Response of hatchling Komodo Dragons (Varanus komodoensis) at Denver Zoo to visual and chemical cues arising from prey.

PubMed

Chiszar, David; Krauss, Susan; Shipley, Bryon; Trout, Tim; Smith, Hobart M

2009-01-01

Five hatchling Komodo Dragons (Varanus komodoensis) at Denver Zoo were observed in two experiments that studied the effects of visual and chemical cues arising from prey. Rate of tongue flicking was recorded in Experiment 1, and amount of time the lizards spent interacting with stimuli was recorded in Experiment 2. Our hypothesis was that young V. komodoensis would be more dependent upon vision than chemoreception, especially when dealing with live, moving, prey. Although visual cues, including prey motion, had a significant effect, chemical cues had a far stronger effect. Implications of this falsification of our initial hypothesis are discussed.

Calibrating and monitoring the western gray whale mitigation zone and estimating acoustic transmission during a 3D seismic survey, Sakhalin Island, Russia.

PubMed

Rutenko, A N; Borisov, S V; Gritsenko, A V; Jenkerson, M R

2007-11-01

A 3D marine seismic survey of the Odoptu license area off northeastern Sakhalin Island, Russia, was conducted by DalMorNefteGeofizika (DMNG) on behalf of Exxon Neftegas Limited and the Sakhalin-1 consortium during mid-August through early September 2001. The key environmental issue identified in an environmental impact assessment was protection of the critically endangered western gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus), which spends the summer-fall open water period feeding off northeast Sakhalin Island in close proximity to the seismic survey area. Seismic mitigation and monitoring guidelines and recommendations were developed and implemented to reduce impacts on the feeding activity of western gray whales. Results of the acoustic monitoring program indicated that the noise monitoring and mitigation program was successful in reducing exposure of feeding western gray whales to seismic noise.

Physical therapy as an adjunctive treatment for severe osteoarthritis in a Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis).

PubMed

Wolfe, Tammy Culpepper; Stringer, Elizabeth; Krauss, Sue; Trout, Tim

2015-03-01

This case report describes a new physical therapy technique, specifically the Wolfe Kinetic Technique, as adjunctive therapy in the treatment of severe osteoarthritis in a 20-yr-old Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis). This animal was managed with oral analgesics for 3 yr with fair to minimal response over time. Due to worsening of lameness and mobility, physical therapy was initiated. Ten treatment sessions were administered at 1-wk intervals. Within 1 mo the Komodo dragon exhibited marked improvement in gait and function, increased responsiveness to his environment, and increased mobility which continued to improve over the subsequent sessions. Although outcomes could not be measured by standardized objective measures, this study provides a reference for treatment of future cases and a foundation for future research substantiating treatment practices in animal physical therapy.

MULTIHORMONAL ISLET CELL CARCINOMAS IN THREE KOMODO DRAGONS (VARANUS KOMODOENSIS).

PubMed

Eustace, Ronan; Garner, Michael M; Cook, Kimberly; Miller, Christine; Kiupel, Matti

2017-03-01

  Multihormonal pancreatic islet cell carcinomas were found in one female and two male captive geriatric Komodo dragons (Varanus komodoensis). Gross changes in the pancreas were visible in two of the cases. Clinical signs noted in the Komodo dragons were lethargy, weakness, and anorexia. Histologically, the tumors were comprised of nests and cords of well-differentiated neoplastic islet cells with scant amounts of eosinophilic cytoplasm and round, euchromatic nuclei, with rare mitoses. Infiltration by the islet cell tumor into the surrounding acinar tissue was observed in all cases, but no metastatic foci were seen. Multihormone expression was observed in all tumors, which labeled strongly positive for glucagon and somatostatin and focally positive for polypeptide. Pancreatic islet cell neoplasms should be considered in the differential diagnosis for geriatric Komodo dragons presenting with weakness, lethargy, and poor appetite.

Compressive myelopathy of the cervical spine in Komodo dragons (Varanus komodoensis).

PubMed

Zimmerman, Dawn M; Douglass, Michael; Sutherland-Smith, Meg; Aguilar, Roberto; Schaftenaar, Willem; Shores, Andy

2009-03-01

Cervical subluxation and compressive myelopathy appears to be a cause of morbidity and mortality in captive Komodo dragons (Varanus komodoensis). Four cases of cervical subluxation resulting in nerve root compression or spinal cord compression were identified. Three were presumptively induced by trauma, and one had an unknown inciting cause. Two dragons exhibited signs of chronic instability. Cervical vertebrae affected included C1-C4. Clinical signs on presentation included ataxia, ambulatory paraparesis or tetraparesis to tetraplegia, depression to stupor, cervical scoliosis, and anorexia. Antemortem diagnosis of compression was only confirmed with magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography. Treatment ranged from supportive care to attempted surgical decompression. All dragons died or were euthanatized, at 4 days to 12 mo postpresentation. Studies to define normal vertebral anatomy in the species are necessary to determine whether the pathology is linked to cervical malformation, resulting in ligament laxity, subsequent instability, and subluxation.

Technical Note: Gray tracking in medical color displays-A report of Task Group 196.

PubMed

Badano, Aldo; Wang, Joel; Boynton, Paul; Le Callet, Patrick; Cheng, Wei-Chung; Deroo, Danny; Flynn, Michael J; Matsui, Takashi; Penczek, John; Revie, Craig; Samei, Ehsan; Steven, Peter M; Swiderski, Stan; Van Hoey, Gert; Yamaguchi, Matsuhiro; Hasegawa, Mikio; Nagy, Balázs Vince

2016-07-01

The authors discuss measurement methods and instrumentation useful for the characterization of the gray tracking performance of medical color monitors for diagnostic applications. The authors define gray tracking as the variability in the chromaticity of the gray levels in a color monitor. The authors present data regarding the capability of color measurement instruments with respect to their abilities to measure a target white point corresponding to the CIE Standard Illuminant D65 at different luminance values within the grayscale palette of a medical display. The authors then discuss evidence of significant differences in performance among color measurement instruments currently available for medical physicists to perform calibrations and image quality checks for the consistent representation of color in medical displays. In addition, the authors introduce two metrics for quantifying grayscale chromaticity consistency of gray tracking. The authors' findings show that there is an order of magnitude difference in the accuracy of field and reference instruments. The gray tracking metrics quantify how close the grayscale chromaticity is to the chromaticity of the full white point (equal amounts of red, green, and blue at maximum level) or to consecutive levels (equal values for red, green, and blue), with a lower value representing an improved grayscale tracking performance. An illustrative example of how to calculate and report the gray tracking performance according to the Task Group definitions is provided. The authors' proposed methodology for characterizing the grayscale degradation in chromaticity for color monitors that can be used to establish standards and procedures aiding in the quality control testing of color displays and color measurement instrumentation.

Examination of Health Effects and Long-Term Impacts of Deployments of Multiple Tag Types on Blue, Humpback, and Gray Whales in the Eastern North Pacific

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-09-30

Deployments of Multiple Tag Types on Blue, Humpback , and Gray Whales in the Eastern North Pacific John Calambokidis Cascadia Research Collective...of large whales including blue, humpback , and gray whales by conducting long term follow up of previously tagged individuals in the eastern North...blue, humpback , and gray whales in the eastern North Pacific and our extensive monitoring of these populations. Despite extensive use of implant tags

Examination of Health Effects and Long-Term Impacts of Deployments of Multiple Tag Types on Blue, Humpback, and Gray Whales in the Eastern North Pacific

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-09-30

Deployments of Multiple Tag Types on Blue, Humpback , and Gray Whales in the Eastern North Pacific John Calambokidis Cascadia Research Collective 218...large whales including blue, humpback , and gray whales by conducting long term follow up of previously tagged individuals in the eastern North Pacific... humpback , and gray whales in the eastern North Pacific and our extensive monitoring of these populations. Despite extensive use of implant tags for more

[Improved euler algorithm for trend forecast model and its application to oil spectrum analysis].

PubMed

Zheng, Chang-song; Ma, Biao

2009-04-01

The oil atomic spectrometric analysis technology is one of the most important methods for fault diagnosis and state monitoring of large machine equipment. The gray method is preponderant in the trend forecast at the same time. With the use of oil atomic spectrometric analysis result and combining the gray forecast theory, the present paper established a gray forecast model of the Fe/Cu concentration trend in the power-shift steering transmission. Aiming at the shortage of the gray method used in the trend forecast, the improved Euler algorithm was put forward for the first time to resolve the problem of the gray model and avoid the non-precision that the old gray model's forecast value depends on the first test value. This new method can make the forecast value more precision as shown in the example. Combined with the threshold value of the oil atomic spectrometric analysis, the new method was applied on the Fe/Cu concentration forecast and the premonition of fault information was obtained. So we can take steps to prevent the fault and this algorithm can be popularized to the state monitoring in the industry.

Seasonal distribution of the Great Gray Owl (Strix nebulosa) in Southwestern Alberta

Treesearch

Douglas M. Collister

1997-01-01

Great Gray Owls (Strix nebulosa) have been banded and monitored west of Calgary in the foothills of Alberta from 1986 to 1996. Thirty-six adult owls have been banded: 16 males, 16 females and 4 of unknown sex. Great Gray Owls were captured during every month except August and October although the majority (56 percent) were banded from March-May (n=18...

Gray scale enhances display readability of bitmapped documents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ostberg, Olov; Disfors, Dennis; Feng, Yingduo

1994-05-01

Bitmapped images of high resolution, say 300 dpi rastered documents, stored in the memory of a PC are at best only borderline readable on the PC's display screen (say a 72 dpi VGA monitor). Results from a series of exploratory psycho-physical experiments, using the Adobe PhotoshopR software, show that the readability can be significantly enhanced by making use of the monitor's capability to display shades of gray. It is suggested that such a gray scale adaptation module should be bundled to all software products for electronic document management. In fact, fax modems are already available in which this principle is employed, hereby making it possible to read incoming fax documents directly on the screen.

Heat transfer in a microvascular network: the effect of heart rate on heating and cooling in reptiles (Pogona barbata and Varanus varius).

PubMed

Seebacher, F

2000-03-21

Thermally-induced changes in heart rate and blood flow in reptiles are believed to be of selective advantage by allowing animal to exert some control over rates of heating and cooling. This notion has become one of the principal paradigms in reptilian thermal physiology. However, the functional significance of changes in heart rate is unclear, because the effect of heart rate and blood flow on total animal heat transfer is not known. I used heat transfer theory to determine the importance of heat transfer by blood flow relative to conduction. I validated theoretical predictions by comparing them with field data from two species of lizard, bearded dragons (Pogona barbata) and lace monitors (Varanus varius). Heart rates measured in free-ranging lizards in the field were significantly higher during heating than during cooling, and heart rates decreased with body mass. Convective heat transfer by blood flow increased with heart rate. Rates of heat transfer by both blood flow and conduction decreased with mass, but the mass scaling exponents were different. Hence, rate of conductive heat transfer decreased more rapidly with increasing mass than did heat transfer by blood flow, so that the relative importance of blood flow in total animal heat transfer increased with mass. The functional significance of changes in heart rate and, hence, rates of heat transfer, in response to heating and cooling in lizards was quantified. For example, by increasing heart rate when entering a heating environment in the morning, and decreasing heart rate when the environment cools in the evening a Pogona can spend up to 44 min longer per day with body temperature within its preferred range. It was concluded that changes in heart rate in response to heating and cooling confer a selective advantage at least on reptiles of mass similar to that of the study animals (0. 21-5.6 kg). Copyright 2000 Academic Press.

Multimodal evidence of regional midcingulate gray matter volume underlying conflict monitoring

PubMed Central

Parvaz, Muhammad A.; Maloney, Thomas; Moeller, Scott J.; Malaker, Pias; Konova, Anna B.; Alia-Klein, Nelly; Goldstein, Rita Z.

2014-01-01

Functional neuroimaging studies have long implicated the mid-cingulate cortex (MCC) in conflict monitoring, but it is not clear whether its structural integrity (i.e., the gray matter volume) influences its conflict monitoring function. In this multimodal study, we used T1-weighted MRI scans as well as event-related potentials (ERPs) to test whether the MCC gray matter volume is associated with the electrocortical marker (i.e., No-go N200 ERP component) of conflict monitoring in healthy individuals. The specificity of such a relationship in health was determined in two ways: by (A) acquiring the same data from individuals with cocaine use disorder (CUD), known to have deficits in executive function including behavioral monitoring; and (B) acquiring the P300 ERP component that is linked with attention allocation and not specifically with conflict monitoring. Twenty-five (39.1 ± 8.4 years; 8 females) healthy individuals and 25 (42.7 ± 5.9 years; 6 females) individuals with CUD underwent a rewarded Go/No-go task during which the ERP data was collected, and they also underwent a structural MRI scan. The whole brain regression analysis showed a significant correlation between MCC structural integrity and the well-known ERP measure of conflict monitoring (N200, but not the P300) in healthy individuals, which was absent in CUD who were characterized by reduced MCC gray matter volume, N200 abnormalities as well as reduced task accuracy. In individuals with CUD instead, the N200 amplitude was associated with drug addiction symptomatology. These results show that the integrity of MCC volume is directly associated with the electrocortical correlates of conflict monitoring in healthy individuals, and such an association breaks down in psychopathologies that impact these brain processes. Taken together, this MCC–N200 association may serve as a biomarker of improved behavioral monitoring processes in diseased populations. PMID:24918068

Multimodal evidence of regional midcingulate gray matter volume underlying conflict monitoring.

PubMed

Parvaz, Muhammad A; Maloney, Thomas; Moeller, Scott J; Malaker, Pias; Konova, Anna B; Alia-Klein, Nelly; Goldstein, Rita Z

2014-01-01

Functional neuroimaging studies have long implicated the mid-cingulate cortex (MCC) in conflict monitoring, but it is not clear whether its structural integrity (i.e., the gray matter volume) influences its conflict monitoring function. In this multimodal study, we used T1-weighted MRI scans as well as event-related potentials (ERPs) to test whether the MCC gray matter volume is associated with the electrocortical marker (i.e., No-go N200 ERP component) of conflict monitoring in healthy individuals. The specificity of such a relationship in health was determined in two ways: by (A) acquiring the same data from individuals with cocaine use disorder (CUD), known to have deficits in executive function including behavioral monitoring; and (B) acquiring the P300 ERP component that is linked with attention allocation and not specifically with conflict monitoring. Twenty-five (39.1 ± 8.4 years; 8 females) healthy individuals and 25 (42.7 ± 5.9 years; 6 females) individuals with CUD underwent a rewarded Go/No-go task during which the ERP data was collected, and they also underwent a structural MRI scan. The whole brain regression analysis showed a significant correlation between MCC structural integrity and the well-known ERP measure of conflict monitoring (N200, but not the P300) in healthy individuals, which was absent in CUD who were characterized by reduced MCC gray matter volume, N200 abnormalities as well as reduced task accuracy. In individuals with CUD instead, the N200 amplitude was associated with drug addiction symptomatology. These results show that the integrity of MCC volume is directly associated with the electrocortical correlates of conflict monitoring in healthy individuals, and such an association breaks down in psychopathologies that impact these brain processes. Taken together, this MCC-N200 association may serve as a biomarker of improved behavioral monitoring processes in diseased populations.

Evaluation for Bearing Wear States Based on Online Oil Multi-Parameters Monitoring

PubMed Central

Hu, Hai-Feng

2018-01-01

As bearings are critical components of a mechanical system, it is important to characterize their wear states and evaluate health conditions. In this paper, a novel approach for analyzing the relationship between online oil multi-parameter monitoring samples and bearing wear states has been proposed based on an improved gray k-means clustering model (G-KCM). First, an online monitoring system with multiple sensors for bearings is established, obtaining oil multi-parameter data and vibration signals for bearings through the whole lifetime. Secondly, a gray correlation degree distance matrix is generated using a gray correlation model (GCM) to express the relationship of oil monitoring samples at different times and then a KCM is applied to cluster the matrix. Analysis and experimental results show that there is an obvious correspondence that state changing coincides basically in time between the lubricants’ multi-parameters and the bearings’ wear states. It also has shown that online oil samples with multi-parameters have early wear failure prediction ability for bearings superior to vibration signals. It is expected to realize online oil monitoring and evaluation for bearing health condition and to provide a novel approach for early identification of bearing-related failure modes. PMID:29621175

Evaluation for Bearing Wear States Based on Online Oil Multi-Parameters Monitoring.

PubMed

Wang, Si-Yuan; Yang, Ding-Xin; Hu, Hai-Feng

2018-04-05

As bearings are critical components of a mechanical system, it is important to characterize their wear states and evaluate health conditions. In this paper, a novel approach for analyzing the relationship between online oil multi-parameter monitoring samples and bearing wear states has been proposed based on an improved gray k-means clustering model (G-KCM). First, an online monitoring system with multiple sensors for bearings is established, obtaining oil multi-parameter data and vibration signals for bearings through the whole lifetime. Secondly, a gray correlation degree distance matrix is generated using a gray correlation model (GCM) to express the relationship of oil monitoring samples at different times and then a KCM is applied to cluster the matrix. Analysis and experimental results show that there is an obvious correspondence that state changing coincides basically in time between the lubricants' multi-parameters and the bearings' wear states. It also has shown that online oil samples with multi-parameters have early wear failure prediction ability for bearings superior to vibration signals. It is expected to realize online oil monitoring and evaluation for bearing health condition and to provide a novel approach for early identification of bearing-related failure modes.

Monitoring the status of Gray Bats (Myotis grisescens) in Virginia, 2009-2014, and potential impacts of White-nose Syndrome

USGS Publications Warehouse

Powers, Karen E.; Reynolds, Richard J.; Orndorff, Wil; Hyzy, Brenna A.; Hobson, Christopher S.; Ford, W. Mark

2016-01-01

Myotis grisescens (Gray Bat) is a federally endangered species distributed over the mid-South with a summer range that extends across the upper Tennessee River Basin, including southwest Virginia. Given the onset of White-nose Syndrome (WNS) in the Commonwealth in the winter of 2009, we initiated yearly surveys in late summer 2009 to monitor the status of known summer populations. Our objectives were to examine the relative health of these bats using body mass index (BMI), and determine any changes in juvenile recruitment across sites and years. We did not find any marked changes in BMI across years after WNS for Gray Bats. This finding suggests that surviving bats are either not negatively impacted by WNS or have recovered sufficiently by late summer as to not document obvious differences across years. After limiting our analyses of juvenile recruitment to only the individuals that we had definitively aged via backlit photos (2010–2014), we found a non-significant declining trend in juvenile recruitment; a trend that merits continued monitoring in the years to come. As Gray Bats have only recently shown to be susceptible to WNS infection, it is possible that observable population declines are forthcoming.

Forecasts for NOAA Marine Sanctuaries

Science.gov Websites

/Forecast The Gray's Reef Sea Turtle Satellite Tagging Project utilizes satellite transmitter tags to Synopsis/Forecast(0-20nm) Synopsis/Forecast(20-60nm) The Gray's Reef Sea Turtle Satellite Tagging Project utilizes satellite transmitter tags to monitor adult and juvenile loggerhead sea click image for more

A western gray whale mitigation and monitoring program for a 3-D seismic survey, Sakhalin Island, Russia.

PubMed

Johnson, S R; Richardson, W J; Yazvenko, S B; Blokhin, S A; Gailey, G; Jenkerson, M R; Meier, S K; Melton, H R; Newcomer, M W; Perlov, A S; Rutenko, S A; Würsig, B; Martin, C R; Egging, D E

2007-11-01

The introduction of anthropogenic sounds into the marine environment can impact some marine mammals. Impacts can be greatly reduced if appropriate mitigation measures and monitoring are implemented. This paper concerns such measures undertaken by Exxon Neftegas Limited, as operator of the Sakhalin-1 Consortium, during the Odoptu 3-D seismic survey conducted during 17 August-9 September 2001. The key environmental issue was protection of the critically endangered western gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus), which feeds in summer and fall primarily in the Piltun feeding area off northeast Sakhalin Island. Existing mitigation and monitoring practices for seismic surveys in other jurisdictions were evaluated to identify best practices for reducing impacts on feeding activity by western gray whales. Two buffer zones were established to protect whales from physical injury or undue disturbance during feeding. A 1 km buffer protected all whales from exposure to levels of sound energy potentially capable of producing physical injury. A 4-5 km buffer was established to avoid displacing western gray whales from feeding areas. Trained Marine Mammal Observers (MMOs) on the seismic ship Nordic Explorer had the authority to shut down the air guns if whales were sighted within these buffers. Additional mitigation measures were also incorporated: Temporal mitigation was provided by rescheduling the program from June-August to August-September to avoid interference with spring arrival of migrating gray whales. The survey area was reduced by 19% to avoid certain waters <20 m deep where feeding whales concentrated and where seismic acquisition was a lower priority. The number of air guns and total volume of the air guns were reduced by about half (from 28 to 14 air guns and from 3,390 in(3) to 1,640 in(3)) relative to initial plans. "Ramp-up" (="soft-start") procedures were implemented. Monitoring activities were conducted as needed to implement some mitigation measures, and to assess residual impacts. Aerial and vessel-based surveys determined the distribution of whales before, during and after the seismic survey. Daily aerial reconnaissance helped verify whale-free areas and select the sequence of seismic lines to be surveyed. A scout vessel with MMOs aboard was positioned 4 km shoreward of the active seismic vessel to provide better visual coverage of the 4-5 km buffer and to help define the inshore edge of the 4-5 km buffer. A second scout vessel remained near the seismic vessel. Shore-based observers determined whale numbers, distribution, and behavior during and after the seismic survey. Acoustic monitoring documented received sound levels near and in the main whale feeding area. Statistical analyses of aerial survey data indicated that about 5-10 gray whales moved away from waters near (inshore of) the seismic survey during seismic operations. They shifted into the core gray whale feeding area farther south, and the proportion of gray whales observed feeding did not change over the study period. Five shutdowns of the air guns were invoked for gray whales seen within or near the buffer. A previously unknown gray whale feeding area (the Offshore feeding area) was discovered south and offshore from the nearshore Piltun feeding area. The Offshore area has subsequently been shown to be used by feeding gray whales during several years when no anthropogenic activity occurred near the Piltun feeding area.Shore-based counts indicated that whales continued to feed inshore of the Odoptu block throughout the seismic survey, with no significant correlation between gray whale abundance and seismic activity. Average values of most behavioral parameters were similar to those without seismic surveys. Univariate analysis showed no correlation between seismic sound levels and any behavioral parameter. Multiple regression analyses indicated that, after allowance for environmental covariates, 5 of 11 behavioral parameters were statistically correlated with estimated seismic survey-related variables; 6 of 11 behavioral parameters were not statistically correlated with seismic survey-related variables. Behavioral parameters that were correlated with seismic variables were transient and within the range of variation attributable to environmental effects. Acoustic monitoring determined that the 4-5 km buffer zone, in conjunction with reduction of the air gun array to 14 guns and 1,640 in(3), was effective in limiting sound exposure. Within the Piltun feeding area, these mitigation measures were designed to insure that western gray whales were not exposed to received levels exceeding the 163 dB re 1 microPa (rms) threshold. This was among the most complex and intensive mitigation programs ever conducted for any marine mammal. It provided valuable new information about underwater sounds and gray whale responses during a nearshore seismic program that will be useful in planning future work. Overall, the efforts in 2001 were successful in reducing impacts to levels tolerable by western gray whales. Research in 2002-2005 suggested no biologically significant or population-level impacts of the 2001 seismic survey.

White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) fawn risk from Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) predation during summer

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mech, L. David; Morris, Aaron; Barber-Meyer, Shannon M.

2015-01-01

Little is known about how often various prey animals are at risk of predation by Gray Wolves (Canis lupus). We used a system to monitor the presence during the day of two radio-collared Gray Wolves within 2 km of a radio-collared White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) with a fawn or fawns in August 2013 in the Superior National Forest of northeastern Minnesota. We concluded that the fawn or fawns were at risk of predation by at least one wolf at least daily.

Acoustic and Visual Monitoring for Cetaceans Along the Outer Washington Coast

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-03-01

killer whales , with the remaining sighting being Southern Residents in April 2006 near Grays Harbor. Sightings of...odontocetes, pinnipeds, Humpback whales , Gray whales , Minke whales , Fin whales , Killer whales , Cuvier’s beaked whales , Northern right whale dolphins...Harbor and Dall’s Porpoise Pacific White-Sided Dolphins Risso’s Dolphins Unidentified Odontocetes Killer Whales

Acid-base regulation during heating and cooling in the lizard, Varanus exanthematicus.

PubMed

Wood, S C; Johansen, K; Glass, M L; Hoyt, R W

1981-04-01

Current concepts of acid-base balance in ectothermic animals require that arterial pH vary inversely with body temperature in order to maintain a constant OH-/H+ and constant net charge on proteins. The present study evaluates acid-base regulation in Varanus exanthematicus under various regimes of heating and cooling between 15 and 38 degrees C. Arterial blood was sampled during heating and cooling at various rates, using restrained and unrestrained animals with and without face masks. Arterial pH was found to have a small temperature dependence, i.e., pH = 7.66--0.005 (T). The slope (dpH/dT = -0.005), while significantly greater than zero (P less than 0.05), is much less than that required for a constant OH-/H+ or a constant imidazole alphastat (dpH/dT congruent to 0.018). The physiological mechanism that distinguishes this species from most other ectotherms is the presence of a ventilatory response to temperature-induced changes in CO2 production and O2 uptake, i.e., VE/VO2 is constant. This results in a constant O2 extraction and arterial saturation (approx. 90%), which is adaptive to the high aerobic requirements of this species.

Gray whale sightings in the Canadian Beaufort Sea, September 2014

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iwahara, Yuka; Fujiwara, Amane; Ito, Keizo; Miyashita, Kazushi; Mitani, Yoko

2016-06-01

Gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) are distributed within the productive neritic and estuarine waters of the North Pacific Ocean, the Bering Sea, and adjacent waters of the Arctic Ocean. They migrate to high-latitude feeding grounds each spring. Their main feeding grounds in the Arctic include the Chirikov Basin, the northeastern Chukchi Sea from Pt. Hope to Cape Lisburne and Pt. Lay to Pt. Barrow, and the northwestern Chukchi Sea along the Chukotka coast. Although sightings are rare in the Canadian Beaufort Sea, we observed three gray whales in two groups in this area in September 2014. A mud plume was observed near one of the whales, suggesting the animal had been feeding. In the Alaskan Beaufort Sea, large-scale monitoring of the distributions of marine mammals has been continuously conducted since 1979; however, there has been less monitoring in the Canadian Beaufort Sea. Therefore, it is necessary to record opportunistic sightings, such as those described here.

Illustrating ontogenetic change in the dentition of the Nile monitor lizard, Varanus niloticus: a case study in the application of geometric morphometric methods for the quantification of shape-size heterodonty.

PubMed

D'Amore, Domenic C

2015-05-01

Many recent attempts have been made to quantify heterodonty in non-mammalian vertebrates, but the majority of these are limited to Euclidian measurements. One taxon frequently investigated is Varanus niloticus, the Nile monitor. Juveniles possess elongate, pointed teeth (caniniform) along the entirety of the dental arcade, whereas adults develop large, bulbous distal teeth (molariform). The purpose of this study was to present a geometric morphometric method to quantify V. niloticus heterodonty through ontogeny that may be applied to other non-mammalian taxa. Data were collected from the entire tooth row of 19 dry skull specimens. A semilandmark analysis was conducted on the outline of the photographed teeth, and size and shape were derived. Width was also measured with calipers. From these measures, sample ranges and allometric functions were created using multivariate statistical analyses for each tooth position separately, as well as overall measures of heterodonty for each specimen based on morphological disparity. The results confirm and expand upon previous studies, showing measurable shape-size heterodonty in the species with significant differences at each tooth position. Tooth size increases with body size at most positions, and the allometric coefficient increases at more distal positions. Width shows a dramatic increase at the distal positions with ontogeny, often displaying pronounced positive allometry. Dental shape varied in two noticeable ways, with the first composing the vast majority of shape variance: (i) caniniformy vs. molariformy and (ii) mesially leaning, 'rounded' apices vs. distally leaning, 'pointed' apices. The latter was twice as influential in the mandible, a consequence of host bone shape. Mesial teeth show no significant shape change with growth, whereas distal teeth change significantly due primarily to an increase in molariformy. Overall, heterodonty increases with body size concerning both tooth size and shape, but shape heterodonty changes in the mandible are much less pronounced. Although it is unclear to what degree V. niloticus specializes in hard prey items (durophagy), previous studies of varanid feeding behavior, along with research on analogous durophagous vertebrates, indicate a division of labor along the tooth row in adults, due to a possible transition to at least a partial durophagous niche. The geometric morphometric method proposed here, although not without its own limitations, may be ideal for use with a number of dental morphotypes in the future. © 2015 Anatomical Society.

Illustrating ontogenetic change in the dentition of the Nile monitor lizard, Varanus niloticus: a case study in the application of geometric morphometric methods for the quantification of shape–size heterodonty

PubMed Central

D'Amore, Domenic C

2015-01-01

Many recent attempts have been made to quantify heterodonty in non-mammalian vertebrates, but the majority of these are limited to Euclidian measurements. One taxon frequently investigated is Varanus niloticus, the Nile monitor. Juveniles possess elongate, pointed teeth (caniniform) along the entirety of the dental arcade, whereas adults develop large, bulbous distal teeth (molariform). The purpose of this study was to present a geometric morphometric method to quantify V. niloticus heterodonty through ontogeny that may be applied to other non-mammalian taxa. Data were collected from the entire tooth row of 19 dry skull specimens. A semilandmark analysis was conducted on the outline of the photographed teeth, and size and shape were derived. Width was also measured with calipers. From these measures, sample ranges and allometric functions were created using multivariate statistical analyses for each tooth position separately, as well as overall measures of heterodonty for each specimen based on morphological disparity. The results confirm and expand upon previous studies, showing measurable shape–size heterodonty in the species with significant differences at each tooth position. Tooth size increases with body size at most positions, and the allometric coefficient increases at more distal positions. Width shows a dramatic increase at the distal positions with ontogeny, often displaying pronounced positive allometry. Dental shape varied in two noticeable ways, with the first composing the vast majority of shape variance: (i) caniniformy vs. molariformy and (ii) mesially leaning, ‘rounded’ apices vs. distally leaning, ‘pointed’ apices. The latter was twice as influential in the mandible, a consequence of host bone shape. Mesial teeth show no significant shape change with growth, whereas distal teeth change significantly due primarily to an increase in molariformy. Overall, heterodonty increases with body size concerning both tooth size and shape, but shape heterodonty changes in the mandible are much less pronounced. Although it is unclear to what degree V. niloticus specializes in hard prey items (durophagy), previous studies of varanid feeding behavior, along with research on analogous durophagous vertebrates, indicate a division of labor along the tooth row in adults, due to a possible transition to at least a partial durophagous niche. The geometric morphometric method proposed here, although not without its own limitations, may be ideal for use with a number of dental morphotypes in the future. PMID:25939576

Gray whale distribution relative to benthic invertebrate biomass and abundance: Northeastern Chukchi Sea 2009-2012

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brower, Amelia A.; Ferguson, Megan C.; Schonberg, Susan V.; Jewett, Stephen C.; Clarke, Janet T.

2017-10-01

The shallow continental shelf waters of the Bering and Chukchi seas are the northernmost foraging grounds of North Pacific gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus). Benthic amphipods are considered the primary prey of gray whales in these waters, although no comprehensive quantitative analysis has been performed to support this assumption. Gray whale relative abundance, distribution, and behavior in the northeastern Chukchi Sea (69°-72°N, 155-169°W) were documented during aerial surveys in June-October 2009-2012. Concurrently, vessel-based benthic infaunal sampling was conducted in the area in July-August 2009-10, September 2011, and August 2012. Gray whales were seen in the study area each month that surveys were conducted, with the majority of whales feeding. Statistical analyses confirm that the highest densities of feeding gray whales were associated with high benthic amphipod abundance, primarily within 70 km of shore from Point Barrow to Icy Cape, in water <50 m deep. Conversely, gray whales were not seen in 40-km×40-km cells containing benthic sampling stations with 85 m-2 or fewer amphipods. Continuing broad-scale aerial surveys in the Chukchi Sea and prey sampling near feeding gray whales will be an important means to monitor and document ongoing and predicted ecosystem changes.

Perspective view, south wing, from the southeast (note the monitor ...

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

Perspective view, south wing, from the southeast (note the monitor running along the ridgeline, providing natural light along the third-floor main corridor - U. S. Naval Asylum, Biddle Hall, Gray's Ferry Avenue, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, PA

East Spar: Alliance approach for offshore gasfield development

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

NONE

1998-04-01

East spar is a gas/condensate field 25 miles west of Barrow Island, offshore Western Australia. Proved plus probable reserves at the time of development were estimated at 430 Bcf gas and 28 million bbl of condensate. The field was discovered in early 1993 when the Western Australia gas market was deregulated and the concept of a gas pipeline to the gold fields was proposed. This created a window of opportunity for East Spar, but only if plans could be established quickly. A base-case development plan was established to support gas marketing while alternative plans could be developed in parallel. Themore » completed East Spar facilities comprise two subsea wells, a subsea gathering system, and a multiphase (gas/condensate/water) pipeline to new gas-processing facilities. The subsea facilities are controlled through a navigation, communication, and control (NCC) buoy. The control room and gas-processing plant are 39 miles east of the field on Varanus Island. Sales gas is exported through a pre-existing gas-sales pipeline to the Dampier-Bunbury and Goldfields Gas Transmission pipelines. Condensate is stored in and exported by use of pre-existing facilities on Varanus Island. Field development from approval to first production took 22 months. The paper describes its field development.« less

Gray-scale transform and evaluation for digital x-ray chest images on CRT monitor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Furukawa, Isao; Suzuki, Junji; Ono, Sadayasu; Kitamura, Masayuki; Ando, Yutaka

1997-04-01

In this paper, an experimental evaluation of a super high definition (SHD) imaging system for digital x-ray chest images is presented. The SHD imaging system is proposed as a platform for integrating conventional image media. We are involved in the use of SHD images in the total digitizing of medical records that include chest x-rays and pathological microscopic images, both which demand the highest level of quality among the various types of medical images. SHD images use progressive scanning and have a spatial resolution of 2000 by 2000 pixels or more and a temporal resolution (frame rate) of 60 frames/sec or more. For displaying medical x-ray images on a CRT, we derived gray scale transform characteristics based on radiologists' comments during the experiment, and elucidated the relationship between that gray scale transform and the linearization transform for maintaining the linear relationship with the luminance of film on a light box (luminance linear transform). We then carried out viewing experiments based on a five-stage evaluation. Nine radiologists participated in our experiment, and the ten cases evaluated included pulmonary fibrosis, lung cancer, and pneumonia. The experimental results indicated that conventional film images and those on super high definition CRT monitors have nearly the same quality. They also show that the gray scale transform for CRT images decided according to radiologists' comments agrees with the luminance linear transform in the high luminance region. And in the low luminance region, it was found that the gray scale transform had the characteristics of level expansion to increase the number of levels that can be expressed.

Spinal Cord Gray Matter Atrophy in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

PubMed

Paquin, M-Ê; El Mendili, M M; Gros, C; Dupont, S M; Cohen-Adad, J; Pradat, P-F

2018-01-01

There is an emerging need for biomarkers to better categorize clinical phenotypes and predict progression in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. This study aimed to quantify cervical spinal gray matter atrophy in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and investigate its association with clinical disability at baseline and after 1 year. Twenty-nine patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and 22 healthy controls were scanned with 3T MR imaging. Standard functional scale was recorded at the time of MR imaging and after 1 year. MR imaging data were processed automatically to measure the spinal cord, gray matter, and white matter cross-sectional areas. A statistical analysis assessed the difference in cross-sectional areas between patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and controls, correlations between spinal cord and gray matter atrophy to clinical disability at baseline and at 1 year, and prediction of clinical disability at 1 year. Gray matter atrophy was more sensitive to discriminate patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis from controls ( P = .004) compared with spinal cord atrophy ( P = .02). Gray matter and spinal cord cross-sectional areas showed good correlations with clinical scores at baseline ( R = 0.56 for gray matter and R = 0.55 for spinal cord; P < .01). Prediction at 1 year with clinical scores ( R 2 = 0.54) was improved when including a combination of gray matter and white matter cross-sectional areas ( R 2 = 0.74). Although improvements over spinal cord cross-sectional areas were modest, this study suggests the potential use of gray matter cross-sectional areas as an MR imaging structural biomarker to monitor the evolution of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. © 2018 by American Journal of Neuroradiology.

Real-time monitoring of ultrasound imaging of clinical high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) exposures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ter Haar, Gail; Kennedy, James; Leslie, Tom; Wu, Feng

2005-09-01

Currently, many clinical devices use the change in gray scale seen on a real-time ultrasound image for the assessment of the success of HIFU treatment. It has been shown previously that, for a single HIFU lesion, the presence of gray-scale change was indicative of successful ablation in 100% of cases for 1.6-MHz beams, and in 90% of cases for 0.8-MHz exposures. The absence of gray-scale change was a reliable indicator of lack of ablative damage only for 0.8-MHz exposures (80%) in 80% of exposures using 1.6-MHz beams there was a lesion even in the absence of gray-scale change. This study has been extended to more realistic clinical treatment protocols. The image appearance has been studied for the different volume ablation techniques that are used in the treatment of liver and kidney cancer. The results will be presented.

Can camera traps monitor Komodo dragons a large ectothermic predator?

PubMed

Ariefiandy, Achmad; Purwandana, Deni; Seno, Aganto; Ciofi, Claudio; Jessop, Tim S

2013-01-01

Camera trapping has greatly enhanced population monitoring of often cryptic and low abundance apex carnivores. Effectiveness of passive infrared camera trapping, and ultimately population monitoring, relies on temperature mediated differences between the animal and its ambient environment to ensure good camera detection. In ectothermic predators such as large varanid lizards, this criterion is presumed less certain. Here we evaluated the effectiveness of camera trapping to potentially monitor the population status of the Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis), an apex predator, using site occupancy approaches. We compared site-specific estimates of site occupancy and detection derived using camera traps and cage traps at 181 trapping locations established across six sites on four islands within Komodo National Park, Eastern Indonesia. Detection and site occupancy at each site were estimated using eight competing models that considered site-specific variation in occupancy (ψ)and varied detection probabilities (p) according to detection method, site and survey number using a single season site occupancy modelling approach. The most parsimonious model [ψ (site), p (site survey); ω = 0.74] suggested that site occupancy estimates differed among sites. Detection probability varied as an interaction between site and survey number. Our results indicate that overall camera traps produced similar estimates of detection and site occupancy to cage traps, irrespective of being paired, or unpaired, with cage traps. Whilst one site showed some evidence detection was affected by trapping method detection was too low to produce an accurate occupancy estimate. Overall, as camera trapping is logistically more feasible it may provide, with further validation, an alternative method for evaluating long-term site occupancy patterns in Komodo dragons, and potentially other large reptiles, aiding conservation of this species.

Can Camera Traps Monitor Komodo Dragons a Large Ectothermic Predator?

PubMed Central

Ariefiandy, Achmad; Purwandana, Deni; Seno, Aganto; Ciofi, Claudio; Jessop, Tim S.

2013-01-01

Camera trapping has greatly enhanced population monitoring of often cryptic and low abundance apex carnivores. Effectiveness of passive infrared camera trapping, and ultimately population monitoring, relies on temperature mediated differences between the animal and its ambient environment to ensure good camera detection. In ectothermic predators such as large varanid lizards, this criterion is presumed less certain. Here we evaluated the effectiveness of camera trapping to potentially monitor the population status of the Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis), an apex predator, using site occupancy approaches. We compared site-specific estimates of site occupancy and detection derived using camera traps and cage traps at 181 trapping locations established across six sites on four islands within Komodo National Park, Eastern Indonesia. Detection and site occupancy at each site were estimated using eight competing models that considered site-specific variation in occupancy (ψ)and varied detection probabilities (p) according to detection method, site and survey number using a single season site occupancy modelling approach. The most parsimonious model [ψ (site), p (site*survey); ω = 0.74] suggested that site occupancy estimates differed among sites. Detection probability varied as an interaction between site and survey number. Our results indicate that overall camera traps produced similar estimates of detection and site occupancy to cage traps, irrespective of being paired, or unpaired, with cage traps. Whilst one site showed some evidence detection was affected by trapping method detection was too low to produce an accurate occupancy estimate. Overall, as camera trapping is logistically more feasible it may provide, with further validation, an alternative method for evaluating long-term site occupancy patterns in Komodo dragons, and potentially other large reptiles, aiding conservation of this species. PMID:23527027

Water Quality Evaluation of the Yellow River Basin Based on Gray Clustering Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fu, X. Q.; Zou, Z. H.

2018-03-01

Evaluating the water quality of 12 monitoring sections in the Yellow River Basin comprehensively by grey clustering method based on the water quality monitoring data from the Ministry of environmental protection of China in May 2016 and the environmental quality standard of surface water. The results can reflect the water quality of the Yellow River Basin objectively. Furthermore, the evaluation results are basically the same when compared with the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method. The results also show that the overall water quality of the Yellow River Basin is good and coincident with the actual situation of the Yellow River basin. Overall, gray clustering method for water quality evaluation is reasonable and feasible and it is also convenient to calculate.

75 FR 13485 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Socioeconomic Research and Monitoring for the...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-22

... potential displacement of activity from the research only area alternative. For business operations, costs... Collection; Comment Request; Socioeconomic Research and Monitoring for the Gray's Reef National Marine... regulations: (1) Prohibition of spear fishing and (2) research only area. Information was obtained to assess...

A comparative study on the distribution of non-specific esterase amongst the various constituents of retinas of some vertebrates.

PubMed

Tyagi, H R; Tewari, H B

1979-01-01

A wide coverage of the retinae of a large number of animals (Calotes, Varanus, Naja, Athene, Passer, Streptopelia, Psittacula and Funambulus) from the point of view of the histoenzymological distribution of non-specific esterase amongst the various constituents reveals mostly identical patterns. They are as follows: 1. Outer segments - positive in all cases. 2. Outer plexiform layer - equipped with enzymatic activity in all the instances. 3. Inner nuclear layer - thin cytoplasmic rim of the neurons characterized by positive activity; the nuclei of the neurons are completely negative. 4. Inner plexiform layer - this layer is endowed with the enzymatic activity. 5. Ganglion cells - negative in all cases. 6. Nerve fibres of the layer of nerve fibres, situated adjasent to ganglion cells are positive in all the animals; in case of squirrel oligodandroglial cells present in the region have demonstrated activity of a high order. On of the high-lights of the present contribution is demarcation of the inner plexiform layer into three stratified zones, equipped with enzymatic activity in Calotes, Streptopelia, Naja and Funambulus. Such stratifications are not seen in Varanus, Passer and Psittacula. The significance of the various patterns and the equipment of the enzyme in various constituents at various locals have been discussed in relation to the metabolic functions, zone-wise and interzone-wise in visual processes of various animals.

Behavioral correlates of changes in hippocampal gray matter structure during acquisition of foreign vocabulary.

PubMed

Bellander, Martin; Berggren, Rasmus; Mårtensson, Johan; Brehmer, Yvonne; Wenger, Elisabeth; Li, Tie-Qiang; Bodammer, Nils C; Shing, Yee-Lee; Werkle-Bergner, Markus; Lövdén, Martin

2016-05-01

Experience can affect human gray matter volume. The behavioral correlates of individual differences in such brain changes are not well understood. In a group of Swedish individuals studying Italian as a foreign language, we investigated associations among time spent studying, acquired vocabulary, baseline performance on memory tasks, and gray matter changes. As a way of studying episodic memory training, the language learning focused on acquiring foreign vocabulary and lasted for 10weeks. T1-weighted structural magnetic resonance imaging and cognitive testing were performed before and after the studies. Learning behavior was monitored via participants' use of a smartphone application dedicated to the study of vocabulary. A whole-brain analysis showed larger changes in gray matter structure of the right hippocampus in the experimental group (N=33) compared to an active control group (N=23). A first path analyses revealed that time spent studying rather than acquired knowledge significantly predicted change in gray matter structure. However, this association was not significant when adding performance on baseline memory measures into the model, instead only the participants' performance on a short-term memory task with highly similar distractors predicted the change. This measure may tap similar individual difference factors as those involved in gray matter plasticity of the hippocampus. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Relationship between snow depth and gray wolf predation on white-tailed deer

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nelson, M.E.; Mech, L.D.

1986-01-01

Survival of 203 yearling and adult white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) was monitored for 23,441 deer days from January through April 1975-85 in northeastern Minnesota. Gray wolf (Canis lupus) predation was the primary mortality cause, and from year to year during this period, the mean predation rate ranged from 0.00 to 0.29. The sum of weekly snow depths/month explained 51% of the variation in annual wolf predation rate, with the highest predation during the deepest snow.

Microstructural Abnormalities Were Found in Brain Gray Matter from Patients with Chronic Myofascial Pain

PubMed Central

Xie, Peng; Qin, Bangyong; Song, Ganjun; Zhang, Yi; Cao, Song; Yu, Jin; Wu, Jianjiang; Wang, Jiang; Zhang, Tijiang; Zhang, Xiaoming; Yu, Tian; Zheng, Hong

2016-01-01

Myofascial pain, presented as myofascial trigger points (MTrPs)-related pain, is a common, chronic disease involving skeletal muscle, but its underlying mechanisms have been poorly understood. Previous studies have revealed that chronic pain can induce microstructural abnormalities in the cerebral gray matter. However, it remains unclear whether the brain gray matters of patients with chronic MTrPs-related pain undergo alteration. In this study, we employed the Diffusion Kurtosis Imaging (DKI) technique, which is particularly sensitive to brain microstructural perturbation, to monitor the MTrPs-related microstructural alterations in brain gray matter of patients with chronic pain. Our results revealed that, in comparison with the healthy controls, patients with chronic myofascial pain exhibited microstructural abnormalities in the cerebral gray matter and these lesions were mainly distributed in the limbic system and the brain areas involved in the pain matrix. In addition, we showed that microstructural abnormalities in the right anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) had a significant negative correlation with the course of disease and pain intensity. The results of this study demonstrated for the first time that there are microstructural abnormalities in the brain gray matter of patients with MTrPs-related chronic pain. Our findings may provide new insights into the future development of appropriate therapeutic strategies to this disease. PMID:28066193

Invasive reptiles and amphibians: global perspectives and local solutions

USGS Publications Warehouse

Reed, R.N.; Kraus, F.

2010-01-01

In the annals of invasive species biology, higher taxa such asmammals, plants and insects have received the lion’s shareof research attention, largely because many of these invadershave demonstrated a remarkable ability to degrade ecosys-tems and cause economic harm. Interest in invasive reptilesand amphibians (collectively ‘herpetofauna’, colloquially‘herps’) has historically lagged but is now garnering in-creased scrutiny as a result of their escalating pace ofinvasion. A few herpetofaunal invaders have received con-siderable attention in scientific and popular accounts, in-cluding the brown treesnakeBoiga irregularison Guam,Burmese pythonPython molurusin Florida, Coqu´ıEleutherodactylus coquiin Hawaii and cane toadBufomarinusin Australia. However, relatively few are aware ofmany emerging and potentially injurious herpetofaunalinvaders, such as Nile monitorsVaranus niloticusin Flor-ida, common kingsnakesLampropeltis getulain the CanaryIslands, boa constrictorsBoa constrictoron Aruba andCozumel, or a variety of giant constrictor snakes in PuertoRico. For the vast majority of the most commonlyintroduced species, real or potential impacts to nativeecosystems or human economic interests are poorly under-stood and incompletely explored; major pathways of intro-duction have only recently been elucidated, and effectivemanagement interventions have been limited (Kraus, 2009).

Improved Satellite-Monitored Radio Tags for Large Whales: Dependable ARGOS Location-Only Tags and a GPS-Linked ARGOS Tag Reveal 3-Dimensional Body-Orientation and Surface Movements

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-09-30

funded tags have been used on a variety of projects: western gray whales in Russia, Pacific Coast Feeding Group (PCFG) gray whales, and sperm whales...provide an accurate, long duration, depiction of underwater dive behavior and especially to examine sperm whale foraging behavior. The data will be...an acoustic dosimeter. Eleven GPS/TDR tags containing three axis accelerometers were deployed on sperm whales in the Gulf of Mexico in July/Aug

Group for High Resolution Sea Surface Temperature (GHRSST) Analysis Fields Inter-Comparisons. Part 2. Near Real Time Web-based Level 4 SST Quality Monitor (L4-SQUAM)

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-01-01

Reynoldsr, Viva Banzon*. Helen Beggs h, Jean-Francois Cayula1, Yi Chaoj, Robert Grumbinek, Eileen Maturia, Andy Harrisal. Jonathan Mittaza•’, John...number of valid OSTIA SSTs because NN matching is done to OSTIA grid. A dotted gray line shows an ideal Gaussian fit, X~N(Median, RSD...show significant differences. In the right panels, AT, statistics are annotated on the left side of the histograms, dotted gray line shows an ideal

Ex-vivo quantitative susceptibility mapping of human brain hemispheres

PubMed Central

Kotrotsou, Aikaterini; Tamhane, Ashish A.; Dawe, Robert J.; Kapasi, Alifiya; Leurgans, Sue E.; Schneider, Julie A.; Bennett, David A.; Arfanakis, Konstantinos

2017-01-01

Ex-vivo brain quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) allows investigation of brain characteristics at essentially the same point in time as histopathologic examination, and therefore has the potential to become an important tool for determining the role of QSM as a diagnostic and monitoring tool of age-related neuropathologies. In order to be able to translate the ex-vivo QSM findings to in-vivo, it is crucial to understand the effects of death and chemical fixation on brain magnetic susceptibility measurements collected ex-vivo. Thus, the objective of this work was twofold: a) to assess the behavior of magnetic susceptibility in both gray and white matter of human brain hemispheres as a function of time postmortem, and b) to establish the relationship between in-vivo and ex-vivo gray matter susceptibility measurements on the same hemispheres. Five brain hemispheres from community-dwelling older adults were imaged ex-vivo with QSM on a weekly basis for six weeks postmortem, and the longitudinal behavior of ex-vivo magnetic susceptibility in both gray and white matter was assessed. The relationship between in-vivo and ex-vivo gray matter susceptibility measurements was investigated using QSM data from eleven older adults imaged both antemortem and postmortem. No systematic change in ex-vivo magnetic susceptibility of gray or white matter was observed over time postmortem. Additionally, it was demonstrated that, gray matter magnetic susceptibility measured ex-vivo may be well modeled as a linear function of susceptibility measured in-vivo. In conclusion, magnetic susceptibility in gray and white matter measured ex-vivo with QSM does not systematically change in the first six weeks after death. This information is important for future cross-sectional ex-vivo QSM studies of hemispheres imaged at different postmortem intervals. Furthermore, the linear relationship between in-vivo and ex-vivo gray matter magnetic susceptibility suggests that ex-vivo QSM captures information linked to antemortem gray matter magnetic susceptibility, which is important for translation of ex-vivo QSM findings to in-vivo. PMID:29261693

Anaerobic and aerobic bacteriology of the saliva and gingiva from 16 captive Komodo dragons (Varanus komodoensis): new implications for the "bacteria as venom" model.

PubMed

Goldstein, Ellie J C; Tyrrell, Kerin L; Citron, Diane M; Cox, Cathleen R; Recchio, Ian M; Okimoto, Ben; Bryja, Judith; Fry, Bryan G

2013-06-01

It has been speculated that the oral flora of the Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) exerts a lethal effect on its prey; yet, scant information about their specific oral flora bacteriology, especially anaerobes, exists. Consequently, the aerobic and anaerobic oral bacteriology of 16 captive Komodo dragons (10 adults and six neonates), aged 2-17 yr for adults and 7-10 days for neonates, from three U.S. zoos were studied. Saliva and gingival samples were collected by zoo personnel, inoculated into anaerobic transport media, and delivered by courier to a reference laboratory. Samples were cultured for aerobes and anaerobes. Strains were identified by standard methods and 16S rRNA gene sequencing when required. The oral flora consisted of 39 aerobic and 21 anaerobic species, with some variation by zoo. Adult dragons grew 128 isolates, including 37 aerobic gram-negative rods (one to eight per specimen), especially Enterobacteriaceae; 50 aerobic gram-positive bacteria (two to nine per specimen), especially Staphylococcus sciuri and Enterococcusfaecalis, present in eight of 10 and nine of 10 dragons, respectively; and 41 anaerobes (one to six per specimen), especially clostridia. All hatchlings grew aerobes but none grew anaerobes. No virulent species were isolated. As with other carnivores, captive Komodo oral flora is simply reflective of the gut and skin flora of their recent meals and environment and is unlikely to cause rapid fatal infection.

From little known area to the extinction race: A survey of herpetofauna in Prevab, Kutai National Park (KNP), Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurniawan, Nia; Roziah, Noviati; Fauzi, Muhammad Alif; Kurnianto, Agung Sih

2017-11-01

We develop research focused on the environmental quality through a survey of herpetofauna in a threatened area with minimum data. The collected data supported by literature was used to predict the highest threat in the Prevab forest and to recommend a conservation area according to priority. The survey was conducted on three main sites: Senadam lake, camp area, and Buntu river. Each location was surveyed using a Visual Encounter Survey in a 1 km transect, from 7 to 11 p.m. for 3 days (21-23 October 2016). This study has identified 25 species herpetofauna from 76 individuals, consisting of 3 orders: Squamata, Anura, and Crocodilia. The highest number of individuals found were Chalcorana raniceps (n:18), Hemidactylus frenatus (n:7), Hemidactylus platyurus (n:10), Eutropis sp. (n:5), Cyrtodactylus yoshii (n:4), Crocodylus porosus (n:4), Hylarana erythraea (n:3), Varanus salvator (n:3). Two species were categorized as `Threatened' species in the IUCN Red List, and one (Ptychozoon horsfieldii) was categorized as `Data Deficient.' One species, Limnonectes paramacrodon, was categorized as `Near Threatened'. There were 2 species categorized as Appendix II CITES: Varanus salvator and Crocodylus porosus. Only one species, Crocodylus porosus, was protected by Indonesia's regulation. Chalcorana raniceps and Limnonectes paramacrodon were found in high numbers in Buntu river, while the camp area was mostly visited by Hemidactylus platyurus, Hemidactylus frenatus, and Ptychozoon horsfieldii. Senadam lake was found to be the habitat for Crocodylus porosus.

The impact of invasive cane toads on native wildlife in southern Australia.

PubMed

Jolly, Christopher J; Shine, Richard; Greenlees, Matthew J

2015-09-01

Commonly, invaders have different impacts in different places. The spread of cane toads (Rhinella marina: Bufonidae) has been devastating for native fauna in tropical Australia, but the toads' impact remains unstudied in temperate-zone Australia. We surveyed habitat characteristics and fauna in campgrounds along the central eastern coast of Australia, in eight sites that have been colonized by cane toads and another eight that have not. The presence of cane toads was associated with lower faunal abundance and species richness, and a difference in species composition. Populations of three species of large lizards (land mullets Bellatorias major, eastern water dragons Intellagama lesueurii, and lace monitors Varanus varius) and a snake (red-bellied blacksnake Pseudechis porphyriacus) were lower (by 84 to 100%) in areas with toads. The scarcity of scavenging lace monitors in toad-invaded areas translated into a 52% decrease in rates of carrion removal (based on camera traps at bait stations) and an increase (by 61%) in numbers of brush turkeys (Alectura lathami). The invasion of cane toads through temperate-zone Australia appears to have reduced populations of at least four anurophagous predators, facilitated other taxa, and decreased rates of scavenging. Our data identify a paradox: The impacts of cane toads are at least as devastating in southern Australia as in the tropics, yet we know far more about toad invasion in the sparsely populated wilderness areas of tropical Australia than in the densely populated southeastern seaboard.

Unidirectional pulmonary airflow patterns in the savannah monitor lizard.

PubMed

Schachner, Emma R; Cieri, Robert L; Butler, James P; Farmer, C G

2014-02-20

The unidirectional airflow patterns in the lungs of birds have long been considered a unique and specialized trait associated with the oxygen demands of flying, their endothermic metabolism and unusual pulmonary architecture. However, the discovery of similar flow patterns in the lungs of crocodilians indicates that this character is probably ancestral for all archosaurs--the group that includes extant birds and crocodilians as well as their extinct relatives, such as pterosaurs and dinosaurs. Unidirectional flow in birds results from aerodynamic valves, rather than from sphincters or other physical mechanisms, and similar aerodynamic valves seem to be present in crocodilians. The anatomical and developmental similarities in the primary and secondary bronchi of birds and crocodilians suggest that these structures and airflow patterns may be homologous. The origin of this pattern is at least as old as the split between crocodilians and birds, which occurred in the Triassic period. Alternatively, this pattern of flow may be even older; this hypothesis can be tested by investigating patterns of airflow in members of the outgroup to birds and crocodilians, the Lepidosauromorpha (tuatara, lizards and snakes). Here we demonstrate region-specific unidirectional airflow in the lungs of the savannah monitor lizard (Varanus exanthematicus). The presence of unidirectional flow in the lungs of V. exanthematicus thus gives rise to two possible evolutionary scenarios: either unidirectional airflow evolved independently in archosaurs and monitor lizards, or these flow patterns are homologous in archosaurs and V. exanthematicus, having evolved only once in ancestral diapsids (the clade encompassing snakes, lizards, crocodilians and birds). If unidirectional airflow is plesiomorphic for Diapsida, this respiratory character can be reconstructed for extinct diapsids, and evolved in a small ectothermic tetrapod during the Palaeozoic era at least a hundred million years before the origin of birds.

Early evolution of the venom system in lizards and snakes.

PubMed

Fry, Bryan G; Vidal, Nicolas; Norman, Janette A; Vonk, Freek J; Scheib, Holger; Ramjan, S F Ryan; Kuruppu, Sanjaya; Fung, Kim; Hedges, S Blair; Richardson, Michael K; Hodgson, Wayne C; Ignjatovic, Vera; Summerhayes, Robyn; Kochva, Elazar

2006-02-02

Among extant reptiles only two lineages are known to have evolved venom delivery systems, the advanced snakes and helodermatid lizards (Gila Monster and Beaded Lizard). Evolution of the venom system is thought to underlie the impressive radiation of the advanced snakes (2,500 of 3,000 snake species). In contrast, the lizard venom system is thought to be restricted to just two species and to have evolved independently from the snake venom system. Here we report the presence of venom toxins in two additional lizard lineages (Monitor Lizards and Iguania) and show that all lineages possessing toxin-secreting oral glands form a clade, demonstrating a single early origin of the venom system in lizards and snakes. Construction of gland complementary-DNA libraries and phylogenetic analysis of transcripts revealed that nine toxin types are shared between lizards and snakes. Toxinological analyses of venom components from the Lace Monitor Varanus varius showed potent effects on blood pressure and clotting ability, bioactivities associated with a rapid loss of consciousness and extensive bleeding in prey. The iguanian lizard Pogona barbata retains characteristics of the ancestral venom system, namely serial, lobular non-compound venom-secreting glands on both the upper and lower jaws, whereas the advanced snakes and anguimorph lizards (including Monitor Lizards, Gila Monster and Beaded Lizard) have more derived venom systems characterized by the loss of the mandibular (lower) or maxillary (upper) glands. Demonstration that the snakes, iguanians and anguimorphs form a single clade provides overwhelming support for a single, early origin of the venom system in lizards and snakes. These results provide new insights into the evolution of the venom system in squamate reptiles and open new avenues for biomedical research and drug design using hitherto unexplored venom proteins.

Monitoring machining conditions by infrared images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borelli, Joao E.; Gonzaga Trabasso, Luis; Gonzaga, Adilson; Coelho, Reginaldo T.

2001-03-01

During machining process the knowledge of the temperature is the most important factor in tool analysis. It allows to control main factors that influence tool use, life time and waste. The temperature in the contact area between the piece and the tool is resulting from the material removal in cutting operation and it is too difficult to be obtained because the tool and the work piece are in motion. One way to measure the temperature in this situation is detecting the infrared radiation. This work presents a new methodology for diagnosis and monitoring of machining processes with the use of infrared images. The infrared image provides a map in gray tones of the elements in the process: tool, work piece and chips. Each gray tone in the image corresponds to a certain temperature for each one of those materials and the relationship between the gray tones and the temperature is gotten by the previous of infrared camera calibration. The system developed in this work uses an infrared camera, a frame grabber board and a software composed of three modules. The first module makes the image acquisition and processing. The second module makes the feature image extraction and performs the feature vector. Finally, the third module uses fuzzy logic to evaluate the feature vector and supplies the tool state diagnostic as output.

Detection of sub micro Gray dose levels using OSL phosphor LiMgPO4:Tb,B

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rawat, N. S.; Dhabekar, Bhushan; Muthe, K. P.; Koul, D. K.; Datta, D.

2017-04-01

Detection of sub micro Gray doses finds application in personnel and environmental monitoring, and nuclear forensics. Recently developed LiMgPO4:Tb,B (LMP) is highly sensitive Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) phosphor with excellent dosimetric properties. The OSL emission spectrum of LMP consists of several peaks attributed to characteristic Tb3+ emission. The OSL emission peak at 380 nm is favorable for bi-alkali PMT used in RISO reader system. It is demonstrated that significant improvement in dose detection threshold can be realized for LMP by optimization of continuous wave (CW-) OSL parameters like stimulation intensity and readout time. The minimum measurable dose (MMD) as low as 0.49 μGy in readout time of less than 1 s at stimulation intensity of 32 mW/cm2 has been achieved using this phosphor. The recommendations for choice of parameters for personnel and environmental monitoring are also discussed.

Automatic crack detection and classification method for subway tunnel safety monitoring.

PubMed

Zhang, Wenyu; Zhang, Zhenjiang; Qi, Dapeng; Liu, Yun

2014-10-16

Cracks are an important indicator reflecting the safety status of infrastructures. This paper presents an automatic crack detection and classification methodology for subway tunnel safety monitoring. With the application of high-speed complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) industrial cameras, the tunnel surface can be captured and stored in digital images. In a next step, the local dark regions with potential crack defects are segmented from the original gray-scale images by utilizing morphological image processing techniques and thresholding operations. In the feature extraction process, we present a distance histogram based shape descriptor that effectively describes the spatial shape difference between cracks and other irrelevant objects. Along with other features, the classification results successfully remove over 90% misidentified objects. Also, compared with the original gray-scale images, over 90% of the crack length is preserved in the last output binary images. The proposed approach was tested on the safety monitoring for Beijing Subway Line 1. The experimental results revealed the rules of parameter settings and also proved that the proposed approach is effective and efficient for automatic crack detection and classification.

Self-indicating radiation alert dosemeter (SIRAD).

PubMed

Riel, Gordon K; Winters, Patrick; Patel, Gordhan; Patel, Paresh

2006-01-01

In an event of a nuclear or dirty bomb explosion and a radiological accident, there is a need for self-indicating instant radiation dosemeter for monitoring radiation exposure. The self-indicating instant radiation alert dosemeter (SIRAD) is a credit card size radiation dosemeter for monitoring ionising radiation from a few hundredths of a Gray to a few Gray. It is always active and is ready to use. It needs no battery. The dosemeter develops colour instantly upon exposure, and the colour intensifies with dose. It has a colour chart so that the dose on the active element may be read by matching its colour with the chart that is printed next to it on the card. However, in this work, the dose is measured by the optical density of the element. The dosemeter cannot be reset. The response changes by <1% per degrees C from -20 to +60 degrees C. The shelf-life is >3 y at room temperature. It contains no hazardous materials. The dosemeter would meet the requirements of instantly monitoring high dose in an event of a nuclear or dirty bomb explosion or a radiation accident.

Automatic Crack Detection and Classification Method for Subway Tunnel Safety Monitoring

PubMed Central

Zhang, Wenyu; Zhang, Zhenjiang; Qi, Dapeng; Liu, Yun

2014-01-01

Cracks are an important indicator reflecting the safety status of infrastructures. This paper presents an automatic crack detection and classification methodology for subway tunnel safety monitoring. With the application of high-speed complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) industrial cameras, the tunnel surface can be captured and stored in digital images. In a next step, the local dark regions with potential crack defects are segmented from the original gray-scale images by utilizing morphological image processing techniques and thresholding operations. In the feature extraction process, we present a distance histogram based shape descriptor that effectively describes the spatial shape difference between cracks and other irrelevant objects. Along with other features, the classification results successfully remove over 90% misidentified objects. Also, compared with the original gray-scale images, over 90% of the crack length is preserved in the last output binary images. The proposed approach was tested on the safety monitoring for Beijing Subway Line 1. The experimental results revealed the rules of parameter settings and also proved that the proposed approach is effective and efficient for automatic crack detection and classification. PMID:25325337

NATO and U.S. Ballistic Missile Defense Programs: Divergent or Convergent Paths?

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-12-01

PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBER 9. SPONSORING /MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) N /A 10. SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY...Gray, 280. 36 n alliances. insecurity are the norm and periods of peace are more akin to interwar...Destruction, ed. Janne E. Nolan, Bernard I. Finel and Brian D. Finlay (New York: Century Foundation Press, 2003), 204. 118 “Iran,” The European

Camera Traps on Wildlife Crossing Structures as a Tool in Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) Management - Five-Years Monitoring of Wolf Abundance Trends in Croatia

PubMed Central

Križan, Josip; Gužvica, Goran

2016-01-01

The conservation of gray wolf (Canis lupus) and its coexistence with humans presents a challenge and requires continuous monitoring and management efforts. One of the non-invasive methods that produces high-quality wolf monitoring datasets is camera trapping. We present a novel monitoring approach where camera traps are positioned on wildlife crossing structures that channel the animals, thereby increasing trapping success and increasing the cost-efficiency of the method. In this way we have followed abundance trends of five wolf packs whose home ranges are intersected by a motorway which spans throughout the wolf distribution range in Croatia. During the five-year monitoring of six green bridges we have recorded 28 250 camera-events, 132 with wolves. Four viaducts were monitored for two years, recording 4914 camera-events, 185 with wolves. We have detected a negative abundance trend of the monitored Croatian wolf packs since 2011, especially severe in the northern part of the study area. Further, we have pinpointed the legal cull as probable major negative influence on the wolf pack abundance trends (linear regression, r2 > 0.75, P < 0.05). Using the same approach we did not find evidence for a negative impact of wolves on the prey populations, both wild ungulates and livestock. We encourage strict protection of wolf in Croatia until there is more data proving population stability. In conclusion, quantitative methods, such as the one presented here, should be used as much as possible when assessing wolf abundance trends. PMID:27327498

Camera Traps on Wildlife Crossing Structures as a Tool in Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) Management - Five-Years Monitoring of Wolf Abundance Trends in Croatia.

PubMed

Šver, Lidija; Bielen, Ana; Križan, Josip; Gužvica, Goran

2016-01-01

The conservation of gray wolf (Canis lupus) and its coexistence with humans presents a challenge and requires continuous monitoring and management efforts. One of the non-invasive methods that produces high-quality wolf monitoring datasets is camera trapping. We present a novel monitoring approach where camera traps are positioned on wildlife crossing structures that channel the animals, thereby increasing trapping success and increasing the cost-efficiency of the method. In this way we have followed abundance trends of five wolf packs whose home ranges are intersected by a motorway which spans throughout the wolf distribution range in Croatia. During the five-year monitoring of six green bridges we have recorded 28 250 camera-events, 132 with wolves. Four viaducts were monitored for two years, recording 4914 camera-events, 185 with wolves. We have detected a negative abundance trend of the monitored Croatian wolf packs since 2011, especially severe in the northern part of the study area. Further, we have pinpointed the legal cull as probable major negative influence on the wolf pack abundance trends (linear regression, r2 > 0.75, P < 0.05). Using the same approach we did not find evidence for a negative impact of wolves on the prey populations, both wild ungulates and livestock. We encourage strict protection of wolf in Croatia until there is more data proving population stability. In conclusion, quantitative methods, such as the one presented here, should be used as much as possible when assessing wolf abundance trends.

Integrating early detection with DNA barcoding: species identification of a non-native monitor lizard (Squamata: Varanidae) carcass in Mississippi, U.S.A.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Reed, Robert N.; Hopken, Matthew W.; Steen, David A.; Falk, Bryan G.; Piaggio, Antoinette J.

2016-01-01

Early detection of invasive species is critical to increasing the probability of successful management. At the primary stage of an invasion, invasive species are easier to control as the population is likely represented by just a few individuals. Detection of these first few individuals can be challenging, particularly if they are cryptic or otherwise characterized by low detectability. The engagement of members of the public may be critical to early detection as there are far more citizen s on the landscape than trained biologists. However, it can be difficult to assess the credibility of public reporting, especially when a diagnostic digital image or a physical specimen in good condition are lacking. DNA barcoding can be used for verification when morphological identification of a specimen is not possible or uncertain (i.e., degraded or partial specimen). DNA barcoding relies on obtaining a DNA sequence from a relatively small fragment of mitochondrial DNA and comparing it to a database of sequences containing a variety of expertly identified species. He rein we report the successful identification of a degraded specimen of a non-native, potentially invasive reptile species (Varanus niloticus) via DNA barcoding, after discovery and reporting by a member of the public.

Solute-specific patterns and drivers of urban stream chemistry revealed by long-term monitoring in Baltimore, Maryland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reisinger, A. J.; Woytowitz, E.; Majcher, E.; Rosi, E. J.; Groffman, P.

2017-12-01

Urban streams receive a myriad of chemical inputs from the surrounding landscape due to altered lithology (asphalt, concrete), leaky sewage infrastructure, and other human activities (road salt, fertilizer, industrial wastes, wastewater effluent), potentially leading to multiple chemical stressors occurring simultaneously. To evaluate potential drivers of water chemistry change, we used approximately 20 years of weekly water chemistry monitoring data from streams in the Baltimore Ecosystem Study (BES) to quantify trends of annual loads and flow-weighted concentrations for multiple solutes of interest, including nitrate (NO3-), phosphate (PO43-), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), chloride (Cl-), and sulfate (SO42-) and subsequently examined various gray and green infrastructure characteristics at the watershed scale. For example, we quantified annual volume and duration of reported sanitary sewer overflows (SSO) and cumulative storage volume and area of various best management practices (BMPs). Site- and solute-specific trends differed, but across our monitoring network we found evidence for decreasing annual export for multiple solutes. Additionally, we found that changes in gray- and green-infrastructure characteristics were related to changes in water quality at our most downstream (most urban) monitoring site. For example, annual NO3- loads increased with longer cumulative SSO duration, whereas annual PO43- and TP loads decreased with a cumulative BMP area in the watershed. Further, we used same long-term water chemistry data and multivariate analyses to investigate whether urban streams have unique water chemistry fingerprints representing the multiple chemical stressors at a given site, which could provide insight into sources and impacts of water-quality impairment. These analyses and results illustrate the major role gray and green infrastructure play in influencing water quality in urban environments, and illustrate that focusing on a variety of chemical stressors is necessary to gain a broader understanding of the issues affecting urban water quality.

NASA Satellite Continues to Monitor Thailand Floods

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-11-02

Flooding from the Chao Phraya River, Thailand, had begun to ebb in this image acquired by NASA Terra spacecraft on Nov. 1, 2011. Here, in blue-gray is the muddy water that had overflowed the banks of the river, flooding agricultural fields and villages.

How not to train your dragon: a case of a Komodo dragon bite.

PubMed

Borek, Heather A; Charlton, Nathan P

2015-06-01

Komodo dragons (Varanus komodoensis) are the world's largest lizards, known for killing prey that exceed their body mass. Reports of bites to humans in the popular press suggest high degrees of morbidity and mortality. Reports in the medical literature are lacking. We describe the case of a zookeeper who was bitten by a Komodo dragon, with a resultant mallet finger. We further discuss the various potential mechanisms of Komodo dragon lethality, including sepsis and venom deposition theories that are useful in guiding management. Copyright © 2015 Wilderness Medical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Monitoring Soil Bacteria with Community-Level Physiological Profiles Using Biolog™ ECO-Plates in the Republic of Tatarstan (Russia)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galieva, G. Sh; Gilmutdinova, I. M.; Fomin, V. P.; Selivanovskaya, S. Yu; Galitskaya, P. Yu

2018-01-01

Conservation of soil fertility is one of the most important tasks of the present time. As microorganisms are among the key factors in forming soil fertility, monitoring their state in natural and anthropogenically changed soils is an important component of compulsory environmental monitoring. Modern methods make it possible to evaluate the diversity and the functions of soil microorganisms, however, unfortunately, not all the soils are analyzed with their help up to the present moment. The present investigation is aimed to evaluate the functional diversity of five natural soil samples in the Republic of Tatarstan (belonging to sod-podzol, sod-carbonate, alluvial, and gray types) using the method of Biolog EcoPlate according to the index of average well color development, alpha-biodiversiry Shannon index (H), amount of substrates consumed ®, and strategy of consumption of various carbon substrate groups. It was shown that the highest AWCD index was found in sample No 3 - alluvial soil type (3.159±0.460), the lowest one - in sample No 5 - gray soil type (0.572±0.230). Correlation of biological activity of microorganisms with organic matter content in soil was shown.

Breeding biology of the blue-gray noddy

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rauson, M.J.; Harrison, C.S.; Clapp, R.B.

1984-01-01

Blue-gray Noddies, the smallest marine terns, are similar in many respects to all tropical terns in Hawaii: single-egg clutches are laid, growth and development take about 7 weeks, breeding is colonial. Its small size results in eggs that comprise over 27% of adult body weight, compared to 15-20% for most marine terns (Langham 1983). Blue-gray Noddies are widespread in the tropical Pacific, but populations are generally small. This may be the result of its inshore feeding habits and the fact that it is a resident species (Diamond 1978). However, populations in the Hawaiian Archipelago are probably limited by the availability of suitable nest sites in cliffs or rocky outcrops, not food supplies..... Food habits in Hawaii confirm the unique dependence of this species on sea-striders but consumption may be seasonal Blue-gray Noddies take the smallest prey of any seabird in Hawaii and may feed on a lower trophic level..... The Hawaiian population is apparently heavier and produces larger eggs than Blue-gray Noddies elsewhere in the Pacific. This conforms with the general proposition that Hawaiian seabirds are larger than those in the central Pacific (Harrison et al. 1983). The Hawaiian population also has a more predictable breeding season than those farther south.This may be due to a greater seasonality of food supply, but the factors that control the timing of breeding are not clear. There does not appear to be any competition for nest sites with other seabirds.....Our information on growth and development will enable future investigators to estimate the ages of chicks during brief visits to Blue-gray Noddy colonies. This will facilitate programs that are designed to monitor the basic health of seabird populations and to detect changes from baseline that may result from human activities or oceanographic conditions.

NASA Spacecraft Monitors Continuing Burn of Arizona Largest-Ever Wildfire

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-06-22

NASA Terra spacecraft acquired this image of the Wallow fire in Arizona on June 21, 2011; vegetation appears in red, bare ground in shades of tan, burned areas in black and very-dark red; and smoke from the active fire front appears gray.

Google Haul Out: Earth Observation Imagery and Digital Aerial Surveys in Coastal Wildlife Management and Abundance Estimation

PubMed Central

Moxley, Jerry H.; Bogomolni, Andrea; Hammill, Mike O.; Moore, Kathleen M. T.; Polito, Michael J.; Sette, Lisa; Sharp, W. Brian; Waring, Gordon T.; Gilbert, James R.; Halpin, Patrick N.; Johnston, David W.

2017-01-01

Abstract As the sampling frequency and resolution of Earth observation imagery increase, there are growing opportunities for novel applications in population monitoring. New methods are required to apply established analytical approaches to data collected from new observation platforms (e.g., satellites and unmanned aerial vehicles). Here, we present a method that estimates regional seasonal abundances for an understudied and growing population of gray seals (Halichoerus grypus) in southeastern Massachusetts, using opportunistic observations in Google Earth imagery. Abundance estimates are derived from digital aerial survey counts by adapting established correction-based analyses with telemetry behavioral observation to quantify survey biases. The result is a first regional understanding of gray seal abundance in the northeast US through opportunistic Earth observation imagery and repurposed animal telemetry data. As species observation data from Earth observation imagery become more ubiquitous, such methods provide a robust, adaptable, and cost-effective solution to monitoring animal colonies and understanding species abundances. PMID:29599542

Google Haul Out: Earth Observation Imagery and Digital Aerial Surveys in Coastal Wildlife Management and Abundance Estimation.

PubMed

Moxley, Jerry H; Bogomolni, Andrea; Hammill, Mike O; Moore, Kathleen M T; Polito, Michael J; Sette, Lisa; Sharp, W Brian; Waring, Gordon T; Gilbert, James R; Halpin, Patrick N; Johnston, David W

2017-08-01

As the sampling frequency and resolution of Earth observation imagery increase, there are growing opportunities for novel applications in population monitoring. New methods are required to apply established analytical approaches to data collected from new observation platforms (e.g., satellites and unmanned aerial vehicles). Here, we present a method that estimates regional seasonal abundances for an understudied and growing population of gray seals (Halichoerus grypus) in southeastern Massachusetts, using opportunistic observations in Google Earth imagery. Abundance estimates are derived from digital aerial survey counts by adapting established correction-based analyses with telemetry behavioral observation to quantify survey biases. The result is a first regional understanding of gray seal abundance in the northeast US through opportunistic Earth observation imagery and repurposed animal telemetry data. As species observation data from Earth observation imagery become more ubiquitous, such methods provide a robust, adaptable, and cost-effective solution to monitoring animal colonies and understanding species abundances.

Critically endangered western gray whales migrate to the eastern North Pacific.

PubMed

Mate, Bruce R; Ilyashenko, Valentin Yu; Bradford, Amanda L; Vertyankin, Vladimir V; Tsidulko, Grigory A; Rozhnov, Vyacheslav V; Irvine, Ladd M

2015-04-01

Western North Pacific gray whales (WGWs), once considered extinct, are critically endangered with unknown migratory routes and reproductive areas. We attached satellite-monitored tags to seven WGWs on their primary feeding ground off Sakhalin Island, Russia, three of which subsequently migrated to regions occupied by non-endangered eastern gray whales (EGWs). A female with the longest-lasting tag visited all three major EGW reproductive areas off Baja California, Mexico, before returning to Sakhalin Island the following spring. Her 22 511 km round-trip is the longest documented mammal migration and strongly suggests that some presumed WGWs are actually EGWs foraging in areas historically attributed to WGWs. The observed migration routes provide evidence of navigational skills across open water that break the near-shore north-south migratory paradigm of EGWs. Despite evidence of genetic differentiation, these tagging data indicate that the population identity of whales off Sakhalin Island needs further evaluation. © 2015 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

Fiber-type composition in the perivertebral musculature of lizards: Implications for the evolution of the diapsid trunk muscles.

PubMed

Moritz, Sabine; Schilling, Nadja

2013-03-01

The perivertebral musculature of lizards is critical for the stabilization and the mobilization of the trunk during locomotion. Some trunk muscles are also involved in ventilation. This dual function of trunk muscles in locomotion and ventilation leads to a biomechanical conflict in many lizards and constrains their ability to breathe while running ("axial constraint") which likely is reflected by their high anaerobic scope. Furthermore, different foraging and predator-escape strategies were shown to correlate with the metabolic profile of locomotor muscles in lizards. Because knowledge of muscle's fiber-type composition may help to reveal a muscle's functional properties, we investigated the distribution pattern of muscle fiber types in the perivertebral musculature in two small lizard species with a generalized body shape and subjected to the axial constraint (Dipsosaurus dorsalis, Acanthodactylus maculatus) and one species that circumvents the axial constraint by means of gular pumping (Varanus exanthematicus). Additionally, these species differ in their predator-escape and foraging behaviors. Using refined enzyme-histochemical protocols, muscle fiber types were differentiated in serial cross-sections through the trunk, maintaining the anatomical relationships between the skeleton and the musculature. The fiber composition in Dipsosaurus and Acanthodactylus showed a highly glycolytic profile, consistent with their intermittent locomotor style and reliance on anaerobic metabolism during activity. Because early representatives of diapsids resemble these two species in several postcranial characters, we suggest that this glycolytic profile represents the plesiomorphic condition for diapsids. In Varanus, we found a high proportion of oxidative fibers in all muscles, which is in accordance with its high aerobic scope and capability of sustained locomotion. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Patterns of postnatal ontogeny of the skull and lower jaw of snakes as revealed by micro-CT scan data and three-dimensional geometric morphometrics.

PubMed

Palci, Alessandro; Lee, Michael S Y; Hutchinson, Mark N

2016-12-01

We compared the head skeleton (skull and lower jaw) of juvenile and adult specimens of five snake species [Anilios (=Ramphotyphlops) bicolor, Cylindrophis ruffus, Aspidites melanocephalus, Acrochordus arafurae, and Notechis scutatus] and two lizard outgroups (Ctenophorus decresii, Varanus gilleni). All major ontogenetic changes observed were documented both qualitatively and quantitatively. Qualitative comparisons were based on high-resolution micro-CT scanning of the specimens, and detailed quantitative analyses were performed using three-dimensional geometric morphometrics. Two sets of landmarks were used, one for accurate representation of the intraspecific transformations of each skull and jaw configuration, and the other for comparison between taxa. Our results document the ontogenetic elaboration of crests and processes for muscle attachment (especially for cervical and adductor muscles); negative allometry in the braincase of all taxa; approximately isometric growth of the snout of all taxa except Varanus and Anilios (positively allometric); and positive allometry in the quadrates of the macrostomatan snakes Aspidites, Acrochordus and Notechis, but also, surprisingly, in the iguanian lizard Ctenophorus. Ontogenetic trajectories from principal component analysis provide evidence for paedomorphosis in Anilios and peramorphosis in Acrochordus. Some primitive (lizard-like) features are described for the first time in the juvenile Cylindrophis. Two distinct developmental trajectories for the achievement of the macrostomatan (large-gaped) condition in adult snakes are documented, driven either by positive allometry of supratemporal and quadrate (in pythons), or of quadrate alone (in sampled caenophidians); this is consistent with hypothesised homoplasy in this adaptive complex. Certain traits (e.g. shape of coronoid process, marginal tooth counts) are more stable throughout postnatal ontogeny than others (e.g. basisphenoid keel), with implications for their reliability as phylogenetic characters. © 2016 Anatomical Society.

Bitten by a Dragon.

PubMed

Ducey, Stephen D; Cooper, Jeffrey S; Wadman, Michael C

2016-06-01

Komodo dragons (Varanus komodoensis) are large lizards known to take down prey even larger than themselves. They rarely attack humans. A 38-year-old woman was bitten by a Komodo dragon on her hand while cleaning its enclosure. She was transiently hypotensive. The wounds were extensively cleaned, and she was started on prophylactic antibiotics. Her wounds healed without any infectious sequelae. Komodo dragon bites are historically thought to be highly infectious and venomous. Based on a literature review, neither of these are likely true. As in any bite, initial stabilization followed by wound management are the main components to therapy. Copyright © 2016 Wilderness Medical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Behavioral responses of native prey to disparate predators: naiveté and predator recognition.

PubMed

Anson, Jennifer R; Dickman, Chris R

2013-02-01

It is widely accepted that predator recognition and avoidance are important behaviors in allowing prey to mitigate the impacts of their predators. However, while prey species generally develop anti-predator behaviors through coevolution with predators, they sometimes show accelerated adoption of these behaviors under strong selection pressure from novel species. We used a field manipulation experiment to gauge the ability of the common ringtail possum (Pseudocheirus peregrinus), a semi-arboreal Australian marsupial, to recognize and respond to olfactory cues of different predator archetypes. We predicted that ringtails would display stronger anti-predator behaviors to cues of the invasive European red fox (Vulpes vulpes) in areas where fox impacts had been greatest, and to cues of the native lace monitor (Varanus varius) in areas of sympatry compared with allopatry. We found that ringtails fled quickly and were more alert when exposed to the fecal odors of both predators compared to neutral and pungent control odors, confirming that predator odors are recognized and avoided. However, these aversive responses were similar irrespective of predator presence or level of impact. These results suggest that selection pressure from the fox has been sufficient for ringtails to develop anti-predator behaviors over the few generations since foxes have become established. In contrast, we speculate that aversive responses by ringtails to the lace monitor in areas where this predator is absent reflect recent coexistence of the two species. We conclude that rapid evolution of anti-predator behaviors may occur when selection is strong. The maintenance of these behaviors should allow re-establishment of predator-prey relationships if the interactants regain sympatry via range shifts or management actions to reintroduce them to their former ranges.

Characterizing Focused-Ultrasound Mediated Drug Delivery to the Heterogeneous Primate Brain In Vivo with Acoustic Monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Shih-Ying; Sanchez, Carlos Sierra; Samiotaki, Gesthimani; Buch, Amanda; Ferrera, Vincent P.; Konofagou, Elisa E.

2016-11-01

Focused ultrasound with microbubbles has been used to noninvasively and selectively deliver pharmacological agents across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) for treating brain diseases. Acoustic cavitation monitoring could serve as an on-line tool to assess and control the treatment. While it demonstrated a strong correlation in small animals, its translation to primates remains in question due to the anatomically different and highly heterogeneous brain structures with gray and white matteras well as dense vasculature. In addition, the drug delivery efficiency and the BBB opening volume have never been shown to be predictable through cavitation monitoring in primates. This study aimed at determining how cavitation activity is correlated with the amount and concentration of gadolinium delivered through the BBB and its associated delivery efficiency as well as the BBB opening volume in non-human primates. Another important finding entails the effect of heterogeneous brain anatomy and vasculature of a primate brain, i.e., presence of large cerebral vessels, gray and white matter that will also affect the cavitation activity associated with variation of BBB opening in different tissue types, which is not typically observed in small animals. Both these new findings are critical in the primate brain and provide essential information for clinical applications.

Characterizing Focused-Ultrasound Mediated Drug Delivery to the Heterogeneous Primate Brain In Vivo with Acoustic Monitoring

PubMed Central

Wu, Shih-Ying; Sanchez, Carlos Sierra; Samiotaki, Gesthimani; Buch, Amanda; Ferrera, Vincent P.; Konofagou, Elisa E.

2016-01-01

Focused ultrasound with microbubbles has been used to noninvasively and selectively deliver pharmacological agents across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) for treating brain diseases. Acoustic cavitation monitoring could serve as an on-line tool to assess and control the treatment. While it demonstrated a strong correlation in small animals, its translation to primates remains in question due to the anatomically different and highly heterogeneous brain structures with gray and white matteras well as dense vasculature. In addition, the drug delivery efficiency and the BBB opening volume have never been shown to be predictable through cavitation monitoring in primates. This study aimed at determining how cavitation activity is correlated with the amount and concentration of gadolinium delivered through the BBB and its associated delivery efficiency as well as the BBB opening volume in non-human primates. Another important finding entails the effect of heterogeneous brain anatomy and vasculature of a primate brain, i.e., presence of large cerebral vessels, gray and white matter that will also affect the cavitation activity associated with variation of BBB opening in different tissue types, which is not typically observed in small animals. Both these new findings are critical in the primate brain and provide essential information for clinical applications. PMID:27853267

Design and testing of a new radio-tag for instrumenting large whales. Final report

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

Follmann, E.H.; Miller, G.O.

1981-03-01

In 1978, Project Whales was initiated to investigate the occurrence, ecology, and biology of bowhead and gray whales in areas of the Beaufort Sea under consideration for offshore oil and gas leasing. One aspect of the study was to develop radio tags to monitor the movement and behavior of whales. It was considered important to test the radio tag design in more favorable environments than arctic waters. The test called for tagging of gray whales in Mexico with the objective to determine (1) effectiveness of the attachment procedure for tagging large whales (2) length of time the radio tag willmore » remain attached to a whale, and (3) range of reception from tagged whales.« less

The Brain Dynamics of Intellectual Development: Waxing and Waning White and Gray Matter

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tamnes, Christian K.; Fjell, Anders M.; Ostby, Ylva; Westlye, Lars T.; Due-Tonnessen, Paulina; Bjornerud, Atle; Walhovd, Kristine B.

2011-01-01

Distributed brain areas support intellectual abilities in adults. How structural maturation of these areas in childhood enables development of intelligence is not established. Neuroimaging can be used to monitor brain development, but studies to date have typically considered single imaging modalities. To explore the impact of structural brain…

Outplayed: Regaining Strategic Initiative in the Gray Zone

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-06-01

Harvard University Captain John Chambers, U.S. Army Navy Staff, N -513 Captain Robert Hein, U.S. Navy RAND Dr. David Johnson, Ph.D. Army Capabilities...p. 1. 118. Vitaly Shevchenko, “Little Green Men or Russian Invaders?” BBC Monitoring, March 11, 2014, available from www.bbc.com/news/world-europe

First reports of ectoparasites collected from wild-caught exotic reptiles in Florida.

PubMed

Corn, Joseph L; Mertins, James W; Hanson, Britta; Snow, Skip

2011-01-01

We collected ectoparasites from 27 of 51 wild-caught, free-ranging exotic reptiles examined in Florida from 2003 to 2008. Sampled animals represented eight species, five of which yielded ectoparasites. Reported new parasite distribution records for the United States include the following: the first collection of the African tick Amblyomma latum (Koch) from a wild-caught animal [ball python, Python regius (Shaw)] in the United States; the first collection of the lizard scale mite Hirstiella stamii (Jack) from any wild-caught animal [green iguana, Iguana iguana (L.)]; and the first collection of the lizard scale mite Geckobia hemidactyli (Lawrence) in the continental United States from a wild-caught tropical house gecko, Hemidactylus mabouia (Moreau de Jonnès). We also report the first collections of the Neotropical ticks Amblyomma rotundatum (Koch) and Amblyomma dissimile (Koch) from wild-caught Burmese pythons, Python molurus bivittatus (Kuhl); the first collections of A. dissimile from a wild-caught African savannah monitor, Varanus exanthematicus (Bosc); and from wild-caught green iguanas in the United States; and the first collections of the native chiggers Eutrombicula splendens (Ewing) and Eutrombicula cinnabaris (Ewing) from wild-caught Burmese pythons. These reports may only suggest the diversity of reptile ectoparasites introduced and established in Florida and the new host-parasite relationships that have developed among exotic and native ectoparasites and established exotic reptiles.

Trypanosoma cf. varani in an imported ball python (Python reginus) from Ghana.

PubMed

Sato, Hiroshi; Takano, Ai; Kawabata, Hiroki; Une, Yumi; Watanabe, Haruo; Mukhtar, Maowia M

2009-08-01

Peripheral blood from a ball python (Python reginus) imported from Ghana was cultured in Barbour-Stoenner-Kelly (BSK) medium for Borrelia spp. isolation, resulting in the prominent appearance of free, and clusters of, trypanosomes in a variety of morphological forms. The molecular phylogenetic characterization of these cultured trypanosomes, using the small subunit rDNA, indicated that this python was infected with a species closely related to Trypanosoma varani Wenyon, 1908, originally described in the Nile monitor lizard (Varanus niloticus) from Sudan. Furthermore, nucleotide sequences of glycosomal glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase gene of both isolates showed few differences. Giemsa-stained blood smears, prepared from the infected python 8 mo after the initial observation of trypanosomes in hemoculture, contained trypomastigotes with a broad body and a short, free flagellum; these most closely resembled the original description of T. varani, or T. voltariae Macfie, 1919 recorded in a black-necked spitting cobra (Naja nigricollis) from Ghana. It is highly possible that lizards and snakes could naturally share an identical trypanosome species. Alternatively, lizards and snakes in the same region might have closely related, but distinct, Trypanosoma species as a result of sympatric speciation. From multiple viewpoints, including molecular phylogenetic analyses, reappraisal of trypanosome species from a wide range of reptiles in Africa is needed to clarify the relationship of recorded species, or to unmask unrecorded species.

Dungeness crab survey for the Southwest Ocean Disposal Site off Grays Harbor, Washington, June 1990

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

Higgins, B.J.; Pearson, W.H.

1991-09-01

As part of the Grays Harbor Navigation Improvement Project, the Seattle District of the US Army Corps of Engineers has begun active use of the Southwest Ocean Disposal Site off Grays Harbor, Washington. This survey was to verify that the location of the area of high crab density observed during site selection surveys has not shifted into the Southeast Ocean Disposal Site. In June 1990, mean densities of juvenile Dungeness crab were 146 crab/ha within the disposal site and 609 crab/ha outside ad north of the disposal site. At nearshore locations outside the disposal site, juvenile crab density was 3275more » crab/ha. Despite the low overall abundance, the spatial distribution of crab was such that the high crab densities in 1990 have remained outside the Southwest Ocean Disposal Site. The survey data have confirmed the appropriateness of the initial selection of the disposal site boundaries and indicated no need to move to the second monitoring tier. 8 refs., 9 figs., 2 tabs.« less

Uncovering the Social Deficits in the Autistic Brain. A Source-Based Morphometric Study

PubMed Central

Grecucci, Alessandro; Rubicondo, Danilo; Siugzdaite, Roma; Surian, Luca; Job, Remo

2016-01-01

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that mainly affects social interaction and communication. Evidence from behavioral and functional MRI studies supports the hypothesis that dysfunctional mechanisms involving social brain structures play a major role in autistic symptomatology. However, the investigation of anatomical abnormalities in the brain of people with autism has led to inconsistent results. We investigated whether specific brain regions, known to display functional abnormalities in autism, may exhibit mutual and peculiar patterns of covariance in their gray-matter concentrations. We analyzed structural MRI images of 32 young men affected by autistic disorder (AD) and 50 healthy controls. Controls were matched for sex, age, handedness. IQ scores were also monitored to avoid confounding. A multivariate Source-Based Morphometry (SBM) was applied for the first time on AD and controls to detect maximally independent networks of gray matter. Group comparison revealed a gray-matter source that showed differences in AD compared to controls. This network includes broad temporal regions involved in social cognition and high-level visual processing, but also motor and executive areas of the frontal lobe. Notably, we found that gray matter differences, as reflected by SBM, significantly correlated with social and behavioral deficits displayed by AD individuals and encoded via the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule scores. These findings provide support for current hypotheses about the neural basis of atypical social and mental states information processing in autism. PMID:27630538

The demography of a small population of yellow columbines in the Organ Mountains

Treesearch

Chris J. Stubben; Brook G. Milligan

2001-01-01

Yellow-flowered columbines (Aquilegia chrysantha Gray) are usually found in small, isolated populations near streams and pools in mountain ranges throughout the southwestern United States. To study the long-term dynamics of these populations, which are vulnerable to extinction, we have monitored the demography of a population in Fillmore Canyon in the Organ Mountains...

Estimating occupancy and predicting numbers of gray wolf packs in Montana using hunter surveys

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rich, Lindsey N.; Russell, Robin E.; Glenn, Elizabeth M.; Mitchell, Michael S.; Gude, Justin A.; Podruzny, Kevin M.; Sime, Carolyn A.; Laudon, Kent; Ausband, David E.; Nichols, James D.

2013-01-01

Reliable knowledge of the status and trend of carnivore populations is critical to their conservation and management. Methods for monitoring carnivores, however, are challenging to conduct across large spatial scales. In the Northern Rocky Mountains, wildlife managers need a time- and cost-efficient method for monitoring gray wolf (Canis lupus) populations. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (MFWP) conducts annual telephone surveys of >50,000 deer and elk hunters. We explored how survey data on hunters' sightings of wolves could be used to estimate the occupancy and distribution of wolf packs and predict their abundance in Montana for 2007–2009. We assessed model utility by comparing our predictions to MFWP minimum known number of wolf packs. We minimized false positive detections by identifying a patch as occupied if 2–25 wolves were detected by ≥3 hunters. Overall, estimates of the occupancy and distribution of wolf packs were generally consistent with known distributions. Our predictions of the total area occupied increased from 2007 to 2009 and predicted numbers of wolf packs were approximately 1.34–1.46 times the MFWP minimum counts for each year of the survey. Our results indicate that multi-season occupancy models based on public sightings can be used to monitor populations and changes in the spatial distribution of territorial carnivores across large areas where alternative methods may be limited by personnel, time, accessibility, and budget constraints.

Computerized image analysis: estimation of breast density on mammograms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Chuan; Chan, Heang-Ping; Petrick, Nicholas; Sahiner, Berkman; Helvie, Mark A.; Roubidoux, Marilyn A.; Hadjiiski, Lubomir M.; Goodsitt, Mitchell M.

2000-06-01

An automated image analysis tool is being developed for estimation of mammographic breast density, which may be useful for risk estimation or for monitoring breast density change in a prevention or intervention program. A mammogram is digitized using a laser scanner and the resolution is reduced to a pixel size of 0.8 mm X 0.8 mm. Breast density analysis is performed in three stages. First, the breast region is segmented from the surrounding background by an automated breast boundary-tracking algorithm. Second, an adaptive dynamic range compression technique is applied to the breast image to reduce the range of the gray level distribution in the low frequency background and to enhance the differences in the characteristic features of the gray level histogram for breasts of different densities. Third, rule-based classification is used to classify the breast images into several classes according to the characteristic features of their gray level histogram. For each image, a gray level threshold is automatically determined to segment the dense tissue from the breast region. The area of segmented dense tissue as a percentage of the breast area is then estimated. In this preliminary study, we analyzed the interobserver variation of breast density estimation by two experienced radiologists using BI-RADS lexicon. The radiologists' visually estimated percent breast densities were compared with the computer's calculation. The results demonstrate the feasibility of estimating mammographic breast density using computer vision techniques and its potential to improve the accuracy and reproducibility in comparison with the subjective visual assessment by radiologists.

Reproduction of Acacia koa after Fire

Treesearch

Paul G. Scowcroft; Hulton B. Wood

1976-01-01

The abundance, distribution, growth, and mortality of koa (Acacia koa Gray) seedlings after fires were monitored periodically on two burned areas on Oahu for 2.5 years. On one area, seedling density peaked at 95,300/ha 6 months after the fire; 21 months later it had declined to 18,500/ha. On the other area, peak seedling density occurred at 2 -...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, Jim Landy, NDE specialist with United Space Alliance (USA), watches a monitor off-screen to examine a Reinforced Carbon Carbon panel using flash thermography. Attached to the leading edge of the wing of the orbiters, the gray carbon composite RCC panels have sufficient strength to withstand the aerodynamic forces experienced during launch and reentry, which can reach as high as 800 pounds per square foot. The operating range of RCC is from minus 250º F to about 3,000º F, the temperature produced by friction with the atmosphere during reentry.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-09-09

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, Jim Landy, NDE specialist with United Space Alliance (USA), watches a monitor off-screen to examine a Reinforced Carbon Carbon panel using flash thermography. Attached to the leading edge of the wing of the orbiters, the gray carbon composite RCC panels have sufficient strength to withstand the aerodynamic forces experienced during launch and reentry, which can reach as high as 800 pounds per square foot. The operating range of RCC is from minus 250º F to about 3,000º F, the temperature produced by friction with the atmosphere during reentry.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, United Space Alliance worker Dan Kenna (right) positions a Reinforced Carbon Carbon panel on the table to perform flash thermography. In the background, Paul Ogletree observes the monitor. Attached to the leading edge of the wing of the orbiters, the gray carbon composite RCC panels have sufficient strength to withstand the aerodynamic forces experienced during launch and reentry, which can reach as high as 800 pounds per square foot. The operating range of RCC is from minus 250º F to about 3,000º F, the temperature produced by friction with the atmosphere during reentry.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-09-09

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, United Space Alliance worker Dan Kenna (right) positions a Reinforced Carbon Carbon panel on the table to perform flash thermography. In the background, Paul Ogletree observes the monitor. Attached to the leading edge of the wing of the orbiters, the gray carbon composite RCC panels have sufficient strength to withstand the aerodynamic forces experienced during launch and reentry, which can reach as high as 800 pounds per square foot. The operating range of RCC is from minus 250º F to about 3,000º F, the temperature produced by friction with the atmosphere during reentry.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, United Space Alliance workers Jim Landy (front), Dan Phillips and Dan Kenna watch a monitor showing results of flash thermography on the Reinforced Carbon Carbon panel on the table (foreground). Attached to the leading edge of the wing of the orbiters, the gray carbon composite RCC panels have sufficient strength to withstand the aerodynamic forces experienced during launch and reentry, which can reach as high as 800 pounds per square foot. The operating range of RCC is from minus 250º F to about 3,000º F, the temperature produced by friction with the atmosphere during reentry.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-09-09

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, United Space Alliance workers Jim Landy (front), Dan Phillips and Dan Kenna watch a monitor showing results of flash thermography on the Reinforced Carbon Carbon panel on the table (foreground). Attached to the leading edge of the wing of the orbiters, the gray carbon composite RCC panels have sufficient strength to withstand the aerodynamic forces experienced during launch and reentry, which can reach as high as 800 pounds per square foot. The operating range of RCC is from minus 250º F to about 3,000º F, the temperature produced by friction with the atmosphere during reentry.

Macro and micro structures in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex contribute to individual differences in self-monitoring.

PubMed

Yang, Junyi; Tian, Xue; Wei, Dongtao; Liu, Huijuan; Zhang, Qinglin; Wang, Kangcheng; Chen, Qunlin; Qiu, Jiang

2016-06-01

Individual differences in self-monitoring, which are the capability to adjust behavior to adapt to social situations, influence a wide range of social behaviors. However, understanding of focal differences in brain structures related to individual self-monitoring is minimal, particularly when micro and macro structures are considered simultaneously. The present study investigates the relationship between self-monitoring and brain structure in a relatively large sample of young adults. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) revealed a significant positive correlation between self-monitoring and gray matter volume in the dorsal cingulate anterior cortex (dACC), dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), and bilateral ventral striatum (VS). Further analysis revealed a significant negative correlation between self-monitoring and white matter (WM) integrity, as indexed by fractional anisotropy (FA) in the anterior cingulum (ACG) bundle. Moreover, there was a significant positive correlation between self-monitoring and mean radius diffusion (RD). These results shed light on the structural neural basis of variation in self-monitoring.

Parthenogenesis in Komodo dragons.

PubMed

Watts, Phillip C; Buley, Kevin R; Sanderson, Stephanie; Boardman, Wayne; Ciofi, Claudio; Gibson, Richard

2006-12-21

Parthenogenesis, the production of offspring without fertilization by a male, is rare in vertebrate species, which usually reproduce after fusion of male and female gametes. Here we use genetic fingerprinting to identify parthenogenetic offspring produced by two female Komodo dragons (Varanus komodoensis) that had been kept at separate institutions and isolated from males; one of these females subsequently produced additional offspring sexually. This reproductive plasticity indicates that female Komodo dragons may switch between asexual and sexual reproduction, depending on the availability of a mate--a finding that has implications for the breeding of this threatened species in captivity. Most zoos keep only females, with males being moved between zoos for mating, but perhaps they should be kept together to avoid triggering parthenogenesis and thereby decreasing genetic diversity.

Demonstration of Cooling Savings of Light Colored Roof Surfacing in Florida Commercial Buildings: Our Savior's School.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parker, Danny S.; Sherwin, John R.; Sonne, Jeffrey K.; Barkaszi, Stephen F., Jr.

A 2-year Florida study attempted to quantify air conditioning cost savings when buildings have a white reflective roof. A 10,000 square foot elementary school with a gray modified bitumen roof over plywood decking that had a solar reflectance of 23 percent was monitored for an entire year. After one year of building thermal conditions and…

Regional gray matter density associated with emotional intelligence: evidence from voxel-based morphometry.

PubMed

Takeuchi, Hikaru; Taki, Yasuyuki; Sassa, Yuko; Hashizume, Hiroshi; Sekiguchi, Atsushi; Fukushima, Ai; Kawashima, Ryuta

2011-09-01

Emotional Intelligence (EI) is the ability to monitor one's own and others' emotions and the ability to use the gathered information to guide one's thinking and action. EI is thought to be important for social life making it a popular subject of research. However, despite the existence of previous functional imaging studies on EI, the relationship between regional gray matter morphology and EI has never been investigated. We used voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and a questionnaire (Emotional Intelligence Scale) to measure EI to identify the gray matter correlates of each factor of individual EI (Intrapersonal factor, Interpersonal factor, Situation Management factor). We found significant negative relationships between the Intrapersonal factor and regional gray matter density (rGMD) (1-a) in an anatomical cluster that included the right anterior insula, (1-b) in the right cerebellum, (1-c) in an anatomical cluster that extends from the cuneus to the precuneus, (1-d) and in an anatomical cluster that extends from the medial prefrontal cortex to the left lateral fronto-polar cortex. We also found significant positive correlations between the Interpersonal factor and rGMD in the right superior temporal sulcus, and significant negative correlations between the Situation Management factor and rGMD in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. These findings suggest that each factor of EI in healthy young people is related to the specific brain regions known to be involved in the networks of social cognition and self-related recognition, and in the somatic marker circuitry. Copyright © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Longitudinal assessment of neuroanatomical and cognitive differences in young children with type 1 diabetes: association with hyperglycemia.

PubMed

Mauras, Nelly; Mazaika, Paul; Buckingham, Bruce; Weinzimer, Stuart; White, Neil H; Tsalikian, Eva; Hershey, Tamara; Cato, Allison; Cheng, Peiyao; Kollman, Craig; Beck, Roy W; Ruedy, Katrina; Aye, Tandy; Fox, Larry; Arbelaez, Ana Maria; Wilson, Darrell; Tansey, Michael; Tamborlane, William; Peng, Daniel; Marzelli, Matthew; Winer, Karen K; Reiss, Allan L

2015-05-01

Significant regional differences in gray and white matter volume and subtle cognitive differences between young diabetic and nondiabetic children have been observed. Here, we assessed whether these differences change over time and the relation with dysglycemia. Children ages 4 to <10 years with (n = 144) and without (n = 72) type 1 diabetes (T1D) had high-resolution structural MRI and comprehensive neurocognitive tests at baseline and 18 months and continuous glucose monitoring and HbA1c performed quarterly for 18 months. There were no differences in cognitive and executive function scores between groups at 18 months. However, children with diabetes had slower total gray and white matter growth than control subjects. Gray matter regions (left precuneus, right temporal, frontal, and parietal lobes and right medial-frontal cortex) showed lesser growth in diabetes, as did white matter areas (splenium of the corpus callosum, bilateral superior-parietal lobe, bilateral anterior forceps, and inferior-frontal fasciculus). These changes were associated with higher cumulative hyperglycemia and glucose variability but not with hypoglycemia. Young children with T1D have significant differences in total and regional gray and white matter growth in brain regions involved in complex sensorimotor processing and cognition compared with age-matched control subjects over 18 months, suggesting that chronic hyperglycemia may be detrimental to the developing brain. © 2015 by the American Diabetes Association. Readers may use this article as long as the work is properly cited, the use is educational and not for profit, and the work is not altered.

Anomalous Gray Matter Patterns in Specific Reading Comprehension Deficits are Independent of Dyslexia

PubMed Central

Bailey, Stephen; Hoeft, Fumiko; Aboud, Katherine; Cutting, Laurie

2016-01-01

Specific reading comprehension deficits (SRCD) affects up to 10% of all children. SRCD is distinct from dyslexia (DYS) in that individuals with SRCD show poor comprehension despite adequate decoding skills. Despite its prevalence and considerable behavioral research, there is not yet a unified cognitive explanation of SRCD. While its neuroanatomical basis is unknown, SRCD could be anomalous in regions subserving their commonly reported cognitive weaknesses in semantic processing and/or executive function. Here we investigated, for the first time, patterns of gray matter volume difference in SRCD as compared to DYS and typical developing (TD) adolescent readers (N=41). A linear support vector machine algorithm was applied to whole brain gray matter volumes generated through voxel-based morphometry. As expected, analyses revealed that DYS differed significantly from TD in a pattern that included features from left fusiform and supramarginal gyri (DYS vs. TD: 80.0%, p < 0.01). SRCD was well differentiated not only from TD (92.5%, p < 0.001) but also from DYS (88.0%, p < 0.001). Of particular interest were findings of reduced gray matter volume in right frontal areas that were also supported by univariate analysis. These areas are thought to subserve executive processes relevant for reading, such as monitoring and manipulating mental representations. Thus, preliminary analyses suggest that SRCD readers possess a distinct neural profile compared to both TD and DYS readers and that these differences might be linked to domain-general abilities. This work provides a foundation for further investigation into variants of reading disability beyond DYS. PMID:27324343

Field optimization of the sex pheromone of Stenoma catenifer (Lepidoptera: Elachistidae): evaluation of lure types, trap height, male flight distances, and number of traps needed per avocado orchard for detection.

PubMed

Hoddle, M S; Millar, J G; Hoddle, C D; Zou, Y; McElfresh, J S; Lesch, S M

2011-04-01

The sex pheromone of Stenoma catenifer was evaluated in commercial avocado orchards in Guatemala to determine operational parameters, such as optimal lure type, trap height, trap density and estimates of the distances that male moths fly. Of four pheromone dispensers tested, gray and white rubber septa were of equal efficacy, whereas 1-ml low-density polyethylene vials and 2×3-cm polyethylene ziplock bags were least efficacious. The height at which wing traps were hung did not significantly affect the number of adult male S. catenifer captured. For monitoring S. catenifer, these data suggest that the pheromone should be dispensed from gray rubber septa in wing traps hung inside the tree canopy at 1.75 m, a height convenient for trap placement and monitoring. Mark-recapture studies of male S. catenifer indicated that, on average, males flew 67 m in one night. However, it is likely that this is an underestimate of the distance that male moths are capable of flying in a single night. Probabilistic modeling of S. catenifer capture data from different numbers of pheromone traps deployed in seven commercial avocado orchards of varying sizes and infestation levels suggested that 10-13 randomly deployed traps per orchard for a 7-day period are needed to detect at least one male S. catenifer with 90% confidence. These data provide sufficient information to develop effective protocols for using the S. catenifer pheromone to detect and monitor this pest in countries with endemic populations that are exporting fresh avocados, and for quarantine detection and incursion monitoring in countries receiving avocado imports from high risk areas.

Pamela Gray-Hann | NREL

Science.gov Websites

Pamela Gray-Hann Photo of Pamela Gray-Hann Pamela Gray-Hann Project Support Specialist Pamela.Gray.hann@nrel.gov | 303-275-4626 Pamela Gray-Hann is a member of the Geospatial Data Science team within Pam Gray-Hann

Behavioral Response of Reef Fish and Green Sea Turtles to Midfrequency Sonar.

PubMed

Watwood, Stephanie L; Iafrate, Joseph D; Reyier, Eric A; Redfoot, William E

2016-01-01

There is growing concern over the potential effects of high-intensity sonar on wild fish populations and commercial fisheries. Acoustic telemetry was employed to measure the movements of free-ranging reef fish and sea turtles in Port Canaveral, FL, in response to routine submarine sonar testing. Twenty-five sheepshead (Archosargus probatocephalus), 28 gray snapper (Lutjanus griseus), and 29 green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) were tagged, with movements monitored for a period of up to 4 months using an array of passive acoustic receivers. Baseline residency was examined for fish and sea turtles before, during, and after the test event. No mortality of tagged fish or sea turtles was evident from the sonar test event. There was a significant increase in the daily residency index for both sheepshead and gray snapper at the testing wharf subsequent to the event. No broad-scale movement from the study site was observed during or immediately after the test.

Gray Matter Pathology in MS: Neuroimaging and Clinical Correlations

PubMed Central

Honce, Justin Morris

2013-01-01

It is abundantly clear that there is extensive gray matter pathology occurring in multiple sclerosis. While attention to gray matter pathology was initially limited to studies of autopsy specimens and biopsies, the development of new MRI techniques has allowed assessment of gray matter pathology in vivo. Current MRI techniques allow the direct visualization of gray matter demyelinating lesions, the quantification of diffuse damage to normal appearing gray matter, and the direct measurement of gray matter atrophy. Gray matter demyelination (both focal and diffuse) and gray matter atrophy are found in the very earliest stages of multiple sclerosis and are progressive over time. Accumulation of gray matter damage has substantial impact on the lives of multiple sclerosis patients; a growing body of the literature demonstrates correlations between gray matter pathology and various measures of both clinical disability and cognitive impairment. The effect of disease modifying therapies on the rate accumulation of gray matter pathology in MS has been investigated. This review focuses on the neuroimaging of gray matter pathology in MS, the effect of the accumulation of gray matter pathology on clinical and cognitive disability, and the effect of disease-modifying agents on various measures of gray matter damage. PMID:23878736

Structural and functional cerebral correlates of hypnotic suggestibility.

PubMed

Huber, Alexa; Lui, Fausta; Duzzi, Davide; Pagnoni, Giuseppe; Porro, Carlo Adolfo

2014-01-01

Little is known about the neural bases of hypnotic suggestibility, a cognitive trait referring to the tendency to respond to hypnotic suggestions. In the present magnetic resonance imaging study, we performed regression analyses to assess hypnotic suggestibility-related differences in local gray matter volume, using voxel-based morphometry, and in waking resting state functional connectivity of 10 resting state networks, in 37 healthy women. Hypnotic suggestibility was positively correlated with gray matter volume in portions of the left superior and medial frontal gyri, roughly overlapping with the supplementary and pre-supplementary motor area, and negatively correlated with gray matter volume in the left superior temporal gyrus and insula. In the functional connectivity analysis, hypnotic suggestibility was positively correlated with functional connectivity between medial posterior areas, including bilateral posterior cingulate cortex and precuneus, and both the lateral visual network and the left fronto-parietal network; a positive correlation was also found with functional connectivity between the executive-control network and a right postcentral/parietal area. In contrast, hypnotic suggestibility was negatively correlated with functional connectivity between the right fronto-parietal network and the right lateral thalamus. These findings demonstrate for the first time a correlation between hypnotic suggestibility, the structural features of specific cortical regions, and the functional connectivity during the normal resting state of brain structures involved in imagery and self-monitoring activity.

2006 Progress Report on Acoustic and Visual Monitoring for Cetaceans along the Outer Washington Coast

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-08-01

Although Northern Resident killer whales have been extensively studied within Puget Sound and coastal British Columbia, they have been visually sighted... whales . Time series of vocalizations detected in acoustic recordings are presented for killer whales , white-sided dolphins, Risso’s dolphins...Pinniped sightings during visual surveys since August 2004. Seasonal occurrence of humpback and gray whales from visual surveys. Killer whale

Reintroduction of Lower Columbia River Chum Salmon into Duncan Creek, 2007 Annual Report.

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

Hillson, Todd D.

2009-06-12

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) listed Lower Columbia River (LCR) chum salmon as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in March, 1999 (64 FR 14508, March 25, 1999). The listing was in response to the reduction in abundance from historical levels of more than one-half million returning adults to fewer than 10,000 present-day spawners. Harvest, habitat degradation, changes in flow regimes, riverbed movement and heavy siltation have been largely responsible for this decline. The timing of seasonal changes in river flow and water temperatures is perhaps the most critical factor in structuring the freshwater life history of thismore » species. This is especially true of the population located directly below Bonneville Dam, where hydropower operations can block access to spawning sites, dewater redds, strand fry, cause scour or fill of redds and increase sedimentation of spawning gravels. Prior to 1997, only two chum salmon populations were recognized as genetically distinct in the Columbia River, although spawning had been documented in many Lower Columbia River tributaries. The first population was in the Grays River (RKm 34), a tributary of the Columbia River, and the second was a group of spawners utilizing the mainstem Columbia River just below Bonneville Dam (RKm 235) adjacent to Ives Island and in Hardy and Hamilton creeks. Using additional DNA samples, Small et al. (2006) grouped chum salmon spawning in the mainstem Columbia River and the Washington State tributaries into three groups: the Coastal, the Cascade and the Gorge. The Coastal group comprises those spawning in the Grays River, Skamokawa Creek and the broodstock used at the Sea Resources facility on the Chinook River. The Cascade group comprises those spawning in the Cowlitz (both summer and fall stocks), Kalama, Lewis, and East Fork Lewis rivers, with most supporting unique populations. The Gorge group comprises those spawning in the mainstem Columbia River from the I-205 Bridge up to Bonneville Dam and those spawning in Hamilton and Hardy creeks. Response to the federal ESA listing has been primarily through direct-recovery actions: reducing harvest, hatchery supplementation using local broodstock for populations at catastrophic risk, habitat restoration (including construction of spawning channels) and flow agreements to protect spawning and rearing areas. Both state and federal agencies have built controlled spawning areas. In 1998, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) began a chum salmon supplementation program using native stock on the Grays River. This program was expanded during 1999 - 2001 to include reintroduction into the Chinook River using eggs from the Grays River Supplementation Program. These eggs are incubated at the Grays River Hatchery, reared to release size at the Sea Resources Hatchery on the Chinook River, and the fry are released at the mouth of the Chinook River. Native steelhead, chum, and coho salmon are present in Duncan Creek, and are recognized as subpopulations of the Lower Gorge population, and are focal species in the Lower Columbia Fish Recovery Board (LCFRB) plan. Steelhead, chum and coho salmon that spawn in Duncan Creek are listed as Threatened under the ESA. Duncan Creek is classified by the LCFRB plan as a watershed for intensive monitoring (LCFRB 2004). This project was identified in the 2004 Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS) revised Biological Opinion (revised BiOp) to increase survival of chum salmon, 'BPA will continue to fund the program to re-introduce Columbia River chum salmon into Duncan Creek as long as NOAA Fisheries determines it to be an essential and effective contribution to reducing the risk of extinction for this ESU'. (USACE et al. 2004, page 85-86). The Governors Forum on Monitoring and Salmon Recovery and Watershed Health recommends one major population from each ESU have adult and juvenile monitoring. Duncan Creek chum salmon are identified in this plan to be intensively monitored. Planners recommended that a combination of natural and hatchery production would be the most likely way to produce the most rapid sustainable improvement in chum runs. Specifically, it was assumed that improving habitat conditions would promote efficient natural production, and that the most rapid way to rebuild the run would be to combine releases of an appropriate stock into the improved habitat. WDFW's recovery strategy for LCR chum salmon, as outlined in the WDFW Grays River and Washougal Hatchery Genetic Management Plans (HGMP), is as follows. First, determine if remnant populations of chum salmon exist in LCR tributaries. Second, if such populations exist, develop stock-specific recovery plans involving habitat restoration that include the creation of spawning refugias, supplementation where necessary, and a habitat and fish monitoring and evaluation plan.« less

Patient exposure dose for chest and skull radiographies in Mazandaran hospitals.

PubMed

Etemadinezhad, Siavash; Rahimi, Seyed Ali

2010-01-01

Radiographic techniques are essential methods of diagnosis, and their use has been increased, especially with the development of the new technologies. Inappropriate administration of these techniques may put both the patients and personnel at unnecessary risks. The objective of this research was to measure the skin dose of chest and skull radiographies used in Mazandaran hospitals and to compare these doses with national and international standards. In this cross-sectional study, six X-ray generators at six hospitals affiliated to Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences were included. One hundred and twenty patients referred to the radiology wards for radiographic examinations of chest and skull with normal body mass index (BMI) were selected (20 patients for each radiography unit). The generators were matched for mAs, kvp, type of amplifier sheets, and technical conditions as much as possible. Calibrated thermo luminescence dosimeters (TLD-USA, Lif-100) were used to measure the skin dose by placing them on the patients' back and the absorbed doses by TLDs were read by a TLD reader (model: Harshuu, TLD3500, Japan). The mean values of the skin dose were 0.51 mGray for posteroanterior (PA), chest X-ray (CXR), 3.36 mGray for lateral CXR, 7.25 mGray for anterroposterior (AP) or PA skull X-rays, and 7.59 mGray for lateral skull X-rays. The measured values were higher than the national and international standards. The results of this research revealed that the conditions of the X-ray generators should be monitored and modified periodically. Modifying the X-ray generators plus improving technicians' skills would, to some extent, reduce the radiation exposure of the patients.

Development of a new method for the determination of residues of the neonictinoid insecticide imidacloprid in juvenile Chinook (Oncorhynchus tyshawytscha) using ELISA detection

USGS Publications Warehouse

Frew, John A.; Grue, Christian E.

2012-01-01

The neonicotinoid insecticide imidacloprid (IMI) has been proposed as an alternative to carbaryl for controlling indigenous burrowing shrimp on commercial oyster beds in Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor, Washington. A focus of concern over the use of this insecticide in an aquatic environment is the potential for adverse effects from exposure to non-target species residing in the Bay, such as juvenile Chinook (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and cutthroat trout (O. clarki). Federal registration and State permiting approval for the use of IMI will require confirmation that the compound does not adversely impact these salmonids following field applications. This will necessitate an environmental monitoring program for evaluating exposure in salmonids following the treatment of beds. Quantification of IMI residues in tissue can be used for determining salmonid exposure to the insecticide. Refinement of an existing protocol using liquid-chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS) detection would provide the low limits of quantification, given the relatively small tissue sample sizes, necessary for determining exposure in individual fish. Such an approach would not be viable for the environmental monitoring effort in Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor due to the high costs associated with running multiple analyses, however. A new sample preparation protocol was developed for use with a commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the quantification of IMI, thereby providing a low-cost alternative to LC-MS for environmental monitoring in Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor. Extraction of the analyte from the salmonid brain tissue was achieved by Dounce homogenization in 4.0 mL of 20.0 mM Triton X-100, followed by a 6 h incubation at 50–55 °C. Centrifugal ultrafiltration and reversed phase solid phase extraction were used for sample cleanup. The limit of quantification for an average 77.0 mg whole brain sample was calculated at 18.2 μg kg-1 (ppb) with an average recovery of 79%. This relatively low limit of quantification allows for the analysis of individual fish. Using controlled laboratory studies, a curvelinear relationship was found between the measured IMI residue concentrations in brain tissue and exposure concentrations in seawater. Additonally, a range of IMI brain residue concentrations was associated with an overt effect; illustrating the utility of the IMI tissue residue quantification approach for linking exposure with defined effects.

Structural and Functional Cerebral Correlates of Hypnotic Suggestibility

PubMed Central

Huber, Alexa; Lui, Fausta; Duzzi, Davide; Pagnoni, Giuseppe; Porro, Carlo Adolfo

2014-01-01

Little is known about the neural bases of hypnotic suggestibility, a cognitive trait referring to the tendency to respond to hypnotic suggestions. In the present magnetic resonance imaging study, we performed regression analyses to assess hypnotic suggestibility-related differences in local gray matter volume, using voxel-based morphometry, and in waking resting state functional connectivity of 10 resting state networks, in 37 healthy women. Hypnotic suggestibility was positively correlated with gray matter volume in portions of the left superior and medial frontal gyri, roughly overlapping with the supplementary and pre-supplementary motor area, and negatively correlated with gray matter volume in the left superior temporal gyrus and insula. In the functional connectivity analysis, hypnotic suggestibility was positively correlated with functional connectivity between medial posterior areas, including bilateral posterior cingulate cortex and precuneus, and both the lateral visual network and the left fronto-parietal network; a positive correlation was also found with functional connectivity between the executive-control network and a right postcentral/parietal area. In contrast, hypnotic suggestibility was negatively correlated with functional connectivity between the right fronto-parietal network and the right lateral thalamus. These findings demonstrate for the first time a correlation between hypnotic suggestibility, the structural features of specific cortical regions, and the functional connectivity during the normal resting state of brain structures involved in imagery and self-monitoring activity. PMID:24671130

Convection-enhanced delivery of M13 bacteriophage to the brain

PubMed Central

Ksendzovsky, Alexander; Walbridge, Stuart; Saunders, Richard C.; Asthagiri, Ashok R.; Heiss, John D.; Lonser, Russell R.

2013-01-01

Object Recent studies indicate that M13 bacteriophage, a very large nanoparticle, binds to β-amyloid and α-synuclein proteins, leading to plaque disaggregation in models of Alzheimer and Parkinson disease. To determine the feasibility, safety, and characteristics of convection-enhanced delivery (CED) of M13 bacteriophage to the brain, the authors perfused primate brains with bacteriophage. Methods Four nonhuman primates underwent CED of M13 bacteriophage (900 nm) to thalamic gray matter (4 infusions) and frontal white matter (3 infusions). Bacteriophage was coinfused with Gd-DTPA (1 mM), and serial MRI studies were performed during infusion. Animals were monitored for neurological deficits and were killed 3 days after infusion. Tissues were analyzed for bacteriophage distribution. Results Real-time T1-weighted MRI studies of coinfused Gd-DTPA during infusion demonstrated a discrete region of perfusion in both thalamic gray and frontal white matter. An MRI-volumetric analysis revealed that the mean volume of distribution (Vd) to volume of infusion (Vi) ratio of M13 bacteriophage was 2.3 ± 0.2 in gray matter and 1.9 ± 0.3 in white matter. The mean values are expressed ± SD. Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated mean Vd:Vi ratios of 2.9 ± 0.2 in gray matter and 2.1 ± 0.3 in white matter. The Gd-DTPA accurately tracked M13 bacteriophage distribution (the mean difference between imaging and actual bacteriophage Vd was insignificant [p > 0.05], and was −2.2% ± 9.9% in thalamic gray matter and 9.1% ± 9.5% in frontal white matter). Immunohistochemical analysis revealed evidence of additional spread from the initial delivery site in white matter (mean Vd:Vi, 16.1 ± 9.1). All animals remained neurologically intact after infusion during the observation period, and histological studies revealed no evidence of toxicity. Conclusions The CED method can be used successfully and safely to distribute M13 bacteriophage in the brain. Furthermore, additional white matter spread after infusion cessation enhances distribution of this large nanoparticle. Real-time MRI studies of coinfused Gd-DTPA (1 mM) can be used for accurate tracking of distribution during infusion of M13 bacteriophage. PMID:22606981

Convection-enhanced delivery of M13 bacteriophage to the brain.

PubMed

Ksendzovsky, Alexander; Walbridge, Stuart; Saunders, Richard C; Asthagiri, Ashok R; Heiss, John D; Lonser, Russell R

2012-08-01

Recent studies indicate that M13 bacteriophage, a very large nanoparticle, binds to β-amyloid and α-synuclein proteins, leading to plaque disaggregation in models of Alzheimer and Parkinson disease. To determine the feasibility, safety, and characteristics of convection-enhanced delivery (CED) of M13 bacteriophage to the brain, the authors perfused primate brains with bacteriophage. Four nonhuman primates underwent CED of M13 bacteriophage (900 nm) to thalamic gray matter (4 infusions) and frontal white matter (3 infusions). Bacteriophage was coinfused with Gd-DTPA (1 mM), and serial MRI studies were performed during infusion. Animals were monitored for neurological deficits and were killed 3 days after infusion. Tissues were analyzed for bacteriophage distribution. Real-time T1-weighted MRI studies of coinfused Gd-DTPA during infusion demonstrated a discrete region of perfusion in both thalamic gray and frontal white matter. An MRI-volumetric analysis revealed that the mean volume of distribution (Vd) to volume of infusion (Vi) ratio of M13 bacteriophage was 2.3 ± 0.2 in gray matter and 1.9 ± 0.3 in white matter. The mean values are expressed ± SD. Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated mean Vd:Vi ratios of 2.9 ± 0.2 in gray matter and 2.1 ± 0.3 in white matter. The Gd-DTPA accurately tracked M13 bacteriophage distribution (the mean difference between imaging and actual bacteriophage Vd was insignificant [p > 0.05], and was -2.2% ± 9.9% in thalamic gray matter and 9.1% ± 9.5% in frontal white matter). Immunohistochemical analysis revealed evidence of additional spread from the initial delivery site in white matter (mean Vd:Vi, 16.1 ± 9.1). All animals remained neurologically intact after infusion during the observation period, and histological studies revealed no evidence of toxicity. The CED method can be used successfully and safely to distribute M13 bacteriophage in the brain. Furthermore, additional white matter spread after infusion cessation enhances distribution of this large nanoparticle. Real-time MRI studies of coinfused Gd-DTPA (1 mM) can be used for accurate tracking of distribution during infusion of M13 bacteriophage.

50 CFR 32.34 - Iowa.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

..., bobwhite quail, gray partridge, rabbit (cottontail and jack), squirrel (fox and gray), groundhog, raccoon... pheasant, gray partridge, rabbit (cottontail and jack), squirrel (fox and gray), groundhog, raccoon... rabbit, gray and fox squirrel, and fall wild turkey (2 weeks within the season) on designated areas of...

KSC-2015-1365

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-02-11

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying NOAA’s Deep Space Climate Observatory spacecraft, or DSCOVR, lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Liftoff occurred at 6:03 p.m. EST. DSCOVR is a partnership between NOAA, NASA and the U.S. Air Force, and will maintain the nation's real-time solar wind monitoring capabilities. To learn more about DSCOVR, visit http://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/DSCOVR. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray and Tim Powers

KSC-2015-1359

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-02-11

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying NOAA’s Deep Space Climate Observatory spacecraft, or DSCOVR, lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Liftoff occurred at 6:03 p.m. EST. DSCOVR is a partnership between NOAA, NASA and the U.S. Air Force, and will maintain the nation's real-time solar wind monitoring capabilities. To learn more about DSCOVR, visit http://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/DSCOVR. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray and Tim Powers

KSC-2015-1368

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-02-11

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying NOAA’s Deep Space Climate Observatory spacecraft, or DSCOVR, lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Liftoff occurred at 6:03 p.m. EST. DSCOVR is a partnership between NOAA, NASA and the U.S. Air Force, and will maintain the nation's real-time solar wind monitoring capabilities. To learn more about DSCOVR, visit http://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/DSCOVR. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray and Tim Powers

KSC-2015-1362

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-02-11

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying NOAA’s Deep Space Climate Observatory spacecraft, or DSCOVR, lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 6:03 p.m. EST. DSCOVR is a partnership between NOAA, NASA and the U.S. Air Force, and will maintain the nation's real-time solar wind monitoring capabilities. To learn more about DSCOVR, visit http://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/DSCOVR. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray and Tim Powers

KSC-2015-1366

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-02-11

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying NOAA’s Deep Space Climate Observatory spacecraft, or DSCOVR, lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Liftoff occurred at 6:03 p.m. EST. DSCOVR is a partnership between NOAA, NASA and the U.S. Air Force, and will maintain the nation's real-time solar wind monitoring capabilities. To learn more about DSCOVR, visit http://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/DSCOVR. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray and Tim Powers

KSC-2015-1367

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-02-11

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying NOAA’s Deep Space Climate Observatory spacecraft, or DSCOVR, lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Liftoff occurred at 6:03 p.m. EST. DSCOVR is a partnership between NOAA, NASA and the U.S. Air Force, and will maintain the nation's real-time solar wind monitoring capabilities. To learn more about DSCOVR, visit http://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/DSCOVR. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray and Tim Powers

KSC-2015-1363

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-02-11

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying NOAA’s Deep Space Climate Observatory spacecraft, or DSCOVR, lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 6:03 p.m. EST. DSCOVR is a partnership between NOAA, NASA and the U.S. Air Force, and will maintain the nation's real-time solar wind monitoring capabilities. To learn more about DSCOVR, visit http://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/DSCOVR. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray and Tim Powers

KSC-2015-1357

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-02-11

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying NOAA’s Deep Space Climate Observatory spacecraft, or DSCOVR, rises from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Liftoff occurred at 6:03 p.m. EST. DSCOVR is a partnership between NOAA, NASA and the U.S. Air Force, and will maintain the nation's real-time solar wind monitoring capabilities. To learn more about DSCOVR, visit http://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/DSCOVR. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray and Tim Powers

KSC-2015-1356

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-02-11

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying NOAA’s Deep Space Climate Observatory spacecraft, or DSCOVR, lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Liftoff occurred at 6:03 p.m. EST. DSCOVR is a partnership between NOAA, NASA and the U.S. Air Force, and will maintain the nation's real-time solar wind monitoring capabilities. To learn more about DSCOVR, visit http://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/DSCOVR. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray and Tim Powers

Decision-making performance in Parkinson's disease correlates with lateral orbitofrontal volume.

PubMed

Kobayakawa, Mutsutaka; Tsuruya, Natsuko; Kawamura, Mitsuru

2017-01-15

Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) exhibit poor decision-making, and the underlying neural correlates are unclear. We used voxel-based morphometry with Diffeomorphic Anatomical Registration through Exponentiated Lie algebra to examine this issue. The decision-making abilities of 20 patients with PD and 37 healthy controls (HCs) were measured with a computerized Iowa Gambling Task (IGT). We assessed the local gray matter volumes of the patients and HCs and their correlations with decision-making performance, disease duration, disease severity, and anti-Parkinsonism medication dose. Compared with the HCs, the patients with PD exhibited poor IGT performances. The gray matter volumes in the medial orbitofrontal cortex, left inferior temporal cortex, and right middle frontal gyrus were decreased in the patients. Results in the regression analysis showed that lateral orbitofrontal volume correlated with performance in the IGT in PD. Regions that correlated with disease duration, severity, and medication dose did not overlap with orbitofrontal regions. Our results indicate that the lateral and medial orbitofrontal cortex are related to decision-making in PD patients. Since the medial orbitofrontal cortex is shown to be involved in monitoring reward, reward monitoring seems to be impaired as a whole in PD patients. Meanwhile, the lateral region is related to evaluation of punishment, which is considered to have an influence on individual differences in decision-making performance in PD patients. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Climate change frames debate over the extinction of megafauna in Sahul (Pleistocene Australia-New Guinea).

PubMed

Wroe, Stephen; Field, Judith H; Archer, Michael; Grayson, Donald K; Price, Gilbert J; Louys, Julien; Faith, J Tyler; Webb, Gregory E; Davidson, Iain; Mooney, Scott D

2013-05-28

Around 88 large vertebrate taxa disappeared from Sahul sometime during the Pleistocene, with the majority of losses (54 taxa) clearly taking place within the last 400,000 years. The largest was the 2.8-ton browsing Diprotodon optatum, whereas the ∼100- to 130-kg marsupial lion, Thylacoleo carnifex, the world's most specialized mammalian carnivore, and Varanus priscus, the largest lizard known, were formidable predators. Explanations for these extinctions have centered on climatic change or human activities. Here, we review the evidence and arguments for both. Human involvement in the disappearance of some species remains possible but unproven. Mounting evidence points to the loss of most species before the peopling of Sahul (circa 50-45 ka) and a significant role for climate change in the disappearance of the continent's megafauna.

Interactions of allele E of the MC1R gene with FM and mutations in the MLPH gene cause the five-gray phenotype in the Anyi tile-like gray chicken.

PubMed

Xu, J G; Xie, M G; Zou, S Y; Liu, X F; Li, X H; Xie, J F; Zhang, X Q

2016-04-26

The Anyi tile-like gray chicken is a Chinese indigenous breed with a gray dilution phenotype, having gray feathers, comb, skin, shanks, and beak, which is valuable for genetic research on pigmentation. However, the genetic basis of the gray dilution phenotype remains unknown. The objective of this study was to investigate the genetic basis of the gray dilution phenotype in the Anyi tile-like gray chicken. We found that all Anyi tile-like gray chickens tested in this study carried at least one E allele, which is responsible for the appearance of black feathers, and some of them carried the FM allele, which is responsible for the black skin phenotype. A single nucleotide polymorphism (C.1909A>G) was identified within the melanophilin (MLPH) gene and was significantly associated with the gray dilution phenotype. Our findings suggest that the E and FM alleles act together to cause the development of the "five-black" phenotype (black feather, comb, skin, shank, and beak), whereas the MLPH mutation results in defective melanosome transport, leading to the development of the "five-gray" phenotype.

Monitoring gray wolf populations using multiple survey methods

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ausband, David E.; Rich, Lindsey N.; Glenn, Elizabeth M.; Mitchell, Michael S.; Zager, Pete; Miller, David A.W.; Waits, Lisette P.; Ackerman, Bruce B.; Mack, Curt M.

2013-01-01

The behavioral patterns and large territories of large carnivores make them challenging to monitor. Occupancy modeling provides a framework for monitoring population dynamics and distribution of territorial carnivores. We combined data from hunter surveys, howling and sign surveys conducted at predicted wolf rendezvous sites, and locations of radiocollared wolves to model occupancy and estimate the number of gray wolf (Canis lupus) packs and individuals in Idaho during 2009 and 2010. We explicitly accounted for potential misidentification of occupied cells (i.e., false positives) using an extension of the multi-state occupancy framework. We found agreement between model predictions and distribution and estimates of number of wolf packs and individual wolves reported by Idaho Department of Fish and Game and Nez Perce Tribe from intensive radiotelemetry-based monitoring. Estimates of individual wolves from occupancy models that excluded data from radiocollared wolves were within an average of 12.0% (SD = 6.0) of existing statewide minimum counts. Models using only hunter survey data generally estimated the lowest abundance, whereas models using all data generally provided the highest estimates of abundance, although only marginally higher. Precision across approaches ranged from 14% to 28% of mean estimates and models that used all data streams generally provided the most precise estimates. We demonstrated that an occupancy model based on different survey methods can yield estimates of the number and distribution of wolf packs and individual wolf abundance with reasonable measures of precision. Assumptions of the approach including that average territory size is known, average pack size is known, and territories do not overlap, must be evaluated periodically using independent field data to ensure occupancy estimates remain reliable. Use of multiple survey methods helps to ensure that occupancy estimates are robust to weaknesses or changes in any 1 survey method. Occupancy modeling may be useful for standardizing estimates across large landscapes, even if survey methods differ across regions, allowing for inferences about broad-scale population dynamics of wolves.

Deciding Optimal Noise Monitoring Sites with Matrix Gray Absolute Relation Degree Theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Zhihua; Li, Yadan; Zhao, Limin; Wang, Shuangwei

2015-08-01

Noise maps are applied to assess noise level in cities all around the world. There are mainly two ways of producing noise maps: one way is producing noise maps through theoretical simulations with the surrounding conditions, such as traffic flow, building distribution, etc.; the other one is calculating noise level with actual measurement data from noise monitors. Currently literature mainly focuses on considering more factors that affect sound traveling during theoretical simulations and interpolation methods in producing noise maps based on measurements of noise. Although many factors were considered during simulation, noise maps have to be calibrated by actual noise measurements. Therefore, the way of obtaining noise data is significant to both producing and calibrating a noise map. However, there is little literature mentioned about rules of deciding the right monitoring sites when placed the specified number of noise sensors and given the deviation of a noise map produced with data from them. In this work, by utilizing matrix Gray Absolute Relation Degree Theory, we calculated the relation degrees between the most precise noise surface and those interpolated with different combinations of noise data with specified number. We found that surfaces plotted with different combinations of noise data produced different relation degrees with the most precise one. Then we decided the least significant one among the total and calculated the corresponding deviation when it was excluded in making a noise surface. Processing the left noise data in the same way, we found out the least significant datum among the left data one by one. With this method, we optimized the noise sensor’s distribution in an area about 2km2. And we also calculated the bias of surfaces with the least significant data removed. Our practice provides an optimistic solution to the situation faced by most governments that there is limited financial budget available for noise monitoring, especially in the undeveloped regions.

GRAY: a program to calculate gray-body radiation heat-transfer view factors from black-body view factors

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

Wong, R. L.

1976-06-14

Program GRAY is written to perform the matrix manipulations necessary to convert black-body radiation heat-transfer view factors to gray-body view factors as required by thermal analyzer codes. The black-body view factors contain only geometric relationships. Program GRAY allows the effects of multiple gray-body reflections to be included. The resulting effective gray-body factors can then be used with the corresponding fourth-power temperature differences to obtain the net radiative heat flux. The program is written to accept a matrix input or the card image output generated by the black-body view factor program CNVUFAC. The resulting card image output generated by GRAY ismore » in a form usable by the TRUMP thermal analyzer.« less

Time dependent radiation spectra from jets of microquasars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gupta, Swati

X-ray binary systems in our galaxy exhibiting relativistic jets (microquasars) present one of the most recent additions to the field of high energy astrophysics. Jet models of high energy emission from these sources have created significant interest lately with detailed spectral and timing studies of the X-ray emission from microquasars, and their recent establishment as a new distinctive class of g-ray emitting sources after the detection of very - high-energy (VHE) g-rays from the microquasars LS 5039 and LS I +61° 303. This dissertation presents a study of radiation signatures from a leptonic jet model, based on time-dependent electron injection and acceleration, followed by their subsequent adiabatic and radiative cooling. The radiation mechanisms included are synchrotron, synchrotron self Compton and external Compton with soft photons provided by the companion star and the accretion disk. Compton scattering is treated both in the Thomson and the Klein-Nishina regimes, thus making the model applicable to microquasars that are candidates for VHE g-ray emission as well. An analytical solution to the electron kinetic equation is introduced for the Thomson regime treatment, while a numerical approach is adopted for the Klein-Nishina regime. Predictions regarding rapid flux and spectral variability signatures in the form of spectral hysteresis in the X-ray hardness intensity diagrams are made, which should be testable with monitoring observations using Chandra and/or XMM - Newton . Detections of such variability would help in distinguishing between various competing models for the high energy emission from these sources. Our results show that the shape and orientation of the hysteresis loops would allow identification of the dominant emission components as well as quantify physical parameters like the magnetic field, spectral index, Doppler boosting factor etc. The model is applied to available broadband observations of the two microquasars that have been very recently detected in VHE g-rays, namely LSI +61° 303 and LS 5039. In the case of LS I +61° 303, we explain the observed orbital modulation of the VHE g-ray emission solely by the geometrical effect of changes in the relative orientation of the stellar companion with respect to the compact object affecting the position and depth of the gg absorption trough. For LS 5039, our results imply that an orbital modulation of the velocity of the stellar wind in addition to gg absorption effects may be necessary to explain the orbital variability of the VHE g-ray emission.

MQ-1C Gray Eagle Unmanned Aircraft System (MQ-1C Gray Eagle)

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-12-01

Selected Acquisition Report ( SAR ) RCS: DD-A&T(Q&A)823-420 MQ-1C Gray Eagle Unmanned Aircraft System (MQ-1C Gray Eagle) As of FY 2017 President’s...Budget Defense Acquisition Management Information Retrieval (DAMIR) March 21, 2016 17:33:19 UNCLASSIFIED MQ-1C Gray Eagle December 2015 SAR March 21...Gray Eagle December 2015 SAR March 21, 2016 17:33:19 UNCLASSIFIED 3 PB - President’s Budget PE - Program Element PEO - Program Executive Officer PM

KSC-2015-1361

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-02-11

Umbilicals pull away from the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as it launches from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida carrying NOAA’s Deep Space Climate Observatory spacecraft, or DSCOVR. Liftoff occurred at 6:03 p.m. EST. DSCOVR is a partnership between NOAA, NASA and the U.S. Air Force, and will maintain the nation's real-time solar wind monitoring capabilities. To learn more about DSCOVR, visit http://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/DSCOVR. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray and Tim Powers

KSC-2015-1364

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-02-11

NOAA’s Deep Space Climate Observatory spacecraft, or DSCOVR, gets a boost into space aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida occurred at 6:03 p.m. EST. DSCOVR is a partnership between NOAA, NASA and the U.S. Air Force, and will maintain the nation's real-time solar wind monitoring capabilities. To learn more about DSCOVR, visit http://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/DSCOVR. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray and Tim Powers

KSC-2015-1358

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-02-11

NOAA’s Deep Space Climate Observatory spacecraft, or DSCOVR, is boosted into space aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida occurred at 6:03 p.m. EST. DSCOVR is a partnership between NOAA, NASA and the U.S. Air Force, and will maintain the nation's real-time solar wind monitoring capabilities. To learn more about DSCOVR, visit http://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/DSCOVR. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray and Tim Powers

KSC-2015-1360

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-02-11

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket’s nine first-stage engines burn brightly during the launch of NOAA’s Deep Space Climate Observatory spacecraft, or DSCOVR, from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Liftoff occurred at 6:03 p.m. EST. DSCOVR is a partnership between NOAA, NASA and the U.S. Air Force, and will maintain the nation's real-time solar wind monitoring capabilities. To learn more about DSCOVR, visit http://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/DSCOVR. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray and Tim Powers

Discriminating Vegetation and Soils Using Landsat MSS and Thematic Mapper Bands and Band Ratios,

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-03-01

soils were usually brighter than the vegetation in the irisible region, although some gravelled soils and some gray Solored species had uiinilar values...procedure. The reflectance spectra were taken in the field with a spectroradiometer system , EG&G model 550/555, over the 400 to 1l00na region in 10nm...Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing 43:1541-1552. Rouse, J. W., R. H. Hass, J. A. Schell, D. W. Deering. 1973. Monitoring Vegetation Systems in

Radio-triggered anesthetic-dart collar for recapturing large mammals

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mech, L.D.; Chapman, R.C.; Cochran, W.W.; Simmons, L.; Seal, U.S.

1984-01-01

A re-usable, radio-triggered, anesthetic-dart collar costing about $1,200 has been developed for recapturing large, free-ranging mammals. The collar was tested successfully on captive gray wolves, white-tailed deer, a mountain lion, a black bear, and a tiger, and on wild wolves, a bear, and deer after periods of up to 32 days. The main advantage of the capture collar is that it allows frequent recapture of individuals at will and thus enhances opportunities for new physiological monitoring of wild animals.

Development and Test of a Computer Readability Editing System (CRES).

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-03-01

11OISTURE !.TC ETRE HOLECULE iATE !.ETRIC PIOMENT ATIAL ilIDDLE MOPENTARY MAL IlDNIGHT MOINDAY kTHH~ATICS 1I1D!WAY HONEY .. , -TR MIGHT MONITOR !ATT")ESS ILE...FOOT GRAY FEATURE FOR GREASE FEDERAL FORCE GREAT FEEL FORE GREEN FEET FOREARM GROOM FELLOW FORECASTLE GROLD FEMALE FOREIGN GROUP FEW FORM GUARD F IBER...CURRENT AS REQUIRED FOR SURFACE SHIPS. BEE PARAGRAPHS 079-eO.e6 THROUGH 079- 20.32. THE OVERHAULING ACTIVITY SHALL REVISE THE DAMAGE CONTROL BOOK TO

Bilingualism tunes the anterior cingulate cortex for conflict monitoring.

PubMed

Abutalebi, Jubin; Della Rosa, Pasquale Anthony; Green, David W; Hernandez, Mireia; Scifo, Paola; Keim, Roland; Cappa, Stefano F; Costa, Albert

2012-09-01

Monitoring and controlling 2 language systems is fundamental to language use in bilinguals. Here, we reveal in a combined functional (event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging) and structural neuroimaging (voxel-based morphometry) study that dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), a structure tightly bound to domain-general executive control functions, is a common locus for language control and resolving nonverbal conflict. We also show an experience-dependent effect in the same region: Bilinguals use this structure more efficiently than monolinguals to monitor nonlinguistic cognitive conflicts. They adapted better to conflicting situations showing less ACC activity while outperforming monolinguals. Importantly, for bilinguals, brain activity in the ACC, as well as behavioral measures, also correlated positively with local gray matter volume. These results suggest that early learning and lifelong practice of 2 languages exert a strong impact upon human neocortical development. The bilingual brain adapts better to resolve cognitive conflicts in domain-general cognitive tasks.

Monitoring Progression of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Using Ultrasound Morpho-Textural Muscle Biomarkers: A Pilot Study.

PubMed

Martínez-Payá, Jacinto J; Ríos-Díaz, José; Medina-Mirapeix, Francesc; Vázquez-Costa, Juan F; Del Baño-Aledo, María Elena

2018-01-01

The need is increasing for progression biomarkers that allow the loss of motor neurons in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) to be monitored in clinical trials. In this prospective longitudinal study, muscle thickness, echointensity, echovariation and gray level co-occurrence matrix textural features are examined as possible progression ultrasound biomarkers in ALS patients during a 5-mo follow-up period. We subjected 13 patients to 3 measurements for 20 wk. They showed a significant loss of muscle, an evident tendency to loss of thickness and increased echointensity and echovariation. In regard to textural parameters, muscle heterogeneity tended to increase as a result of the neoformation of non-contractile tissue through denervation. Considering some limitations of the study, the quantitative muscle ultrasound biomarkers evaluated showed a promising ability to monitor patients affected by ALS. Copyright © 2018 World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Correlations among Brain Gray Matter Volumes, Age, Gender, and Hemisphere in Healthy Individuals

PubMed Central

Taki, Yasuyuki; Thyreau, Benjamin; Kinomura, Shigeo; Sato, Kazunori; Goto, Ryoi; Kawashima, Ryuta; Fukuda, Hiroshi

2011-01-01

To determine the relationship between age and gray matter structure and how interactions between gender and hemisphere impact this relationship, we examined correlations between global or regional gray matter volume and age, including interactions of gender and hemisphere, using a general linear model with voxel-based and region-of-interest analyses. Brain magnetic resonance images were collected from 1460 healthy individuals aged 20–69 years; the images were linearly normalized and segmented and restored to native space for analysis of global gray matter volume. Linearly normalized images were then non-linearly normalized and smoothed for analysis of regional gray matter volume. Analysis of global gray matter volume revealed a significant negative correlation between gray matter ratio (gray matter volume divided by intracranial volume) and age in both genders, and a significant interaction effect of age × gender on the gray matter ratio. In analyzing regional gray matter volume, the gray matter volume of all regions showed significant main effects of age, and most regions, with the exception of several including the inferior parietal lobule, showed a significant age × gender interaction. Additionally, the inferior temporal gyrus showed a significant age × gender × hemisphere interaction. No regional volumes showed significant age × hemisphere interactions. Our study may contribute to clarifying the mechanism(s) of normal brain aging in each brain region. PMID:21818377

Sonoelastography in the Evaluation of Plantar Fasciitis Treatment: 3-Month Follow-Up After Collagen Injection.

PubMed

Kim, Minchul; Choi, Yun Sun; You, Myung-Won; Kim, Jin Su; Young, Ki Won

2016-12-01

The aim of this study was to investigate whether ultrasound elastography can demonstrate the outcome of the treatment in comparison with gray-scale imaging. Sixteen patients (mean age, 46.9 years) with plantar fasciitis were prospectively enrolled after unsuccessful conservative treatment. Individuals graded their heel pain on a 100-mm visual analogue scale (VAS) and underwent gray-scale ultrasonography and sonoelastography. Collagen was injected in the heels. Fascial thickness and hypoechogenicity, perifascial edema, and plantar fascial elasticity were evaluated. Follow-up sonoelastography and VAS grading were done 3 months after the injection. Statistical analyses were performed by the paired t test and the Fisher exact test. A P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Mean plantar fascial thickness showed insignificant decrease on follow-up (from 4.30 [1.37] to 4.23 [1.15] mm, P = 0.662). Fascial hypoechogenicity and perifascial edema did not change significantly after treatment. The mean strain ratio of the plantar fascia was significantly increased (from 0.71 [0.24] to 1.66 [0.72], P = 0.001). Softening of the plantar fascia decreased significantly after injection (from 12 to 3 ft, P = 0.004). Twelve (75%) of 16 patients showed significant VAS improvement at the follow-up. Sonoelastography revealed a hardening of the plantar fascia after collagen injection treatment and could aid in monitoring the improvement of the symptoms of plantar fasciitis, in cases where gray-scale imaging is inconclusive.

Cognitive performance is associated with gray matter decline in first-episode psychosis.

PubMed

Dempster, Kara; Norman, Ross; Théberge, Jean; Densmore, Maria; Schaefer, Betsy; Williamson, Peter

2017-06-30

Progressive loss of gray matter has been demonstrated over the early course of schizophrenia. Identification of an association between cognition and gray matter may lead to development of early interventions directed at preserving gray matter volume and cognitive ability. The present study evaluated the association between gray matter using voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and cognitive testing in a sample of 16 patients with first-episode psychosis. A simple regression was applied to investigate the association between gray matter at baseline and 80 months and cognitive tests at baseline. Performance on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Task (WCST) at baseline was positively associated with gray matter volume in several brain regions. There was an association between decreased gray matter at baseline in the nucleus accumbens and Trails B errors. Performing worse on Trails B and making more WCST perseverative errors at baseline was associated with gray matter decline over 80 months in the right globus pallidus, left inferior parietal lobe, Brodmann's area (BA) 40, and left superior parietal lobule and BA 7 respectively. All significant findings were cluster corrected. The results support a relationship between aspects of cognitive impairment and gray matter abnormalities in first-episode psychosis. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Outer Continental Shelf environmental assessment program. Final reports of principal investigators. Volume 43

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

Not Available

1986-06-01

Contents include: Assessment of gray whale feeding grounds and sea floor interaction in the northeastern Bering Sea; Feeding ecology of the gray whale in the northern Bering Sea; Feeding ecology of the gray whale in the Chirikof Basin, summer 1982; Project rationale, design, summary; Distribution, production, and ecology of gray whale prey species; Distribution and abundance of gray whales in the Chirikof Basin, summer 1982; Assessment of gray whale feeding grounds and sea floor interaction in the northeastern Bering Sea; Feeding ecology of gray whales in the Chirikof Basin; Investigations of belukha whales in coastal waters of western and northernmore » Alaska, 1982-1983: marking and tracking of whales in Bristol Bay; Belukha whale responses to industrial noise in Nushagak Bay, Alaska.« less

Computed gray levels in multislice and cone-beam computed tomography.

PubMed

Azeredo, Fabiane; de Menezes, Luciane Macedo; Enciso, Reyes; Weissheimer, Andre; de Oliveira, Rogério Belle

2013-07-01

Gray level is the range of shades of gray in the pixels, representing the x-ray attenuation coefficient that allows for tissue density assessments in computed tomography (CT). An in-vitro study was performed to investigate the relationship between computed gray levels in 3 cone-beam CT (CBCT) scanners and 1 multislice spiral CT device using 5 software programs. Six materials (air, water, wax, acrylic, plaster, and gutta-percha) were scanned with the CBCT and CT scanners, and the computed gray levels for each material at predetermined points were measured with OsiriX Medical Imaging software (Geneva, Switzerland), OnDemand3D (CyberMed International, Seoul, Korea), E-Film (Merge Healthcare, Milwaukee, Wis), Dolphin Imaging (Dolphin Imaging & Management Solutions, Chatsworth, Calif), and InVivo Dental Software (Anatomage, San Jose, Calif). The repeatability of these measurements was calculated with intraclass correlation coefficients, and the gray levels were averaged to represent each material. Repeated analysis of variance tests were used to assess the differences in gray levels among scanners and materials. There were no differences in mean gray levels with the different software programs. There were significant differences in gray levels between scanners for each material evaluated (P <0.001). The software programs were reliable and had no influence on the CT and CBCT gray level measurements. However, the gray levels might have discrepancies when different CT and CBCT scanners are used. Therefore, caution is essential when interpreting or evaluating CBCT images because of the significant differences in gray levels between different CBCT scanners, and between CBCT and CT values. Copyright © 2013 American Association of Orthodontists. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Spread of Botrytis cinerea Strains with Multiple Fungicide Resistance in German Horticulture

PubMed Central

Rupp, Sabrina; Weber, Roland W. S.; Rieger, Daniel; Detzel, Peter; Hahn, Matthias

2017-01-01

Botrytis cinerea is a major plant pathogen, causing gray mold rot in a variety of cultures. Repeated fungicide applications are common but have resulted in the development of fungal populations with resistance to one or more fungicides. In this study, we have monitored fungicide resistance frequencies and the occurrence of multiple resistance in Botrytis isolates from raspberries, strawberries, grapes, stone fruits and ornamental flowers in Germany in 2010 to 2015. High frequencies of resistance to all classes of botryticides was common in all cultures, and isolates with multiple fungicide resistance represented a major part of the populations. A monitoring in a raspberry field over six seasons revealed a continuous increase in resistance frequencies and the emergence of multiresistant Botrytis strains. In a cherry orchard and a vineyard, evidence of the immigration of multiresistant strains from the outside was obtained. Inoculation experiments with fungicide-treated leaves in the laboratory and with strawberry plants cultivated in the greenhouse or outdoors revealed a nearly complete loss of fungicide efficacy against multiresistant strains. B. cinerea field strains carrying multiple resistance mutations against all classes of site-specific fungicides were found to show similar fitness as sensitive field strains under laboratory conditions, based on their vegetative growth, reproduction, stress resistance, virulence and competitiveness in mixed infection experiments. Our data indicate an alarming increase in the occurrence of multiresistance in B. cinerea populations from different cultures, which presents a major threat to the chemical control of gray mold. PMID:28096799

Spread of Botrytis cinerea Strains with Multiple Fungicide Resistance in German Horticulture.

PubMed

Rupp, Sabrina; Weber, Roland W S; Rieger, Daniel; Detzel, Peter; Hahn, Matthias

2016-01-01

Botrytis cinerea is a major plant pathogen, causing gray mold rot in a variety of cultures. Repeated fungicide applications are common but have resulted in the development of fungal populations with resistance to one or more fungicides. In this study, we have monitored fungicide resistance frequencies and the occurrence of multiple resistance in Botrytis isolates from raspberries, strawberries, grapes, stone fruits and ornamental flowers in Germany in 2010 to 2015. High frequencies of resistance to all classes of botryticides was common in all cultures, and isolates with multiple fungicide resistance represented a major part of the populations. A monitoring in a raspberry field over six seasons revealed a continuous increase in resistance frequencies and the emergence of multiresistant Botrytis strains. In a cherry orchard and a vineyard, evidence of the immigration of multiresistant strains from the outside was obtained. Inoculation experiments with fungicide-treated leaves in the laboratory and with strawberry plants cultivated in the greenhouse or outdoors revealed a nearly complete loss of fungicide efficacy against multiresistant strains. B. cinerea field strains carrying multiple resistance mutations against all classes of site-specific fungicides were found to show similar fitness as sensitive field strains under laboratory conditions, based on their vegetative growth, reproduction, stress resistance, virulence and competitiveness in mixed infection experiments. Our data indicate an alarming increase in the occurrence of multiresistance in B. cinerea populations from different cultures, which presents a major threat to the chemical control of gray mold.

Melanophoromas and iridophoromas in reptiles.

PubMed

Heckers, K O; Aupperle, H; Schmidt, V; Pees, M

2012-01-01

Chromatophoromas are tumours of pigment-producing cells of the skin and are rarely reported in reptiles. These tumours are subclassified on the basis of the type of pigment. The present study characterizes chromatophoromas arising in 26 reptiles, including six snakes, 19 lizards and a tortoise. These include the first reports of melanophoromas in a yellow anaconda (Eunectes notaeus), pigmy rattlesnake (Sistrurus spp.), southern water snake (Nerodia fasciata), veiled chameleon (Chamaeleo calyptratus) and leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius); the first reports of benign iridophoromas in a savannah monitor (Varanus exanthematicus), veiled chameleon and bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps); and the first description of a malignant iridophoroma in a bearded dragon. Additionally, in three bearded dragons a 'mucinous' type of melanophoroma is described for the first time. Chromatophoromas generally arose from the skin of the body and head and ranged in size from 0.2 to 2.0cm in diameter. In six cases the animals were humanely destroyed immediately after diagnosis. Three further animals were humanely destroyed following recurrence of their tumour. Six of these nine reptiles had visceral metastases. Grossly, melanophoromas (n=20) were grey or black, while iridophoromas (n=6) were white in colour. Microscopically, most of the tumours were composed of spindle cells with varying pigmentation and 0-2 mitoses per 10 high power fields. Six of the 20 melanophoromas were classified as malignant due to the presence of intravascular tumour cells, visceral metastases, high pleomorphism and/or mitotic figures. Five of the six iridophoromas were classified as benign and the one malignant tumour was defined by the presence of intravascular tumour cells and visceral metastases. Immunohistochemically, melan A and S100 were coexpressed by all of the chromatophoromas. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

In situ cardiac perfusion reveals interspecific variation of intraventricular flow separation in reptiles.

PubMed

Joyce, William; Axelsson, Michael; Altimiras, Jordi; Wang, Tobias

2016-07-15

The ventricles of non-crocodilian reptiles are incompletely divided and provide an opportunity for mixing of oxygen-poor blood and oxygen-rich blood (intracardiac shunting). However, both cardiac morphology and in vivo shunting patterns exhibit considerable interspecific variation within reptiles. In the present study, we develop an in situ double-perfused heart approach to characterise the propensity and capacity for shunting in five reptile species: the turtle Trachemys scripta, the rock python Python sebae, the yellow anaconda Eunectes notaeus, the varanid lizard Varanus exanthematicus and the bearded dragon Pogona vitticeps To simulate changes in vascular bed resistance, pulmonary and systemic afterloads were independently manipulated and changes in blood flow distribution amongst the central outflow tracts were monitored. As previously demonstrated in Burmese pythons, rock pythons and varanid lizards exhibited pronounced intraventricular flow separation. As pulmonary or systemic afterload was raised, flow in the respective circulation decreased. However, flow in the other circulation, where afterload was constant, remained stable. This correlates with the convergent evolution of intraventricular pressure separation and the large intraventricular muscular ridge, which compartmentalises the ventricle, in these species. Conversely, in the three other species, the pulmonary and systemic flows were strongly mutually dependent, such that the decrease in pulmonary flow in response to elevated pulmonary afterload resulted in redistribution of perfusate to the systemic circuit (and vice versa). Thus, in these species, the muscular ridge appeared labile and blood could readily transverse the intraventricular cava. We conclude that relatively minor structural differences between non-crocodilian reptiles result in the fundamental changes in cardiac function. Further, our study emphasises that functionally similar intracardiac flow separation evolved independently in lizards (varanids) and snakes (pythons) from an ancestor endowed with the capacity for large intracardiac shunts. © 2016. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Age Estimation Based on Appearance of Gray Hair in Different Body Sites of Sri Lankan Autopsy Cases.

PubMed

Senanayake, Harshana Mahendra Kumara; Wickramasinghe, Nuwan Darshana

2017-07-01

Owing to the scanty evidence on usefulness of information of appearance of gray hair for age estimation, this study was conducted to estimate age based on the appearance of gray hair on different body sites in a sample of autopsy cases in Sri Lanka. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in Teaching Hospital-Kurunegala during 2011 to 2013. Based on the pattern of the presence of gray hair in different body sites, six stages of gray hair were computed. The analysis 1155 autopsy cases revealed strong, positive correlations between age and appearance of gray hair in head, mustache, beard, and pubic area among males and strong, positive correlations between age and the appearance of gray hair in head and pubic area among females (p < 0.01). Our findings demonstrate the value of information of appearance of gray hair for age estimation in the field of forensic science. © 2016 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Skeletonization of gray-scale images by gray weighted distance transform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qian, Kai; Cao, Siqi; Bhattacharya, Prabir

1997-07-01

In pattern recognition, thinning algorithms are often a useful tool to represent a digital pattern by means of a skeletonized image, consisting of a set of one-pixel-width lines that highlight the significant features interest in applying thinning directly to gray-scale images, motivated by the desire of processing images characterized by meaningful information distributed over different levels of gray intensity. In this paper, a new algorithm is presented which can skeletonize both black-white and gray pictures. This algorithm is based on the gray distance transformation and can be used to process any non-well uniformly distributed gray-scale picture and can preserve the topology of original picture. This process includes a preliminary phase of investigation in the 'hollows' in the gray-scale image; these hollows are considered not as topological constrains for the skeleton structure depending on their statistically significant depth. This algorithm can also be executed on a parallel machine as all the operations are executed in local. Some examples are discussed to illustrate the algorithm.

Nonlinear defect localized modes and composite gray and anti-gray solitons in one-dimensional waveguide arrays with dual-flip defects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Yan; Guan, Yefeng; Li, Hai; Luo, Zhihuan; Mai, Zhijie

2017-08-01

We study families of stationary nonlinear localized modes and composite gray and anti-gray solitons in a one-dimensional linear waveguide array with dual phase-flip nonlinear point defects. Unstaggered fundamental and dipole bright modes are studied when the defect nonlinearity is self-focusing. For the fundamental modes, symmetric and asymmetric nonlinear modes are found. Their stable areas are studied using different defect coefficients and their total power. For the nonlinear dipole modes, the stability conditions of this type of mode are also identified by different defect coefficients and the total power. When the defect nonlinearity is replaced by the self-defocusing one, staggered fundamental and dipole bright modes are created. Finally, if we replace the linear waveguide with a full nonlinear waveguide, a new type of gray and anti-gray solitons, which are constructed by a kink and anti-kink pair, can be supported by such dual phase-flip defects. In contrast to the usual gray and anti-gray solitons formed by a single kink, their backgrounds on either side of the gray hole or bright hump have the same phase.

Histological Underpinnings of Grey Matter Changes in Fibromyalgia Investigated Using Multimodal Brain Imaging.

PubMed

Pomares, Florence B; Funck, Thomas; Feier, Natasha A; Roy, Steven; Daigle-Martel, Alexandre; Ceko, Marta; Narayanan, Sridar; Araujo, David; Thiel, Alexander; Stikov, Nikola; Fitzcharles, Mary-Ann; Schweinhardt, Petra

2017-02-01

Chronic pain patients present with cortical gray matter alterations, observed with anatomical magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Reduced regional gray matter volumes are often interpreted to reflect neurodegeneration, but studies investigating the cellular origin of gray matter changes are lacking. We used multimodal imaging to compare 26 postmenopausal women with fibromyalgia with 25 healthy controls (age range: 50-75 years) to test whether regional gray matter volume decreases in chronic pain are associated with compromised neuronal integrity. Regional gray matter decreases were largely explained by T1 relaxation times in gray matter, a surrogate measure of water content, and not to any substantial degree by GABA A receptor concentration, an indirect marker of neuronal integrity measured with [ 18 F] flumazenil PET. In addition, the MR spectroscopy marker of neuronal viability, N-acetylaspartate, did not differ between patients and controls. These findings suggest that decreased gray matter volumes are not explained by compromised neuronal integrity. Alternatively, a decrease in neuronal matter could be compensated for by an upregulation of GABA A receptors. The relation between regional gray matter and T1 relaxation times suggests decreased tissue water content underlying regional gray matter decreases. In contrast, regional gray matter increases were explained by GABA A receptor concentration in addition to T1 relaxation times, indicating perhaps increased neuronal matter or GABA A receptor upregulation and inflammatory edema. By providing information on the histological origins of cerebral gray matter alterations in fibromyalgia, this study advances the understanding of the neurobiology of chronic widespread pain. Regional gray matter alterations in chronic pain, as detected with voxel-based morphometry of anatomical magnetic resonance images, are commonly interpreted to reflect neurodegeneration, but this assumption has not been tested. We found decreased gray matter in fibromyalgia to be associated with T1 relaxation times, a surrogate marker of water content, but not with GABA A receptor concentration, a surrogate of neuronal integrity. In contrast, regional gray matter increases were partly explained by GABA A receptor concentration, indicating some form of neuronal plasticity. The study emphasizes that voxel-based morphometry is an exploratory measure, demonstrating the need to investigate the histological origin of gray matter alterations for every distinct clinical entity, and advances the understanding of the neurobiology of chronic (widespread) pain. Copyright © 2017 the authors 0270-6474/17/371091-12$15.00/0.

Why Does Hair Turn Gray?

MedlinePlus

... Videos for Educators Search English Español Why Does Hair Turn Gray? KidsHealth / For Kids / Why Does Hair Turn Gray? Print en español ¿Por qué se ... ever watched someone try to cover up gray hair by dyeing it? Or maybe you wonder why ...

Distinguishing vegetation from soil background information. [by gray mapping of Landsat MSS data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Richardson, A. J.; Wiegand, C. L.

1977-01-01

In aircraft and satellite multispectral scanner data, soil background signals are superimposed on or intermingled with information about vegetation. A procedure which accounts for soil background would, therefore, make a considerable contribution to an operational use of Landsat and other spectral data for monitoring the productivity of range, forest, and crop lands. A description is presented of an investigation which was conducted to obtain information for the development of such a procedure. The investigation included a study of the soil reflectance that supplies the background signal of vegetated surfaces. Landsat data as recorded on computer compatible tapes were used in the study. The results of the investigation are discussed, taking into account a study reported by Kauth and Thomas (1976). Attention is given to the determination of Kauth's plane of soils, sun angle effects, vegetation index modeling, and the evaluation of vegetation indexes. Graphs are presented which show the results obtained with a gray mapping technique. The technique makes it possible to display plant, soil, water, and cloud conditions for any Landsat overpass.

A new species of pouched octopus, Cistopus Gray, 1849 (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae) from the southwest coast of India.

PubMed

Sreeja, Vijayamma; Norman, Mark D; Kumar, Appukuttannair Biju

2015-12-16

Octopuses of the genus Cistopus Gray, 1849 are commercially valuable catches in the cephalopod fisheries of India. The primary and unique diagnostic character of this genus is the possession of eight small mucous pouches embedded in the oral faces of the webs between the bases of each arm. Historically only a single species of Cistopus, C. indicus, had been reported from Indian waters. In reviewing the octopod fauna off the Kerala coast, we have detected three species of Cistopus, of which one is described here as a new species. Cistopus platinoidus sp. nov. is distinct from Cistopus species described to date (C. indicus, C. taiwanicus and C. chinensis) on the basis of sucker counts, the number and position of enlarged suckers in males, and presence/absence of a calamus. Our studies of catch composition of Kerala octopod fisheries indicate a higher diversity of target species than previously suspected, including a number of undescribed species. Taxonomic resolution and collation of biological and distributional data are required for effective monitoring and management of these valuable fisheries.

Automatic vehicle counting using background subtraction method on gray scale images and morphology operation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adi, K.; Widodo, A. P.; Widodo, C. E.; Pamungkas, A.; Putranto, A. B.

2018-05-01

Traffic monitoring on road needs to be done, the counting of the number of vehicles passing the road is necessary. It is more emphasized for highway transportation management in order to prevent efforts. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a system that is able to counting the number of vehicles automatically. Video processing method is able to counting the number of vehicles automatically. This research has development a system of vehicle counting on toll road. This system includes processes of video acquisition, frame extraction, and image processing for each frame. Video acquisition is conducted in the morning, at noon, in the afternoon, and in the evening. This system employs of background subtraction and morphology methods on gray scale images for vehicle counting. The best vehicle counting results were obtained in the morning with a counting accuracy of 86.36 %, whereas the lowest accuracy was in the evening, at 21.43 %. Differences in morning and evening results are caused by different illumination in the morning and evening. This will cause the values in the image pixels to be different.

The design and progress of a multidomain lifestyle intervention to improve brain health in middle-aged persons to reduce later Alzheimer's disease risk: The Gray Matters randomized trial.

PubMed

Norton, Maria C; Clark, Christine J; Tschanz, JoAnn T; Hartin, Phillip; Fauth, Elizabeth B; Gast, Julie A; Dorsch, Travis E; Wengreen, Heidi; Nugent, Chris; Robinson, W David; Lefevre, Michael; McClean, Sally; Cleland, Ian; Schaefer, Sydney Y; Aguilar, Sheryl

2015-06-01

Most Alzheimer's disease (AD) prevention studies focus on older adults or persons with existing cognitive impairment. This study describes the design and progress of a novel pilot intervention, the Gray Matters study. This proof-of-concept randomized controlled trial tests an evidence-based multidomain lifestyle intervention in 146 persons aged 40 to 64 years, in northern Utah. Data collectors were blinded to participants' randomization to treatment (n = 104) or control (n = 42). Intervention targeted physical activity, food choices, social engagement, cognitive simulation, sleep quality, and stress management, and uses a custom smartphone application, activity monitor, and educational materials. Secondary outcomes include biomarkers, body mass index, cognitive testing, and psychological surveys. Midway through the study, achievements include a 98.7% retention rate, a 96% rate of compliance with app data entry, and positive trends in behavioral change. Participants were empowered, learning that lifestyle might impact AD risk, exhibiting positive behavioral changes thus far.

The ambient acoustic environment in Laguna San Ignacio, Baja California Sur, Mexico.

PubMed

Seger, Kerri D; Thode, Aaron M; Swartz, Steven L; Urbán, Jorge R

2015-11-01

Each winter gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) breed and calve in Laguna San Ignacio, Mexico, where a robust, yet regulated, whale-watching industry exists. Baseline acoustic environments in LSI's three zones were monitored between 2008 and 2013, in anticipation of a new road being paved that will potentially increase tourist activity to this relatively isolated location. These zones differ in levels of both gray whale usage and tourist activity. Ambient sound level distributions were computed in terms of percentiles of power spectral densities. While these distributions are consistent across years within each zone, inter-zone differences are substantial. The acoustic environment in the upper zone is dominated by snapping shrimp that display a crepuscular cycle. Snapping shrimp also affect the middle zone, but tourist boat transits contribute to noise distributions during daylight hours. The lower zone has three source contributors to its acoustic environment: snapping shrimp, boats, and croaker fish. As suggested from earlier studies, a 300 Hz noise minimum exists in both the middle and lower zones of the lagoon, but not in the upper zone.

The correlation between emotional intelligence and gray matter volume in university students.

PubMed

Tan, Yafei; Zhang, Qinglin; Li, Wenfu; Wei, Dongtao; Qiao, Lei; Qiu, Jiang; Hitchman, Glenn; Liu, Yijun

2014-11-01

A number of recent studies have investigated the neurological substrates of emotional intelligence (EI), but none of them have considered the neural correlates of EI that are measured using the Schutte Self-Report Emotional Intelligence Scale (SSREIS). This scale was developed based on the EI model of Salovey and Mayer (1990). In the present study, SSREIS was adopted to estimate EI. Meanwhile, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and voxel-based morphometry (VBM) were used to evaluate the gray matter volume (GMV) of 328 university students. Results found positive correlations between Monitor of Emotions and VBM measurements in the insula and orbitofrontal cortex. In addition, Utilization of Emotions was positively correlated with the GMV in the parahippocampal gyrus, but was negatively correlated with the VBM measurements in the fusiform gyrus and middle temporal gyrus. Furthermore, Social Ability had volume correlates in the vermis. These findings indicate that the neural correlates of the EI model, which primarily focuses on the abilities of individuals to appraise and express emotions, can also regulate and utilize emotions to solve problems. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Research on Humpback and Blue Whales off California, Oregon and Washington in 2000

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-06-01

between 15 March and 15 November 2000. These included surveys of coastal waters (incl. Puget Sound ) for seasonal resident gray whales and surveys of...northern Puget Sound , two surveys on 22 May and 21 June in Grays Harbor. There were also seven days of effort making shore-observations of gray whales ...regularly in Northern Puget Sound From March to May and in Grays Harbor from March to July. Occasional sightings of gray whales were made in southern and

A scale-up field experiment for the monitoring of a burning process using chemical, audio, and video sensors.

PubMed

Stavrakakis, P; Agapiou, A; Mikedi, K; Karma, S; Statheropoulos, M; Pallis, G C; Pappa, A

2014-01-01

Fires are becoming more violent and frequent resulting in major economic losses and long-lasting effects on communities and ecosystems; thus, efficient fire monitoring is becoming a necessity. A novel triple multi-sensor approach was developed for monitoring and studying the burning of dry forest fuel in an open field scheduled experiment; chemical, optical, and acoustical sensors were combined to record the fire spread. The results of this integrated field campaign for real-time monitoring of the fire event are presented and discussed. Chemical analysis, despite its limitations, corresponded to the burning process with a minor time delay. Nevertheless, the evolution profile of CO2, CO, NO, and O2 were detected and monitored. The chemical monitoring of smoke components enabled the observing of the different fire phases (flaming, smoldering) based on the emissions identified in each phase. The analysis of fire acoustical signals presented accurate and timely response to the fire event. In the same content, the use of a thermographic camera, for monitoring the biomass burning, was also considerable (both profiles of the intensities of average gray and red component greater than 230) and presented similar promising potentials to audio results. Further work is needed towards integrating sensors signals for automation purposes leading to potential applications in real situations.

Factorial scopes of cardio-metabolic variables remain constant with changes in body temperature in the varanid lizard, Varanus rosenbergi.

PubMed

Clark, T D; Wang, T; Butler, P J; Frappell, P B

2005-04-01

The majority of information concerning the cardio-metabolic performance of varanids during exercise is limited to a few species at their preferred body temperature (T(b)) even though, being ectotherms, varanids naturally experience rather large changes in T(b). Although it is well established that absolute aerobic scope declines with decreasing T(b), it is not known whether changes in cardiac output (V(b)) and/or tissue oxygen extraction, (Ca(O2) - Cv(O2)), are in proportion to the rate of oxygen consumption (Vo(2)). To test this, we studied six Rosenberg's goannas (Varanus rosenbergi) while at rest and while maximally exercising on a treadmill both at 25 and 36 degrees C. During maximum exercise both at 25 and 36 degrees C, mass-specific rate of oxygen consumption (Vo(2kg)) increased with an absolute scope of 8.5 ml min(-1) kg(-1) and 15.7 ml min(-1) kg(-1), respectively. Interestingly, the factorial aerobic scope was temperature-independent and remained at 7.0 which, at each T(b), was primarily the result of an increase in V(bkg), governed by approximate twofold increases both in heart rate (f(H)) and cardiac stroke volume (V(Skg)). Both at 25 degrees C and 36 degrees C, the increase in V(bkg) alone was not sufficient to provide all of the additional oxygen required to attain maximal Vo(2kg), as indicated by a decrease in the blood convection requirement V(bkg)/Vo(2kg); hence, there was a compensatory twofold increase in (Ca(O2) - Cv(O2)). Although associated with an increase in hemoglobin-oxygen affinity, a decrease in T(b) did not impair unloading of oxygen at the tissues and act to reduce (Ca(O2) - Cv(O2)); both Ca(O2)) and Cv(O2)) were maintained across T(b). The change in Vo(2kg) with T(b), therefore, is solely reliant on the thermal dependence of V(bkg). Maintaining a high factorial aerobic scope across a range of T(b) confers an advantage in that cooler animals can achieve higher absolute aerobic scopes and presumably improved aerobic performance than would otherwise be achievable.

78 FR 10122 - Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; Reef Fish Fishery of the Gulf of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-13

... recreational sector's annual catch limits (ACLs) and annual catch targets (ACTs) for gray triggerfish; revise the recreational sector accountability measures (AMs) for gray triggerfish; revise the gray triggerfish recreational bag limit; establish a commercial trip limit for gray triggerfish; and establish a...

Cost Comparison of Conventional Gray Combined Sewer Overflow Control Infrastructure versus a Green/Gray Combination

EPA Science Inventory

This paper outlines a life-cycle cost analysis comparing a green (rain gardens) and gray (tunnels) infrastructure combination to a gray-only option to control combined sewer overflow in the Turkey Creek Combined Sewer Overflow Basin, in Kansas City, MO. The plan area of this Bas...

Gray Matter Features of Reading Disability: A Combined Meta-Analytic and Direct Analysis Approach1234

PubMed Central

Berninger, Virginia W.; Gebregziabher, Mulugeta; Tsu, Loretta

2016-01-01

Abstract Meta-analysis of voxel-based morphometry dyslexia studies and direct analysis of 293 reading disability and control cases from six different research sites were performed to characterize defining gray matter features of reading disability. These analyses demonstrated consistently lower gray matter volume in left posterior superior temporal sulcus/middle temporal gyrus regions and left orbitofrontal gyrus/pars orbitalis regions. Gray matter volume within both of these regions significantly predicted individual variation in reading comprehension after correcting for multiple comparisons. These regional gray matter differences were observed across published studies and in the multisite dataset after controlling for potential age and gender effects, and despite increased anatomical variance in the reading disability group, but were not significant after controlling for total gray matter volume. Thus, the orbitofrontal and posterior superior temporal sulcus gray matter findings are relatively reliable effects that appear to be dependent on cases with low total gray matter volume. The results are considered in the context of genetics studies linking orbitofrontal and superior temporal sulcus regions to alleles that confer risk for reading disability. PMID:26835509

Gray matter alterations and correlation of nutritional intake with the gray matter volume in prediabetes

PubMed Central

Hou, Yi-Cheng; Lai, Chien-Han; Wu, Yu-Te; Yang, Shwu-Huey

2016-01-01

Abstract The neurophysiology of prediabetes plays an important role in preventive medicine. The dysregulation of glucose metabolism is likely linked to changes in neuron-related gray matter. Therefore, we designed this study to investigate gray matter alterations in medication-naive prediabetic patients. We expected to find alterations in the gray matter of prediabetic patients. A total of 64 prediabetic patients and 54 controls were enrolled. All subjects received T1 scans using a 3-T magnetic resonance imaging machine. Subjects also completed nutritional intake records at the 24-hour and 3-day time points to determine their carbohydrate, protein, fat, and total calorie intake. We utilized optimized voxel-based morphometry to estimate the gray matter differences between the patients and controls. In addition, the preprandial serum glucose level and the carbohydrate, protein, fat, and total calorie intake levels were tested to determine whether these parameters were correlated with the gray matter volume. Prediabetic patients had lower gray matter volumes than controls in the right anterior cingulate gyrus, right posterior cingulate gyrus, left insula, left super temporal gyrus, and left middle temporal gyrus (corrected P < 0.05; voxel threshold: 33). Gray matter volume in the right anterior cingulate was also negatively correlated with the preprandial serum glucose level gyrus in a voxel-dependent manner (r = –0.501; 2-tailed P = 0.001). The cingulo-temporal and insula gray matter alterations may be associated with the glucose dysregulation in prediabetic patients. PMID:27336893

Differences in quantitative assessment of myocardial scar and gray zone by LGE-CMR imaging using established gray zone protocols.

PubMed

Mesubi, Olurotimi; Ego-Osuala, Kelechi; Jeudy, Jean; Purtilo, James; Synowski, Stephen; Abutaleb, Ameer; Niekoop, Michelle; Abdulghani, Mohammed; Asoglu, Ramazan; See, Vincent; Saliaris, Anastasios; Shorofsky, Stephen; Dickfeld, Timm

2015-02-01

Late gadolinium enhancement cardiac magnetic resonance (LGE-CMR) imaging is the gold standard for myocardial scar evaluation. Heterogeneous areas of scar ('gray zone'), may serve as arrhythmogenic substrate. Various gray zone protocols have been correlated to clinical outcomes and ventricular tachycardia channels. This study assessed the quantitative differences in gray zone and scar core sizes as defined by previously validated signal intensity (SI) threshold algorithms. High quality LGE-CMR images performed in 41 cardiomyopathy patients [ischemic (33) or non-ischemic (8)] were analyzed using previously validated SI threshold methods [Full Width at Half Maximum (FWHM), n-standard deviation (NSD) and modified-FWHM]. Myocardial scar was defined as scar core and gray zone using SI thresholds based on these methods. Scar core, gray zone and total scar sizes were then computed and compared among these models. The median gray zone mass was 2-3 times larger with FWHM (15 g, IQR: 8-26 g) compared to NSD or modified-FWHM (5 g, IQR: 3-9 g; and 8 g. IQR: 6-12 g respectively, p < 0.001). Conversely, infarct core mass was 2.3 times larger with NSD (30 g, IQR: 17-53 g) versus FWHM and modified-FWHM (13 g, IQR: 7-23 g, p < 0.001). The gray zone extent (percentage of total scar that was gray zone) also varied significantly among the three methods, 51 % (IQR: 42-61 %), 17 % (IQR: 11-21 %) versus 38 % (IQR: 33-43 %) for FWHM, NSD and modified-FWHM respectively (p < 0.001). Considerable variability exists among the current methods for MRI defined gray zone and scar core. Infarct core and total myocardial scar mass also differ using these methods. Further evaluation of the most accurate quantification method is needed.

Synergistic Effects of Age on Patterns of White and Gray Matter Volume across Childhood and Adolescence1,2,3

PubMed Central

Krongold, Mark; Cooper, Cassandra; Lebel, Catherine

2015-01-01

Abstract The human brain develops with a nonlinear contraction of gray matter across late childhood and adolescence with a concomitant increase in white matter volume. Across the adult population, properties of cortical gray matter covary within networks that may represent organizational units for development and degeneration. Although gray matter covariance may be strongest within structurally connected networks, the relationship to volume changes in white matter remains poorly characterized. In the present study we examined age-related trends in white and gray matter volume using T1-weighted MR images from 360 human participants from the NIH MRI study of Normal Brain Development. Images were processed through a voxel-based morphometry pipeline. Linear effects of age on white and gray matter volume were modeled within four age bins, spanning 4-18 years, each including 90 participants (45 male). White and gray matter age-slope maps were separately entered into k-means clustering to identify regions with similar age-related variability across the four age bins. Four white matter clusters were identified, each with a dominant direction of underlying fibers: anterior–posterior, left–right, and two clusters with superior–inferior directions. Corresponding, spatially proximal, gray matter clusters encompassed largely cerebellar, fronto-insular, posterior, and sensorimotor regions, respectively. Pairs of gray and white matter clusters followed parallel slope trajectories, with white matter changes generally positive from 8 years onward (indicating volume increases) and gray matter negative (decreases). As developmental disorders likely target networks rather than individual regions, characterizing typical coordination of white and gray matter development can provide a normative benchmark for understanding atypical development. PMID:26464999

Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) lifted off from Cape Canaveral

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-02-13

KSC-2015-1363 (02/11/2015) --- The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying NOAA’s Deep Space Climate Observatory spacecraft, or DSCOVR, lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 6:03 p.m. EST. DSCOVR is a partnership between NOAA, NASA and the U.S. Air Force, and will maintain the nation's real-time solar wind monitoring capabilities. To learn more about DSCOVR, visit www.nesdis.noaa.gov/DSCOVR. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray and Tim Powers

Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) lifted off from Cape Canaveral

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-02-13

Open Image KSC-2015-1368.KSC-2015-1368 (02/11/2015) --- The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying NOAA’s Deep Space Climate Observatory spacecraft, or DSCOVR, lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Liftoff occurred at 6:03 p.m. EST. DSCOVR is a partnership between NOAA, NASA and the U.S. Air Force, and will maintain the nation's real-time solar wind monitoring capabilities. To learn more about DSCOVR, visit www.nesdis.noaa.gov/DSCOVR. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray and Tim Powers

Effects of Atmospheric Water Vapor and Clouds on NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) AVHRR (Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer) Satellite Data.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-07-01

aerosols and sub pixel-sized clouds all tend to increase Channel 1 with respect to Channel 2 and reduce the computed VIN. Further, the Guide states that... computation of the VIN. Large scale cloud contamination of pixels, while diffi- cult to correct for, can at least be monitored and affected pixels...techniques have been developed for computer cloud screening. See, for example, Horvath et al. (1982), Gray and McCrary (1981a) and Nixon et al. (1983

Building Consensus toward a Shared Purpose: A Profile of President David Gray

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dessoff, Alan

2011-01-01

The author presents a profile of APPA president David Gray. One might say that David Gray's path into higher education facilities management was anything but traditional. Today, Gray is the assistant vice president of facilities services at Middle Tennessee State University. His professional career, however, actually began in banking. In 1993 he…

Gray Fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) ecology and management

USGS Publications Warehouse

Howell, Judd A.

1997-01-01

The gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) is a petite member of the family Canidae in the order Carnivora with a long muzzle and pointed ears (Samuel and Nelson 1982). The coat of the gray fox is silver gray across the back with significant amounts of rufus along the sides. This characteristic is often confused by people who see the flash of red and assume that the fox is a red fox (Vulpes vulpes). The gray fox has a black tipped tail with a dorsal black stripe that differentiates this species from the kit fox (Vulpes macrotis). The red fox has a white tipped tail. The gray fox weighs between 3-5 kg, occasionally to 7 kg. TL 800-1125, T 275-443, HF 100-150. (Jameson and Peeters 1988).

Monitoring the tobacco use epidemic IV. The vector: Tobacco industry data sources and recommendations for research and evaluation.

PubMed

Cruz, Tess Boley

2009-01-01

This Vector paper (IV of V on monitoring the tobacco use epidemic) presents the data sources and methods that can be used to monitor tobacco marketing and makes recommendations for creating a national surveillance system. In 2002, the Vector Work Group of the National Tobacco Monitoring, Research and Evaluation Workshop identified priority indicators of tobacco marketing: tobacco brand pricing strategies, retail environment advertising and promotional allowances, gray market or smuggling activities, lobbying, direct mail marketing, tobacco brand placements in films, Internet promotions, and sponsorship at bars and events. This paper reviews and identifies data sources and gaps for these priority indicators and for 12 other indicators of interest. There are 38 commercial data sites and Internet sources, as well as individual research efforts that address the priority indicators. These sources are not integrated, often costly, and limited in standardization. Tobacco marketing could be more effectively monitored with the development of a national research network. Surveillance of the tobacco industry's methods to push tobacco and pull consumers can help the public health community identify new markets and campaigns, justify and tailor effective tobacco control strategies, and evaluate existing counter-marketing efforts.

Brain volume change and cognitive trajectories in aging.

PubMed

Fletcher, Evan; Gavett, Brandon; Harvey, Danielle; Farias, Sarah Tomaszewski; Olichney, John; Beckett, Laurel; DeCarli, Charles; Mungas, Dan

2018-05-01

Examine how longitudinal cognitive trajectories relate to brain baseline measures and change in lobar volumes in a racially/ethnically and cognitively diverse sample of older adults. Participants were 460 older adults enrolled in a longitudinal aging study. Cognitive outcomes were measures of episodic memory, semantic memory, executive function, and spatial ability derived from the Spanish and English Neuropsychological Assessment Scales (SENAS). Latent variable multilevel modeling of the four cognitive outcomes as parallel longitudinal processes identified intercepts for each outcome and a second order global change factor explaining covariance among the highly correlated slopes. We examined how baseline brain volumes (lobar gray matter, hippocampus, and white matter hyperintensity) and change in brain volumes (lobar gray matter) were associated with cognitive intercepts and global cognitive change. Lobar volumes were dissociated into global and specific components using latent variable methods. Cognitive change was most strongly associated with brain gray matter volume change, with strong independent effects of global gray matter change and specific temporal lobe gray matter change. Baseline white matter hyperintensity and hippocampal volumes had significant incremental effects on cognitive decline beyond gray matter change. Baseline lobar gray matter was related to cognitive decline, but did not contribute beyond gray matter change. Cognitive decline was strongly influenced by gray matter volume change and, especially, temporal lobe change. The strong influence of temporal lobe gray matter change on cognitive decline may reflect involvement of temporal lobe structures that are critical for late life cognitive health but also are vulnerable to diseases of aging. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Diffusion Tensor Imaging of Heterotopia: Changes of Fractional Anisotropy during Radial Migration of Neurons

PubMed Central

Kim, Jinna

2010-01-01

Purpose Diffusion tensor imaging provides better understanding of pathophysiology of congenital anomalies, involving central nervous system. This study was aimed to specify the pathogenetic mechanism of heterotopia, proved by diffusion tensor imaging, and establish new findings of heterotopia on fractional anisotropy maps. Materials and Methods Diffusion-weighted imaging data from 11 patients (M : F = 7 : 4, aged from 1 to 22 years, mean = 12.3 years) who visited the epilepsy clinic and received a routine seizure protocol MRI exam were retrospectively analyzed. Fractional anisotropy (FA) maps were generated from diffusion tensor imaging of 11 patients with heterotopia. Regions of interests (ROI) were placed in cerebral cortex, heterotopic gray matter and deep gray matter, including putamen. ANOVA analysis was performed for comparison of different gray matter tissues. Results Heterotopic gray matter showed signal intensities similar to normal gray matter on T1 and T2 weighted MRI. The measured FA of heterotopic gray matter was higher than that of cortical gray matter (0.236 ± 0.011 vs. 0.169 ± 0.015, p < 0.01, one way ANOVA), and slightly lower than that of deep gray matter (0.236 ± 0.011 vs. 0.259 ± 0.016, p < 0.01). Conclusion Increased FA of heterotopic gray matter suggests arrested neuron during radial migration and provides better understanding of neurodevelopment. PMID:20499428

Melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) gene sequence variation and melanism in the gray (Sciurus carolinensis), fox (Sciurus niger), and red (Sciurus vulgaris) squirrel.

PubMed

McRobie, Helen R; King, Linda M; Fanutti, Cristina; Coussons, Peter J; Moncrief, Nancy D; Thomas, Alison P M

2014-01-01

Sequence variations in the melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) gene are associated with melanism in many different species of mammals, birds, and reptiles. The gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis), found in the British Isles, was introduced from North America in the late 19th century. Melanism in the British gray squirrel is associated with a 24-bp deletion in the MC1R. To investigate the origin of this mutation, we sequenced the MC1R of 95 individuals including 44 melanic gray squirrels from both the British Isles and North America. Melanic gray squirrels of both populations had the same 24-bp deletion associated with melanism. Given the significant deletion associated with melanism in the gray squirrel, we sequenced the MC1R of both wild-type and melanic fox squirrels (Sciurus niger) (9 individuals) and red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) (39 individuals). Unlike the gray squirrel, no association between sequence variation in the MC1R and melanism was found in these 2 species. We conclude that the melanic gray squirrel found in the British Isles originated from one or more introductions of melanic gray squirrels from North America. We also conclude that variations in the MC1R are not associated with melanism in the fox and red squirrels.

Making a Theist out of Darwin: Asa Gray's Post-Darwinian Natural Theology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Russell Hunter, T.

2012-07-01

In March of 1860 the eminent Harvard Botanist and orthodox Christian Asa Gray began promoting the Origin of Species in hopes of securing a fair examination of Darwin's evolutionary theory among theistic naturalists. To this end, Gray sought to demonstrate that Darwin had not written atheistically and that his theory of evolution by natural selection had not presented any new scientific or theological difficulties for traditional Christian belief. From his personal correspondence with the author of the Origin, Gray well knew that Darwin did not affirm God's "particular" design of nature but conceded to the possibility that evolution proceeded according to "designed laws." From this concession, Gray attempted to develop a post-Darwinian natural theology which encouraged theistic naturalists to view God's design of nature through the evolutionary process in a manner similar to the way in which they viewed God's Providential interaction with human history. Indeed, securing a fair reading of the Origin was not Gray's sole aim as a promoter of Darwinian ideas. In Darwin's theory of natural selection, Gray believed he had discovered the means by which a more robust natural theological conception of the living and evolving natural world could be developed. In this paper I outline Gray's efforts to produce and popularize a theistic interpretation of Darwinian theory in order to correct various misconceptions concerning Gray's natural theological views and their role in the Darwinian Revolution.

Near-Infrared Coloring via a Contrast-Preserving Mapping Model.

PubMed

Chang-Hwan Son; Xiao-Ping Zhang

2017-11-01

Near-infrared gray images captured along with corresponding visible color images have recently proven useful for image restoration and classification. This paper introduces a new coloring method to add colors to near-infrared gray images based on a contrast-preserving mapping model. A naive coloring method directly adds the colors from the visible color image to the near-infrared gray image. However, this method results in an unrealistic image because of the discrepancies in the brightness and image structure between the captured near-infrared gray image and the visible color image. To solve the discrepancy problem, first, we present a new contrast-preserving mapping model to create a new near-infrared gray image with a similar appearance in the luminance plane to the visible color image, while preserving the contrast and details of the captured near-infrared gray image. Then, we develop a method to derive realistic colors that can be added to the newly created near-infrared gray image based on the proposed contrast-preserving mapping model. Experimental results show that the proposed new method not only preserves the local contrast and details of the captured near-infrared gray image, but also transfers the realistic colors from the visible color image to the newly created near-infrared gray image. It is also shown that the proposed near-infrared coloring can be used effectively for noise and haze removal, as well as local contrast enhancement.

Theoretical foundations of spatially-variant mathematical morphology part ii: gray-level images.

PubMed

Bouaynaya, Nidhal; Schonfeld, Dan

2008-05-01

In this paper, we develop a spatially-variant (SV) mathematical morphology theory for gray-level signals and images in the Euclidean space. The proposed theory preserves the geometrical concept of the structuring function, which provides the foundation of classical morphology and is essential in signal and image processing applications. We define the basic SV gray-level morphological operators (i.e., SV gray-level erosion, dilation, opening, and closing) and investigate their properties. We demonstrate the ubiquity of SV gray-level morphological systems by deriving a kernel representation for a large class of systems, called V-systems, in terms of the basic SV graylevel morphological operators. A V-system is defined to be a gray-level operator, which is invariant under gray-level (vertical) translations. Particular attention is focused on the class of SV flat gray-level operators. The kernel representation for increasing V-systems is a generalization of Maragos' kernel representation for increasing and translation-invariant function-processing systems. A representation of V-systems in terms of their kernel elements is established for increasing and upper-semi-continuous V-systems. This representation unifies a large class of spatially-variant linear and non-linear systems under the same mathematical framework. Finally, simulation results show the potential power of the general theory of gray-level spatially-variant mathematical morphology in several image analysis and computer vision applications.

Relationship between Hounsfield unit in CT scan and gray scale in CBCT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kamaruddin, Noorshaida; Rajion, Zainul Ahmad; Yusof, Asilah; Aziz, Mohd Ezane

2016-12-01

Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) is an imaging system which has advantages over computed tomography (CT). Recently, CBCT has become widely used for oral and maxillofacial imaging. In CT scan, Hounsfield Unit (HU) is proportional to the degree of x-ray attenuation by the tissue. In CBCT, the degree of x-ray attenuation is shown by gray scale (voxel value). The aim of the present (in vitro) study was to investigate the relationship between gray scale in CBCT and HU in CT scan. In this descriptive study, the anthropomorphic head phantom was scanned with CBCT and CT scanner. Gray scales and HUs were detected on images at the crown of the teeth, trabecular and cortical bone of mandible. The images were analyzed to obtain the gray scale value and HU value. The obtained value then used to investigate the relationship between CBCT gray scales and HUs. For the statistical analysis, t-test, Pearson's correlation and regression analysis were used. The differences between the gray scale of CBCT and HU of CT were statistically not significant, whereas the Pearson's correlation coefficients demonstrated a statistically significant correlation between gray scale of CBCT and HU of CT values. Considering the fact that gray scale in CBCT is important in pre assessment evaluation of bone density before implant treatments, it is recommended because of the lower dose and cost compared to CT scan.

75 FR 65574 - Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Reinstatement of Protections for the Gray Wolf in...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-10-26

...; Reinstatement of Protections for the Gray Wolf in the Northern Rocky Mountains in Compliance With a Court Order... gray wolf (Canis lupus) in most of the northern Rocky Mountains. Pursuant to the District of Montana court order dated August 5, 2010, this rule corrects the gray wolf listing for the northern half of...

Differences in brain structure in patients with distinct sites of chronic pain: A voxel-based morphometric analysis

PubMed Central

Mao, Cuiping; Wei, Longxiao; Zhang, Qiuli; Liao, Xia; Yang, Xiaoli; Zhang, Ming

2013-01-01

A reduction in gray matter volume is common in patients with chronic back pain, and different types of pain are associated with gray matter abnormalities in distinct brain regions. To examine differences in brain morphology in patients with low back pain or neck and upper back pain, we investigated changes in gray matter volume in chronic back pain patients having different sites of pain using voxel-based morphometry. A reduction in cortical gray matter volume was found primarily in the left postcentral gyrus and in the left precuneus and bilateral cuneal cortex of patients with low back pain. In these patients, there was an increase in subcortical gray matter volume in the bilateral putamen and accumbens, right pallidum, right caudate nucleus, and left amygdala. In upper back pain patients, reduced cortical gray matter volume was found in the left precentral and left postcentral cortices. Our findings suggest that regional gray matter volume abnormalities in low back pain patients are more extensive than in upper back pain patients. Subcortical gray matter volume increases are found only in patients with low back pain. PMID:25206618

Henry Gray, plagiarist.

PubMed

Richardson, Ruth

2016-03-01

The first edition of Anatomy Descriptive and Surgical (1858) was greeted with accolades, but also provoked serious controversy concerning Henry Gray's failure to acknowledge the work of earlier anatomists. A review in the Medical Times (1859) accused Gray of intellectual theft. The journal took the unusual step of substantiating its indictment by publishing twenty parallel texts from Gray and from a pre-existing textbook, Quain's Anatomy. At the recent "Vesalius Continuum" conference in Zakynthos, Greece (2014) Professor Brion Benninger disputed the theft by announcing from the floor the results of a computer analysis of both texts, which he reported exonerated Gray by revealing no evidence of plagiarism. The analysis has not been forthcoming, however, despite requests. Here the historian of Gray's Anatomy supplements the argument set out in the Medical Times 150 years ago with data suggesting unwelcome personality traits in Henry Gray, and demonstrating the utility of others' work to his professional advancement. Fair dealing in the world of anatomy and indeed the genuineness of the lustre of medical fame are important matters, but whether quantitative evidence has anything to add to the discussion concerning Gray's probity can be assessed only if Benninger makes public his computer analysis. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Effect of Heating Time on Hardness Properties of Laser Clad Gray Cast Iron Surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Norhafzan, B.; Aqida, S. N.; Mifthal, F.; Zulhishamuddin, A. R.; Ismail, I.

2018-03-01

This paper presents effect of heating time on cladded gray cast iron. In this study, the effect of heating time on cladded gray cast iron and melted gray cast iron were analysed. The gray cast iron sample were added with mixed Mo-Cr powder using laser cladding technique. The mixed Mo and Cr powder was pre-placed on gray cast iron surface. Modified layer were sectioned using diamond blade cutter and polish using SiC abrasive paper before heated. Sample was heated in furnace for 15, 30 and 45 minutes at 650 °C and cool down in room temperature. Metallographic study was conduct using inverted microscope while surface hardness properties were tested using Wilson hardness test with Vickers scale. Results for metallographic study showed graphite flakes within matrix of pearlite. The surface hardness for modified layer decreased when increased heating time process. These findings are significant to structure stability of laser cladded gray cast iron with different heating times.

Pesticide contamination of endangered gray bats and their food base in Boone County, Missouri, 1982

USGS Publications Warehouse

Clawson, R.L.; Clark, D.R.

1989-01-01

Gray bat guano from Devil's Icebox and Hunters Caves contained dieldrin at levels previously associated with gray bat mortality. Two of four gray bats found dead in Holton Cave had lethal brain concentrations of dieldrin. Twenty-five of 28 (86%) insect samples from bat foraging areas contained measurable dieldrin, heptachlor epoxide or both. Beetle samples were most heavily contaminated containing up to 2.2 ppm and 1.1 ppm heptachlor epoxide. The addition of Holton Cave brings to five the number of Missouri caves where gray bats have died of food chain pesticide poisoning.

Radiographic Appearance of Interocclusal Record Materials for Cone Beam Computed Tomography-Guided Implant Surgeries.

PubMed

Mohunta, Vrinda V; McGlumphy, Edwin A; Kim, Do-Gyoon; Azer, Shereen S

To select an ideal interocclusal record material for cone beam computed tomography (CBCT)-guided implant surgery based on the material's radiodensity on the scan. Twelve commonly used interocclusal record materials were used for this investigation: two were waxes, one was polyether, and nine were polyvinyl-siloxane-type materials. A scan template was fabricated by duplicating existing dentures in Ortho-Jet acrylic resin mixed with 30% barium powder for the teeth and 10% barium powder for the denture base between the teeth and the tissue. An interocclusal record was fabricated with each material, and the same template was used to obtain a CBCT scan with an ICAT machine (Imaging Sciences International) at 0.3 voxel and 14-bit depth settings. Twelve CBCT scans were obtained and analyzed. The radiopacity of the barium teeth was used as a control and was compared with the opacity of the 12 materials using a paired t test. A post hoc analysis of variance (ANOVA) test was used to compare the densities of the various materials with each other. There was a statistically significant difference between the radiopacity of barium teeth (gray value: 1,959.475) and that of Modelling Wax (gray value: 750; P = .0026), Aluwax (gray value: 795.22; P = .0022), Blu-Bite CT (gray value: 1,105; P = .005), Ramitec (gray value: 1,105.3; P = .08), Memosil 2 (gray value: 1,202; P = .01) followed by Reprosil (gray value: 1,407.73; P = .01). Compared with the barium teeth, there was no statistically significant difference between the densities of Futar D (gray value: 1,866.5; P = .51), Jet Bite (gray value: 1,660.04; P = .08), Lab-Putty (gray value: 1,402.14; P = .19), and Memoreg 2 (gray value: 1,754.72; P = .1). The highest radiodensity was seen with Blu-Mousse (gray value: 2,949; P = .007) and Take 1 (gray value: 2,229.85; P = .025), which were also significantly different from the density of the barium teeth but in the opposite direction, making them more opaque. Within the limitations of this in vitro study, the most radiolucent appearance of Modelling Wax, Aluwax, Memosil 2, Blu-Bite CT, and Ramitec made them the suitable materials of choice of those tested, as the interocclusal registration record during CBCT scanning allowed clear visualization of barium teeth.

Chapter 16. Conservation status of great gray owls in the United States

Treesearch

Gregory D. Hayward

1994-01-01

Previous chapters outlined the biology and ecology of great gray owls as well as the ecology of this species in the western United States. That technical review provides the basis to assess the current conservation status of great gray owls in the United States. Are populations of great gray owls in the United States currently threatened? Are current land management...

Discovery of a "white-gray-opaque" tristable phenotypic switching system in candida albicans: roles of non-genetic diversity in host adaptation.

PubMed

Tao, Li; Du, Han; Guan, Guobo; Dai, Yu; Nobile, Clarissa J; Liang, Weihong; Cao, Chengjun; Zhang, Qiuyu; Zhong, Jin; Huang, Guanghua

2014-04-01

Non-genetic phenotypic variations play a critical role in the adaption to environmental changes in microbial organisms. Candida albicans, a major human fungal pathogen, can switch between several morphological phenotypes. This ability is critical for its commensal lifestyle and for its ability to cause infections. Here, we report the discovery of a novel morphological form in C. albicans, referred to as the "gray" phenotype, which forms a tristable phenotypic switching system with the previously reported white and opaque phenotypes. White, gray, and opaque cell types differ in a number of aspects including cellular and colony appearances, mating competency, secreted aspartyl proteinase (Sap) activities, and virulence. Of the three cell types, gray cells exhibit the highest Sap activity and the highest ability to cause cutaneous infections. The three phenotypes form a tristable phenotypic switching system, which is independent of the regulation of the mating type locus (MTL). Gray cells mate over 1,000 times more efficiently than do white cells, but less efficiently than do opaque cells. We further demonstrate that the master regulator of white-opaque switching, Wor1, is essential for opaque cell formation, but is not required for white-gray transitions. The Efg1 regulator is required for maintenance of the white phenotype, but is not required for gray-opaque transitions. Interestingly, the wor1/wor1 efg1/efg1 double mutant is locked in the gray phenotype, suggesting that Wor1 and Efg1 could function coordinately and play a central role in the regulation of gray cell formation. Global transcriptional analysis indicates that white, gray, and opaque cells exhibit distinct gene expression profiles, which partly explain their differences in causing infections, adaptation ability to diverse host niches, metabolic profiles, and stress responses. Therefore, the white-gray-opaque tristable phenotypic switching system in C. albicans may play a significant role in a wide range of biological aspects in this common commensal and pathogenic fungus.

[Imaging Observation of Scalp Acupuncture on Brain Gray Matter Injury in Stroke Patients with Cerebral Infarction].

PubMed

Lang, Yi; Cui, Fang-yuan; Li, Kuang-shi; Tan, Zhong-jian; Zou, Yi-huai

2016-03-01

To study features of brain gray matter injury in cerebral infarction patients and intervention of scalp acupuncture by using voxel-based morphology. A total of 16 cerebral infarction patients were recruited in this study, and assigned to the scalp acupuncture group and the control group, 8 in each group. Another 16 healthy volunteers were recruited as a normal group. All patients received scanning of T1 structure. Images were managed using VBM8 Software package. Difference of the gray matter structure was compared among the scalp acupuncture group, the control group, and the healthy volunteers. Compared with healthy volunteers, gray matter injury of cerebral infarction patients mainly occurred in 14 brain regions such as cingulate gyrus, precuneus, cuneus, anterior central gyrus, insular lobe, and so on. They were mainly distributed in affected side. Two weeks after treatment when compared with healthy volunteers, gray matter injury of cerebral infarction patients in the scalp acupuncture group still existed in 8 brain regions such as bilateral lingual gyrus, posterior cingulate gyrus, left cuneus, right precuneus, and so on. New gray matter injury occurred in lingual gyrus and posterior cingulate gyrus. Two weeks after treatment when compared with healthy volunteers, gray matter injury of cerebral infarction patients in the control group existed in 23 brain regions: bilateral anterior cingulum, caudate nucleus, cuneate lobe, insular lobe, inferior frontal gyrus, medial frontal gyrus, precuneus, paracentral lobule, superior temporal gyrus, middle temporal gyrus, lingual gyrus, right postcentral gyrus, posterior cingulate gyrus, precentral gyrus, middle frontal gyrus, and so on. New gray matter injury still existed in 9 cerebral regions such as lingual gyrus, posterior cingulate gyrus, postcentral gyrus, and so on. Brain gray matter structure is widely injured after cerebral infarction. Brain gray matter volume gradually decreased as time went by. Combined use of scalp acupuncture might inhibit the progression of gray matter injury more effectively.

Attention and Regional Gray Matter Development in Very Preterm Children at Age 12 Years.

PubMed

Lean, Rachel E; Melzer, Tracy R; Bora, Samudragupta; Watts, Richard; Woodward, Lianne J

2017-08-01

This study examines the selective, sustained, and executive attention abilities of very preterm (VPT) born children in relation to concurrent structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measures of regional gray matter development at age 12 years. A regional cohort of 110 VPT (≤32 weeks gestation) and 113 full term (FT) born children were assessed at corrected age 12 years on the Test of Everyday Attention-Children. They also had a structural MRI scan that was subsequently analyzed using voxel-based morphometry to quantify regional between-group differences in cerebral gray matter development, which were then related to attention measures using multivariate methods. VPT children obtained similar selective (p=.85), but poorer sustained (p=.02) and executive attention (p=.01) scores than FT children. VPT children were also characterized by reduced gray matter in the bilateral parietal, temporal, prefrontal and posterior cingulate cortices, bilateral thalami, and left hippocampus; and increased gray matter in the occipital and anterior cingulate cortices (family-wise error-corrected p<.05). Poorer sustained auditory attention was associated with increased gray matter in the anterior cingulate cortex (p=.04). Poor executive shifting attention was associated with reduced gray matter in the right superior temporal cortex (p=.04) and bilateral thalami (p=.05). Poorer executive divided attention was associated with reduced gray matter in the occipital (p=.001), posterior cingulate (p=.02), and left temporal (p=.01) cortices; and increased gray matter in the anterior cingulate cortex (p=.001). Disturbances in regional gray matter development appear to contribute, at least in part, to the poorer attentional performance of VPT children at school age. (JINS, 2017, 23, 539-550).

Reduced Gray Matter Volume Is Associated With Poorer Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Performance in Heart Failure.

PubMed

Alosco, Michael L; Brickman, Adam M; Spitznagel, Mary Beth; Narkhede, Atul; Griffith, Erica Y; Cohen, Ronald; Sweet, Lawrence H; Josephson, Richard; Hughes, Joel; Gunstad, John

2016-01-01

Heart failure patients require assistance with instrumental activities of daily living in part because of the high rates of cognitive impairment in this population. Structural brain insult (eg, reduced gray matter volume) is theorized to underlie cognitive dysfunction in heart failure, although no study has examined the association among gray matter, cognition, and instrumental activities of daily living in heart failure. The aim of this study was to investigate the associations among gray matter volume, cognitive function, and functional ability in heart failure. A total of 81 heart failure patients completed a cognitive test battery and the Lawton-Brody self-report questionnaire to assess instrumental activities of daily living. Participants underwent magnetic resonance imaging to quantify total gray matter and subcortical gray matter volume. Impairments in instrumental activities of daily living were common in this sample of HF patients. Regression analyses controlling for demographic and medical confounders showed that smaller total gray matter volume predicted decreased scores on the instrumental activities of daily living composite, with specific associations noted for medication management and independence in driving. Interaction analyses showed that reduced total gray matter volume interacted with worse attention/executive function and memory to negatively impact instrumental activities of daily living. Smaller gray matter volume is associated with greater impairment in instrumental activities of daily living in persons with heart failure, possibly via cognitive dysfunction. Prospective studies are needed to clarify the utility of clinical correlates of gray matter volume (eg, cognitive dysfunction) in identifying heart failure patients at risk for functional decline and determine whether interventions that target improved brain and cognitive function can preserve functional independence in this high-risk population.

An assessment of some non-gray global radiation models in enclosures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meulemans, J.

2016-01-01

The accuracy of several non-gray global gas/soot radiation models, namely the Wide-Band Correlated-K (WBCK) model, the Spectral Line Weighted-sum-of-gray-gases model with one optimized gray gas (SLW-1), the (non-gray) Weighted-Sum-of-Gray-Gases (WSGG) model with different sets of coefficients (Smith et al., Soufiani and Djavdan, Taylor and Foster) was assessed on several test cases from the literature. Non-isothermal (or isothermal) participating media containing non-homogeneous (or homogeneous) mixtures of water vapor, carbon dioxide and soot in one-dimensional planar enclosures and multi-dimensional rectangular enclosures were investigated. For all the considered test cases, a benchmark solution (LBL or SNB) was used in order to compute the relative error of each model on the predicted radiative source term and the wall net radiative heat flux.

Correlation among body height, intelligence, and brain gray matter volume in healthy children.

PubMed

Taki, Yasuyuki; Hashizume, Hiroshi; Sassa, Yuko; Takeuchi, Hikaru; Asano, Michiko; Asano, Kohei; Kotozaki, Yuka; Nouchi, Rui; Wu, Kai; Fukuda, Hiroshi; Kawashima, Ryuta

2012-01-16

A significant positive correlation between height and intelligence has been demonstrated in children. Additionally, intelligence has been associated with the volume of gray matter in the brains of children. Based on these correlations, we analyzed the correlation among height, full-scale intelligence quotient (IQ) and gray matter volume applying voxel-based morphometry using data from the brain magnetic resonance images of 160 healthy children aged 5-18 years of age. As a result, body height was significantly positively correlated with brain gray matter volume. Additionally, the regional gray matter volume of several regions such as the bilateral prefrontal cortices, temporoparietal region, and cerebellum was significantly positively correlated with body height and that the gray matter volume of several of these regions was also significantly positively correlated with full-scale intelligence quotient (IQ) scores after adjusting for age, sex, and socioeconomic status. Our results demonstrate that gray and white matter volume may mediate the correlation between body height and intelligence in healthy children. Additionally, the correlations among gray and white matter volume, height, and intelligence may be at least partially explained by the effect of insulin-like growth factor-1 and growth hormones. Given the importance of the effect of environmental factors, especially nutrition, on height, IQ, and gray matter volume, the present results stress the importance of nutrition during childhood for the healthy maturation of body and brain. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Differential microstructural and morphological abnormalities in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease: Evidence from cortical and deep gray matter.

PubMed

Gong, Nan-Jie; Chan, Chun-Chung; Leung, Lam-Ming; Wong, Chun-Sing; Dibb, Russell; Liu, Chunlei

2017-05-01

One aim of this study is to use non-Gaussian diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) for capturing microstructural abnormalities in gray matter of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The other aim is to compare DKI metrics against thickness of cortical gray matter and volume of deep gray matter, respectively. A cohort of 18 patients with AD, 18 patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 18 normal controls underwent morphological and DKI MR imaging. Images were investigated using regions-of-interest-based analyses for deep gray matter and vertex-wise analyses for cortical gray matter. In deep gray matter, more regions showed DKI parametric abnormalities than atrophies at the early MCI stage. Mean kurtosis (MK) exhibited the largest number of significant abnormalities among all DKI metrics. At the later AD stage, diffusional abnormalities were observed in fewer regions than atrophies. In cortical gray matter, abnormalities in thickness were mainly in the medial and lateral temporal lobes, which fit the locations of known early pathological changes. Microstructural abnormalities were predominantly in the parietal and even frontal lobes, which fit the locations of known late pathological changes. In conclusion, MK can complement conventional diffusion metrics for detecting microstructural changes, especially in deep gray matter. This study also provides evidence supporting the notion that microstructural changes predate morphological changes. Hum Brain Mapp 38:2495-2508, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Differential regional gray matter volumes in patients with on-line game addiction and professional gamers

PubMed Central

Han, Doug Hyun; Lyoo, In Kyoon; Renshaw, Perry F.

2015-01-01

Patients with on-line game addiction (POGA) and professional video game players play video games for extended periods of time, but experience very different consequences for their on-line game play. Brain regions consisting of anterior cingulate, thalamus and occpito-temporal areas may increase the likelihood of becoming a pro-gamer or POGA. Twenty POGA, seventeen pro-gamers, and eighteen healthy comparison subjects (HC) were recruited. All magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed on a 1.5 Tesla Espree MRI scanner (SIEMENS, Erlangen, Germany). Voxel-wise comparisons of gray matter volume were performed between the groups using the two-sample t-test with statistical parametric mapping (SPM5). Compared to HC, the POGA group showed increased impulsiveness and perseverative errors, and volume in left thalamus gray matter, but decreased gray matter volume in both inferior temporal gyri, right middle occipital gyrus, and left inferior occipital gyrus, compared with HC. Pro-gamers showed increased gray matter volume in left cingulate gyrus, but decreased gray matter volume in left middle occipital gyrus and right inferior temporal gyrus compared with HC. Additionally, the pro-gamer group showed increased gray matter volume in left cingulate gyrus and decreased left thalamus gray matter volume compared with the POGA group. The current study suggests that increased gray matter volumes of the left cingulate gyrus in pro-gamers and of the left thalamus in POGA may contribute to the different clinical characteristics of pro-gamers and POGA. PMID:22277302

Gray marketing of pharmaceuticals.

PubMed

Chaudhry, P E; Walsh, M G

1995-01-01

Pharmaceutical marketers in the European Union are constrained by regulated prices, opening up opportunities for gray marketers. The authors investigate the legal framework that regulates gray markets by summarizing and analyzing relevant European Court of Justice decisions that favor gray marketers and actually foster parallel trade. Before marketing managers can develop effective strategies in this marketplace, they must first understand the precedents of the legal system in which they will be operating.

Developing NanoFoil-Heated Thin-Film Thermal Battery

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-09-01

buffer discs (in gray) sandwiching the NanoFoil disc (in yellow). Two Microtherm discs (in dark gray) bracketed the sandwich to prevent excessive heat...of the fuse strip with a Microtherm disc. Cathode Electrolyte Anode Microtherm Heat paper NanoFoil Buffer Agilent 34970A 606.5 Nichrome wire Maccor...gray) sandwiching the NanoFoil disc (in yellow). Two Microtherm discs (in dark gray) bracketed the sandwich to prevent excessive heat loss

Current status of the western gray squirrel population in the Puget Trough, Washington.

Treesearch

R. Bayrakci; A.B. Carey; T.M. Wilson

2001-01-01

The Puget Trough population of Washington’s state-threatened western gray squirrel is centered in Oregon white oak ecotones adjacent to conifer forests and prairies on the Fort Lewis Military Reservation. Our goal was to determine the current status of western gray squirrels in this region. In 1998, we found five western gray squirrels in 538 hours of foot surveys in...

Antecedents of Gray Divorce: A Life Course Perspective.

PubMed

Lin, I-Fen; Brown, Susan L; Wright, Matthew R; Hammersmith, Anna M

2016-12-16

Increasingly, older adults are experiencing divorce, yet little is known about the risk factors associated with divorce after age 50 (termed "gray divorce"). Guided by a life course perspective, our study examined whether key later life turning points are related to gray divorce. We used data from the 1998-2012 Health and Retirement Study to conduct a prospective, couple-level discrete-time event history analysis of the antecedents of gray divorce. Our models incorporated key turning points (empty nest, retirement, and poor health) as well as demographic characteristics and economic resources. Contrary to our expectations, the onset of an empty nest, the wife's or husband's retirement, and the wife's or husband's chronic conditions were unrelated to the likelihood of gray divorce. Rather, factors traditionally associated with divorce among younger adults were also salient for older adults. Marital duration, marital quality, home ownership, and wealth were negatively related to the risk of gray divorce. Gray divorce is especially likely to occur among couples who are socially and economically disadvantaged, raising new questions about the consequences of gray divorce for individual health and well-being. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

A comparison of gray and non-gray modeling approaches to radiative transfer in pool fire simulations.

PubMed

Krishnamoorthy, Gautham

2010-10-15

Decoupled radiative heat transfer calculations of 30 cm-diameter toluene and heptane pool fires are performed employing the discrete ordinates method. The composition and temperature fields within the fires are created from detailed experimental measurements of soot volume fractions based on absorption and emission, temperature statistics and correlations found in the literature. The measured temperature variance data is utilized to compute the temperature self-correlation term for modeling turbulence-radiation interactions. In the toluene pool fire, the presence of cold soot near the fuel surface is found to suppress the average radiation feedback to the pool surface by 27%. The performances of four gray and three non-gray radiative property models for the gases are also compared. The average variations in radiative transfer predictions due to differences in the spectroscopic and experimental databases employed in the property model formulations are found to be between 10% and 20%. Clear differences between the gray and non-gray modeling strategies are seen when the mean beam length is computed based on traditionally employed geometric relations. Therefore, a correction to the mean beam length is proposed to improve the agreement between gray and non-gray modeling in simulations of open pool fires. 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Single-faced GRAYQB™: a radiation mapping device

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

Mayer, J.; Farfan, E.; Immel, D.

2013-12-12

GrayQb{trademark} is a novel technology that has the potential to characterize radioactively contaminated areas such as hot cells, gloveboxes, small and large rooms, hallways, and waste tanks. The goal of GrayQb{trademark} is to speed the process of decontaminating these areas, which reduces worker exposures and promotes ALARA considerations. The device employs Phosphorous Storage Plate (PSP) technology as its primary detector material. PSPs, commonly used for medical applications and non-destructive testing, can be read using a commercially available scanner. The goal of GrayQb{trademark} technology is to locate, quantify, and identify the sources of contamination. The purpose of the work documented inmore » this report was to better characterize the performance of GrayQb{trademark} in its ability to present overlay images of the PSP image and the associated visual image of the location being surveyed. The results presented in this report are overlay images identifying the location of hot spots in both controlled and field environments. The GrayQb{trademark} technology has been mainly tested in a controlled environment with known distances and source characteristics such as specific known radionuclides, dose rates, and strength. The original concept for the GrayQb{trademark} device involved utilizing the six faces of a cube configuration and was designed to be positioned in the center of a contaminated area for 3D mapping. A smaller single-faced GrayQb{trademark}, dubbed GrayQb SF, was designed for the purpose of conducting the characterization testing documented in this report. This lighter 2D version is ideal for applications where entry ports are too small for a deployment of the original GrayQb™ version or where only a single surface is of interest. The shape, size, and weight of these two designs have been carefully modeled to account for most limitations encountered in hot cells, gloveboxes, and contaminated areas. GrayQb{trademark} and GrayQb{trademark} SF share the same fundamental detection system design (e.g., pinhole and PSPs). Therefore, performance tests completed on the single face GrayQB in this report is also applicable to the six- faced GrayQB (e.g., ambient light sensitivity and PSP response). This report details the characterization of the GrayQb{trademark} SF in both an uncontrolled environment; specifically, the Savannah River Site (SRS) Plutonium Fuel Form Facility in Building 235-F (Metallurgical Building) and controlled testing at SRS’s Health Physics Instrument Calibration Facility and SRS’s R&D Engineering Imaging and Radiation Systems Building. In this report, the resulting images from the Calibration Facility were obtained by overlaying the PSP and visual images manually using ImageJ. The resulting images from the Building 235-F tests presented in this report were produced using ImageJ and applying response trends developed from controlled testing results. The GrayQb{trademark} technology has been developed in two main stages at Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL): 1) the GrayQb{trademark} development was supported by SRNL’s Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program and 2) the GrayQb{trademark} SF development and its testing in Building 235-F were supported by the Office of Deactivation and Decommissioning and Facility Engineering (EM-13), U.S. Department of Energy – Office of Environmental Management.« less

Stone wall and ornamental iron fence extending along Gray's Ferry ...

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

Stone wall and ornamental iron fence extending along Gray's Ferry Avenue between the north and south gate lodges, looking southwest. - U. S. Naval Asylum, Biddle Hall, Gray's Ferry Avenue, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, PA

Higher Potassium Concentration in Shoots Reduces Gray Mold in Sweet Basil.

PubMed

Yermiyahu, Uri; Israeli, Lior; David, Dalia Rav; Faingold, Inna; Elad, Yigal

2015-08-01

Nutritional elements can affect plant susceptibility to plant pathogens, including Botrytis cinerea. We tested the effect of potassium (K) fertilization on gray mold in sweet basil grown in pots, containers, and soil. Increased K in the irrigation water and in the sweet basil tissue resulted in an exponential decrease in gray mold severity. Potassium supplied to plants by foliar application resulted in a significant decrease in gray mold in plants grown with a low rate of K fertigation. Lower K fertigation resulted in a significant increase in B. cinerea infection under semi-commercial conditions. Gray mold severity in harvested shoots was significantly negatively correlated with K concentration in the irrigation solution, revealing resistance to B. cinerea infection as a result of high K concentration in sweet basil tissue. Gray mold was reduced following K foliar application of the plants. In general, there was no synergy between the fertigation and foliar spray treatments. Proper K fertilization can replace some of the required chemical fungicide treatments and it may be integrated into gray mold management for improved disease suppression.

Reduced volume of gray matter in patients with trigeminal neuralgia.

PubMed

Li, Meng; Yan, Jianhao; Li, Shumei; Wang, Tianyue; Zhan, Wenfeng; Wen, Hua; Ma, Xiaofen; Zhang, Yong; Tian, Junzhang; Jiang, Guihua

2017-04-01

Accumulating evidence from brain structural imaging studies has supported that chronic pain could induce changes in brain gray matter volume. However, few studies have focused on the gray matter alterations of Trigeminal neuralgia (TN). In this study, twenty-eight TN patients (thirteen females; mean age, 45.86 years ±11.17) and 28 healthy controls (HC; thirteen females; mean age, 44.89 years ±7.67) were included. Using voxel-based morphometry (VBM), we detected abnormalities in gray matter volume in the TN patients. Based on a voxel-wise analysis, the TN group showed significantly decreased gray matter volume in the bilateral superior/middle temporal gyrus (STG/MTG), bilateral parahippocampus, left anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), caudate nucleus, right fusiform gyrus, and right cerebellum compared with the HC. In addition, we found that the gray matter volume in the bilateral STG/MTG was negatively correlated with the duration of TN. These results provide compelling evidence for gray matter abnormalities in TN and suggest that the duration of TN may be a critical factor associated with brain alterations.

Effect of color visualization and display hardware on the visual assessment of pseudocolor medical images

PubMed Central

Zabala-Travers, Silvina; Choi, Mina; Cheng, Wei-Chung

2015-01-01

Purpose: Even though the use of color in the interpretation of medical images has increased significantly in recent years, the ad hoc manner in which color is handled and the lack of standard approaches have been associated with suboptimal and inconsistent diagnostic decisions with a negative impact on patient treatment and prognosis. The purpose of this study is to determine if the choice of color scale and display device hardware affects the visual assessment of patterns that have the characteristics of functional medical images. Methods: Perfusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was the basis for designing and performing experiments. Synthetic images resembling brain dynamic-contrast enhanced MRI consisting of scaled mixtures of white, lumpy, and clustered backgrounds were used to assess the performance of a rainbow (“jet”), a heated black-body (“hot”), and a gray (“gray”) color scale with display devices of different quality on the detection of small changes in color intensity. The authors used a two-alternative, forced-choice design where readers were presented with 600 pairs of images. Each pair consisted of two images of the same pattern flipped along the vertical axis with a small difference in intensity. Readers were asked to select the image with the highest intensity. Three differences in intensity were tested on four display devices: a medical-grade three-million-pixel display, a consumer-grade monitor, a tablet device, and a phone. Results: The estimates of percent correct show that jet outperformed hot and gray in the high and low range of the color scales for all devices with a maximum difference in performance of 18% (confidence intervals: 6%, 30%). Performance with hot was different for high and low intensity, comparable to jet for the high range, and worse than gray for lower intensity values. Similar performance was seen between devices using jet and hot, while gray performance was better for handheld devices. Time of performance was shorter with jet. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that the choice of color scale and display hardware affects the visual comparative analysis of pseudocolor images. Follow-up studies in clinical settings are being considered to confirm the results with patient images. PMID:26127048

White and gray pumice in pyroclastic deposits. (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wright, H. M.; Cashman, K. V.

2013-12-01

Many primary pyroclastic deposits contain at least two different colors of pumice, including volumetrically dominant white and subordinate gray. White pumice is vesicular, microlite-free, and in most cases represents direct samples of the principal magma reservoir. In contrast, subordinate gray pumice with lower vesicularity and/or more abundant microlites may sample either deep recharge OR shallow vanguard magma, where both may record information on eruption triggers. Pumice may appear gray for several reasons: 1. Gray pumice has a less-evolved bulk composition than white pumice. Presence of less-evolved (generally deep-derived) magma provides information about possible recharge magma and/or pre-eruptive compositional variation in the magma storage region. A well-known example of this difference is the 1912 eruption of Novarupta [Hildreth & Fierstein, 2012], which includes white (rhyolite) and gray (andesite and dacite) pumice. 2. Gray pumice contains elevated microlite number densities and/or microlite crystallinities and is compositionally similar to white pumice. a. Gray pumice contains abundant broken crystal fragments and lithic fragments. Broken crystals and incorporated white pumice indicate passage through the primary magma reservoir. Incorporated lithic fragments indicate breakage of wall rock and creation of new transport pathways. Microlites and breadcrusted surfaces indicate slow and/or episodic ascent at shallow levels. This textural association indicates that proto-gray pumice magma played an active role in creating a conduit to the surface. In some cases, small differences in chemistry may further indicate differences in magma batches (recharge pulses). This textural variation is found in the products of high-crystallinity large-volume (Plinian or boil-over style) eruptions, as in the Cerro Galan Ignimbrite, Argentina [Wright et al., 2011]. b. Gray pumice contains abundant microlites due to differences in decompression and/or cooling history. In this case, microlites indicate shallow degassing-induced crystallization, where proto-gray pumice forms vanguard magma or a shallow conduit plug. Gray pumice originating in a shallow conduit plug is common in Vulcanian and subPlinian silicic eruptions and is seen in the 1980 Plinian and subPlinian eruptions of Mount St. Helens [Klug & Cashman, 1994; Cashman & McConnell, 2005]. c. Gray pumice may record syn-eruptive changes in the magmatic system, often manifested as crystallization caused by either decompression or cooling [cf., Gurioli et al., 2005; Andrews & Gardner, 2010]. In summary, the compositional and textural complexities of gray pumice provide detail on pre- and syn-eruptive magmatic processes that may be impossible to obtain from (dominant) white pumice alone. Subtle compositional variations may characterize melts available to recharge and destabilize the upper magma reservoir, whereas crystal textures and compositions can be compared with experimental data to infer shallow magma ascent associated with conduit formation prior to climatic activity. Thus, analysis of gray pumice in pyroclastic deposits can yield new insight into the dynamics of eruptive processes.

Fighting in the Gray Zone: A Strategy to Close the Preemption Gap

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-06-12

FIGHTING IN THE GRAY ZONE: A STRATEGY TO CLOSE THE PREEMPTION GAP Joanne M. Fish, Commander, USN Samuel J. McCraw, Lieutenant Colonel...SUBTITLE FIGHTING IN THE GRAY ZONE: A STRATEGY TO CLOSE THE PREEMPTION GAP 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6...Classical) Forcible Counterproliferation Figure 10: WMD Acquisition in the Gray Zone FORCIBLE COUNTERPROLIFERATION: CLOSING THE STRATEGY GAP The

A Modified Mean Gray Wolf Optimization Approach for Benchmark and Biomedical Problems.

PubMed

Singh, Narinder; Singh, S B

2017-01-01

A modified variant of gray wolf optimization algorithm, namely, mean gray wolf optimization algorithm has been developed by modifying the position update (encircling behavior) equations of gray wolf optimization algorithm. The proposed variant has been tested on 23 standard benchmark well-known test functions (unimodal, multimodal, and fixed-dimension multimodal), and the performance of modified variant has been compared with particle swarm optimization and gray wolf optimization. Proposed algorithm has also been applied to the classification of 5 data sets to check feasibility of the modified variant. The results obtained are compared with many other meta-heuristic approaches, ie, gray wolf optimization, particle swarm optimization, population-based incremental learning, ant colony optimization, etc. The results show that the performance of modified variant is able to find best solutions in terms of high level of accuracy in classification and improved local optima avoidance.

Effect of bionic coupling units' forms on wear resistance of gray cast iron under dry linear reciprocating sliding condition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pang, Zuobo; Zhou, Hong; Xie, Guofeng; Cong, Dalong; Meng, Chao; Ren, Luquan

2015-07-01

In order to get close to the wear form of guide rails, the homemade linear reciprocating wear testing machine was used for the wear test. In order to improve the wear-resistance of gray cast iron guide rail, bionic coupling units of different forms were manufactured by a laser. Wear behavior of gray-cast-iron with bionic-coupling units has been studied under dry sliding condition at room temperature using the wear testing machine. The wear resistance was evaluated by means of weight loss measurement and wear morphology. The results indicated that bionic coupling unit could improve the wear resistance of gray cast iron. The wear resistance of gray cast iron with reticulation bionic coupling unit is the best. When the load and speed changed, reticulation bionic coupling unit still has excellent performance in improving the wear resistance of gray cast iron.

Substance use and regional gray matter volume in individuals at high risk of psychosis.

PubMed

Stone, James M; Bhattacharyya, Sagnik; Barker, Gareth J; McGuire, Philip K

2012-02-01

Individuals with an at risk mental state (ARMS) are at greatly increased risk of developing a psychotic illness. Risk of transition to psychosis is associated with regionally reduced cortical gray matter volume. There has been considerable interest in the interaction between psychosis risk and substance use. In this study we investigate the relationship between alcohol, cannabis and nicotine use with gray matter volume in ARMS subjects and healthy volunteers. Twenty seven ARMS subjects and 27 healthy volunteers took part in the study. All subjects underwent volumetric MRI imaging. The relationship between regional gray matter volume and cannabis use, smoking, and alcohol use in controls and ARMS subjects was analysed using voxel-based morphometry. In any region where a significant relationship with drug was present, data were analysed to determine if there was any group difference in this relationship. Alcohol intake was inversely correlated with gray matter volume in cerebellum, cannabis intake was use was inversely correlated with gray matter volume in prefrontal cortex and tobacco intake was inversely correlated with gray matter volume in left temporal cortex. There were no significant interactions by group in any region. There is no evidence to support the hypothesis of increased susceptibility to harmful effects of drugs and alcohol on regional gray matter in ARMS subjects. However, alcohol, tobacco and cannabis at low to moderate intake may be associated with lower gray matter in both ARMS subjects and healthy volunteers-possibly representing low-level cortical damage or change in neural plasticity. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Utilizing Mutual Information Analysis to Explore the Relationship Between Gray and White Matter Structural Pathologies in Schizophrenia.

PubMed

Lyall, Amanda E; Savadjiev, Peter; Del Re, Elisabetta C; Seitz, Johanna; O'Donnell, Lauren J; Westin, Carl-Fredrik; Mesholam-Gately, Raquelle I; Petryshen, Tracey; Wojcik, Joanne D; Nestor, Paul; Niznikiewicz, Margaret; Goldstein, Jill; Seidman, Larry J; McCarley, Robert W; Shenton, Martha E; Kubicki, Marek

2018-04-03

Schizophrenia has been characterized as a neurodevelopmental disorder, with structural brain abnormalities reported at all stages. However, at present, it remains unclear whether gray and white matter abnormalities represent related or independent pathologies in schizophrenia. In this study, we present findings from an integrative analysis exploring the morphological relationship between gray and white matter in 45 schizophrenia participants and 49 healthy controls. We utilized mutual information (MI), a measure of how much information two variables share, to assess the morphological dependence between gray and white matter in three segments of the corpus callsoum, and the gray matter regions these segments connect: (1) the genu and the left and right rostral middle frontal gyrus (rMFG), (2) the isthmus and the left and right superior temporal gyrus (STG), (3) the splenium and the left and right lateral occipital gyrus (LOG). We report significantly reduced MI between white matter tract dispersion of the right hemispheric callosal connections to the STG and both cortical thickness and area in the right STG in schizophrenia patients, despite a lack of group differences in cortical thickness, surface area, or dispersion. We believe that this reduction in morphological dependence between gray and white matter may reflect a possible decoupling of the developmental processes that shape morphological features of white and gray matter early in life. The present study also demonstrates the importance of studying the relationship between gray and white matter measures, as opposed to restricting analyses to gray and white matter measures independently.

Efficacy and Safety of Pueraria lobata Extract in Gray Hair Prevention: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study

PubMed Central

Jo, Seong Jin; Shin, Hyoseung; Paik, Seung Hwan; Na, Sun Jae; Jin, Yingji; Park, Won Seok; Kim, Su Na

2013-01-01

Background Graying of hair-a sign of aging-raises cosmetic concerns. Individuals with gray hair often look older than others their age; therefore, some dye their hair for aesthetic purposes. However, hair colorants can induce many problems including skin irritation, allergic reaction and hair-breakage. Objective This randomized, double-blind clinical trial was performed in order to examine the effects of APHG-1001, a compound including an extract from Pueraria lobata, on graying hair. Methods A total of 44 female subjects were randomly treated with either APHG-1001 or placebo twice daily for 24 weeks. Using the phototrichogram analysis, a count of newly developed gray hair was estimated. Investigator assessment and subject self-assessment were also performed in order to evaluate the efficacy of the compound. Results The mean number of newly developed gray hair at 24 weeks was 6.3/cm2 in the APHG-1001 group and 11.4/cm2 in the placebo group; the difference was statistically significant (p<0.05). However, the investigator assessment and subject self-assessment did not show any significant change in the gross appearance of hair grayness by the end of the study. No severe adverse events in either group were observed. Moreover, the incidence of adverse events did not differ between the groups. Conclusion This clinical trial revealed that APHG-1001, which contains an extract of P. lobata, could prevent the development of new gray hair without any remarkable adverse effects. Thus, it can be considered as a viable treatment option for the prevention of gray hair. PMID:23717015

Differential regional gray matter volumes in patients with on-line game addiction and professional gamers.

PubMed

Han, Doug Hyun; Lyoo, In Kyoon; Renshaw, Perry F

2012-04-01

Patients with on-line game addiction (POGA) and professional video game players play video games for extended periods of time, but experience very different consequences for their on-line game play. Brain regions consisting of anterior cingulate, thalamus and occpito-temporal areas may increase the likelihood of becoming a pro-gamer or POGA. Twenty POGA, seventeen pro-gamers, and eighteen healthy comparison subjects (HC) were recruited. All magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed on a 1.5 Tesla Espree MRI scanner (SIEMENS, Erlangen, Germany). Voxel-wise comparisons of gray matter volume were performed between the groups using the two-sample t-test with statistical parametric mapping (SPM5). Compared to HC, the POGA group showed increased impulsiveness and perseverative errors, and volume in left thalamus gray matter, but decreased gray matter volume in both inferior temporal gyri, right middle occipital gyrus, and left inferior occipital gyrus, compared with HC. Pro-gamers showed increased gray matter volume in left cingulate gyrus, but decreased gray matter volume in left middle occipital gyrus and right inferior temporal gyrus compared with HC. Additionally, the pro-gamer group showed increased gray matter volume in left cingulate gyrus and decreased left thalamus gray matter volume compared with the POGA group. The current study suggests that increased gray matter volumes of the left cingulate gyrus in pro-gamers and of the left thalamus in POGA may contribute to the different clinical characteristics of pro-gamers and POGA. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mechanical properties of gray and white matter brain tissue by indentation

PubMed Central

Budday, Silvia; Nay, Richard; de Rooij, Rijk; Steinmann, Paul; Wyrobek, Thomas; Ovaert, Timothy C.; Kuhl, Ellen

2015-01-01

The mammalian brain is composed of an outer layer of gray matter, consisting of cell bodies, dendrites, and unmyelinated axons, and an inner core of white matter, consisting primarily of myelinated axons. Recent evidence suggests that microstructural differences between gray and white matter play an important role during neurodevelopment. While brain tissue as a whole is rheologically well characterized, the individual features of gray and white matter remain poorly understood. Here we quantify the mechanical properties of gray and white matter using a robust, reliable, and repeatable method, flat-punch indentation. To systematically characterize gray and white matter moduli for varying indenter diameters, loading rates, holding times, post-mortem times, and locations we performed a series of n=192 indentation tests. We found that indenting thick, intact coronal slices eliminates the common challenges associated with small specimens: it naturally minimizes boundary effects, dehydration, swelling, and structural degradation. When kept intact and hydrated, brain slices maintained their mechanical characteristics with standard deviations as low as 5% throughout the entire testing period of five days post mortem. White matter, with an average modulus of 1.895kPa±0.592kPa, was on average 39% stiffer than gray matter, p<0.01, with an average modulus of 1.389kPa±0.289kPa, and displayed larger regional variations. It was also more viscous than gray matter and responded less rapidly to mechanical loading. Understanding the rheological differences between gray and white matter may have direct implications on diagnosing and understanding the mechanical environment in neurodevelopment and neurological disorders. PMID:25819199

Geographic applications of ERTS-1 data to landscape change

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rehder, J. B.

1973-01-01

The analysis of landscape change requires large area coverage on a periodic basis in order to analyze aggregate changes over an extended period of time. To date, only the ERTS program can provide this capability. Three avenues of experimentation and analysis are being used in the investigation: (1) a multi-scale sampling procedure utilizing aircraft imagery for ground truth and control; (2) a densitometric and computer analytical experiment for the analysis of gray tone signatures, comparisons and ultimately for landscape change detection and monitoring; and (3) an ERTS image enhancement procedure for the detection and analysis of photomorphic regions.

KSC-07pd2176

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-08-04

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA's Phoenix spacecraft begins its journey to Mars aboard a Delta II 7925 rocket at 5:26 a.m. EDT from Pad 17A at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Phoenix will land in icy soils near the north polar, permanent ice cap of Mars and explore the history of the water in these soils and any associated rocks, while monitoring polar climate. Landing on Mars is planned in May 2008 on arctic ground where a mission currently in orbit, Mars Odyssey, has detected high concentrations of ice just beneath the top layer of soil. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray and Robert Murray

Third Annual Foreign Acquisitions Workshop: Improving Access to Foreign Gray Literature

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1993-01-01

The theme of the Third Annual Foreign Acquisitions Workshop was the acquisition of and access to foreign (non-U.S.) gray literature. Individual presentations addressed general topics related to the value and scope of gray literature, specialized and foreign gray-literature sources, intellectual property issues, and U.S. Federal Agency activities. Additional topics focused on electronic access and evaluation techniques and the current and potential uses of networking technology. The workshop papers are presented in their entirety or in abstract or outline form. Appendices include a listing of databases that include foreign gray literature, a bibliography, and a report on U.S.-Japan cooperation in the use of scientific and technical information.

Multiparametric MRI characterization and prediction in autism spectrum disorder using graph theory and machine learning.

PubMed

Zhou, Yongxia; Yu, Fang; Duong, Timothy

2014-01-01

This study employed graph theory and machine learning analysis of multiparametric MRI data to improve characterization and prediction in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Data from 127 children with ASD (13.5±6.0 years) and 153 age- and gender-matched typically developing children (14.5±5.7 years) were selected from the multi-center Functional Connectome Project. Regional gray matter volume and cortical thickness increased, whereas white matter volume decreased in ASD compared to controls. Small-world network analysis of quantitative MRI data demonstrated decreased global efficiency based on gray matter cortical thickness but not with functional connectivity MRI (fcMRI) or volumetry. An integrative model of 22 quantitative imaging features was used for classification and prediction of phenotypic features that included the autism diagnostic observation schedule, the revised autism diagnostic interview, and intelligence quotient scores. Among the 22 imaging features, four (caudate volume, caudate-cortical functional connectivity and inferior frontal gyrus functional connectivity) were found to be highly informative, markedly improving classification and prediction accuracy when compared with the single imaging features. This approach could potentially serve as a biomarker in prognosis, diagnosis, and monitoring disease progression.

PET MRI Coregistration in Intractable Epilepsy and Gray Matter Heterotopia.

PubMed

Seniaray, Nikhil; Jain, Anuj

2017-03-01

A 25-year-old woman with intractable seizures underwent FDG PET/MRI for seizure focus localization. MRI demonstrated bilateral carpetlike nodular subependymal gray matter and asymmetrical focal dilatation in the right temporal horn. PET/MRI showed increased FDG within subependymal gray matter with significant hypometabolism in right anterior temporal lobe. EEG and ictal semiology confirmed the right temporal seizure origin. This case highlights the importance of identification of gray matter heterotopia on FDG PET/MRI.

Examining the effect of psychopathic traits on gray matter volume in a community substance abuse sample.

PubMed

Cope, Lora M; Shane, Matthew S; Segall, Judith M; Nyalakanti, Prashanth K; Stevens, Michael C; Pearlson, Godfrey D; Calhoun, Vince D; Kiehl, Kent A

2012-11-30

Psychopathy is believed to be associated with brain abnormalities in both paralimbic (i.e., orbitofrontal cortex, insula, temporal pole, parahippocampal gyrus, posterior cingulate) and limbic (i.e., amygdala, hippocampus, anterior cingulate) regions. Recent structural imaging studies in both community and prison samples are beginning to support this view. Sixty-six participants, recruited from community corrections centers, were administered the Hare psychopathy checklist-revised (PCL-R), and underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Voxel-based morphometry was used to test the hypothesis that psychopathic traits would be associated with gray matter reductions in limbic and paralimbic regions. Effects of lifetime drug and alcohol use on gray matter volume were covaried. Psychopathic traits were negatively associated with gray matter volumes in right insula and right hippocampus. Additionally, psychopathic traits were positively associated with gray matter volumes in bilateral orbital frontal cortex and right anterior cingulate. Exploratory regression analyses indicated that gray matter volumes within right hippocampus and left orbital frontal cortex combined to explain 21.8% of the variance in psychopathy scores. These results support the notion that psychopathic traits are associated with abnormal limbic and paralimbic gray matter volume. Furthermore, gray matter increases in areas shown to be functionally impaired suggest that the structure-function relationship may be more nuanced than previously thought. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Eye, nose, hair, and throat: external anatomy of the head of a neonate gray whale (Cetacea, Mysticeti, Eschrichtiidae).

PubMed

Berta, Annalisa; Ekdale, Eric G; Zellmer, Nicholas T; Deméré, Thomas A; Kienle, Sarah S; Smallcomb, Meghan

2015-04-01

Information is scarce on gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) anatomy and that of mysticetes in general. Dissection of the head of a neonatal gray whale revealed novel anatomical details of the eye, blowhole, incisive papilla with associated nasopalatine ducts, sensory hairs, and throat grooves. Compared to a similar sized right whale calf, the gray whale eyeball is nearly twice as long. The nasal cartilages of the gray whale, located between the blowholes, differ from the bowhead in having accessory cartilages. A small, fleshy incisive papilla bordered by two blind nasopalatine pits near the palate's rostral tip, previously undescribed in gray whales, may be associated with the vomeronasal organ, although histological evidence is needed for definitive identification. Less well known among mysticetes are the numerous elongated, stiff sensory hairs (vibrissae) observed on the gray whale rostrum from the ventral tip to the blowhole and on the mandible. These hairs are concentrated on the chin, and those on the lower jaw are arranged in a V-shaped pattern. We confirm the presence of two primary, anteriorly converging throat grooves, confined to the throat region similar to those of ziphiid and physeteroid odontocetes. A third, shorter groove occurs lateral to the left primary groove. The throat grooves in the gray whale have been implicated in gular expansion during suction feeding. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

In Vivo Evidence of Reduced Integrity of the Gray-White Matter Boundary in Autism Spectrum Disorder.

PubMed

Andrews, Derek Sayre; Avino, Thomas A; Gudbrandsen, Maria; Daly, Eileen; Marquand, Andre; Murphy, Clodagh M; Lai, Meng-Chuan; Lombardo, Michael V; Ruigrok, Amber N V; Williams, Steven C; Bullmore, Edward T; The Mrc Aims Consortium; Suckling, John; Baron-Cohen, Simon; Craig, Michael C; Murphy, Declan G M; Ecker, Christine

2017-02-01

Atypical cortical organization and reduced integrity of the gray-white matter boundary have been reported by postmortem studies in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, there are no in vivo studies that examine these particular features of cortical organization in ASD. Hence, we used structural magnetic resonance imaging to examine differences in tissue contrast between gray and white matter in 98 adults with ASD and 98 typically developing controls, to test the hypothesis that individuals with ASD have significantly reduced tissue contrast. More specifically, we examined contrast as a percentage between gray and white matter tissue signal intensities (GWPC) sampled at the gray-white matter boundary, and across different cortical layers. We found that individuals with ASD had significantly reduced GWPC in several clusters throughout the cortex (cluster, P < 0.05). As expected, these reductions were greatest when tissue intensities were sampled close to gray-white matter interface, which indicates a less distinct gray-white matter boundary in ASD. Our in vivo findings of reduced GWPC in ASD are therefore consistent with prior postmortem findings of a less well-defined gray-white matter boundary in ASD. Taken together, these results indicate that GWPC might be utilized as an in vivo proxy measure of atypical cortical microstructural organization in future studies. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press.

Age-Related Effects and Sex Differences in Gray Matter Density, Volume, Mass, and Cortical Thickness from Childhood to Young Adulthood.

PubMed

Gennatas, Efstathios D; Avants, Brian B; Wolf, Daniel H; Satterthwaite, Theodore D; Ruparel, Kosha; Ciric, Rastko; Hakonarson, Hakon; Gur, Raquel E; Gur, Ruben C

2017-05-17

Developmental structural neuroimaging studies in humans have long described decreases in gray matter volume (GMV) and cortical thickness (CT) during adolescence. Gray matter density (GMD), a measure often assumed to be highly related to volume, has not been systematically investigated in development. We used T1 imaging data collected on the Philadelphia Neurodevelopmental Cohort to study age-related effects and sex differences in four regional gray matter measures in 1189 youths ranging in age from 8 to 23 years. Custom T1 segmentation and a novel high-resolution gray matter parcellation were used to extract GMD, GMV, gray matter mass (GMM; defined as GMD × GMV), and CT from 1625 brain regions. Nonlinear models revealed that each modality exhibits unique age-related effects and sex differences. While GMV and CT generally decrease with age, GMD increases and shows the strongest age-related effects, while GMM shows a slight decline overall. Females have lower GMV but higher GMD than males throughout the brain. Our findings suggest that GMD is a prime phenotype for the assessment of brain development and likely cognition and that periadolescent gray matter loss may be less pronounced than previously thought. This work highlights the need for combined quantitative histological MRI studies. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT This study demonstrates that different MRI-derived gray matter measures show distinct age and sex effects and should not be considered equivalent but complementary. It is shown for the first time that gray matter density increases from childhood to young adulthood, in contrast with gray matter volume and cortical thickness, and that females, who are known to have lower gray matter volume than males, have higher density throughout the brain. A custom preprocessing pipeline and a novel high-resolution parcellation were created to analyze brain scans of 1189 youths collected as part of the Philadelphia Neurodevelopmental Cohort. A clear understanding of normal structural brain development is essential for the examination of brain-behavior relationships, the study of brain disease, and, ultimately, clinical applications of neuroimaging. Copyright © 2017 the authors 0270-6474/17/375065-09$15.00/0.

Fibromyalgia interacts with age to change the brain☆☆☆

PubMed Central

Ceko, Marta; Bushnell, M. Catherine; Fitzcharles, Mary-Ann; Schweinhardt, Petra

2013-01-01

Although brain plasticity in the form of gray matter increases and decreases has been observed in chronic pain, factors determining the patterns of directionality are largely unknown. Here we tested the hypothesis that fibromyalgia interacts with age to produce distinct patterns of gray matter differences, specifically increases in younger and decreases in older patients, when compared to age-matched healthy controls. The relative contribution of pain duration was also investigated. Regional gray matter was measured in younger (n = 14, mean age 43, range 29–49) and older (n = 14; mean age 55, range 51–60) female fibromyalgia patients and matched controls using voxel-based morphometry and cortical thickness analysis of T1-weighted magnetic resonance images. To examine their functional significance, gray matter differences were compared with experimental pain sensitivity. Diffusion-tensor imaging was used to assess whether white matter changed in parallel with gray matter, and resting-state fMRI was acquired to examine whether pain-related gray matter changes are associated with altered functional connectivity. Older patients showed exclusively decreased gray matter, accompanied by compromised white matter integrity. In contrast, younger patients showed exclusively gray matter increases, namely in the basal ganglia and insula, which were independent of pain duration. Associated white matter changes in younger patients were compatible with gray matter hypertrophy. In both age groups, structural brain alterations were associated with experimental pain sensitivity, which was increased in older patients but normal in younger patients. Whereas more pronounced gray matter decreases in the posterior cingulate cortex were related to increased experimental pain sensitivity in older patients, insular gray matter increases in younger patients correlated with lower pain sensitivity, possibly indicating the recruitment of endogenous pain modulatory mechanisms. This is supported by the finding that the insula in younger patients showed functional decoupling from an important pain-processing region, the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex. These results suggest that brain structure and function shift from being adaptive in younger to being maladaptive in older patients, which might have important treatment implications. PMID:24273710

Reference tissue normalization in longitudinal (18)F-florbetapir positron emission tomography of late mild cognitive impairment.

PubMed

Shokouhi, Sepideh; Mckay, John W; Baker, Suzanne L; Kang, Hakmook; Brill, Aaron B; Gwirtsman, Harry E; Riddle, William R; Claassen, Daniel O; Rogers, Baxter P

2016-01-15

Semiquantitative methods such as the standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR) require normalization of the radiotracer activity to a reference tissue to monitor changes in the accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques measured with positron emission tomography (PET). The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of reference tissue normalization in a test-retest (18)F-florbetapir SUVR study using cerebellar gray matter, white matter (two different segmentation masks), brainstem, and corpus callosum as reference regions. We calculated the correlation between (18)F-florbetapir PET and concurrent cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) Aβ1-42 levels in a late mild cognitive impairment cohort with longitudinal PET and CSF data over the course of 2 years. In addition to conventional SUVR analysis using mean and median values of normalized brain radiotracer activity, we investigated a new image analysis technique-the weighted two-point correlation function (wS2)-to capture potentially more subtle changes in Aβ-PET data. Compared with the SUVRs normalized to cerebellar gray matter, all cerebral-to-white matter normalization schemes resulted in a higher inverse correlation between PET and CSF Aβ1-42, while the brainstem normalization gave the best results (high and most stable correlation). Compared with the SUVR mean and median values, the wS2 values were associated with the lowest coefficient of variation and highest inverse correlation to CSF Aβ1-42 levels across all time points and reference regions, including the cerebellar gray matter. The selection of reference tissue for normalization and the choice of image analysis method can affect changes in cortical (18)F-florbetapir uptake in longitudinal studies.

A three-gene panel on urine increases PSA specificity in the detection of prostate cancer.

PubMed

Rigau, Marina; Ortega, Israel; Mir, Maria Carmen; Ballesteros, Carlos; Garcia, Marta; Llauradó, Marta; Colás, Eva; Pedrola, Núria; Montes, Melania; Sequeiros, Tamara; Ertekin, Tugce; Majem, Blanca; Planas, Jacques; Ruiz, Anna; Abal, Miguel; Sánchez, Alex; Morote, Juan; Reventós, Jaume; Doll, Andreas

2011-12-01

Several studies have demonstrated the usefulness of monitoring an RNA transcript, such as PCA3, in post-prostate massage (PM) urine for increasing the specificity of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in the detection of prostate cancer (PCa). However, a single marker may not necessarily reflect the multifactorial nature of PCa. We analyzed post-PM urine samples from 154 consecutive patients, who presented for prostate biopsies because of elevated serum PSA (>4 ng/ml) and/or abnormal digital rectal exam. We tested whether the putative PCa biomarkers PSMA, PSGR, and PCA3 could be detected by quantitative real-time PCR in post-PM urine sediment. We combined these findings to test if a combination of these biomarkers could improve the specificity of actual diagnosis. Afterwards, we specifically tested our model for clinical usefulness in the PSA diagnostic "gray zone" (4-10 ng/ml) on a target subset of 82 men with no prior biopsy. By univariate analysis, we found that the PSMA, PSGR, and PCA3 scores were significant predictors of PCa. Using a multiplex model, the area under the multi receiver-operating characteristic curve was 0.74 versus 0.82 in the diagnostic "gray zone." Fixing the sensitivity at 96%, we obtained a specificity of 34% and 50% in the gray zone. Taken together, these results provide a strategy for the development of a more accurate model for PCa diagnosis. In the future, a multiplexed, urine-based diagnostic test for PCa with a higher specificity, but the same sensitivity as the serum-PSA test, could be used to determine better which patients should undergo biopsy. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Discovery of a “White-Gray-Opaque” Tristable Phenotypic Switching System in Candida albicans: Roles of Non-genetic Diversity in Host Adaptation

PubMed Central

Guan, Guobo; Dai, Yu; Nobile, Clarissa J.; Liang, Weihong; Cao, Chengjun; Zhang, Qiuyu; Zhong, Jin; Huang, Guanghua

2014-01-01

Non-genetic phenotypic variations play a critical role in the adaption to environmental changes in microbial organisms. Candida albicans, a major human fungal pathogen, can switch between several morphological phenotypes. This ability is critical for its commensal lifestyle and for its ability to cause infections. Here, we report the discovery of a novel morphological form in C. albicans, referred to as the “gray” phenotype, which forms a tristable phenotypic switching system with the previously reported white and opaque phenotypes. White, gray, and opaque cell types differ in a number of aspects including cellular and colony appearances, mating competency, secreted aspartyl proteinase (Sap) activities, and virulence. Of the three cell types, gray cells exhibit the highest Sap activity and the highest ability to cause cutaneous infections. The three phenotypes form a tristable phenotypic switching system, which is independent of the regulation of the mating type locus (MTL). Gray cells mate over 1,000 times more efficiently than do white cells, but less efficiently than do opaque cells. We further demonstrate that the master regulator of white-opaque switching, Wor1, is essential for opaque cell formation, but is not required for white-gray transitions. The Efg1 regulator is required for maintenance of the white phenotype, but is not required for gray-opaque transitions. Interestingly, the wor1/wor1 efg1/efg1 double mutant is locked in the gray phenotype, suggesting that Wor1 and Efg1 could function coordinately and play a central role in the regulation of gray cell formation. Global transcriptional analysis indicates that white, gray, and opaque cells exhibit distinct gene expression profiles, which partly explain their differences in causing infections, adaptation ability to diverse host niches, metabolic profiles, and stress responses. Therefore, the white-gray-opaque tristable phenotypic switching system in C. albicans may play a significant role in a wide range of biological aspects in this common commensal and pathogenic fungus. PMID:24691005

Lack of gender effects on gray matter volumes in adolescent generalized anxiety disorder.

PubMed

Liao, Mei; Yang, Fan; Zhang, Yan; He, Zhong; Su, Linyan; Li, Lingjiang

2014-02-01

Previous epidemiological and clinical studies have reported gender differences in prevalence and clinical features of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Such gender differences in clinical phenomenology suggest that the underlying neural circuitry of GAD could also be different in males and females. This study aimed to explore the possible gender effect on gray matter volumes in adolescents with GAD. Twenty-six adolescent GAD patients and 25 healthy controls participated and underwent high-resolution structural magnetic resonance scans. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) was used to investigate gray matter alterations. Our study revealed a significant diagnosis main effect in the right putamen, with larger gray matter volumes in GAD patients compared to healthy controls, and a significant gender main effect in the left precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex, with larger gray matter volumes in males compared to females. No gender-by-diagnosis interaction effect was found in this study. The relatively small sample size in this study might result in a lack of power to demonstrate gender effects on brain structure in GAD. The results suggested that there are differences in gray matter volumes between males and females, but gray matter volumes in GAD are not influenced by gender. © 2013 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Color reproduction software for a digital still camera

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Bong S.; Park, Du-Sik; Nam, Byung D.

1998-04-01

We have developed a color reproduction software for a digital still camera. The image taken by the camera was colorimetrically reproduced on the monitor after characterizing the camera and the monitor, and color matching between two devices. The reproduction was performed at three levels; level processing, gamma correction, and color transformation. The image contrast was increased after the level processing adjusting the level of dark and bright portions of the image. The relationship between the level processed digital values and the measured luminance values of test gray samples was calculated, and the gamma of the camera was obtained. The method for getting the unknown monitor gamma was proposed. As a result, the level processed values were adjusted by the look-up table created by the camera and the monitor gamma correction. For a color transformation matrix for the camera, 3 by 3 or 3 by 4 matrix was used, which was calculated by the regression between the gamma corrected values and the measured tristimulus values of each test color samples the various reproduced images were displayed on the dialogue box implemented in our software, which were generated according to four illuminations for the camera and three color temperatures for the monitor. An user can easily choose he best reproduced image comparing each others.

Reduced Brain Gray Matter Concentration in Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome

PubMed Central

Joo, Eun Yeon; Tae, Woo Suk; Lee, Min Joo; Kang, Jung Woo; Park, Hwan Seok; Lee, Jun Young; Suh, Minah; Hong, Seung Bong

2010-01-01

Study Objectives: To investigate differences in brain gray matter concentrations or volumes in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSA) and healthy volunteers. Designs: Optimized voxel-based morphometry, an automated processing technique for MRI, was used to characterize structural differences in gray matter in newly diagnosed male patients. Setting: University hospital Patients and Participants: The study consisted of 36 male OSA and 31 non-apneic male healthy volunteers matched for age (mean age, 44.8 years). Interventions: Using the t-test, gray matter differences were identified. The statistical significance level was set to a false discovery rate P < 0.05 with an extent threshold of kE > 200 voxels. Measurements and Results: The mean apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) of patients was 52.5/ h. On visual inspection of MRI, no structural abnormalities were observed. Compared to healthy volunteers, the gray matter concentrations of OSA patients were significantly decreased in the left gyrus rectus, bilateral superior frontal gyri, left precentral gyrus, bilateral frontomarginal gyri, bilateral anterior cingulate gyri, right insular gyrus, bilateral caudate nuclei, bilateral thalami, bilateral amygdalo-hippocampi, bilateral inferior temporal gyri, and bilateral quadrangular and biventer lobules in the cerebellum (false discovery rate P < 0.05). Gray matter volume was not different between OSA patients and healthy volunteers. Conclusions: The brain gray matter deficits may suggest that memory impairment, affective and cardiovascular disturbances, executive dysfunctions, and dysregulation of autonomic and respiratory control frequently found in OSA patients might be related to morphological differences in the brain gray matter areas. Citation: Joo EY; Tae WS; Lee MJ; Kang JW; Park HS; Lee JY; Suh M; Hong SB. Reduced brain gray matter concentration in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. SLEEP 2010;33(2):235-241. PMID:20175407

Differential vulnerability of gray matter and white matter to intrauterine growth restriction in preterm infants at 12 months corrected age.

PubMed

Padilla, Nelly; Junqué, Carme; Figueras, Francesc; Sanz-Cortes, Magdalena; Bargalló, Núria; Arranz, Angela; Donaire, Antonio; Figueras, Josep; Gratacos, Eduard

2014-01-30

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is associated with a high risk of abnormal neurodevelopment. Underlying neuroanatomical substrates are partially documented. We hypothesized that at 12 months preterm infants would evidence specific white-matter microstructure alterations and gray-matter differences induced by severe IUGR. Twenty preterm infants with IUGR (26-34 weeks of gestation) were compared with 20 term-born infants and 20 appropriate for gestational age preterm infants of similar gestational age. Preterm groups showed no evidence of brain abnormalities. At 12 months, infants were scanned sleeping naturally. Gray-matter volumes were studied with voxel-based morphometry. White-matter microstructure was examined using tract-based spatial statistics. The relationship between diffusivity indices in white matter, gray matter volumes, and perinatal data was also investigated. Gray-matter decrements attributable to IUGR comprised amygdala, basal ganglia, thalamus and insula bilaterally, left occipital and parietal lobes, and right perirolandic area. Gray-matter volumes positively correlated with birth weight exclusively. Preterm infants had reduced FA in the corpus callosum, and increased FA in the anterior corona radiata. Additionally, IUGR infants had increased FA in the forceps minor, internal and external capsules, uncinate and fronto-occipital white matter tracts. Increased axial diffusivity was observed in several white matter tracts. Fractional anisotropy positively correlated with birth weight and gestational age at birth. These data suggest that IUGR differentially affects gray and white matter development preferentially affecting gray matter. At 12 months IUGR is associated with a specific set of structural gray-matter decrements. White matter follows an unusual developmental pattern, and is apparently affected by IUGR and prematurity combined. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Topology of genetic associations between regional gray matter volume and intellectual ability: Evidence for a high capacity network.

PubMed

Bohlken, Marc M; Brouwer, Rachel M; Mandl, René C W; Hedman, Anna M; van den Heuvel, Martijn P; van Haren, Neeltje E M; Kahn, René S; Hulshoff Pol, Hilleke E

2016-01-01

Intelligence is associated with a network of distributed gray matter areas including the frontal and parietal higher association cortices and primary processing areas of the temporal and occipital lobes. Efficient information transfer between gray matter regions implicated in intelligence is thought to be critical for this trait to emerge. Genetic factors implicated in intelligence and gray matter may promote a high capacity for information transfer. Whether these genetic factors act globally or on local gray matter areas separately is not known. Brain maps of phenotypic and genetic associations between gray matter volume and intelligence were made using structural equation modeling of 3T MRI T1-weighted scans acquired in 167 adult twins of the newly acquired U-TWIN cohort. Subsequently, structural connectivity analyses (DTI) were performed to test the hypothesis that gray matter regions associated with intellectual ability form a densely connected core. Gray matter regions associated with intellectual ability were situated in the right prefrontal, bilateral temporal, bilateral parietal, right occipital and subcortical regions. Regions implicated in intelligence had high structural connectivity density compared to 10,000 reference networks (p=0.031). The genetic association with intelligence was for 39% explained by a genetic source unique to these regions (independent of total brain volume), this source specifically implicated the right supramarginal gyrus. Using a twin design, we show that intelligence is genetically represented in a spatially distributed and densely connected network of gray matter regions providing a high capacity infrastructure. Although genes for intelligence have overlap with those for total brain volume, we present evidence that there are genes for intelligence that act specifically on the subset of brain areas that form an efficient brain network. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Migratory behavior of eastern North Pacific gray whales tracked using a hydrophone array

PubMed Central

Helble, Tyler A.; D’Spain, Gerald L.; Weller, David W.; Wiggins, Sean M.; Hildebrand, John A.

2017-01-01

Eastern North Pacific gray whales make one of the longest annual migrations of any mammal, traveling from their summer feeding areas in the Bering and Chukchi Seas to their wintering areas in the lagoons of Baja California, Mexico. Although a significant body of knowledge on gray whale biology and behavior exists, little is known about their vocal behavior while migrating. In this study, we used a sparse hydrophone array deployed offshore of central California to investigate how gray whales behave and use sound while migrating. We detected, localized, and tracked whales for one full migration season, a first for gray whales. We verified and localized 10,644 gray whale M3 calls and grouped them into 280 tracks. Results confirm that gray whales are acoustically active while migrating and their swimming and acoustic behavior changes on daily and seasonal time scales. The seasonal timing of the calls verifies the gray whale migration timing determined using other methods such as counts conducted by visual observers. The total number of calls and the percentage of calls that were part of a track changed significantly over both seasonal and daily time scales. An average calling rate of 5.7 calls/whale/day was observed, which is significantly greater than previously reported migration calling rates. We measured a mean speed of 1.6 m/s and quantified heading, direction, and water depth where tracks were located. Mean speed and water depth remained constant between night and day, but these quantities had greater variation at night. Gray whales produce M3 calls with a root mean square source level of 156.9 dB re 1 μPa at 1 m. Quantities describing call characteristics were variable and dependent on site-specific propagation characteristics. PMID:29084266

Accelerated Gray and White Matter Deterioration With Age in Schizophrenia.

PubMed

Cropley, Vanessa L; Klauser, Paul; Lenroot, Rhoshel K; Bruggemann, Jason; Sundram, Suresh; Bousman, Chad; Pereira, Avril; Di Biase, Maria A; Weickert, Thomas W; Weickert, Cynthia Shannon; Pantelis, Christos; Zalesky, Andrew

2017-03-01

Although brain changes in schizophrenia have been proposed to mirror those found with advancing age, the trajectory of gray matter and white matter changes during the disease course remains unclear. The authors sought to measure whether these changes in individuals with schizophrenia remain stable, are accelerated, or are diminished with age. Gray matter volume and fractional anisotropy were mapped in 326 individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder and in 197 healthy comparison subjects aged 20-65 years. Polynomial regression was used to model the influence of age on gray matter volume and fractional anisotropy at a whole-brain and voxel level. Between-group differences in gray matter volume and fractional anisotropy were regionally localized across the lifespan using permutation testing and cluster-based inference. Significant loss of gray matter volume was evident in schizophrenia, progressively worsening with age to a maximal loss of 8% in the seventh decade of life. The inferred rate of gray matter volume loss was significantly accelerated in schizophrenia up to middle age and plateaued thereafter. In contrast, significant reductions in fractional anisotropy emerged in schizophrenia only after age 35, and the rate of fractional anisotropy deterioration with age was constant and best modeled with a straight line. The slope of this line was 60% steeper in schizophrenia relative to comparison subjects, indicating a significantly faster rate of white matter deterioration with age. The rates of reduction of gray matter volume and fractional anisotropy were significantly faster in males than in females, but an interaction between sex and diagnosis was not evident. The findings suggest that schizophrenia is characterized by an initial, rapid rate of gray matter loss that slows in middle life, followed by the emergence of a deficit in white matter that progressively worsens with age at a constant rate.

TLR4 Methylation Moderates the Relationship Between Alcohol Use Severity and Gray Matter Loss.

PubMed

Karoly, Hollis C; Thayer, Rachel E; Hagerty, Sarah L; Hutchison, Kent E

2017-09-01

Alcohol use disorders (AUDs) are associated with decreased gray matter, and neuroinflammation is one mechanism through which alcohol may confer such damage, given that heavy alcohol use may promote neural damage via activation of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)-mediated inflammatory signaling cascades. We previously demonstrated that TLR4 is differentially methylated in AUD compared with control subjects, and the present study aims to extend this work by examining whether TLR4 methylation moderates the relationship between alcohol use and gray matter. We examined TLR4 methylation and gray matter thickness in a large sample (N = 707; 441 males) of adults (ages 18-56) reporting a range of AUD severity (mean Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test score = 13.18; SD = 8.02). We used a series of ordinary least squares multiple regression equations to regress gray matter in four bilateral brain regions (precuneus, lateral orbitofrontal, inferior parietal, and superior temporal) on alcohol use, TLR4 methylation, and their interaction, controlling for demographic, psychological, and other substance use variables. After we corrected for multiple tests, a significant Alcohol × TLR4 Methylation interaction emerged in the equations modeling left precuneus and right inferior parietal gray matter. Follow-up analyses examining the nature of these interactions demonstrated a significant negative association between alcohol and precuneus and inferior parietal gray matter in individuals with low TLR4 methylation, but no relationship between alcohol and gray matter in the high methylation group. These findings suggest that TLR4 methylation may be protective against the damage conferred by alcohol on precuneus and inferior parietal gray matter, thereby implicating TLR4 for further investigation as a possible AUD treatment target.

Gray matter abnormalities in pediatric autism spectrum disorder: a meta-analysis with signed differential mapping.

PubMed

Liu, Jieke; Yao, Li; Zhang, Wenjing; Xiao, Yuan; Liu, Lu; Gao, Xin; Shah, Chandan; Li, Siyi; Tao, Bo; Gong, Qiyong; Lui, Su

2017-08-01

The gray matter abnormalities revealed by magnetic resonance imaging are inconsistent, especially in pediatric individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (age < 18 years old), a phenomenon possibly related to the core pathophysiology of ASD. The purpose of our meta-analysis was to identify and map the specific gray matter abnormalities in pediatric ASD individuals thereby exploring the potential effects of clinical and demographic characteristics of these gray matter changes. A systematic search was conducted to identify voxel-based morphometry studies in pediatric individuals with ASD. The effect-size signed differential mapping method was used to quantitatively estimate the regional gray matter abnormalities in pediatric ASD individuals. Meta-regression was used to examine the associations among age, gender, intelligence quotient, symptom severity and gray matter changes. Fifteen studies including 364 pediatric individuals with ASD (male = 282, age = 10.3 ± 4.4 years) and 377 healthy controls (male = 289, age = 10.5 ± 4.2 years) were included. Pediatric ASD individuals showed significant gray matter increases in the right angular gyrus, left superior and middle frontal gyrus, left precuneus, left inferior occipital gyrus and right inferior temporal gyrus, most of which involving the default mode network, and decreases in the left cerebellum and left postcentral gyrus. The meta-regression analysis showed that the repetitive behavior scores of the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised were positively associated with increased gray matter volumes in the right angular gyrus. Increased rather than decreased gray matter volume, especially involving the angular gyrus and prefrontal cortex may be the core pathophysiology in the early course of ASD.

Migratory behavior of eastern North Pacific gray whales tracked using a hydrophone array.

PubMed

Guazzo, Regina A; Helble, Tyler A; D'Spain, Gerald L; Weller, David W; Wiggins, Sean M; Hildebrand, John A

2017-01-01

Eastern North Pacific gray whales make one of the longest annual migrations of any mammal, traveling from their summer feeding areas in the Bering and Chukchi Seas to their wintering areas in the lagoons of Baja California, Mexico. Although a significant body of knowledge on gray whale biology and behavior exists, little is known about their vocal behavior while migrating. In this study, we used a sparse hydrophone array deployed offshore of central California to investigate how gray whales behave and use sound while migrating. We detected, localized, and tracked whales for one full migration season, a first for gray whales. We verified and localized 10,644 gray whale M3 calls and grouped them into 280 tracks. Results confirm that gray whales are acoustically active while migrating and their swimming and acoustic behavior changes on daily and seasonal time scales. The seasonal timing of the calls verifies the gray whale migration timing determined using other methods such as counts conducted by visual observers. The total number of calls and the percentage of calls that were part of a track changed significantly over both seasonal and daily time scales. An average calling rate of 5.7 calls/whale/day was observed, which is significantly greater than previously reported migration calling rates. We measured a mean speed of 1.6 m/s and quantified heading, direction, and water depth where tracks were located. Mean speed and water depth remained constant between night and day, but these quantities had greater variation at night. Gray whales produce M3 calls with a root mean square source level of 156.9 dB re 1 μPa at 1 m. Quantities describing call characteristics were variable and dependent on site-specific propagation characteristics.

Severe maxillary osteomyelitis in a Gray Wolf (Canis lupus)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Barber-Meyer, Shannon

2012-01-01

Dental injuries to or abnormalities in functionally important teeth and associated bones in predators may significantly reduce the ability to kill and consume prey (Lazar et al. 2009). This impairment is likely exacerbated in coursing predators, such as Gray Wolves, that bite and hold onto fleeing and kicking prey with their teeth. Damage to carnassials (upper fourth premolar, P4, and lower first molar, M1) and associated bones in Gray Wolves may especially inhibit the consumption of prey because these teeth slice meat and crush bone. Here I report maxillary osteomyelitis involving the carnassials in a wild Gray Wolf from northeastern Minnesota of such severity that I hypothesize it ultimately caused the Gray Wolf to starve to death.

77 FR 25664 - Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Removal of the Gray Wolf in Wyoming From the...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-05-01

... the gray wolf (Canis lupus) in Wyoming from the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife. This... 5, 2011, proposal (76 FR 61782) to remove the gray wolf (Canis lupus) in Wyoming from the List of...

An improved driving waveform reference grayscale of electrophoretic displays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Li; Yi, Zichuan; Peng, Bao; Zhou, Guofu

2015-10-01

Driving waveform is an important component for gray scale display on the electrophoretic display (EPD). In the traditional driving waveform, a white reference gray scale is formed before writing a new image. However, the reflectance value can not reach agreement in each gray scale transformation. In this paper, a new driving waveform, which has a short waiting time after the formation of reference gray scale, is proposed to improve the consistency of reference gray scale. Firstly, the property of the particles in the microcapsule is analyzed and the change of the EPD reflectance after the white reference gray scale formation is studied. Secondly, the reflectance change curve is fitted by using polynomial and the duration of the waiting time is determined. Thirdly, a set of the new driving waveform is designed by using the rule of DC balance and some real E-ink commercial EPDs are used to test the performance. Experimental results show that the effect of the new driving waveform has a better performance than traditional waveforms.

Multiwavelength pyrometer for gray and non-gray surfaces in the presence of interfering radiation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ng, Daniel L. P. (Inventor)

1994-01-01

A method and apparatus for detecting the temperature of gray and non-gray bodies in the presence of interfering radiation are presented. A gray body has a constant emissivity less than 1 and a non-gray body has an emissivity which varies with wavelength. The emissivity and reflectivity of the surface is determined over a range of wavelengths. Spectra are also measured of the extraneous interference radiation source and the surface of the object to be measured in the presence of the extraneous interference radiation source. An auxiliary radiation source is used to determine the reflectivity of the surface and also the emissivity. The measured spectrum of the surfaces in the presence of the extraneous interference radiation source is set equal to the emissivity of the surface multiplied by a Planck function containing a temperature term T plus the surface reflectivity multiplied by the spectrum of the extraneous interference radiation source. The equation is then solved for T to determine the temperature of the surface.

Fully-integrated framework for the segmentation and registration of the spinal cord white and gray matter.

PubMed

Dupont, Sara M; De Leener, Benjamin; Taso, Manuel; Le Troter, Arnaud; Nadeau, Sylvie; Stikov, Nikola; Callot, Virginie; Cohen-Adad, Julien

2017-04-15

The spinal cord white and gray matter can be affected by various pathologies such as multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or trauma. Being able to precisely segment the white and gray matter could help with MR image analysis and hence be useful in further understanding these pathologies, and helping with diagnosis/prognosis and drug development. Up to date, white/gray matter segmentation has mostly been done manually, which is time consuming, induces a bias related to the rater and prevents large-scale multi-center studies. Recently, few methods have been proposed to automatically segment the spinal cord white and gray matter. However, no single method exists that combines the following criteria: (i) fully automatic, (ii) works on various MRI contrasts, (iii) robust towards pathology and (iv) freely available and open source. In this study we propose a multi-atlas based method for the segmentation of the spinal cord white and gray matter that addresses the previous limitations. Moreover, to study the spinal cord morphology, atlas-based approaches are increasingly used. These approaches rely on the registration of a spinal cord template to an MR image, however the registration usually doesn't take into account the spinal cord internal structure and thus lacks accuracy. In this study, we propose a new template registration framework that integrates the white and gray matter segmentation to account for the specific gray matter shape of each individual subject. Validation of segmentation was performed in 24 healthy subjects using T 2 * -weighted images, in 8 healthy subjects using diffusion weighted images (exhibiting inverted white-to-gray matter contrast compared to T 2 *-weighted), and in 5 patients with spinal cord injury. The template registration was validated in 24 subjects using T 2 *-weighted data. Results of automatic segmentation on T 2 *-weighted images was in close correspondence with the manual segmentation (Dice coefficient in the white/gray matter of 0.91/0.71 respectively). Similarly, good results were obtained in data with inverted contrast (diffusion-weighted image) and in patients. When compared to the classical template registration framework, the proposed framework that accounts for gray matter shape significantly improved the quality of the registration (comparing Dice coefficient in gray matter: p=9.5×10 -6 ). While further validation is needed to show the benefits of the new registration framework in large cohorts and in a variety of patients, this study provides a fully-integrated tool for quantitative assessment of white/gray matter morphometry and template-based analysis. All the proposed methods are implemented in the Spinal Cord Toolbox (SCT), an open-source software for processing spinal cord multi-parametric MRI data. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Monitoring of Olympic National Park Beaches to determine fate and effects of spilled bunker C fuel oil

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

Strand, J.A.; Cullinan, V.I.; Crecelius, E.A.

1990-10-01

On December 23, 1988, the barge Nestucca was accidentally struck by its tow, a Souse Brothers Towing Company tug, releasing approximately 230,000 gallons of Bunker C fuel oil and fouling beaches from Grays Harbor north to Vancouver Island. Affected beaches in Washington included a 40-mile-long strip that has been recently added to Olympic National Park. The purpose of the monitoring program documented in this report was to determine the fate of spilled Bunker C fuel oil on selected Washington coastal beaches. We sought to determine (1) how much oil remained in intertidal and shallow subtidal habitats following clean-up and weathering,more » (2) to what extent intertidal and/or shallow subtidal biotic assemblages have been contaminated, and (3) how rapidly the oil has left the ecosystem. 45 refs., 18 figs., 8 tabs.« less

Gray matter morphological anomalies in the cerebellar vermis in first-episode schizophrenia patients with cognitive deficits.

PubMed

Wang, Jingjuan; Zhou, Li; Cui, Chunlei; Liu, Zhening; Lu, Jie

2017-11-22

Cognitive deficits are a core feature of early schizophrenia. However, the pathological foundations underlying cognitive deficits are still unknown. The present study examined the association between gray matter density and cognitive deficits in first-episode schizophrenia. Structural magnetic resonance imaging of the brain was performed in 34 first-episode schizophrenia patients and 21 healthy controls. Patients were divided into two subgroups according to working memory task performance. The three groups were well matched for age, gender, and education, and the two patient groups were also further matched for diagnosis, duration of illness, and antipsychotic treatment. Voxel-based morphometric analysis was performed to estimate changes in gray matter density in first-episode schizophrenia patients with cognitive deficits. The relationships between gray matter density and clinical outcomes were explored. Patients with cognitive deficits were found to have reduced gray matter density in the vermis and tonsil of cerebellum compared with patients without cognitive deficits and healthy controls, decreased gray matter density in left supplementary motor area, bilateral precentral gyrus compared with patients without cognitive deficits. Classifier results showed GMD in cerebellar vermis tonsil cluster could differentiate SZ-CD from controls, left supplementary motor area cluster could differentiate SZ-CD from SZ-NCD. Gray matter density values of the cerebellar vermis cluster in patients groups were positively correlated with cognitive severity. Decreased gray matter density in the vermis and tonsil of cerebellum may underlie early psychosis and serve as a candidate biomarker for schizophrenia with cognitive deficits.

Correlation between white matter damage and gray matter lesions in multiple sclerosis patients.

PubMed

Han, Xue-Mei; Tian, Hong-Ji; Han, Zheng; Zhang, Ce; Liu, Ying; Gu, Jie-Bing; Bakshi, Rohit; Cao, Xia

2017-05-01

We observed the characteristics of white matter fibers and gray matter in multiple sclerosis patients, to identify changes in diffusion tensor imaging fractional anisotropy values following white matter fiber injury. We analyzed the correlation between fractional anisotropy values and changes in whole-brain gray matter volume. The participants included 20 patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis and 20 healthy volunteers as controls. All subjects underwent head magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion tensor imaging. Our results revealed that fractional anisotropy values decreased and gray matter volumes were reduced in the genu and splenium of corpus callosum, left anterior thalamic radiation, hippocampus, uncinate fasciculus, right corticospinal tract, bilateral cingulate gyri, and inferior longitudinal fasciculus in multiple sclerosis patients. Gray matter volumes were significantly different between the two groups in the right frontal lobe (superior frontal, middle frontal, precentral, and orbital gyri), right parietal lobe (postcentral and inferior parietal gyri), right temporal lobe (caudate nucleus), right occipital lobe (middle occipital gyrus), right insula, right parahippocampal gyrus, and left cingulate gyrus. The voxel sizes of atrophic gray matter positively correlated with fractional anisotropy values in white matter association fibers in the patient group. These findings suggest that white matter fiber bundles are extensively injured in multiple sclerosis patients. The main areas of gray matter atrophy in multiple sclerosis are the frontal lobe, parietal lobe, caudate nucleus, parahippocampal gyrus, and cingulate gyrus. Gray matter atrophy is strongly associated with white matter injury in multiple sclerosis patients, particularly with injury to association fibers.

Distribution and color variation of gyrfalcons in Russia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ellis, D.H.; Ellis, Catherine H.; Pendleton, G.W.; Panteleyev, A.V.; Rebrova, I.V.; Markin, Y.M.

1992-01-01

Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus) museum specimens in Moscow (73) and St. Petersburg (132) were divided into four color classes (gray, light gray, white gray, and white) and four longitudinal belts representing major physiographic regions of northern Russia. Gray variants predominated in the west and central regions. White birds were most common in extreme eastern Siberia, but were occasionally found even west of the Ural Mountains. Frequencies were as follows: European Russia 4% white, 50% gray (the remainder were intermediates); western Siberia 0% white, 58% gray; central Siberia 15% white, 42% gray; and eastern Siberia 47% white, 33% gray. Remarkably, in the easternmost subregion, white birds predominated even near the southernmost extension. Because the northernmost portions of the species' range in continental Russia are in central Siberia where white variants were rare, we propose that a better predictor of the white variant is longitude, not latitude. White birds were most frequent at the eastern reaches of both the Palearctic and Nearctic. The best environmental correlates of this distribution pattern may be the southward bending thermal isoclines proceeding eastward toward Greenland or Kamchatka, where both land masses are bathed by cold oceanic currents of Arctic origin. By contrast, the western reaches of both land masses are bathed by warm currents. In these western reaches, Gyrfalcon summer distribution is displaced northward and dark variants predominate. The breeding range of the Gyrfalcon, determined by mapping the locations of the specimens we examined, differs little from the range proposed in 1951.

76 FR 12070 - Availability of Seats for the Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-04

... the Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council AGENCY: Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS), National Ocean Service (NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA... applications for the following vacant seat on the Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council...

76 FR 27307 - Availability of Seats for the Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-11

... the Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council AGENCY: Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS), National Ocean Service (NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA... applications for the following vacant seat on the Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council...

Digestive state influences the heart rate hysteresis and rates of heat exchange in the varanid lizard Varanus rosenbergi.

PubMed

Clark, T D; Butler, P J; Frappell, P B

2005-06-01

To maximize the period where body temperature (Tb) exceeds ambient temperature (Ta), many reptiles have been reported to regulate heart rate (fH) and peripheral blood flow so that the rate of heat gain in a warming environment occurs more rapidly than the rate of heat loss in a cooling environment. It may be hypothesized that the rate of cooling, particularly at relatively cool Tbs, would be further reduced during postprandial periods when specific dynamic action (SDA) increases endogenous heat production (i.e. the heat increment of feeding). Furthermore, it may also be hypothesized that the increased perfusion of the gastrointestinal organs that occurs during digestion may limit peripheral blood flow and thus compromise the rate of heating. Finally, if the changes in fh are solely for the purpose of thermoregulation, there should be no associated changes in energy demand and, consequently, no hysteresis in the rate of oxygen consumption (V(O2)). To test these hypotheses, seven individual Varanus rosenbergi were heated and cooled between 19 degrees C and 35 degrees C following at least 8 days fasting and then approximately 25 h after consumption of a meal (mean 10% of fasted body mass). For a given Tb between the range of 19-35 degrees C, fh of fasting lizards was higher during heating than during cooling. Postprandial lizards also displayed a hysteresis in fh, although the magnitude was reduced in comparison with that of fasting lizards as a result of a higher fh during cooling in postprandial animals. Both for fasting and postprandial lizards, there was no hysteresis in V(O2) at any Tb throughout the range although, as a result of SDA, postprandial animals displayed a significantly higher V(O2) than fasting animals both during heating and during cooling at Tbs above 24 degrees C. The values of fh during heating at a given Tb were the same for fasting and postprandial animals, which, in combination with a slower rate of heating in postprandial animals, suggests that a prioritization of blood flow to the gastrointestinal organs during digestion is occurring at the expense of higher rates of heating. Additionally, postprandial lizards took longer to cool at Tbs below 23 degrees C, suggesting that the endogenous heat produced during digestion temporarily enhances thermoregulatory ability at lower temperatures, which would presumably assist V. rosenbergi during cooler periods in the natural environment by augmenting temperature-dependent physiological processes.

76 FR 21399 - Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Permit Applications

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-15

... immobilization, assess and treat health conditions, implant isotopes, salvage, and release) gray wolf (Canis... applicant requests a permit renewal to take (capture and release) Indiana bats (Myotissodalis) and gray bats..., OH. The applicant requests a permit renewal to take (capture and release) Indiana bats and gray bats...

19. Photocopy of Blueprint (Original blueprint located in Grays Harbor ...

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

19. Photocopy of Blueprint (Original blueprint located in Grays Harbor County Bridge File No. 4731/0.5 COAST BRIDGE COMPANY'S CONSTRUCTION BLUEPRINT OF 'FLOOR SYSTEM FOR 120' RIVETED SPAN' DATED JULY 1915 - West Wishkah Bridge, West Wishkah Road Spanning Wishkah River Middle Fork, Aberdeen, Grays Harbor County, WA

Novel Amdovirus in Gray Foxes

PubMed Central

Li, Linlin; Pesavento, Patricia A.; Woods, Leslie; Clifford, Deana L.; Luff, Jennifer; Wang, Chunlin

2011-01-01

We used viral metagenomics to identify a novel parvovirus in tissues of a gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus). Nearly full genome characterization and phylogenetic analyses showed this parvovirus (provisionally named gray fox amdovirus) to be distantly related to Aleutian mink disease virus, representing the second viral species in the Amdovirus genus. PMID:22000359

Uncertainty analysis of diffuse-gray radiation enclosure problems: A hypersensitive case study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Taylor, Robert P.; Luck, Rogelio; Hodge, B. K.; Steele, W. Glenn

1993-01-01

An uncertainty analysis of diffuse-gray enclosure problems is presented. The genesis was a diffuse-gray enclosure problem which proved to be hypersensitive to the specification of view factors. This genesis is discussed in some detail. The uncertainty analysis is presented for the general diffuse-gray enclosure problem and applied to the hypersensitive case study. It was found that the hypersensitivity could be greatly reduced by enforcing both closure and reciprocity for the view factors. The effects of uncertainties in the surface emissivities and temperatures are also investigated.

Apparent predation by Gray Jays, Perisoreus canadensis, on Long-toed Salamanders, Ambystoma macrodactylum, in the Oregon Cascade Range

USGS Publications Warehouse

Murray, M.P.; Pearl, C.A.; Bury, R.B.

2005-01-01

We report observations of Gray Jays (Perisoreus canadensis) appearing to consume larval Long-toed Salamanders (Ambystoma macrodactylum) in a drying subalpine pond in Oregon, USA. Corvids are known to prey upon a variety of anuran amphibians, but to our knowledge, this is the first report of predation by any corvid on aquatic salamanders. Long-toed Salamanders appear palatable to Gray Jays, and may provide a food resource to Gray Jays when salamander larvae are concentrated in drying temporary ponds.

Skeletonization with hollow detection on gray image by gray weighted distance transform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhattacharya, Prabir; Qian, Kai; Cao, Siqi; Qian, Yi

1998-10-01

A skeletonization algorithm that could be used to process non-uniformly distributed gray-scale images with hollows was presented. This algorithm is based on the Gray Weighted Distance Transformation. The process includes a preliminary phase of investigation in the hollows in the gray-scale image, whether these hollows are considered as topological constraints for the skeleton structure depending on their statistically significant depth. We then extract the resulting skeleton that has certain meaningful information for understanding the object in the image. This improved algorithm can overcome the possible misinterpretation of some complicated images in the extracted skeleton, especially in images with asymmetric hollows and asymmetric features. This algorithm can be executed on a parallel machine as all the operations are executed in local. Some examples are discussed to illustrate the algorithm.

Decreased gray matter volume in the left hippocampus and bilateral calcarine cortex in coal mine flood disaster survivors with recent onset PTSD.

PubMed

Zhang, Jian; Tan, Qingrong; Yin, Hong; Zhang, Xiaoliang; Huan, Yi; Tang, Lihua; Wang, Huaihai; Xu, Junqing; Li, Lingjiang

2011-05-31

Although limbic structure changes have been found in chronic and recent onset post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) patients, there are few studies about brain structure changes in recent onset PTSD patients after a single extreme and prolonged trauma. In the current study, 20 coal mine flood disaster survivors underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and region of interest (ROI) techniques were used to detect the gray matter and white matter volume changes in 10 survivors with recent onset PTSD and 10 survivors without PTSD. The correlation between the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) and gray matter density in the ROI was also studied. Compared with survivors without PTSD, survivors with PTSD had significantly decreased gray matter volume and density in left anterior hippocampus, left parahippocampal gyrus, and bilateral calcarine cortex. The CAPS score correlated negatively with the gray matter density in bilateral calcarine cortex and left hippocampus in coal mine disaster survivors. Our study suggests that the gray matter volume and density of limbic structure decreased in recent onset PTSD patients who were exposed to extreme trauma. PTSD symptom severity was associated with gray matter density in calcarine cortex and hippocampus. 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Divergent regional patterns of cerebral hypoperfusion and gray matter atrophy in mild cognitive impairment patients.

PubMed

Wirth, Miranka; Pichet Binette, Alexa; Brunecker, Peter; Köbe, Theresa; Witte, A Veronica; Flöel, Agnes

2017-03-01

Reductions of cerebral blood flow and gray matter structure have been implicated in early pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease, potentially providing complementary information. The present study evaluated regional patterns of cerebral hypoperfusion and atrophy in patients with mild cognitive impairment and healthy older adults. In each participant, cerebral perfusion and gray matter structure were extracted within selected brain regions vulnerable to Alzheimer's disease using magnetic resonance imaging. Measures were compared between diagnostic groups with/without adjustment for covariates. In mild cognitive impairment patients, cerebral blood flow was significantly reduced in comparison with healthy controls in temporo-parietal regions and the basal ganglia in the absence of local gray matter atrophy. By contrast, gray matter structure was significantly reduced in the hippocampus in the absence of local hypoperfusion. Both, cerebral perfusion and gray matter structure were significantly reduced in the entorhinal and isthmus cingulate cortex in mild cognitive impairment patients compared with healthy older adults. Our results demonstrated partly divergent patterns of temporo-parietal hypoperfusion and medial-temporal atrophy in mild cognitive impairment patients, potentially indicating biomarker sensitivity to dissociable pathological mechanisms. The findings support applicability of cerebral perfusion and gray matter structure as complementary magnetic resonance imaging-based biomarkers in early Alzheimer's disease detection, a hypothesis to be further evaluated in longitudinal studies.

A Large Scale (N=400) Investigation of Gray Matter Differences in Schizophrenia Using Optimized Voxel-based Morphometry

PubMed Central

Meda, Shashwath A.; Giuliani, Nicole R.; Calhoun, Vince D.; Jagannathan, Kanchana; Schretlen, David J.; Pulver, Anne; Cascella, Nicola; Keshavan, Matcheri; Kates, Wendy; Buchanan, Robert; Sharma, Tonmoy; Pearlson, Godfrey D.

2008-01-01

Background Many studies have employed voxel-based morphometry (VBM) of MRI images as an automated method of investigating cortical gray matter differences in schizophrenia. However, results from these studies vary widely, likely due to different methodological or statistical approaches. Objective To use VBM to investigate gray matter differences in schizophrenia in a sample significantly larger than any published to date, and to increase statistical power sufficiently to reveal differences missed in smaller analyses. Methods Magnetic resonance whole brain images were acquired from four geographic sites, all using the same model 1.5T scanner and software version, and combined to form a sample of 200 patients with both first episode and chronic schizophrenia and 200 healthy controls, matched for age, gender and scanner location. Gray matter concentration was assessed and compared using optimized VBM. Results Compared to the healthy controls, schizophrenia patients showed significantly less gray matter concentration in multiple cortical and subcortical regions, some previously unreported. Overall, we found lower concentrations of gray matter in regions identified in prior studies, most of which reported only subsets of the affected areas. Conclusions Gray matter differences in schizophrenia are most comprehensively elucidated using a large, diverse and representative sample. PMID:18378428

[A voxel-based morphometric analysis of brain gray matter in online game addicts].

PubMed

Weng, Chuan-bo; Qian, Ruo-bing; Fu, Xian-ming; Lin, Bin; Ji, Xue-bing; Niu, Chao-shi; Wang, Ye-han

2012-12-04

To explore the possible brain mechanism of online game addiction (OGA) in terms of brain morphology through voxel-based morphometric (VBM) analysis. Seventeen subjects with OGA and 17 age- and gender-matched healthy controls (HC group) were recruited from Department of Psychology at our hospital during February-December 2011. The internet addiction scale (IAS) was used to measure the degree of OGA tendency. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were performed to acquire 3-dimensional T1-weighted images. And FSL 4.1 software was employed to confirm regional gray matter volume changes. For the regions where OGA subjects showed significantly different gray matter volumes from the controls, the gray matter volumes of these areas were extracted, averaged and regressed against the scores of IAS. The OGA group had lower gray matter volume in left orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), left medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), bilateral insula (INS), left posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and left supplementary motor area (SMA). Gray matter volumes of left OFC and bilateral INS showed a negative correlation with the scores of IAS (r = -0.65, r = -0.78, P < 0.05). Gray matter volume changes are present in online game addicts and they may be correlated with the occurrence and maintenance of OGA.

Protective Effect of Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) Allele DRB1*13:02 on Age-Related Brain Gray Matter Volume Reduction in Healthy Women.

PubMed

James, Lisa M; Christova, Peka; Lewis, Scott M; Engdahl, Brian E; Georgopoulos, Angeliki; Georgopoulos, Apostolos P

2018-03-01

Reduction of brain volume (brain atrophy) during healthy brain aging is well documented and dependent on genetic, lifestyle and environmental factors. Here we investigated the possible dependence of brain gray matter volume reduction in the absence of the Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) allele DRB1*13:02 which prevents brain atrophy in Gulf War Illness (James et al., 2017). Seventy-one cognitively healthy women (32-69years old) underwent a structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging (sMRI) scan to measure the volumes of total gray matter, cerebrocortical gray matter, and subcortical gray matter. Participants were assigned to two groups, depending on whether they lacked the DRB1*13:02 allele (No DRB1*13:02 group, N=60) or carried the DRB1*13:02 allele (N=11). We assessed the change of brain gray matter volume with age in each group by performing a linear regression where the brain volume (adjusted for total intracranial volume) was the dependent variable and age was the independent variable. In the No DRB1*13:02 group, the volumes of total gray matter, cerebrocortical gray matter, and subcortical gray matter were reduced highly significantly. In contrast, none of these volumes showed a statistically significant reduction with age in the DRB1*13:02 group. These findings document the protective effect of DRB1*13:02 on age-dependent reduction of brain gray matter in healthy individuals. Since the role of this allele is to connect to matching epitopes of external antigens for the subsequent production of antibodies and elimination of the offending antigen, we hypothesize that its protective effect may be due to the successful elimination of such antigens to which we are exposed during the lifespan, antigens that otherwise would persist causing gradual brain atrophy. In addition, we consider a possible beneficial role of DRB1*13:02 attributed to its binding to cathepsin S, a known harmful substance in brain aging (Wendt et al., 2008). Of course, other factors covarying with the presence of DRB1*13:02 could be involved. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Quantification of dental prostheses on cone‐beam CT images by the Taguchi method

PubMed Central

Kuo, Rong‐Fu; Fang, Kwang‐Ming; TY, Wong

2016-01-01

The gray values accuracy of dental cone‐beam computed tomography (CBCT) is affected by dental metal prostheses. The distortion of dental CBCT gray values could lead to inaccuracies of orthodontic and implant treatment. The aim of this study was to quantify the effect of scanning parameters and dental metal prostheses on the accuracy of dental cone‐beam computed tomography (CBCT) gray values using the Taguchi method. Eight dental model casts of an upper jaw including prostheses, and a ninth prosthesis‐free dental model cast, were scanned by two dental CBCT devices. The mean gray value of the selected circular regions of interest (ROIs) were measured using dental CBCT images of eight dental model casts and were compared with those measured from CBCT images of the prosthesis‐free dental model cast. For each image set, four consecutive slices of gingiva were selected. The seven factors (CBCTs, occlusal plane canting, implant connection, prosthesis position, coping material, coping thickness, and types of dental restoration) were used to evaluate scanning parameter and dental prostheses effects. Statistical methods of signal to noise ratio (S/N) and analysis of variance (ANOVA) with 95% confidence were applied to quantify the effects of scanning parameters and dental prostheses on dental CBCT gray values accuracy. For ROIs surrounding dental prostheses, the accuracy of CBCT gray values were affected primarily by implant connection (42%), followed by type of restoration (29%), prostheses position (19%), coping material (4%), and coping thickness (4%). For a single crown prosthesis (without support of implants) placed in dental model casts, gray value differences for ROIs 1–9 were below 12% and gray value differences for ROIs 13–18 away from prostheses were below 10%. We found the gray value differences set to be between 7% and 8% for regions next to a single implant‐supported titanium prosthesis, and between 46% and 59% for regions between double implant‐supported, nickel‐chromium alloys (Ni‐Cr) prostheses. Quantification of the effect of prostheses and scanning parameters on dental CBCT gray values was assessed. PACS numbers: 87.59.bd, 87.57Q PMID:26894354

Longitudinal Study of Gray Matter Changes in Parkinson Disease.

PubMed

Jia, X; Liang, P; Li, Y; Shi, L; Wang, D; Li, K

2015-12-01

The pathology of Parkinson disease leads to morphological brain volume changes. So far, the progressive gray matter volume change across time specific to patients with Parkinson disease compared controls remains unclear. Our aim was to investigate the pattern of gray matter changes in patients with Parkinson disease and to explore the progressive gray matter volume change specific to patients with Parkinson disease with disease progression by using voxel-based morphometry analysis. Longitudinal cognitive assessment and structural MR imaging of 89 patients with Parkinson disease (62 men) and 55 healthy controls (33 men) were from the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative data base, including the initial baseline and 12-month follow-up data. Two-way analysis of covariance was performed with covariates of age, sex, years of education, imaging data from multiple centers, and total intracranial volume by using Diffeomorphic Anatomical Registration Through Exponentiated Lie Algebra tool from SPM8 software. Gray matter volume changes for patients with Parkinson disease were detected with decreased gray matter volume in the frontotemporoparietal areas and the bilateral caudate, with increased gray matter volume in the bilateral limbic/paralimbic areas, medial globus pallidus/putamen, and the right occipital cortex compared with healthy controls. Progressive gray matter volume decrease in the bilateral caudate was found for both patients with Parkinson disease and healthy controls, and this caudate volume was positively associated with cognitive ability for both groups. The progressive gray matter volume increase specific to the patients with Parkinson disease was identified close to the left ventral lateral nucleus of thalamus, and a positive relationship was found between the thalamic volume and the tremor scores in a subgroup with tremor-dominant patients with Parkinson disease. The observed progressive changes in gray matter volume in Parkinson disease may provide new insights into the neurodegenerative process. The current findings suggest that the caudate volume loss may contribute to cognitive decline in patients with Parkinson disease and the progressive thalamus enlargement may have relevance to tremor severity in Parkinson disease. © 2015 by American Journal of Neuroradiology.

Association of white matter hyperintensities and gray matter volume with cognition in older individuals without cognitive impairment.

PubMed

Arvanitakis, Zoe; Fleischman, Debra A; Arfanakis, Konstantinos; Leurgans, Sue E; Barnes, Lisa L; Bennett, David A

2016-05-01

Both presence of white matter hyperintensities (WMH) and smaller total gray matter volume on brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are common findings in old age, and contribute to impaired cognition. We tested whether total WMH volume and gray matter volume had independent associations with cognition in community-dwelling individuals without dementia or mild cognitive impairment (MCI). We used data from participants of the Rush Memory and Aging Project. Brain MRI was available in 209 subjects without dementia or MCI (mean age 80; education = 15 years; 74 % women). WMH and gray matter were automatically segmented, and the total WMH and gray matter volumes were measured. Both MRI-derived measures were normalized by the intracranial volume. Cognitive data included composite measures of five different cognitive domains, based on 19 individual tests. Linear regression analyses, adjusted for age, sex, and education, were used to examine the relationship of logarithmically-transformed total WMH volume and of total gray matter volume to cognition. Larger total WMH volumes were associated with lower levels of perceptual speed (p < 0.001), but not with episodic memory, semantic memory, working memory, or visuospatial abilities (all p > 0.10). Smaller total gray matter volumes were associated with lower levels of perceptual speed (p = 0.013) and episodic memory (p = 0.001), but not with the other three cognitive domains (all p > 0.14). Larger total WMH volume was correlated with smaller total gray matter volume (p < 0.001). In a model with both MRI-derived measures included, the relation of WMH to perceptual speed remained significant (p < 0.001), while gray matter volumes were no longer related (p = 0.14). This study of older community-dwelling individuals without overt cognitive impairment suggests that the association of larger total WMH volume with lower perceptual speed is independent of total gray matter volume. These results help elucidate the pathological processes leading to lower cognitive function in aging.

Emotion recognition and theory of mind are related to gray matter volume of the prefrontal cortex in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Maat, Arija; van Haren, Neeltje E M; Bartholomeusz, Cali F; Kahn, René S; Cahn, Wiepke

2016-02-01

Investigations of social cognition in schizophrenia have demonstrated consistent impairments compared to healthy controls. Functional imaging studies in schizophrenia patients and healthy controls have revealed that social cognitive processing depends critically on the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex (PFC). However, the relationship between social cognition and structural brain abnormalities in these regions in schizophrenia patients is less well understood. Measures of facial emotion recognition and theory of mind (ToM), two key social cognitive abilities, as well as face perception and IQ, were assessed in 166 patients with schizophrenia and 134 healthy controls. MRI brain scans were acquired. Automated parcellation of the brain to determine gray matter volume of the amygdala and the superior, middle, inferior and orbital PFC was performed. Between-group analyses showed poorer recognition of angry faces and ToM performance, and decreased amygdala and PFC gray matter volumes in schizophrenia patients as compared to healthy controls. Moreover, in schizophrenia patients, recognition of angry faces was associated with inferior PFC gray matter volume, particularly the pars triangularis (p=0.006), with poor performance being related to reduced pars triangularis gray matter volume. In addition, ToM ability was related to PFC gray matter volume, particularly middle PFC (p=0.001), in that poor ToM skills in schizophrenia patients were associated with reduced middle PFC gray matter volume. In conclusion, reduced PFC, but not amygdala, gray matter volume is associated with social cognitive deficits in schizophrenia. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. and ECNP. All rights reserved.

Histogram-based adaptive gray level scaling for texture feature classification of colorectal polyps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pomeroy, Marc; Lu, Hongbing; Pickhardt, Perry J.; Liang, Zhengrong

2018-02-01

Texture features have played an ever increasing role in computer aided detection (CADe) and diagnosis (CADx) methods since their inception. Texture features are often used as a method of false positive reduction for CADe packages, especially for detecting colorectal polyps and distinguishing them from falsely tagged residual stool and healthy colon wall folds. While texture features have shown great success there, the performance of texture features for CADx have lagged behind primarily because of the more similar features among different polyps types. In this paper, we present an adaptive gray level scaling and compare it to the conventional equal-spacing of gray level bins. We use a dataset taken from computed tomography colonography patients, with 392 polyp regions of interest (ROIs) identified and have a confirmed diagnosis through pathology. Using the histogram information from the entire ROI dataset, we generate the gray level bins such that each bin contains roughly the same number of voxels Each image ROI is the scaled down to two different numbers of gray levels, using both an equal spacing of Hounsfield units for each bin, and our adaptive method. We compute a set of texture features from the scaled images including 30 gray level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) features and 11 gray level run length matrix (GLRLM) features. Using a random forest classifier to distinguish between hyperplastic polyps and all others (adenomas and adenocarcinomas), we find that the adaptive gray level scaling can improve performance based on the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve by up to 4.6%.

Captures of Crawford's gray shrews (Notiosorex crawfordi) along the Rio Grande in central New Mexico

Treesearch

Alice Chung-MacCoubrey; Heather L. Bateman; Deborah M. Finch

2009-01-01

We captured >2000 Crawford's gray shrews (Notiosorex crawfordi) in a riparian forest mainly consisting of cottonwoods (Populus deltoides) along the Rio Grande in central New Mexico. Little has been published about abundance and habitat of Crawford's gray shrew throughout its distributional range. During 7 summers, we...

77 FR 28308 - Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; Reef Fish Fishery of the Gulf of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-05-14

... Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico; Gray Triggerfish Management Measures AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries... Act), implements interim measures to reduce overfishing of gray triggerfish in the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf). This rule reduces the gray triggerfish commercial quota (commercial annual catch target (ACT...

Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) death by stick impalement

USGS Publications Warehouse

Barber-Meyer, Shannon; Schmidt, Lori; Mech, L. David

2017-01-01

Although Canis lupus L. (Gray Wolf) individuals are sometimes impaled by sticks, we could find no documentation of natural impalement by sticks as a cause of death for wild Wolves. Here we report on a wild Gray Wolf from northeastern Minnesota that died due to stick puncture of its thorax and abdomen.

76 FR 4893 - FFP Missouri 13, LLC, Grays Hydro, LLC; Notice Announcing Preliminary Permit Drawing

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-01-27

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Project No. 13763-000; Project No. 13772-000] FFP Missouri 13, LLC, Grays Hydro, LLC; Notice Announcing Preliminary Permit Drawing January... No. 13763-000, and Grays Hydro, LLC, for Project No. 13772-000. \\1\\ The Commission is open each day...

75 FR 55692 - Proposed Research Area Within the Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-14

... to recommend prohibition of all fishing in the research area, the RAWG took into consideration new.... 070726412-0071-01] RIN 0648-AV88 Proposed Research Area Within the Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary... Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is proposing to create a research area within the Gray's Reef National...

Gray water recycle: Effect of pretreatment technologies on low pressure reverse osmosis treatment

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Gray water can be a valuable source of water when properly treated to reduce the risks associated with chemical and microbial contamination to acceptable levels for the intended reuse application. In this study, the treatment of gray water using low pressure reverse osmosis (RO) filtration after pre...

Portrait of a Turnaround Leader in a High Needs District

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hewitt, Kimberly Kappler; Reitzug, Ulrich

2015-01-01

Using portraiture methodology involving interview, observation, and artifact data, this study portrays a turnaround leader, Dr. Susan Gray, in a high needs, rural district in the Southeast. In three years, Gray led Lincoln Elementary from nearly being reconstituted to being an award-winning school. Gray has subsequently been assigned other…

76 FR 77670 - Research Area Within Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary; Notice of Effective Date

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-12-14

.... 070726412-1300-02] RIN 0648-AV88 Research Area Within Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary; Notice of Effective Date AGENCY: Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric... final rule for the establishment of a research area within the Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary on...

75 FR 55730 - Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; 90-Day Finding on Petitions To Delist the Gray...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-14

... under section 4(d) of the Act for managing wolves in Minnesota. The depredation control portion of the... or as an experimental population. Gray wolves in the Southwestern DPS retained their previous endangered or experimental population status. The three existing gray wolf experimental population...

A gray wolf (Canis lupus) delivers live prey to a pup

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mech, L. David

2014-01-01

A two-year-old sibling Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) carefully captured an Arctic Hare (Lepus arcticus) leveret alive on Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada, and delivered it alive to a pup 28–33 days old. This appears to be the first observation of a Gray Wolf delivering live prey to a pup.

Mapping Gray Matter Development: Implications for Typical Development and Vulnerability to Psychopathology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gogtay, Nitin; Thompson, Paul M.

2010-01-01

Recent studies with brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have scanned large numbers of children and adolescents repeatedly over time, as their brains develop, tracking volumetric changes in gray and white matter in remarkable detail. Focusing on gray matter changes specifically, here we explain how earlier studies using lobar volumes of specific…

78 FR 64181 - Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic; Reopening of the Commercial Harvest of Gray...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-10-28

... economic zone (EEZ). NMFS previously determined the commercial annual catch limit (ACL) for gray..., on July 7, 2013. However, updated landings estimates indicate the commercial ACL for gray triggerfish... Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act). Background NMFS determined that the commercial ACL for...

Evaluating Cultures: The Instrumentalism, Pluralist Perfectionism, and Particularism of John Gray

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Matthew Thomas

2012-01-01

In this article, Matthew Johnson examines the possibility of using elements of John Gray's work to advance a means of evaluating cultures, in order to inform the development of pluralist perfectionist forms of public policy and, in particular, educational programs. Johnson engages critically with elements of Gray's value pluralism, such as his…

Reliability of voxel gray values in cone beam computed tomography for preoperative implant planning assessment.

PubMed

Parsa, Azin; Ibrahim, Norliza; Hassan, Bassam; Motroni, Alessandro; van der Stelt, Paul; Wismeijer, Daniel

2012-01-01

To assess the reliability of cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) voxel gray value measurements using Hounsfield units (HU) derived from multislice computed tomography (MSCT) as a clinical reference (gold standard). Ten partially edentulous human mandibular cadavers were scanned by two types of computed tomography (CT) modalities: multislice CT and cone beam CT. On MSCT scans, eight regions of interest (ROI) designating the site for preoperative implant placement were selected in each mandible. The datasets from both CT systems were matched using a three-dimensional (3D) registration algorithm. The mean voxel gray values of the region around the implant sites were compared between MSCT and CBCT. Significant differences between the mean gray values obtained by CBCT and HU by MSCT were found. In all the selected ROIs, CBCT showed higher mean values than MSCT. A strong correlation (R=0.968) between mean voxel gray values of CBCT and mean HU of MSCT was determined. Voxel gray values from CBCT deviate from actual HU units. However, a strong linear correlation exists, which may permit deriving actual HU units from CBCT using linear regression models.

Fast algorithm of low power image reformation for OLED display

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Myungwoo; Kim, Taewhan

2014-04-01

We propose a fast algorithm of low-power image reformation for organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display. The proposed algorithm scales the image histogram in a way to reduce power consumption in OLED display by remapping the gray levels of the pixels in the image based on the fast analysis of the histogram of the input image while maintaining contrast of the image. The key idea is that a large number of gray levels are never used in the images and these gray levels can be effectively exploited to reduce power consumption. On the other hand, to maintain the image contrast the gray level remapping is performed by taking into account the object size in the image to which each gray level is applied, that is, reforming little for the gray levels in the objects of large size. Through experiments with 24 Kodak images, it is shown that our proposed algorithm is able to reduce the power consumption by 10% even with 9% contrast enhancement. Our algorithm runs in a linear time so that it can be applied to moving pictures with high resolution.

Non-gray gas radiation effect on mixed convection in lid driven square cavity

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

Cherifi, Mohammed, E-mail: production1998@yahoo.fr; Benbrik, Abderrahmane, E-mail: abenbrik@umbb.dz; Laouar-Meftah, Siham, E-mail: laouarmeftah@gmail.com

A numerical study is performed to investigate the effect of non-gray radiation on mixed convection in a vertical two sided lid driven square cavity filled with air-H{sub 2}O-CO{sub 2} gas mixture. The vertical moving walls of the enclosure are maintained at two different but uniform temperatures. The horizontal walls are thermally insulated and considered as adiabatic walls. The governing differential equations are solved by a finite-volume method and the SIMPLE algorithm was adopted to solve the pressure–velocity coupling. The radiative transfer equation (RTE) is solved by the discrete ordinates method (DOM). The spectral line weighted sum of gray gases modelmore » (SLW) is used to account for non-gray radiation properties. Simulations are performed in configurations where thermal and shear forces induce cooperating buoyancy forces. Streamlines, isotherms, and Nusselt number are analyzed for three different values of Richardson’s number (from 0.1 to 10) and by considering three different medium (transparent medium, gray medium using the Planck mean absorption coefficient, and non-gray medium assumption).« less

Demonstration of line transect methodologies to estimate urban gray squirrel density

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

Hein, E.W.

1997-11-01

Because studies estimating density of gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) have been labor intensive and costly, I demonstrate the use of line transect surveys to estimate gray squirrel density and determine the costs of conducting surveys to achieve precise estimates. Density estimates are based on four transacts that were surveyed five times from 30 June to 9 July 1994. Using the program DISTANCE, I estimated there were 4.7 (95% Cl = 1.86-11.92) gray squirrels/ha on the Clemson University campus. Eleven additional surveys would have decreased the percent coefficient of variation from 30% to 20% and would have cost approximately $114. Estimatingmore » urban gray squirrel density using line transect surveys is cost effective and can provide unbiased estimates of density, provided that none of the assumptions of distance sampling theory are violated.« less

Meta-analysis of gray matter abnormalities in autism spectrum disorder: should Asperger disorder be subsumed under a broader umbrella of autistic spectrum disorder?

PubMed

Via, Esther; Radua, Joaquim; Cardoner, Narcis; Happé, Francesca; Mataix-Cols, David

2011-04-01

Studies investigating abnormalities of regional gray matter volume in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have yielded contradictory results. It is unclear whether the current subtyping of ASD into autistic disorder and Asperger disorder is neurobiologically valid. To conduct a quantitative meta-analysis of voxel-based morphometry studies exploring gray matter volume abnormalities in ASD, to examine potential neurobiological differences among ASD subtypes, and to create an online database to facilitate replication and further analyses by other researchers. We retrieved studies from PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Web of Knowledge databases between June 3, 1999, the date of the first voxel-based morphometry study in ASD, and October 31, 2010. Studies were also retrieved from reference lists and review articles. We contacted authors soliciting additional data. Twenty-four data sets met inclusion criteria, comprising 496 participants with ASD and 471 healthy control individuals. Peak coordinates of clusters of regional gray matter differences between participants with ASD and controls, as well as demographic, clinical, and methodologic variables, were extracted from each study or obtained from the authors. No differences in overall gray matter volume were found between participants with ASD and healthy controls. Participants with ASD were found to have robust decreases of gray matter volume in the bilateral amygdala-hippocampus complex and the bilateral precuneus. A small increase of gray matter volume in the middle-inferior frontal gyrus was also found. No significant differences in overall or regional gray matter volumes were found between autistic disorder and Asperger disorder. Decreases of gray matter volume in the right precuneus were statistically higher in adults than in adolescents with ASD. These results confirm the crucial involvement of structures linked to social cognition in ASD. The absence of significant differences between ASD subtypes may have important nosologic implications for the DSM-5. The publically available database will be a useful resource for future research.

KSC-07pd2182

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-08-04

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA's Phoenix Mars lander illuminates Launch Pad 17A as it lifts off aboard a Delta II 7925 rocket at 5:26 a.m. EDT from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Phoenix will land in icy soils near the north polar, permanent ice cap of Mars and explore the history of the water in these soils and any associated rocks, while monitoring polar climate. Landing on Mars is planned in May 2008 on arctic ground where a mission currently in orbit, Mars Odyssey, has detected high concentrations of ice just beneath the top layer of soil. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray and Robert Murray

KSC-07pd2181

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-08-04

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The Delta II 7925 rocket carrying NASA's Phoenix Mars lander lifts off at 5:26 a.m. EDT amid billows of smoke on Pad 17A at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Phoenix will land in icy soils near the north polar, permanent ice cap of Mars and explore the history of the water in these soils and any associated rocks, while monitoring polar climate. Landing on Mars is planned in May 2008 on arctic ground where a mission currently in orbit, Mars Odyssey, has detected high concentrations of ice just beneath the top layer of soil. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray and Robert Murray

KSC-07pd2180

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-08-04

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA's Phoenix spacecraft makes an auspicious start on its journey to Mars aboard a Delta II 7925 rocket at 5:26 a.m. EDT from Pad 17A at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Phoenix will land in icy soils near the north polar, permanent ice cap of Mars and explore the history of the water in these soils and any associated rocks, while monitoring polar climate. Landing on Mars is planned in May 2008 on arctic ground where a mission currently in orbit, Mars Odyssey, has detected high concentrations of ice just beneath the top layer of soil. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray and Robert Murray

KSC-07pd2175

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-08-04

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA's Phoenix spacecraft makes a dramatic start on its mission to Mars aboard a Delta II 7925 rocket at 5:26 a.m. EDT from Pad 17A at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Phoenix will land in icy soils near the north polar, permanent ice cap of Mars and explore the history of the water in these soils and any associated rocks, while monitoring polar climate. Landing on Mars is planned in May 2008 on arctic ground where a mission currently in orbit, Mars Odyssey, has detected high concentrations of ice just beneath the top layer of soil. Photo credit: NASA/Tony Gray and Robert Murray

Grayness-dependent emission of dispersive waves from dark solitons in optical fibers.

PubMed

Marest, T; Arabí, C Mas; Conforti, M; Mussot, A; Milián, C; Skryabin, D V; Kudlinski, A

2018-04-01

We report the experimental observation of dispersive wave emission from gray solitons propagating in the normal dispersion region of an optical fiber. Besides observing for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, the emission of a dispersive wave from an isolated dark soliton, we show that the dispersive wave frequency and amplitude strongly depend on soliton grayness. This process can be explained by the higher-order dispersion contribution into the phase-matching condition and the grayness of the soliton. Numerical simulations and theoretical predictions are in good agreement with the experiments.

Surface-based reconstruction and diffusion MRI in the assessment of gray and white matter damage in multiple sclerosis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caffini, Matteo; Bergsland, Niels; LaganÃ, Marcella; Tavazzi, Eleonora; Tortorella, Paola; Rovaris, Marco; Baselli, Giuseppe

2014-03-01

Despite advances in the application of nonconventional MRI techniques in furthering the understanding of multiple sclerosis pathogenic mechanisms, there are still many unanswered questions, such as the relationship between gray and white matter damage. We applied a combination of advanced surface-based reconstruction and diffusion tensor imaging techniques to address this issue. We found significant relationships between white matter tract integrity indices and corresponding cortical structures. Our results suggest a direct link between damage in white and gray matter and contribute to the notion of gray matter loss relating to clinical disability.

Improvement of gray-scale representation of horizontally scanning holographic display using error diffusion.

PubMed

Matsumoto, Yuji; Takaki, Yasuhiro

2014-06-15

Horizontally scanning holography can enlarge both screen size and viewing zone angle. A microelectromechanical-system spatial light modulator, which can generate only binary images, is used to generate hologram patterns. Thus, techniques to improve gray-scale representation in reconstructed images should be developed. In this study, the error diffusion technique was used for the binarization of holograms. When the Floyd-Steinberg error diffusion coefficients were used, gray-scale representation was improved. However, the linearity in the gray-scale representation was not satisfactory. We proposed the use of a correction table and showed that the linearity was greatly improved.

78 FR 61827 - Reef Fish Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico; 2013 Recreational Accountability Measure and Closure for...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-10-04

...NMFS implements an accountability measure (AM) for recreational gray triggerfish in the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) reef fish fishery for the 2013 fishing year through this temporary final rule. Based on the projected recreational landings, NMFS determined that the recreational annual catch target (ACT) for Gulf gray triggerfish was reached in August 2013. Therefore, NMFS closes the recreational sector for gray triggerfish in the Gulf EEZ at 12:01 a.m., local time, October 15, 2013, until January 1, 2014. This closure is necessary to reduce overfishing of the Gulf gray triggerfish resource.

Fronto-Parietal gray matter and white matter efficiency differentially predict intelligence in males and females.

PubMed

Ryman, Sephira G; Yeo, Ronald A; Witkiewitz, Katie; Vakhtin, Andrei A; van den Heuvel, Martijn; de Reus, Marcel; Flores, Ranee A; Wertz, Christopher R; Jung, Rex E

2016-11-01

While there are minimal sex differences in overall intelligence, males, on average, have larger total brain volume and corresponding regional brain volumes compared to females, measures that are consistently related to intelligence. Limited research has examined which other brain characteristics may differentially contribute to intelligence in females to facilitate equal performance on intelligence measures. Recent reports of sex differences in the neural characteristics of the brain further highlight the need to differentiate how the structural neural characteristics relate to intellectual ability in males and females. The current study utilized a graph network approach in conjunction with structural equation modeling to examine potential sex differences in the relationship between white matter efficiency, fronto-parietal gray matter volume, and general cognitive ability (GCA). Participants were healthy adults (n = 244) who completed a battery of cognitive testing and underwent structural neuroimaging. Results indicated that in males, a latent factor of fronto-parietal gray matter was significantly related to GCA when controlling for total gray matter volume. In females, white matter efficiency and total gray matter volume were significantly related to GCA, with no specificity of the fronto-parietal gray matter factor over and above total gray matter volume. This work highlights that different neural characteristics across males and females may contribute to performance on intelligence measures. Hum Brain Mapp 37:4006-4016, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Linear and curvilinear correlations of brain gray matter volume and density with age using voxel-based morphometry with the Akaike information criterion in 291 healthy children.

PubMed

Taki, Yasuyuki; Hashizume, Hiroshi; Thyreau, Benjamin; Sassa, Yuko; Takeuchi, Hikaru; Wu, Kai; Kotozaki, Yuka; Nouchi, Rui; Asano, Michiko; Asano, Kohei; Fukuda, Hiroshi; Kawashima, Ryuta

2013-08-01

We examined linear and curvilinear correlations of gray matter volume and density in cortical and subcortical gray matter with age using magnetic resonance images (MRI) in a large number of healthy children. We applied voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and region-of-interest (ROI) analyses with the Akaike information criterion (AIC), which was used to determine the best-fit model by selecting which predictor terms should be included. We collected data on brain structural MRI in 291 healthy children aged 5-18 years. Structural MRI data were segmented and normalized using a custom template by applying the diffeomorphic anatomical registration using exponentiated lie algebra (DARTEL) procedure. Next, we analyzed the correlations of gray matter volume and density with age in VBM with AIC by estimating linear, quadratic, and cubic polynomial functions. Several regions such as the prefrontal cortex, the precentral gyrus, and cerebellum showed significant linear or curvilinear correlations between gray matter volume and age on an increasing trajectory, and between gray matter density and age on a decreasing trajectory in VBM and ROI analyses with AIC. Because the trajectory of gray matter volume and density with age suggests the progress of brain maturation, our results may contribute to clarifying brain maturation in healthy children from the viewpoint of brain structure. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The Effect of Illumination on Gray Color

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Da Pos, Osvaldo; Baratella, Linda; Sperandio, Gabriele

2010-01-01

The present study explored the perceptual process of integration of luminance information in the production of the gray color of an object placed in an environment viewed from a window. The mean luminance of the object was varied for each mean luminance of the environment. Participants matched the gray color of the object with that of Munsell…

76 FR 25590 - Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Reissuance of Final Rule To Identify the Northern...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-05

...; Reissuance of Final Rule To Identify the Northern Rocky Mountain Population of Gray Wolf as a Distinct..., that identified the Northern Rocky Mountain population of gray wolf (Canis lupus) as a distinct... gray wolves in the DPS. This rule complies with that directive. DATES: This action is effective May 5...

Subcortical Gray Matter Volume Abnormalities in Healthy Bipolar Offspring: Potential Neuroanatomical Risk Marker for Bipolar Disorder?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ladouceur, Cecile D.; Almeida, Jorge R. C.; Birmaher, Boris; Axelson, David A.; Nau, Sharon; Kalas, Catherine; Monk, Kelly; Kupfer, David J.; Phillips, Mary L.

2008-01-01

A study is conducted to examine the extent to which bipolar disorder (BD) is associated with gray matter volume abnormalities in brain regions in healthy bipolar offspring relative to age-matched controls. Results show increased gray matter volume in the parahippocampus/hippocampus in healthy offspring at genetic risk for BD.

Making a Theist out of Darwin: Asa Gray's Post-Darwinian Natural Theology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hunter, T. Russell

2012-01-01

In March of 1860 the eminent Harvard Botanist and orthodox Christian Asa Gray began promoting the Origin of Species in hopes of securing a fair examination of Darwin's evolutionary theory among theistic naturalists. To this end, Gray sought to demonstrate that Darwin had not written atheistically and that his theory of evolution by natural…

Biology and management of the western gray squirrel and Oregon white oak woodlands: with emphasis on the Puget Trough.

Treesearch

L.A. Ryan; A.B. Carey

1995-01-01

The western gray squirrel (Sciurus griseus Ord, 1818) has been accorded "threatened species" status by the state of Washington. populations are small, scattered, and declining primarily due to the loss and fragmentation of suitable habitat. Western gray squirrels are closely associated with Oregon white oak (Quercus garryana...

Chapter 14. Review of technical knowledge: Great gray owls

Treesearch

James R. Duncan; Patricia H. Hayward

1994-01-01

The great gray owl (Strix nebulosa) is the longest, but not heaviest, of the northern forest owls. Distributed holarctically across the boreal forests of North America and Eurasia, the great gray owl extends its range southward into the contiguous states by inhabiting forests other than the boreal type. The subalpine and montane forests of the...

78 FR 39188 - Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic; 2013 Commercial Accountability...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-07-01

... annual catch limit (ACL) on July 7, 2013. Therefore, NMFS closes the commercial sector for gray... by regulations at 50 CFR part 622. The commercial ACL for gray triggerfish in the South Atlantic is... the commercial sector for gray triggerfish when the commercial ACL is reached, or is projected to be...

Regional Gray Matter Volume Deficits in Adolescents with First-Episode Psychosis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Janssen, Joost; Parellada, Mara; Moreno, Dolores; Graell, Montserrat; Fraguas, David; Zabala, Arantzazu; Vazquez, Veronica Garcia; Desco, Manuel; Arango, Celso

2008-01-01

The regional gray matter volumes of adolescents with first-episode psychosis are compared with those of a control group. Magnetic resonance imaging was conducted on 70 patients with early onset FEP and on 51 individuals without FEP. Findings revealed that volume deficits in the left medial frontal gray matter were common in individuals with…

Business Reengineering - Government Viability

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-04-01

BUSINESS REENGINEERING - GOVERNMENT VIABILITY BY LIEUTENANT COLONEL GRAY K. COYNER United States Air Force Reserve DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A: Approved...PROJECT Business Reengineering - Government Viability by Lt Col Gray K. Coyner USAFR Col Harry E. LeBoeuf Jr. Project Advisor The views expressed in...release. Distribution is unlimited. ii ABSTRACT AUTHOR: Gray K. Coyner TITLE: Business Reengineering - Government Viability FORMAT: Strategy Research

Ticks imported to Europe with exotic reptiles.

PubMed

Mihalca, Andrei Daniel

2015-09-30

It is known that traded exotic animals carry with them an immense number of associated symbionts, including parasites. Reptiles are no exception. Most of the imported reptiles originate from tropical countries and their possibility to carry potentially dangerous pathogens is high. According to CITES, Europe is currently the main reptile importer in the world. Despite this, there is no review or analysis available for the risk related to the importation of tick-borne diseases with traded reptile to the EU. The main aim of the manuscript is to provide a review on the available literature on ticks introduced to and exchanged between European countries via the live reptile trade. So far, the published reports of ticks imported on reptiles are limited to few European countries: Italy, Poland, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, Slovenia and UK. The following species have been reported: Hyalomma aegyptium, Amblyomma dissimile, Amblyomma exornatum, Amblyomma flavomaculatum, Amblyomma fuscolineatum, Amblyomma latum, Amblyomma quadricavum, Amblyomma marmoreum, Amblyomma nuttalli, Amblyomma sparsum, Amblyomma sphenodonti, Amblyomma transversale and Amblyomma varanense. The majority of species are of African origin, followed by American and Asian species. All groups of reptiles (chelonians, snakes, lizards, crocodiles, tuataras) were involved. However, it seems that certain groups (i.e. tortoises of genus Testudo, monitor lizards of genus Varanus, snakes of genus Python) are more important as host for imported ticks, but this may be related to higher levels of international trade. Even fewer are the reports of tick-borne pathogens associated with imported reptile ticks. Despite the diversity of tick species reported on imported reptiles, the situations of truly invasive species are atypical and are limited in natural environments to maximum two cases where H. aegyptium was involved. Otherwise, the risk associated with reptile trade for introduction of invasive tick to Europe is low. Nevertheless, veterinary control is still to be reinforced for collecting more data. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ultra-clean Layers (UCLs) and Low Albedo Clouds ("gray clouds") in the Marine Boundary Layer - CSET aircraft data, 2-D bin spectral cloud parcel model, large eddy simulation and satellite observations from CALIPSO, MODIS and COSMIC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O, K. T.; Wood, R.; Bretherton, C. S.; Eastman, R. M.; Tseng, H. H.

2016-12-01

During the 2015 Cloud System Evolution in the Trades (CSET) field program (CSET, Jul-Aug 2015, subtropical NE Pacific), the NSF/NCAR G-V aircraft frequently encountered ultra clean layers (hereafter UCLs) with extremely low accumulation mode aerosol (i.e. diameter da> 100nm) concentration (hereafter Na), and low albedo ( 0.2) warm clouds (termed "gray clouds" in our study) with low droplet concentration (hereafter Nd). The analysis of CSET aircraft data shows that (1) UCLs and gray clouds are mostly commonly found at a height of 1.5-2km, typically close to the top of the MBL, (2) UCLs and gray cloud coverage as high as 40-60% between 135W and 155W (i.e. Sc-Cu transition region) but occur very infrequently east of 130W (i.e. shallow, near-coastal stratocumulus region), and (3) UCLs and gray clouds exhibit remarkably low turbulence compared with non-UCL clear sky and clouds. It should be noted that most previous aircraft sampling of low clouds occurred close to the Californian coast, so the prevalence of UCLs and gray clouds has not been previously noted. Based on the analysis of aircraft data, we hypothesize that gray clouds result from detrainment of cloud close to the top of precipitating trade cumuli, and UCLs are remnants of these layers when gray clouds evaporates. The simulations in our study are performed using 2-D bin spectral cloud parcel model and version 6.9 of the System for Atmospheric Modeling (SAM). Our idealized simulations suggest that collision-coalescence plays a crucial role in reducing Nd such that gray clouds can easily form via collision-coalescence in layers detrained from the cloud top at trade cumulus regime, but can not form at stratocumulus regime. Upon evaporation of gray clouds, only few accumulation mode aerosols are returned to the clear sky, leaving horizontally-extensive UCLs (i.e. clean clear sky). Analysis of CSET flight data and idealized model simulations both suggest cloud top/PBL height may play an important role in the formation of UCLs and gray clouds. In our satellite observation study, the comparison between PBL height (from COSMIC and MODIS) and fraction of low optical depth cloud (from MODIS and CALIPSO) at NEP trade cumulus regime (20-35N, 140-155W) also suggest a strong positive correlation.

Application of gray level mapping in computed tomographic colonography: a pilot study to compare with traditional surface rendering method for identification and differentiation of endoluminal lesions

PubMed Central

Chen, Lih-Shyang; Hsu, Ta-Wen; Chang, Shu-Han; Lin, Chih-Wen; Chen, Yu-Ruei; Hsieh, Chin-Chiang; Han, Shu-Chen; Chang, Ku-Yaw; Hou, Chun-Ju

2017-01-01

Objective: In traditional surface rendering (SR) computed tomographic endoscopy, only the shape of endoluminal lesion is depicted without gray-level information unless the volume rendering technique is used. However, volume rendering technique is relatively slow and complex in terms of computation time and parameter setting. We use computed tomographic colonography (CTC) images as examples and report a new visualization technique by three-dimensional gray level mapping (GM) to better identify and differentiate endoluminal lesions. Methods: There are 33 various endoluminal cases from 30 patients evaluated in this clinical study. These cases were segmented using gray-level threshold. The marching cube algorithm was used to detect isosurfaces in volumetric data sets. GM is applied using the surface gray level of CTC. Radiologists conducted the clinical evaluation of the SR and GM images. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used for data analysis. Results: Clinical evaluation confirms GM is significantly superior to SR in terms of gray-level pattern and spatial shape presentation of endoluminal cases (p < 0.01) and improves the confidence of identification and clinical classification of endoluminal lesions significantly (p < 0.01). The specificity and diagnostic accuracy of GM is significantly better than those of SR in diagnostic performance evaluation (p < 0.01). Conclusion: GM can reduce confusion in three-dimensional CTC and well correlate CTC with sectional images by the location as well as gray-level value. Hence, GM increases identification and differentiation of endoluminal lesions, and facilitates diagnostic process. Advances in knowledge: GM significantly improves the traditional SR method by providing reliable gray-level information for the surface points and is helpful in identification and differentiation of endoluminal lesions according to their shape and density. PMID:27925483

Gray Matter Loss and Related Functional Connectivity Alterations in A Chinese Family With Benign Adult Familial Myoclonic Epilepsy.

PubMed

Zeng, Ling-Li; Long, Lili; Shen, Hui; Fang, Peng; Song, Yanmin; Zhang, Linlin; Xu, Lin; Gong, Jian; Zhang, Yunci; Zhang, Yong; Xiao, Bo; Hu, Dewen

2015-10-01

Benign adult familial myoclonic epilepsy (BAFME) is a non-progressive monogenic epilepsy syndrome. So far, the structural and functional brain reorganizations in BAFME remain uncharacterized. This study aims to investigate gray matter atrophy and related functional connectivity alterations in patients with BAFME using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).Eleven BAFME patients from a Chinese pedigree and 15 matched healthy controls were enrolled in the study. Optimized voxel-based morphometric and resting-state functional MRI approaches were performed to measure gray matter atrophy and related functional connectivity, respectively. The Trail-Making Test-part A and part B, Digit Symbol Test (DST), and Verbal Fluency Test (VFT) were carried out to evaluate attention and executive functions.The BAFME patients exhibited significant gray matter loss in the right hippocampus, right temporal pole, left orbitofrontal cortex, and left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. With these regions selected as seeds, the voxel-wise functional connectivity analysis revealed that the right hippocampus showed significantly enhanced connectivity with the right inferior parietal lobule, bilateral middle cingulate cortex, left precuneus, and left precentral gyrus. Moreover, the BAFME patients showed significant lower scores in DST and VFT tests compared with the healthy controls. The gray matter densities of the right hippocampus, right temporal pole, and left orbitofrontal cortex were significantly positively correlated with the DST scores. In addition, the gray matter density of the right temporal pole was significantly positively correlated with the VFT scores, and the gray matter density of the right hippocampus was significantly negatively correlated with the duration of illness in the patients.The current study demonstrates gray matter loss and related functional connectivity alterations in the BAFME patients, perhaps underlying deficits in attention and executive functions in the BAFME.

Female adolescents with severe substance and conduct problems have substantially less brain gray matter volume.

PubMed

Dalwani, Manish S; McMahon, Mary Agnes; Mikulich-Gilbertson, Susan K; Young, Susan E; Regner, Michael F; Raymond, Kristen M; McWilliams, Shannon K; Banich, Marie T; Tanabe, Jody L; Crowley, Thomas J; Sakai, Joseph T

2015-01-01

Structural neuroimaging studies have demonstrated lower regional gray matter volume in adolescents with severe substance and conduct problems. These research studies, including ours, have generally focused on male-only or mixed-sex samples of adolescents with conduct and/or substance problems. Here we compare gray matter volume between female adolescents with severe substance and conduct problems and female healthy controls of similar ages. Female adolescents with severe substance and conduct problems will show significantly less gray matter volume in frontal regions critical to inhibition (i.e. dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex), conflict processing (i.e., anterior cingulate), valuation of expected outcomes (i.e., medial orbitofrontal cortex) and the dopamine reward system (i.e. striatum). We conducted whole-brain voxel-based morphometric comparison of structural MR images of 22 patients (14-18 years) with severe substance and conduct problems and 21 controls of similar age using statistical parametric mapping (SPM) and voxel-based morphometric (VBM8) toolbox. We tested group differences in regional gray matter volume with analyses of covariance, adjusting for age and IQ at p<0.05, corrected for multiple comparisons at whole-brain cluster-level threshold. Female adolescents with severe substance and conduct problems compared to controls showed significantly less gray matter volume in right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, medial orbitofrontal cortex, anterior cingulate, bilateral somatosensory cortex, left supramarginal gyrus, and bilateral angular gyrus. Considering the entire brain, patients had 9.5% less overall gray matter volume compared to controls. Female adolescents with severe substance and conduct problems in comparison to similarly aged female healthy controls showed substantially lower gray matter volume in brain regions involved in inhibition, conflict processing, valuation of outcomes, decision-making, reward, risk-taking, and rule-breaking antisocial behavior.

A cross-sectional and follow-up voxel-based morphometric MRI study in adolescent anorexia nervosa.

PubMed

Castro-Fornieles, Josefina; Bargalló, Nuria; Lázaro, Luisa; Andrés, Susana; Falcon, Carles; Plana, Maria Teresa; Junqué, Carme

2009-01-01

The objective was to examine whether cerebral volumes are reduced, and in what regions, in adolescents with anorexia nervosa and to study changes after nutritional recovery. Twelve anorexia nervosa (DSM-IV) patients aged 11-17 consecutively admitted to an Eating Disorders Unit were assessed by means of psychopathological scales, neuropsychological battery and voxel-based morphometric (VBM) magnetic resonance imaging at admission and after 7 months' follow-up. Nine control subjects of similar age, gender and estimated intelligence level were also studied. The two groups showed differences in gray matter (F=22.2; p<0.001) and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) (F=21.2; p<0.001) but not in white matter volumes. In anorexic patients, gray matter volume correlated negatively with the copy time from the Rey Complex Figure Test. In the regional VBM study several temporal and parietal gray matter regions were reduced. During follow-up there was a greater global increase in gray matter (F=10.7; p=0.004) and decrease in CSF (F=22.1; p=0.001) in anorexic patients. The increase in gray matter correlated with a decrease in cortisol (Spearman correlation=-0.73; p=0.017). At follow-up there were no differences in global gray matter (F=2.1; p=0.165), white matter (F=0.02, p=0.965) or CSF (F=1.8; p=0.113) volumes between both groups. There were still some smaller areas, in the right temporal and both supplementary motor area, showing differences between them in the regional VBM study. In conclusion, in adolescent anorexic patients gray matter is more affected than white matter and mainly involves the posterior regions of the brain. Overall gray matter alterations are reversible after nutritional recovery.

Medial frontal white and gray matter contributions to general intelligence.

PubMed

Ohtani, Toshiyuki; Nestor, Paul G; Bouix, Sylvain; Saito, Yukiko; Hosokawa, Taiga; Kubicki, Marek

2014-01-01

The medial orbitofrontal cortex (mOFC) and rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC) are part of a wider neural network that plays an important role in general intelligence and executive function. We used structural brain imaging to quantify magnetic resonance gray matter volume and diffusion tensor white matter integrity of the mOFC-rACC network in 26 healthy participants who also completed neuropsychological tests of intellectual abilities and executive function. Stochastic tractography, the most effective Diffusion Tensor Imaging method for examining white matter connections between adjacent gray matter regions, was employed to assess the integrity of mOFC-rACC pathways. Fractional anisotropy (FA), which reflects the integrity of white matter connections, was calculated. Results indicated that higher intelligence correlated with greater gray matter volumes for both mOFC and rACC, as well as with increased FA for left posterior mOFC-rACC connectivity. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that DTI-derived FA of left posterior mOFC-rACC uniquely accounted for 29%-34% of the variance in IQ, in comparison to 11%-16% uniquely explained by gray matter volume of the left rACC. Together, left rACC gray matter volume and white matter connectivity between left posterior mOFC and rACC accounted for up to 50% of the variance in general intelligence. This study is to our knowledge the first to examine white matter connectivity between OFC and ACC, two gray matter regions of interests that are very close in physical proximity, and underscores the important independent contributions of variations in rACC gray matter volume and mOFC-rACC white matter connectivity to individual differences in general intelligence.

Pixel-based image fusion with false color mapping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Wei; Mao, Shiyi

2003-06-01

In this paper, we propose a pixel-based image fusion algorithm that combines the gray-level image fusion method with the false color mapping. This algorithm integrates two gray-level images presenting different sensor modalities or at different frequencies and produces a fused false-color image. The resulting image has higher information content than each of the original images. The objects in the fused color image are easy to be recognized. This algorithm has three steps: first, obtaining the fused gray-level image of two original images; second, giving the generalized high-boost filtering images between fused gray-level image and two source images respectively; third, generating the fused false-color image. We use the hybrid averaging and selection fusion method to obtain the fused gray-level image. The fused gray-level image will provide better details than two original images and reduce noise at the same time. But the fused gray-level image can't contain all detail information in two source images. At the same time, the details in gray-level image cannot be discerned as easy as in a color image. So a color fused image is necessary. In order to create color variation and enhance details in the final fusion image, we produce three generalized high-boost filtering images. These three images are displayed through red, green and blue channel respectively. A fused color image is produced finally. This method is used to fuse two SAR images acquired on the San Francisco area (California, USA). The result shows that fused false-color image enhances the visibility of certain details. The resolution of the final false-color image is the same as the resolution of the input images.

Cognitive Radios Exploiting Gray Spaces via Compressed Sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wieruch, Dennis; Jung, Peter; Wirth, Thomas; Dekorsy, Armin; Haustein, Thomas

2016-07-01

We suggest an interweave cognitive radio system with a gray space detector, which is properly identifying a small fraction of unused resources within an active band of a primary user system like 3GPP LTE. Therefore, the gray space detector can cope with frequency fading holes and distinguish them from inactive resources. Different approaches of the gray space detector are investigated, the conventional reduced-rank least squares method as well as the compressed sensing-based orthogonal matching pursuit and basis pursuit denoising algorithm. In addition, the gray space detector is compared with the classical energy detector. Simulation results present the receiver operating characteristic at several SNRs and the detection performance over further aspects like base station system load for practical false alarm rates. The results show, that especially for practical false alarm rates the compressed sensing algorithm are more suitable than the classical energy detector and reduced-rank least squares approach.

Gray Matter Is Targeted in First-Attack Multiple Sclerosis

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

Schutzer, Steven E.; Angel, Thomas E.; Liu, Tao

The cause of multiple sclerosis (MS), its driving pathogenesis at the earliest stages, and what factors allow the first clinical attack to manifest remain unknown. Some imaging studies suggest gray rather than white matter may be involved early, and some postulate this may be predictive of developing MS. Other imaging studies are in conflict. To determine if there was objective molecular evidence of gray matter involvement in early MS we used high-resolution mass spectrometry to identify proteins in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of first-attack MS patients (two independent groups) compared to established relapsing remitting (RR) MS and controls. We foundmore » that the CSF proteins in first-attack patients were differentially enriched for gray matter components (axon, neuron, synapse). Myelin components did not distinguish these groups. The results support that gray matter dysfunction is involved early in MS, and also may be integral for the initial clinical presentation.« less

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

Paulus, Wilfred; Malaysian Nuclear Agency, Bangi, 43000 Kajang, Selangor; Rahman, Irman Abdul

Lead-free solders are important material in nano and microelectronic surface mounting technology for various applications in bio medicine, environmental monitoring, spacecraft and satellite instrumentation. Nevertheless solder joint in radiation environment needs higher reliability and resistance to any damage caused by ionizing radiations. In this study a lead-free 99.0Sn0.3Ag0.7Cu wt.% (SAC) solder joint was developed and subjected to various doses of gamma radiation to investigate the effects of the ionizing radiation to micromechanical hardness of the solder. Averaged hardness of the SAC joint was obtained from nanoindentation test. The results show a relationship between hardness values of indentations and the incrementmore » of radiation dose. Highest mean hardness, 0.2290 ± 0.0270 GPa was calculated on solder joint which was exposed to 5 Gray dose of gamma radiation. This value indicates possible radiation hardening effect on irradiated solder. The hardness gradually decreased to 0.1933 ± 0.0210 GPa and 0.1631 ± 0.0173 GPa when exposed to doses 50 and 500 gray respectively. These values are also lower than the hardness of non irradiated sample which was calculated as 0.2084 ± 0.0.3633 GPa indicating possible radiation damage and needs further related atomic dislocation study.« less

Relative activity of cerebral subcortical gray matter in varying states of attention and awareness in normal subjects and patient studies

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

Cooper, M.; Chen, C.T.; Levy, J.

1985-05-01

An important aspect of the study of brain function involves measurement of the relationships; between activities in the subcortical gray matter of the caudate and of the thalamus; and between these structures and functional cortical areas. The authors have studied these relationships in 22 subjects under different conditions of activation, sleep and sensory deprivation using a PET VI system and F-18-2DG to determine regional cerebral metabolism. Subject activating conditions were maintained throughout the period of equilibration of F-18-2DG and E.E.G.'s were monitored. Multiple tomographic slices of 1-2 million counts were obtained simultaneously with slice separation of 14mm and each planemore » parallel to the cantho-meatal line. In activated and non-activated awake conditions for normal subjects, left and right thalmus-to-caudate ratios were similar and greater than unity. This relationship was maintained in non-REM sleep, but was reversed and divergent in REM sleep and sensory deprivation; this was also evident in 3/4 narcoleptics awake and asleep in non-REM and REM and 2/3 schizophrenics and affective disorder, subjects. This approach appears to have potential for characterizating normal and disordered regional cerebral function.« less

Cortical Thickness Predicts the First Onset of Major Depression in Adolescence

PubMed Central

Foland-Ross, Lara C.; Sacchet, Matthew D.; Prasad, Gautam; Gilbert, Brooke; Thompson, Paul M.; Gotlib, Ian H.

2015-01-01

Given the increasing prevalence of Major Depressive Disorder and recent advances in preventative treatments for this disorder, an important challenge in pediatric neuroimaging is the early identification of individuals at risk for depression. We examined whether machine learning can be used to predict the onset of depression at the individual level. Thirty-three never-disordered adolescents (10–15 years old) underwent structural MRI. Participants were followed for 5 years to monitor the emergence of clinically significant depressive symptoms. We used support vector machines (SVMs) to test whether baseline cortical thickness could reliably distinguish adolescents who develop depression from adolescents who remained free of any Axis I disorder. Accuracies from subsampled cross-validated classification were used to assess classifier performance. Baseline cortical thickness correctly predicted the future onset of depression with an overall accuracy of 70% (69% sensitivity, 70% specificity; p = 0.021). Examination of SVM feature weights indicated that the right medial orbitofrontal, right precentral, left anterior cingulate, and bilateral insular cortex contributed most strongly to this classification. These findings indicate that cortical gray matter structure can predict the subsequent onset of depression. An important direction for future research is to elucidate mechanisms by which these anomalies in gray matter structure increase risk for developing this disorder. PMID:26315399

Cortical thickness predicts the first onset of major depression in adolescence.

PubMed

Foland-Ross, Lara C; Sacchet, Matthew D; Prasad, Gautam; Gilbert, Brooke; Thompson, Paul M; Gotlib, Ian H

2015-11-01

Given the increasing prevalence of Major Depressive Disorder and recent advances in preventative treatments for this disorder, an important challenge in pediatric neuroimaging is the early identification of individuals at risk for depression. We examined whether machine learning can be used to predict the onset of depression at the individual level. Thirty-three never-disordered adolescents (10-15 years old) underwent structural MRI. Participants were followed for 5 years to monitor the emergence of clinically significant depressive symptoms. We used support vector machines (SVMs) to test whether baseline cortical thickness could reliably distinguish adolescents who develop depression from adolescents who remained free of any Axis I disorder. Accuracies from subsampled cross-validated classification were used to assess classifier performance. Baseline cortical thickness correctly predicted the future onset of depression with an overall accuracy of 70% (69% sensitivity, 70% specificity; p=0.021). Examination of SVM feature weights indicated that the right medial orbitofrontal, right precentral, left anterior cingulate, and bilateral insular cortex contributed most strongly to this classification. These findings indicate that cortical gray matter structure can predict the subsequent onset of depression. An important direction for future research is to elucidate mechanisms by which these anomalies in gray matter structure increase risk for developing this disorder. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evolution of neurodegeneration-imaging biomarkers from clinically normal to dementia in the Alzheimer disease spectrum.

PubMed

Knopman, David S; Jack, Clifford R; Lundt, Emily S; Weigand, Stephen D; Vemuri, Prashanthi; Lowe, Val J; Kantarci, Kejal; Gunter, Jeffrey L; Senjem, Matthew L; Mielke, Michelle M; Machulda, Mary M; Roberts, Rosebud O; Boeve, Bradley F; Jones, David T; Petersen, Ronald C

2016-10-01

The availability of antemortem biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease (AD) enables monitoring the evolution of neurodegenerative processes in real time. Pittsburgh compound B (PIB) positron emission tomography (PET) was used to select participants in the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging and the Mayo Alzheimer's Disease Research Center with elevated β-amyloid, designated as "A+," and hippocampal volume and (18)fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography were used to characterize participants as having evidence of neurodegeneration ("N+") at the baseline evaluation. There were 145 clinically normal (CN) A+ individuals, 62 persons with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) who were A+ and 20 with A+ AD dementia. Over a period of 1-6 years, MCI A+N+ individuals showed declines in medial temporal, lateral temporal, lateral parietal, and to a lesser extent, medial parietal regions for both FDG standardized uptake value ratio and gray matter volume that exceeded declines seen in the CN A+N+ group. The AD dementia group showed declines in the same regions on FDG standardized uptake value ratio and gray matter volume with rates that exceeded that in MCI A+N+. Expansion of regional involvement and faster rate of neurodegeneration characterizes progression in the AD pathway. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Hearing loss in older adults affects neural systems supporting speech comprehension.

PubMed

Peelle, Jonathan E; Troiani, Vanessa; Grossman, Murray; Wingfield, Arthur

2011-08-31

Hearing loss is one of the most common complaints in adults over the age of 60 and a major contributor to difficulties in speech comprehension. To examine the effects of hearing ability on the neural processes supporting spoken language processing in humans, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to monitor brain activity while older adults with age-normal hearing listened to sentences that varied in their linguistic demands. Individual differences in hearing ability predicted the degree of language-driven neural recruitment during auditory sentence comprehension in bilateral superior temporal gyri (including primary auditory cortex), thalamus, and brainstem. In a second experiment, we examined the relationship of hearing ability to cortical structural integrity using voxel-based morphometry, demonstrating a significant linear relationship between hearing ability and gray matter volume in primary auditory cortex. Together, these results suggest that even moderate declines in peripheral auditory acuity lead to a systematic downregulation of neural activity during the processing of higher-level aspects of speech, and may also contribute to loss of gray matter volume in primary auditory cortex. More generally, these findings support a resource-allocation framework in which individual differences in sensory ability help define the degree to which brain regions are recruited in service of a particular task.

Hearing loss in older adults affects neural systems supporting speech comprehension

PubMed Central

Peelle, Jonathan E.; Troiani, Vanessa; Grossman, Murray; Wingfield, Arthur

2011-01-01

Hearing loss is one of the most common complaints in adults over the age of 60 and a major contributor to difficulties in speech comprehension. To examine the effects of hearing ability on the neural processes supporting spoken language processing in humans, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to monitor brain activity while older adults with age-normal hearing listened to sentences that varied in their linguistic demands. Individual differences in hearing ability predicted the degree of language-driven neural recruitment during auditory sentence comprehension in bilateral superior temporal gyri (including primary auditory cortex), thalamus, and brainstem. In a second experiment we examined the relationship of hearing ability to cortical structural integrity using voxel-based morphometry (VBM), demonstrating a significant linear relationship between hearing ability and gray matter volume in primary auditory cortex. Together, these results suggest that even moderate declines in peripheral auditory acuity lead to a systematic downregulation of neural activity during the processing of higher-level aspects of speech, and may also contribute to loss of gray matter volume in primary auditory cortex. More generally these findings support a resource-allocation framework in which individual differences in sensory ability help define the degree to which brain regions are recruited in service of a particular task. PMID:21880924

8-Bit Gray Scale Images of Fingerprint Image Groups

National Institute of Standards and Technology Data Gateway

NIST 8-Bit Gray Scale Images of Fingerprint Image Groups (Web, free access)   The NIST database of fingerprint images contains 2000 8-bit gray scale fingerprint image pairs. A newer version of the compression/decompression software on the CDROM can be found at the website http://www.nist.gov/itl/iad/ig/nigos.cfm as part of the NBIS package.

Are federal sustained yield units equitable? A case study of the Grays Harbor unit.

Treesearch

Con H Schallau; Wilbur R. Maki

1986-01-01

The Grays Harbor Federal Sustained Yield Unit (U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service) was established in 1949 to enhance the economic stability of the forest products industry and dependent communities in Grays Harbor County, Washington. Provisions of the unit's charter require that all logs harvested from the Quinault Ranger District of the Olympic...

The effects of gypsy moth infestation on gray squirrel habitat and populations

Treesearch

David E. Samuel; Rob Silvester

1991-01-01

The overall objective of this project was to determine the effects of defoliation on gray squirrel habitat. We will evaluate the existing Habitat Suitability Index (HSI) Model for gray squirrels on the University Forest and determine the effects of thinning on HSI values computed for thinned and unthinned stands. Habitat variables used in the U. S. Fish and Wildlife...

Grayia spinosa (Hook.) Moq.: spiny hopsage

Treesearch

Nancy L. Shaw; Marshall R. Haferkamp; Emerenciana G. Hurd

2008-01-01

The genus Grayia Hook. & Arn., named for the American botanist Asa Gray, contains a single species - spiny hopsage (table 1). Plants are erect to rounded, summer-deciduous shrubs 0.3 to 1.2 (1.5) m tall. Branches are divergent and thorn-tipped, with whitish gray to brownish bark that exfoliates in long strips. Leaves are gray-green, alternate, entire, and fleshy,...

Prostate Cancer Research Training Program

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-06-01

Katherine Foster Theon Francis Michelle Gray Julia Greenfield Gladys Murage Brittany Stokes Stacy-Ann Wright Students Accepted for the 2009...graduate school Michelle Gray 2008 Lubaroff U. Mass Graduate Julia Greenfield 2008 Henry Lincoln Senior Gladys Murage 2008 Domann U. Mass Graduate...Bukola Fatumnbi Michelle Gray 2009 Lincoln Students at the University of Iowa Julia Greenfield Katherine Foster Gladys Murage Stacy-Ann Wright

76 FR 61781 - Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Removal of the Gray Wolf in Wyoming From the...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-05

... Service 50 CFR Part 17 Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Removal of the Gray Wolf in Wyoming... Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Removal of the Gray Wolf in Wyoming From the Federal List of... in Wyoming. The best scientific and commercial data available indicate that wolves in Wyoming are...

Great Gray Owl (Strix nebulosa) breeding habitat use within altered forest landscapes

Treesearch

Michael B. Whitfield; Maureen Gaffney

1997-01-01

We investigated Great Gray Owl (Strix nebulosa) habitat use in eastern Idaho and northwestern Wyoming. Great Gray Owls were not found in severely altered habitats, but young were fledged in areas where 17 to 26 percent of formerly continuous forest had been clearcut. Average clutch (2.7) and brood (2.3) sizes were comparable to other populations,...

Killing and caching of an adult White-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus, by a single Gray Wolf, Canis lupus

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nelson, Michael E.

2011-01-01

A single Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) killed an adult male White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and cached the intact carcass in 76 cm of snow. The carcass was revisited and entirely consumed between four and seven days later. This is the first recorded observation of a Gray Wolf caching an entire adult deer.

Prospects for Mexican gray wolf recovery in the Sky Islands

Treesearch

Michael J. Robinson

2005-01-01

[First paragraph] On November 1, 1917, the first Mexican gray wolf (Canis lupus baileyi) of many to follow was killed by the Federal government in Arizona. The female animal was one of a pair of the diminutive subspecies of the much more widely distributed gray wolf (Canis lupus). Typical of their kind, and of the arid and less...

Albinism in the Great Gray Owl (Strix nebulosa) and other owls

Treesearch

Pentti Alaja; Heimo Mikkola

1997-01-01

An incomplete albino Great Gray Owl (Strix nebulosa) was observed in Vesanto and Kajaani, Finland, 1994-1995. The literature pertaining to albinism in owls indicates that total and incomplete albinism has only been reported in 13 different owl species, the Great Gray Owl being the only species with more than five records. Thus six to seven incomplete...

Ecology of the great gray owl.

Treesearch

Evelyn L. Bull; Mark G. Henjum

1990-01-01

Information is needed on the great gray owl to understand its ecology and to consider this species in land management decisions. From 1982 to 1988, we studied 24 pairs and 107 juvenile great gray owls in northeastern Oregon. Forty-nine nests were located; 16 were used more than once, so we observed 71 nesting attempts. Seventy-eight percent of these nesting attempts...

Emergence of the Ability to Discriminate a Blue from Gray at One Month of Age.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maurer, Daphne; and Adams, Russell J.

1987-01-01

Two different methods which minimize achromatic cues were used to test the ability of one-month-olds to discriminate gray from broadband blue. Test data imply an improvement between birth and one month of age in the discrimination of gray from broadband blue. Possible physiological changes underlying this improvement are discussed. (Author/RWB)

Heterotopic gray matter. Neuroradiological aspects and clinical correlations.

PubMed

Canapicchi, R; Padolecchia, R; Puglioli, M; Collavoli, P; Marcella, F; Valleriani, A M

1990-01-01

Anomalies of cell migration manifest themselves in many ways with various clinical and morphological aspects. Among these, heterotopic gray matter, especially when isolated, is characterized by slighter symptoms and later onset. In this paper eight cases of gray matter heterotopia are presented which have been studied over a two-year period. Magnetic Resonance imaging is emphasised for a correct diagnosis.

Infrared radiative energy transfer in gaseous systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tiwari, Surendra N.

1991-01-01

Analyses and numerical procedures are presented to investigate the radiative interactions in various energy transfer processes in gaseous systems. Both gray and non-gray radiative formulations for absorption and emission by molecular gases are presented. The gray gas formulations are based on the Planck mean absorption coefficient and the non-gray formulations are based on the wide band model correlations for molecular absorption. Various relations for the radiative flux and divergence of radiative flux are developed. These are useful for different flow conditions and physical problems. Specific plans for obtaining extensive results for different cases are presented. The procedure developed was applied to several realistic problems. Results of selected studies are presented.

A Study of Feature Extraction Using Divergence Analysis of Texture Features

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hallada, W. A.; Bly, B. G.; Boyd, R. K.; Cox, S.

1982-01-01

An empirical study of texture analysis for feature extraction and classification of high spatial resolution remotely sensed imagery (10 meters) is presented in terms of specific land cover types. The principal method examined is the use of spatial gray tone dependence (SGTD). The SGTD method reduces the gray levels within a moving window into a two-dimensional spatial gray tone dependence matrix which can be interpreted as a probability matrix of gray tone pairs. Haralick et al (1973) used a number of information theory measures to extract texture features from these matrices, including angular second moment (inertia), correlation, entropy, homogeneity, and energy. The derivation of the SGTD matrix is a function of: (1) the number of gray tones in an image; (2) the angle along which the frequency of SGTD is calculated; (3) the size of the moving window; and (4) the distance between gray tone pairs. The first three parameters were varied and tested on a 10 meter resolution panchromatic image of Maryville, Tennessee using the five SGTD measures. A transformed divergence measure was used to determine the statistical separability between four land cover categories forest, new residential, old residential, and industrial for each variation in texture parameters.

A Fixed-Pattern Noise Correction Method Based on Gray Value Compensation for TDI CMOS Image Sensor.

PubMed

Liu, Zhenwang; Xu, Jiangtao; Wang, Xinlei; Nie, Kaiming; Jin, Weimin

2015-09-16

In order to eliminate the fixed-pattern noise (FPN) in the output image of time-delay-integration CMOS image sensor (TDI-CIS), a FPN correction method based on gray value compensation is proposed. One hundred images are first captured under uniform illumination. Then, row FPN (RFPN) and column FPN (CFPN) are estimated based on the row-mean vector and column-mean vector of all collected images, respectively. Finally, RFPN are corrected by adding the estimated RFPN gray value to the original gray values of pixels in the corresponding row, and CFPN are corrected by subtracting the estimated CFPN gray value from the original gray values of pixels in the corresponding column. Experimental results based on a 128-stage TDI-CIS show that, after correcting the FPN in the image captured under uniform illumination with the proposed method, the standard-deviation of row-mean vector decreases from 5.6798 to 0.4214 LSB, and the standard-deviation of column-mean vector decreases from 15.2080 to 13.4623 LSB. Both kinds of FPN in the real images captured by TDI-CIS are eliminated effectively with the proposed method.

Evaluation of a formula that categorizes female gray wolf breeding status by nipple size

USGS Publications Warehouse

Barber-Meyer, Shannon M.; Mech, L. David

2015-01-01

The proportion by age class of wild Canis lupus (Gray Wolf) females that reproduce in any given year remains unclear; thus, we evaluated the applicability to our long-term (1972–2013) data set of the Mech et al. (1993) formula that categorizes female Gray Wolf breeding status by nipple size and time of year. We used the formula to classify Gray Wolves from 68 capture events into 4 categories (yearling, adult non-breeder, former breeder, current breeder). To address issues with small sample size and variance, we created an ambiguity index to allow some Gray Wolves to be classed into 2 categories. We classified 20 nipple measurements ambiguously: 16 current or former breeder, 3 former or adult non-breeder, and 1 yearling or adult non-breeder. The formula unambiguously classified 48 (71%) of the nipple measurements; based on supplemental field evidence, at least 5 (10%) of these were incorrect. When used in conjunction with an ambiguity index we developed and with corrections made for classifications involving very large nipples, and supplemented with available field evidence, the Mech et al. (1993) formula provided reasonably reliable classification of breeding status in wild female Gray Wolves.

Dark gray soils on two-layered deposits in the north of Tambov Plain: Agroecology, properties, and diagnostics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zaidelman, F. R.; Nikiforova, A. S.; Stepantsova, L. V.; Volokhina, V. P.

2012-05-01

Dark gray soils in the Tambov Plain are developed from the light-textured glaciofluvial deposits underlain by the calcareous loam. Their morphology, water regime, and productivity are determined by the depth of the slightly permeable calcareous loamy layer, relief, and the degree of gleyzation. The light texture of the upper layer is responsible for its weak structure, high density, the low content of productive moisture, and the low water-holding capacity. If the calcareous loam is at a depth of 100-130 cm, dark gray soils are formed; if it lies at a depth of 40-70 cm, temporary perched water appears in the profile, and dark gray contact-gleyed soils are formed. Their characteristic pedofeatures are skeletans in the upper layers, calcareous nodules in the loamy clay layer, and iron nodules in the podzolized humus and podzolic horizons. The appearance of Fe-Mn concretions is related to gleyzation. The high yield of winter cereals is shown to be produced on the dark gray soils; the yields of spring crops are less stable. Spring cereals should not be grown on the contact-gleyed dark gray soils.

Greater cerebellar gray matter volume in car drivers: an exploratory voxel-based morphometry study

PubMed Central

Sakai, Hiroyuki; Ando, Takafumi; Sadato, Norihiro; Uchiyama, Yuji

2017-01-01

Previous functional neuroimaging studies have identified multiple brain areas associated with distinct aspects of car driving in simulated traffic environments. Few studies, however, have examined brain morphology associated with everyday car-driving experience in real traffic. Thus, the aim of the current study was to identify gray matter volume differences between drivers and non-drivers. We collected T1-weighted structural brain images from 73 healthy young adults (36 drivers and 37 non-drivers). We performed a whole-brain voxel-based morphometry analysis to examine between-group differences in regional gray matter volume. Compared with non-drivers, drivers showed significantly greater gray matter volume in the left cerebellar hemisphere, which has been associated with cognitive rather than motor functioning. In contrast, we found no brain areas with significantly greater gray matter volume in non-drivers compared with drivers. Our findings indicate that experience with everyday car driving in real traffic is associated with greater gray matter volume in the left cerebellar hemisphere. This brain area may be involved in abilities that are critical for driving a car, but are not commonly or frequently used during other daily activities. PMID:28417971

Investigation of mindfulness meditation practitioners with voxel-based morphometry

PubMed Central

Hölzel, Britta K.; Ott, Ulrich; Gard, Tim; Hempel, Hannes; Weygandt, Martin; Morgen, Katrin; Vaitl, Dieter

2008-01-01

Mindfulness meditators practice the non-judgmental observation of the ongoing stream of internal experiences as they arise. Using voxel-based morphometry, this study investigated MRI brain images of 20 mindfulness (Vipassana) meditators (mean practice 8.6 years; 2 h daily) and compared the regional gray matter concentration to that of non-meditators matched for sex, age, education and handedness. Meditators were predicted to show greater gray matter concentration in regions that are typically activated during meditation. Results confirmed greater gray matter concentration for meditators in the right anterior insula, which is involved in interoceptive awareness. This group difference presumably reflects the training of bodily awareness during mindfulness meditation. Furthermore, meditators had greater gray matter concentration in the left inferior temporal gyrus and right hippocampus. Both regions have previously been found to be involved in meditation. The mean value of gray matter concentration in the left inferior temporal gyrus was predictable by the amount of meditation training, corroborating the assumption of a causal impact of meditation training on gray matter concentration in this region. Results suggest that meditation practice is associated with structural differences in regions that are typically activated during meditation and in regions that are relevant for the task of meditation. PMID:19015095

Greater cerebellar gray matter volume in car drivers: an exploratory voxel-based morphometry study.

PubMed

Sakai, Hiroyuki; Ando, Takafumi; Sadato, Norihiro; Uchiyama, Yuji

2017-04-18

Previous functional neuroimaging studies have identified multiple brain areas associated with distinct aspects of car driving in simulated traffic environments. Few studies, however, have examined brain morphology associated with everyday car-driving experience in real traffic. Thus, the aim of the current study was to identify gray matter volume differences between drivers and non-drivers. We collected T1-weighted structural brain images from 73 healthy young adults (36 drivers and 37 non-drivers). We performed a whole-brain voxel-based morphometry analysis to examine between-group differences in regional gray matter volume. Compared with non-drivers, drivers showed significantly greater gray matter volume in the left cerebellar hemisphere, which has been associated with cognitive rather than motor functioning. In contrast, we found no brain areas with significantly greater gray matter volume in non-drivers compared with drivers. Our findings indicate that experience with everyday car driving in real traffic is associated with greater gray matter volume in the left cerebellar hemisphere. This brain area may be involved in abilities that are critical for driving a car, but are not commonly or frequently used during other daily activities.

The Role of Color and Morphologic Characteristics in Dermoscopic Diagnosis.

PubMed

Bajaj, Shirin; Marchetti, Michael A; Navarrete-Dechent, Cristian; Dusza, Stephen W; Kose, Kivanc; Marghoob, Ashfaq A

2016-06-01

Both colors and structures are considered important in the dermoscopic evaluation of skin lesions but their relative significance is unknown. To determine if diagnostic accuracy for common skin lesions differs between gray-scale and color dermoscopic images. A convenience sample of 40 skin lesions (8 nevi, 8 seborrheic keratoses, 7 basal cell carcinomas, 7 melanomas, 4 hemangiomas, 4 dermatofibromas, 2 squamous cell carcinomas [SCCs]) was selected and shown to attendees of a dermoscopy course (2014 Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center dermoscopy course). Twenty lesions were shown only once, either in gray-scale (n = 10) or color (n = 10) (nonpaired). Twenty lesions were shown twice, once in gray-scale (n = 20) and once in color (n = 20) (paired). Participants provided their diagnosis and confidence level for each of the 60 images. Of the 261 attendees, 158 participated (60.5%) in the study. Most were attending physicians (n = 76 [48.1%]). Most participants were practicing or training in dermatology (n = 144 [91.1%]). The median (interquartile range) experience evaluating skin lesions and using dermoscopy of participants was 6 (13.5) and 2 (4.0) years, respectively. Diagnostic accuracy and confidence level of participants evaluating gray-scale and color images. Two separate analyses were performed: (1) an unpaired evaluation comparing gray-scale and color images shown either once or for the first time, and (2) a paired evaluation comparing pairs of gray-scale and color images of the same lesion. In univariate analysis of unpaired images, color images were less likely to be diagnosed correctly compared with gray-scale images (odds ratio [OR], 0.8; P < .001). Using gray-scale images as the reference, multivariate analyses of both unpaired and paired images found no association between correct lesion diagnosis and use of color images (OR, 1.0; P = .99, and OR, 1.2; P = .82, respectively). Stratified analysis of paired images using a color by diagnosis interaction term showed that participants were more likely to make a correct diagnosis of SCC and hemangioma in color (P < .001 for both comparisons) and dermatofibroma in gray-scale (P < .001). Morphologic characteristics (ie, structures and patterns), not color, provide the primary diagnostic clue in dermoscopy. Use of gray-scale images may improve teaching of dermoscopy to novices by emphasizing the evaluation of morphology.

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

Ruuge, A; Erdi, Y; Mahmood, U

Purpose: The conformance of Primary Diagnostic Monitors (PDMs) to the DICOM GSDF is increasingly required by several state and city regulators. Our purpose was to quantitatively characterize the luminance performance of the internal, built in photometer of BARCO monitors against an externally calibrated luminance meter. Methods: Thirty one PDMs (BARCO) were included in our analysis. An externally calibrated photometer (RaySafe Solo Light) was used to measure the luminance and illuminance values. Measured monitors were located at various hospital sites, radiology physicians’ offices and radiology reading rooms. All measured PDMs were equipped with the manufacturer’s built-in photometers and connected to Barcomore » MediCal QA web service for manual and automatic quality control measurements. PDM combinations included 1, 2 and 4 monitors depending on the location. TG-18 and SMPTE test patterns were used to evaluate monitor performance. Results: All the PDMs exceeded the luminance ratio of 250:1, as required by NYC PDM guidelines. One PDM failed the NYC requirement for the minimal luminance level of 350 cd/m2. As compared to the external photometer, the difference in measurement of the maximum luminance with the built-in photometer was found to exceed 5% on 6 of the PDM measured, with a maximum deviation of 10%. The age of the monitors that failed was on average 5 years. All monitors passed the luminance uniformity test, which was 30% from the center of the monitor to the 4 corner locations. Four PDMs failed the Gray Scale Display Function (GSDF) calibration. Conclusion: For the consistent display of medical images and continued conformance with the DICOM GSDF standard, it is essential to compare the performance of the built-in photometer with an externally calibrated photometer for monitors that are older than 5 years.« less

Ultrasound examination and behavior scoring of captive broadnose sevengill sharks, Notorynchus cepedianus (Peron, 1807).

PubMed

Daly, Jonathan; Gunn, Ian; Kirby, Nick; Jones, Robert; Galloway, David

2007-09-01

Serial ultrasound examination of four mature female sevengill sharks (Notorynchus cepedianus) was carried out over 18 months. Monitoring the reproductive cycle and development of follicles and fetuses in sharks in a noninvasive manner using this technique has not been reported previously. Sharks were caught out of the "Oceanarium" tank by divers using a specially made catch-out bag, and brought to a holding area for examination. A behavior scoring system was used to monitor the impact of regular handling on the well-being of the animals. Ultrasound showed the growth and regression of follicles in sevengill ovaries, and allowed an approximation of the reproductive stage of these sharks. Monitoring behavior at five time points during the procedure showed that regular handling of sharks for clinical studies could be done with minimal impact on animal welfare. The ability to follow reproductive events in elasmobranches using ultrasonography is an important step in the application of assisted reproductive technology in these species. Assisted reproductive technology, such as monitoring female reproductive cycles and artificial insemination, could potentially be used to maintain genetic diversity and compliment aquaria-based breeding programs for endangered species such as the gray nurse shark (Carcharias taurus). Zoo Biol 26:383-395, 2007. (c) 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Ink-jet printout of radiographs on transparent film and glossy paper versus monitor display: an ROC analysis.

PubMed

Kühl, Sebastian; Krummenauer, Frank; Dagassan-Berndt, Dorothea; Lambrecht, Thomas J; d'Hoedt, Bernd; Schulze, Ralf Kurt Willy

2011-06-01

The aim of this study was to compare the depiction ability of small grayscale contrasts in ink-jet printouts of digital radiographs on different print media with CRT monitor. A CCD-based digital cephalometric image of a stepless aluminum wedge containing 50 bur holes of different depth was cut into 100 isometric images. Each image was printed on glossy paper and on transparent film by means of a high-resolution desktop inkjet printer at specific settings. The printed images were viewed under standardized conditions, and the perceptibility of the bur holes was evaluated and compared to the perceptibility on a 17-in CRT monitor. Thirty observers stated their blinded decision on a five-point confidence scale. Areas (Az) under receiver operating characteristics curves were calculated and compared using the pair wise sign tests. Overall agreement was estimated using Cohen's kappa device and observer bias using McNemar's test. Glossy paper prints and monitor display revealed significantly higher (P < 0.001) average Az values (0.83) compared to prints on transparent film (0.79), which was caused by higher sensitivity. Specificity was similar for all modalities. The sensitivity was dependent on the mean gray scale values for the transparent film.

Cannabis, Cigarettes, and Their Co-Occurring Use: Disentangling Differences in Gray Matter Volume

PubMed Central

Jagannathan, Kanchana; Hager, Nathan; Childress, Anna Rose; Rao, Hengyi; Franklin, Teresa R.

2015-01-01

Background: Structural magnetic resonance imaging techniques are powerful tools for examining the effects of drug use on the brain. The nicotine and cannabis literature has demonstrated differences between nicotine cigarette smokers and cannabis users compared to controls in brain structure; however, less is known about the effects of co-occurring cannabis and tobacco use. Methods: We used voxel-based morphometry to examine gray matter volume differences between four groups: (1) cannabis-dependent individuals who do not smoke tobacco (Cs); (2) cannabis-dependent individuals who smoke tobacco (CTs); (3) cannabis-naïve, nicotine-dependent individuals who smoke tobacco (Ts); and (4) healthy controls (HCs). We also explored associations between gray matter volume and measures of cannabis and tobacco use. Results: A significant group effect was observed in the left putamen, thalamus, right precentral gyrus, and left cerebellum. Compared to HCs, the Cs, CTs, and Ts exhibited larger gray matter volumes in the left putamen. Cs also had larger gray matter volume than HCs in the right precentral gyrus. Cs and CTs exhibited smaller gray matter volume than HCs in the thalamus, and CTs and Ts had smaller left cerebellar gray matter volume than HCs. Conclusions: This study extends previous research that independently examined the effects of cannabis or tobacco use on brain structure by including an examination of co-occurring cannabis and tobacco use, and provides evidence that cannabis and tobacco exposure are associated with alterations in brain regions associated with addiction. PMID:26045474

Localizing gray matter deficits in late-onset depression using computational cortical pattern matching methods.

PubMed

Ballmaier, Martina; Kumar, Anand; Thompson, Paul M; Narr, Katherine L; Lavretsky, Helen; Estanol, Laverne; Deluca, Heather; Toga, Arthur W

2004-11-01

The authors used magnetic resonance imaging and an image analysis technique known as cortical pattern matching to map cortical gray matter deficits in elderly depressed patients with an illness onset after age 60 (late-onset depression). Seventeen patients with late-onset depression (11 women and six men; mean age=75.24, SD=8.52) and 17 group-matched comparison subjects (11 women and six men; mean age=73.88, SD=7.61) were included. Detailed spatial analyses of gray matter were conducted across the entire cortex by measuring local proportions of gray matter at thousands of homologous cortical surface locations in each subject, and these patterns were matched across subjects by using elastic transformations to align sulcal topography. To visualize regional changes, statistical differences were mapped at each cortical surface location in three dimensions. The late-onset depression group exhibited significant gray matter deficits in the right lateral temporal cortex and the right parietal cortex, where decreases were most pronounced in sensorimotor regions. The statistical maps also showed gray matter deficits in the same regions of the left hemisphere that approached significance after permutation testing. No significant group differences were detected in frontal cortices or any other anatomical region. Regionally specific decreases of gray matter occur in late-onset depression, supporting the hypothesis that this subset of elderly patients with major depression presents with certain unique neuroanatomical abnormalities that may differ from patients with an earlier onset of illness.

Gray matter regions statistically mediating the cross-sectional association of eotaxin and set-shifting among older adults with major depressive disorder.

PubMed

Smagula, Stephen F; Karim, Helmet T; Lenze, Eric J; Butters, Meryl A; Wu, Gregory F; Mulsant, Benoit H; Reynolds, Charles F; Aizenstein, Howard J

2017-12-01

Eotaxin is a chemokine that exerts negative effects on neurogenesis. We recently showed that peripheral eotaxin levels correlate with both lower gray matter volume and poorer executive performance in older adults with major depressive disorder. These findings suggest that the relationship between eotaxin and set-shifting may be accounted for by lower gray matter volume in specific regions. Prior studies have identified specific gray matter regions that correlate with set-shifting performance, but have not examined whether these specific gray matter regions mediate the cross-sectional association between eotaxin and set-shifting. In 27 older adults (mean age: 68 ± 5.2 years) with major depressive disorder, we performed a whole brain (voxel-wise) analysis testing whether/where gray matter density statistically mediates the cross-sectional association of eotaxin and set-shifting performance. We found the association between eotaxin and set-shifting performance was fully statistically mediated by lower gray matter density in left middle cingulate, right pre-/post-central, lingual, inferior/superior frontal, cuneus, and middle temporal regions. The regions identified above may be both susceptible to a potential neurodegenerative effect of eotaxin, and critical to preserving set-shifting function. Longitudinal and intervention studies are needed to further evaluate whether targeting eotaxin levels will prevent neurodegeneration and executive impairment in older adults with depression. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Joint source based morphometry identifies linked gray and white matter group differences.

PubMed

Xu, Lai; Pearlson, Godfrey; Calhoun, Vince D

2009-02-01

We present a multivariate approach called joint source based morphometry (jSBM), to identify linked gray and white matter regions which differ between groups. In jSBM, joint independent component analysis (jICA) is used to decompose preprocessed gray and white matter images into joint sources and statistical analysis is used to determine the significant joint sources showing group differences and their relationship to other variables of interest (e.g. age or sex). The identified joint sources are groupings of linked gray and white matter regions with common covariation among subjects. In this study, we first provide a simulation to validate the jSBM approach. To illustrate our method on real data, jSBM is then applied to structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) data obtained from 120 chronic schizophrenia patients and 120 healthy controls to identify group differences. JSBM identified four joint sources as significantly associated with schizophrenia. Linked gray-white matter regions identified in each of the joint sources included: 1) temporal--corpus callosum, 2) occipital/frontal--inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, 3) frontal/parietal/occipital/temporal--superior longitudinal fasciculus and 4) parietal/frontal--thalamus. Age effects on all four joint sources were significant, but sex effects were significant only for the third joint source. Our findings demonstrate that jSBM can exploit the natural linkage between gray and white matter by incorporating them into a unified framework. This approach is applicable to a wide variety of problems to study linked gray and white matter group differences.

Plant guide: Gray's biscuitroot (Lomatium grayi [J. M. Coult. & Rose.] J.M. Coult. & Rose)

Treesearch

Derek Tilley; Loren St. John; Dan Ogle; Nancy Shaw

2011-01-01

Gray's biscuitroot is grazed by deer, sheep, mice, rats, and rabbits (COSEWIC, 2008). Ogle and Brazee (2009) rate it as desirable spring and summer forage for cattle, sheep, horses, elk, deer and antelope. Gray's biscuitroot is one of the first species to green up and flower after snowmelt. This characteristic makes this an important species for early spring...

50 CFR 23.69 - How can I trade internationally in fur skins and fur skin products of bobcat, river otter, Canada...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... skins and fur skin products of bobcat, river otter, Canada lynx, gray wolf, and brown bear harvested in... trade internationally in fur skins and fur skin products of bobcat, river otter, Canada lynx, gray wolf... lynx (Lynx canadensis), gray wolf (Canis lupus), and brown bear (Ursus arctos) harvested in the United...

50 CFR 23.69 - How can I trade internationally in fur skins and fur skin products of bobcat, river otter, Canada...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... skins and fur skin products of bobcat, river otter, Canada lynx, gray wolf, and brown bear? 23.69... skins and fur skin products of bobcat, river otter, Canada lynx, gray wolf, and brown bear? (a) U.S. and...), river otter (Lontra canadensis), and Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis), and the Alaskan populations of gray...

50 CFR 23.69 - How can I trade internationally in fur skins and fur skin products of bobcat, river otter, Canada...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... skins and fur skin products of bobcat, river otter, Canada lynx, gray wolf, and brown bear? 23.69... skins and fur skin products of bobcat, river otter, Canada lynx, gray wolf, and brown bear? (a) U.S. and...), river otter (Lontra canadensis), and Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis), and the Alaskan populations of gray...

50 CFR 23.69 - How can I trade internationally in fur skins and fur skin products of bobcat, river otter, Canada...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... skins and fur skin products of bobcat, river otter, Canada lynx, gray wolf, and brown bear? 23.69... skins and fur skin products of bobcat, river otter, Canada lynx, gray wolf, and brown bear? (a) U.S. and...), river otter (Lontra canadensis), and Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis), and the Alaskan populations of gray...

Body weight, egg production, and egg quality traits of gray, brown, and white varieties of Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) in coastal climatic condition of Odisha.

PubMed

Bagh, Jessy; Panigrahi, B; Panda, N; Pradhan, C R; Mallik, B K; Majhi, B; Rout, S S

2016-08-01

The present study was conducted to evaluate the performance of gray, brown, and white varieties of Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) with respect to body weight, egg production, and egg quality traits in the coastal climatic condition of Odisha. A total of 500-day-old straight run Japanese quail chicks of three varieties, viz., gray, brown, and white were randomly selected and reared in deep litter system at Central Poultry Development Organization, Eastern Region, Bhubaneswar. The weekly body weight of the birds was recorded till their egg production stage (up to 6 weeks of age). The average egg production was recorded every biweekly from 6(th) to 20(th) week. Exterior and interior quality of eggs from each variety was determined at 6 weeks of age. The initial average weekly body weight of three varieties did not differ (p>0.05) among the varieties. However, from 1(st) to 6(th) week significantly higher body weight was observed in gray than white and brown. Brown varieties had reached 50% egg production 1 week earlier than gray and white. Brown had higher peak hen day (HD) production or hen-housed egg production followed by white and gray. External quality such as: Egg weight, egg length, egg width, volume, shape index, shell weight, shell thickness depicted no significant difference among the varieties except circumference length and circumference width, which were significantly higher (p≤0.05) in gray varieties than brown varieties. Internal egg characteristics such as: Albumen length, albumen width, albumen height, albumen index, yolk length, yolk width, yolk height, yolk index, albumen weight, yolk weight, Haugh unit revealed no significance difference among the varieties. It may be summarized from the findings that gray excelled in body weight followed by white and brown. Egg production potential in terms of hen house egg production or HD egg production was higher for brown followed by white and gray in the coastal climatic condition of Odisha.

Effectiveness of a sediment time critical removal action-PCB reduction in fish tissue, surface water, and sediment via wet excavation.

PubMed

Santini, Andrew D; King, Todd; Krawczyk, Keith; Kern, John W

2015-01-01

Documenting successful remediation of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-contaminated sediments is limited; potentially due to inadequate monitoring methods, complexities associated with the environment, and selected remedial techniques. At some sites, absence of appropriate baseline and postremoval monitoring limits proper evaluation of remedial efficacy. Accurate interpretation of interactions between media, space, time, species, lipid content, and remedial technique requires robust study design and data. This article presents baseline and postremoval data documenting reduced PCB concentrations in fish tissue, surface water, and sediment in response to the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) time-critical removal action (TCRA) that was conducted at the former Bryant Mill Pond (BMP) on Portage Creek in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The BMP is part of an operable unit (OU) within the Allied Paper, Inc./Portage Creek/Kalamazoo River Superfund Site. PCBs discharged to the creek as a byproduct of carbonless copy paper recycling are the primary contaminant of concern. Paper waste residuals commonly appear as gray to light gray clays in river sediments and floodplain soils. The cleanup criterion was 10 mg/kg, with a residual PCB concentration goal of 1 mg/kg. Because the PCB-containing waste is (generally) associated with readily visible light gray clay, excavation of all visibly contaminated current or formerly impounded sediment served as a surrogate for the cleanup criteria and goal. Sediment was wet excavated and backfilled after diversion of the creek. After confirmation that PCB concentrations met cleanup criteria, the stream was diverted to the excavated side, and excavation and backfilling were completed. Overall, 146000 cubic yards of material including PCB-contaminated sediments were removed from the BMP. The long-term monitoring (LTM) program implemented by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), and historic data from a variety of sources (federal, state, and local agencies and responsible parties) provided data demonstrating TCRA effectiveness. Before TCRA, surface sediment PCB concentration in instream and formerly inundated sediment combined was 83 mg/kg (with a maximum of 700 mg/kg). Instream sediments that are more representative of fish exposures had a pre-TCRA surface weighted average concentration (SWAC) of 27 mg/kg. The post-TCRA SWAC for instream and floodplain sediments combined was 0.26 mg/kg. Average surface water concentrations at the downstream end of the BMP were reduced from 0.11 µg/L pre-TCRA to 0.0025 µg/L post-TCRA. Tissue samples for adult carp fillets decreased from 4 mg/kg pre-TCRA to 0.26 mg/kg post-TCRA; whole body white suckers from 3 mg/kg pre-TCRA to 0.1 mg/kg post-TCRA; whole body channel catfish from 39 mg/kg-L pre-TCRA to 2.6 mg/kg-L post-TCRA. Concentrations of PCBs in 2 species of resident fish (carp and white suckers), caged channel catfish, surface water, and sediment were reduced by over 1 order of magnitude within 1 year of completion, substantively accelerating natural recovery processes. A slight increase in PCB concentration was observed in both whole body suckers and adult carp fillets in the second monitoring period post-TCRA; however, these concentrations are still near an order of magnitude less than pre-TCRA concentrations and appear to be currently stable or on a slight downward trend. © 2014 SETAC.

From d-tubocurarine to sugammadex: the contributions of T. Cecil Gray to modern anaesthetic practice.

PubMed

Shafer, S L

2011-07-01

One hundred years after Morton's demonstration of the anaesthetic effects of ether, T. Cecil Gray revolutionized anaesthesia with his introduction of balanced general anaesthesia. Gray's technique involved i.v. induction, administration of a neuromuscular blocking agent (curare), tracheal intubation, controlled ventilation, maintenance of unconsciousness with a light inhaled anaesthetic (supplemented with opioids if necessary), and reversal of neuromuscular blocking agent at the conclusion of the anaesthetic. In the 65 yr since his seminal papers, our drugs have changed, and i.v. anaesthetics suitable for maintenance of anaesthesia have been introduced, but the basic principles of general anaesthesia today are those set forward by Gray 65 yr ago.

Advanced gray rod control assembly

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

Drudy, Keith J; Carlson, William R; Conner, Michael E

An advanced gray rod control assembly (GRCA) for a nuclear reactor. The GRCA provides controlled insertion of gray rod assemblies into the reactor, thereby controlling the rate of power produced by the reactor and providing reactivity control at full power. Each gray rod assembly includes an elongated tubular member, a primary neutron-absorber disposed within the tubular member said neutron-absorber comprising an absorber material, preferably tungsten, having a 2200 m/s neutron absorption microscopic capture cross-section of from 10 to 30 barns. An internal support tube can be positioned between the primary absorber and the tubular member as a secondary absorber tomore » enhance neutron absorption, absorber depletion, assembly weight, and assembly heat transfer characteristics.« less

Black and gray Helmholtz-Kerr soliton refraction

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

Sanchez-Curto, Julio; Chamorro-Posada, Pedro; McDonald, Graham S.

Refraction of black and gray solitons at boundaries separating different defocusing Kerr media is analyzed within a Helmholtz framework. A universal nonlinear Snell's law is derived that describes gray soliton refraction, in addition to capturing the behavior of bright and black Kerr solitons at interfaces. Key regimes, defined by beam and interface characteristics, are identified, and predictions are verified by full numerical simulations. The existence of a unique total nonrefraction angle for gray solitons is reported; both internal and external refraction at a single interface is shown possible (dependent only on incidence angle). This, in turn, leads to the proposalmore » of positive or negative lensing operations on soliton arrays at planar boundaries.« less

Enter the Dragon: The Dynamic and Multifunctional Evolution of Anguimorpha Lizard Venoms

PubMed Central

Koludarov, Ivan; Jackson, Timothy NW; op den Brouw, Bianca; Dobson, James; Dashevsky, Daniel; Clemente, Christofer J.; Stockdale, Edward J.; Cochran, Chip; Debono, Jordan; Stephens, Carson; Panagides, Nadya; Li, Bin; Roy Manchadi, Mary-Louise; Violette, Aude; Fourmy, Rudy; Hendrikx, Iwan; Nouwens, Amanda; Clements, Judith; Martelli, Paolo; Kwok, Hang Fai; Fry, Bryan G.

2017-01-01

While snake venoms have been the subject of intense study, comparatively little work has been done on lizard venoms. In this study, we have examined the structural and functional diversification of anguimorph lizard venoms and associated toxins, and related these results to dentition and predatory ecology. Venom composition was shown to be highly variable across the 20 species of Heloderma, Lanthanotus, and Varanus included in our study. While kallikrein enzymes were ubiquitous, they were also a particularly multifunctional toxin type, with differential activities on enzyme substrates and also ability to degrade alpha or beta chains of fibrinogen that reflects structural variability. Examination of other toxin types also revealed similar variability in their presence and activity levels. The high level of venom chemistry variation in varanid lizards compared to that of helodermatid lizards suggests that venom may be subject to different selection pressures in these two families. These results not only contribute to our understanding of venom evolution but also reveal anguimorph lizard venoms to be rich sources of novel bioactive molecules with potential as drug design and development lead compounds. PMID:28783084

Enter the Dragon: The Dynamic and Multifunctional Evolution of Anguimorpha Lizard Venoms.

PubMed

Koludarov, Ivan; Jackson, Timothy Nw; Brouw, Bianca Op den; Dobson, James; Dashevsky, Daniel; Arbuckle, Kevin; Clemente, Christofer J; Stockdale, Edward J; Cochran, Chip; Debono, Jordan; Stephens, Carson; Panagides, Nadya; Li, Bin; Manchadi, Mary-Louise Roy; Violette, Aude; Fourmy, Rudy; Hendrikx, Iwan; Nouwens, Amanda; Clements, Judith; Martelli, Paolo; Kwok, Hang Fai; Fry, Bryan G

2017-08-06

While snake venoms have been the subject of intense study, comparatively little work has been done on lizard venoms. In this study, we have examined the structural and functional diversification of anguimorph lizard venoms and associated toxins, and related these results to dentition and predatory ecology. Venom composition was shown to be highly variable across the 20 species of Heloderma , Lanthanotus , and Varanus included in our study. While kallikrein enzymes were ubiquitous, they were also a particularly multifunctional toxin type, with differential activities on enzyme substrates and also ability to degrade alpha or beta chains of fibrinogen that reflects structural variability. Examination of other toxin types also revealed similar variability in their presence and activity levels. The high level of venom chemistry variation in varanid lizards compared to that of helodermatid lizards suggests that venom may be subject to different selection pressures in these two families. These results not only contribute to our understanding of venom evolution but also reveal anguimorph lizard venoms to be rich sources of novel bioactive molecules with potential as drug design and development lead compounds.

Physical activity, fitness, and gray matter volume

PubMed Central

Erickson, Kirk I.; Leckie, Regina L.; Weinstein, Andrea M.

2014-01-01

In this review we explore the association between physical activity, cardiorespiratory fitness, and exercise on gray matter volume in older adults. We conclude that higher cardiorespiratory fitness levels are routinely associated with greater gray matter volume in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, and less consistently in other regions. We also conclude that physical activity is associated with greater gray matter volume in the same regions that are associated with cardiorespiratory fitness including the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. Some heterogeneity in the literature may be explained by effect moderation by age, stress, or other factors. Finally, we report promising results from randomized exercise interventions that suggest that the volume of the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex remain pliable and responsive to moderate intensity exercise for 6-months to 1-year. Physical activity appears to be a propitious method for influencing gray matter volume in late adulthood, but additional well-controlled studies are necessary to inform public policies about the potential protective or therapeutic effects of exercise on brain volume. PMID:24952993

Sea-floor gouges caused by migrating gray whales off northern California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cacchione, D.A.; Drake, D.E.; Field, M.E.; Tate, G.B.

1987-01-01

Side-scan sonar records collected during March and April 1981 and 1982 off northern California contain elongate depressions whose sizes and shapes are similar to sea-floor gouges made by feeding gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) in the northern Bering Sea and in shallow embayments off British Columbia. The discovery of the whale gouges in the sonar records was unexpected, and supports some of the previous speculation that gray whales feed opportunistically during migration. Gouges occupy about 0.032% of the 7.6 km2 of sea floor that was surveyed, which represents about 575 metric tons of excavated material. Although seemingly minor in amount, the total amount of bottom sediment removed from the central and northern California continental shelf by gray whale activities year after year represents macroscale biologically induced erosion and could have significant geological implications in shelf erosion and depositional schemes. This is the only published evidence of benthic feeding by gray whales along their migration route off northern California. ?? 1987.

Vegetative Analysis of the Flookplain of the Trinity River, Texas,

DTIC Science & Technology

1974-09-30

humilis var. longiflora (Gray) Fern. Ruellia Ruellia nudiflora (Gray)1*~ n_ __ Rush Juncus nodatus Coy.f Rush Juncus Torreyi Coy. Rush-foil...scurfpea Psoralea rhombifolia T. & G.J Royal fern Osmunda reai var. §pectabilis (Willd.) Gray Ruellia Ruellia caroliniensis (Walt.) Steud. Ruellia Ruellia ...o’clock Mirabilis nyctaginea (Michx.) 1 Wild indigo Baptisia Nuttalliana, SmallJ Wild onion Allium canadense L. Wild petunia Ruellia Corzoi Tharp & Barkl

Test Review: J. L. Wiederholt & B. R. Bryant. (2012). Gray Oral Reading Tests-Fifth Edition (GORT-5). Austin, TX: Pro-Ed.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hall, Anna H.; Tannebaum, Rory P.

2013-01-01

The first edition of the Gray Oral Reading Tests (GORT, 1963) was written by Dr. William S. Gray, a founding member and the first president of the International Reading Association. The GORT was designed to measure oral reading abilities (i.e., Rate, Accuracy, Fluency, and Comprehension) of students in Grades 2 through 12 due to the noteworthy…

Interactions of brown bears, Ursus arctos, and gray wolves, Canis lupus, at Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Smith, Tom S.; Partridge, Steven T.; Schoen, John W.

2004-01-01

We describe several encounters between Brown Bears (Ursus arctos) and Gray Wolves (Canis lupus) that were observed at Katmai National Park and Preserve in southwest Alaska. Katmai Brown Bears and Gray Wolves were observed interacting in a variety of behavioral modes that ranged from agonistic to tolerant. These observations provide additional insight regarding the behavioral plasticity associated with bear-wolf interactions.

Molecular Biogeochemistry of Modern and Ancient Marine Microbes

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-02-01

number distributions in the late Archean bitumens fall within the range of compositions of Phanerozoic petroleum ( gray line in Fig. 7), suggesting that...bitumen extracts. The gray line indicates the range of compositions observed in Phanerozoic petroleum systems, from the GeoMark Reservoir Fluid Database...than that of mRNA are attributable to noisy, non-cycling protein timecourses ( gray points above 1:1 line). For clarity, only genes whose protein

Metal Ion Sensor with Catalytic DNA in a Nanofluidic Intelligent Processor

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-12-01

attributed to decreased diffusion and less active DNAzyme complex because of pore constraints. Uncleavable Alexa546 intensity is shown in gray ...is shown in gray , cleavable fluorescein in green, and the ratio of Fl/Alexa in red. Error bars represent one standard deviation of four independent...higher concentrations inhibiting cleaved fragment release. Uncleavable Alexa 546 intensity is shown in gray , cleavable fluorescein in green, and the

QCA Gray Code Converter Circuits Using LTEx Methodology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mukherjee, Chiradeep; Panda, Saradindu; Mukhopadhyay, Asish Kumar; Maji, Bansibadan

2018-07-01

The Quantum-dot Cellular Automata (QCA) is the prominent paradigm of nanotechnology considered to continue the computation at deep sub-micron regime. The QCA realizations of several multilevel circuit of arithmetic logic unit have been introduced in the recent years. However, as high fan-in Binary to Gray (B2G) and Gray to Binary (G2B) Converters exist in the processor based architecture, no attention has been paid towards the QCA instantiation of the Gray Code Converters which are anticipated to be used in 8-bit, 16-bit, 32-bit or even more bit addressable machines of Gray Code Addressing schemes. In this work the two-input Layered T module is presented to exploit the operation of an Exclusive-OR Gate (namely LTEx module) as an elemental block. The "defect-tolerant analysis" of the two-input LTEx module has been analyzed to establish the scalability and reproducibility of the LTEx module in the complex circuits. The novel formulations exploiting the operability of the LTEx module have been proposed to instantiate area-delay efficient B2G and G2B Converters which can be exclusively used in Gray Code Addressing schemes. Moreover this work formulates the QCA design metrics such as O-Cost, Effective area, Delay and Cost α for the n-bit converter layouts.

QCA Gray Code Converter Circuits Using LTEx Methodology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mukherjee, Chiradeep; Panda, Saradindu; Mukhopadhyay, Asish Kumar; Maji, Bansibadan

2018-04-01

The Quantum-dot Cellular Automata (QCA) is the prominent paradigm of nanotechnology considered to continue the computation at deep sub-micron regime. The QCA realizations of several multilevel circuit of arithmetic logic unit have been introduced in the recent years. However, as high fan-in Binary to Gray (B2G) and Gray to Binary (G2B) Converters exist in the processor based architecture, no attention has been paid towards the QCA instantiation of the Gray Code Converters which are anticipated to be used in 8-bit, 16-bit, 32-bit or even more bit addressable machines of Gray Code Addressing schemes. In this work the two-input Layered T module is presented to exploit the operation of an Exclusive-OR Gate (namely LTEx module) as an elemental block. The "defect-tolerant analysis" of the two-input LTEx module has been analyzed to establish the scalability and reproducibility of the LTEx module in the complex circuits. The novel formulations exploiting the operability of the LTEx module have been proposed to instantiate area-delay efficient B2G and G2B Converters which can be exclusively used in Gray Code Addressing schemes. Moreover this work formulates the QCA design metrics such as O-Cost, Effective area, Delay and Cost α for the n-bit converter layouts.

Gray Matter Differences between Pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Patients and High-Risk Siblings: A Preliminary Voxel-Based Morphometry Study

PubMed Central

Gilbert, Andrew R.; Keshavan, Matcheri S.; Diwadkar, Vaibhav; Nutche, Jeffrey; MacMaster, Frank; Easter, Phillip C.; Buhagiar, Christian J.; Rosenberg, David R.

2008-01-01

Neuroimaging studies have identified alterations in frontostriatal circuitry in OCD. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) allows for the assessment of differences in gray matter density across the whole brain. VBM has not previously been used to examine regional gray matter density in pediatric OCD patients and the siblings of pediatric OCD patients. Volumetric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies were conducted in 10 psychotropic-naïve pediatric patients with OCD, 10 unaffected siblings of pediatric patients with OCD, and 10 healthy controls. VBM analysis was conducted using SPM2. Statistical comparisons were performed with the general linear model, implementing small volume random field corrections for a priori regions of interest (anterior cingulate cortex or ACC, striatum and thalamus). VBM analysis revealed significantly lower gray matter density in OCD patients compared to healthy in the left ACC and bilateral medial superior frontal gyrus (SFG). Furthermore, a small volume correction was used to identify a significantly greater gray matter density in the right putamen in OCD patients as compared to unaffected siblings of OCD patients. These findings in patients, siblings, and healthy controls, although preliminary, suggest the presence of gray matter structural differences between affected subjects and healthy controls as well as between affected subjects and individuals at risk for OCD. PMID:18314272

Effect of Selenium on Control of Postharvest Gray Mold of Tomato Fruit and the Possible Mechanisms Involved

PubMed Central

Wu, Zhilin; Yin, Xuebin; Bañuelos, Gary S.; Lin, Zhi-Qing; Zhu, Zhu; Liu, Ying; Yuan, Linxi; Li, Miao

2016-01-01

Selenium (Se) has important benefits for crop growth and stress tolerance at low concentrations. However, there is very little information on antimicrobial effect of Se against the economically important fungus Botrytis cinerea. In the present study, using sodium selenite as Se source, we investigated the effect of Se salts on spore germination and mycelial growth of the fungal pathogen in vitro and gray mold control in harvested tomato fruit. Se treatment at 24 mg/L significantly inhibited spore germination of the fungal pathogen and effectively controlled gray mold in harvested tomato fruit. Se treatment at 24 mg/L seems to induce the generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species in the fungal spores. The membrane integrity damage was observed with fluorescence microscopy following staining with propidium iodide after treatment of the spores with Se. These results suggest that Se has the potential for controlling gray mold rot of tomato fruits and might be useful in integrated control against gray mold disease of postharvest fruits and vegetables caused by B. cinerea. The mechanisms by which Se decreased gray mold decay of tomato fruit may be directly related to the severe damage to the conidia plasma membrane and loss of cytoplasmic materials from the hyphae. PMID:26779128

Externalizing personality traits, empathy, and gray matter volume in healthy young drinkers

PubMed Central

Charpentier, Judith; Dzemidzic, Mario; West, John; Oberlin, Brandon G.; Eiler, William J.A.; Saykin, Andrew J.; Kareken, David A.

2016-01-01

Externalizing psychopathology has been linked to prefrontal abnormalities. While clinically diagnosed subjects show altered frontal gray matter, it is unknown if similar deficits relate to externalizing traits in non-clinical populations. We used voxel-based morphometry (VBM) to retrospectively analyze the cerebral gray matter volume of 176 young adult social to heavy drinkers (mean age= 24.0 ± 2.9, male= 83.5%) from studies of alcoholism risk. We hypothesized that prefrontal gray matter volume and externalizing traits would be correlated. Externalizing personality trait components— Boredom Susceptibility-Impulsivity (BS/IMP) and Empathy/Low Antisocial Behaviors (EMP/LASB)— were tested for correlations with gray matter partial volume estimates (gmPVE). Significantly large clusters (pFWE < 0.05, family-wise whole-brain corrected) of gmPVE correlated with EMP/LASB in dorsolateral and medial prefrontal regions, and in occipital cortex. BS/IMP did not correlate with gmPVE, but one scale of impulsivity (Eysenck I7) correlated positively with bilateral inferior frontal/orbitofrontal, and anterior insula gmPVE. In this large sample of community-dwelling young adults, antisocial behavior/low empathy corresponded with reduced prefrontal and occipital gray matter, while impulsivity correlated with increased inferior frontal and anterior insula cortical volume. These findings add to a literature indicating that externalizing personality features involve altered frontal architecture. PMID:26778367

A precisely targeted application strategy of dipping young cucumber fruit in fungicide to control cucumber gray mold.

PubMed

He, Leiming; Cui, Kaidi; Song, Yufei; Zhang, Zhengqun; Li, Beixing; Mu, Wei; Liu, Feng

2018-04-27

Gray mold is a ubiquitous destructive plant disease worldwide. To avoid the shortcomings of conventional spraying systems for controlling this disease, such as high selection pressure on Botrytis cinerea for resistance and fungicide waste resulting from spray drift, a precisely targeted application strategy of dipping young cucumber fruit in a mixture of fungicide and forchlorfenuron (plant growth regulator, PGR) during the bloom period to control cucumber gray mold was developed in the current study. Without leaving above-limit residues in cucumber fruits, dipping in fludioxonil at 30 mg liter -1 provided a greater efficacy (85.4%) against cucumber gray mold than did spraying at 100 mg liter -1 (76.4%). Importantly, fludioxonil mixed with forchlorfenuron from 25 to 35 mg liter -1 increased the yield of cucumbers by 26.2%-36.7% compared to dipping fruit only in forchlorfenuron. The increased yield may be a benefit of controlling gray mold. Dipping fruit in fungicides and PGRs seems to be a potential precisely targeted application strategy to not only control cucumber gray mold effectively but also, through the action of PGRs, to increase the cucumber yield. This novel application method is believed to have a bright prospect in cucumber production in Chinese solar greenhouses. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Altered Gray Matter Volume in Stable Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease with Subclinical Cognitive Impairment: an Exploratory Study.

PubMed

Wang, Chunrong; Ding, Yanhui; Shen, Bixian; Gao, Dehong; An, Jie; Peng, Kewen; Hou, Gangqiang; Zou, Liqiu; Jiang, Mei; Qiu, Shijun

2017-05-01

Gray matter volume deficits have been identified in cognitively impaired patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, it remains unknown whether the gray matter volume is altered in COPD patients with subclinical cognitive impairment. To determine whether any gray matter abnormalities are present in these patients, neuropsychological tests and structural MRI data were analyzed from 60 patients with COPD and 60 age-, gender-, education-, and handedness-matched normal controls (NCs). The COPD patients had similar Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores compared with the NCs. However, they had reduced Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores for visuospatial and executive and naming and memory functions (P < 0.001). Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analysis revealed that the COPD patients had significantly lowered gray matter volumes in several brain regions, including the left precuneus (PrCU), bilateral calcarine (CAL), right superior temporal gyrus/middle temporal gyrus (STG/MTG), bilateral fusiform gyrus (FG), and right inferior parietal lobule (IPL) (P < 0.01, corrected). Importantly, the forced vital capacity (FVC) was found to be associated with the gray matter volume in the calcarine. The present study confirmed that brain structural changes were present in stable COPD patients with subclinical cognitive impairment. These findings may provide new insights into the pathogenesis of COPD.

Optimal scan strategy for mega-pixel and kilo-gray-level OLED-on-silicon microdisplay.

PubMed

Ji, Yuan; Ran, Feng; Ji, Weigui; Xu, Meihua; Chen, Zhangjing; Jiang, Yuxi; Shen, Weixin

2012-06-10

The digital pixel driving scheme makes the organic light-emitting diode (OLED) microdisplays more immune to the pixel luminance variations and simplifies the circuit architecture and design flow compared to the analog pixel driving scheme. Additionally, it is easily applied in full digital systems. However, the data bottleneck becomes a notable problem as the number of pixels and gray levels grow dramatically. This paper will discuss the digital driving ability to achieve kilogray-levels for megapixel displays. The optimal scan strategy is proposed for creating ultra high gray levels and increasing light efficiency and contrast ratio. Two correction schemes are discussed to improve the gray level linearity. A 1280×1024×3 OLED-on-silicon microdisplay, with 4096 gray levels, is designed based on the optimal scan strategy. The circuit driver is integrated in the silicon backplane chip in the 0.35 μm 3.3 V-6 V dual voltage one polysilicon layer, four metal layers (1P4M) complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) process with custom top metal. The design aspects of the optimal scan controller are also discussed. The test results show the gray level linearity of the correction schemes for the optimal scan strategy is acceptable by the human eye.

On 3-gauge transformations, 3-curvatures, and Gray-categories

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

Wang, Wei, E-mail: wwang@zju.edu.cn

In the 3-gauge theory, a 3-connection is given by a 1-form A valued in the Lie algebra g, a 2-form B valued in the Lie algebra h, and a 3-form C valued in the Lie algebra l, where (g,h,l) constitutes a differential 2-crossed module. We give the 3-gauge transformations from one 3-connection to another, and show the transformation formulae of the 1-curvature 2-form, the 2-curvature 3-form, and the 3-curvature 4-form. The gauge configurations can be interpreted as smooth Gray-functors between two Gray 3-groupoids: the path 3-groupoid P{sub 3}(X) and the 3-gauge group G{sup L} associated to the 2-crossed module L,more » whose differential is (g,h,l). The derivatives of Gray-functors are 3-connections, and the derivatives of lax-natural transformations between two such Gray-functors are 3-gauge transformations. We give the 3-dimensional holonomy, the lattice version of the 3-curvature, whose derivative gives the 3-curvature 4-form. The covariance of 3-curvatures easily follows from this construction. This Gray-categorical construction explains why 3-gauge transformations and 3-curvatures have the given forms. The interchanging 3-arrows are responsible for the appearance of terms with the Peiffer commutator (, )« less

Morphometric brain characterization of refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder: diffeomorphic anatomic registration using exponentiated Lie algebra.

PubMed

Tang, Wanjie; Li, Bin; Huang, Xiaoqi; Jiang, Xiaoyu; Li, Fei; Wang, Lijuan; Chen, Taolin; Wang, Jinhui; Gong, Qiyong; Yang, Yanchun

2013-10-01

Few studies have used neuroimaging to characterize treatment-refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). This study sought to explore gray matter structure in patients with treatment-refractory OCD and compare it with that of healthy controls. A total of 18 subjects with treatment-refractory OCD and 26 healthy volunteers were analyzed by MRI using a 3.0-T scanner and voxel-based morphometry (VBM). Diffeomorphic anatomical registration using exponentiated Lie algebra (DARTEL) was used to identify structural changes in gray matter associated with treatment-refractory OCD. A partial correlation model was used to analyze whether morphometric changes were associated with Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale scores and illness duration. Gray matter volume did not differ significantly between the two groups. Treatment-refractory OCD patients showed significantly lower gray matter density than healthy subjects in the left posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and mediodorsal thalamus (MD) and significantly higher gray matter density in the left dorsal striatum (putamen). These changes did not correlate with symptom severity or illness duration. Our findings provide new evidence of deficits in gray matter density in treatment-refractory OCD patients. These patients may show characteristic density abnormalities in the left PCC, MD and dorsal striatum (putamen), which should be verified in longitudinal studies. © 2013. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

"Plants that Remind Me of Home": Collecting, Plant Geography, and a Forgotten Expedition in the Darwinian Revolution.

PubMed

Hung, Kuang-Chi

2017-02-01

In 1859, Harvard botanist Asa Gray (1810-1888) published an essay of what he called "the abstract of Japan botany." In it, he applied Charles Darwin's evolutionary theory to explain why strong similarities could be found between the flora of Japan and that of eastern North America, which provoked his famous debate with Louis Agassiz (1807-1873) and initiated Gray's efforts to secure a place for Darwinian biology in the American sciences. Notably, although the Gray-Agassiz debate has become one of the most thoroughly studied scientific debates, historians of science remain unable to answer one critical question: How was Gray able to acquire specimens from Japan? Making use of previously unknown archival materials, this article scrutinizes the institutional, instrumental, financial, and military settings that enabled Gray's collector, Charles Wright (1811-1885), to travel to Japan, as well as examine Wright's collecting practices in Japan. I argue that it is necessary to examine Gray's diagnosis of Japan's flora and the subsequent debate about it from the viewpoint of field sciences. The field-centered approach not only unveils an array of historical significances that have been overshadowed by the analytical framework of the Darwinian revolution and the reception of Darwinism, but also places a seemingly domestic incident in a transnational context.

Gray matter atrophy in narcolepsy: An activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis.

PubMed

Weng, Hsu-Huei; Chen, Chih-Feng; Tsai, Yuan-Hsiung; Wu, Chih-Ying; Lee, Meng; Lin, Yu-Ching; Yang, Cheng-Ta; Tsai, Ying-Huang; Yang, Chun-Yuh

2015-12-01

The authors reviewed the literature on the use of voxel-based morphometry (VBM) in narcolepsy magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies via the use of a meta-analysis of neuroimaging to identify concordant and specific structural deficits in patients with narcolepsy as compared with healthy subjects. We used PubMed to retrieve articles published between January 2000 and March 2014. The authors included all VBM research on narcolepsy and compared the findings of the studies by using gray matter volume (GMV) or gray matter concentration (GMC) to index differences in gray matter. Stereotactic data were extracted from 8 VBM studies of 149 narcoleptic patients and 162 control subjects. We applied activation likelihood estimation (ALE) technique and found significant regional gray matter reduction in the bilateral hypothalamus, thalamus, globus pallidus, extending to nucleus accumbens (NAcc) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), left mid orbital and rectal gyri (BAs 10 and 11), right inferior frontal gyrus (BA 47), and the right superior temporal gyrus (BA 41) in patients with narcolepsy. The significant gray matter deficits in narcoleptic patients occurred in the bilateral hypothalamus and frontotemporal regions, which may be related to the emotional processing abnormalities and orexin/hypocretin pathway common among populations of patients with narcolepsy. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Automated brain tumor segmentation in magnetic resonance imaging based on sliding-window technique and symmetry analysis.

PubMed

Lian, Yanyun; Song, Zhijian

2014-01-01

Brain tumor segmentation from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an important step toward surgical planning, treatment planning, monitoring of therapy. However, manual tumor segmentation commonly used in clinic is time-consuming and challenging, and none of the existed automated methods are highly robust, reliable and efficient in clinic application. An accurate and automated tumor segmentation method has been developed for brain tumor segmentation that will provide reproducible and objective results close to manual segmentation results. Based on the symmetry of human brain, we employed sliding-window technique and correlation coefficient to locate the tumor position. At first, the image to be segmented was normalized, rotated, denoised, and bisected. Subsequently, through vertical and horizontal sliding-windows technique in turn, that is, two windows in the left and the right part of brain image moving simultaneously pixel by pixel in two parts of brain image, along with calculating of correlation coefficient of two windows, two windows with minimal correlation coefficient were obtained, and the window with bigger average gray value is the location of tumor and the pixel with biggest gray value is the locating point of tumor. At last, the segmentation threshold was decided by the average gray value of the pixels in the square with center at the locating point and 10 pixels of side length, and threshold segmentation and morphological operations were used to acquire the final tumor region. The method was evaluated on 3D FSPGR brain MR images of 10 patients. As a result, the average ratio of correct location was 93.4% for 575 slices containing tumor, the average Dice similarity coefficient was 0.77 for one scan, and the average time spent on one scan was 40 seconds. An fully automated, simple and efficient segmentation method for brain tumor is proposed and promising for future clinic use. Correlation coefficient is a new and effective feature for tumor location.

Effect of brain structure, brain function, and brain connectivity on relapse in alcohol-dependent patients.

PubMed

Beck, Anne; Wüstenberg, Torsten; Genauck, Alexander; Wrase, Jana; Schlagenhauf, Florian; Smolka, Michael N; Mann, Karl; Heinz, Andreas

2012-08-01

In alcohol-dependent patients, brain atrophy and functional brain activation elicited by alcohol-associated stimuli may predict relapse. However, to date, the interaction between both factors has not been studied. To determine whether results from structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging are associated with relapse in detoxified alcohol-dependent patients. A cue-reactivity functional magnetic resonance experiment with alcohol-associated and neutral stimuli. After a follow-up period of 3 months, the group of 46 detoxified alcohol-dependent patients was subdivided into 16 abstainers and 30 relapsers. Faculty for Clinical Medicine Mannheim at the University of Heidelberg, Germany. A total of 46 detoxified alcohol-dependent patients and 46 age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects Local gray matter volume, local stimulus-related functional magnetic resonance imaging activation, joint analyses of structural and functional data with Biological Parametric Mapping, and connectivity analyses adopting the psychophysiological interaction approach. Subsequent relapsers showed pronounced atrophy in the bilateral orbitofrontal cortex and in the right medial prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortex, compared with healthy controls and patients who remained abstinent. The local gray matter volume-corrected brain response elicited by alcohol-associated vs neutral stimuli in the left medial prefrontal cortex was enhanced for subsequent relapsers, whereas abstainers displayed an increased neural response in the midbrain (the ventral tegmental area extending into the subthalamic nucleus) and ventral striatum. For alcohol-associated vs neutral stimuli in abstainers compared with relapsers, the analyses of the psychophysiological interaction showed a stronger functional connectivity between the midbrain and the left amygdala and between the midbrain and the left orbitofrontal cortex. Subsequent relapsers displayed increased brain atrophy in brain areas associated with error monitoring and behavioral control. Correcting for gray matter reductions, we found that, in these patients, alcohol-related cues elicited increased activation in brain areas associated with attentional bias toward these cues and that, in patients who remained abstinent, increased activation and connectivity were observed in brain areas associated with processing of salient or aversive stimuli.

Repeated Lentivirus-Mediated Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor Administration to Treat Canine Cyclic Neutropenia

PubMed Central

Yanay, Ofer; Dale, David C.

2012-01-01

Abstract Cyclic neutropenia occurs in humans and gray collie dogs, is characterized by recurrent neutropenia, and is treated by repeated injections of recombinant granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rG-CSF). As dose escalation of lentivirus may be clinically necessary, we monitored the outcome of four sequential intramuscular injections of G-CSF-lentivirus (3×107 IU/kg body weight) to a normal dog and a gray collie. In the normal dog absolute neutrophil counts were significantly increased after each dose of virus, with mean levels of 27.75±3.00, 31.50±1.40, 35.05±1.68, and 43.88±2.94×103 cells/μl, respectively (p<0.001), and elevated neutrophil counts of 31.18±7.81×103 cells/μl were maintained for more than 6 years with no adverse effects. A gray collie dog with a mean count of 1.94±1.48×103 cells/μl received G-CSF-lentivirus and we observed sustained elevations in neutrophil levels for more than 5 months with a mean of 26.00±11.00×103 cells/μl, significantly increased over the pretreatment level (p<0.001). After the second and third virus administrations mean neutrophil counts of 15.80±6.14 and 11.52±4.90×103 cells/μl were significantly reduced compared with cell counts after the first virus administration (p<0.001). However, after the fourth virus administration mean neutrophil counts of 15.21±4.50×103 cells/μl were significantly increased compared with the previous administration (p<0.05). Throughout the nearly 3 years of virus administrations the dog gained weight, was healthy, and showed neutrophil counts significantly higher than pretreatment levels (p<0.001). These studies suggest that patients with cyclic and other neutropenias may be treated with escalating doses of G-CSF-lentivirus to obtain a desired therapeutic neutrophil count. PMID:22845776

Improving menstrual hygiene management in emergency contexts: literature review of current perspectives.

PubMed

VanLeeuwen, Crystal; Torondel, Belen

2018-01-01

Management of menstruation in contexts of humanitarian emergencies can be challenging. A lack of empirical research about effective interventions which improve menstrual hygiene management (MHM) among female populations in humanitarian emergencies and a lack of clarity about which sectors within a humanitarian response should deliver MHM interventions can both be attributable to the lack of clear guidance on design and delivery of culturally appropriate MHM intervention in settings of humanitarian emergencies. The objective of this review was to collate, summarize, and appraise existing peer-reviewed and gray literature that describes the current scenario of MHM in emergency contexts in order to describe the breadth and depth of current policies, guidelines, empirical research, and humanitarian aid activities addressing populations' menstrual needs. A structured-search strategy was conducted for peer-reviewed and gray literature to identify studies, published reports, guidelines, and policy papers related to menstrual response in emergency humanitarian contexts. Of the 51 articles included in the review, 16 were peer-reviewed papers and 35 were gray literature. Most of the literature agreed that hardware interventions should focus on the supply of adequate material (not only absorbent material but also other supportive material) and adequate sanitation facilities, with access to water and private space for washing, changing, drying, and disposing menstrual materials. Software interventions should focus on education in the usage of materials to manage menstruation hygienically and education about the female body's biological processes. There was clear agreement that the needs of the target population should be assessed before designing any intervention. Although there is insight about which factors should be included in an effective menstrual hygiene intervention, there is insufficient empirical evidence to establish which interventions are most effective in humanitarian emergencies and which sectors should be responsible for the coordination and implementation of such. Increased monitoring and evaluation studies of interventions should be completed and publicly shared, in order to feed evidence-based guidelines in the humanitarian sector.

Improving menstrual hygiene management in emergency contexts: literature review of current perspectives

PubMed Central

VanLeeuwen, Crystal; Torondel, Belen

2018-01-01

Management of menstruation in contexts of humanitarian emergencies can be challenging. A lack of empirical research about effective interventions which improve menstrual hygiene management (MHM) among female populations in humanitarian emergencies and a lack of clarity about which sectors within a humanitarian response should deliver MHM interventions can both be attributable to the lack of clear guidance on design and delivery of culturally appropriate MHM intervention in settings of humanitarian emergencies. The objective of this review was to collate, summarize, and appraise existing peer-reviewed and gray literature that describes the current scenario of MHM in emergency contexts in order to describe the breadth and depth of current policies, guidelines, empirical research, and humanitarian aid activities addressing populations’ menstrual needs. A structured-search strategy was conducted for peer-reviewed and gray literature to identify studies, published reports, guidelines, and policy papers related to menstrual response in emergency humanitarian contexts. Of the 51 articles included in the review, 16 were peer-reviewed papers and 35 were gray literature. Most of the literature agreed that hardware interventions should focus on the supply of adequate material (not only absorbent material but also other supportive material) and adequate sanitation facilities, with access to water and private space for washing, changing, drying, and disposing menstrual materials. Software interventions should focus on education in the usage of materials to manage menstruation hygienically and education about the female body’s biological processes. There was clear agreement that the needs of the target population should be assessed before designing any intervention. Although there is insight about which factors should be included in an effective menstrual hygiene intervention, there is insufficient empirical evidence to establish which interventions are most effective in humanitarian emergencies and which sectors should be responsible for the coordination and implementation of such. Increased monitoring and evaluation studies of interventions should be completed and publicly shared, in order to feed evidence-based guidelines in the humanitarian sector. PMID:29692636

Histogram contrast analysis and the visual segregation of IID textures.

PubMed

Chubb, C; Econopouly, J; Landy, M S

1994-09-01

A new psychophysical methodology is introduced, histogram contrast analysis, that allows one to measure stimulus transformations, f, used by the visual system to draw distinctions between different image regions. The method involves the discrimination of images constructed by selecting texture micropatterns randomly and independently (across locations) on the basis of a given micropattern histogram. Different components of f are measured by use of different component functions to modulate the micropattern histogram until the resulting textures are discriminable. When no discrimination threshold can be obtained for a given modulating component function, a second titration technique may be used to measure the contribution of that component to f. The method includes several strong tests of its own assumptions. An example is given of the method applied to visual textures composed of small, uniform squares with randomly chosen gray levels. In particular, for a fixed mean gray level mu and a fixed gray-level variance sigma 2, histogram contrast analysis is used to establish that the class S of all textures composed of small squares with jointly independent, identically distributed gray levels with mean mu and variance sigma 2 is perceptually elementary in the following sense: there exists a single, real-valued function f S of gray level, such that two textures I and J in S are discriminable only if the average value of f S applied to the gray levels in I is significantly different from the average value of f S applied to the gray levels in J. Finally, histogram contrast analysis is used to obtain a seventh-order polynomial approximation of f S.

On the anatomy of the temporomandibular joint and the muscles that act upon it: observations on the gray whale, Eschrichtius robustus.

PubMed

El Adli, Joseph J; Deméré, Thomas A

2015-04-01

The temporomandibular joint and its associated musculature are described in a neonate gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) and serve as the basis for direct anatomical comparisons with the temporomandibular region in other clades of baleen whales (Mysticeti). Members of the right whale/bowhead whale clade (Balaenidae) are known to possess a synovial lower jaw joint, while members of the rorqual clade (Balaenopteridae) have a nonsynovial temporomandibular joint characterized by a highly flexible fibrocartilaginous pad and no joint capsule. In contrast, the gray whale possesses a modified temporomandibular joint (intermediate condition), with a vestigial joint cavity lacking a fibrous capsule, synovial membrane, and articular disk. In addition, the presence of a rudimentary fibrocartilaginous pad appears to be homologous to that seen in balaenopterid mysticetes. The intrinsic temporomandibular musculature in the gray whale was found to include a multibellied superficial masseter and a single-bellied deep masseter. The digastric and internal pterygoid muscles in E. robustus are enlarged relative to the condition documented in species of Balaenoptera. A relatively complex insertion of the temporalis muscle on the dentary is documented in the gray whale and the low, knob-like process on the gray whale dentary is determined to be homologous with the prominent coronoid process of rorquals. Comparison with the anatomy of the temporomandibular musculature in rorquals reveals an increased importance of alpha rotation of the dentary in the gray whale. This difference in muscular morphology and lines of muscle action is interpreted as representing adaptations for suction feeding. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Longitudinal MRI Study of Cortical Development through Early Childhood in Autism

PubMed Central

Schumann, C.M.; Bloss, C.S.; Barnes, C. Carter; Wideman, G.M.; Carper, R.A.; Akshoomoff, N.; Pierce, K.; Hagler, D.; Schork, N.; Lord, C.; Courchesne, E.

2010-01-01

Cross-sectional MRI studies have long hypothesized that the brain in children with autism undergoes an abnormal growth trajectory that includes a period of early overgrowth; however this has never been confirmed by a longitudinal study. We carried out the first longitudinal study of brain growth in toddlers at the time symptoms of autism are becoming clinically apparent utilizing structural MRI scans at multiple time points beginning at 1.5 years up to 5 years of age. We collected 193 scans on 41 toddlers who received a confirmed diagnosis of Autistic Disorder at ~48 months of age and 44 typically developing controls. By 2.5 years of age, both cerebral gray and white matter was significantly enlarged in toddlers with Autistic Disorder, with the most severe enlargement occurring in frontal, temporal and cingulate cortices. In the longitudinal analyses, which we accounted for age and gender effect, we found that all regions (cerebral gray, cerebral white, frontal gray, temporal gray, cingulate gray, and parietal gray) except occipital gray developed at an abnormal growth rate in toddlers with Autistic Disorder that was mainly characterized by a quadratic age effect. Females with Autistic Disorder displayed a more pronounced abnormal growth profile in more brain regions than males with the disorder. Given that overgrowth clearly begins before 2 years of age, future longitudinal studies would benefit from inclusion of even younger populations as well as further characterization of genetic and other biomarkers in order to determine the underlying neuropathological processes causing the onset of autistic symptoms. PMID:20335478

Cannabis, Cigarettes, and Their Co-Occurring Use: Disentangling Differences in Gray Matter Volume.

PubMed

Wetherill, Reagan R; Jagannathan, Kanchana; Hager, Nathan; Childress, Anna Rose; Rao, Hengyi; Franklin, Teresa R

2015-06-04

Structural magnetic resonance imaging techniques are powerful tools for examining the effects of drug use on the brain. The nicotine and cannabis literature has demonstrated differences between nicotine cigarette smokers and cannabis users compared to controls in brain structure; however, less is known about the effects of co-occurring cannabis and tobacco use. We used voxel-based morphometry to examine gray matter volume differences between four groups: (1) cannabis-dependent individuals who do not smoke tobacco (Cs); (2) cannabis-dependent individuals who smoke tobacco (CTs); (3) cannabis-naïve, nicotine-dependent individuals who smoke tobacco (Ts); and (4) healthy controls (HCs). We also explored associations between gray matter volume and measures of cannabis and tobacco use. A significant group effect was observed in the left putamen, thalamus, right precentral gyrus, and left cerebellum. Compared to HCs, the Cs, CTs, and Ts exhibited larger gray matter volumes in the left putamen. Cs also had larger gray matter volume than HCs in the right precentral gyrus. Cs and CTs exhibited smaller gray matter volume than HCs in the thalamus, and CTs and Ts had smaller left cerebellar gray matter volume than HCs. This study extends previous research that independently examined the effects of cannabis or tobacco use on brain structure by including an examination of co-occurring cannabis and tobacco use, and provides evidence that cannabis and tobacco exposure are associated with alterations in brain regions associated with addiction. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of CINP.

Gray Matter Hypertrophy and Thickening with Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Middle-aged and Older Adults.

PubMed

Baril, Andrée-Ann; Gagnon, Katia; Brayet, Pauline; Montplaisir, Jacques; De Beaumont, Louis; Carrier, Julie; Lafond, Chantal; L'Heureux, Francis; Gagnon, Jean-François; Gosselin, Nadia

2017-06-01

Obstructive sleep apnea causes intermittent hypoxemia, hemodynamic fluctuations, and sleep fragmentation, all of which could damage cerebral gray matter that can be indirectly assessed by neuroimaging. To investigate whether markers of obstructive sleep apnea severity are associated with gray matter changes among middle-aged and older individuals. Seventy-one subjects (ages, 55-76 yr; apnea-hypopnea index, 0.2-96.6 events/h) were evaluated by magnetic resonance imaging. Two techniques were used: (1) voxel-based morphometry, which measures gray matter volume and concentration; and (2) FreeSurfer (an open source software suite) automated segmentation, which estimates the volume of predefined cortical/subcortical regions and cortical thickness. Regression analyses were performed between gray matter characteristics and markers of obstructive sleep apnea severity (hypoxemia, respiratory disturbances, and sleep fragmentation). Subjects had few symptoms, that is, sleepiness, depression, anxiety, and cognitive deficits. Although no association was found with voxel-based morphometry, FreeSurfer revealed increased gray matter with obstructive sleep apnea. Higher levels of hypoxemia correlated with increased volume and thickness of the left lateral prefrontal cortex as well as increased thickness of the right frontal pole, the right lateral parietal lobules, and the left posterior cingulate cortex. Respiratory disturbances positively correlated with right amygdala volume, and more severe sleep fragmentation was associated with increased thickness of the right inferior frontal gyrus. Gray matter hypertrophy and thickening were associated with hypoxemia, respiratory disturbances, and sleep fragmentation. These structural changes in a group of middle-aged and older individuals may represent adaptive/reactive brain mechanisms attributed to a presymptomatic stage of obstructive sleep apnea.

Breakfast staple types affect brain gray matter volume and cognitive function in healthy children.

PubMed

Taki, Yasuyuki; Hashizume, Hiroshi; Sassa, Yuko; Takeuchi, Hikaru; Asano, Michiko; Asano, Kohei; Kawashima, Ryuta

2010-12-08

Childhood diet is important for brain development. Furthermore, the quality of breakfast is thought to affect the cognitive functioning of well-nourished children. To analyze the relationship among breakfast staple type, gray matter volume, and intelligence quotient (IQ) in 290 healthy children, we used magnetic resonance images and applied voxel-based morphometry. We divided subjects into rice, bread, and both groups according to their breakfast staple. We showed that the rice group had a significantly larger gray matter ratio (gray matter volume percentage divided by intracranial volume) and significantly larger regional gray matter volumes of several regions, including the left superior temporal gyrus. The bread group had significantly larger regional gray and white matter volumes of several regions, including the right frontoparietal region. The perceptual organization index (POI; IQ subcomponent) of the rice group was significantly higher than that of the bread group. All analyses were adjusted for age, gender, intracranial volume, socioeconomic status, average weekly frequency of having breakfast, and number of side dishes eaten for breakfast. Although several factors may have affected the results, one possible mechanism underlying the difference between the bread and the rice groups may be the difference in the glycemic index (GI) of these two substances; foods with a low GI are associated with less blood-glucose fluctuation than are those with a high GI. Our study suggests that breakfast staple type affects brain gray and white matter volumes and cognitive function in healthy children; therefore, a diet of optimal nutrition is important for brain maturation during childhood and adolescence.

Adaptive management of urban watersheds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garmestani, A.; Shuster, W.; Green, O. O.

2013-12-01

Consent decree settlements for violations of the Clean Water Act (1972) increasingly include provisions for redress of combined sewer overflow activity through hybrid approaches that incorporate the best of both gray (e.g., storage tunnels) and green infrastructure (e.g., rain gardens). Adaptive management is an environmental management strategy that uses an iterative process of decision-making to improve environmental management via system monitoring. A central tenet of adaptive management is that management involves a learning process that can help regulated communities achieve environmental quality objectives. We are using an adaptive management approach to guide a green infrastructure retrofit of a neighborhood in the Slavic Village Development Corporation area (Cleveland, Ohio). We are in the process of gathering hydrologic and ecosystem services data and will use this data as a basis for collaboration with area citizens on a plan to use green infrastructure to contain stormflows. Monitoring data provides researchers with feedback on the impact of green infrastructure implementation and suggest where improvements can be made.

A pilot study using an infrared imaging system in prevention of post-endoscopic submucosal dissection ulcer bleeding.

PubMed

Yoshida, Yukinaga; Matsuda, Koji; Tamai, Naoto; Yoshizawa, Kai; Nikami, Toshiki; Ishiguro, Haruya; Tajiri, Hisao

2014-01-01

Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for superficial gastric neoplasm is a curative method. The aim of this study was to detect potential nonbleeding visible vessels (NBVVs) by using an infrared imaging (IRI) system. A total of 24 patients (25 lesions) were consecutively enrolled between March 2010 and December 2010. The day after ESD, endoscopist A (K.M.), who was blinded to the actual procedure of ESD, performed esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) of the post-ESD ulcer base using the IRI system. Endoscopist A marked gray/blue points in the hard-copy images with the IRI system. After the first procedure, endoscopist B (Y.Y.), who was blinded to the results recorded by endoscopist A, performed a second EGD with white light endoscopy and administered water-jet pressure with the maximum level of an Olympus flushing pump onto the post-ESD ulcer base. This test can cause iatrogenic bleeding via application of pressure to NBVV in the post-ESD ulcer. The IRI system detected 58 gray points and 71 blue points. The post-ESD ulcer was divided into the central area and the peripheral area. There were 14 gray points (24 %) in the central area and 44 gray points (76 %) in the peripheral area. There were 19 blue points (27 %) in the central area and 52 blue points (73 %) in the peripheral area. There was no significant difference when comparing the distribution of gray points and blue points. Bleeding occurred with a water-jet pressure in 11 of 58 gray points and in none of the blue points (P = 0.000478). Among the gray points, bleeding in response to a water-jet pressure occurred in 2 points in the central area and in 9 points in the peripheral area. The IRI system detects visible vessels (VVs) that are in no need of coagulation as blue points, and VVs have a potential risk of bleeding as gray points.

[Structural changes of brain gray matter in male long-term smokers under magnetic resonance imaging].

PubMed

Zhang, Y; Dong, A K; Cheng, J L; Li, Y L; Zhu, C D; Xu, K

2017-12-05

Objective: To evaluate gray matter structure changes in long-term male smokers by voxel-based morphological method. Methods: Fifty long-term smokers and 37 non-smoking healthy volunteers were scanned with Siemens Skyro 3.0T magnetic resonance scanner from August 2014 to August 2016. The subjects underwent routine MRI (excluding intracranial lesions) sequences and 3D-T1 structural sequences (3D-mprage). SPM8 pretreatment based on Matlab was used to analyze the structural data. All of the data were analyzed by SPM8 software. The data were compared between groups with independent sample t test. Spearman correlation analysis was used to analyze the relationship between gray matter volume (GMV) and smoking data of two groups. Results: The gray matter volume of bilateral thalamic, right supramarginal gyrus, left supramarginal gyrus and left putamen of smoking group were (0.55±0.07), (0.40±0.05), (0.48±0.07) and (0.14±0.04) voxels, respectively, and the gray matter volume of the corresponding gyri in control group were (0.61±0.09), (0.43±0.06), (0.54±0.07) and (0.16±0.03) voxels, respectively; and the gray matter volume of smoking group were all lower than those in control group ( t =-3.81, -3.51, -3.86, -2.33, all P <0.05), family wise error (FWE) correction ( P <0.05). The gray matter volume of bilateral thalamus, right supramarginal gyrus and left putamen was negatively correlated with smoking index ( r =-0.368, -0.189, -0.274, all P <0.05), and also negatively correlated with smoking years ( r =-0.391, -0.221, -0.355, all P <0.05), and bilateral thalamus gray matter volume was negatively correlated with daily cigarette smoking ( r =-0.186, P <0.05). Conclusion: The changes of brain structure of smokers mainly occur on reward-related pathways and marginal systems, and related to accumulation of cigarette smoking.

Gray matter atrophy associated with mild cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease.

PubMed

Chen, Fu-Xiang; Kang, De-Zhi; Chen, Fu-Yong; Liu, Ying; Wu, Gang; Li, Xun; Yu, Liang-Hong; Lin, Yuan-Xiang; Lin, Zhang-Ya

2016-03-23

The underlying pathology of brain leading to cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease (PD) remains poorly understood. The aim of our study was to test the hypothesis that mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in PD may be related to atrophy of special gray matter regions. High-resolution T1-weighted magnetic resonance images of the brains and comprehensive cognitive function tests were acquired in 37 PD patients and 21 healthy controls (HC) from September 2013 to October 2014. Patients were divided into two groups: PD with MCI (PD-MCI, n=18) and PD with normal cognition (PDNC, n=19). Gray matter density differences were analyzed using voxel-based morphometry (VBM). VBM and cognitive results, UPDRS scores and Hoehn-Yahr stages were compared between PD-MCI, PDCN and HC group, and correlation analyses were performed between those brain areas and cognition scores, UPDRS scores and disease duration, which showed significant group differences. The demographic data and motor severity among three groups were similar. However, comprehensive cognitive function results were more severe in PD-MCI than the other two groups. Compared to the HC group, the PDNC group showed reductions in gray matter density in frontal, temporal, parietal, bilateral insula lobes and many other regions of brain. Besides above changes, the PD-MCI group also revealed gray matter concentration decrease in left hippocampus and thalamus, and these changes still remained when compared with the PDNC group. The HC group did not show any more areas of atrophy in gray matter than others. Gray matter loss in PD represented significant correlations with global cognitive scores, motor severity or disease duration in some of these atrophic regions. The initial stages of cognitive function decline in patients with PD is closely associated with gray matter atrophy in left hippocampus and thalamus. These two regions may serve as potential imaging biomarkers for PD-MCI. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

What Happened to Gray Whales during the Pleistocene? The Ecological Impact of Sea-Level Change on Benthic Feeding Areas in the North Pacific Ocean

PubMed Central

Pyenson, Nicholas D.; Lindberg, David R.

2011-01-01

Background Gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) undertake long migrations, from Baja California to Alaska, to feed on seasonally productive benthos of the Bering and Chukchi seas. The invertebrates that form their primary prey are restricted to shallow water environments, but global sea-level changes during the Pleistocene eliminated or reduced this critical habitat multiple times. Because the fossil record of gray whales is coincident with the onset of Northern Hemisphere glaciation, gray whales survived these massive changes to their feeding habitat, but it is unclear how. Methodology/Principal Findings We reconstructed gray whale carrying capacity fluctuations during the past 120,000 years by quantifying gray whale feeding habitat availability using bathymetric data for the North Pacific Ocean, constrained by their maximum diving depth. We calculated carrying capacity based on modern estimates of metabolic demand, prey availability, and feeding duration; we also constrained our estimates to reflect current population size and account for glaciated and non-glaciated areas in the North Pacific. Our results show that key feeding areas eliminated by sea-level lowstands were not replaced by commensurate areas. Our reconstructions show that such reductions affected carrying capacity, and harmonic means of these fluctuations do not differ dramatically from genetic estimates of carrying capacity. Conclusions/Significance Assuming current carrying capacity estimates, Pleistocene glacial maxima may have created multiple, weak genetic bottlenecks, although the current temporal resolution of genetic datasets does not test for such signals. Our results do not, however, falsify molecular estimates of pre-whaling population size because those abundances would have been sufficient to survive the loss of major benthic feeding areas (i.e., the majority of the Bering Shelf) during glacial maxima. We propose that gray whales survived the disappearance of their primary feeding ground by employing generalist filter-feeding modes, similar to the resident gray whales found between northern Washington State and Vancouver Island. PMID:21754984

Structured Light Based 3d Scanning for Specular Surface by the Combination of Gray Code and Phase Shifting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yujia; Yilmaz, Alper

2016-06-01

Surface reconstruction using coded structured light is considered one of the most reliable techniques for high-quality 3D scanning. With a calibrated projector-camera stereo system, a light pattern is projected onto the scene and imaged by the camera. Correspondences between projected and recovered patterns are computed in the decoding process, which is used to generate 3D point cloud of the surface. However, the indirect illumination effects on the surface, such as subsurface scattering and interreflections, will raise the difficulties in reconstruction. In this paper, we apply maximum min-SW gray code to reduce the indirect illumination effects of the specular surface. We also analysis the errors when comparing the maximum min-SW gray code and the conventional gray code, which justifies that the maximum min-SW gray code has significant superiority to reduce the indirect illumination effects. To achieve sub-pixel accuracy, we project high frequency sinusoidal patterns onto the scene simultaneously. But for specular surface, the high frequency patterns are susceptible to decoding errors. Incorrect decoding of high frequency patterns will result in a loss of depth resolution. Our method to resolve this problem is combining the low frequency maximum min-SW gray code and the high frequency phase shifting code, which achieves dense 3D reconstruction for specular surface. Our contributions include: (i) A complete setup of the structured light based 3D scanning system; (ii) A novel combination technique of the maximum min-SW gray code and phase shifting code. First, phase shifting decoding with sub-pixel accuracy. Then, the maximum min-SW gray code is used to resolve the ambiguity resolution. According to the experimental results and data analysis, our structured light based 3D scanning system enables high quality dense reconstruction of scenes with a small number of images. Qualitative and quantitative comparisons are performed to extract the advantages of our new combined coding method.

Combining Segmented Grey and White Matter Images Improves Voxel-based Morphometry for the Case of Dilated Lateral Ventricles.

PubMed

Goto, Masami; Abe, Osamu; Aoki, Shigeki; Kamagata, Koji; Hori, Masaaki; Miyati, Tosiaki; Gomi, Tsutomu; Takeda, Tohoru

2018-01-18

To evaluate the error in segmented tissue images and to show the usefulness of the brain image in voxel-based morphometry (VBM) using Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM) 12 software and 3D T 1 -weighted magnetic resonance images (3D-T 1 WIs) processed to simulate idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH). VBM analysis was performed on sagittal 3D-T 1 WIs obtained in 22 healthy volunteers using a 1.5T MR scanner. Regions of interest for the lateral ventricles of all subjects were carefully outlined on the original 3D-T 1 WIs, and two types of simulated 3D-T 1 WI were also prepared (non-dilated 3D-T 1 WI as normal control and dilated 3D-T 1 WI to simulate iNPH). All simulated 3D-T 1 WIs were segmented into gray matter, white matter, and cerebrospinal fluid images, and normalized to standard space. A brain image was made by adding the gray and white matter images. After smoothing with a 6-mm isotropic Gaussian kernel, group comparisons (dilated vs non-dilated) were made for gray and white matter, cerebrospinal fluid, and brain images using a paired t-test. In evaluation of tissue volume, estimation error was larger using gray or white matter images than using the brain image, and estimation errors in gray and white matter volume change were found for the brain surface. To our knowledge, this is the first VBM study to show the possibility that VBM of gray and white matter volume on the brain surface may be more affected by individual differences in the level of dilation of the lateral ventricles than by individual differences in gray and white matter volumes. We recommend that VBM evaluation in patients with iNPH should be performed using the brain image rather than the gray and white matter images.

Applications of ERTS-1 data to landscape change in eastern Tennessee

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rehder, J. B. (Principal Investigator)

1973-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. The analysis of landscape change in eastern Tennessee from ERTS-1 data is being derived from three avenues of experimentation and analysis: (1) a multi-stage sampling procedure utilizing ground and aircraft imagery for ground truth and control; (2) a densitometric and computer analytical experiment for the analysis of gray tone signatures and comparisons for landscape change detection and monitoring; and (3) an ERTS image enhancement procedure for the detection and analysis of photomorphic regions. Significant results include: maps of strip mining changes and forest inventory, watershed identification and delimitation, and agricultural regions derived from spring plowing patterns appearing on the ERTS-1 imagery.

Yellowstone Park

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-10-15

Thirteen years after devastating forest fires burned over 1.6 million acres in Yellowstone National Park, the scars are still evident. In this simulated natural color ASTER image, burned areas appear gray, in contrast to the dark green of unburned forests. The image covers an area of 60 x 63 km. This image was acquired on July 2, 2001 by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on NASA's Terra satellite. With its 14 spectral bands from the visible to the thermal infrared wavelength region, and its high spatial resolution of 15 to 90 meters (about 50 to 300 feet), ASTER images Earth to map and monitor the changing surface of our planet. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA03875

Desktop publishing and medical imaging: paper as hardcopy medium for digital images.

PubMed

Denslow, S

1994-08-01

Desktop-publishing software and hardware has progressed to the point that many widely used word-processing programs are capable of printing high-quality digital images with many shades of gray from black to white. Accordingly, it should be relatively easy to print digital medical images on paper for reports, instructional materials, and in research notes. Components were assembled that were necessary for extracting image data from medical imaging devices and converting the data to a form usable by word-processing software. A system incorporating these components was implemented in a medical setting and has been operating for 18 months. The use of this system by medical staff has been monitored.

A Wireless Fully Passive Neural Recording Device for Unobtrusive Neuropotential Monitoring.

PubMed

Kiourti, Asimina; Lee, Cedric W L; Chae, Junseok; Volakis, John L

2016-01-01

We propose a novel wireless fully passive neural recording device for unobtrusive neuropotential monitoring. Previous work demonstrated the feasibility of monitoring emulated brain signals in a wireless fully passive manner. In this paper, we propose a novel realistic recorder that is significantly smaller and much more sensitive. The proposed recorder utilizes a highly efficient microwave backscattering method and operates without any formal power supply or regulating elements. Also, no intracranial wires or cables are required. In-vitro testing is performed inside a four-layer head phantom (skin, bone, gray matter, and white matter). Compared to our former implementation, the neural recorder proposed in this study has the following improved features: 1) 59% smaller footprint, 2) up to 20-dB improvement in neuropotential detection sensitivity, and 3) encapsulation in biocompatible polymer. For the first time, temporal emulated neuropotentials as low as 63 μVpp can be detected in a wireless fully passive manner. Remarkably, the high-sensitivity achieved in this study implies reading of most neural signals generated by the human brain. The proposed recorder brings forward transformational possibilities in wireless fully passive neural detection for a very wide range of applications (e.g., epilepsy, Alzheimer's, mental disorders, etc.).

Gray-level transformations for interactive image enhancement. M.S. Thesis. Final Technical Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fittes, B. A.

1975-01-01

A gray-level transformation method suitable for interactive image enhancement was presented. It is shown that the well-known histogram equalization approach is a special case of this method. A technique for improving the uniformity of a histogram is also developed. Experimental results which illustrate the capabilities of both algorithms are described. Two proposals for implementing gray-level transformations in a real-time interactive image enhancement system are also presented.

Perception Is Reality: Special Operations Forces In the Gray Zone

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-06-01

politics, policy, bureaucracy, and military action is complex, for simplicity this research assumes all players are rational actors who will maximize...Gray Zone—the primary tool being Special Operation Forces (SOF). This research finds that policymakers and others outside of SOF have often misapplied...effect on the ability of the Unites States to reach its foreign policy goals. This research analyzes U.S. SOF employment in the Gray Zone, breaking down

The ARGOS system used for tracking gray whales

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mate, B. R.; Beaty, D.; Hoisington, C.; Kutz, R.; Mate, M. L.

1983-01-01

The development of satellite whale tags used to track gray whales in the eastern north Pacific Ocean is summarized. Two gray whales were radio-tagged in San Ignacio Lagoon (Mexico) and tracked on their northbound migration. One of the transmitters was modified to record and relay depth-of-dive information at 15 sec intervals throughout the course of the dive. Technical elements of data acquisition and analysis are outlined. The major biological findings are discussed.

Development of a Robust Static Punch Experiment for Screening Unprocessed Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) Unidirectional Cross-Ply Material

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-09-01

Cross-Ply Material by David Gray, Robert Kaste , and Paul Moy ARL-TR-7090 September 2014...Screening Unprocessed Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) Unidirectional Cross-Ply Material David Gray, Robert Kaste , and Paul...ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) David Gray, Robert Kaste , and Paul Moy 5d. PROJECT NUMBER 5e. TASK NUMBER 5f. WORK UNIT NUMBER 7

Age structure of moose (Alces alces) killed by gray wolves (Canis lupus) in northeastern Minnesota, 1967-2011

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mech, L. David; Nelson, Michael E.

2013-01-01

The age structure of Moose (Alces alces) killed by gray Wolves (Canis lupus) is available from only two national parks in the united States where hunting by people is not allowed and from three areas in Alaska where Moose are hunted (Mech 1966; Peterson et al.1984; Ballard et al. 1987; Mech et al. 1998). The samples of Moose killed by gray Wolves from each hunted area are relatively small (47–117), given that Moose live to 20 or more years (Passmore et al. 1955). This article adds age data from another 77 Moose killed by gray Wolves from a fourth (lightly) human-hunted area and assesses the age structure of all the samples.

Combined natural convection and non-gray radiation heat transfer in a horizontal annulus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Yujia; Zhang, Xiaobing; Howell, John R.

2018-02-01

Natural convection and non-gray radiation in an annulus containing a radiative participating gas is investigated. To determine the effect of non-gray radiation, the spectral line based weighted sum of gray gas is adopted to model the gas radiative properties. Case with only surface radiation (transparent medium) is also considered to see the relative contributions of surface radiation and gas radiation. The finite volume method is used to solve the mass, momentum, energy and radiative transfer equations. Comparisons between pure convection, case considering only surface radiation and case considering both gas radiation and surface radiation are made and the results show that radiation is not negligible and gas radiation becomes more important with increasing Rayleigh number (and the annulus size).

New MR imaging assessment tool to define brain abnormalities in very preterm infants at term.

PubMed

Kidokoro, H; Neil, J J; Inder, T E

2013-01-01

WM injury is the dominant form of injury in preterm infants. However, other cerebral structures, including the deep gray matter and the cerebellum, can also be affected by injury and/or impaired growth. Current MR imaging injury assessment scales are subjective and are challenging to apply. Thus, we developed a new assessment tool and applied it to MR imaging studies obtained from very preterm infants at term age. MR imaging scans from 97 very preterm infants (< 30 weeks' gestation) and 22 healthy term-born infants were evaluated retrospectively. The severity of brain injury (defined by signal abnormalities) and impaired brain growth (defined with biometrics) was scored in the WM, cortical gray matter, deep gray matter, and cerebellum. Perinatal variables for clinical risks were collected. In very preterm infants, brain injury was observed in the WM (n=23), deep GM (n=5), and cerebellum (n=23). Combining measures of injury and impaired growth showed moderate to severe abnormalities most commonly in the WM (n=38) and cerebellum (n=32) but still notable in the cortical gray matter (n=16) and deep gray matter (n=11). WM signal abnormalities were associated with a reduced deep gray matter area but not with cerebellar abnormality. Intraventricular and/or parenchymal hemorrhage was associated with cerebellar signal abnormality and volume reduction. Multiple clinical risk factors, including prolonged intubation, prolonged parenteral nutrition, postnatal corticosteroid use, and postnatal sepsis, were associated with increased global abnormality on MR imaging. Very preterm infants demonstrate a high prevalence of injury and growth impairment in both the WM and gray matter. This MR imaging scoring system provides a more comprehensive and objective classification of the nature and extent of abnormalities than existing measures.

Assessment of agronomic homogeneity and compatibility of soils in the Vladimir Opolie region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shein, E. V.; Kiryushin, V. I.; Korchagin, A. A.; Mazirov, M. A.; Dembovetskii, A. V.; Il'in, L. I.

2017-10-01

Complexes of gray forest soils of different podzolization degrees with the participation of gray forest podzolized soils with the second humus horizon play a noticeable role in the soil cover patterns of Vladimir Opolie. The agronomic homogeneity and agronomic compatibility of gray forest soils in automorphic positions ("plakor" sites) were assessed on the test field of the Vladimir Agricultural Research Institute. The term "soil homogeneity" implies in our study the closeness of crop yield estimates (scores) for the soil polygons; the term "soil compatibility" implies the possibility to apply the same technologies in the same dates for different soil polygons within a field. To assess the agronomic homogeneity and compatibility of soils, the statistical analysis of the yields of test crop (oats) was performed, and the spatial distribution of the particular parameters of soil hydrothermic regime was studied. The analysis of crop yields showed their high variability: the gray forest soils on microhighs showed the minimal potential fertility, and the maximal fertility was typical of the soils with the second humus horizon in microlows. Soils also differed significantly in their hydrothermic regime, as the gray forest soils with the second humus horizon were heated and cooled slower than the background gray forest soils; their temperature had a stronger lag effect and displayed a narrower amplitude in seasonal fluctuations; and these soils were wetter during the first weeks (40 days) of the growing season. Being colder and wetter, the soils with the second humus horizons reached their physical ripeness later than the gray forest soils. Thus, the soil cover of the test plot in the automorphic position is heterogeneous; from the agronomic standpoint, its components are incompatible.

Light Gray Surface-Gleyed Loamy Sandy Soils of the Northern Part of Tambov Plain: Agroecology, Properties, and Diagnostics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zaidel'man, F. R.; Stepantsova, L. V.; Nikiforova, A. S.; Krasin, V. N.; Dautokov, I. M.; Krasina, T. V.

2018-04-01

Light gray soils of Tambov oblast mainly develop from sandy and loamy sandy parent materials; these are the least studied soils in this region. Despite their coarse texture, these soils are subjected to surface waterlogging. They are stronger affected by the agrogenic degradation in comparison with chernozems and dark gray soils. Morphology, major elements of water regime, physical properties, and productivity of loamy sandy light gray soils with different degrees of gleyzation have been studied in the northern part of Tambov Plain in order to substantiate the appropriate methods of their management. The texture of these soils changes at the depth of 70-100 cm. The upper part is enriched in silt particles (16-30%); in the lower part, the sand content reaches 80-85%. In the nongleyed variants, middle-profile horizons contain thin iron-cemented lamellae (pseudofibers); in surface-gleyed variants, iron nodules are present in the humus horizon. The removal of clay from the humus horizon and its accumulation at the lithological contact and in pseudofibers promote surface subsidence and formation of microlows in the years with moderate and intense winter precipitation. The low range of active moisture favors desiccation of the upper horizons to the wilting point in dry years. The yield of cereal crops reaches 3.5-4.5 t/ha in the years with high and moderate summer precipitation on nongleyed and slightly gleyed light gray soils and decreases by 20-50% on strongly gleyed light gray soils. On light gray soils without irrigation, crop yields are unstable, and productivity of pastures is low. High yields of cereals and vegetables can be obtained on irrigated soils. In this case, local drainage measures should be applied to microlows; liming can be recommended to improve soil productivity.

Insular and hippocampal gray matter volume reductions in patients with major depressive disorder.

PubMed

Stratmann, Mirjam; Konrad, Carsten; Kugel, Harald; Krug, Axel; Schöning, Sonja; Ohrmann, Patricia; Uhlmann, Christina; Postert, Christian; Suslow, Thomas; Heindel, Walter; Arolt, Volker; Kircher, Tilo; Dannlowski, Udo

2014-01-01

Major depressive disorder is a serious psychiatric illness with a highly variable and heterogeneous clinical course. Due to the lack of consistent data from previous studies, the study of morphometric changes in major depressive disorder is still a major point of research requiring additional studies. The aim of the study presented here was to characterize and quantify regional gray matter abnormalities in a large sample of clinically well-characterized patients with major depressive disorder. For this study one-hundred thirty two patients with major depressive disorder and 132 age- and gender-matched healthy control participants were included, 35 with their first episode and 97 with recurrent depression. To analyse gray matter abnormalities, voxel-based morphometry (VBM8) was employed on T1 weighted MRI data. We performed whole-brain analyses as well as a region-of-interest approach on the hippocampal formation, anterior cingulate cortex and amygdala, correlating the number of depressive episodes. Compared to healthy control persons, patients showed a strong gray-matter reduction in the right anterior insula. In addition, region-of-interest analyses revealed significant gray-matter reductions in the hippocampal formation. The observed alterations were more severe in patients with recurrent depressive episodes than in patients with a first episode. The number of depressive episodes was negatively correlated with gray-matter volume in the right hippocampus and right amygdala. The anterior insula gray matter structure appears to be strongly affected in major depressive disorder and might play an important role in the neurobiology of depression. The hippocampal and amygdala volume loss cumulating with the number of episodes might be explained either by repeated neurotoxic stress or alternatively by higher relapse rates in patients showing hippocampal atrophy.

Cognitive Implications of Deep Gray Matter Iron in Multiple Sclerosis.

PubMed

Fujiwara, E; Kmech, J A; Cobzas, D; Sun, H; Seres, P; Blevins, G; Wilman, A H

2017-05-01

Deep gray matter iron accumulation is increasingly recognized in association with multiple sclerosis and can be measured in vivo with MR imaging. The cognitive implications of this pathology are not well-understood, especially vis-à-vis deep gray matter atrophy. Our aim was to investigate the relationships between cognition and deep gray matter iron in MS by using 2 MR imaging-based iron-susceptibility measures. Forty patients with multiple sclerosis (relapsing-remitting, n = 16; progressive, n = 24) and 27 healthy controls were imaged at 4.7T by using the transverse relaxation rate and quantitative susceptibility mapping. The transverse relaxation rate and quantitative susceptibility mapping values and volumes (atrophy) of the caudate, putamen, globus pallidus, and thalamus were determined by multiatlas segmentation. Cognition was assessed with the Brief Repeatable Battery of Neuropsychological Tests. Relationships between cognition and deep gray matter iron were examined by hierarchic regressions. Compared with controls, patients showed reduced memory ( P < .001) and processing speed ( P = .02) and smaller putamen ( P < .001), globus pallidus ( P = .002), and thalamic volumes ( P < .001). Quantitative susceptibility mapping values were increased in patients compared with controls in the putamen ( P = .003) and globus pallidus ( P = .003). In patients only, thalamus ( P < .001) and putamen ( P = .04) volumes were related to cognitive performance. After we controlled for volume effects, quantitative susceptibility mapping values in the globus pallidus ( P = .03; trend for transverse relaxation rate, P = .10) were still related to cognition. Quantitative susceptibility mapping was more sensitive compared with the transverse relaxation rate in detecting deep gray matter iron accumulation in the current multiple sclerosis cohort. Atrophy and iron accumulation in deep gray matter both have negative but separable relationships to cognition in multiple sclerosis. © 2017 by American Journal of Neuroradiology.

Method for multimodal analysis of independent source differences in schizophrenia: combining gray matter structural and auditory oddball functional data.

PubMed

Calhoun, V D; Adali, T; Giuliani, N R; Pekar, J J; Kiehl, K A; Pearlson, G D

2006-01-01

The acquisition of both structural MRI (sMRI) and functional MRI (fMRI) data for a given study is a very common practice. However, these data are typically examined in separate analyses, rather than in a combined model. We propose a novel methodology to perform independent component analysis across image modalities, specifically, gray matter images and fMRI activation images as well as a joint histogram visualization technique. Joint independent component analysis (jICA) is used to decompose a matrix with a given row consisting of an fMRI activation image resulting from auditory oddball target stimuli and an sMRI gray matter segmentation image, collected from the same individual. We analyzed data collected on a group of schizophrenia patients and healthy controls using the jICA approach. Spatially independent joint-components are estimated and resulting components were further analyzed only if they showed a significant difference between patients and controls. The main finding was that group differences in bilateral parietal and frontal as well as posterior temporal regions in gray matter were associated with bilateral temporal regions activated by the auditory oddball target stimuli. A finding of less patient gray matter and less hemodynamic activity for target detection in these bilateral anterior temporal lobe regions was consistent with previous work. An unexpected corollary to this finding was that, in the regions showing the largest group differences, gray matter concentrations were larger in patients vs. controls, suggesting that more gray matter may be related to less functional connectivity in the auditory oddball fMRI task. Hum Brain Mapp, 2005. (c) 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Insular and Hippocampal Gray Matter Volume Reductions in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder

PubMed Central

Kugel, Harald; Krug, Axel; Schöning, Sonja; Ohrmann, Patricia; Uhlmann, Christina; Postert, Christian; Suslow, Thomas; Heindel, Walter; Arolt, Volker; Kircher, Tilo; Dannlowski, Udo

2014-01-01

Background Major depressive disorder is a serious psychiatric illness with a highly variable and heterogeneous clinical course. Due to the lack of consistent data from previous studies, the study of morphometric changes in major depressive disorder is still a major point of research requiring additional studies. The aim of the study presented here was to characterize and quantify regional gray matter abnormalities in a large sample of clinically well-characterized patients with major depressive disorder. Methods For this study one-hundred thirty two patients with major depressive disorder and 132 age- and gender-matched healthy control participants were included, 35 with their first episode and 97 with recurrent depression. To analyse gray matter abnormalities, voxel-based morphometry (VBM8) was employed on T1 weighted MRI data. We performed whole-brain analyses as well as a region-of-interest approach on the hippocampal formation, anterior cingulate cortex and amygdala, correlating the number of depressive episodes. Results Compared to healthy control persons, patients showed a strong gray-matter reduction in the right anterior insula. In addition, region-of-interest analyses revealed significant gray-matter reductions in the hippocampal formation. The observed alterations were more severe in patients with recurrent depressive episodes than in patients with a first episode. The number of depressive episodes was negatively correlated with gray-matter volume in the right hippocampus and right amygdala. Conclusions The anterior insula gray matter structure appears to be strongly affected in major depressive disorder and might play an important role in the neurobiology of depression. The hippocampal and amygdala volume loss cumulating with the number of episodes might be explained either by repeated neurotoxic stress or alternatively by higher relapse rates in patients showing hippocampal atrophy. PMID:25051163

Mastering the Gray Zone: Understanding a Changing Era of Conflict

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-08-01

contend that gray zone approaches will be the only form of emerging conflict. As stressed , major combat—traditional war- fare—remains possible...means,”13 Clausewitz also takes pains to stress the ways in which the environ- ment of war is unique. War is a distinctive enterprise with particular...China’s gray zone approach in the South China Sea is an intentional strategy that meets these criteria—but it is important to stress that this is a

Grays Harbor and Chehalis River Improvements to Navigation Environmental Studies. Wildlife Studies at Proposed Disposal Sites in Grays Harbor, Washington,

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-01-01

sltand. T 𔃼~P i’ W 210 three times VtwCerI November IOC’C -nd ~co l.Etls ~ ec!,!zervc-o betxwe H -gF 12 Th -ind hl rway u- 7Plie Sicuobh. E. Cumin -s 1... stress imposed by dredge dsosal ;ictivities on these species. It is difficult to rredict the effects of establishing a salt marsh in Grays Harbor on

Vessel-Generated Ballast Water: Gray Water Investigation

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-09-01

grams per square meter per day (gm/ m2 /day) than the gray water samples, however, trends for the other types of gray/seawater mixtures differed between...mass loss occurred in total grams; however, the corrosion rate when normalized to g/ m2 /day were actually higher compared to the uncoated samples...based off the known exposed holiday area and converted to mass loss rates in g/ m2 /day. Electrochemical testing requires the sample coupon be in

Examining the Statistical Rigor of Test and Evaluation Results in the Live, Virtual and Constructive Environment

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-06-01

Committee Meeting. 23 June 2008. Bjorkman, Eileen A. and Frank B. Gray . “Testing in a Joint Environment 2004-2008: Findings, Conclusions and...the LVC joint test environment to evaluate system performance and joint mission effectiveness (Bjorkman and Gray 2009a). The LVC battlespace...attack (Bjorkman and Gray 2009b). Figure 3 - JTEM Methodology (Bjorkman 2008) A key INTEGRAL FIRE lesson learned was realizing the need for each

Regional gray matter growth, sexual dimorphism, and cerebral asymmetry in the neonatal brain.

PubMed

Gilmore, John H; Lin, Weili; Prastawa, Marcel W; Looney, Christopher B; Vetsa, Y Sampath K; Knickmeyer, Rebecca C; Evans, Dianne D; Smith, J Keith; Hamer, Robert M; Lieberman, Jeffrey A; Gerig, Guido

2007-02-07

Although there has been recent interest in the study of childhood and adolescent brain development, very little is known about normal brain development in the first few months of life. In older children, there are regional differences in cortical gray matter development, whereas cortical gray and white matter growth after birth has not been studied to a great extent. The adult human brain is also characterized by cerebral asymmetries and sexual dimorphisms, although very little is known about how these asymmetries and dimorphisms develop. We used magnetic resonance imaging and an automatic segmentation methodology to study brain structure in 74 neonates in the first few weeks after birth. We found robust cortical gray matter growth compared with white matter growth, with occipital regions growing much faster than prefrontal regions. Sexual dimorphism is present at birth, with males having larger total brain cortical gray and white matter volumes than females. In contrast to adults and older children, the left hemisphere is larger than the right hemisphere, and the normal pattern of fronto-occipital asymmetry described in older children and adults is not present. Regional differences in cortical gray matter growth are likely related to differential maturation of sensory and motor systems compared with prefrontal executive function after birth. These findings also indicate that whereas some adult patterns of sexual dimorphism and cerebral asymmetries are present at birth, others develop after birth.

Dissociating prefrontal circuitry in intelligence and memory: neuropsychological correlates of magnetic resonance and diffusion tensor imaging.

PubMed

Nestor, Paul G; Ohtani, Toshiyuki; Bouix, Sylvain; Hosokawa, Taiga; Saito, Yukiko; Newell, Dominick T; Kubicki, Marek

2015-12-01

We examined intelligence and memory in 25 healthy participants who had both prior magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of gray matter volumes of medial orbital frontal cortex (mOFC) and rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC), along with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) of posterior and anterior mOFC-rACC white matter microstructure, as assessed by fractional anisotropy (FA). Results showed distinct relationships between these basic structural brain parameters and higher cognition, highlighted by a highly significant correlation of left rACC gray matter volume with memory, and to a lesser extent, though still statistically significant, correlation of left posterior mOFC-rACC FA with intelligence. Regression analyses showed that left posterior mOFC-rACC connections and left rACC gray matter volume each contributed to intelligence, with left posterior mOFC-rACC FA uniquely accounting for between 20.43 and 24.99% of the variance in intelligence, in comparison to 13.54 to 17.98% uniquely explained by left rACC gray matter volume. For memory, only left rACC gray matter volume explained neuropsychological performance, uniquely accounting for a remarkably high portion of individual variation, ranging from 73.61 to 79.21%. These results pointed to differential contributions of white mater microstructure connections and gray matter volumes to individual differences in intelligence and memory, respectively.

Comparison of gray matter volume and thickness for analysis of cortical changes in Alzheimer's disease

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Jiachao; Li, Ziyi; Chen, Kewei; Yao, Li; Wang, Zhiqun; Li, Kunchen; Guo, Xiaojuan

2011-03-01

Gray matter volume and cortical thickness are two indices of concern in brain structure magnetic resonance imaging research. Gray matter volume reflects mixed-measurement information of cerebral cortex, while cortical thickness reflects only the information of distance between inner surface and outer surface of cerebral cortex. Using Scaled Subprofile Modeling based on Principal Component Analysis (SSM_PCA) and Pearson's Correlation Analysis, this study further provided quantitative comparisons and depicted both global relevance and local relevance to comprehensively investigate morphometrical abnormalities in cerebral cortex in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Thirteen patients with AD and thirteen age- and gender-matched healthy controls were included in this study. Results showed that factor scores from the first 8 principal components accounted for ~53.38% of the total variance for gray matter volume, and ~50.18% for cortical thickness. Factor scores from the fifth principal component showed significant correlation. In addition, gray matter voxel-based volume was closely related to cortical thickness alterations in most cortical cortex, especially, in some typical abnormal brain regions such as insula and the parahippocampal gyrus in AD. These findings suggest that these two measurements are effective indices for understanding the neuropathology in AD. Studies using both gray matter volume and cortical thickness can separate the causes of the discrepancy, provide complementary information and carry out a comprehensive description of the morphological changes of brain structure.

The association of cognitive impairment with gray matter atrophy and cortical lesion load in clinically isolated syndrome.

PubMed

Diker, Sevda; Has, Arzu Ceylan; Kurne, Aslı; Göçmen, Rahşan; Oğuz, Kader Karlı; Karabudak, Rana

2016-11-01

Multiple sclerosis can impair cognition from the early stages and has been shown to be associated with gray matter damage in addition to white matter pathology. To investigate the profile of cognitive impairment in clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), and the contribution of cortical inflammation, cortical and deep gray matter atrophy, and white matter lesions to cognitive decline. Thirty patients with clinically isolated syndrome and twenty demographically- matched healthy controls underwent neuropsychologic assessment through the Rao Brief Repeatable Battery, and brain magnetic resonance imaging with double inversion recovery using a 3T scanner. Patients with clinically isolated syndrome performed significantly worse than healthy controls on tests that evaluated verbal memory, visuospatial learning and memory, and verbal fluency. Significant deep gray matter atrophy was found in the patients but cortical volume was not lower than the controls. Visual memory tests correlated with the volume of the hippocampus, cerebral white matter and deep gray matter structures and with cerebellar cortical atrophy. Cortical or white matter lesion load did not affect cognitive test results. In our patients with CIS, it was shown that cognitive impairment was mainly related to cerebral white matter, cerebellar cortical and deep gray matter atrophy, but not with cortical inflammation, at least in the early stage of disease. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Towards a "free radical theory of graying": melanocyte apoptosis in the aging human hair follicle is an indicator of oxidative stress induced tissue damage.

PubMed

Arck, Petra Clara; Overall, Rupert; Spatz, Katharina; Liezman, Christiane; Handjiski, Bori; Klapp, Burghard F; Birch-Machin, Mark A; Peters, Eva Milena Johanne

2006-07-01

Oxidative stress is generated by a multitude of environmental and endogenous challenges such as radiation, inflammation, or psychoemotional stress. It also speeds the aging process. Graying is a prominent but little understood feature of aging. Intriguingly, the continuous melanin synthesis in the growing (anagen) hair follicle generates high oxidative stress. We therefore hypothesize that hair bulb melanocytes are especially susceptible to free radical-induced aging. To test this hypothesis, we subjected human scalp skin anagen hair follicles from graying individuals to macroscopic and immunohistomorphometric analysis and organ culture. We found evidence of melanocyte apoptosis and increased oxidative stress in the pigmentary unit of graying hair follicles. The "common" deletion, a marker mitochondrial DNA-deletion for accumulating oxidative stress damage, occurred most prominently in graying hair follicles. Cultured unpigmented hair follicles grew better than pigmented follicles of the same donors. Finally, cultured pigmented hair follicles exposed to exogenous oxidative stress (hydroquinone) showed increased melanocyte apoptosis in the hair bulb. We conclude that oxidative stress is high in hair follicle melanocytes and leads to their selective premature aging and apoptosis. The graying hair follicle, therefore, offers a unique model system to study oxidative stress and aging and to test antiaging therapeutics in their ability to slow down or even stop this process.

Evaluating the use of stable isotope analysis to infer the feeding ecology of a growing US gray seal (Halichoerus grypus) population.

PubMed

Lerner, Jacob E; Ono, Kathryn; Hernandez, Keith M; Runstadler, Jonathan A; Puryear, Wendy B; Polito, Michael J

2018-01-01

Gray seals (Halichoerus grypus) have been rapidly recolonizing the Northeast US coast, eliciting concern from the fishing industry. However, the ecological effect of this recovery is still unknown and as such, research is needed to better understand how the diet composition of gray seals in US waters will contribute to the ecological impact. While previous research on seal diets has focused on the analysis of hard prey remains, stable isotope analysis presents an alternative method that can be used to describe marine mammal diets when direct observation is impossible. To address this issue, we used stable isotope analysis of gray seal pup vibrissae and lanugo from Monomoy Island, Cape Cod, MA during the 2015/2016 winter breeding season to estimate adult female diet composition during pregnancy. Stable isotope mixing models (SIMM) suggested adult female gray seals were consuming greater amounts of cephalopod prey and less sand lance than previously indicated from analysis of hard prey remains. However, using SIMMs to estimate the diet composition of gray seals remains difficult due to the large number of isotopically similar prey species and uncertainty in tissue-specific, stable isotope trophic enrichment factors. Even so, by combining prey sources into ecologically informative groups and integrating prior information into SIMMs it is possible to obtain additional insights into the diet of this generalist predator.

Clinical findings, lesions, and viral antigen distribution in great gray owls (Strix nebulosa) and barred owls (Strix varia) with spontaneous West Nile virus infection.

PubMed

Lopes, Hugo; Redig, Pat; Glaser, Amy; Armien, Anibal; Wünschmann, Arno

2007-03-01

West Nile Virus (WNV) infection manifests itself clinically a nd pathologically differently in various species of birds. The clinicopathologic findings and WNV antigen tissue distribution of six great gray owls (Strix nebulosa) and two barred owls (Strix varia) with WNV infection are described in this report. Great gray owls usually live in northern Canada, whereas the phylogenetically related barred owls are native to the midwestern and eastern United States and southern Canada. Naturally acquired WNV infection caused death essentially without previous signs of disease in the six great gray owls during a mortality event. Lesions of WNV infection we re dominated by hepatic and splenic necrosis, with evidence o f disseminatedintravascular coagulation in the great gray owls. WNV antigen was widely distributed in th e organs of the great gray owls and appeared totarget endothelial cells, macrophages, and hepatocytes. The barred owls represented two sporadic cases. They had neurologic disease with mental dullness that led to euthanasia. These birds had mild to moderate lymphoplasmacytic encephalitis with glial nodules and lymphoplasmacytic pectenitis. WNV antigen was sparse in barred owls and only present in a few brain neurons and renaltubular epithelial cells. The cause of the different manifestations of WNV disease in these fairly closely related owl species is uncertain.

Influence of cooling rates and addition of Equex pasta on cooled and frozen-thawed semen of generic gray (Canis lupus) and Mexican gray wolves (C. l. baileyi).

PubMed

Zindl, C; Asa, C S; Günzel-Apel, A-R

2006-10-01

A current priority for the preservation of the endangered Mexican gray wolf (Canis lupus baileyi) is the development of a sperm-based genome resource bank for subsequent use in artificial insemination. To optimize the quality of cryopreserved sperm, the procedures involved in processing semen before and during freezing need to be improved. The aim of this study were to examine the effects of: (i) different cooling periods before freezing and (ii) addition of Equex pasta (Minitüb, Tübingen, Germany) on the characteristics of sperm from the generic gray wolf and the Mexican gray wolf after cooling and cryopreservation. For Mexican wolf sperm, cooling for 0.5 and 1.0 h had a less detrimental effect on cell morphology than cooling for 2.5 h, whereas the slower cooling rate (2.5 h) had a less detrimental effect on functional parameters and seemed to cause less damage to plasma membrane and acrosome integrity than 0.5 and 1.0 h. For the generic gray wolf, cooling semen for 2.5 h had less detrimental effect on plasma membrane integrity and viability; together with the 0.5 h cooling time, it yielded the highest percentages of intact acrosomes. As previously shown in the domestic dog, Equex pasta had no beneficial effect on sperm characteristics in either wolf species.

Use of nearshore and estuarine areas by gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) in the eastern Bering Sea

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gill, Robert E.; Hall, John D.

1983-01-01

During spring aerial surveys of the coast of the southeastern Bering Sea significant numbers of gray whales were seen in nearshore waters along the north side of the Alaska Peninsula. Many (50-80%) of these animals were observed surfacing with mud trails or lying on their sides, characteristics both associated with feeding. A migration route close to shore (within 1-2 km) was used until whales neared Egegik Bay, where they began to head west 5-8 km offshore, across northern Bristol Bay. Smaller numbers of gray whales were present throughout summer in nearshore waters and estuaries along the north side of the Alaska Peninsula. At Nelson Lagoon gray whales normally used the lagoon in spring, were absent during early summer, returned in mid-summer, and then were present until late November when they departed for the wintering grounds. Gray whales were present in the lagoon most often during periods of peak tidal flow; those that appeared to be feeding were oriented into the current. Three behaviors that appeared to be associated with feeding were observed: side-feeding from a stationary position within shallow waters of lagoon channels, diving within the lagoon and in nearshore waters, and elliptical side-feeding in the surf zone along the outer coast. Large crustaceans of the genus Crangon were available to and probably eaten by gray whales at Nelson Lagoon.

Vaginitis

MedlinePlus

... discharge usually is thin and dark or dull gray, but may have a greenish color. Itching is ... trichomoniasis? Signs of trichomoniasis may include a yellow-gray or green vaginal discharge. The discharge may have ...

The greenhouse effect in a gray planetary atmosphere.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wildt, R.

1966-01-01

Hopf analytical solution for values of ratio of gray absorption coefficients for insolating and escaping radiation /greenhouse parameter/ assumed constant at all depths, presenting temperature distribution graphs

Gray-matter macrostructure in cognitively healthy older persons: Associations with age and cognition

PubMed Central

Fleischman, Debra A.; Leurgans, Sue; Arfanakis, Konstantinos; Arvanitakis, Zoe; Barnes, Lisa L.; Boyle, Patricia A.; Han, S. Duke; Bennett, David A.

2013-01-01

A deeper understanding of brain macrostructure and its associations with cognition in persons who are considered cognitively healthy is critical to the early detection of persons at risk of developing dementia. Few studies have examined the associations of all three gray-matter macrostructural brain indices (volume, thickness, surface area) with age and cognition, in the same persons who are over the age of 65 and do not have cognitive impairment. We performed automated morphometric reconstruction of total gray matter, cortical gray matter, subcortical gray matter and 84 individual regions in 186 participants (60% over the age of 80) without cognitive impairment. Morphometric measures were scaled and expressed as difference per decade of age and an adjusted score was created to identify those regions in which there was greater atrophy per decade of age compared to cortical or subcortical brain averages. The results showed that there is substantial total volume loss and cortical thinning in cognitively healthy older persons. Thinning was more widespread than volume loss, but volume loss, particularly in temporoparietal and hippocampal regions, was more strongly associated with cognition. PMID:23955313

Influence of White and Gray Matter Connections on Endogenous Human Cortical Oscillations

PubMed Central

Hawasli, Ammar H.; Kim, DoHyun; Ledbetter, Noah M.; Dahiya, Sonika; Barbour, Dennis L.; Leuthardt, Eric C.

2016-01-01

Brain oscillations reflect changes in electrical potentials summated across neuronal populations. Low- and high-frequency rhythms have different modulation patterns. Slower rhythms are spatially broad, while faster rhythms are more local. From this observation, we hypothesized that low- and high-frequency oscillations reflect white- and gray-matter communications, respectively, and synchronization between low-frequency phase with high-frequency amplitude represents a mechanism enabling distributed brain-networks to coordinate local processing. Testing this common understanding, we selectively disrupted white or gray matter connections to human cortex while recording surface field potentials. Counter to our original hypotheses, we found that cortex consists of independent oscillatory-units (IOUs) that maintain their own complex endogenous rhythm structure. IOUs are differentially modulated by white and gray matter connections. White-matter connections maintain topographical anatomic heterogeneity (i.e., separable processing in cortical space) and gray-matter connections segregate cortical synchronization patterns (i.e., separable temporal processing through phase-power coupling). Modulation of distinct oscillatory modules enables the functional diversity necessary for complex processing in the human brain. PMID:27445767

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Dan Phillips (left) and Donald Nielen, with United Space Alliance, watch a monitor as Jim Landy, NDE specialist with USA, prepares to examine a Reinforced Carbon Carbon panel (on the table, center) using flash thermography. A relatively new procedure at KSC, thermography uses high intensity light to heat areas of the panels. The panels are then immediately scanned with an infrared camera. As the panels cool, any internal flaws are revealed. The gray carbon composite RCC panels are attached to the leading edge of the wing of the orbiters. They have sufficient strength to withstand the aerodynamic forces experienced during launch and reentry, which can reach as high as 800 pounds per square foot. The operating range of RCC is from minus 250º F to about 3,000º F, the temperature produced by friction with the atmosphere during reentry. The panels will be installed on the orbiter Discovery, designated for the first Return to Flight mission, STS-114.

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-03-10

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Dan Phillips (left) and Donald Nielen, with United Space Alliance, watch a monitor as Jim Landy, NDE specialist with USA, prepares to examine a Reinforced Carbon Carbon panel (on the table, center) using flash thermography. A relatively new procedure at KSC, thermography uses high intensity light to heat areas of the panels. The panels are then immediately scanned with an infrared camera. As the panels cool, any internal flaws are revealed. The gray carbon composite RCC panels are attached to the leading edge of the wing of the orbiters. They have sufficient strength to withstand the aerodynamic forces experienced during launch and reentry, which can reach as high as 800 pounds per square foot. The operating range of RCC is from minus 250º F to about 3,000º F, the temperature produced by friction with the atmosphere during reentry. The panels will be installed on the orbiter Discovery, designated for the first Return to Flight mission, STS-114.

Fluid challenge: tracking changes in cardiac output with blood pressure monitoring (invasive or non-invasive).

PubMed

Lakhal, Karim; Ehrmann, Stephan; Perrotin, Dominique; Wolff, Michel; Boulain, Thierry

2013-11-01

To assess whether invasive and non-invasive blood pressure (BP) monitoring allows the identification of patients who have responded to a fluid challenge, i.e., who have increased their cardiac output (CO). Patients with signs of circulatory failure were prospectively included. Before and after a fluid challenge, CO and the mean of four intra-arterial and oscillometric brachial cuff BP measurements were collected. Fluid responsiveness was defined by an increase in CO ≥10 or ≥15% in case of regular rhythm or arrhythmia, respectively. In 130 patients, the correlation between a fluid-induced increase in pulse pressure (Δ500mlPP) and fluid-induced increase in CO was weak and was similar for invasive and non-invasive measurements of BP: r² = 0.31 and r² = 0.29, respectively (both p < 0.001). For the identification of responders, invasive Δ500mlPP was associated with an area under the receiver-operating curve (AUC) of 0.82 (0.74-0.88), similar (p = 0.80) to that of non-invasive Δ500mlPP [AUC of 0.81 (0.73-0.87)]. Outside large gray zones of inconclusive values (5-23% for invasive Δ500mlPP and 4-35% for non-invasive Δ500mlPP, involving 35 and 48% of patients, respectively), the detection of responsiveness or unresponsiveness to fluid was reliable. Cardiac arrhythmia did not impair the performance of invasive or non-invasive Δ500mlPP. Other BP-derived indices did not outperform Δ500mlPP. As evidenced by large gray zones, BP-derived indices poorly reflected fluid responsiveness. However, in our deeply sedated population, a high increase in invasive pulse pressure (>23%) or even in non-invasive pulse pressure (>35%) reliably detected a response to fluid. In the absence of a marked increase in pulse pressure (<4-5%), a response to fluid was unlikely.

Chemical analysis of whale breath volatiles: a case study for non-invasive field health diagnostics of marine mammals.

PubMed

Cumeras, Raquel; Cheung, William H K; Gulland, Frances; Goley, Dawn; Davis, Cristina E

2014-09-12

We explored the feasibility of collecting exhaled breath from a moribund gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) for potential non-invasive health monitoring of marine mammals. Biogenic volatile organic compound (VOC) profiling is a relatively new field of research, in which the chemical composition of breath is used to non-invasively assess the health and physiological processes on-going within an animal or human. In this study, two telescopic sampling poles were designed and tested with the primary aim of collecting whale breath exhalations (WBEs). Once the WBEs were successfully collected, they were immediately transferred onto a stable matrix sorbent through a custom manifold system. A total of two large volume WBEs were successfully captured and pre-concentrated onto two Tenax®-TA traps (one exhalation per trap). The samples were then returned to the laboratory where they were analyzed using solid phase micro extraction (SPME) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). A total of 70 chemicals were identified (58 positively identified) in the whale breath samples. These chemicals were also matched against a database of VOCs found in humans, and 44% of chemicals found in the whale breath are also released by healthy humans. The exhaled gray whale breath showed a rich diversity of chemicals, indicating the analysis of whale breath exhalations is a promising new field of research.

Magnetic Measurements as a Useful Tool for the Evaluation of Spatial Variability of the Arable Horizon Thickness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fattakhova, Leysan; Shinkarev, Alexandr; Ryzhikh, Lyudmila; Kosareva, Lina

2017-04-01

In normal practice, the thickness of the arable horizon is determined on the basis of field morphological descriptions, allowing the subjectivity of perception and judgment at the crucial role of experience of the researcher. The subject of special interest are independent analytical and technically relatively simple in design approaches to the diagnosis of the lower boundary of the blended plowing the profiles part. Theoretical premises to use spectrophotometry and magnetometry to arable horizon depth diagnose is based on the concept of regular color and magnetic properties vertical differentiation in a profile of virgin soils. This work is devoted to the comparative assessment of the possibility to objectively and reliably diagnose the lower boundary of the arable horizon in gray forest soils by determining the color characteristics and the magnetic susceptibility of their layer-wise samples. It was shown with arable gray forest soil (Cutanic Luvisols (Anthric)) as example that the magnetic susceptibility profile distribution curves can provide more reliable and objective assessment of the arable horizon thickness spatial variability than the profile curves of the color characteristics in the CIELAB coordinates. Therefore, magnetic measurements can be a useful tool for the tillage erosion estimation in the monitoring of soil characteristics in connection with the development of precision agriculture technologies and the organizing of agricultural field plot experiments.

3T deep gray matter T2 hypointensity correlates with disability over time in stable relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: a 3-year pilot study.

PubMed

Zhang, Y; Metz, L M; Yong, V W; Mitchell, J R

2010-10-15

Abnormally decreased deep gray matter (GM) signal intensity on T2-weighted MRI (T2 hypointensity) is associated with brain atrophy and disability progression in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and is believed to represent excessive iron deposition. We investigated the time course of deep GM T2 hypointensity and its relationship with disability at 3T in 8 stable relapsing-remitting (RR) MS patients treated with minocycline over 3years. MRI and disability measurements were compared at baseline, 6, 12, 24, and 36months. Grand mean deep GM T2 hypointensity was negatively correlated with EDSS over time (r=-0.94, P=0.02). This correlation was strongest in the head of caudate (r=-0.95, P=0.01) and putamen (r=-0.89, P=0.04). Additionally, baseline grand mean deep GM T2 hypointensity appears to predict third year EDSS (r=-0.72, P=0.04). These results suggest that iron associated deep GM injury correlates with patient disability in stable RRMS. Measurements of deep GM T2 hypointensity at high field MRI may prove to be useful in monitoring individuals with MS. Further studies are required to confirm these results in a large sample and to determine if T2 hypointensity changes in clinically active MS patients. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Earth observations taken during STS-83 mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-08-24

STS083-749-084 (4-8 April 1997) --- Laguna Oja De Liebre, Baja, gray whale breeding ground Laguna Oja De Liebre, Baja (Scammons Lagoon) is located on the west coast in the plains of the central Baja. This lagoon and others like it along the Baja coast are used for breeding grounds for the gray whale. One group of gray whales inhabits the Sea of Okhotsk in summer, migrating south in winter then breed off southern Korea. The other summers in the Bering and Chukchi seas and travels south to winter breeding grounds along the coast of Baja California. The gray whale was hunted almost to extinction by 1925 but was placed under complete international protection and since the 1940s has increased in numbers. The white grids seen in the photo are commercial salt ponds.

Cleaning Hospital Room Surfaces to Prevent Health Care-Associated Infections: A Technical Brief.

PubMed

Han, Jennifer H; Sullivan, Nancy; Leas, Brian F; Pegues, David A; Kaczmarek, Janice L; Umscheid, Craig A

2015-10-20

The cleaning of hard surfaces in hospital rooms is critical for reducing health care-associated infections. This review describes the evidence examining current methods of cleaning, disinfecting, and monitoring cleanliness of patient rooms, as well as contextual factors that may affect implementation and effectiveness. Key informants were interviewed, and a systematic search for publications since 1990 was done with the use of several bibliographic and gray literature resources. Studies examining surface contamination, colonization, or infection with Clostridium difficile, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or vancomycin-resistant enterococci were included. Eighty studies were identified-76 primary studies and 4 systematic reviews. Forty-nine studies examined cleaning methods, 14 evaluated monitoring strategies, and 17 addressed challenges or facilitators to implementation. Only 5 studies were randomized, controlled trials, and surface contamination was the most commonly assessed outcome. Comparative effectiveness studies of disinfecting methods and monitoring strategies were uncommon. Future research should evaluate and compare newly emerging strategies, such as self-disinfecting coatings for disinfecting and adenosine triphosphate and ultraviolet/fluorescent surface markers for monitoring. Studies should also assess patient-centered outcomes, such as infection, when possible. Other challenges include identifying high-touch surfaces that confer the greatest risk for pathogen transmission; developing standard thresholds for defining cleanliness; and using methods to adjust for confounders, such as hand hygiene, when examining the effect of disinfecting methods.

Cleaning Hospital Room Surfaces to Prevent Health Care–Associated Infections

PubMed Central

Han, Jennifer H.; Sullivan, Nancy; Leas, Brian F.; Pegues, David A.; Kaczmarek, Janice L.; Umscheid, Craig A.

2015-01-01

The cleaning of hard surfaces in hospital rooms is critical for reducing health care–associated infections. This review describes the evidence examining current methods of cleaning, disinfecting, and monitoring cleanliness of patient rooms, as well as contextual factors that may affect implementation and effectiveness. Key informants were interviewed, and a systematic search for publications since 1990 was done with the use of several bibliographic and gray literature resources. Studies examining surface contamination, colonization, or infection with Clostridium difficile, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or vancomycinresistant enterococci were included. Eighty studies were identified—76 primary studies and 4 systematic reviews. Forty-nine studies examined cleaning methods, 14 evaluated monitoring strategies, and 17 addressed challenges or facilitators to implementation. Only 5 studies were randomized, controlled trials, and surface contamination was the most commonly assessed outcome. Comparative effectiveness studies of disinfecting methods and monitoring strategies were uncommon. Future research should evaluate and compare newly emerging strategies, such as self-disinfecting coatings for disinfecting and adenosine triphosphate and ultraviolet/fluorescent surface markers for monitoring. Studies should also assess patient-centered outcomes, such as infection, when possible. Other challenges include identifying high-touch surfaces that confer the greatest risk for pathogen transmission; developing standard thresholds for defining cleanliness; and using methods to adjust for confounders, such as hand hygiene, when examining the effect of disinfecting methods. PMID:26258903

Continuous monitoring of meteorological conditions and movement of a deep-seated, persistently moving rockslide along Interstate Route 79 near Pittsburgh

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ashland, Francis; Delano, Helen L.

2015-01-01

A large inventory of landslides exists for Allegheny County, Pa., and historical movement of manyof these has resulted in considerable damage to property, roads, and infrastructure. Along InterstateRoute 79, a subset of the landslide inventory includes deep-seated rockslides, two of which reactivatedduring construction of the highway in the late 1960s (Gray and others, 2011). Following the initialmovement of the rockslides, slope-stability investigations were conducted (Hamel, 1969; Hamel andFlint, 1969), and measures were taken to reduce their impacts to the highway, but movement of at leastone of the rockslides persists even today. Long-term continuous monitoring of such landslides providescritical data used to assess how the state of activity and velocity of movement (when the landslide isactive) change with rainfall and snowmelt. Currently, we are continuously monitoring meteorologicalconditions and movement of a rockslide along the northbound side of Interstate Route 79 in Aleppo, Pa.(Figure 1). The project is intended to extend over many years (approximately 5 to 10) in order to collectsufficient data to assess how extreme storms, prolonged wet periods, and melting of the snowpack affectthe landslide. The rockslide is an ideal location for such long-term monitoring because the land is ownedby the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), and movement is not directly impactingthe highway; therefore no stabilization measures are necessary in the short term.

Grays Harbor and Chehalis River Improvements to Navigation Environmental Studies. Grays Harbor Ocean Disposal Study. Literature Review and Preliminary Benthic Sampling,

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-05-01

transects extending approximately 16 kilometers from the mouth of Grays Harbor. Sub- samples were taken for grain size analysis and wood content. The...samples were thert was".d on a 1.0 mm screen to separate benthic organisms from non-living materials. Consideration of the grain size analysis ...Nutrients 17 B. Field Study 18 Methods 18 Grain Size Analysis 18 Wood Analysis 21 Wood Fragments 21 Sediment Types 21 Discussion 24 IV. BIOLOGICAL

An Appraisal of the Occurrence of the More Serious Tree Pests and Infectious Diseases in Poland in 1980 and a Forecast of Their Appearance in 1981,

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-10-28

122 2. Verticillium deciduous tree wilt (Verticillium alboatrum) ...... 124 3. Gray mold rot of conifer seedlings ( Botrytis cinerea ...or Botrytis cinerea . The overall occurrence of seedling wilt disease in young forest tree nur- series is shown in Table 53. Parasitic seedling wilt...successive years. 3. Gray mold rot of conifer seedlings ( Botrytis cinerea ) The occurrence of conifer seedling gray mold rot was confirmed on black pine

[Surface electromyography signal classification using gray system theory].

PubMed

Xie, Hongbo; Ma, Congbin; Wang, Zhizhong; Huang, Hai

2004-12-01

A new method based on gray correlation was introduced to improve the identification rate in artificial limb. The electromyography (EMG) signal was first transformed into time-frequency domain by wavelet transform. Singular value decomposition (SVD) was then used to extract feature vector from the wavelet coefficient for pattern recognition. The decision was made according to the maximum gray correlation coefficient. Compared with neural network recognition, this robust method has an almost equivalent recognition rate but much lower computation costs and less training samples.

Henry Gray's Anatomy.

PubMed

Pearce, J M S

2009-04-01

Little is generally known of Henry Gray, the author of Gray's Anatomy, and even less of his colleague Henry Vandyke Carter, who played a vital role in the dissections and illustrations leading to the production of the first volume in 1859. This essay attempts to sketch briefly the salient, know aspects of these two men and their divergent careers. It traces succinctly the subsequent fate of the unique anatomy book that has influenced and instructed almost every student of medicine. (c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Habitat Fragmentation Handbook for Installation Planners: Status and Options

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-12-01

gray bat, Indiana bat) • shrub cover and nectar corridors (lesser long-nosed bat) • “fragmented places” (brown-headed cowbird). NLCD data was created...golden-cheeked warbler: 86.9%, 65.7%, & 65.9%. For gray bat and Indiana bat: 90.2%, 85.2%, & 75.5%. Woody wetland (91) For gray bat and Indiana bat...should be all grasses and shrubs (50s and 70s) cells adjacent to forest (40s) or woody wetlands (91). With- out a spatial data uncertainty model

Real-time gray-scale photolithography for fabrication of continuous microstructure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, Qinjun; Guo, Yongkang; Liu, Shijie; Cui, Zheng

2002-10-01

A novel real-time gray-scale photolithography technique for the fabrication of continuous microstructures that uses a LCD panel as a real-time gray-scale mask is presented. The principle of design of the technique is explained, and computer simulation results based on partially coherent imaging theory are given for the patterning of a microlens array and a zigzag grating. An experiment is set up, and a microlens array and a zigzag grating on panchromatic silver halide sensitized gelatin with trypsinase etching are obtained.

Clinical and Molecular Consequences of NF1 Microdeletion

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-08-01

sheath tumors from patients with Recklinghausen’s disease. Cancer Lett. 2000, 155, 181–190. 107. Wallace, M.R.; Rasmussen, S.A.; Lim, I.T.; Gray , B.A...indicated. The GRD (exons 21-27a) and a cysteine/serine-rich domain with 3 cysteine pairs suggestive of ATP binding (exons 11-17) are indicated. Gray ...glycoproteins (exons 2-8), the α-helical domain (exons 10-15), and the unique C-terminus (exons 16-17) are shown. Gray boxes indicate alter- natively spliced

Genome-Wide Chromosomal Targets of Oncogenic Transcription Factors

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-04-01

axis. (a) Comparison between STAGE and ChIP-chip when the same sample was analyzed by both methods. The gray line indicates all predicted STAGE targets...numbers of single-hit tags (Y-axis) were plotted against the frequen- cies of those tags in the random ( gray bars) and experimental (black bars) tag...size of 500 bp gave an optimal separation between random and real data. Data shown is for a window size of 500 bp. The gray bars indicate log10 of the

A Partnership Training Program in Breast Cancer Research Using Molecular Imaging Techniques

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-07-01

PubMed) 2. Berlier J.E., Rothe A., Buller G., Bradford J., Gray D.R., Filanoski B.J., Telford W.G., Yue S., Liu J., Cheung C.Y., et al. Quantitative...3 3 cm3 voxel within the gray matter of the occipitoparietal lobe was established using anatomic landmarks. Pulse Sequences All experiments were...software (SAS Institute, Cary, NC, USA). RESULTS Figure 1 shows a PRESS spectrum recorded from the occipitoparietal gray matter region of a 25-year-old sub

Annotated Directory of Endangered Wildlife on Selected U.S. Army Installations West of the Mississippi River.

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-03-01

Trans- Pecos rat snake, gray-banded kingsnake (Texas), big-bend milk snake (Texas), and Texas lyre snake should be looked for. The rock rattlesnake...should be . looked for primarily in the Hueco Mountains on Fort Bliss. Gray-banded kingsnake , Lampropeltis mexicana alterna - T This snake occurs in...rocky outcrops and cliffs. The big-bend milk snake, Trans-Pecos rat snake, Texas lyre snake, and gray-banded kingsnake should all be expected to occur

Gray-white matter and cerebrospinal fluid volume differences in children with Specific Language Impairment and/or Reading Disability.

PubMed

Girbau-Massana, Dolors; Garcia-Marti, Gracian; Marti-Bonmati, Luis; Schwartz, Richard G

2014-04-01

We studied gray-white matter and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) alterations that may be critical for language, through an optimized voxel-based morphometry evaluation in children with Specific Language Impairment (SLI), compared to Typical Language Development (TLD). Ten children with SLI (8;5-10;9) and 14 children with TLD (8;2-11;8) participated. They received a comprehensive language and reading test battery. We also analyzed a subgroup of six children with SLI+RD (Reading Disability). Brain images from 3-Tesla MRIs were analyzed with intelligence, age, gender, and total intracranial volume as covariates. Children with SLI or SLI+RD exhibited a significant lower overall gray matter volume than children with TLD. Particularly, children with SLI showed a significantly lower volume of gray matter compared to children with TLD in the right postcentral parietal gyrus (BA4), and left and right medial occipital gyri (BA19). The group with SLI also exhibited a significantly greater volume of gray matter in the right superior occipital gyrus (BA19), which may reflect a brain reorganization to compensate for their lower volumes at medial occipital gyri. Children with SLI+RD, compared to children with TLD, showed a significantly lower volume of: (a) gray matter in the right postcentral parietal gyrus; and (b) white matter in the right inferior longitudinal fasciculus (RILF), which interconnects the temporal and occipital lobes. Children with TLD exhibited a significantly lower CSF volume than children with SLI and children with SLI+RD respectively, who had somewhat smaller volumes of gray matter allowing for more CSF volume. The significant lower gray matter volume at the right postcentral parietal gyrus and greater cerebrospinal fluid volume may prove to be unique markers for SLI. We discuss the association of poor knowledge/visual representations and language input to brain development. Our comorbid study showed that a significant lower volume of white matter in the right inferior longitudinal fasciculus may be unique to children with SLI and Reading Disability. It was significantly associated to reading comprehension of sentences and receptive language composite z-score, especially receptive vocabulary and oral comprehension of stories. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reproducibility of F18-FDG PET radiomic features for different cervical tumor segmentation methods, gray-level discretization, and reconstruction algorithms.

PubMed

Altazi, Baderaldeen A; Zhang, Geoffrey G; Fernandez, Daniel C; Montejo, Michael E; Hunt, Dylan; Werner, Joan; Biagioli, Matthew C; Moros, Eduardo G

2017-11-01

Site-specific investigations of the role of radiomics in cancer diagnosis and therapy are emerging. We evaluated the reproducibility of radiomic features extracted from 18 Flourine-fluorodeoxyglucose ( 18 F-FDG) PET images for three parameters: manual versus computer-aided segmentation methods, gray-level discretization, and PET image reconstruction algorithms. Our cohort consisted of pretreatment PET/CT scans from 88 cervical cancer patients. Two board-certified radiation oncologists manually segmented the metabolic tumor volume (MTV 1 and MTV 2 ) for each patient. For comparison, we used a graphical-based method to generate semiautomated segmented volumes (GBSV). To address any perturbations in radiomic feature values, we down-sampled the tumor volumes into three gray-levels: 32, 64, and 128 from the original gray-level of 256. Finally, we analyzed the effect on radiomic features on PET images of eight patients due to four PET 3D-reconstruction algorithms: maximum likelihood-ordered subset expectation maximization (OSEM) iterative reconstruction (IR) method, fourier rebinning-ML-OSEM (FOREIR), FORE-filtered back projection (FOREFBP), and 3D-Reprojection (3DRP) analytical method. We extracted 79 features from all segmentation method, gray-levels of down-sampled volumes, and PET reconstruction algorithms. The features were extracted using gray-level co-occurrence matrices (GLCM), gray-level size zone matrices (GLSZM), gray-level run-length matrices (GLRLM), neighborhood gray-tone difference matrices (NGTDM), shape-based features (SF), and intensity histogram features (IHF). We computed the Dice coefficient between each MTV and GBSV to measure segmentation accuracy. Coefficient values close to one indicate high agreement, and values close to zero indicate low agreement. We evaluated the effect on radiomic features by calculating the mean percentage differences (d¯) between feature values measured from each pair of parameter elements (i.e. segmentation methods: MTV 1 -MTV 2 , MTV 1 -GBSV, MTV 2 -GBSV; gray-levels: 64-32, 64-128, and 64-256; reconstruction algorithms: OSEM-FORE-OSEM, OSEM-FOREFBP, and OSEM-3DRP). We used |d¯| as a measure of radiomic feature reproducibility level, where any feature scored |d¯| ±SD ≤ |25|% ± 35% was considered reproducible. We used Bland-Altman analysis to evaluate the mean, standard deviation (SD), and upper/lower reproducibility limits (U/LRL) for radiomic features in response to variation in each testing parameter. Furthermore, we proposed U/LRL as a method to classify the level of reproducibility: High- ±1% ≤ U/LRL ≤ ±30%; Intermediate- ±30% < U/LRL ≤ ±45%; Low- ±45 < U/LRL ≤ ±50%. We considered any feature below the low level as nonreproducible (NR). Finally, we calculated the interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) to evaluate the reliability of radiomic feature measurements for each parameter. The segmented volumes of 65 patients (81.3%) scored Dice coefficient >0.75 for all three volumes. The result outcomes revealed a tendency of higher radiomic feature reproducibility among segmentation pair MTV 1 -GBSV than MTV 2 -GBSV, gray-level pairs of 64-32 and 64-128 than 64-256, and reconstruction algorithm pairs of OSEM-FOREIR and OSEM-FOREFBP than OSEM-3DRP. Although the choice of cervical tumor segmentation method, gray-level value, and reconstruction algorithm may affect radiomic features, some features were characterized by high reproducibility through all testing parameters. The number of radiomic features that showed insensitivity to variations in segmentation methods, gray-level discretization, and reconstruction algorithms was 10 (13%), 4 (5%), and 1 (1%), respectively. These results suggest that a careful analysis of the effects of these parameters is essential prior to any radiomics clinical application. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

Recreation and Quality of Life

MedlinePlus

... actually cover, so you should still wear sunglasses. Gray-colored lenses provide the most natural colors, while ... to distinguish traffic-light colors, which may make gray lenses a better choice for some people. Large ...

Vaginal Infections

MedlinePlus

... possible problems include discharge that is: Green or gray Smelly Foamy or lumpy Problems with your discharge ... fluid) than you usually have and that is gray or white Itching around your vagina It’s important ...

EPA NRMRL green Infrastructure research

EPA Science Inventory

Green Infrastructure is an engineering approach to wet weather flow management that uses infiltration, evapotranspiration, capture and reuse to better mimic the natural drainage processes than traditional gray systems. Green technologies supplement gray infrastructure to red...

Working memory training using mental calculation impacts regional gray matter of the frontal and parietal regions.

PubMed

Takeuchi, Hikaru; Taki, Yasuyuki; Sassa, Yuko; Hashizume, Hiroshi; Sekiguchi, Atsushi; Fukushima, Ai; Kawashima, Ryuta

2011-01-01

Training working memory (WM) improves performance on untrained cognitive tasks and alters functional activity. However, WM training's effects on gray matter morphology and a wide range of cognitive tasks are still unknown. We investigated this issue using voxel-based morphometry (VBM), various psychological measures, such as non-trained WM tasks and a creativity task, and intensive adaptive training of WM using mental calculations (IATWMMC), all of which are typical WM tasks. IATWMMC was associated with reduced regional gray matter volume in the bilateral fronto-parietal regions and the left superior temporal gyrus. It improved verbal letter span and complex arithmetic ability, but deteriorated creativity. These results confirm the training-induced plasticity in psychological mechanisms and the plasticity of gray matter structures in regions that have been assumed to be under strong genetic control.

Exact Thermal Transport Properties of Gray-Arsenic using Electon-Phonon Coupling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, Seoung-Hun; Kwon, Young-Kyun

Using various theoretical methods, we investigate the thermoelectric property of gray arsenic. Thermoelectric devices that utilize the Seebeck effect convert heat flow into electrical energy. The conversion efficiency of such a device is determined by its figure of merit or ZT value, which is related to various transport coefficients, such as Seebeck coefficient and the ratio of its electrical conductivity to its thermal counterpart for given temperature. To calculate various transport coefficients and thus the ZT values of gray arsenic, we apply the Boltzmann transport theory to its electronic and phononic structures obtained by density functional theory and density functional perturbation theory together with maximally locallized Wannier functions. During this procedure, we evaluate its relaxation time accurately by explicitly considering electron-phonon coupling. Our result reveals that gray arsenic may be used for a good p-type thermoelectric devices.

[Research on K-means clustering segmentation method for MRI brain image based on selecting multi-peaks in gray histogram].

PubMed

Chen, Zhaoxue; Yu, Haizhong; Chen, Hao

2013-12-01

To solve the problem of traditional K-means clustering in which initial clustering centers are selected randomly, we proposed a new K-means segmentation algorithm based on robustly selecting 'peaks' standing for White Matter, Gray Matter and Cerebrospinal Fluid in multi-peaks gray histogram of MRI brain image. The new algorithm takes gray value of selected histogram 'peaks' as the initial K-means clustering center and can segment the MRI brain image into three parts of tissue more effectively, accurately, steadily and successfully. Massive experiments have proved that the proposed algorithm can overcome many shortcomings caused by traditional K-means clustering method such as low efficiency, veracity, robustness and time consuming. The histogram 'peak' selecting idea of the proposed segmentootion method is of more universal availability.

Efficiency of quantitative echogenicity for investigating supraspinatus tendinopathy by the gray-level histogram of two ultrasound devices.

PubMed

Hsu, Jiun-Cheng; Chen, Po-Han; Huang, Kuo-Chin; Tsai, Yao-Hung; Hsu, Wei-Hsiu

2017-10-01

The gray-level histogram of ultrasound is a promising tool for scanning the hypoechogenic appearance of supraspinatus tendinopathy, and the aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that the gray-level value of the supraspinatus tendon in the painful shoulder has a lower value on B-mode images even though in different ultrasound devices. Sixty-seven patients who had unilateral shoulder pain with rotator cuff tendinopathy underwent bilateral shoulder ultrasonography, and we compared the mean gray-level values of painful shoulders and contralateral shoulders without any pain in each patient using two ultrasound devices. The echogenicity ratio (symptomatic/asymptomatic side) of two ultrasound devices was compared. A significant difference existed between the symptomatic shoulder and contralateral asymptomatic shoulder (p < 0.001) on the mean gray-level value measurements of each device. The symptomatic-to-asymptomatic tendon echogenicity ratio of device A was 0.919 ± 0.090 in the transverse plane and 0.937 ± 0.081 in the longitudinal plane, and the echogenicity ratio of device B was 0.899 ± 0.113 in the transverse plane and 0.940 ± 0.113 in the longitudinal plane. The decline of the mean gray-level value and the echogenicity ratio of the supraspinatus tendon in the painful shoulder may be utilized as a useful sonographic reference of unilateral rotator cuff lesions. Diagnostic level III.

Microstructural abnormalities in white and gray matter in obese adolescents with and without type 2 diabetes.

PubMed

Nouwen, Arie; Chambers, Alison; Chechlacz, Magdalena; Higgs, Suzanne; Blissett, Jacqueline; Barrett, Timothy G; Allen, Harriet A

2017-01-01

In adults, type 2 diabetes and obesity have been associated with structural brain changes, even in the absence of dementia. Some evidence suggested similar changes in adolescents with type 2 diabetes but comparisons with a non-obese control group have been lacking. The aim of the current study was to examine differences in microstructure of gray and white matter between adolescents with type 2 diabetes, obese adolescents and healthy weight adolescents. Magnetic resonance imaging data were collected from 15 adolescents with type 2 diabetes, 21 obese adolescents and 22 healthy weight controls. Volumetric differences in the gray matter between the three groups were examined using voxel based morphology, while tract based spatial statistics was used to examine differences in the microstructure of the white matter. Adolescents with type 2 diabetes and obese adolescents had reduced gray matter volume in the right hippocampus, left putamen and caudate, bilateral amygdala and left thalamus compared to healthy weight controls. Type 2 diabetes was also associated with significant regional changes in fractional anisotropy within the corpus callosum, fornix, left inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, left uncinate, left internal and external capsule. Fractional anisotropy reductions within these tracts were explained by increased radial diffusivity, which may suggest demyelination of white matter tracts. Mean diffusivity and axial diffusivity did not differ between the groups. Our data shows that adolescent obesity alone results in reduced gray matter volume and that adolescent type 2 diabetes is associated with both white and gray matter abnormalities.

Gray matter abnormalities in opioid-dependent patients: A neuroimaging meta-analysis.

PubMed

Wollman, Scott C; Alhassoon, Omar M; Hall, Matthew G; Stern, Mark J; Connors, Eric J; Kimmel, Christine L; Allen, Kenneth E; Stephan, Rick A; Radua, Joaquim

2017-09-01

Prior research utilizing whole-brain neuroimaging techniques has identified structural differences in gray matter in opioid-dependent individuals. However, the results have been inconsistent. The current study meta-analytically examines the neuroimaging findings of studies published before 2016 comparing opioid-dependent individuals to drug-naïve controls. Exhaustive search of five databases yielded 12 studies that met inclusion criteria. Anisotropic Effect-Size Seed-Based d Mapping (AES-SDM) was used to analyze the data extracted by three independent researchers. Voxel-based AES-SDM distinguishes increases and decreases in brain matter significant at the whole-brain level. AES-SDM identified the fronto-temporal region, bilaterally, as being the primary site of gray matter deficits associated with opioid use. Moderator analysis revealed that length of opioid use was negatively associated with gray matter in the left cerebellar vermis and the right Rolandic operculum, including the insula. Meta-regression revealed no remaining significant areas of gray matter reductions, except in the precuneus, following longer abstinence from opioids. Opioid-dependent individuals had significantly less gray matter in several regions that play a key role in cognitive and affective processing. The findings provide evidence that opioid dependence may result in the breakdown of two distinct yet highly overlapping structural and functional systems. These are the fronto-cerebellar system that might be more responsible for impulsivity, compulsive behaviors, and affective disturbances and the fronto-insular system that might account more for the cognitive and decision-making impairments.

Gray matter network disruptions and amyloid beta in cognitively normal adults.

PubMed

Tijms, Betty M; Kate, Mara Ten; Wink, Alle Meije; Visser, Pieter Jelle; Ecay, Mirian; Clerigue, Montserrat; Estanga, Ainara; Garcia Sebastian, Maite; Izagirre, Andrea; Villanua, Jorge; Martinez Lage, Pablo; van der Flier, Wiesje M; Scheltens, Philip; Sanz Arigita, Ernesto; Barkhof, Frederik

2016-01-01

Gray matter networks are disrupted in Alzheimer's disease (AD). It is unclear when these disruptions start during the development of AD. Amyloid beta 1-42 (Aβ42) is among the earliest changes in AD. We studied, in cognitively healthy adults, the relationship between Aβ42 levels in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and single-subject cortical gray matter network measures. Single-subject gray matter networks were extracted from structural magnetic resonance imaging scans in a sample of cognitively healthy adults (N = 185; age range 39-79, mini-mental state examination >25, N = 12 showed abnormal Aβ42 < 550 pg/mL). Degree, clustering coefficient, and path length were computed at whole brain level and for 90 anatomical areas. Associations between continuous Aβ42 CSF levels and single-subject cortical gray matter network measures were tested. Smoothing splines were used to determine whether a linear or nonlinear relationship gave a better fit to the data. Lower Aβ42 CSF levels were linearly associated at whole brain level with lower connectivity density, and nonlinearly with lower clustering values and higher path length values, which is indicative of a less-efficient network organization. These relationships were specific to medial temporal areas, precuneus, and the middle frontal gyrus (all p < 0.05). These results suggest that mostly within the normal spectrum of amyloid, lower Aβ42 levels can be related to gray matter networks disruptions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Physical activity and inflammation: effects on gray-matter volume and cognitive decline in aging.

PubMed

Papenberg, Goran; Ferencz, Beata; Mangialasche, Francesca; Mecocci, Patrizia; Cecchetti, Roberta; Kalpouzos, Grégoria; Fratiglioni, Laura; Bäckman, Lars

2016-10-01

Physical activity has been positively associated with gray-matter integrity. In contrast, pro-inflammatory cytokines seem to have negative effects on the aging brain and have been related to dementia. It was investigated whether an inactive lifestyle and high levels of inflammation resulted in smaller gray-matter volumes and predicted cognitive decline across 6 years in a population-based study of older adults (n = 414). Self-reported physical activity (fitness-enhancing, health-enhancing, inadequate) was linked to gray-matter volume, such that individuals with inadequate physical activity had the least gray matter. There were no overall associations between different pro-and anti-inflammatory markers (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12p40, IL-12p70, G-CSF, and TNF-α) and gray-matter integrity. However, persons with inadequate activity and high levels of the pro-inflammatory marker IL-12p40 had smaller volumes of lateral prefrontal cortex and hippocampus and declined more on the Mini-Mental State Examination test over 6 years compared with physically inactive individuals with low levels of IL-12p40 and to more physically active persons, irrespective of their levels of IL-12p40. These patterns of data suggested that inflammation was particularly detrimental in inactive older adults and may exacerbate the negative effects of physical inactivity on brain and cognition in old age. Hum Brain Mapp 37:3462-3473, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Effect of Yellow-Tinted Lenses on Visual Attributes Related to Sports Activities

PubMed Central

Kohmura, Yoshimitsu; Murakami, Shigeki; Aoki, Kazuhiro

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to clarify the effect of colored lenses on visual attributes related to sports activities. The subjects were 24 students (11 females, 13 males; average age 21.0 ±1.2 years) attending a sports university. Lenses of 5 colors were used: colorless, light yellow, dark yellow, light gray, and dark gray. For each lens, measurements were performed in a fixed order: contrast sensitivity, dynamic visual acuity, depth perception, hand-eye coordination and visual acuity and low-contrast visual acuity. The conditions for the measurements of visual acuity and low-contrast visual acuity were in the order of Evening, Evening+Glare, Day, and Day+Glare. There were no significant differences among lenses in dynamic visual acuity and depth perception. For hand-eye coordination, time was significantly shorter with colorless than dark gray lenses. Contrast sensitivity was significantly higher with colorless, light yellow, and light gray lenses than with dark yellow and dark gray lenses. The low-contrast visual acuity test in the Day+Glare condition showed no significant difference among the lenses. In the Evening condition, low-contrast visual acuity was significantly higher with colorless and light yellow lenses than with dark gray lenses, and in the Evening+Glare condition, low-contrast visual acuity was significantly higher with colorless lenses than with the other colors except light yellow. Under early evening conditions and during sports activities, light yellow lenses do not appear to have an adverse effect on visual attributes. PMID:23717352

Numerical study of radiation effect on the municipal solid waste combustion characteristics inside an incinerator

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

Wang, Jingfu, E-mail: jfwang@bjut.edu.cn; Xue, Yanqing; Zhang, Xinxin

Highlights: • A 3-D model for the MSW incinerator with preheated air was developed. • Gas radiative properties were obtained from a statistical narrow-band model. • Non-gray body radiation model can provide more accurate simulation results. - Abstract: Due to its advantages of high degree volume reduction, relatively stable residue, and energy reclamation, incineration becomes one of the best choices for Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) disposal. However, detailed measurements of temperature and gas species inside a furnace are difficulty by conventional experimental techniques. Therefore, numerical simulation of MSW incineration in the packed bed and gas flow field was applied. Inmore » this work, a three dimensional (3-D) model of incinerator system, including flow, heat transfer, detailed chemical mechanisms, and non-gray gas models, was developed. Radiation from the furnace wall and the flame formed above the bed is of importance for drying and igniting the waste. The preheated air with high temperature is used for the MSW combustion. Under the conditions of high temperature and high pressure, MSW combustion produces a variety of radiating gases. The wavelength-depend radiative properties of flame adopted in non-gray radiation model were obtained from a statistical narrow-band model. The influence of radiative heat transfer on temperature, flow field is researched by adiabatic model (without considering radiation), gray radiation model, and non-gray radiation model. The simulation results show that taking into account the non-gray radiation is essential.« less

Anterior Cortical Development During Adolescence in Bipolar Disorder

PubMed Central

Najt, Pablo; Wang, Fei; Spencer, Linda; Johnston, Jennifer A.Y.; Cox Lippard, Elizabeth T.; Pittman, Brian P.; Lacadie, Cheryl; Staib, Lawrence H.; Papademetris, Xenophon; Blumberg, Hilary P.

2015-01-01

Background Increasing evidence supports a neurodevelopmental model for bipolar disorder (BD), with adolescence as a critical period in its development. Developmental abnormalities of anterior paralimbic and heteromodal frontal cortices, key structures in emotional regulation processes and central in BD, are implicated. However, few longitudinal studies have been conducted, limiting understanding of trajectory alterations in BD. In this study, we performed longitudinal neuroimaging of adolescents with and without BD and assessed volume changes over time, including changes in tissue overall and within gray and white matter. Larger decreases over time in anterior cortical volumes in the adolescents with BD were hypothesized. Gray matter decreases and white matter increases are typically observed during adolescence in anterior cortices. It was hypothesized that volume decreases over time in BD would reflect alterations in those processes, showing larger gray matter contraction and decreased white matter expansion. Methods Two high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging scans were obtained approximately two-years apart for 35 adolescents with BDI and 37 healthy adolescents. Differences over time between groups were investigated for volume overall and specifically for gray and white matter. Results Relative to healthy adolescents, adolescents with BDI showed greater volume contraction over time in a region including insula, and orbitofrontal, rostral and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices (P<.05, corrected), including greater gray matter contraction and decreased white matter expansion over time, in the BD compared to the healthy group. Conclusions: The findings support neurodevelopmental abnormalities during adolescence in BDI in anterior cortices, include altered developmental trajectories of anterior gray and white matter. PMID:26033826

Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) data evaluation for use in monitoring vegetation. Volume 1: Channels 1 and 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Horvath, N. C.; Gray, T. I.; Mccrary, D. G. (Principal Investigator)

1982-01-01

Data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellite system (NOAA-6 satellite) were analyzed to study their nonmeteorological uses. A file of charts, graphs, and tables was created form the products generated. It was found that the most useful data lie between pixel numbers 400 and 2000 on a given scan line. The analysis of the generated products indicates that the Gray-McCrary Index can discern vegetation and associated daily and seasonal changes. The solar zenith-angle correction used in previous studies was found to be a useful adjustment to the index. The METSAT system seems best suited for providing large-area analyses of surface features on a daily basis.

Retardation of organo-bromides in a fractured chalk aquitard.

PubMed

Ezra, Shai; Feinstein, Shimon; Yakirevich, Alex; Adar, Eilon; Bilkis, Itzhak

2006-08-10

This study investigates the mechanisms controlling the distribution of 3-bromo-2,2-bis(bromomethyl)propanol (TBNPA) and 2,2-bis(bromomethyl)propan-1,3-diol (DBNPG) in a fractured chalk aquitard. An extensive monitoring program showed a systematic decrease in the TBNPA/DBNPG ratio with distance from the contamination source. Sorption of TBNPA on the white and/or gray chalks comprising the aquitard is approximately one order of magnitude greater than that of DBNPG. This results in more efficient removal of TBNPA from the fracture into the porous matrix and thus decreases the TBNPA/DBNPG ratio in the fracture water. Mathematical modeling of solute transport in the fracture domain illustrates the probable importance of sorption in controlling the spatial variation in TBNPA and DBNPG ratio.

Quality Evaluation of Raw Moutan Cortex Using the AHP and Gray Correlation-TOPSIS Method

PubMed Central

Zhou, Sujuan; Liu, Bo; Meng, Jiang

2017-01-01

Background: Raw Moutan cortex (RMC) is an important Chinese herbal medicine. Comprehensive and objective quality evaluation of Chinese herbal medicine has been one of the most important issues in the modern herbs development. Objective: To evaluate and compare the quality of RMC using the weighted gray correlation- Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method. Materials and Methods: The percentage composition of gallic acid, catechin, oxypaeoniflorin, paeoniflorin, quercetin, benzoylpaeoniflorin, paeonol in different batches of RMC was determined, and then adopting MATLAB programming to construct the gray correlation-TOPSIS assessment model for quality evaluation of RMC. Results: The quality evaluation results of model evaluation and objective evaluation were consistent, reliable, and stable. Conclusion: The model of gray correlation-TOPSIS can be well applied to the quality evaluation of traditional Chinese medicine with multiple components and has broad prospect in application. SUMMARY The experiment tries to construct a model to evaluate the quality of RMC using the weighted gray correlation- Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method. Results show the model is reliable and provide a feasible way in evaluating quality of traditional Chinese medicine with multiple components. PMID:28839384

De novo assembling and primary analysis of genome and transcriptome of gray whale Eschrichtius robustus.

PubMed

Moskalev, Alexey А; Kudryavtseva, Anna V; Graphodatsky, Alexander S; Beklemisheva, Violetta R; Serdyukova, Natalya A; Krutovsky, Konstantin V; Sharov, Vadim V; Kulakovskiy, Ivan V; Lando, Andrey S; Kasianov, Artem S; Kuzmin, Dmitry A; Putintseva, Yuliya A; Feranchuk, Sergey I; Shaposhnikov, Mikhail V; Fraifeld, Vadim E; Toren, Dmitri; Snezhkina, Anastasia V; Sitnik, Vasily V

2017-12-28

Gray whale, Eschrichtius robustus (E. robustus), is a single member of the family Eschrichtiidae, which is considered to be the most primitive in the class Cetacea. Gray whale is often described as a "living fossil". It is adapted to extreme marine conditions and has a high life expectancy (77 years). The assembly of a gray whale genome and transcriptome will allow to carry out further studies of whale evolution, longevity, and resistance to extreme environment. In this work, we report the first de novo assembly and primary analysis of the E. robustus genome and transcriptome based on kidney and liver samples. The presented draft genome assembly is complete by 55% in terms of a total genome length, but only by 24% in terms of the BUSCO complete gene groups, although 10,895 genes were identified. Transcriptome annotation and comparison with other whale species revealed robust expression of DNA repair and hypoxia-response genes, which is expected for whales. This preliminary study of the gray whale genome and transcriptome provides new data to better understand the whale evolution and the mechanisms of their adaptation to the hypoxic conditions.

Glutaric aciduria type 1: neuroimaging features with clinical correlation.

PubMed

Mohammad, Shaimaa Abdelsattar; Abdelkhalek, Heba Salah; Ahmed, Khaled A; Zaki, Osama K

2015-10-01

Glutaric aciduria type 1 is a rare neurometabolic disease with high morbidity. To describe the MR imaging abnormalities in glutaric aciduria type 1 and to identify any association between the clinical and imaging features. MRI scans of 29 children (mean age: 16.9 months) with confirmed diagnosis of glutaric aciduria type 1 were retrospectively reviewed. Gray matter and white matter scores were calculated based on a previously published pattern-recognition approach of assessing leukoencephalopathies. Hippocampal formation and opercular topography were assessed in relation to the known embryological basis. MRI scores were correlated with morbidity score. The most consistent MRI abnormality was widened operculum with dilatation of the subarachnoid spaces surrounding underdeveloped frontotemporal lobes. Incomplete hippocampal inversion was also seen. The globus pallidus was the most frequently involved gray matter structure (86%). In addition to the central tegmental tract, white matter abnormalities preferentially involved the central and periventricular regions. The morbidity score correlated with the gray matter abnormality score (P = 0.004). Patients with dystonia had higher gray matter and morbidity scores. Morbidity is significantly correlated with abnormality of gray matter, rather than white matter, whether secondary to acute encephalopathic crisis or insidious onset disease.

Dance and music share gray matter structural correlates.

PubMed

Karpati, Falisha J; Giacosa, Chiara; Foster, Nicholas E V; Penhune, Virginia B; Hyde, Krista L

2017-02-15

Intensive practise of sensorimotor skills, such as music and dance, is associated with brain structural plasticity. While the neural correlates of music have been well-investigated, less is known about the neural correlates of dance. Additionally, the gray matter structural correlates of dance versus music training have not yet been directly compared. The objectives of the present study were to compare gray matter structure as measured by surface- and voxel-based morphometry between expert dancers, expert musicians and untrained controls, as well as to correlate gray matter structure with performance on dance- and music-related tasks. Dancers and musicians were found to have increased cortical thickness compared to controls in superior temporal regions. Gray matter structure in the superior temporal gyrus was also correlated with performance on dance imitation, rhythm synchronization and melody discrimination tasks. These results suggest that superior temporal regions are important in both dance- and music-related skills and may be affected similarly by both types of long-term intensive training. This work advances knowledge of the neural correlates of dance and music, as well as training-associated brain plasticity in general. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Increased gray-matter volume in medication-naive high-functioning children with autism spectrum disorder.

PubMed

Palmen, Saskia J M C; Hulshoff Pol, Hilleke E; Kemner, Chantal; Schnack, Hugo G; Durston, Sarah; Lahuis, Bertine E; Kahn, René S; Van Engeland, Herman

2005-04-01

To establish whether high-functioning children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have enlarged brains in later childhood, and if so, whether this enlargement is confined to the gray and/or to the white matter and whether it is global or more prominent in specific brain regions. Brain MRI scans were acquired from 21 medication-naive, high-functioning children with ASD between 7 and 15 years of age and 21 comparison subjects matched for gender, age, IQ, height, weight, handedness, and parental education, but not pubertal status. Patients showed a significant increase of 6% in intracranium, total brain, cerebral gray matter, cerebellum, and of more than 40% in lateral and third ventricles compared to controls. The cortical gray-matter volume was evenly affected in all lobes. After correction for brain volume, ventricular volumes remained significantly larger in patients. High-functioning children with ASD showed a global increase in gray-matter, but not white-matter and cerebellar volume, proportional to the increase in brain volume, and a disproportional increase in ventricular volumes, still present after correction for brain volume. Advanced pubertal development in the patients compared to the age-matched controls may have contributed to the findings reported in the present study.

Higher homocysteine associated with thinner cortical gray matter in 803 ADNI subjects

PubMed Central

Madsen, Sarah K.; Rajagopalan, Priya; Joshi, Shantanu H.; Toga, Arthur W.; Thompson, Paul M.

2014-01-01

A significant portion of our risk for dementia in old age is associated with lifestyle factors (diet, exercise, and cardiovascular health) that are modifiable, at least in principle. One such risk factor – high homocysteine levels in the blood – is known to increase risk for Alzheimer’s disease and vascular disorders. Here we set out to understand how homocysteine levels relate to 3D surface-based maps of cortical gray matter distribution (thickness, volume, surface area) computed from brain MRI in 803 elderly subjects from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) dataset. Individuals with higher plasma levels of homocysteine had lower gray matter thickness in bilateral frontal, parietal, occipital and right temporal regions; and lower gray matter volumes in left frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital regions, after controlling for diagnosis, age, and sex, and after correcting for multiple comparisons. No significant within-group associations were found in cognitively healthy people, mild cognitive impairment, or Alzheimer’s disease. These regional differences in gray matter structure may be useful biomarkers to assess the effectiveness of interventions, such as vitamin B supplements, that aim to prevent homocysteine-related brain atrophy by normalizing homocysteine levels. PMID:25444607

Size Matters: Cerebral Volume Influences Sex Differences in Neuroanatomy

PubMed Central

Towler, Stephen; Welcome, Suzanne; Halderman, Laura K.; Otto, Ron; Eckert, Mark A.; Chiarello, Christine

2008-01-01

Biological and behavioral differences between the sexes range from obvious to subtle or nonexistent. Neuroanatomical differences are particularly controversial, perhaps due to the implication that they might account for behavioral differences. In this sample of 200 men and women, large effect sizes (Cohen's d > 0.8) were found for sex differences in total cerebral gray and white matter, cerebellum, and gray matter proportion (women had a higher proportion of gray matter). The only one of these sex differences that survived adjustment for the effect of cerebral volume was gray matter proportion. Individual differences in cerebral volume accounted for 21% of the difference in gray matter proportion, while sex accounted for an additional 4%. The relative size of the corpus callosum was 5% larger in women, but this difference was completely explained by a negative relationship between relative callosal size and cerebral volume. In agreement with Jancke et al., individuals with higher cerebral volume tended to have smaller corpora callosa. There were few sex differences in the size of structures in Broca's and Wernicke's area. We conclude that individual differences in brain volume, in both men and women, account for apparent sex differences in relative size. PMID:18440950

Pre-Whaling Genetic Diversity and Population Ecology in Eastern Pacific Gray Whales: Insights from Ancient DNA and Stable Isotopes

PubMed Central

Alter, S. Elizabeth; Newsome, Seth D.; Palumbi, Stephen R.

2012-01-01

Commercial whaling decimated many whale populations, including the eastern Pacific gray whale, but little is known about how population dynamics or ecology differed prior to these removals. Of particular interest is the possibility of a large population decline prior to whaling, as such a decline could explain the ∼5-fold difference between genetic estimates of prior abundance and estimates based on historical records. We analyzed genetic (mitochondrial control region) and isotopic information from modern and prehistoric gray whales using serial coalescent simulations and Bayesian skyline analyses to test for a pre-whaling decline and to examine prehistoric genetic diversity, population dynamics and ecology. Simulations demonstrate that significant genetic differences observed between ancient and modern samples could be caused by a large, recent population bottleneck, roughly concurrent with commercial whaling. Stable isotopes show minimal differences between modern and ancient gray whale foraging ecology. Using rejection-based Approximate Bayesian Computation, we estimate the size of the population bottleneck at its minimum abundance and the pre-bottleneck abundance. Our results agree with previous genetic studies suggesting the historical size of the eastern gray whale population was roughly three to five times its current size. PMID:22590499

Tongue and hyoid musculature and functional morphology of a neonate gray whale (Cetacea, Mysticeti, Eschrichtius robustus).

PubMed

Kienle, Sarah S; Ekdale, Eric G; Reidenberg, Joy S; Deméré, Tom A

2015-04-01

Little is known about the anatomy and musculature of the gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus), especially related to the anatomy of the tongue and hyoid region. The recovery of an extremely fresh head of a neonatal female gray whale provided an opportunity to conduct the first in-depth investigation of the musculoskeletal features of the tongue and hyoid apparatus. Unlike other mysticetes, the gray whale tongue is strong, muscular, and freely mobile inside the buccal cavity. In particular, the genioglossus and hyoglossus muscles are extremely large and robust making up the majority of the body of the tongue. In addition, the genioglossus had a unique position and fiber orientation in the tongue compared to other mammals. The structure of the hyoid apparatus differs between E. robustus and other mysticete species, although there are similarities among individual elements. We provide the first documentation of fungiform papillae that may be associated with taste buds in Mysticeti. The highly mobile, robust tongue and the presence of well-defined tongue and hyoid musculature are in keeping with observations of gray whale feeding that suggest this group of whales utilize oral suction to draw benthic prey into the buccal cavity. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Prostate: techniques, results, and potential applications of color Doppler US scanning.

PubMed

Rifkin, M D; Sudakoff, G S; Alexander, A A

1993-02-01

Color Doppler ultrasound (US) scanning and conventional endorectal gray-scale US of the prostate were performed in 619 patients. Pathologic correlation was available in all cases after US-guided transrectal biopsy. There were 132 cancers in 121 men, 13 foci of atypia in 10 men, 33 foci of inflammation in 31 men, and 469 benign lesions in 457 men. Two hundred seventy patients with abnormal areas of flow identified at color Doppler scanning also underwent spectral waveform analysis of the area of potential concern. No statistical difference in the mean resistive indexes was identified in any patient (P = .25; Scheffe F test, analysis of variance). All malignant lesions had abnormalities demonstrated at gray-scale US and/or focal or diffuse abnormal flow demonstrated at color Doppler scanning. Of the 132 cancers, 123 (93%) had corresponding gray-scale abnormalities and 114 (86%) demonstrated abnormal flow at color Doppler imaging. Nine of the 132 cancers (7%) had no obviously identifiable abnormality at gray-scale scanning but had distinctly abnormal flow at color Doppler scanning. Abnormal findings at color scanning without abnormal findings at gray-scale scanning occurred in eight of the 33 cases of inflammatory foci (24%) and in 24 of the 469 (5%) benign lesions.

Combined sewer overflow control with LID based on SWMM: an example in Shanghai, China.

PubMed

Liao, Z L; Zhang, G Q; Wu, Z H; He, Y; Chen, H

2015-01-01

Although low impact development (LID) has been commonly applied across the developed countries for mitigating the negative impacts of combined sewer overflows (CSOs) on urban hydrological environment, it has not been widely used in developing countries yet. In this paper, a typical combined sewer system in an urbanized area of Shanghai, China was used to demonstrate how to design and choose CSO control solutions with LID using stormwater management model. We constructed and simulated three types of CSO control scenarios. Our findings support the notion that LID measures possess favorable capability on CSO reduction. Nevertheless, the green scenarios which are completely comprised by LID measures fail to achieve the maximal effectiveness on CSO reduction, while the gray-green scenarios (LID measure combined with gray measures) achieve it. The unit cost-effectiveness of each type of scenario sorts as: green scenario > gray-green scenario > gray scenario. Actually, as the storage tank is built in the case catchment, a complete application of green scenario is inaccessible here. Through comprehensive evaluation and comparison, the gray-green scenario F which used the combination of storage tank, bio-retention and rain barrels is considered as the most feasible one in this case.

24. INTERIOR VIEW, WILLIAM GRAY AT SIZING GUAGE ADJACENT TO ...

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

24. INTERIOR VIEW, WILLIAM GRAY AT SIZING GUAGE ADJACENT TO BRADLEY HAMMER; NOTE THIS IS THE SAME TOOL AS BEING FORGED ABOVE - Warwood Tool Company, Foot of Nineteenth Street, Wheeling, Ohio County, WV

The myth and reality of Gray's paradox: implication of dolphin drag reduction for technology.

PubMed

Fish, Frank E

2006-06-01

The inconsistency for the calculated high drag on an actively swimming dolphin and underestimated muscle power available resulted in what has been termed Gray's paradox. Although Gray's paradox was flawed, it has been the inspiration for a variety of drag reduction mechanisms. This review examines the present state of knowledge of drag reduction specific to dolphins. Streamlining and special behaviors provide the greatest drag reduction for dolphins. Mechanisms to control flow by maintaining a completely laminar boundary layer over the body have not been demonstrated for dolphins.

In vitro Models of Laser Induced Injury: Pathophysiology and Cytoprotection

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-10-29

range of 40-47’C (Dewey, 1979, 1984; Rice, Gray , Dean, & Dewey, 1984; Rice, Gray , & Dewey, 1984; Sapareto & Dewey, 1984). However, most of these in vitro...treated with 1.00 gtg /ml HA for 1 hour, 4 hours, 8 hours, and 24 hours and were then evaluated over a 24-hour time period for production of hsps (Dinh et...Research, 134(3), 331-336. Rice, G. C., Gray , J. W., Dean, P. N., & Dewey, W. C. (1984). Fluorescence-activated cell sorting analysis of the induction

Tailoring the Statistical Experimental Design Process for LVC Experiments

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-03-01

incredibly large test space, it is important to point out that Gray is presenting a simple case to demonstrate the application of an experimental...weapon’s effectiveness. Gray defines k1 = 4 factors in the whole plot and k2 = 3 factors in the sub plot with f1 and f2 as the number of factors...aliased with interaction terms in the whole plot and sub plot respectively. Gray uses the notation 2k1−f1 × 2k2−f2 [?] to represent the fractional

Characterization of the Gray Whale Eschrichtius robustus Genome and a Genotyping Array Based on Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms in Candidate Genes.

PubMed

DeWoody, J Andrew; Fernandez, Nadia B; Brüniche-Olsen, Anna; Antonides, Jennifer D; Doyle, Jacqueline M; San Miguel, Phillip; Westerman, Rick; Vertyankin, Vladimir V; Godard-Codding, Céline A J; Bickham, John W

2017-06-01

Genetic and genomic approaches have much to offer in terms of ecology, evolution, and conservation. To better understand the biology of the gray whale Eschrichtius robustus (Lilljeborg, 1861), we sequenced the genome and produced an assembly that contains ∼95% of the genes known to be highly conserved among eukaryotes. From this assembly, we annotated 22,711 genes and identified 2,057,254 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Using this assembly, we generated a curated list of candidate genes potentially subject to strong natural selection, including genes associated with osmoregulation, oxygen binding and delivery, and other aspects of marine life. From these candidate genes, we queried 92 autosomal protein-coding markers with a panel of 96 SNPs that also included 2 sexing and 2 mitochondrial markers. Genotyping error rates, calculated across loci and across 69 intentional replicate samples, were low (0.021%), and observed heterozygosity was 0.33 averaged over all autosomal markers. This level of variability provides substantial discriminatory power across loci (mean probability of identity of 1.6 × 10 -25 and mean probability of exclusion >0.999 with neither parent known), indicating that these markers provide a powerful means to assess parentage and relatedness in gray whales. We found 29 unique multilocus genotypes represented among our 36 biopsies (indicating that we inadvertently sampled 7 whales twice). In total, we compiled an individual data set of 28 western gray whales (WGSs) and 1 presumptive eastern gray whale (EGW). The lone EGW we sampled was no more or less related to the WGWs than expected by chance alone. The gray whale genomes reported here will enable comparative studies of natural selection in cetaceans, and the SNP markers should be highly informative for future studies of gray whale evolution, population structure, demography, and relatedness.

Effect of color coding and subtraction on the accuracy of contrast echocardiography

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pasquet, A.; Greenberg, N.; Brunken, R.; Thomas, J. D.; Marwick, T. H.

1999-01-01

BACKGROUND: Contrast echocardiography may be used to assess myocardial perfusion. However, gray scale assessment of myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE) is difficult because of variations in regional backscatter intensity, difficulties in distinguishing varying shades of gray, and artifacts or attenuation. We sought to determine whether the assessment of rest myocardial perfusion by MCE could be improved with subtraction and color coding. METHODS AND RESULTS: MCE was performed in 31 patients with previous myocardial infarction with a 2nd generation agent (NC100100, Nycomed AS), using harmonic triggered or continuous imaging and gain settings were kept constant throughout the study. Digitized images were post processed by subtraction of baseline from contrast data and colorized to reflect the intensity of myocardial contrast. Gray scale MCE alone, MCE images combined with baseline and subtracted colorized images were scored independently using a 16 segment model. The presence and severity of myocardial contrast abnormalities were compared with perfusion defined by rest MIBI-SPECT. Segments that were not visualized by continuous (17%) or triggered imaging (14%) after color processing were excluded from further analysis. The specificity of gray scale MCE alone (56%) or MCE combined with baseline 2D (47%) was significantly enhanced by subtraction and color coding (76%, p<0.001) of triggered images. The accuracy of the gray scale approaches (respectively 52% and 47%) was increased to 70% (p<0.001). Similarly, for continuous images, the specificity of gray scale MCE with and without baseline comparison was 23% and 42% respectively, compared with 60% after post processing (p<0.001). The accuracy of colorized images (59%) was also significantly greater than gray scale MCE (43% and 29%, p<0.001). The sensitivity of MCE for both acquisitions was not altered by subtraction. CONCLUSION: Post-processing with subtraction and color coding significantly improves the accuracy and specificity of MCE for detection of perfusion defects.

Volumetric MRI study of brain in children with intrauterine exposure to cocaine, alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana.

PubMed

Rivkin, Michael J; Davis, Peter E; Lemaster, Jennifer L; Cabral, Howard J; Warfield, Simon K; Mulkern, Robert V; Robson, Caroline D; Rose-Jacobs, Ruth; Frank, Deborah A

2008-04-01

The objective of this study was to use volumetric MRI to study brain volumes in 10- to 14-year-old children with and without intrauterine exposure to cocaine, alcohol, cigarettes, or marijuana. Volumetric MRI was performed on 35 children (mean age: 12.3 years; 14 with intrauterine exposure to cocaine, 21 with no intrauterine exposure to cocaine) to determine the effect of prenatal drug exposure on volumes of cortical gray matter; white matter; subcortical gray matter; cerebrospinal fluid; and total parenchymal volume. Head circumference was also obtained. Analyses of each individual substance were adjusted for demographic characteristics and the remaining 3 prenatal substance exposures. Regression analyses adjusted for demographic characteristics showed that children with intrauterine exposure to cocaine had lower mean cortical gray matter and total parenchymal volumes and smaller mean head circumference than comparison children. After adjustment for other prenatal exposures, these volumes remained smaller but lost statistical significance. Similar analyses conducted for prenatal ethanol exposure adjusted for demographics showed significant reduction in mean cortical gray matter; total parenchymal volumes; and head circumference, which remained smaller but lost statistical significance after adjustment for the remaining 3 exposures. Notably, prenatal cigarette exposure was associated with significant reductions in cortical gray matter and total parenchymal volumes and head circumference after adjustment for demographics that retained marginal significance after adjustment for the other 3 exposures. Finally, as the number of exposures to prenatal substances grew, cortical gray matter and total parenchymal volumes and head circumference declined significantly with smallest measures found among children exposed to all 4. CONCLUSIONS; These data suggest that intrauterine exposures to cocaine, alcohol, and cigarettes are individually related to reduced head circumference; cortical gray matter; and total parenchymal volumes as measured by MRI at school age. Adjustment for other substance exposures precludes determination of statistically significant individual substance effect on brain volume in this small sample; however, these substances may act cumulatively during gestation to exert lasting effects on brain size and volume.

Fast segmentation of industrial quality pavement images using Laws texture energy measures and k -means clustering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mathavan, Senthan; Kumar, Akash; Kamal, Khurram; Nieminen, Michael; Shah, Hitesh; Rahman, Mujib

2016-09-01

Thousands of pavement images are collected by road authorities daily for condition monitoring surveys. These images typically have intensity variations and texture nonuniformities that make their segmentation challenging. The automated segmentation of such pavement images is crucial for accurate, thorough, and expedited health monitoring of roads. In the pavement monitoring area, well-known texture descriptors, such as gray-level co-occurrence matrices and local binary patterns, are often used for surface segmentation and identification. These, despite being the established methods for texture discrimination, are inherently slow. This work evaluates Laws texture energy measures as a viable alternative for pavement images for the first time. k-means clustering is used to partition the feature space, limiting the human subjectivity in the process. Data classification, hence image segmentation, is performed by the k-nearest neighbor method. Laws texture energy masks are shown to perform well with resulting accuracy and precision values of more than 80%. The implementations of the algorithm, in both MATLAB® and OpenCV/C++, are extensively compared against the state of the art for execution speed, clearly showing the advantages of the proposed method. Furthermore, the OpenCV-based segmentation shows a 100% increase in processing speed when compared to the fastest algorithm available in literature.