perioperative complications. Interdependencies between surgical outcome and patient demographics, tumor characteristics, comorbidities, and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) were statistically analyzed. The predictive capacity of each index was assessed using receiver operating characteristic curves. Neither age, gender, tumor laterality, body mass index, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score, nor CCI predicted the occurrence of perioperative complications. EBL was significantly associated with increased age, tumor size, ASA score, and CCI, whereas prolonged LOS was associated with higher ASA score. Tumor size was related, although not significantly, to LOS and perioperative complications. Tumors ≥7.5 cm in diameter were significantly associated with worse perioperative outcomes. LA for adrenal lesions demonstrated reasonable complication rates and perioperative outcomes. Tumor size, CCI, and ASA score are predictive of increased EBL and LOS.

Exploratory analysis of osteoarthritis progression among medication users: data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative.

PubMed

Driban, Jeffrey B; Lo, Grace H; Eaton, Charles B; Lapane, Kate L; Nevitt, Michael; Harvey, William F; McCulloch, Charles E; McAlindon, Timothy E

2016-12-01

We conducted an exploratory analysis of osteoarthritis progression among medication users in the Osteoarthritis Initiative to identify interventions or pathways that may be associated with disease modification and therefore of interest for future clinical trials. We used participants from the Osteoarthritis Initiative with annual medication inventory data between the baseline and 36-month follow-up visit ( n = 2938). Consistent medication users were defined for each medication classification as a participant reporting at all four annual visits that they were regularly using an oral prescription medication at the time of the visit. The exploratory analysis focused on medication classes with 40 or more users. The primary outcome measures were medial tibiofemoral joint space width change and the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC) knee pain score change (12-36-month visits). Within each knee, we explored eight comparisons between users and matched or unmatched nonusers (defined two ways). An effect size of each comparison was calculated. Medication classes had potential signals if (a) both knees had less progression among users compared with nonusers, or (b) there was less progression based on structure and symptoms in one knee. We screened 28 medication classes. Six medication classes had signals for fewer structural changes and better knee pain changes: alpha-adrenergic blockers, antilipemic (excluding statins and fibric acid), anticoagulants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, antihistamines, and antineoplastic agents. Four medication classes had signals for structural changes alone: anti-estrogen (median effect size = 0.28; range = -0.41-0.64), angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (median effect size = 0.13; range = -0.08-0.28), beta-adrenergic blockers (median effect size = 0.09; range = 0.01-0.30), and thyroid agents (median effect size = 0.04; range = -0.05-0.14). Thiazide diuretics had evidence for symptom modification (median effect size = -0.12; range = -0.24-0.04). Users of neurovascular, antilipemic, or hormonal interventions may have less disease progression compared with nonusers.

A Note on Sample Size and Solution Propriety for Confirmatory Factor Analytic Models

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jackson, Dennis L.; Voth, Jennifer; Frey, Marc P.

2013-01-01

Determining an appropriate sample size for use in latent variable modeling techniques has presented ongoing challenges to researchers. In particular, small sample sizes are known to present concerns over sampling error for the variances and covariances on which model estimation is based, as well as for fit indexes and convergence failures. The…

Emulsifying conditions and processing parameters optimisation of kenaf seed oil-in-water nanoemulsions stabilised by ternary emulsifier mixtures.

PubMed

Cheong, Ai M; Tan, Chin P; Nyam, Kar L

2018-01-01

Kenaf ( Hibiscus cannabinus L.) seed oil has been proven for its multi-pharmacological benefits; however, its poor water solubility and stability have limited its industrial applications. This study was aimed to further improve the stability of pre-developed kenaf seed oil-in-water nanoemulsions by using food-grade ternary emulsifiers. The effects of emulsifier concentration (1, 5, 10, 15% w/w), homogenisation pressure (16,000, 22,000, 28,000 psi), and homogenisation cycles (three, four, five cycles) were studied to produce high stability of kenaf seed oil-in-water nanoemulsions using high pressure homogeniser. Generally, results showed that the emulsifier concentration and homogenisation conditions had great effect ( p < 0.05) on the particle sizes, polydispersity index and hence the physical stability of nanoemulsions. Homogenisation parameters at 28,000 psi for three cycles produced the most stable homogeneous nanoemulsions that were below 130 nm, below 0.16, and above -40 mV of particle size, polydispersity index, and zeta potential, respectively. Field emission scanning electron microscopy micrograph showed that the optimised nanoemulsions had a good distribution within nano-range. The optimised nanoemulsions were proved to be physically stable for up to six weeks of storage at room temperature. The results from this study also provided valuable information in producing stable kenaf seed oil nanoemulsions for the future application in food and nutraceutical industries.

Validation of the Middlesex Elderly Assessment of Mental State (MEAMS) as a cognitive screening test in patients with acquired brain injury in Turkey.

PubMed

Kutlay, Sehim; Kuçukdeveci, Ayse A; Elhan, Atilla H; Yavuzer, Gunes; Tennant, Alan

2007-02-28

Assessment of cognitive impairment with a valid cognitive screening tool is essential in neurorehabilitation. The aim of this study was to test the reliability and validity of the Turkish-adapted version of the Middlesex Elderly Assessment of Mental State (MEAMS) among acquired brain injury patients in Turkey. Some 155 patients with acquired brain injury admitted for rehabilitation were assessed by the adapted version of MEAMS at admission and discharge. Reliability was tested by internal consistency, intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) and person separation index; internal construct validity by Rasch analysis; external construct validity by associations with physical and cognitive disability (FIM); and responsiveness by Effect Size. Reliability was found to be good with Cronbach's alpha of 0.82 at both admission and discharge; and likewise an ICC of 0.80. Person separation index was 0.813. Internal construct validity was good by fit of the data to the Rasch model (mean item fit -0.178; SD 1.019). Items were substantially free of differential item functioning. External construct validity was confirmed by expected associations with physical and cognitive disability. Effect size was 0.42 compared with 0.22 for cognitive FIM. The reliability and validity of the Turkish version of MEAMS as a cognitive impairment screening tool in acquired brain injury has been demonstrated.

Detection of orthopaedic implants by airport metal detectors.

PubMed

Obremskey, William T; Austin, Tom; Crosby, Colin; Driver, Robin; Kurtz, Will; Shuler, Franklin; Kregor, Philip

2007-02-01

To report the effect of patient's body mass index (BMI), implant type, size, location, number, and material on detection by certified Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airport metal detectors set to today's standard sensitivity. Retrospective clinical study. Level 1 university trauma center. Ninety-six regularly scheduled trauma clinic patients with a wide variety of orthopaedic implants were enrolled in the study from August 2004 through December 2004. Patients walked through an airport arch metal detector and were also wanded with a handheld metal detector. Detection of implants by arch detector or wand was recorded. We also gathered information regarding BMI, location of implants, type, metal composition, and size. All unilateral prostheses (8/8) and bilateral prostheses (1/1) were detected. Subjects with 4 or fewer screws and no other implants were never detected by the arch metal detector (0/7). For the remaining 78 subjects, the 2 best predictors of detection by the arch were having plates of length >10 holes and having titanium nails (P < 0.001 for each predictor, Wald's test for effects in a logistic model). Prostheses, plates of length >10 holes, and titanium nails were the best predictors of detection by the arch. These 3 factors accounted for 42 of the 43 detections by the arch. Body mass index was not shown to affect detectability of orthopaedic implants.