Introducing a rainfall compound distribution model based on weather patterns sub-sampling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

F. Garavaglia

2010-06-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a probabilistic model for daily rainfall, using sub-sampling based on meteorological circulation. We classified eight typical but contrasted synoptic situations (weather patterns for France and surrounding areas, using a "bottom-up" approach, i.e. from the shape of the rain field to the synoptic situations described by geopotential fields. These weather patterns (WP provide a discriminating variable that is consistent with French climatology, and allows seasonal rainfall records to be split into more homogeneous sub-samples, in term of meteorological genesis.

First results show how the combination of seasonal and WP sub-sampling strongly influences the identification of the asymptotic behaviour of rainfall probabilistic models. Furthermore, with this level of stratification, an asymptotic exponential behaviour of each sub-sample appears as a reasonable hypothesis. This first part is illustrated with two daily rainfall records from SE of France.

The distribution of the multi-exponential weather patterns (MEWP is then defined as the composition, for a given season, of all WP sub-sample marginal distributions, weighted by the relative frequency of occurrence of each WP. This model is finally compared to Exponential and Generalized Pareto distributions, showing good features in terms of robustness and accuracy. These final statistical results are computed from a wide dataset of 478 rainfall chronicles spread on the southern half of France. All these data cover the 1953–2005 period.

Solar ramping distributions over multiple timescales and weather patterns

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hodge, Bri-Mathias; Hummon, Marissa; Orwig, Kirsten [National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO (United States)

2011-07-01

As greater amounts of solar power are included in the power system it is becoming increasingly important to have a better characterization of the variability of solar power over the timescales that are relevant to power system operations. In this paper, we examine the distribution of ramp events that occur in global horizontal irradiance measurements from a number of sites in the western United States. The distributions are found to be significantly non-normal over multiple timescales from 1 minute to 1 hour. A hyberbolic distribution is suggested for more accurately representing the observed ramp distributions. Additionally, the ramp distributions that occur during different classifications of weather patterns are characterized and significant differences are observed between patterns. (orig.)

Current Evidence on the Association of Dietary Patterns and Bone Health: A Scoping Review123

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Movassagh, Elham Z

2017-01-01

Nutrition is an important modifiable factor that affects bone health. Diet is a complex mixture of nutrients and foods that correlate or interact with each other. Dietary pattern approaches take into account contributions from various aspects of diet. Findings from dietary pattern studies could complement those from single-nutrient and food studies on bone health. In this study we aimed to conduct a scoping review of the literature that assessed the impact of dietary patterns (derived with the use of both a priori and data-driven approaches) on bone outcomes, including bone mineral status, bone biomarkers, osteoporosis, and fracture risk. We retrieved 49 human studies up to June 2016 from the PubMed, Embase, and CINAHL databases. Most of these studies used a data-driven method, especially factor analysis, to derive dietary patterns. Several studies examined adherence to a variety of the a priori dietary indexes, including the Mediterranean diet score, the Healthy Eating Index (HEI), and the Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI). The bone mineral density (BMD) diet score was developed to measure adherence to a dietary pattern beneficial to bone mineral density. Findings revealed a beneficial impact of higher adherence to a “healthy” dietary pattern derived using a data-driven method, the Mediterranean diet, HEI, AHEI, Dietary Diversity Score, Diet Quality Index–International, BMD Diet Score, Healthy Diet Indicator, and Korean Diet Score, on bone. In contrast, the “Western” dietary pattern and those featuring some aspects of an unhealthy diet were associated inversely with bone health. In both a priori and data-driven dietary pattern studies, a dietary pattern that emphasized the intake of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, poultry and fish, nuts and legumes, and low-fat dairy products and de-emphasized the intake of soft drinks, fried foods, meat and processed products, sweets and desserts, and refined grains showed a beneficial impact on bone health

Identification of a dietary pattern prospectively associated with bone mass in Australian young adults.

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van den Hooven, Edith H; Ambrosini, Gina L; Huang, Rae-Chi; Mountain, Jenny; Straker, Leon; Walsh, John P; Zhu, Kun; Oddy, Wendy H

2015-11-01

Relatively little is known about the relations between dietary patterns and bone health in adolescence, which is a period of substantial bone mass accrual. We derived dietary patterns that were hypothesized to be related to bone health on the basis of their protein, calcium, and potassium contents and investigated their prospective associations with bone mineral density (BMD), bone area, and bone mineral content (BMC) in a cohort of young adults. The study included 1024 young adults born to mothers who were participating in the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study. Dietary information was obtained from food-frequency questionnaires at 14 and 17 y of age. Dietary patterns were characterized according to protein, calcium, and potassium intakes with the use of reduced-rank regression. BMD, bone area, and BMC were estimated with the use of a total body dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scan at 20 y of age. We identified 2 major dietary patterns. The first pattern was positively correlated with intakes of protein, calcium, and potassium and had high factor loadings for low-fat dairy products, whole grains, and vegetables. The second pattern was positively correlated with protein intake but negatively correlated with intakes of calcium and potassium and had high factor loadings for meat, poultry, fish, and eggs. After adjustment for anthropometric, sociodemographic, and lifestyle factors, a higher z score for the first pattern at 14 y of age was positively associated with BMD and BMC at 20 y of age [differences: 8.6 mg/cm(2) (95% CI: 3.0, 14.1 mg/cm(2)) and 21.9 g (95% CI: 6.5, 37.3 g), respectively, per SD increase in z score]. The z score for this same pattern at 17 y of age was not associated with bone outcomes at 20 y of age. The second pattern at 14 or 17 y of age was not associated with BMD, BMC, or bone area. A dietary pattern characterized by high intakes of protein, calcium, and potassium in midadolescence was associated with higher BMD and BMC at 20

Non-linear pattern formation in bone growth and architecture.

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Salmon, Phil

2014-01-01

The three-dimensional morphology of bone arises through adaptation to its required engineering performance. Genetically and adaptively bone travels along a complex spatiotemporal trajectory to acquire optimal architecture. On a cellular, micro-anatomical scale, what mechanisms coordinate the activity of osteoblasts and osteoclasts to produce complex and efficient bone architectures? One mechanism is examined here - chaotic non-linear pattern formation (NPF) - which underlies in a unifying way natural structures as disparate as trabecular bone, swarms of birds flying, island formation, fluid turbulence, and others. At the heart of NPF is the fact that simple rules operating between interacting elements, and Turing-like interaction between global and local signals, lead to complex and structured patterns. The study of "group intelligence" exhibited by swarming birds or shoaling fish has led to an embodiment of NPF called "particle swarm optimization" (PSO). This theoretical model could be applicable to the behavior of osteoblasts, osteoclasts, and osteocytes, seeing them operating "socially" in response simultaneously to both global and local signals (endocrine, cytokine, mechanical), resulting in their clustered activity at formation and resorption sites. This represents problem-solving by social intelligence, and could potentially add further realism to in silico computer simulation of bone modeling. What insights has NPF provided to bone biology? One example concerns the genetic disorder juvenile Pagets disease or idiopathic hyperphosphatasia, where the anomalous parallel trabecular architecture characteristic of this pathology is consistent with an NPF paradigm by analogy with known experimental NPF systems. Here, coupling or "feedback" between osteoblasts and osteoclasts is the critical element. This NPF paradigm implies a profound link between bone regulation and its architecture: in bone the architecture is the regulation. The former is the emergent

Computational model-informed design and bioprinting of cell-patterned constructs for bone tissue engineering.

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Carlier, Aurélie; Skvortsov, Gözde Akdeniz; Hafezi, Forough; Ferraris, Eleonora; Patterson, Jennifer; Koç, Bahattin; Van Oosterwyck, Hans

2016-05-17

Three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting is a rapidly advancing tissue engineering technology that holds great promise for the regeneration of several tissues, including bone. However, to generate a successful 3D bone tissue engineering construct, additional complexities should be taken into account such as nutrient and oxygen delivery, which is often insufficient after implantation in large bone defects. We propose that a well-designed tissue engineering construct, that is, an implant with a specific spatial pattern of cells in a matrix, will improve the healing outcome. By using a computational model of bone regeneration we show that particular cell patterns in tissue engineering constructs are able to enhance bone regeneration compared to uniform ones. We successfully bioprinted one of the most promising cell-gradient patterns by using cell-laden hydrogels with varying cell densities and observed a high cell viability for three days following the bioprinting process. In summary, we present a novel strategy for the biofabrication of bone tissue engineering constructs by designing cell-gradient patterns based on a computational model of bone regeneration, and successfully bioprinting the chosen design. This integrated approach may increase the success rate of implanted tissue engineering constructs for critical size bone defects and also can find a wider application in the biofabrication of other types of tissue engineering constructs.

Evaluation of a compound distribution based on weather pattern subsampling for extreme rainfall in Norway

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Blanchet

2015-12-01

SCHADEX method for extreme flood estimation. Regional scores of evaluation are used in a split sample framework to compare the MEWP distribution with more general heavy-tailed distributions, in this case the Multi Generalized Pareto Weather Pattern (MGPWP distribution. The analysis shows the clear benefit obtained from seasonal and weather pattern-based subsampling for extreme value estimation. The MEWP distribution is found to have an overall better performance as compared with the MGPWP, which tends to overfit the data and lacks robustness. Finally, we take advantage of the split sample framework to present evidence for an increase in extreme rainfall in the southwestern part of Norway during the period 1979–2009, relative to 1948–1978.

Weather Effects on the Patterns of People's Everyday Activities: A Study Using GPS Traces of Mobile Phone Users

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Leong, Tuck W.; Sekimoto, Yoshihide; Shibasaki, Ryosuke

2013-01-01

This study explores the effects that the weather has on people's everyday activity patterns. Temperature, rainfall, and wind speed were used as weather parameters. People's daily activity patterns were inferred, such as place visited, the time this took place, the duration of the visit, based on the GPS location traces of their mobile phones overlaid upon Yellow Pages information. Our analysis of 31,855 mobile phone users allowed us to infer that people were more likely to stay longer at eateries or food outlets, and (to a lesser degree) at retail or shopping areas when the weather is very cold or when conditions are calm (non-windy). When compared to people's regular activity patterns, certain weather conditions affected people's movements and activities noticeably at different times of the day. On cold days, people's activities were found to be more diverse especially after 10AM, showing greatest variations between 2PM and 6PM. A similar trend is observed between 10AM and midnight on rainy days, with people's activities found to be most diverse on days with heaviest rainfalls or on days when the wind speed was stronger than 4 km/h, especially between 10AM–1AM. Finally, we observed that different geographical areas of a large metropolis were impacted differently by the weather. Using data of urban infrastructure to characterize areas, we found strong correlations between weather conditions upon people's accessibility to trains. This study sheds new light on the influence of weather conditions on human behavior, in particular the choice of daily activities and how mobile phone data can be used to investigate the influence of environmental factors on urban dynamics. PMID:24367481

Baseline patterns of bone scintigraphy in patients with established post-poliomyelitis paralysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marafi, Fahad A.; Esmail, Abdulredha A.; Elgazzar, Abdelhamid H.; Al-Said Ali, Ali

2010-01-01

Post-poliomyelitis syndrome causes variable musculoskeletal manifestations including pain, muscle weakness and fatigue. These manifestations are commonly secondary to overuse and misuse of muscles and joints and could follow a fall. Bone scan can be useful in determining the underlying cause and follow-up. The objective of this study was to describe the late scintigraphic patterns on bone scan following poliomyelitis. Bone scans of 8 adult patients (7 female and 1 male), aged 35 to 53 years, who were known to have paralytic poliomyelitis, were retrospectively studied. Six patients had unilateral while 1 had bilateral disease. All patients had three-phase bone scan and 5 had SPECT study as well. Studies were reviewed by two qualified nuclear medicine physicians and findings were recorded and analyzed. Several patterns were consistently identified: decreased blood pool activity in the affected lower limb of all patients; deformed ipsilateral hemi-pelvis with reduced uptake on the affected side in all patients with unilateral disease; stress changes with increased uptake in the bones of the contra-lateral lower extremity; and degenerative changes in multiple joints (shoulder, knee, hip, ankle and spine). Significant scoliosis was only noted in the patient with bilateral disease. Scintigraphic patterns on bone scan associated with the post-poliomyelitis syndrome and persistent weakness following a distant episode of poliomyelitis have been described. Awareness of these characteristic scintigraphic findings may facilitate an accurate diagnosis and lead to more appropriate patient management. (orig.)

Baseline patterns of bone scintigraphy in patients with established post-poliomyelitis paralysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marafi, Fahad A.; Esmail, Abdulredha A.; Elgazzar, Abdelhamid H. [Mubarak Alkabeer Hospital and Kuwait University, Departments of Nuclear Medicine, P.O. Box 24923, Safat (Kuwait); Al-Said Ali, Ali [Ministry of Health, Department of Surgery, Mubarak Alkabeer Hospital, Safat (Kuwait)

2010-09-15

Post-poliomyelitis syndrome causes variable musculoskeletal manifestations including pain, muscle weakness and fatigue. These manifestations are commonly secondary to overuse and misuse of muscles and joints and could follow a fall. Bone scan can be useful in determining the underlying cause and follow-up. The objective of this study was to describe the late scintigraphic patterns on bone scan following poliomyelitis. Bone scans of 8 adult patients (7 female and 1 male), aged 35 to 53 years, who were known to have paralytic poliomyelitis, were retrospectively studied. Six patients had unilateral while 1 had bilateral disease. All patients had three-phase bone scan and 5 had SPECT study as well. Studies were reviewed by two qualified nuclear medicine physicians and findings were recorded and analyzed. Several patterns were consistently identified: decreased blood pool activity in the affected lower limb of all patients; deformed ipsilateral hemi-pelvis with reduced uptake on the affected side in all patients with unilateral disease; stress changes with increased uptake in the bones of the contra-lateral lower extremity; and degenerative changes in multiple joints (shoulder, knee, hip, ankle and spine). Significant scoliosis was only noted in the patient with bilateral disease. Scintigraphic patterns on bone scan associated with the post-poliomyelitis syndrome and persistent weakness following a distant episode of poliomyelitis have been described. Awareness of these characteristic scintigraphic findings may facilitate an accurate diagnosis and lead to more appropriate patient management. (orig.)

Impacts of weather on long-term patterns of plant richness and diversity vary with location and management.

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Jonas, Jayne L; Buhl, Deborah A; Symstad, Amy J

2015-09-01

Better understanding the influence of precipitation and temperature on plant assemblages is needed to predict the effects of climate change. Many studies have examined the relationship between plant productivity and weather (primarily precipitation), but few have directly assessed the relationship between plant richness or diversity and weather despite their increased use as metrics of ecosystem condition. We focus on the grasslands of central North America, which are characterized by high temporal climatic variability. Over the next 100 years, these grasslands are predicted to experience further increased variability in growing season precipitation, as well as increased temperatures, due to global climate change. We assess the portion of interannual variability of richness and diversity explained by weather, how relationships between these metrics and weather vary among plant assemblages, and which aspects of weather best explain temporal variability. We used an information-theoretic approach to assess relationships between long-term plant richness and diversity patterns and a priori weather covariates using six data sets from four grasslands. Weather explained up to 49% and 63% of interannual variability in total plant species richness and diversity, respectively. However, richness and diversity responses to specific weather variables varied both among sites and among experimental treatments within sites. In general, we found many instances in which temperature was of equal or greater importance as precipitation, as well as evidence of the importance of lagged effects and precipitation or temperature variability. Although precipitation has been shown to be a key driver of productivity in grasslands, our results indicate that increasing temperatures alone, without substantial changes in precipitation patterns, could have measurable effects on Great Plains grassland plant assemblages and biodiversity metrics. Our results also suggest that richness and diversity

Metaphyseal pattern: Uniqueness of this structure in growing bones originating from cartilaginous anlage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Balmain, N.; Moscofian, A.; Cuisinier-Gleizes, P.

1983-01-01

Microradiographic examination of metaphyses in long and short tubular growing bones allowed detection of a repetitive, clearly defined pattern of three adjacent zones; the latter are successively formed by the mineralization of cartilaginous longitudinal intercolumnar septa and by the subsequent apposition of other mineralized tissues concurrently with resorption. Consequently, each zone of the metaphysis includes mineralized tissues of various compositions and ages, identifiable by their different mineralization densities. Microradiography of pieces of the growing skeleton in several animal species shows that the same organization is not only present in long and short tubular bones but also in many other such as the pelvis and scapula, cuboid bones like the calcaneum and talus, and cartilaginous bones at the base of the skull. This suggests that there is no difference between the osteogenesis pattern of these bones and tubular ones. The problem of identifying the factors generating such metaphyseal organization is raised. (orig.)

Pattern of Bone Generation after Irradiation in Vascularized Tissue Engineered Constructs.

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Eweida, Ahmad; Fathi, Ibrahim; Eltawila, Ahmed M; Elsherif, Ahmad M; Elkerm, Yasser; Harhaus, Leila; Kneser, Ulrich; Sakr, Mahmoud F

2018-02-01

 Regenerative medicine modalities provide promising alternatives to conventional reconstruction techniques but are still deficient after malignant tumor excision or irradiation due to defective vascularization.  We investigated the pattern of bone formation in axially vascularized tissue engineering constructs (AVTECs) after irradiation in a study that mimics the clinical scenario after head and neck cancer. Heterotopic bone generation was induced in a subcutaneously implanted AVTEC in the thigh of six male New Zealand rabbits. The tissue construct was made up of Nanobone (Artoss GmbH; Rostock, Germany) granules mixed with autogenous bone marrow and 80 μL of bone morphogenic protein-2 at a concentration of 1.5 μg/μL. An arteriovenous loop was created microsurgically between the saphenous vessels and implanted in the core of the construct to induce axial vascularization. The constructs were subjected to external beam irradiation on postoperative day 20 with a single dose of 15 Gy. The constructs were removed 20 days after irradiation and subjected to histological and immunohistochemical analysis for vascularization, bone formation, apoptosis, and cellular proliferation.  The vascularized constructs showed homogenous vascularization and bone formation both in their central and peripheral regions. Although vascularity, proliferation, and apoptosis were similar between central and peripheral regions of the constructs, significantly more bone was formed in the central regions of the constructs.  The study shows for the first time the pattern of bone formation in AVTECs after irradiation using doses comparable to those applied after head and neck cancer. Axial vascularization probably enhances the osteoinductive properties in the central regions of AVTECs after irradiation. Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

Recent Weather Extremes and Impacts on Agricultural Production and Vector-Borne Disease Outbreak Patterns

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Anyamba, Assaf; Small, Jennifer L.; Britch, Seth C.; Tucker, Compton J.; Pak, Edwin W.; Reynolds, Curt A.; Crutchfield, James; Linthicum, Kenneth J.

2014-01-01

We document significant worldwide weather anomalies that affected agriculture and vector-borne disease outbreaks during the 2010-2012 period. We utilized 2000-2012 vegetation index and land surface temperature data from NASA's satellite-based Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) to map the magnitude and extent of these anomalies for diverse regions including the continental United States, Russia, East Africa, Southern Africa, and Australia. We demonstrate that shifts in temperature and/or precipitation have significant impacts on vegetation patterns with attendant consequences for agriculture and public health. Weather extremes resulted in excessive rainfall and flooding as well as severe drought, which caused,10 to 80% variation in major agricultural commodity production (including wheat, corn, cotton, sorghum) and created exceptional conditions for extensive mosquito-borne disease outbreaks of dengue, Rift Valley fever, Murray Valley encephalitis, and West Nile virus disease. Analysis of MODIS data provided a standardized method for quantifying the extreme weather anomalies observed during this period. Assessments of land surface conditions from satellite-based systems such as MODIS can be a valuable tool in national, regional, and global weather impact determinations.

Maternal dietary patterns during pregnancy and childhood bone mass: a longitudinal study.

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Cole, Zoe A; Gale, Catharine R; Javaid, M Kassim; Robinson, Sian M; Law, Catherine; Boucher, Barbara J; Crozier, Sarah R; Godfrey, Keith M; Dennison, Elaine M; Cooper, Cyrus

2009-04-01

Maternal nutrition is a potentially important determinant of intrauterine skeletal development. Previous studies have examined the effects of individual nutrients, but the pattern of food consumption may be of greater relevance. We therefore examined the relationship between maternal dietary pattern during pregnancy and bone mass of the offspring at 9 yr of age. We studied 198 pregnant women 17-43 yr of age and their offspring at 9 yr of age. Dietary pattern was assessed using principal component analysis from a validated food frequency questionnaire. The offspring underwent measurements of bone mass using DXA at 9 yr of age. A high prudent diet score was characterized by elevated intakes of fruit, vegetables, and wholemeal bread, rice, and pasta and low intakes of processed foods. Higher prudent diet score in late pregnancy was associated with greater (p socioeconomic status, height, arm circumference, maternal smoking, and vitamin D status. Associations with prudent diet score in early pregnancy were weaker and nonsignificant. We conclude that dietary patterns consistent with current advice for healthy eating during pregnancy are associated with greater bone size and BMD in the offspring at 9 yr of age.

Life Course Dietary Patterns and Bone Health in Later Life in a British Birth Cohort Study

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Prentice, Ann; Kuh, Diana L; Adams, Judith E; Ambrosini, Gina L

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Evidence for the contribution of individual foods and nutrients to bone health is weak. Few studies have considered hypothesis‐based dietary patterns and bone health. We investigated whether a protein‐calcium‐potassium–rich (PrCaK‐rich) dietary pattern over the adult life course, was positively associated with bone outcomes at 60 to 64 years of age. Diet diaries were collected at ages 36, 46, 53, and 60 to 64 years in 1263 participants (661 women) from the MRC National Survey of Health and Development. DXA and pQCT measurements were obtained at age 60 to 64 years, including size‐adjusted bone mineral content (SA‐BMC) and volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD). A food‐based dietary pattern best explaining dietary calcium, potassium, and protein intakes (g/1000 kcal) was identified using reduced rank regression. Dietary pattern Z‐scores were calculated for each individual, at each time point. Individual trajectories in dietary pattern Z‐scores were modeled to summarize changes in Z‐scores over the study period. Regression models examined associations between these trajectories and bone outcomes at age 60 to 64 years, adjusting for baseline dietary pattern Z‐score and other confounders. A consistent PrCaK‐rich dietary pattern was identified within the population, over time. Mean ± SD dietary pattern Z‐scores at age 36 years and age 60 to 64 years were –0.32 ± 0.97 and 2.2 ± 1.5 (women) and –0.35 ± 0.98 and 1.7 ± 1.6 (men), respectively. Mean trajectory in dietary pattern Z‐scores ± SD was 0.07 ± 0.02 units/year. Among women, a 0.02‐SD unit/year higher trajectory in dietary pattern Z‐score over time was associated with higher SA‐BMC (spine 1.40% [95% CI, 0.30 to 2.51]; hip 1.35% [95% CI, 0.48 to 2.23]), and vBMD (radius 1.81% [95% CI, 0.13 to 3.50]) at age 60 to 64 years. No statistically significant associations were found in men. During adulthood, an increasing score for a dietary

Enhanced seasonal predictability of the summer mean temperature in Central Europe favored by new dominant weather patterns

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Hoffmann, P.

2018-04-01

In this study two complementary approaches have been combined to estimate the reliability of the data-driven seasonal predictability of the meteorological summer mean temperature (T_{JJA}) over Europe. The developed model is based on linear regressions and uses early season predictors to estimate the target value T_{JJA}. We found for the Potsdam (Germany) climate station that the monthly standard deviations (σ) from January to April and the temperature mean ( m) in April are good predictors to describe T_{JJA} after 1990. However, before 1990 the model failed. The core region where this model works is the north-eastern part of Central Europe. We also analyzed long-term trends of monthly Hess/Brezowsky weather types as possible causes of the dynamical changes. In spring, a significant increase of the occurrences for two opposite weather patterns was found: Zonal Ridge across Central Europe (BM) and Trough over Central Europe (TRM). Both currently make up about 30% of the total alternating weather systems over Europe. Other weather types are predominantly decreasing or their trends are not significant. Thus, the predictability may be attributed to these two weather types where the difference between the two Z500 composite patterns is large. This also applies to the north-eastern part of Central Europe. Finally, the detected enhanced seasonal predictability over Europe is alarming, because severe side effects may occur. One of these are more frequent climate extremes in summer half-year.

Recent weather extremes and impacts on agricultural production and vector-borne disease outbreak patterns.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Assaf Anyamba

Full Text Available We document significant worldwide weather anomalies that affected agriculture and vector-borne disease outbreaks during the 2010-2012 period. We utilized 2000-2012 vegetation index and land surface temperature data from NASA's satellite-based Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS to map the magnitude and extent of these anomalies for diverse regions including the continental United States, Russia, East Africa, Southern Africa, and Australia. We demonstrate that shifts in temperature and/or precipitation have significant impacts on vegetation patterns with attendant consequences for agriculture and public health. Weather extremes resulted in excessive rainfall and flooding as well as severe drought, which caused ∼10 to 80% variation in major agricultural commodity production (including wheat, corn, cotton, sorghum and created exceptional conditions for extensive mosquito-borne disease outbreaks of dengue, Rift Valley fever, Murray Valley encephalitis, and West Nile virus disease. Analysis of MODIS data provided a standardized method for quantifying the extreme weather anomalies observed during this period. Assessments of land surface conditions from satellite-based systems such as MODIS can be a valuable tool in national, regional, and global weather impact determinations.

Integration of Weather Avoidance and Traffic Separation

Science.gov (United States)

Consiglio, Maria C.; Chamberlain, James P.; Wilson, Sara R.

2011-01-01

This paper describes a dynamic convective weather avoidance concept that compensates for weather motion uncertainties; the integration of this weather avoidance concept into a prototype 4-D trajectory-based Airborne Separation Assurance System (ASAS) application; and test results from a batch (non-piloted) simulation of the integrated application with high traffic densities and a dynamic convective weather model. The weather model can simulate a number of pseudo-random hazardous weather patterns, such as slow- or fast-moving cells and opening or closing weather gaps, and also allows for modeling of onboard weather radar limitations in range and azimuth. The weather avoidance concept employs nested "core" and "avoid" polygons around convective weather cells, and the simulations assess the effectiveness of various avoid polygon sizes in the presence of different weather patterns, using traffic scenarios representing approximately two times the current traffic density in en-route airspace. Results from the simulation experiment show that the weather avoidance concept is effective over a wide range of weather patterns and cell speeds. Avoid polygons that are only 2-3 miles larger than their core polygons are sufficient to account for weather uncertainties in almost all cases, and traffic separation performance does not appear to degrade with the addition of weather polygon avoidance. Additional "lessons learned" from the batch simulation study are discussed in the paper, along with insights for improving the weather avoidance concept. Introduction

Synoptic weather types associated with critical fire weather

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Mark J. Schroeder; Monte Glovinsky; Virgil F. Hendricks; Frank C. Hood; Melvin K. Hull; Henry L. Jacobson; Robert Kirkpatrick; Daniel W. Krueger; Lester P. Mallory; Albert G. Oeztel; Robert H. Reese; Leo A. Sergius; Charles E. Syverson

1964-01-01

Recognizing that weather is an important factor in the spread of both urban and wildland fires, a study was made of the synoptic weather patterns and types which produce strong winds, low relative humidities, high temperatures, and lack of rainfall--the conditions conducive to rapid fire spread. Such historic fires as the San Francisco fire of 1906, the Berkeley fire...

Effect of weather on temporal pain patterns in patients with temporomandibular disorders and migraine.

Science.gov (United States)

Cioffi, I; Farella, M; Chiodini, P; Ammendola, L; Capuozzo, R; Klain, C; Vollaro, S; Michelotti, A

2017-05-01

Patients with masticatory muscle pain and migraine typically report that the intensity of pain fluctuates over time and is affected by weather changes. Weather variables, such as ambient temperature and humidity, may vary significantly depending on whether the individual is outdoor or indoor. It is, therefore, important to assess these variables at the individual level using portable monitors, during everyday life. This study aimed to determine and compare the temporal patterns of pain in individuals affected with facial and head pain and to investigate its relation with weather changes. Eleven patients (27·3 ± 7·4 years) with chronic masticatory muscle pain (MP) and twenty (33·1 ± 8·7 years) with migraine headache (MH) were asked to report their current pain level on a visual analogue scale (VAS) every hour over fourteen consecutive days. The VAS scores were collected using portable data-loggers, which were also used to record temperature, atmospheric pressure and relative humidity. VAS scores varied markedly over time in both groups. Pain VAS scores fluctuate less in the MP group than in the MH group, but their mean, minimum and maximum values were higher than those of migraine patients (all P < 0·05). Pain scores <2 cm were more common in the MH than in the MP group (P < 0·001). Perceived intensity of pain was negatively associated with atmospheric pressure in the MP group and positively associated with temperature and atmospheric in the MH group. Our results reveal that patients with masticatory muscle pain and patients with migraine present typical temporal pain patterns that are influenced in a different way by weather changes. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Hyperextension injuries of the knee. Do patterns of bone bruising predict soft tissue injury?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ali, A.M.; Gibbons, C.E.R. [Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, London (United Kingdom); Pillai, J.K.; Roberton, B.J. [Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, Department of Radiology, London (United Kingdom); Gulati, V. [Homerton University Hospital, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, London (United Kingdom)

2018-02-15

To establish whether patterns of soft tissue injury following knee hyperextension are associated with post-traumatic 'bone bruise' distribution. Patients with a knee MRI within one year of hyperextension injury were identified at our institution over a 7 year period. MRIs, plain radiographs and clinical details of these patients were reviewed. Twenty-five patients were identified (median time from injury to MRI = 24 days). The most common sites of bone bruising were the anteromedial tibial plateau (48%) and anterolateral tibial plateau (44%). There were high rates of injury to the posterior capsule (52%), ACL (40%) and PCL (40%) but lower rates of injury to the menisci (20%), medial and lateral collateral ligaments (16%) and posterolateral corner (16%). Anterior tibial plateau oedema and rupture of the posterior capsule predicted cruciate ligament injury [OR = 10.5 (p = 0.02) and 24.0 (p = 0.001) respectively]. Whilst anterolateral tibial plateau oedema strongly predicted PCL injury [OR = 26.0, p = 0.003], ACL injury was associated with a variable pattern of bone bruising. Meniscal injury was unrelated to the extent or pattern of bone bruising. 5 out of 8 patients with a 'double sulcus' on the lateral radiograph had ACL injury. The presence of a double sulcus showed significant association with anteromedial kissing contusions (OR = 7.8, p = 0.03). Following knee hyperextension, bone bruising patterns may be associated with cruciate ligament injury. Other structures are injured less frequently and have weaker associations with bone bruise distribution. The double sulcus sign is a radiographic marker that confers a high probability of ACL injury. (orig.)

Inter-dependent tissue growth and Turing patterning in a model for long bone development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tanaka, Simon; Iber, Dagmar

2013-01-01

The development of long bones requires a sophisticated spatial organization of cellular signalling, proliferation, and differentiation programs. How such spatial organization emerges on the growing long bone domain is still unresolved. Based on the reported biochemical interactions we developed a regulatory model for the core signalling factors IHH, PTCH1, and PTHrP and included two cell types, proliferating/resting chondrocytes and (pre-)hypertrophic chondrocytes. We show that the reported IHH–PTCH1 interaction gives rise to a Schnakenberg-type Turing kinetics, and that inclusion of PTHrP is important to achieve robust patterning when coupling patterning and tissue dynamics. The model reproduces relevant spatiotemporal gene expression patterns, as well as a number of relevant mutant phenotypes. In summary, we propose that a ligand–receptor based Turing mechanism may control the emergence of patterns during long bone development, with PTHrP as an important mediator to confer patterning robustness when the sensitive Turing system is coupled to the dynamics of a growing and differentiating tissue. We have previously shown that ligand–receptor based Turing mechanisms can also result from BMP–receptor, SHH–receptor, and GDNF–receptor interactions, and that these reproduce the wildtype and mutant patterns during digit formation in limbs and branching morphogenesis in lung and kidneys. Receptor–ligand interactions may thus constitute a general mechanism to generate Turing patterns in nature. (paper)

Inter-dependent tissue growth and Turing patterning in a model for long bone development

Science.gov (United States)

Tanaka, Simon; Iber, Dagmar

2013-10-01

The development of long bones requires a sophisticated spatial organization of cellular signalling, proliferation, and differentiation programs. How such spatial organization emerges on the growing long bone domain is still unresolved. Based on the reported biochemical interactions we developed a regulatory model for the core signalling factors IHH, PTCH1, and PTHrP and included two cell types, proliferating/resting chondrocytes and (pre-)hypertrophic chondrocytes. We show that the reported IHH-PTCH1 interaction gives rise to a Schnakenberg-type Turing kinetics, and that inclusion of PTHrP is important to achieve robust patterning when coupling patterning and tissue dynamics. The model reproduces relevant spatiotemporal gene expression patterns, as well as a number of relevant mutant phenotypes. In summary, we propose that a ligand-receptor based Turing mechanism may control the emergence of patterns during long bone development, with PTHrP as an important mediator to confer patterning robustness when the sensitive Turing system is coupled to the dynamics of a growing and differentiating tissue. We have previously shown that ligand-receptor based Turing mechanisms can also result from BMP-receptor, SHH-receptor, and GDNF-receptor interactions, and that these reproduce the wildtype and mutant patterns during digit formation in limbs and branching morphogenesis in lung and kidneys. Receptor-ligand interactions may thus constitute a general mechanism to generate Turing patterns in nature.

Patterns of bone loss around teeth restored with endodontic posts

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Katsamakis, S.; Timmerman, M.; van der Velden, U.; de Cleen, M.; van der Weijden, F.

2009-01-01

Objectives: This retrospective study described the pattern of bone loss around teeth with endodontic posts in periodontitis patients, and compared it with contra-lateral teeth without posts. Material and Methods: From full-mouth radiographic surveys of 146 periodontitis patients (35 years), 194

Effect of Integration Patterns Around Implant Neck on Stress Distribution in Peri-Implant Bone: A Finite Element Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Jingyun; Sun, Yuchun; Wang, Chao

2017-08-01

To investigate the biomechanical performance of different osseointegration patterns between cortical bone and implants using finite element analysis. Fifteen finite element models were constructed of the mandibular fixed prosthesis supported by implants. Masticatory loads (200 N axial, 100 N oblique, 40 N horizontal) were applied. The cortical bone/implant interface was divided equally into four layers: upper, upper-middle, lower-middle, and lower. The bone stress and implant displacement were calculated for 5 degrees of uniform integration (0, 20%, 40%, 60%, and 100%) and 10 integration patterns. The stress was concentrated in the bone margin and gradually decreased as osseointegration progressed, when the integrated and nonintegrated areas were alternated on the bone-implant surface. Compared with full integration, the integration of only the lower-middle layer or lower half layers significantly decreased von Mises, tensile, and compressive stresses in cortical bone under oblique and horizontal loads, and these patterns did not induce higher stress in the cancellous bone. For the integration of only the upper or upper-middle layer, stress in the cortical and cancellous bones significantly increased and was considerably higher than in the case of nonintegration. In addition, the maximum stress in the cortical bone was sensitive to the quantity of integrated nodes at the bone margin; lower quantity was associated with higher stress. There was no significant difference in the displacement of implants among 15 models. Integration patterns of cortical bone significantly affect stress distribution in peri-implant bone. The integration of only the lower-middle or lower half layers helps to increase the load-bearing capacity of peri-implant bone and decrease the risk of overloading, while upper integration may further increase the risk of bone resorption. © 2016 by the American College of Prosthodontists.

Age-related pattern of normal cranial bone marrow: MRI study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pan Shinong; Li Qi; Li Wei; Chen Zhian; Wu Zhenhua; Guo Qiyong; Liu Yunhui

2009-01-01

Objective: To investigate the age-related pattern of normal skull bone marrow with 3.0 T MR T 1 WI. Methods: Cranial MR T 1 WI images which were defined to be normal were retrospectively reviewed in 360 cases. Patients with known diffuse bone marrow disease, focal lesions, history of radiation treatment or steroid therapy were excluded, while patients whose cranial MRI and follow-up visits were all normal were included in this study. All the subjects were divided into 7 groups according to the age: 50 years group. Mid- and para- sagittal T 1 WI images were used to be analyzed and the type of cranial bone marrow was classified according to the thickness of diploe and the pattern of the signal characteristics. Statistical analysis was conducted to reveal the relationship between the age and the type. Results: The normal skull bone marrow could be divided into four types as follows: (1) Type-I: 115 cases, 47 of which appeared type- Ia and the mean thickness was (1.24±0.31) mm; 68 of which appeared type-Ib and the mean thickness was (1.76±0.37) mm. Type-II: 57 cases and the mean thickness was (2.78 ± 0.69) mm. Type-III: 148 cases, 18 of which appeared type-IIIa and the mean thickness was (2.33 ± 0.65) mm; 88 of which appeared type-IIIb and the mean thickness was (4.01± 0.86) mm; 42 of which appeared type-IIIc and the mean thickness was (4.31±0.73) mm. Type-IV: 40 cases, 25 of which appeared type-IVa and the mean thickness was (5.17±1.02) mm; 15 of which appeared type-IVb and the mean thickness was (5.85±1.45) mm. (2) 2 =266.36, P<0.01). Conclusion: There is characteristic in the distribution of normal skull bone marrow with age growing. And skull bone marrow transforms gradually from type-I to IV with aging. (authors)

Multidisciplinary characterization of the long-bone cortex growth patterns through sheep's ontogeny.

Science.gov (United States)

Cambra-Moo, Oscar; Nacarino-Meneses, Carmen; Díaz-Güemes, Idoia; Enciso, Silvia; García Gil, Orosia; Llorente Rodríguez, Laura; Rodríguez Barbero, Miguel Ángel; de Aza, Antonio H; González Martín, Armando

2015-07-01

Bone researches have studied extant and extinct taxa extensively trying to disclose a complete view of the complex structural and chemical transformations that model and remodel the macro and microstructure of bone during growth. However, to approach bone growth variations is not an easy task, and many aspects related with histological transformations during ontogeny remain unresolved. In the present study, we conduct a holistic approach using different techniques (polarized microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction) to examine the histomorphological and histochemical variations in the cortical bone of sheep specimens from intrauterine to adult stages, using environmentally controlled specimens from the same species. Our results suggest that during sheep bone development, the most important morphological (shape and size) and chemical transformations in the cortical bone occur during the first weeks of life; synchronized but dissimilar variations are established in the forelimb and hind limb cortical bone; and the patterns of bone tissue maturation in both extremities are differentiated in the adult stage. All of these results indicate that standardized histological models are useful not only for evaluating many aspects of normal bone growth but also to understand other important influences on the bones, such as pathologies that remain unknown. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Contribution of the endosteal surface of cortical bone to the trabecular pattern seen on IOPA radiographs: an in vitro study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P T Ravikumar

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Objectives: A study was conducted to assess the contribution of the cancellous and endosteal surface of the cortical bone to the trabecular pattern seen in an IOPA radiograph. Materials and methods: An in vitro study analyzing the contribution of the endosteal surface of cortical bone and cancellous bone to the trabecular pattern was conducted, using 60 specimens of desiccated human mandibles. The mode of execution involved IOPA radiographic evaluation of premolarmolar segments in the specimens before and after removal of cancellous bone. The radiographs were numbered for identification and subjected to evaluation by 5 dentomaxillofacial radiologists who were doubleblinded to ensure an unbiased interpretation. Results: The trabecular pattern appreciation by the experts in the IOPA radiographs before and after removal of cancellous bone displayed immaculate correlation as per the Goodman-Kruskal Gamma Coefficient values which was 0.78 indicating a very large correlation. The relative density of trabecular pattern was significantly higher in radiograph before than after removal of cancellous bone with p-value less than 0.05. Conclusion: Based on these results it was adjudged that both the cancellous and endosteal surface of cortical bone contributed significantly to the trabecular pattern in an IOPA radiograph.

Effects of different loading patterns on the trabecular bone morphology of the proximal femur using adaptive bone remodeling.

Science.gov (United States)

Banijamali, S Mohammad Ali; Oftadeh, Ramin; Nazarian, Ara; Goebel, Ruben; Vaziri, Ashkan; Nayeb-Hashemi, Hamid

2015-01-01

In this study, the changes in the bone density of human femur model as a result of different loadings were investigated. The model initially consisted of a solid shell representing cortical bone encompassing a cubical network of interconnected rods representing trabecular bone. A computationally efficient program was developed that iteratively changed the structure of trabecular bone by keeping the local stress in the structure within a defined stress range. The stress was controlled by either enhancing existing beam elements or removing beams from the initial trabecular frame structure. Analyses were performed for two cases of homogenous isotropic and transversely isotropic beams.Trabecular bone structure was obtained for three load cases: walking, stair climbing and stumbling without falling. The results indicate that trabecular bone tissue material properties do not have a significant effect on the converged structure of trabecular bone. In addition, as the magnitude of the loads increase, the internal structure becomes denser in critical zones. Loading associated with the stumbling results in the highest density;whereas walking, considered as a routine daily activity, results in the least internal density in different regions. Furthermore, bone volume fraction at the critical regions of the converged structure is in good agreement with previously measured data obtained from combinations of dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and computed tomography (CT). The results indicate that the converged bone architecture consisting of rods and plates are consistent with the natural bone morphology of the femur. The proposed model shows a promising means to understand the effects of different individual loading patterns on the bone density.

Three-phase bone scan pattern in asymptomatic uncemented total knee arthroplasty

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rubello, D.; Caricasulo, D.; Borsato, N.; Chierichetti, F.; Zanco, P.; Ferlin, G.

1996-01-01

In this study we investigated the bone scan pattern in a homogeneous group of asymptomatic patients implanted with the same type of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and with a minimum follow-up of 2 years. Twenty-nine patients (21 females, 8 males, mean age 62 years), with a total of 30 uncemented Hofmann TKAs, were entered in the study. The time interval from surgery to scintigraphic evaluation ranged from 2 to 4 years. Bone scan was performed using the three-phase technique and images were interpreted by visual analysis using a three-point scale for the dynamic and blood pool phases and a five-point scale for the bone phase. Areas of increased periprosthetic technetium-99m methylene diphosphonate (MDP) uptake were observed until 4 years after surgery. However, comparing the TKAs implanted 2, 3 and 4 years previously, a decreasing pattern in tracer uptake intensity was noted this being more evident in the femoral and lateral tibial components. In some cases, a persistently elevated tracer uptake, not exceeding a moderate grade, was found in the medial tibial component. In conclusion, increased periprosthetic 99m TC-MDP uptake is a common finding in asymptomatic uncemented Hofmann TKAs for a prolonged period after surgery, but the uptake intensity is generally mild or moderate and shows a characteristic decreasing pattern over time. Furthermore, in contrast with other types of asymptomatic knee implants previously investigated, no case of high or very high bone uptake was recorded with this type of implant. We may speculate that scintigraphic parameters of normality, and pathology, should be determined for each type of TKA. It is likely that, with the uncemented Hofmann TKA, a high or very high tracer uptake or a progressive increase in the uptake intensity is suggestive of the presence of complications. (orig.)

Three-phase bone scan pattern in asymptomatic uncemented total knee arthroplasty

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rubello, D. [Nuclear Medicine-PET Center, General Hospital of Castelfranco Veneto (Italy); Caricasulo, D. [Orthopaedics Dept., General Hospital of Bassano del Grappa (Italy); Borsato, N. [Nuclear Medicine-PET Center, General Hospital of Castelfranco Veneto (Italy); Chierichetti, F. [Nuclear Medicine-PET Center, General Hospital of Castelfranco Veneto (Italy); Zanco, P. [Nuclear Medicine-PET Center, General Hospital of Castelfranco Veneto (Italy); Ferlin, G. [Nuclear Medicine-PET Center, General Hospital of Castelfranco Veneto (Italy)

1996-10-01

In this study we investigated the bone scan pattern in a homogeneous group of asymptomatic patients implanted with the same type of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and with a minimum follow-up of 2 years. Twenty-nine patients (21 females, 8 males, mean age 62 years), with a total of 30 uncemented Hofmann TKAs, were entered in the study. The time interval from surgery to scintigraphic evaluation ranged from 2 to 4 years. Bone scan was performed using the three-phase technique and images were interpreted by visual analysis using a three-point scale for the dynamic and blood pool phases and a five-point scale for the bone phase. Areas of increased periprosthetic technetium-99m methylene diphosphonate (MDP) uptake were observed until 4 years after surgery. However, comparing the TKAs implanted 2, 3 and 4 years previously, a decreasing pattern in tracer uptake intensity was noted this being more evident in the femoral and lateral tibial components. In some cases, a persistently elevated tracer uptake, not exceeding a moderate grade, was found in the medial tibial component. In conclusion, increased periprosthetic {sup 99m}TC-MDP uptake is a common finding in asymptomatic uncemented Hofmann TKAs for a prolonged period after surgery, but the uptake intensity is generally mild or moderate and shows a characteristic decreasing pattern over time. Furthermore, in contrast with other types of asymptomatic knee implants previously investigated, no case of high or very high bone uptake was recorded with this type of implant. We may speculate that scintigraphic parameters of normality, and pathology, should be determined for each type of TKA. It is likely that, with the uncemented Hofmann TKA, a high or very high tracer uptake or a progressive increase in the uptake intensity is suggestive of the presence of complications. (orig.)

Final Results from A Pilot Project to Investigate Wake Vortex Patterns and Weather Patterns at the Atlantic City Airport by the Richard Stockton College of NJ and the FAA

Science.gov (United States)

Trout, Joseph; Manson, J. Russell; King, David; Decicco, Nicolas; Prince, Alyssa; di Mercurio, Alexis; Rios, Manual

2017-01-01

Wake Vortex Turbulence is the turbulence generated by an aircraft in flight. This turbulence is created by vortices at the tips of the wing that may decay slowly and persist for several minutes after creation. These vortices and turbulence are hazardous to other aircraft in the vicinity. The strength, formation and lifetime of the turbulence and vortices are effected by many things including the weather. Here we present the final results of the pilot project to investigation of low level wind fields generated by the Weather Research and Forecasting Model and an analysis of historical data. The findings from the historical data and the data simulations were used as inputs for the computational fluid dynamics model (OpenFoam) to show that the vortices could be simulated using OpenFoam. Presented here are the updated results from a research grant, ``A Pilot Project to Investigate Wake Vortex Patterns and Weather Patterns at the Atlantic City Airport by the Stockton University and the FAA''.

Tales of future weather

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hazeleger, W.; Van den Hurk, B.J.J.M.; Min, E.; Van Oldenborgh, G.J.; Petersen, A.C.; Stainforth, D.A.; Vasileiadou, E.; Smith, L.A.

2015-01-01

Society is vulnerable to extreme weather events and, by extension, to human impacts on future events. As climate changes weather patterns will change. The search is on for more effective methodologies to aid decision-makers both in mitigation to avoid climate change and in adaptation to changes. The

Predatory behaviour of carnivorous dinosaurs: Ecological interpretations based on tooth marked dinosaur bones and wear patterns of theropod teeth

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jacobsen, Aase Roland

Predation marks on bones are a source on information on the feeding behaviour of the carnivores involved. Although predator damaged bone is common in the fossil record, published reports of such marks on dinosaur bones are rare. Patterns of bone modification by mammalian carnivores overlap patterns...... left by theropod dinosaurs.Differences in tooth morphology can also be correlated with characteristics of the marks left by the teeth. In a study of tooth marks on dinosaur bones from the Dinosaur Park Formation of Alberta, Canada, it was possible to identify the feeding theropods to family, generic...... different taxa and different skeletal elements produced some interesting results. The frequency of tooth marked dinosaur bones is higher than expected. Up to 14 % of the observed hadrosaur bones were predator damaged. The lower incidence of damage in ceratopsian bones can be explained by the fact...

The paradoxes in patterns and mechanism of bone marrow regeneration after irradiation. 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scarantino, C.W.; Rubin, P.; Constine, L.S. III

1984-01-01

Bone marrow regeneration following irradiation has been largely studied as a dose-effect phenomenon, however, a large literature has simultaneously developed utilizing a wide variety of volumes, both in clinical studies and in experimental studies. Volume factors, more than dose, determine patterns of suppression and regeneration which have been documented by a variety of assay systems. Experimental evidence is presented which indicates that high dose irradiation to large volumes of bone marrow does not completely suppress bone marrow regeneration but results in a rapid compensatory response. Comparisons are made between the small and larger volumes at similar doses and indicate a greater overall compensatory response after the larger field irradiation, being more rapid in onset particularly after the 1000 rad dose. Although in-field regeneration of bone marrow occurs after single dose radiation to different volumes of bone marrow, experimental and clinical evidence from protracted conventional doses of irradiation to different volumes of bone marrow indicate significantly different response mechanisms. (Auth.)

Regional severe particle pollution and its association with synoptic weather patterns in the Yangtze River Delta region, China

Science.gov (United States)

Shu, Lei; Xie, Min; Gao, Da; Wang, Tijian; Fang, Dexian; Liu, Qian; Huang, Anning; Peng, Liwen

2017-11-01

Regional air pollution is significantly associated with dominant weather systems. In this study, the relationship between the particle pollution over the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region and weather patterns is investigated. First, the pollution characteristics of particles in the YRD are studied using in situ monitoring data (PM2.5 and PM10) in 16 cities and Terra/MODIS AOD (aerosol optical depth) products collected from December 2013 to November 2014. The results show that the regional mean value of AOD is high in the YRD, with an annual mean value of 0.71±0.57. The annual mean particle concentrations in the cities of Jiangsu Province all exceed the national air quality standard. The pollution level is higher in inland areas, and the highest concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 are 79 and 130 µg m-3, respectively, in Nanjing. The PM2.5 : PM10 ratios are typically high, thus indicating that PM2.5 is the overwhelmingly dominant particle pollutant in the YRD. The wintertime peak of particle concentrations is tightly linked to the increased emissions during the heating season as well as adverse meteorological conditions. Second, based on NCEP (National Center for Environmental Prediction) reanalysis data, synoptic weather classification is conducted and five typical synoptic patterns are objectively identified. Finally, the synthetic analysis of meteorological fields and backward trajectories are applied to further clarify how these patterns impact particle concentrations. It is demonstrated that air pollution is more or less influenced by high-pressure systems. The relative position of the YRD to the anti-cyclonic circulation exerts significant effects on the air quality of the YRD. The YRD is largely influenced by polluted air masses from the northern and the southern inland areas when it is located at the rear of the East Asian major trough. The significant downward motion of air masses results in stable weather conditions, thereby hindering the diffusion of air

Bone marrow edema pattern identification in patients with lytic bone lesions using digital subtraction angiography-like bone subtraction on large-area detector computed tomography.

Science.gov (United States)

Gondim Teixeira, Pedro Augusto; Hossu, Gabriela; Lecocq, Sophie; Razeto, Marco; Louis, Matthias; Blum, Alain

2014-03-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of digital subtraction angiography (DSA)-like bone subtraction with 2 different registration methods for the identification of bone marrow edema pattern (BMEP) in patients with lytic bone lesions, using magnetic resonance imaging as the criterion standard. Fifty-five patients with a lytic bone lesion were included in this prospective study with approval from the ethics committee. All patients underwent magnetic resonance imaging and low-dose computed tomographic (CT) perfusion after signing an informed consent. Two CT volumes were used for bone subtraction, which was performed with 2 different algorithms (rigid and nonrigid). Enhancement at the nonlytic bone marrow was considered as a sign of BMEP. Two readers evaluated the images blindly. The presence of BMEP on bone-subtracted CT images was evaluated subjectively and quantitatively. Image quality was assessed. Magnetic resonance imaging was used as the criterion standard. Using a rigid registration method, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy of CT with DSA-like bone subtraction BMEP was 77%, 100%, 100%, 68%, and 85%, respectively. The interobserver agreement was good (κ, 0.782). Image quality was better using a nonrigid registration. With this algorithm, artifacts interfered with image interpretation in only 5% of cases. However, there was a noticeable drop in sensitivity and negative predictive value when a nonrigid algorithm was used: 56% and 52%, respectively. The interobserver agreement was average with a nonrigid subtraction algorithm. Computed tomography with DSA-like bone subtraction is sensitive and highly specific for the identification of BMEP associated with lytic bone lesions. Rigid registering should be preferred, but nonrigid algorithms can be used as a second option when artifacts interfere with image interpretation.

Effect of photochemical smog associated with synoptic weather patterns on cardiovascular and respiratory hospital admissions in metropolitan Taipei.

Science.gov (United States)

Lai, Li-Wei

2012-01-01

This study focuses on the relationship between photochemical smog (PS) (hourly ozone conc. >100 ppb), PS-related diseases, and the synoptic weather patterns during 2005-2009 in metropolitan Taipei. The results show that compared to respiratory ailments (ICD code 460-519) and asthma (ICD code 493), cardiovascular ailments (ICD code 390-459) were more clearly influenced by PS events. On the PS event day, the number of admissions of babies, children, and adults increased by 0.04 [95% CI 0.01-0.06], 0.03 [95% CI 0.00-0.07], and 1.12 [95% CI 0.36-1.89] (P < 0.05), respectively. The investigation showed that more than 70% of the PS events were associated primarily with the peripheral circulation of typhoons, Pacific pressure, and discrete Pacific pressure. PS events are a threat to public health. To avoid the ill effects of air pollution, residents should be informed about the daily weather patterns and air quality.

Evaluation of cropping pattern in rainfed areas based on studies of pranata mangsa and weather dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Zaki, M. K.; Furi, N. T.; Syamsiyah, Jauhari; Sumani

2018-03-01

Weather dynamics such as the fifth time of the rainy season and drought are becoming more frequent. These conditions pose a significant impact on the strategies of cultivation such as cropping pattern and crop yields, especially in rainfed areas. One of the steps that can be taken is to return to local wisdom, such as pranata mangsa. This study aimed at analyzing the relationship of the variability of precipitation in rainfed areas with pranata mangsa and then to evaluate cropping patterns based on the result of the analysis. The study was conducted in rainfed areas of the District of Jumantono, Karanganyar Regency; and District of Teras and District of Ampel, Boyolali Regency in June until December 2014. The research method is a descriptive exploratory survey with purposive sampling based on moderate altitude (200-700 masl). The types of data that are used are primary and secondary. Data analysis was used correlation test. The results showed that precipitation in rainfed areas has a close relationship with paranata mangsa. These results explain that pranata mangsa still relevant to be used even though it has happened weather dynamics.

Dietary patterns and longitudinal change in hip bone mineral density among older men.

Science.gov (United States)

Rogers, T S; Harrison, S; Judd, S; Orwoll, E S; Marshall, L M; Shannon, J; Langsetmo, L; Lane, N E; Shikany, J M

2018-05-01

Studying dietary patterns is often more informative than individual nutrients or foods. We found that a Prudent dietary pattern (rich in vegetables and fish) was associated with reduced loss of total hip BMD in older men. A Prudent dietary pattern may be a potential lifestyle strategy for minimizing bone loss. This study aimed to identify baseline dietary patterns using factor analysis in a cohort of older men and to evaluate whether the dietary patterns were associated with bone mineral density change (%ΔBMD) at the total hip and femoral neck over time. Participants (n = 4379; mean age 72.9 ± 5.5 years) were from the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men (MrOS) prospective cohort study and had dietary data collected at baseline (March 2000-April 2002) and BMD measured at baseline and Visit 2 (March 2005-May 2006). Dietary intake was assessed with a brief Block food frequency questionnaire (FFQ); factor analysis was used to derive dietary patterns. BMD was measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA); %ΔBMD was calculated from baseline to Visit 2. We used generalized linear regression to estimate least square (LS) means of %ΔBMD in quartiles of the dietary pattern scores adjusted for potential confounding factors. Two major dietary patterns were derived: Prudent (abundant in vegetables, salad, and non-fried fish) and Western (rich in hamburger, fries, processed meats, cheese, and sweets/desserts). There was an inverse association between adherence to the Prudent pattern and total hip %ΔBMD (p-trend = 0.028 after adjusting for age and clinical site; p-trend = 0.033 after further adjustment for smoking, calcium supplement use, diabetes, hypertension, and total energy intake). No other consistent associations between dietary patterns and %ΔBMD were observed. Greater adherence to a Prudent dietary pattern may attenuate total hip BMD loss (%ΔBMD) in older men.

The effect of range and ammunition type on fracture patterns in porcine postcranial flat bones.

Science.gov (United States)

Fragkouli, Kleio; Al Hakeem, Eyad; Bulut, Ozgur; Simmons, Tal

2018-01-01

Pig half-carcasses were shot in scapulae, ribs and mandibles with either 0.243 hunting rifle using high velocity expanding ammunition (N = 30) or AK47 using full metal jacketed (FMJ) ammunition (N = 12) from a range of either 5 or 20 m. Fracture patterns related to distance of fire and ammunition type were compared on de-fleshed, macerated, and reconstructed bones. For expanding ammunition, location of fracture on ribs affected the resulting pattern. Scapulae shot from 5 m presented a comminuted pattern different from those shot from 20 m. Mandibles shot from 20 m showed a characteristic radiating pattern at entrance with the opposite ramus un-fractured; those shot from 5 m exhibited fractures to both rami. Using decision tree analysis provided accuracies of 93.8% for scapulae and 87.5% for mandibles. For FMJ, no distance dependent fracture differences were apparent in any bone. Decision tree analysis facilitated the interpretation of fracture patterns caused by projectile trauma. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

A fruit, milk and whole grain dietary pattern is positively associated with bone mineral density in Korean healthy adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Shin, S; Sung, J; Joung, H

2015-04-01

Osteoporosis is a major health problem that will grow in burden with ageing of the global population. Modifiable risk factors for osteoporosis, including diet, have significant implications for disease prevention. We examined associations between dietary patterns and bone mineral density (BMD) in a Korean adult population. In total, 1828 individuals from the Healthy Twin Cohort were included as subjects. Information on general characteristics, lifestyles and health status was obtained through a health examination, and BMD was assessed using DEXA. Dietary intake was assessed using a 3-day food record, and dietary patterns were examined by factor analysis. Associations between dietary patterns and BMD were examined using mixed linear regression, adjusting for family and twin structure as well as other potential risk factors for bone health. Four dietary patterns were identified (Rice and kimchi; eggs, meat and flour; Fruit, milk and whole grains; and Fast food and soda). The 'Fruit, milk and whole grains' pattern was associated with a reduced risk of having low BMD in men (odds ratio (OR)=0.38; 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.22-0.67) and women (OR=0.45; 95% CI=0.28-0.72) and was positively associated with BMD at multiple sites. The 'rice and kimchi' pattern had a positive association with only whole-arm BMD in men and women. Our results suggest that a dietary pattern with high intake of dairy products, fruits and whole grains may contribute positively to bone health in a Korean adult population, and dietary pattern-based strategies could have potential in promoting bone health.

Recent changes of weather patterns in North America. Progress report for period ending April 1, 1994

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kukla, G.J.; Karl, T.

1994-01-01

This report contains information dealing with climatic change in North America. Results gathered from present and previous DOE contracts are discussed. These include: usage of the Historical Climatology Network, characteristics of recent climate change, impacts of increasing anthropogenic greenhouse gases, seasonal trends, geographic and seasonal distribution of temperature anomalies, paleoclimates, weather pattern differences between eastern and western regions, daily temperature variations, general circulation models, and results of oceanic circulation

Long bone histology and growth patterns in ankylosaurs: implications for life history and evolution.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martina Stein

Full Text Available The ankylosaurs are one of the major dinosaur groups and are characterized by unique body armor. Previous studies on other dinosaur taxa have revealed growth patterns, life history and evolutionary mechanisms based on their long bone histology. However, to date nothing is known about long bone histology in the Ankylosauria. This study is the first description of ankylosaurian long bone histology based on several limb elements, which were sampled from different individuals from the Ankylosauridae and Nodosauridae. The histology is compared to that of other dinosaur groups, including other Thyreophora and Sauropodomorpha. Ankylosaur long bone histology is characterized by a fibrolamellar bone architecture. The bone matrix type in ankylosaurs is closest to that of Stegosaurus. A distinctive mixture of woven and parallel-fibered bone together with overall poor vascularization indicates slow growth rates compared to other dinosaurian taxa. Another peculiar characteristic of ankylosaur bone histology is the extensive remodeling in derived North American taxa. In contrast to other taxa, ankylosaurs substitute large amounts of their primary tissue early in ontogeny. This anomaly may be linked to the late ossification of the ankylosaurian body armor. Metabolically driven remodeling processes must have liberated calcium to ossify the protective osteodermal structures in juveniles to subadult stages, which led to further remodeling due to increased mechanical loading. Abundant structural fibers observed in the primary bone and even in remodeled bone may have improved the mechanical properties of the Haversian bone.

Arctic-midlatitude weather linkages in North America

Science.gov (United States)

Overland, James E.; Wang, Muyin

2018-06-01

There is intense public interest in whether major Arctic changes can and will impact midlatitude weather such as cold air outbreaks on the central and east side of continents. Although there is progress in linkage research for eastern Asia, a clear gap is conformation for North America. We show two stationary temperature/geopotential height patterns where warmer Arctic temperatures have reinforced existing tropospheric jet stream wave amplitudes over North America: a Greenland/Baffin Block pattern during December 2010 and an Alaska Ridge pattern during December 2017. Even with continuing Arctic warming over the past decade, other recent eastern US winter months were less susceptible for an Arctic linkage: the jet stream was represented by either zonal flow, progressive weather systems, or unfavorable phasing of the long wave pattern. The present analysis lays the scientific controversy over the validity of linkages to the inherent intermittency of jet stream dynamics, which provides only an occasional bridge between Arctic thermodynamic forcing and extended midlatitude weather events.

Sex-specific patterns in cortical and trabecular bone microstructure in the Kirsten Skeletal Collection, South Africa.

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Beresheim, Amy C; Pfeiffer, Susan K; Grynpas, Marc D; Alblas, Amanda

2018-02-07

The purpose of this study was to provide bone histomorphometric reference data for South Africans of the Western Cape who likely dealt with health issues under the apartheid regime. The 206 adult individuals ( n female = 75, n male = 131, mean = 47.9 ± 15.8 years) from the Kirsten Skeletal Collection, U. Stellenbosch, lived in the Cape Town metropole from the late 1960s to the mid-1990s. To study age-related changes in cortical and trabecular bone microstructure, photomontages of mid-thoracic rib cross-sections were quantitatively examined. Variables include relative cortical area (Rt.Ct.Ar), osteon population density (OPD), osteon area (On.Ar), bone volume fraction (BV/TV), trabecular number (Tb.N), trabecular thickness (Tb.Th), and trabecular spacing (Tb.Sp). All cortical variables demonstrated significant relationships with age in both sexes, with women showing stronger overall age associations. Peak bone mass was compromised in some men, possibly reflecting poor nutritional quality and/or substance abuse issues throughout adolescence and early adulthood. In women, greater predicted decrements in On.Ar and Rt.Ct.Ar suggest a structural disadvantage with age, consistent with postmenopausal bone loss. Age-related patterns in trabecular bone microarchitecture are variable and difficult to explain. Except for Tb.Th, there are no statistically significant relationships with age in women. Men demonstrate significant negative correlations between BV/TV, Tb.N, and age, and a significant positive correlation between Tb.Sp and age. This research highlights sex-specific differences in patterns of age-related bone loss, and provides context for discussion of contemporary South African bone health. While the study sample demonstrates indicators of poor bone quality, osteoporosis research continues to be under-prioritized in South Africa. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The connection between cellular mechanoregulation and tissue patterns during bone healing.

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Repp, Felix; Vetter, Andreas; Duda, Georg N; Weinkamer, Richard

2015-09-01

The formation of different tissues in the callus during secondary bone healing is at least partly influenced by mechanical stimuli. We use computer simulations to test the consequences of different hypotheses of the mechanoregulation at the cellular level on the patterns of tissues formed during healing. The computational study is based on an experiment on sheep, where after a tibial osteotomy, histological sections were harvested at different time points. In the simulations, we used a recently proposed basic phenomenological model, which allows ossification to occur either via endochondral or intramembranous ossification, but tries otherwise to employ a minimal number of simulation parameters. The model was extended to consider also the possibility of bone resorption and consequently allowing a description of the full healing progression till the restoration of the cortex. Specifically, we investigated how three changes in the mechanoregulation influence the resulting tissue patterns: (1) a time delay between stimulation of the cell and the formation of the tissue, (2) a variable mechanosensitivity of the cells, and (3) an independence of long time intervals of the soft tissue maturation from the mechanical stimulus. For all three scenarios, our simulations do not show qualitative differences in the time development of the tissue patterns. Largest differences were observed in the intermediate phases of healing in the amount and location of the cartilage. Interestingly, the course of healing was virtually unaltered in case of scenario (3) where tissue maturation proceeded independent of mechanical stimulation.

Patterns of impact in the weatherization assistance program: A closer look

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berry, L.G.; Brown, M.A.

1994-06-01

In 1990, the US Department of Energy (DOE) initiated a nationwide evaluation of the Weatherization Program. The second phase of the Single-Family Study, which is the subject of this report, is part of this coordinated evaluation effort. In the first chapter the goals and overall design of the study are presented. Chapter 2 discussed methodology, the sample selection process, and data collection procedures. The following chapters (3, 4, and 5) compare the four sets of comparison groups. In Chapter 3, the results of extensive descriptions and measurements of dwelling characteristics, and of blower door, heating system efficiency, and carbon monoxide (CO) tests are compared for control, weatherized, and treated dwellings. In Chapter 4, characteristics of weatherized dwellings with especially high versus those with especially low energy savings are examined. Dwelling characteristic, the presence and amounts of specific weatherization measures, and occupant characteristics and behaviors are examined as factors that may explain variations in energy savings. Chapter 5 presents comparisons of pairs of higher- versus lower-savings agencies in each of several climate regions. These comparison examined differences in housing stocks, service delivery procedures, weatherization measures installed, and allocation of agency funds. The focus here is on the identification of more and less effective weatherization practices and of promising future directions for the Program. This report adds to the earlier one by comparing the practices of lower-savings agencies with those of the higher-saving ones. Chapter 6 compares occupant perceptions of comfort, health, safety, and energy affordability for the weatherized versus control group clients, for the high- versus low-saving dwellings, and the higher-versus lower-saving agencies. Chapter 7 summarizes this study`s findings and presents recommendations.

Urgency for sustainable development in coastal urban areas with reference to weather pattern, land use, and water quality.

Science.gov (United States)

Sheela, A M; Letha, J; Swarnalatha, K; Baiju, K V; Sankar, Divya

2014-05-01

Water pollution is one of the most critical problems affecting mankind. Weather pattern and land use of catchment area have significant role in quality of water bodies. Due to climate change, there is frequent variation in weather pattern all over the world. There is also rapid change in land use due to increase in population and urbanization. The study was carried out to analyze the effect of change in weather pattern during the monsoon periods of 2008 and 2012 on water quality of a tropical coastal lake system. The nature and extent of variation in different water quality parameters namely electrical conductivity (EC), magnesium (Mg), sodium (Na), chloride (Cl), sulphate (SO4), turbidity, Secchi disk depth, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), phosphate (PO4), calcium (Ca), and water temperature as well as the effect of various land use activities in the lake basin on water quality have also been studied. There is significant reduction in precipitation, EC, Mg, Na, Cl, SO4, turbidity, and Secchi disk depths whereas a significant rise in the BOD, PO4, Ca, and water temperature were observed in 2012. This significant reduction in electrical conductivity during 2012 revealed that because of less precipitation, the lake was separated from the sea by the sandbar during most of the monsoon period and thereby interrupted the natural flushing process. This caused the accumulation of organic matter including phosphate and thereby resulting reduction in clarity and chlorophyll-a (algae) in the lake. The unsustainable development activities of Thiruvanathapuram city are mainly responsible for the degradation of water bodies. The lack of maintenance and augmentation activities namely replacement of old pipes and periodical cleaning of pipe lines of the old sewer system in the city results in the bypass of sewage into water bodies. Because of the existence of the old sewerage system, no effort has been taken by the individual establishment/house of the city to provide their own

Rural-Urban Differences of Dietary Patterns, Overweight, and Bone Mineral Status in Chinese Students

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Yang Yang

2016-09-01

Full Text Available China is an urban and rural social model country. In the past three decades, the developing speed of rural areas has been much slower than urban areas, which may lead to the differences in dietary patterns. This study aimed to investigate the disparities of dietary structures from urban and rural children, and to analyze the effects of different dietary patterns on their adverse outcome. Among 1590 students, aged 11 years to 17 years, from primary and middle schools, a cross-sectional study was conducted. There were three dietary patterns recognized: Westernization structure, meat diet structure, and Western and Chinese structure. Compared with rural students, more urban students were in the highest categories of the whole dietary patterns (p < 0.001. Overweight/obesity and central adiposity were more prevailing among urban students, while rural students had a more prevailing risk of bone fracture (p < 0.05. Through the adjustment for all confounding factors, the Westernization structure could increase the risk of overweight/obesity and central adiposity, the meat structure could increase the risk of elevated blood pressure/hypertension, while the risk of low bone mineral quality could be reduced by the Chinese and Western structure. In conclusion, a rural-urban disparity in dietary patterns was found in our study, and different dietary patterns were associated with the risk of some adverse outcomes. Therefore, there were different prevalences of the adverse outcomes between rural and urban students.

Late Cenozoic deep weathering patterns on the Fennoscandian shield in northern Finland: A window on ice sheet bed conditions at the onset of Northern Hemisphere glaciation

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Hall, Adrian M.; Sarala, Pertti; Ebert, Karin

2015-10-01

The nature of the regolith that existed on the shields of the Northern Hemisphere at the onset of ice sheet glaciation is poorly constrained. In this paper, we provide the first detailed account of an exceptionally preserved, deeply weathered late Neogene landscape in the ice sheet divide zone in northern Finland. We mine data sets of drilling and pitting records gathered by the Geological Survey of Finland to reconstruct regional preglacial deep weathering patterns within a GIS framework. Using a large geochemical data set, we give standardised descriptions of saprolite geochemistry using a variant of the Weathering Index of Parker (WIP) as a proxy to assess the intensity of weathering. We also focus on mineral prospects and mines with dense pit and borehole data coverage in order to identify links between geology, topography, and weathering. Geology is closely linked to topography on the preglacial shield landscape of northern Finland and both factors influence weathering patterns. Upstanding, resistant granulite, granite, gabbro, metabasalt, and quartzite rocks were associated with fresh rock outcrops, including tors, or with thin (floors developed along mineralised shear and fracture zones, weathering penetrated locally to depths of > 50 m and included intensely weathered kaolinitic clays with WIPfines values below 1000. Late Neogene weathering profiles were varied in character. Tripartite clay-gruss-saprock profiles occur only in limited areas. Bipartite gruss-saprock profiles were widespread, with saprock thicknesses of > 10 m. Weathering profiles included two discontinuities in texture, materials and resistance to erosion, between saprolite and saprock and between saprock and rock. Limited core recovery when drilling below the soil base in mixed rocks of the Tana Belt indicates that weathering locally penetrated deep below upper fresh rock layers. Such deep-seated weathered bands in rock represent a third set of discontinuities. Incipient weathering and

Heterogeneous pattern of bone disease in adult type 1 Gaucher disease: clinical and pathological correlates.

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van Dussen, L; Lips, P; van Essen, H W; Hollak, C E M; Bravenboer, N

2014-09-01

Gaucher disease (GD) is a lysosomal storage disorder characterized by accumulation of glucosylceramide in macrophages, so-called Gaucher cells, as a result of a deficiency of the lysosomal enzyme glucocerebrosidase. Bone complications are an important cause of morbidity of GD and are thought to result from imbalance in bone remodeling. Bone manifestations among GD patients demonstrate a large variation including increased osteoclastic bone resorption, low bone formation and osteonecrosis. The purpose of the current case series is to describe the histological features observed in undecalcified bone samples, obtained from three GD patients, and evaluate the relationship with clinical features in these patients. Bone fragments were obtained from three adult type 1 GD patients with variable degrees of bone disease during orthopedic surgery. Specimens were embedded without prior decalcification in methylmethacrylate and prepared for histology according to standardized laboratory procedures. Histology revealed a heterogeneous pattern of bone involvement. High cellularity of bone marrow, abundant presence of Gaucher cells (GCs) and high turnover were observed in a patient with a history of multiple bone complications, while minimal bone turnover and few GCs were detected in the mildest affected patient in this series. An intermediate picture with relatively low bone turnover and a substantial amount of Gaucher cells was demonstrated in the third, moderately affected patient. No gross abnormalities in three biochemical markers of bone turnover (osteocalcin, N-terminal propeptide of type 1 procollagen and type 1 collagen C-terminal telopeptide) were noted. Plastic embedding and subsequent Goldner and TRAP staining offered a unique possibility to study bone histological findings in GD. Our data show that bone manifestations in GD may vary both clinically as well as histologically and bone disease in GD will likely require a personalized approach. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier

A methodology to leverage cross-sectional accelerometry to capture weather's influence in active living research.

Science.gov (United States)

Katapally, Tarun R; Rainham, Daniel; Muhajarine, Nazeem

2016-06-27

While active living interventions focus on modifying urban design and built environment, weather variation, a phenomenon that perennially interacts with these environmental factors, is consistently underexplored. This study's objective is to develop a methodology to link weather data with existing cross-sectional accelerometry data in capturing weather variation. Saskatoon's neighbourhoods were classified into grid-pattern, fractured grid-pattern and curvilinear neighbourhoods. Thereafter, 137 Actical accelerometers were used to derive moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary behaviour (SB) data from 455 children in 25 sequential one-week cycles between April and June, 2010. This sequential deployment was necessary to overcome the difference in the ratio between the sample size and the number of accelerometers. A data linkage methodology was developed, where each accelerometry cycle was matched with localized (Saskatoon-specific) weather patterns derived from Environment Canada. Statistical analyses were conducted to depict the influence of urban design on MVPA and SB after factoring in localized weather patterns. Integration of cross-sectional accelerometry with localized weather patterns allowed the capture of weather variation during a single seasonal transition. Overall, during the transition from spring to summer in Saskatoon, MVPA increased and SB decreased during warmer days. After factoring in localized weather, a recurring observation was that children residing in fractured grid-pattern neighbourhoods accumulated significantly lower MVPA and higher SB. The proposed methodology could be utilized to link globally available cross-sectional accelerometry data with place-specific weather data to understand how built and social environmental factors interact with varying weather patterns in influencing active living.

A Look from the Inside: MicroCT Analysis of Burned Bones

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Francesco Boschin

2015-12-01

Full Text Available MicroCT imaging is increasingly used in paleoanthropological and zooarchaeological research to analyse the internal microstructure of bone, replacing comparatively invasive and destructive methods. Consequently the analytical potential of this relatively new 3D imaging technology can be enhanced by developing discipline specific protocols for archaeological analysis. Here we examine how the microstructure of mammal bone changes after burning and explore if X-ray computed microtomography (microCT can be used to obtain reliable information from burned specimens. We subjected domestic pig, roe deer, and red fox bones to burning at different temperatures and for different periods using an oven and an open fire. We observed significant changes in the three-dimensional microstructure of trabecular bone, suggesting that biomechanical studies or other analyses (for instance, determination of age-at-death can be compromised by burning. In addition, bone subjected to very high temperatures (600°C or more became cracked, posing challenges for quantifying characteristics of bone microstructure. Specimens burned at 600°C or greater temperatures, exhibit a characteristic criss-cross cracking pattern concentrated in the cortical region of the epiphyses. This feature, which can be readily observed on the surface of whole bone, could help the identification of heavily burned specimens that are small fragments, where color and surface texture are altered by diagenesis or weathering.

The sensitivity of snowfall to weather states over Sweden

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Norin, Lars; Devasthale, Abhay; L'Ecuyer, Tristan S.

2017-09-01

For a high-latitude country like Sweden snowfall is an important contributor to the regional water cycle. Furthermore, snowfall impacts surface properties, affects atmospheric thermodynamics, has implications for traffic and logistics management, disaster preparedness, and also impacts climate through changes in surface albedo and turbulent heat fluxes. For Sweden it has been shown that large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns, or weather states, are important for precipitation variability. Although the link between atmospheric circulation patterns and precipitation has been investigated for rainfall there are no studies focused on the sensitivity of snowfall to weather states over Sweden.In this work we investigate the response of snowfall to eight selected weather states. These weather states consist of four dominant wind directions together with cyclonic and anticyclonic circulation patterns and enhanced positive and negative phases of the North Atlantic Oscillation. The presented analysis is based on multiple data sources, such as ground-based radar measurements, satellite observations, spatially interpolated in situ observations, and reanalysis data. The data from these sources converge to underline the sensitivity of falling snow over Sweden to the different weather states.In this paper we examine both average snowfall intensities and snowfall accumulations associated with the different weather states. It is shown that, even though the heaviest snowfall intensities occur during conditions with winds from the south-west, the largest contribution to snowfall accumulation arrives with winds from the south-east. Large differences in snowfall due to variations in the North Atlantic Oscillation are shown as well as a strong effect of cyclonic and anticyclonic circulation patterns. Satellite observations are used to reveal the vertical structures of snowfall during the different weather states.

Extreme weather is increasing flood-related damage along ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

2016-06-08

Jun 8, 2016 ... IDRC-supported researchers have found changes in weather patterns and in the intensity of extreme weather events are resulting in the ... the design of adaptation policies and risk management scenarios. ... Related articles ...

FDG-PET and CT patterns of bone metastases and their relationship to previously administered anti-cancer therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Israel, Ora; Bar-Shalom, Rachel; Keidar, Zohar; Goldberg, Anat; Nachtigal, Alicia; Militianu, Daniela; Fogelman, Ignac

2006-01-01

To assess 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake in bone metastases in patients with and without previous treatment, and compare positive positron emission tomography (PET) with osteolytic or osteoblastic changes on computed tomography (CT). One hundred and thirty-one FDG-PET/CT studies were reviewed for bone metastases. A total of 294 lesions were found in 76 patients, 81 in untreated patients and 213 in previously treated patients. PET was assessed for abnormal FDG uptake localised by PET/CT to the skeleton. CT was evaluated for bone metastases and for blastic or lytic pattern. The relationship between the presence and pattern of bone metastases on PET and CT, and prior treatment was statistically analysed using the chi-square test. PET identified 174 (59%) metastases, while CT detected 280 (95%). FDG-avid metastases included 74/81 (91%) untreated and 100/213 (47%) treated lesions (p<0.001). On CT there were 76/81 (94%) untreated and 204/213 (96%) treated metastases (p NS). In untreated patients, 85% of lesions were seen on both PET and CT (26 blastic, 43 lytic). In treated patients, 53% of lesions were seen only on CT (95 blastic, 18 lytic). Of the osteoblastic metastases, 65/174 (37%) were PET positive and 98/120 (82%), PET negative (p<0.001). The results of the present study indicate that when imaging bone metastases, prior treatment can alter the relationship between PET and CT findings. Most untreated bone metastases are PET positive and lytic on CT, while in previously treated patients most lesions are PET negative and blastic on CT. PET and CT therefore appear to be complementary in the assessment of bone metastases. (orig.)

Antlers on the Arctic Refuge: capturing multi-generational patterns of calving ground use from bones on the landscape.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Joshua H; Druckenmiller, Patrick; Bahn, Volker

2013-05-22

Bone accumulations faithfully record historical ecological data on animal communities, and owing to millennial-scale bone survival on high-latitude landscapes, have exceptional potential for extending records on arctic ecosystems. For the Porcupine Caribou Herd, maintaining access to calving grounds on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR, Alaska) is a central management concern. However, variability in calving ground geography over the 30+ years of monitoring suggests establishing the impacts of climate change and potential petroleum development on future calving success could benefit from extended temporal perspectives. Using accumulations of female antlers (shed within days of calving) and neonatal skeletons, we test if caribou calving grounds develop measureable and characteristic bone accumulations and if skeletal data may be helpful in establishing a fuller, historically integrated understanding of landscape and habitat needs. Bone surveys of an important ANWR calving area reveal abundant shed antlers (reaching 10(3) km(-2)) and high proportional abundance of newborn skeletal individuals (up to 60% neonate). Openly vegetated riparian terraces, which compose less than 10 per cent of ANWR calving grounds, yield significantly higher antler concentrations than more abundant habitats traditionally viewed as primary calving terrain. Differences between habitats appear robust to potential differences in bone visibility. The distribution of antler weathering stages mirrors known multi-decadal calving histories and highlights portions of the antler accumulation that probably significantly extends records of calving activity. Death assemblages offer historically integrated ecological data valuable for the management and conservation of faunas across polar latitudes.

Association between Dietary Patterns of Meat and Fish Consumption with Bone Mineral Density or Fracture Risk: A Systematic Literature

OpenAIRE

Perna, Simone; Avanzato, Ilaria; Nichetti, Mara; D’Antona, Giuseppe; Negro, Massimo; Rondanelli, Mariangela

2017-01-01

This systematic review aimed to investigate the association of fish and sea fish dietary patterns (FishDiet) and meat or processed meat dietary patterns (MeatDiet) with bone mineral density (BMD) and/or risk of fractures (RF). This review includes 37 studies with a total of 432,924 subjects. The results suggest that MeatDiet and FishDiet did not affect BMD or RF in 48.2% of the subjects with MeatDiet and in 86.5% of the subjects with FishDiet. Positive effects on bone were found in 3% of subj...

Application of the Hess-Brezowsky classification to the identification of weather patterns causing heavy winter rainfall in Brittany (France

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O. Planchon

2009-07-01

Full Text Available An accurate knowledge of the weather patterns causing winter rainfall over the Scorff watershed in western Brittany (W. France was developed prior to studies of the impact of the climate factor on land use management, and of the hydrological reponses to rain-producing weather patterns. These two studies are carried out in the context of the climate change. The identification of rainy air-circulation types was realized using the objective computational version of the 29-type Hess and Brezowsky Grosswetterlagen system of classifying European synoptic regimes, for the cold season (November-March of the 1958–2005 period at the reference weather station of Lorient, and 13 other stations located in western and southern Brittany, including a more detailed study for the wet 2000–2001 cold season for three reference stations of the Scorff watershed (Lorient, Plouay and Plouray. The precipitation proportion (including the days with rainfall ≥20 mm was calculated by major air-circulation type (GWT: see Appendix A and by individual air-circulation subtype (GWL: see Appendix A for the studied time-period. The most frequently occurrence of rainy days associated with westerly and southerly GWL confirmed well-known observations in western Europe and so justify the use of the Hess-Brezowsky classification in other areas outside Central Europe. The southern or south-western exposure of the watershed with a hilly inland area enhanced the heavy rainfall generated by the SW and S circulation types, and increased the difference between the rainfall amounts of coastal and inland stations during the wettest days.

Optimizing Placement of Weather Stations: Exploring Objective Functions of Meaningful Combinations of Multiple Weather Variables

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Snyder, A.; Dietterich, T.; Selker, J. S.

2017-12-01

Many regions of the world lack ground-based weather data due to inadequate or unreliable weather station networks. For example, most countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have unreliable, sparse networks of weather stations. The absence of these data can have consequences on weather forecasting, prediction of severe weather events, agricultural planning, and climate change monitoring. The Trans-African Hydro-Meteorological Observatory (TAHMO.org) project seeks to address these problems by deploying and operating a large network of weather stations throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. To design the TAHMO network, we must determine where to place weather stations within each country. We should consider how we can create accurate spatio-temporal maps of weather data and how to balance the desired accuracy of each weather variable of interest (precipitation, temperature, relative humidity, etc.). We can express this problem as a joint optimization of multiple weather variables, given a fixed number of weather stations. We use reanalysis data as the best representation of the "true" weather patterns that occur in the region of interest. For each possible combination of sites, we interpolate the reanalysis data between selected locations and calculate the mean average error between the reanalysis ("true") data and the interpolated data. In order to formulate our multi-variate optimization problem, we explore different methods of weighting each weather variable in our objective function. These methods include systematic variation of weights to determine which weather variables have the strongest influence on the network design, as well as combinations targeted for specific purposes. For example, we can use computed evapotranspiration as a metric that combines many weather variables in a way that is meaningful for agricultural and hydrological applications. We compare the errors of the weather station networks produced by each optimization problem formulation. We also compare these

Weather Regime-Dependent Predictability: Sequentially Linked High-Impact Weather Events over the United States during March 2016

Science.gov (United States)

Bosart, L. F.; Winters, A. C.; Keyser, D.

2016-12-01

High-impact weather events (HWEs), defined by episodes of excessive precipitation or periods of well above or well below normal temperatures, can pose important predictability challenges on medium-range (8-16 day) time scales. Furthermore, HWEs can contribute disproportionately to temperature and precipitation anomaly statistics for a particular season. This disproportionate contribution suggests that HWEs need to be considered in describing and understanding the dynamical and thermodynamic processes that operate at the weather-climate intersection. HWEs typically develop in conjunction with highly amplified flow patterns that permit an extensive latitudinal exchange of polar and tropical air masses. Highly amplified flow patterns over North America often occur in response to a reconfiguration of the large-scale upstream flow pattern over the North Pacific Ocean. The large-scale flow pattern over the North Pacific, North America, and western North Atlantic during the latter half of March 2016 was characterized by frequent cyclonic wave breaking (CWB). This large-scale flow pattern enabled three sequentially linked HWEs to develop over the continental United States. The first HWE was a challenging-to-predict cyclogenesis event on 23-24 March in the central Plains that resulted in both a major snowstorm along the Colorado Front Range and a severe weather outbreak over the central and southern Plains. The second HWE was a severe weather outbreak that occurred over the Tennessee and Ohio River Valleys on 27-28 March. The third HWE was the development of well below normal temperatures over the eastern United States that followed the formation of a high-latitude omega block over northwestern North America during 28 March-1 April. This study will examine (1) the role that CWB over the North Pacific and North America played in the evolution of the flow pattern during late-March 2016 and the development of the three HWEs and (2) the skill of GFS operational and ensemble

Postnatal mandible growth in wild and laboratory mice: Differences revealed from bone remodeling patterns and geometric morphometrics.

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Martínez-Vargas, Jessica; Muñoz-Muñoz, Francesc; Martinez-Maza, Cayetana; Molinero, Amalia; Ventura, Jacint

2017-08-01

Comparative information on the variation in the temporospatial patterning of mandible growth in wild and laboratory mice during early postnatal ontogeny is scarce but important to understand variation among wild rodent populations. Here, we compare mandible growth between two ontogenetic series from the second to the eighth week of postnatal life, corresponding to two different groups of mice reared under the same conditions: the classical inbred strain C57BL/6J, and Mus musculus domesticus. We characterize the ontogenetic patterns of bone remodeling of the mandibles belonging to these laboratory and wild mice by analyzing bone surface, as well as examine their ontogenetic form changes and bimodular organization using geometric morphometrics. Through ontogeny, the two mouse groups display similar directions of mandible growth, according to the temporospatial distribution of bone remodeling fields. The allometric shape variation of the mandibles of these mice entails the relative enlargement of the ascending ramus. The organization of the mandible into two modules is confirmed in both groups during the last postnatal weeks. However, especially after weaning, the mandibles of wild and laboratory mice differ in the timing and localization of several remodeling fields, in addition to exhibiting different patterns of shape variation and differences in size. The stimulation of dentary bone growth derived from the harder post-weaning diet might account for some features of postnatal mandible growth common to both groups. Nonetheless, a large component of the postnatal growth of the mouse mandible appears to be driven by the inherent genetic programs, which might explain between-group differences. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Spatial patterns and controls of soil chemical weathering rates along a transient hillslope

Science.gov (United States)

Yoo, K.; Mudd, S.M.; Sanderman, J.; Amundson, Ronald; Blum, A.

2009-01-01

Hillslopes have been intensively studied by both geomorphologists and soil scientists. Whereas geomorphologists have focused on the physical soil production and transport on hillslopes, soil scientists have been concerned with the topographic variation of soil geochemical properties. We combined these differing approaches and quantified soil chemical weathering rates along a grass covered hillslope in Coastal California. The hillslope is comprised of both erosional and depositional sections. In the upper eroding section, soil production is balanced by physical erosion and chemical weathering. The hillslope then transitions to a depositional slope where soil accumulates due to a historical reduction of channel incision at the hillslope's base. Measurements of hillslope morphology and soil thickness were combined with the elemental composition of the soil and saprolite, and interpreted through a process-based model that accounts for both chemical weathering and sediment transport. Chemical weathering of the minerals as they moved downslope via sediment transport imparted spatial variation in the geochemical properties of the soil. Inverse modeling of the field and laboratory data revealed that the long-term soil chemical weathering rates peak at 5 g m- 2 yr- 1 at the downslope end of the eroding section and decrease to 1.5 g m- 2 yr- 1 within the depositional section. In the eroding section, soil chemical weathering rates appear to be primarily controlled by the rate of mineral supply via colluvial input from upslope. In the depositional slope, geochemical equilibrium between soil water and minerals appeared to limit the chemical weathering rate. Soil chemical weathering was responsible for removing 6% of the soil production in the eroding section and 5% of colluvial influx in the depositional slope. These were among the lowest weathering rates reported for actively eroding watersheds, which was attributed to the parent material with low amount of weatherable

Bone Density Development of the Temporal Bone Assessed by Computed Tomography.

Science.gov (United States)

Takahashi, Kuniyuki; Morita, Yuka; Ohshima, Shinsuke; Izumi, Shuji; Kubota, Yamato; Horii, Arata

2017-12-01

The temporal bone shows regional differences in bone development. The spreading pattern of acute mastoiditis shows age-related differences. In infants, it spreads laterally and causes retroauricular swelling, whereas in older children, it tends to spread medially and causes intracranial complications. We hypothesized that bone maturation may influence the spreading pattern of acute mastoiditis. Eighty participants with normal hearing, aged 3 months to 42 years, participated in this study. Computed tomography (CT) values (Hounsfield unit [HU]) in various regions of the temporal bone, such as the otic capsule (OC), lateral surface of the mastoid cavity (LS), posterior cranial fossa (PCF), and middle cranial fossa (MCF), were measured as markers of bone density. Bone density development curves, wherein CT values were plotted against age, were created for each region. The age at which the CT value exceeded 1000 HU, which is used as an indicator of bone maturation, was calculated from the development curves and compared between the regions. The OC showed mature bone at birth, whereas the LS, PCF, and MCF showed rapid maturation in early childhood. However, there were significant regional differences in the ages of maturation: 1.7, 3.9, and 10.8 years for the LS, PCF, and MCF, respectively. To our knowledge, this is the first report to show regional differences in the maturation of temporal bone, which could partly account for the differences in the spreading pattern of acute mastoiditis in individuals of different ages.

(18)F-FDG dynamic PET/CT in patients with multiple myeloma: patterns of tracer uptake and correlation with bone marrow plasma cell infiltration rate.

Science.gov (United States)

Sachpekidis, Christos; Mai, Elias K; Goldschmidt, Hartmut; Hillengass, Jens; Hose, Dirk; Pan, Leyun; Haberkorn, Uwe; Dimitrakopoulou-Strauss, Antonia

2015-06-01

The value of F-FDG PET in the diagnostic approach of multiple myeloma (MM) remains incompletely elicited. Little is known about the kinetics of F-FDG in the bone marrow and extramedullary sites in MM. This study aimed to evaluate quantitative data on kinetics and distribution patterns of F-FDG in MM patients with regard to pelvic bone marrow plasma cell infiltration. The study included 40 patients with primary MM. Dynamic PET/CT scanning of the lower lumbar spine and pelvis was performed after the administration of F-FDG. Whole-body PET/CT studies were performed. Sites of focal increased tracer uptake were considered as highly suggestive of myelomatous involvement after taking into account the patient history and CT findings. Bone marrow of the os ilium without pathologic tracer accumulation served as reference. The evaluation of dynamic PET/CT studies was based in addition to the conventional visual (qualitative) assessment, on semiquantitative (SUV) calculations, as well as on absolute quantitative estimations after application of a 2-tissue compartment model and a noncompartmental approach. F-FDG quantitative information and corresponding distribution patterns were correlated with pelvic bone marrow plasma cell infiltration. Fifty-two myelomatous lesions were detected in the pelvis. All parameters in suspected MM lesions ranged in significantly higher levels than in reference tissue (P PET/CT imaging demonstrated 4 patterns of tracer uptake; these are as follows: negative, focal, diffuse, and mixed (focal/diffuse) tracer uptake. Patients with a mixed pattern of radiotracer uptake had the highest mean plasma cell infiltration rate in their bone marrow, whereas those with negative PET/CT scans demonstrated the lowest bone marrow plasma cell infiltration. In total, 265 focal myeloma-indicative F-FDG-avid lesions were detected, 129 of which correlated with low-dose CT osteolytic findings. No significant correlation between the number of focal lesions detected in PET

Variation of rain intensity and drop size distribution with General Weather Patterns (GWL)

Science.gov (United States)

Ghada, Wael; Buras, Allan; Lüpke, Marvin; Menzel, Annette

2017-04-01

Short-duration rainfall extremes may cause flash floods in certain catchments (e.g. cities or fast responding watersheds) and pose a great risk to affected communities. In order to predict their occurrence under future climate change scenarios, their link to atmospheric circulation patterns needs to be well understood. We used a comprehensive data set of meteorological data (temperature, rain gauge precipitation) and precipitation spectra measured by a disdrometer (OTT PARSIVEL) between October 2008 and June 2010 at Freising, southern Germany. For the 21 months of the study period, we integrated the disdrometer spectra over intervals of 10 minutes to correspond to the temporal resolution of the weather station data and discarded measurements with air temperatures below 0°C. Daily General Weather Patterns ("Großwetterlagen", GWL) were downloaded from the website of the German Meteorological Service. Out of the 29 GWL, 14 were included in the analysis for which we had at least 12 rain events during our study period. For the definition of a rain event, we tested different lengths of minimum inter-event times and chose 30 min as a good compromise between number and length of resulting events; rain events started when more than 0.001 mm/h (sensitivity of the disdrometer) were recorded. The length of the rain events ranged between 10 min and 28 h (median 130 min) with the maximum rain intensity recorded being 134 mm/h on 24-07-2009. Seasonal differences were identified for rain event average intensities and maximum intensities per event. The influence of GWL on rain properties such as rain intensity and drop size distribution per time step and per event was investigated based on the above mentioned rain event definition. Pairwise Wilcoxon-tests revealed that higher rain intensity and larger drops were associated with the GWL "Low over the British Isles" (TB), whereas low rain intensities and less drops per interval were associated with the GWL "High over Central Europe

Naturally Occurring Radionuclides and Rare Earth Elements Pattern in Weathered Japanese Soil Samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sahoo, S.K.; Hosoda, M.; Takahashi, H.; Sorimachi, A.; Ishikawa, T.; Tokonami, S.; Uchida, S.

2011-01-01

From the viewpoint of radiation protection, determination of natural radionuclides e.g. thorium and uranium in soil samples are important. Accurate methods for determination of Th and U is gaining importance. The geochemical behavior of Th, U and rare earth elements (REEs) are relatively close to one another while compared to other elements in geological environment. Radioactive elements like 232 Th and 238 U along with their decay products (e.g. 226 Ra) are present in most of the environmental matrices and can be transferred to living bodies by different pathways that can lead to sources of exposure of man. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor these natural radionuclides in weathered soil samples to assess the possible hazards. The activity concentrations of 226 Ra, 228 Th, and 40 K in soils have been measured using a g γ-ray spectroscopy system with high purity germanium detector. The thorium, uranium and REEs were determined from the same sample using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Granitic rocks contain higher amounts of Th, U and light REEs compared to other igneous rocks such as basalt and andesites. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the interaction between REEs and nature of soils, as soils are complex heterogeneous mixture of organic and inorganic solids, water and gases. In this paper, we have discussed about distribution pattern of 226 Ra, 232 Th and 238 U along with REEs in soil samples of weathered acid rock (granite and ryolite) collected from two prefectures in Japan: 1. Gifu and 2. Okinawa. (author)

Patterns of Intraosseous Recurrence After Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy for Coxal Bone Metastasis.

Science.gov (United States)

Ito, Kei; Shimizuguchi, Takuya; Nihei, Keiji; Furuya, Tomohisa; Ogawa, Hiroaki; Tanaka, Hiroshi; Sasai, Keisuke; Karasawa, Katsuyuki

2018-01-01

To analyze the detailed pattern of intraosseous failure after stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for coxal bone metastasis. Patients treated with SBRT to coxal bone metastasis were identified by retrospective chart review. The SBRT doses were 30 Gy or 35 Gy in 5 fractions. A margin of 5 to 10 mm was added to the gross tumor volume to create the clinical target volume. We evaluated the presence or absence of intraosseous recurrence using magnetic resonance imaging. Intraosseous recurrences were assessed as "in-field" or "marginal/out-of-field." In addition, we measured the distance between the center of the recurrent tumor and the nearest edge of the initial bone metastasis in cases of marginal/out-of-field recurrence. Seventeen patients treated for 17 coxal bone metastases were included. Median age was 64 years (range, 48-79 years). Coxal lesions involved the ilium in 14 cases, pubis in 3, and ischium in 4 (3 lesions crossed over multiple regions). Patients most commonly had renal cell carcinoma (29.4%), followed by lung, hepatic cell, and colorectal cancers (23.5%, 11.8%, and 11.8%, respectively). Median follow-up after SBRT was 13 months (range, 2-44 months). Among all 17 cases, 7 cases developed 8 intraosseous recurrences, including in-field recurrence in 1 case and marginal/out-of-field recurrences in 7 cases. Median time to intraosseous recurrence was 10 months (range, 2-35 months). Among 7 cases with marginal/out-of-field recurrence, mean distance to the center of the recurrent tumor from the nearest edge of the initial bone metastasis was 34 mm (range, 15-55 mm). Most recurrences were observed out-of-field in the same coxal bone. These results suggest that defining the optimal clinical target volume in SBRT for coxal bone metastasis to obtain sufficient local tumor control is difficult. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The scintigraphic reaction pattern of traumatic bone lesions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spitz, J.

1994-01-01

The indications for bone scintigraphy in traumatology result: 1. Definite exclusion of bone lesions by normal scintigraphic findings (except for the scull). 2. Unclear result of X-ray or a mismatch between clinical investigation and X-ray result. 3. Screening after multiple injury which leads to the detection of an unknown bone lesion in every second patient. 4. Suspicion of a complicated healting course in cases of doubtful X-ray results. 5. The estimation of relative fracture age. This question always rises, if a pre-existing trauma or morphologic changes in X-ray make a clear diagnosis impossible. The additional information gained by bone scintigraphy is in part exclusive and not to be drawn from any other imaging modality. This renders bone scintigraphy to an important tool in the work up of medico-legal questions in traumatology. (orig.) [de

Multifunctional surfaces with biomimetic nanofibres and drug-eluting micro-patterns for infection control and bone tissue formation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

XN Chen

2012-09-01

Full Text Available For long-term orthopaedic implants, the creation of a surface that is repulsive to bacteria while adhesive to tissue cells represents a promising strategy to control infection. To obtain such multifunctional surfaces, two possible approaches were explored to incorporate a model antibiotic, rifampicin (Rf, into the osteogenic polycaprolactone (PCL/chitosan (CHS biomimetic nanofibre meshes by (1 blending Rf into the electrospinning solutions and then electrospinning into nanofibres (i.e., Rf-incorporating fibres, or (2 depositing Rf-containing poly(D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA micro-patterns onto the PCL/chitosan nanofibre meshes via ink-jet printing (i.e., Rf-eluting micro-pattern/fibre. Rapid release of Rf from both meshes was measured even though a relatively slower release rate was obtained from the Rf-eluting micro-pattern ones. Antibacterial assay with Staphylococcus epidermidis showed that both mesh surfaces could effectively kill bacteria and prevent biofilm formation. However, only Rf-eluting micro-pattern meshes favoured the attachment, spreading and metabolic activity of preosteoblasts in the cell culture study. Furthermore, the Rf-eluting micro-pattern meshes could better support the osteogenic differentiation of preosteoblasts by up-regulating the gene expression of bone markers (type I collagen and alkaline phosphatase. Clearly, compared to Rf-incorporating nanofibre meshes, Rf-eluting micro-patterns could effectively prevent biofilm formation without sacrificing the osteogenic properties of PCL/chitosan nanofibre surfaces. This finding provides an innovative avenue to design multifunctional surfaces for enhancing bone tissue formation while controlling infection.

Dietary patterns in men and women are simultaneously determinants of altered glucose metabolism and bone metabolism.

Science.gov (United States)

Langsetmo, Lisa; Barr, Susan I; Dasgupta, Kaberi; Berger, Claudie; Kovacs, Christopher S; Josse, Robert G; Adachi, Jonathan D; Hanley, David A; Prior, Jerilynn C; Brown, Jacques P; Morin, Suzanne N; Davison, Kenneth S; Goltzman, David; Kreiger, Nancy

2016-04-01

We hypothesized that diet would have direct effects on glucose metabolism with direct and indirect effects on bone metabolism in a cohort of Canadian adults. We assessed dietary patterns (Prudent [fruit, vegetables, whole grains, fish, and legumes] and Western [soft drinks, potato chips, French fries, meats, and desserts]) from a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire. We used fasting blood samples to measure glucose, insulin, homeostatic model assessment insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD), parathyroid hormone, bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (a bone formation marker), and serum C-terminal telopeptide (CTX; a bone resorption marker). We used multivariate regression models adjusted for confounders and including/excluding body mass index. In a secondary analysis, we examined relationships through structural equations models. The Prudent diet was associated with favorable effects on glucose metabolism (lower insulin and HOMA-IR) and bone metabolism (lower CTX in women; higher 25OHD and lower parathyroid hormone in men). The Western diet was associated with deleterious effects on glucose metabolism (higher glucose, insulin, and HOMA-IR) and bone metabolism (higher bone-specific alkaline phosphatase and lower 25OHD in women; higher CTX in men). Body mass index adjustment moved point estimates toward the null, indicating partial mediation. The structural equation model confirmed the hypothesized linkage with strong effects of Prudent and Western diet on metabolic risk, and both direct and indirect effects of a Prudent diet on bone turnover. In summary, a Prudent diet was associated with lower metabolic risk with both primary and mediated effects on bone turnover, suggesting that it is a potential target for reducing fracture risk. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Prognostic value of metabolic indices and bone marrow uptake pattern on preoperative 18F-FDG PET/CT in pediatric patients with neuroblastoma

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Chao; Chen, Suyun; Huang, Shuo; Wu, Shuqi; Zhang, Linlin; Zhang, Fengxian; Wang, Hui [Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai (China); Zhang, Jian [Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai (China); Shanghai Universal Medical Imaging Diagnostic Center, Shanghai (China)

2018-02-15

To evaluate the prognostic value of metabolic parameters and bone marrow uptake (BMU) patterns on pretherapeutic 18-F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) in pediatric patients with neuroblastoma (NB). Forty-seven pediatric patients with newly diagnosed neuroblastoma who underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT were retrospectively reviewed. Clinicopathological factors and metabolic parameters including maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), metabolic tumor volume (MTV), total lesion glycolysis (TLG) and bone marrow uptake patterns on PET/CT were compared to predict recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) by univariate and multivariate analysis. During the follow-up period, 27 (57.4%) patients experienced recurrence. MTV (P = 0.001), TLG (P = 0.004) and BMU patterns (P = 0.025) remained significant predictive factors for tumor recurrence, along with tumor size, histology, stage, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and other distant metastasis (except bone metastasis). Univariate analysis showed that histology, stage, tumor size (>37.25 cm), other distant metastasis, MTV (>88.10cm{sup 3}) and TLG (>1045.2 g) and BMU patterns correlated with both RFS and OS (P < 0.05). On multivariate analysis, TLG remained the only independent prognostic factor for RFS (P = 0.016) and OS (P = 0.012), and BMU patterns and MTV were statistically significant for OS (P = 0.024 and P = 0.038, respectively). Pretherapeutic 18F-FDG PET/CT can provide reliable prognostic information for neuroblastoma pediatric patients, and patients with high MTV, TLG and focal bone marrow (unifocal and multifocal) uptake on PET/CT may have inferior outcomes during subsequent treatment. (orig.)

Extreme weather events and infectious disease outbreaks.

Science.gov (United States)

McMichael, Anthony J

2015-01-01

Human-driven climatic changes will fundamentally influence patterns of human health, including infectious disease clusters and epidemics following extreme weather events. Extreme weather events are projected to increase further with the advance of human-driven climate change. Both recent and historical experiences indicate that infectious disease outbreaks very often follow extreme weather events, as microbes, vectors and reservoir animal hosts exploit the disrupted social and environmental conditions of extreme weather events. This review article examines infectious disease risks associated with extreme weather events; it draws on recent experiences including Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the 2010 Pakistan mega-floods, and historical examples from previous centuries of epidemics and 'pestilence' associated with extreme weather disasters and climatic changes. A fuller understanding of climatic change, the precursors and triggers of extreme weather events and health consequences is needed in order to anticipate and respond to the infectious disease risks associated with human-driven climate change. Post-event risks to human health can be constrained, nonetheless, by reducing background rates of persistent infection, preparatory action such as coordinated disease surveillance and vaccination coverage, and strengthened disaster response. In the face of changing climate and weather conditions, it is critically important to think in ecological terms about the determinants of health, disease and death in human populations.

Associations of dietary patterns with bone mass, muscle strength and balance in a cohort of Australian middle-aged women.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Feitong; Wills, Karen; Laslett, Laura L; Oldenburg, Brian; Jones, Graeme; Winzenberg, Tania

2017-10-01

Influences of dietary patterns on musculoskeletal health are poorly understood in middle-aged women. This cross-sectional analysis from a cohort of 347 women (aged 36-57 years) aimed to examine associations between dietary patterns and musculoskeletal health outcomes in middle-aged women. Diet was measured by the Cancer Council of Victoria FFQ. Total body bone mineral content (TB BMC), femoral neck and lumbar spine bone density (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry), lower limbs muscle strength (LMS) and balance tests (timed up and go test, step test, functional reach test (FRT) and lateral reach test) were also measured. Exploratory factor analysis was used to identify dietary patterns and scores for each pattern generated using factor loadings with absolute values ≥0·20. Associations between food pattern scores and musculoskeletal outcomes were assessed using multivariable linear regression. Three dietary patterns were identified: 'Healthy' (high consumption of a plant-based diet - vegetables, legumes, fruit, tomatoes, nuts, snacks, garlic, whole grains and low intake of high-fat dairy products), 'high protein, high fat' (red meats, poultry, processed meats, potatoes, cruciferous and dark-yellow vegetables, fish, chips, spirits and high-fat dairy products) and 'Processed foods' (high intakes of meat pies, hamburgers, beer, sweets, fruit juice, processed meats, snacks, spirits, pizza and low intake of cruciferous vegetables). After adjustment for confounders, Healthy pattern was positively associated with LMS, whereas Processed foods pattern was inversely associated with TB BMC and FRT. The associations were not significant after accounting for multiple comparisons. There were no associations with any other outcomes. These results suggest that maintaining a healthy diet could contribute to bone acquisition, muscle strength and balance in adult life. However, while they provide some support for further investigating dietary strategies for prevention of age

Patterns of variation and covariation in the shapes of mandibular bones of juvenile salmonids in the genus Oncorhynchus

Science.gov (United States)

Watson, Sawyer; Couture, Ryan B.; McKibben, Natasha S.; Nichols, James T.; Richardson, Shannon E.; Noakes, David L. G.

2016-01-01

SUMMARY What is the nature of evolutionary divergence of the jaw skeleton within the genus Oncorhynchus? How can two associated bones evolve new shapes and still maintain functional integration? Here, we introduce and test a ‘concordance’ hypothesis, in which an extraordinary matching of the evolutionary shape changes of the dentary and angular articular serves to preserve their fitting together. To test this hypothesis, we examined morphologies of the dentary and angular articular at parr (juvenile) stage, and at three levels of biological organization – between salmon and trout, between sister species within both salmon and trout, and among three types differing in life histories within one species, O. mykiss. The comparisons show bone shape divergences among the groups at each level; morphological divergence between salmon and trout is marked even at this relatively early life history stage. We observed substantial matching between the two mandibular bones in both pattern and amount of shape variation, and in shape covariation across species. These findings strongly support the concordance hypothesis, and reflect functional and/or developmental constraint on morphological evolution. We present evidence for developmental modularity within both bones. The locations of module boundaries were predicted from the patterns of evolutionary divergences, and for the dentary, at least, would appear to facilitate its functional association with the angular articular. The modularity results suggest that development has biased the course of evolution. PMID:26372063

Gene expression patterns related to osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells during ex vivo expansion.

Science.gov (United States)

Granchi, Donatella; Ochoa, Gorka; Leonardi, Elisa; Devescovi, Valentina; Baglìo, Serena Rubina; Osaba, Lourdes; Baldini, Nicola; Ciapetti, Gabriela

2010-06-01

Bone marrow is commonly used as a source of adult multipotent mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), defined for their ability to differentiate in vitro into multiple lineages. The ex vivo-expanded MSCs are currently being evaluated as a strategy for the restoration of function in damaged skeletal tissue, both in cell therapy and tissue engineering applications. The aim of this study was to define gene expression patterns underlying the differentiation of MSCs into mature osteoblasts during the expansion in vitro, and to explore a variety of cell functions that cannot be easily evaluated using morphological, cytochemical, and biochemical assays. Cell cultures were obtained from bone marrow samples of six individuals undergoing total hip replacement, and a large-scale transcriptome analysis, using Affymetrix HG-U133A Plus 2.0 array (Affymetrix((R)), Santa Clara, CA), was performed at the occurrence of specific events, including the appearance of MSC surface markers, formation of colonies, and deposition of mineral nodules. We focused our attention on 213 differentially upregulated genes, some belonging to well-known pathways and some having one or more Gene Ontology annotations related to bone cell biology, including angiogenesis, bone-related genes, cell communication, development and morphogenesis, transforming growth factor-beta signaling, and Wnt signaling. Twenty-nine genes, whose role in bone cell pathophysiology has not been described yet, were found. In conclusion, gene expression patterns that characterize the early, intermediate, and late phases of the osteogenic differentiation process of ex vivo-expanded MSCs were defined. These signatures represent a useful tool to monitor the osteogenic process, and to analyze a broad spectrum of functions of MSCs cultured on scaffolds, especially when the constructs are conceived for releasing growth factors or other signals to promote bone regeneration.

Climatic and weather factors affecting fire occurrence and behavior

Science.gov (United States)

Randall P. Benson; John O. Roads; David R. Weise

2009-01-01

Weather and climate have a profound influence on wildland fire ignition potential, fire behavior, and fire severity. Local weather and climate are affected by large-scale patterns of winds over the hemispheres that predispose wildland fuels to fire. The characteristics of wildland fuels, especially the moisture content, ultimately determine fire behavior and the impact...

Comparison of interradicular distances and cortical bone thickness in Thai patients with class I and class II skeletal patterns using cone-beam computed tomography

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Khumsarn, Nattida [Dental Division of Lamphun Hospital, Lamphun (Thailand); Patanaporn, Virush; Janhom, Apirum; Jotikasthira, Dhirawat [Faculty of Dentistry, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai (Thailand)

2016-06-15

This study evaluated and compared interradicular distances and cortical bone thickness in Thai patients with Class I and Class II skeletal patterns, using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Pretreatment CBCT images of 24 Thai orthodontic patients with Class I and Class II skeletal patterns were included in the study. Three measurements were chosen for investigation: the mesiodistal distance between the roots, the width of the buccolingual alveolar process, and buccal cortical bone thickness. All distances were recorded at five different levels from the cementoenamel junction (CEJ). Descriptive statistical analysis and t-tests were performed, with the significance level for all tests set at p<0.05. Patients with a Class II skeletal pattern showed significantly greater maxillary mesiodistal distances (between the first and second premolars) and widths of the buccolingual alveolar process (between the first and second molars) than Class I skeletal pattern patients at 10 mm above the CEJ. The maxillary buccal cortical bone thicknesses between the second premolar and first molar at 8 mm above the CEJ in Class II patients were likewise significantly greater than in Class I patients. Patients with a Class I skeletal pattern showed significantly wider mandibular buccolingual alveolar processes than did Class II patients (between the first and second molars) at 4, 6, and 8 mm below the CEJ. In both the maxilla and mandible, the mesiodistal distances, the width of the buccolingual alveolar process, and buccal cortical bone thickness tended to increase from the CEJ to the apex in both Class I and Class II skeletal patterns.

Comparison of interradicular distances and cortical bone thickness in Thai patients with class I and class II skeletal patterns using cone-beam computed tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khumsarn, Nattida; Patanaporn, Virush; Janhom, Apirum; Jotikasthira, Dhirawat

2016-01-01

This study evaluated and compared interradicular distances and cortical bone thickness in Thai patients with Class I and Class II skeletal patterns, using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Pretreatment CBCT images of 24 Thai orthodontic patients with Class I and Class II skeletal patterns were included in the study. Three measurements were chosen for investigation: the mesiodistal distance between the roots, the width of the buccolingual alveolar process, and buccal cortical bone thickness. All distances were recorded at five different levels from the cementoenamel junction (CEJ). Descriptive statistical analysis and t-tests were performed, with the significance level for all tests set at p<0.05. Patients with a Class II skeletal pattern showed significantly greater maxillary mesiodistal distances (between the first and second premolars) and widths of the buccolingual alveolar process (between the first and second molars) than Class I skeletal pattern patients at 10 mm above the CEJ. The maxillary buccal cortical bone thicknesses between the second premolar and first molar at 8 mm above the CEJ in Class II patients were likewise significantly greater than in Class I patients. Patients with a Class I skeletal pattern showed significantly wider mandibular buccolingual alveolar processes than did Class II patients (between the first and second molars) at 4, 6, and 8 mm below the CEJ. In both the maxilla and mandible, the mesiodistal distances, the width of the buccolingual alveolar process, and buccal cortical bone thickness tended to increase from the CEJ to the apex in both Class I and Class II skeletal patterns

Observation on scintigram of bone tumors by color data system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Minami, Kyuman

1982-01-01

The uptake of RI on bone scintigram was converted with a color data system to a color pattern of 12 colors. The color patterns of bone tumors were analysed in comparison them with those in contralateral part of body. The author observed on color patterns of bone scintigrams in 70 cases of bone tumors, of which 28 cases were malignant, 32 benign and 10 giant cell tumors. Differences of color pattern were found relatively low in tumors of the pelvis, whereas they were high in tumors of the limbs and shoulder. In malignant tumors, differences of the color patterns were marked and wide in range. Applying the color data system to bone scintigram, bone tumors could be objectively observed and the method was very helpful for diagnosis of bone tumors. (author)

Weathering Patterns of Ignitable Liquids with the Advanced Distillation Curve Method.

Science.gov (United States)

Bruno, Thomas J; Allen, Samuel

2013-01-01

One can take advantage of the striking similarity of ignitable liquid vaporization (or weathering) patterns and the separation observed during distillation to predict the composition of residual compounds in fire debris. This is done with the advanced distillation curve (ADC) metrology, which separates a complex fluid by distillation into fractions that are sampled, and for which thermodynamically consistent temperatures are measured at atmospheric pressure. The collected sample fractions can be analyzed by any method that is appropriate. Analytical methods we have applied include gas chromatography (with flame ionization, mass spectrometric and sulfur chemiluminescence detection), thin layer chromatography, FTIR, Karl Fischer coulombic titrimetry, refractometry, corrosivity analysis, neutron activation analysis and cold neutron prompt gamma activation analysis. We have applied this method on product streams such as finished fuels (gasoline, diesel fuels, aviation fuels, rocket propellants), crude oils (including a crude oil made from swine manure) and waste oils streams (used automotive and transformer oils). In this paper, we present results on a variety of ignitable liquids that are not commodity fuels, chosen from the Ignitable Liquids Reference Collection (ILRC). These measurements are assembled into a preliminary database. From this selection, we discuss the significance and forensic application of the temperature data grid and the composition explicit data channel of the ADC.

Weathering Patterns of Ignitable Liquids with the Advanced Distillation Curve Method

Science.gov (United States)

Bruno, Thomas J; Allen, Samuel

2013-01-01

One can take advantage of the striking similarity of ignitable liquid vaporization (or weathering) patterns and the separation observed during distillation to predict the composition of residual compounds in fire debris. This is done with the advanced distillation curve (ADC) metrology, which separates a complex fluid by distillation into fractions that are sampled, and for which thermodynamically consistent temperatures are measured at atmospheric pressure. The collected sample fractions can be analyzed by any method that is appropriate. Analytical methods we have applied include gas chromatography (with flame ionization, mass spectrometric and sulfur chemiluminescence detection), thin layer chromatography, FTIR, Karl Fischer coulombic titrimetry, refractometry, corrosivity analysis, neutron activation analysis and cold neutron prompt gamma activation analysis. We have applied this method on product streams such as finished fuels (gasoline, diesel fuels, aviation fuels, rocket propellants), crude oils (including a crude oil made from swine manure) and waste oils streams (used automotive and transformer oils). In this paper, we present results on a variety of ignitable liquids that are not commodity fuels, chosen from the Ignitable Liquids Reference Collection (ILRC). These measurements are assembled into a preliminary database. From this selection, we discuss the significance and forensic application of the temperature data grid and the composition explicit data channel of the ADC. PMID:26401423

Colluvial deposits as a possible weathering reservoir in uplifting mountains

Science.gov (United States)

Carretier, Sébastien; Goddéris, Yves; Martinez, Javier; Reich, Martin; Martinod, Pierre

2018-03-01

The role of mountain uplift in the evolution of the global climate over geological times is controversial. At the heart of this debate is the capacity of rapid denudation to drive silicate weathering, which consumes CO2. Here we present the results of a 3-D model that couples erosion and weathering during mountain uplift, in which, for the first time, the weathered material is traced during its stochastic transport from the hillslopes to the mountain outlet. To explore the response of weathering fluxes to progressively cooler and drier climatic conditions, we run model simulations accounting for a decrease in temperature with or without modifications in the rainfall pattern based on a simple orographic model. At this stage, the model does not simulate the deep water circulation, the precipitation of secondary minerals, variations in the pH, below-ground pCO2, and the chemical affinity of the water in contact with minerals. Consequently, the predicted silicate weathering fluxes probably represent a maximum, although the predicted silicate weathering rates are within the range of silicate and total weathering rates estimated from field data. In all cases, the erosion rate increases during mountain uplift, which thins the regolith and produces a hump in the weathering rate evolution. This model thus predicts that the weathering outflux reaches a peak and then falls, consistent with predictions of previous 1-D models. By tracking the pathways of particles, the model can also consider how lateral river erosion drives mass wasting and the temporary storage of colluvial deposits on the valley sides. This reservoir is comprised of fresh material that has a residence time ranging from several years up to several thousand years. During this period, the weathering of colluvium appears to sustain the mountain weathering flux. The relative weathering contribution of colluvium depends on the area covered by regolith on the hillslopes. For mountains sparsely covered by regolith

Weather, not climate, defines distributions of vagile bird species.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

April E Reside

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Accurate predictions of species distributions are essential for climate change impact assessments. However the standard practice of using long-term climate averages to train species distribution models might mute important temporal patterns of species distribution. The benefit of using temporally explicit weather and distribution data has not been assessed. We hypothesized that short-term weather associated with the time a species was recorded should be superior to long-term climate measures for predicting distributions of mobile species. METHODOLOGY: We tested our hypothesis by generating distribution models for 157 bird species found in Australian tropical savannas (ATS using modelling algorithm Maxent. The variable weather of the ATS supports a bird assemblage with variable movement patterns and a high incidence of nomadism. We developed "weather" models by relating climatic variables (mean temperature, rainfall, rainfall seasonality and temperature seasonality from the three month, six month and one year period preceding each bird record over a 58 year period (1950-2008. These weather models were compared against models built using long-term (30 year averages of the same climatic variables. CONCLUSIONS: Weather models consistently achieved higher model scores than climate models, particularly for wide-ranging, nomadic and desert species. Climate models predicted larger range areas for species, whereas weather models quantified fluctuations in habitat suitability across months, seasons and years. Models based on long-term climate averages over-estimate availability of suitable habitat and species' climatic tolerances, masking species potential vulnerability to climate change. Our results demonstrate that dynamic approaches to distribution modelling, such as incorporating organism-appropriate temporal scales, improves understanding of species distributions.

Economics of extreme weather events: Terminology and regional impact models

OpenAIRE

Jahn, Malte

2015-01-01

Impacts of extreme weather events are relevant for regional (in the sense of subnational) economies and in particular cities in many aspects. Cities are the cores of economic activity and the amount of people and assets endangered by extreme weather events is large, even under the current climate. A changing climate with changing extreme weather patterns and the process of urbanization will make the whole issue even more relevant in the future. In this paper, definitions and terminology in th...

Fluoride pollution of atmospheric precipitation and its relationship with air circulation and weather patterns (Wielkopolski National Park, Poland).

Science.gov (United States)

Walna, Barbara; Kurzyca, Iwona; Bednorz, Ewa; Kolendowicz, Leszek

2013-07-01

A 2-year study (2010-2011) of fluorides in atmospheric precipitation in the open area and in throughfall in Wielkopolski National Park (west-central Poland) showed their high concentrations, reaching a maximum value of 2 mg/l under the tree crowns. These high values indicate substantial deposition of up to 52 mg/m(2)/year. In 2011, over 51% of open area precipitation was characterized by fluoride concentration higher than 0.10 mg/l, and in throughfall such concentrations were found in more than 86% of events. In 2010, a strong connection was evident between fluoride and acid-forming ions, and in 2011, a correlation between phosphate and nitrite ions was seen. Analysis of available data on F(-) concentrations in the air did not show an unequivocal effect on F(-) concentrations in precipitation. To find reasons for and source areas of high fluoride pollution, the cases of extreme fluoride concentration in rainwater were related to atmospheric circulation and weather patterns. Weather conditions on days of extreme pollution were determined by movement of weather fronts over western Poland, or by small cyclonic centers with meteorological fronts. Macroscale air advection over the sampling site originated in the western quadrant (NW, W, and SW), particularly in the middle layers of the troposphere (2,500-5,000 m a.s.l.). Such directions indicate western Poland and Germany as possible sources of the pollution. At the same time in the lower troposphere, air inflow was frequently from the north, showing short distance transport from local emitters, and from the agglomeration of Poznań.

GPR Imaging of Prehistoric Animal Bone-beds

Science.gov (United States)

Schneider, Blair Benson

This research investigates the detection capabilities of Ground-penetrating radar for imaging prehistoric animal bone-beds. The first step of this investigation was to determine the dielectric properties of modern animal bone as a proxy for applying non-invasive ground-penetrating radar (GPR) for detecting prehistoric animal remains. Over 90 thin section samples were cut from four different modern faunal skeleton remains: bison, cow, deer, and elk. One sample of prehistoric mammoth core was also analyzed. Sample dielectric properties (relative permittivity, loss factor, and loss-tangent values) were measured with an impedance analyzer over frequencies ranging from 10 MHz to 1 GHz. The results reveal statistically significant dielectric-property differences among different animal fauna, as well as variation as a function of frequency. The measured sample permittivity values were then compared to modeled sample permittivity values using common dielectric-mixing models. The dielectric mixing models were used to report out new reported values of dry bone mineral of 3-5 in the frequency range of 10 MHz to 1 GHz. The second half of this research collected controlled GPR experiments over a sandbox containing buried bison bone elements to evaluate GPR detection capabilities of buried animal bone. The results of the controlled GPR sandbox tests were then compared to numerical models in order to predict the ability of GPR to detect buried animal bone given a variety of different depositional factors, the size and orientation of the bone target and the degree of bone weathering. The radar profiles show that GPR is an effective method for imaging the horizontal and vertical extent of buried animal bone. However, increased bone weathering and increased bone dip were both found to affect GPR reflection signal strength. Finally, the controlled sandbox experiments were also utilized to investigate the impact of survey design for imaging buried animal bone. In particular, the

Weather derivatives: Business hedge instrument from weather risks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Đorđević Bojan S.

2014-01-01

Full Text Available In the late 1990s, a new financial market was developed - a market for weather derivatives, so that the risk managers could hedge their exposure to weather risk. After a rather slow start, the weather derivatives market had started to grow rapidly. Risk managers could no longer blame poor financial results on the weather. Weather risk could now be removed by hedging procedure. This paper will explain briefly what the weather derivatives are and will point out at some of the motives for use of derivatives. Thereafter we will look at the history of the weather risk market, how the weather derivatives market has developed in recent years and also who are the current and potential players in the weather derivatives market.

Bone-composition imaging using coherent-scatter computed tomography: Assessing bone health beyond bone mineral density

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Batchelar, Deidre L.; Davidson, Melanie T.M.; Dabrowski, Waldemar; Cunningham, Ian A.

2006-01-01

Quantitative analysis of bone composition is necessary for the accurate diagnosis and monitoring of metabolic bone diseases. Accurate assessment of the bone mineralization state is the first requirement for a comprehensive analysis. In diagnostic imaging, x-ray coherent scatter depends upon the molecular structure of tissues. Coherent-scatter computed tomography (CSCT) exploits this feature to identify tissue types in composite biological specimens. We have used CSCT to map the distributions of tissues relevant to bone disease (fat, soft tissue, collagen, and mineral) within bone-tissue phantoms and an excised cadaveric bone sample. Using a purpose-built scanner, we have measured hydroxyapatite (bone mineral) concentrations based on coherent-scatter patterns from a series of samples with varying hydroxyapatite content. The measured scatter intensity is proportional to mineral density in true g/cm 3 . Repeated measurements of the hydroxyapatite concentration in each sample were within, at most, 2% of each other, revealing an excellent precision in determining hydroxyapatite concentration. All measurements were also found to be accurate to within 3% of the known values. Phantoms simulating normal, over-, and under-mineralized bone were created by mixing known masses of pure collagen and hydroxyapatite. An analysis of the composite scatter patterns gave the density of each material. For each composite, the densities were within 2% of the known values. Collagen and hydroxyapatite concentrations were also examined in a bone-mimicking phantom, incorporating other bone constituents (fat, soft tissue). Tomographic maps of the coherent-scatter properties of each specimen were reconstructed, from which material-specific images were generated. Each tissue was clearly distinguished and the collagen-mineral ratio determined from this phantom was also within 2% of the known value. Existing bone analysis techniques cannot determine the collagen-mineral ratio in intact specimens

Cytokine expression patterns and mesenchymal stem cell karyotypes from the bone marrow microenvironment of patients with myelodysplastic syndromes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xiong, H.; Yang, X.Y.; Han, J.; Wang, Q.; Zou, Z.L. [Department of Hematology, Shanghai Clinical Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai Xuhui District Central Hospital, Shanghai (China)

2015-01-20

The purpose of this study was to explore cytokine expression patterns and cytogenetic abnormalities of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from the bone marrow microenvironment of Chinese patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). Bone marrow samples were obtained from 30 cases of MDS (MDS group) and 30 healthy donors (control group). The expression pattern of cytokines was detected by customized protein array. The karyotypes of MSCs were analyzed using fluorescence in situ hybridization. Compared with the control group, leukemia inhibitory factor, stem cell factor (SCF), stromal cell-derived factor (SDF-1), bone morphogenetic protein 4, hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) stimulating factor, and transforming growth factor-β in the MDS group were significantly downregulated (P<0.05), while interferon-γ (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and programmed death ligand (B7-H1) were significantly upregulated (P<0.05). For chromosome abnormality analysis, the detection rate of abnormal karyotypes (+8, -8, -20, 20q-, -Y, -7, 5q-) was 30% in the MDS group and 0% in the control group. In conclusion, the up- and downregulated expression of these cytokines might play a key role in the pathogenesis of MDS. Among them, SCF and SDF-1 may play roles in the apoptosis of HSCs in MDS; and IFN-γ, TNF-α, and B7-H1 may be associated with apoptosis of bone marrow cells in MDS. In addition, the abnormal karyotypes might be actively involved in the pathogenesis of MDS. Further studies are required to determine the role of abnormal karyotypes in the occurrence and development of MDS.

Cytokine expression patterns and mesenchymal stem cell karyotypes from the bone marrow microenvironment of patients with myelodysplastic syndromes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xiong, H.; Yang, X.Y.; Han, J.; Wang, Q.; Zou, Z.L.

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore cytokine expression patterns and cytogenetic abnormalities of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from the bone marrow microenvironment of Chinese patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). Bone marrow samples were obtained from 30 cases of MDS (MDS group) and 30 healthy donors (control group). The expression pattern of cytokines was detected by customized protein array. The karyotypes of MSCs were analyzed using fluorescence in situ hybridization. Compared with the control group, leukemia inhibitory factor, stem cell factor (SCF), stromal cell-derived factor (SDF-1), bone morphogenetic protein 4, hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) stimulating factor, and transforming growth factor-β in the MDS group were significantly downregulated (P<0.05), while interferon-γ (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and programmed death ligand (B7-H1) were significantly upregulated (P<0.05). For chromosome abnormality analysis, the detection rate of abnormal karyotypes (+8, -8, -20, 20q-, -Y, -7, 5q-) was 30% in the MDS group and 0% in the control group. In conclusion, the up- and downregulated expression of these cytokines might play a key role in the pathogenesis of MDS. Among them, SCF and SDF-1 may play roles in the apoptosis of HSCs in MDS; and IFN-γ, TNF-α, and B7-H1 may be associated with apoptosis of bone marrow cells in MDS. In addition, the abnormal karyotypes might be actively involved in the pathogenesis of MDS. Further studies are required to determine the role of abnormal karyotypes in the occurrence and development of MDS

Weather-centric rangeland revegetation planning

Science.gov (United States)

Hardegree, Stuart P.; Abatzoglou, John T.; Brunson, Mark W.; Germino, Matthew; Hegewisch, Katherine C.; Moffet, Corey A.; Pilliod, David S.; Roundy, Bruce A.; Boehm, Alex R.; Meredith, Gwendwr R.

2018-01-01

Invasive annual weeds negatively impact ecosystem services and pose a major conservation threat on semiarid rangelands throughout the western United States. Rehabilitation of these rangelands is challenging due to interannual climate and subseasonal weather variability that impacts seed germination, seedling survival and establishment, annual weed dynamics, wildfire frequency, and soil stability. Rehabilitation and restoration outcomes could be improved by adopting a weather-centric approach that uses the full spectrum of available site-specific weather information from historical observations, seasonal climate forecasts, and climate-change projections. Climate data can be used retrospectively to interpret success or failure of past seedings by describing seasonal and longer-term patterns of environmental variability subsequent to planting. A more detailed evaluation of weather impacts on site conditions may yield more flexible adaptive-management strategies for rangeland restoration and rehabilitation, as well as provide estimates of transition probabilities between desirable and undesirable vegetation states. Skillful seasonal climate forecasts could greatly improve the cost efficiency of management treatments by limiting revegetation activities to time periods where forecasts suggest higher probabilities of successful seedling establishment. Climate-change projections are key to the application of current environmental models for development of mitigation and adaptation strategies and for management practices that require a multidecadal planning horizon. Adoption of new weather technology will require collaboration between land managers and revegetation specialists and modifications to the way we currently plan and conduct rangeland rehabilitation and restoration in the Intermountain West.

Colluvial deposits as a possible weathering reservoir in uplifting mountains

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Carretier

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The role of mountain uplift in the evolution of the global climate over geological times is controversial. At the heart of this debate is the capacity of rapid denudation to drive silicate weathering, which consumes CO2. Here we present the results of a 3-D model that couples erosion and weathering during mountain uplift, in which, for the first time, the weathered material is traced during its stochastic transport from the hillslopes to the mountain outlet. To explore the response of weathering fluxes to progressively cooler and drier climatic conditions, we run model simulations accounting for a decrease in temperature with or without modifications in the rainfall pattern based on a simple orographic model. At this stage, the model does not simulate the deep water circulation, the precipitation of secondary minerals, variations in the pH, below-ground pCO2, and the chemical affinity of the water in contact with minerals. Consequently, the predicted silicate weathering fluxes probably represent a maximum, although the predicted silicate weathering rates are within the range of silicate and total weathering rates estimated from field data. In all cases, the erosion rate increases during mountain uplift, which thins the regolith and produces a hump in the weathering rate evolution. This model thus predicts that the weathering outflux reaches a peak and then falls, consistent with predictions of previous 1-D models. By tracking the pathways of particles, the model can also consider how lateral river erosion drives mass wasting and the temporary storage of colluvial deposits on the valley sides. This reservoir is comprised of fresh material that has a residence time ranging from several years up to several thousand years. During this period, the weathering of colluvium appears to sustain the mountain weathering flux. The relative weathering contribution of colluvium depends on the area covered by regolith on the hillslopes. For mountains

The Influence of Weather Variation, Urban Design and Built Environment on Objectively Measured Sedentary Behaviour in Children.

Science.gov (United States)

Katapally, Tarun Reddy; Rainham, Daniel; Muhajarine, Nazeem

2016-01-01

With emerging evidence indicating that independent of physical activity, sedentary behaviour (SB) can be detrimental to health, researchers are increasingly aiming to understand the influence of multiple contexts such as urban design and built environment on SB. However, weather variation, a factor that continuously interacts with all other environmental variables, has been consistently underexplored. This study investigated the influence of diverse environmental exposures (including weather variation, urban design and built environment) on SB in children. This cross-sectional observational study is part of an active living research initiative set in the Canadian prairie city of Saskatoon. Saskatoon's neighbourhoods were classified based on urban street design into grid-pattern, fractured grid-pattern and curvilinear types of neighbourhoods. Diverse environmental exposures were measured including, neighbourhood built environment, and neighbourhood and household socioeconomic environment. Actical accelerometers were deployed between April and June 2010 (spring-summer) to derive SB of 331 10-14 year old children in 25 one week cycles. Each cycle of accelerometry was conducted on a different cohort of children within the total sample. Accelerometer data were matched with localized weather patterns derived from Environment Canada weather data. Multilevel modeling using Hierarchical Linear and Non-linear Modeling software was conducted by factoring in weather variation to depict the influence of diverse environmental exposures on SB. Both weather variation and urban design played a significant role in SB. After factoring in weather variation, it was observed that children living in grid-pattern neighbourhoods closer to the city centre (with higher diversity of destinations) were less likely to be sedentary. This study demonstrates a methodology that could be replicated to integrate geography-specific weather patterns with existing cross-sectional accelerometry data to

Using Music to Communicate Weather and Climate

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, P.; Aplin, K. L.; Brown, S.

2017-12-01

Depictions of weather and other atmospheric phenomena are common throughout the arts. Unlike in the visual arts, however, there has been little study of meteorological inspiration in music. This presentation will discuss the frequencies with which different weather types have been depicted in music over time, covering the period from the seventeenth century to the present day. Beginning with classical orchestral music, we find that composers were generally influenced by their own country's climate in the type of weather they chose to represent. Depictions of weather vary from explicit mimicry using traditional and specialized orchestral instruments, through to subtle suggestions. Pieces depicting stormy weather tend to be in minor keys, whereas pieces depicting fair weather tend to be in major keys. As befits the national stereotype, British composers seem disproportionately keen to depict the UK's variable weather patterns and stormy coastline. Moving onto modern popular music, we have identified and analyzed over 750 songs referring to different weather types. We find that lyrical references to bad weather peaked in songs written during the stormy 1950s and 60s, when there were many hurricanes, before declining in the relatively calm 1970s and 80s. This finding again suggests a causal link between song-writers' meteorological environments and compositional outputs. Composers and song-writers have a unique ability to emotionally connect their listeners to the environment. This ability could be exploited to communicate environmental science to a broader audience. Our work provides a catalogue of cultural responses to weather before (and during the early stages of) climate change. The effects of global warming may influence musical expression in future, in which case our work will provide a baseline for comparison.

Long-term patterns and short-term dynamics of stream solutes and suspended sediment in a rapidly weathering tropical watershed

Science.gov (United States)

Shanley, James B.; McDowell, William H.; Stallard, Robert F.

2011-07-01

The 326 ha Río Icacos watershed in the tropical wet forest of the Luquillo Mountains, northeastern Puerto Rico, is underlain by granodiorite bedrock with weathering rates among the highest in the world. We pooled stream chemistry and total suspended sediment (TSS) data sets from three discrete periods: 1983-1987, 1991-1997, and 2000-2008. During this period three major hurricanes crossed the site: Hugo in 1989, Hortense in 1996, and Georges in 1998. Stream chemistry reflects sea salt inputs (Na, Cl, and SO4), and high weathering rates of the granodiorite (Ca, Mg, Si, and alkalinity). During rainfall, stream composition shifts toward that of precipitation, diluting 90% or more in the largest storms, but maintains a biogeochemical watershed signal marked by elevated K and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration. DOC exhibits an unusual "boomerang" pattern, initially increasing with flow but then decreasing at the highest flows as it becomes depleted and/or vigorous overland flow minimizes contact with watershed surfaces. TSS increased markedly with discharge (power function slope 1.54), reflecting the erosive power of large storms in a landslide-prone landscape. The relations of TSS and most solute concentrations with stream discharge were stable through time, suggesting minimal long-term effects from repeated hurricane disturbance. Nitrate concentration, however, increased about threefold in response to hurricanes then returned to baseline over several years following a pseudo first-order decay pattern. The combined data sets provide insight about important hydrologic pathways, a long-term perspective to assess response to hurricanes, and a framework to evaluate future climate change in tropical ecosystems.

The Amazon hydrometeorology: Climatology, variability and links to changes in weather patterns

Science.gov (United States)

Fernandes, Katia De Avila

My thesis focuses on improving the quantification of the hydrological cycle and understanding the atmospheric processes that link weather to climate in the Amazon River basin. By using ERA40 and independent observations, I assess how well we can estimate the surface water budget in the Amazon River basin. I find that ERA40 basin wide annual precipitation (P) overall agrees with observations showing a slight underestimation of 10% in average, whereas runoff (R) is underestimated by a larger margin (˜25%). Observed residual of precipitation and runoff (denoted as P-R) is better estimated by ERA40 P-R than actual ET which includes soil moisture nudging. The causes for said discrepancies were found to partly relate to soil moisture nudging that needs to be applied during the dry season to produce realistic ET and compensate for the low soil moisture recharge during the previous wet season. Insufficient recharge may in part be caused by underestimation of rainfall amount and intensity; moreover the shallow root layer in the model does not represent the deep soil water reservoir characteristic of the Amazonian forest. Whether the hydrological cycle and weather patterns in the Amazon have changed during the past few decades is a highly debatable but central question for detecting climate change in the region. The second part of my thesis focus on the physical links between rainfall changes detected in observations, and changes of synoptic scale systems as represented by ERA40. My results suggest that an observed delayed wet season onset is consistent with a decreasing number of cold air incursion (CAI) days in southern Amazon for the period 1979--2001. The variability of CAI into southern Amazon is related to the variability of SST upstream of South America in the tropical Pacific and Indian Oceans. A Singular Value Decomposition Analysis (SVD) between CAI days and global SST reveal three main modes of co-variability. The first mode describes the effect of the El Nino

Cortical bone metastases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davis, T.M. Jr.; Rogers, L.F.; Hendrix, R.W.

1986-01-01

Twenty-five cases of bone metastases involving the cortex alone are reviewed. Seven patients had primary lung carcinoma, while 18 had primary tumors not previously reported to produce cortical bone metastases (tumors of the breast, kidney, pancreas, adenocarcinoma of unknown origin, multiple myeloma). Radiographically, these cortical lesions were well circumscribed, osteolytic, and produced soft-tissue swelling and occasional periosteal reaction. A recurrent pattern of metadiaphyseal involvement of the long bones of the lower extremity (particularly the femur) was noted, and is discussed. Findings reported in the literature, review, pathophysiology, and the role of skeletal radiographs, bone scans, and CT scans in evaluating cortical bone metastases are addressed

Multifocal bone and bone marrow lesions in children - MRI findings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Raissaki, Maria; Demetriou, Stelios; Spanakis, Konstantinos; Skiadas, Christos; Karantanas, Apostolos H. [University of Crete, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Radiology, University Hospital of Heraklion, Heraklion, Crete (Greece); Katzilakis, Nikolaos; Stiakaki, Eftichia [University of Crete, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, University Hospital of Heraklion, Heraklion, Crete (Greece); Velivassakis, Emmanouil G. [University Hospital of Heraklion, Orthopedic Clinic, Heraklion, Crete (Greece)

2017-03-15

Polyostotic bone and bone marrow lesions in children may be due to various disorders. Radiographically, lytic lesions may become apparent after loss of more than 50% of the bone mineral content. Scintigraphy requires osteoblastic activity and is not specific. MRI may significantly contribute to the correct diagnosis and management. Accurate interpretation of MRI examinations requires understanding of the normal conversion pattern of bone marrow in childhood and of the appearances of red marrow rests and hyperplasia. Differential diagnosis is wide: Malignancies include metastases, multifocal primary sarcomas and hematological diseases. Benign entities include benign tumors and tumor-like lesions, histiocytosis, infectious and inflammatory diseases, multiple stress fractures/reactions and bone infarcts/ischemia. (orig.)

Low Bone Mineral Density Risk Factors and Testing Patterns in Institutionalized Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Science.gov (United States)

Hess, Mailee; Campagna, Elizabeth J.; Jensen, Kristin M.

2018-01-01

Background: Adults with intellectual or developmental disability (ID/DD) have multiple risks for low bone mineral density (BMD) without formal guidelines to guide testing. We sought to identify risk factors and patterns of BMD testing among institutionalized adults with ID/DD. Methods: We evaluated risk factors for low BMD (Z-/T-score < -1) and…

Atmospheric Diabatic Heating in Different Weather States and the General Circulation

Science.gov (United States)

Rossow, William B.; Zhang, Yuanchong; Tselioudis, George

2016-01-01

Analysis of multiple global satellite products identifies distinctive weather states of the atmosphere from the mesoscale pattern of cloud properties and quantifies the associated diabatic heating/cooling by radiative flux divergence, precipitation, and surface sensible heat flux. The results show that the forcing for the atmospheric general circulation is a very dynamic process, varying strongly at weather space-time scales, comprising relatively infrequent, strong heating events by ''stormy'' weather and more nearly continuous, weak cooling by ''fair'' weather. Such behavior undercuts the value of analyses of time-averaged energy exchanges in observations or numerical models. It is proposed that an analysis of the joint time-related variations of the global weather states and the general circulation on weather space-time scales might be used to establish useful ''feedback like'' relationships between cloud processes and the large-scale circulation.

An objective daily Weather Type classification for Iberia since 1850; patterns, trends, variability and impact in precipitation

Science.gov (United States)

Ramos, A. M.; Trigo, R. M.; Lorenzo, M. N.; Vaquero, J. M.; Gallego, M. C.; Valente, M. A.; Gimeno, L.

2009-04-01

In recent years a large number of automated classifications of atmospheric circulation patterns have been published covering the entire European continent or specific sub-regions (Huth et al., 2008). This generalized use of objective classifications results from their relatively straightforward computation but crucially from their capacity to provide simple description of typical synoptic conditions as well as their climatic and environmental impact. For this purpose, the vast majority of authors has employed the Reanalyses datasets, namely from either NCEP/NCAR or ECMWF projects. However, both these widely used datasets suffer from important caveats, namely their restricted temporal coverage, that is limited to the last six decades (NCEP/NCAR since 1948 and ECMWF since 1958). This limitation has been partially mitigated by the recent availability of continuous daily mean sea level pressure obtained within the European project EMULATE, that extended the historic records over the extra-tropical Atlantic and Europe (70°-25° N by 70° W-50° E), for the period 1850 to the present (Ansell, T. J. et al. 2006). Here we have used the extended EMULATE dataset to construct an automated version of the Lamb Weather type (WTs) classification scheme (Jones et al 1993) adapted for the center of the Iberian Peninsula. We have identified 10 basic WTs (Cyclonic, Anticyclonic and 8 directional types) following a similar methodology to that previously adopted by Trigo and DaCamara, 2000 (for Portugal) and Lorenzo et al. 2008 (for Galicia, northwestern Iberia). We have evaluated trends of monthly/seasonal frequency of each WT for the entire period and several shorter periods. Finally, we use the long-term precipitation time series from Lisbon (recently digitized) and Cadiz (southern Spain) to evaluate, the impact of each WT on the precipitation regime. It is shown that the Anticyclonic (A) type, although being the most frequent class in winter, gives a rather small contribution to

Tweetin’ in the Rain: Exploring Societal-scale Effects of Weather on Mood

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hannak, Aniko; Jørgensen, Sune Lehmann; Anderson, Eric

2012-01-01

There has been significant recent interest in using the aggregate sentiment from social media sites to understand and predict real-world phenomena. However, the data from social media sites also offers a unique and—so far—unexplored opportunity to study the impact of external factors on aggregate...... sentiment, at the scale of a society. Using a Twitterspecific sentiment extraction methodology, we the explore patterns of sentiment present in a corpus of over 1.5 billion tweets. We focus primarily on the effect of the weather and time on aggregate sentiment, evaluating how clearly the wellknown...... individual patterns translate into population-wide patterns. Using machine learning techniques on the Twitter corpus correlated with the weather at the time and location of the tweets, we find that aggregate sentiment follows distinct climate, temporal, and seasonal patterns....

WEATHER INDEX- THE BASIS OF WEATHER DERIVATIVES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Botos Horia Mircea

2011-07-01

Full Text Available This paper approaches the subject of Weather Derivatives, more exactly their basic element the weather index. The weather index has two forms, the Heating Degree Day (HDD and the Cooling Degree Day (CDD. We will try to explain their origin, use and the relationship between the two forms of the index. In our research we started from the analysis of the weather derivatives and what they are based on. After finding out about weather index, we were interested in understanding exactly how they work and how they influence the value of the contract. On the national level the research in the field is scares, but foreign materials available. The study for this paper was based firstly on reading about Weather Derivative, and then going in the meteorogical field and determining the way by which the indices were determined. After this, we went to the field with interest in the indices, such as the energy and gas industries, and figured out how they determined the weather index. For the examples we obtained data from the weather index database, and calculated the value for the period. The study is made on a period of five years, in 8 cities of the European Union. The result of this research is that we can now understand better the importance of the way the indices work and how they influence the value of the Weather Derivatives. This research has an implication on the field of insurance, because of the fact that weather derivative are at the convergence point of the stock markets and the insurance market. The originality of the paper comes from the personal touch given to the theoretical aspect and through the analysis of the HDD and CDD index in order to show their general behaviour and relationship.

Infiltration patterns in monoclonal plasma cell disorders: correlation of magnetic resonance imaging with matched bone marrow histology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Andrulis, Mindaugas [Institute of Pathology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg (Germany); Bäuerle, Tobias [Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg (Germany); Goldschmidt, Hartmut [Department of Hematology and Oncology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg (Germany); Delorme, Stefan [Department of Radiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg (Germany); Landgren, Ola [Multiple Myeloma Section, Metabolism Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda (United States); Schirmacher, Peter [Institute of Pathology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg (Germany); Hillengass, Jens, E-mail: jens.hillengass@med.uni-heidelberg.de [Department of Hematology and Oncology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg (Germany); Department of Radiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg (Germany)

2014-06-15

Objectives: To investigate how plasma cell infiltration patterns detected by MRI match the plasma cell distribution in bone marrow biopsy. Methods: We assessed 50 patients with monoclonal plasma cell disorders of all clinical stages. MRI infiltration pattern was compared with matched BM histology from the same anatomic region. Results: MRI revealed a minimal (n = 11, 22%), focal (n = 5, 10%), diffuse (n = 14, 28%) and mixed (n = 20, 40%) infiltration pattern. Diffuse MRI pattern was predominant in smoldering myeloma patients whereas the MRI patterns with “focal component” (i.e. focal and mixed) were most common in symptomatic myeloma (p < 0.01). In histology an interstitial (n = 13, 26%), nodular (n = 23, 46%) and packed marrow (n = 14, 28%) was found respectively. All three histological types of infiltration were observed in patients with diffuse and mixed MRI patterns. Minimal MRI pattern was found in all MGUS patients and was associated with an interstitial BM infiltration. In two patients with minimal MRI pattern an extensive micro-nodular BM infiltration was found in histology. Conclusions: Infiltration patterns in MRI represent different histological growth patterns of plasma cells, but the MRI resolution is not sufficient to visualize micro-nodular aggregates of plasma cells.

Infiltration patterns in monoclonal plasma cell disorders: correlation of magnetic resonance imaging with matched bone marrow histology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andrulis, Mindaugas; Bäuerle, Tobias; Goldschmidt, Hartmut; Delorme, Stefan; Landgren, Ola; Schirmacher, Peter; Hillengass, Jens

2014-01-01

Objectives: To investigate how plasma cell infiltration patterns detected by MRI match the plasma cell distribution in bone marrow biopsy. Methods: We assessed 50 patients with monoclonal plasma cell disorders of all clinical stages. MRI infiltration pattern was compared with matched BM histology from the same anatomic region. Results: MRI revealed a minimal (n = 11, 22%), focal (n = 5, 10%), diffuse (n = 14, 28%) and mixed (n = 20, 40%) infiltration pattern. Diffuse MRI pattern was predominant in smoldering myeloma patients whereas the MRI patterns with “focal component” (i.e. focal and mixed) were most common in symptomatic myeloma (p < 0.01). In histology an interstitial (n = 13, 26%), nodular (n = 23, 46%) and packed marrow (n = 14, 28%) was found respectively. All three histological types of infiltration were observed in patients with diffuse and mixed MRI patterns. Minimal MRI pattern was found in all MGUS patients and was associated with an interstitial BM infiltration. In two patients with minimal MRI pattern an extensive micro-nodular BM infiltration was found in histology. Conclusions: Infiltration patterns in MRI represent different histological growth patterns of plasma cells, but the MRI resolution is not sufficient to visualize micro-nodular aggregates of plasma cells

Ewing's sarcoma of the tarsal bone

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kwon, Jung Hyeok; Kim, Yong Sun; Kim, Tae Hun; Park, In Kyu; Kim, Yong Joo; Kang, Duk Sik; Sohn, Kyung Rak

1985-01-01

The Ewing's sarcoma comprises approximately less than 10 percent of malignant bone tumors and 5 percent of all bone tumors, occurs in almost all bones of the body, and presents a widely divergent roentgenographic manifestations. The tarsal bones are involved only 2 percent in the Ewing's sarcoma. Two cases experienced by authors and ten cases published in literatures of Ewing's sarcoma of the tarsal bone were analyzed retrospectively. The result were as follows: 1. Of the tarsal bones, the calcaneus was 7 cases, the talus 4 cases, cuneiform 1 case. 2. Female was affected more commonly than male, the ratio being 4 to 1 in the tarsal bones. 3. About sixty percent of total cases in the tarsal bones had evidence of diffuse sclerotic pattern. All the cases of the talus had evidence of diffuse sclerotic pattern. 4. The diseases to be considered in differential diagnosis are as follows: avascular necrosis, tuberculous osteomyelitis, osteosarcoma, and pyogenic osteomyelitis. 5. The diffuse sclerosis radiographically showed a close relation with dead bone resulting from avascular necrosis due to tumor infiltration histologically. Periosteal reactive new bone and osteoid deposition on the dead bone were also correlated with diffuse sclerosis. 6. Because it is difficult to differentiate sclerotic lesions in the tarsal bones by radiographic methods alone, all such lesions should be subject to biopsy as early as possible

Ewing's sarcoma of the tarsal bone

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kwon, Jung Hyeok; Kim, Yong Sun; Kim, Tae Hun; Park, In Kyu; Kim, Yong Joo; Kang, Duk Sik; Sohn, Kyung Rak [College of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu (Korea, Republic of)

1985-06-15

The Ewing's sarcoma comprises approximately less than 10 percent of malignant bone tumors and 5 percent of all bone tumors, occurs in almost all bones of the body, and presents a widely divergent roentgenographic manifestations. The tarsal bones are involved only 2 percent in the Ewing's sarcoma. Two cases experienced by authors and ten cases published in literatures of Ewing's sarcoma of the tarsal bone were analyzed retrospectively. The result were as follows: 1. Of the tarsal bones, the calcaneus was 7 cases, the talus 4 cases, cuneiform 1 case. 2. Female was affected more commonly than male, the ratio being 4 to 1 in the tarsal bones. 3. About sixty percent of total cases in the tarsal bones had evidence of diffuse sclerotic pattern. All the cases of the talus had evidence of diffuse sclerotic pattern. 4. The diseases to be considered in differential diagnosis are as follows: avascular necrosis, tuberculous osteomyelitis, osteosarcoma, and pyogenic osteomyelitis. 5. The diffuse sclerosis radiographically showed a close relation with dead bone resulting from avascular necrosis due to tumor infiltration histologically. Periosteal reactive new bone and osteoid deposition on the dead bone were also correlated with diffuse sclerosis. 6. Because it is difficult to differentiate sclerotic lesions in the tarsal bones by radiographic methods alone, all such lesions should be subject to biopsy as early as possible.

Weather Type classification over Chile; patterns, trends, and impact in precipitation and temperature

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Frias, T.; Trigo, R. M.; Garreaud, R.

2009-04-01

The Andes Cordillera induces considerable disturbances on the structure and evolution of the pressure systems that influences South America. Different weather types for southern South America are derived from the daily maps of geopotential height at 850hPa corresponding to a 42 year period, spanning from 1958 to 2000. Here we have used the ECWMF ERA-40 reanalysis dataset to construct an automated version of the Lamb Weather type (WTs) classification scheme (Jones et al., 1993) developed for the UK. We have identified 8 basic WTs (Cyclonic, Anticyclonic and 6 main directional types) following a similar methodology to that previously adopted by Trigo and DaCamara, 2000 (for Iberia). This classification was applied to two regions of study (CLnorth and CLsouth) which differ 20° in latitude, so that the vast Chile territory could be covered. Then were assessed the impact of the occurrence of this weather types in precipitation in Chile, as well as in the distribution of precipitation and temperature fields (reanalysis data) in southern half of South America. The results allow to conclude that the precipitation in central region of Chile is largely linked with the class occurrence (concerning CLnorth) of cyclonic circulation and of West quadrant (SW, W and NW), despite of it's relatively low frequency. In CLsouth, for its part, it is verified that the most frequent circulation is from the west quadrant, although the associated amount of rainfall is lower than in CLnorth. There was also a general decrease of precipitation at local weather stations chosen in the considered period of study, particularly in austral winter.

DEM investigation of weathered rocks using a novel bond contact model

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Zhenming Shi

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The distinct element method (DEM incorporated with a novel bond contact model was applied in this paper to shed light on the microscopic physical origin of macroscopic behaviors of weathered rock, and to achieve the changing laws of microscopic parameters from observed decaying properties of rocks during weathering. The changing laws of macroscopic mechanical properties of typical rocks were summarized based on the existing research achievements. Parametric simulations were then conducted to analyze the relationships between macroscopic and microscopic parameters, and to derive the changing laws of microscopic parameters for the DEM model. Equipped with the microscopic weathering laws, a series of DEM simulations of basic laboratory tests on weathered rock samples was performed in comparison with analytical solutions. The results reveal that the relationships between macroscopic and microscopic parameters of rocks against the weathering period can be successfully attained by parametric simulations. In addition, weathering has a significant impact on both stress–strain relationship and failure pattern of rocks.

Patterns of Care Among Patients Receiving Radiation Therapy for Bone Metastases at a Large Academic Institution

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ellsworth, Susannah G. [Department of Radiation Oncology and Molecular Radiation Sciences, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland (United States); Alcorn, Sara R., E-mail: salcorn2@jhmi.edu [Department of Radiation Oncology and Molecular Radiation Sciences, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland (United States); Hales, Russell K.; McNutt, Todd R.; DeWeese, Theodore L. [Department of Radiation Oncology and Molecular Radiation Sciences, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland (United States); Smith, Thomas J. [Department of Medical Oncology and Harry J. Duffey Family Program in Palliative Care, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland (United States)

2014-08-01

Purpose: This study evaluates outcomes and patterns of care among patients receiving radiation therapy (RT) for bone metastases at a high-volume academic institution. Methods and Materials: Records of all patients whose final RT course was for bone metastases from April 2007 to July 2012 were identified from electronic medical records. Chart review yielded demographic and clinical data. Rates of complicated versus uncomplicated bone metastases were not analyzed. Results: We identified 339 patients whose final RT course was for bone metastases. Of these, 52.2% were male; median age was 65 years old. The most common primary was non-small-cell lung cancer (29%). Most patients (83%) were prescribed ≤10 fractions; 8% received single-fraction RT. Most patients (52%) had a documented goals of care (GOC) discussion with their radiation oncologist; hospice referral rates were higher when patients had such discussions (66% with vs 50% without GOC discussion, P=.004). Median life expectancy after RT was 96 days. Median survival after RT was shorter based on inpatient as opposed to outpatient status at the time of consultation (35 vs 136 days, respectively, P<.001). Hospice referrals occurred for 56% of patients, with a median interval between completion of RT and hospice referral of 29 days and a median hospice stay of 22 days. Conclusions: These data document excellent adherence to American Society for Radiation Oncolology Choosing Wisely recommendation to avoid routinely using >10 fractions of palliative RT for bone metastasis. Nonetheless, single-fraction RT remains relatively uncommon. Participating in GOC discussions with a radiation oncologist is associated with higher rates of hospice referral. Inpatient status at consultation is associated with short survival.

Chemical weathering and loess inputs to soils in New Zealand's Wairarapa region

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Lukens, C. E.; Norton, K. P.

2017-12-01

Geochemical mass-balance approaches are commonly used in soils to evaluate patterns in chemical weathering. In conjuction with cosmogenic nuclide measurements of total denudation or soil production, mass-balance approaches have been used to constrain rates of chemical weathering across a variety of landscapes. Here we present geochemical data from a series of soil pits in the Wairarapa region of New Zealand's North Island, where rates of soil production equal rates of total denudation measured using 10Be at sites nearby (i.e., the landscape is in steady state). Soil density increases with depth, consistent with steady weathering over the average soil residence time. However, soil geochemistry indicates very little chemical weathering has occurred, and immobile elements (Zr, Ti, and V) are depleted in soils relative to bedrock. This is contrary to the expected observation, wherein immobile elements should be enriched in soils relative to parent bedrock as weathered mobile solutes are progressively removed from soil. Our geochemical measurements suggest contributions from an exernal source, which has a different chemical composition than the underlying bedrock. We hypothesize that loess constitutes a substantial influx of additional material, and use a mixing model to predict geochemical patterns within soil columns. We evaluate the relative contributions of several likely loess sources, including tephra from the nearby Taupo Volcanic Center, local loess deposits formed during glacial-interglacial transitions, and far-travelling Australian dust. Using an established mass-balance approach with multiple immobile elements, we calculate the fraction of mass in soils contributed by loess to be as much as 25%. Combined with 10Be-derived estimates of soil production, we calculate average loess fluxes up to 320 t/km2/yr, which are consistent with previous estimates of loess acculumation over the late Holocene. Accounting for loess input, we find that chemical weathering

Bone scintigraphic patterns in patients of tumor induced osteomalacia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sood, Ashwani; Agarwal, Kanhaiyalal; Shukla, Jaya; Goel, Reema; Dhir, Varun; Bhattacharya, Anish; Rai Mittal, Bhagwant

2013-01-01

Tumor induced osteomalacia (TIO) or oncogenic osteomalacia is a rare condition associated with small tumor that secretes one of the phosphaturic hormones, i.e., fibroblast growth factor 23, resulting in abnormal phosphate metabolism. Patients may present with non-specific symptoms leading to delay in the diagnosis. Extensive skeletal involvement is frequently seen due to delay in the diagnosis and treatment. The small sized tumor and unexpected location make the identification of tumor difficult even after diagnosis of osteogenic osteomalacia. The bone scan done for the skeletal involvement may show the presence of metabolic features and the scan findings are a sensitive indicator of metabolic bone disorders. We present the bone scan findings in three patients diagnosed to have TIO

POPULATION SYNCHRONY WITHIN AND AMONG LEPIDOPTERA SPECIES IN RELATION TO WEATHER, PHYLOGENY, AND LARVEL PHENOLOGY

Science.gov (United States)

1. The population dynamics of native herbivore species in central Appalachian deciduous forests were studied by analysing patterns of synchrony among intra- and interspecific populations and weather. 2. Spatial synchrony of 10 Lepidoptera species and three weather variables (min...

Developing New Strategies for Coping with Weather: Work in Alaskan and Canadian Coastal Communities

Science.gov (United States)

Atkinson, D. E.

2014-12-01

A changing climate is manifested at ground level through the day to day weather. For all Northern residents - community, industrial, operational and response - the need to think about the weather is ever present. Northern residents, and in particular, indigenous community residents, fully understand implications of the weather, however, a comment that has been heard more often is that old ways of knowing are not as reliable as they once were. Weather patterns seem less consistent and subject to more rapid fluctuations. Compromised traditional ways of knowing puts those who need to travel or hunt at greater risk. One response to adapt to this emerging reality is to make greater use of western sources of information, such as weather data and charts provided by NOAA's National Weather Service or Environment Canada. The federal weather agencies have very large and complex forecasting regions to cover, and so one problem is that it can be difficult to provide perfectly tailored forecasts, that cover all possible problems, right down to the very local scale in the communities. Only those affected have a complete feel for their own concerns. Thus, key to a strategy to improve the utility of available weather information is a linking of local-scale manifestations of problematic weather to the larger-scale weather patterns. This is done in two ways: by direct consultation with Northern residents, and by installation of equipment to measure parameters of interest to residents, which are not already being measured. This talk will overview projects in coastal Alaska and Canada targeting this objective. The challenge of designing and conducting interviews, and then of harvesting relevant information, will be visited using examples from the three major contexts: coastal community, industrial, and operational. Examples of how local comments can be married to weather products will be presented.

Radionuclide imaging of bone marrow in hematologic systemic disease

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kessel, F.; Hahn, K.; Gamm, H.

1987-02-01

Radionuclide imaging studies of the bone marrow were carried out in 164 patients suffering from hematologic systemic disease. One third of 90 patients with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) or Non Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) displayed a pathological distribution pattern representing bone marrow expansion. In HL there were 17% accumulation defects caused by metastases in contrast to only 7% in NHL. Among 30 patients with chronic myelocytic leukemia bone marrow expansion was found in 60%, bone marrow displacement and aplasia 10%. Focal bone marrow defects were found in 3 patients. All patients with primary polycythemia rubra vera displayed a pathologic bone marrow distribution pattern as well as splenomegaly. All patients with acute myelocytic leukemia (AML) and one patient with an acute lymphatic leukemia (ALL) had a pathological distribution pattern with bone marrow expansion and displacement. Focal bone marrow defects were not seen. Multiple myeloma with bone marrow expansion was found in 6 of 12 patients and focal accumulation defects were found in 40%, the latter lesions being not visible or equivocal on skeletal imaging studies. Pathological changes in liver and spleen were found in a high percentage of the total collective. The results document the important clinical value of bone marrow scintigraphy among the hematologic diseases studied.

Dynamical Networks Characterization of Space Weather Events

Science.gov (United States)

Orr, L.; Chapman, S. C.; Dods, J.; Gjerloev, J. W.

2017-12-01

Space weather can cause disturbances to satellite systems, impacting navigation technology and telecommunications; it can cause power loss and aviation disruption. A central aspect of the earth's magnetospheric response to space weather events are large scale and rapid changes in ionospheric current patterns. Space weather is highly dynamic and there are still many controversies about how the current system evolves in time. The recent SuperMAG initiative, collates ground-based vector magnetic field time series from over 200 magnetometers with 1-minute temporal resolution. In principle this combined dataset is an ideal candidate for quantification using dynamical networks. Network properties and parameters allow us to characterize the time dynamics of the full spatiotemporal pattern of the ionospheric current system. However, applying network methodologies to physical data presents new challenges. We establish whether a given pair of magnetometers are connected in the network by calculating their canonical cross correlation. The magnetometers are connected if their cross correlation exceeds a threshold. In our physical time series this threshold needs to be both station specific, as it varies with (non-linear) individual station sensitivity and location, and able to vary with season, which affects ground conductivity. Additionally, the earth rotates and therefore the ground stations move significantly on the timescales of geomagnetic disturbances. The magnetometers are non-uniformly spatially distributed. We will present new methodology which addresses these problems and in particular achieves dynamic normalization of the physical time series in order to form the network. Correlated disturbances across the magnetometers capture transient currents. Once the dynamical network has been obtained [1][2] from the full magnetometer data set it can be used to directly identify detailed inferred transient ionospheric current patterns and track their dynamics. We will show

Study of caprine bones after moist and dry heat processes by X-ray diffraction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barbosa, Caroline M.; Azeredo, Soraia R.; Lopes, Ricardo T.; Souza, Sheila M.F.M de

2013-01-01

Bone tissue is a biological material composed of hydroxyapatite (HAp) and collagen matrix. The bone X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern presents characteristics of the hydroxyapatite crystallography planes. This paper presents the characterization by X-ray diffraction of caprine bone powder pattern and the comparison of this pattern with moist or dry heat cooked bone patterns. The parameters chosen to characterize the X-ray diffraction peaks were: angular position (2θ), full width at half maximumt (FWHM), and relative intensity (I rel ). The X-ray diffraction patterns were obtained with a Shimadzu XRD-6000 diffractometer. The caprine bone XRD pattern revealed a significant correlation of several crystallographic parameters (lattice data) with hydroxyapatite. The profiles of the three bone types analyzed presented differences. The study showed as small angular displacement (decrease of the 2θ angle) of some peaks was observed after moist and dry heat cooking processes. The characterization of bone tissue aimed to contribute to future analysis in the field of archeology. (author)

Study of caprine bones after moist and dry heat processes by X-ray diffraction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barbosa, Caroline M., E-mail: carolmattosb@yahoo.com.br [Instituto de Arqueologia Brasileira (IAB), Belford Roxo, RJ (Brazil); Azeredo, Soraia R.; Lopes, Ricardo T., E-mail: soraia@lin.ufrj.br [Coordenacao dos Programas de Pos-Graduacao em Engenharia (COPPE/LIN/UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Laboratorio de Instrumentacao Nuclear; Souza, Sheila M.F.M de, E-mail: sferraz@ensp.fiocruz.br [Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz (ENSP/FIOCRUZ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Escola Nacional de Saude Publica Sergio Arouca

2013-07-01

Bone tissue is a biological material composed of hydroxyapatite (HAp) and collagen matrix. The bone X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern presents characteristics of the hydroxyapatite crystallography planes. This paper presents the characterization by X-ray diffraction of caprine bone powder pattern and the comparison of this pattern with moist or dry heat cooked bone patterns. The parameters chosen to characterize the X-ray diffraction peaks were: angular position (2θ), full width at half maximumt (FWHM), and relative intensity (I{sub rel}). The X-ray diffraction patterns were obtained with a Shimadzu XRD-6000 diffractometer. The caprine bone XRD pattern revealed a significant correlation of several crystallographic parameters (lattice data) with hydroxyapatite. The profiles of the three bone types analyzed presented differences. The study showed as small angular displacement (decrease of the 2θ angle) of some peaks was observed after moist and dry heat cooking processes. The characterization of bone tissue aimed to contribute to future analysis in the field of archeology. (author)

Dietary Patterns and Fractures Risk in the Elderly

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carmela Colica

2017-12-01

Full Text Available PurposeAlthough the role of dietary factors in the prevention of bone loss and fractures has been investigated in many studies, few studies have examined the association between dietary patterns and total body bone density. Our aim was to determine the relations between dietary patterns and whole-body bone mineral density (WB-BMD and the association between dietary patterns, fractures, and multiple fractures in the elderly.MethodsThis cross-sectional study included 177 individuals aged ≥65 years. A dual X-ray absorptiometry scan was performed to measure BMD. Dietary patterns were ascertained by a combination of dietary intake assessment and principal components analysis.ResultsOnly three dietary patterns correlated with whole-body bone density. The multivariate-adjusted mean bone density across tertiles of these dietary patterns showed that the highest tertile of both the patterns 1 and 2 had a significantly higher bone density than the lowest tertile (pattern 1: 1.021 ± 0.01 and 1.070 ± 0.01 g/cm2 for T1 and T3, respectively; p = 0.043; pattern 2: 1.023 ± 0.01, and 1.081 ± 0.01 g/cm2 for T1 and T3, respectively; p = 0.003. We also find significant gender difference in these results. The highest adherence to the dietary pattern 5 was associated with decreased odds of having fractures (OR = 0.20, p = 0.009, and adherence to the pattern 1 was negatively associated with multiple fractures.ConclusionA high adherence to the dietary pattern 1 (high intake of grains, fish and olive oil was associated with a high BMD and a low number of fractures. The highest adherence to the dietary pattern 5 (legumes and wine was associated with decreased odds of having fractures. Our finding would suggest a potential bone-preserving properties of specific dietary patterns in the elderly.

Whole-body and pinhole bone scintigraphic manifestations of Reiter`s syndrome: distribution patterns and early and characteristic signs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Sung-Hoon; Chung, Soo-Kyo; Park, Young-Ha; Lee, Sung-Yong; Sohn, Hyung-Sun [Department of Nuclear Medicine, Catholic University Hospitals, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Bahk, Yong-Whee [Department of Radiology, Samsung Cheil Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

1999-02-01

The characteristic whole-body and pinhole scintigraphic manifestations of osteo-enthesopathy and arthropathy in Reiter`s syndrome (RS) are described, with an emphasis on early diagnosis. We analysed 59 sets of whole-body and pinhole bone scintigrams of 59 patients with RS. The population comprised 47 men and 12 women with an age range from 15 to 53 years (mean=29.4). Bone scintigraphy was carried out 2-2.5 h after intravenous injection of technetium-99m hydroxydiphosphonate using a single-head gamma camera (Siemens Orbiter Model 6601) with a low-energy high-resolution and a 4-mm pinhole collimator for whole-body and pinhole scintigraphy, respectively. In total 262 lesions of osteo-enthesopathy and arthritis were detected on 59 whole-body scintigrams, an incidence of 4.4 lesions per patient. As anticipated, the lesional distribution was asymmetrical: 68% were in the lower limb skeleton and 32% in the axial and upper limb skeleton. Pinhole bone scintigraphy, applied selectively to one region of interest in each case, enabled us to accurately diagnose arthritis and osteo-enthesopathy. It was noteworthy that osteo-enthesopathy, alone or in combination with arthritis, occurred in 78.9%, and had a strong predilection for the foot bones, especially the calcaneus (25.6%). Pinhole scintigraphy detected enthesopathy in the absence of radiographic alteration in 14.1% of cases and portrayed characteristic signs of RS in 6.9%. Whole-body bone scintigraphy augmented with pinhole scintigraphy was found to be useful in order to panoramically display the systemic involvement pattern, to assess the characteristic bone and articular alterations and to detect early signs of RS. (orig.) With 10 figs., 3 tabs., 19 refs.

Municipalities' Preparedness for Weather Hazards and Response to Weather Warnings.

Science.gov (United States)

Mehiriz, Kaddour; Gosselin, Pierre

2016-01-01

The study of the management of weather-related disaster risks by municipalities has attracted little attention even though these organizations play a key role in protecting the population from extreme meteorological conditions. This article contributes to filling this gap with new evidence on the level and determinants of Quebec municipalities' preparedness for weather hazards and response to related weather warnings. Using survey data from municipal emergency management coordinators and secondary data on the financial and demographic characteristics of municipalities, the study shows that most Quebec municipalities are sufficiently prepared for weather hazards and undertake measures to protect the population when informed of imminent extreme weather events. Significant differences between municipalities were noted though. Specifically, the level of preparedness was positively correlated with the municipalities' capacity and population support for weather-related disaster management policies. In addition, the risk of weather-related disasters increases the preparedness level through its effect on population support. We also found that the response to weather warnings depended on the risk of weather-related disasters, the preparedness level and the quality of weather warnings. These results highlight areas for improvement in the context of increasing frequency and/or severity of such events with current climate change.

National Weather Service

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... GIS International Weather Cooperative Observers Storm Spotters Tsunami Facts and Figures National Water Center WEATHER SAFETY NOAA Weather Radio StormReady Heat Lightning Hurricanes Thunderstorms Tornadoes Rip Currents Floods Winter Weather ...

A milk and cereal dietary pattern is associated with a reduced likelihood of having a low bone mineral density of the lumbar spine in Korean adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Shin, Sangah; Hong, Kyungeui; Kang, Seung Wan; Joung, Hyojee

2013-01-01

The traditional rice-based Korean diet has been changing toward a Western-style diet. This change has been especially rapid among adolescents. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between dietary patterns and bone health among Korean adolescents. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 196 adolescents aged 12 to 15 years. Information on the general characteristics of the subjects was obtained through a questionnaire, and dietary intake was assessed with 6-day food records. Bone mineral densities (BMDs) of the lumbar spine and femur were measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Dietary patterns were derived from 24 food groups using factor analysis. Four distinct dietary patterns-traditional Korean, fast food, milk and cereal, and snacks-were identified and accounted for 28.4% of the total variance. After adjusting for sex, age, body mass index percentiles, weight loss attempts, pubertal status, and regular exercise, the adolescents in the highest tertile of the "milk and cereal" dietary pattern score had significantly a reduced likelihood of having low BMD compared with those in the lowest tertile of this diet at the lumbar spine (odds ratio, 0.36; 95% confidence interval, 0.14-0.93; P = .0461). The other dietary patterns were not associated with the BMD of Korean adolescents. These results indicate that the intake of milk and cereal is important for the bone health of Korean adolescents, whose diets are composed mainly of grains and vegetables. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Repair of microdamage in osteonal cortical bone adjacent to bone screw.

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Lei Wang

Full Text Available Up to date, little is known about the repair mode of microdamage in osteonal cortical bone resulting from bone screw implantation. In this study, self-tapping titanium cortical bone screws were inserted into the tibial diaphyses of 24 adult male rabbits. The animals were sacrificed at 1 day, 2 weeks, 1 month and 2 months after surgery. Histomorphometric measurement and confocal microscopy were performed on basic fuchsin stained bone sections to examine the morphological characteristics of microdamage, bone resorption activity and spatial relationship between microdamage and bone resorption. Diffuse and linear cracks were coexisted in peri-screw bone. Intracortical bone resorption was significantly increased 2 weeks after screw installation and reach to the maximum at 1 month. There was no significant difference in bone resorption between 1-month and 2-months groups. Microdamage was significantly decreased within 1 month after surgery. Bone resorption was predisposed to occur in the region of <100 µm from the bone-screw interface, where had extensive diffuse damage mixed with linear cracks. Different patterns of resorption cavities appeared in peri-screw bone. These data suggest that 1 the complex microdamage composed of diffuse damage and linear cracks is a strong stimulator for initiating targeted bone remodeling; 2 bone resorption activities taking place on the surfaces of differently oriented Haversian and Volkmann canals work in a team for the repair of extensive microdamage; 3 targeted bone remodeling is a short-term reaction to microdamage and thereby it may not be able to remove all microdamage resulting from bone screw insertion.

Bone metastasis pattern in initial metastatic breast cancer: a population-based study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiong Z

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Zhenchong Xiong,1–3,* Guangzheng Deng,1–3,* Xinjian Huang,1–3,* Xing Li,1–3 Xinhua Xie,1–3 Jin Wang,1–3 Zeyu Shuang,1–3 Xi Wang1–3 1Department of Breast Surgery, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China; 2State Key Laboratory of Oncology in Southern China, Guangzhou, China; 3Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, China *These authors contributed equally to this work Purpose: Bone is one of the most common sites of breast cancer metastasis, and population-based studies of patients with bone metastasis in initial metastatic breast cancer (MBC are lacking. Materials and methods: From 2010 to 2013, 245,707 breast cancer patients and 8901 patients diagnosed with initial bone metastasis were identified by Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database of the National Cancer Institute. Multivariate logistic and Cox regression were used to identify predictive factors for the presence of bone metastasis and prognosis factors. Kaplan–Meier method and log-rank test were used for survival analysis. Results: Eight thousand nine hundred one patients with initial MBC had bone involvement, accounting for 3.6% of the entire cohort and 62.5% of the patients with initial MBC. Also, 70.5% of patients with bone metastasis were hormone receptor (HR positive (HR+/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 [HER2]−: 57.6%; HR+/HER2+: 12.9%. Patients with initial bone metastasis had a better 5-year survival rate compared to those with initial brain, liver, or lung metastasis. HR+/HER2− and HR+/HER2+ breast cancer had a propensity of bone metastasis in the entire cohort and were correlated with better prognosis in patients with initial bone metastasis. Local surgery had significantly improved overall survival in initial MBC patients with bone metastasis. Conclusion: Our study has provided population-based estimates of epidemiologic characteristics and prognosis in patients with bone metastasis at the time of

Using Micro-CT Derived Bone Microarchitecture to Analyze Bone Stiffness - A Case Study on Osteoporosis Rat Bone

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Yuchin eWu

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Micro-computed tomography images can be used to quantitatively represent bone geometry through a range of computed attenuation-based parameters. Nonetheless, those parameters remain indirect indices of bone micro-architectural strength and require further computational tools to interpret bone structural stiffness and potential for mechanical failure. Finite element analysis (FEA can be applied to measure trabecular bone stiffness and potentially predict the location of structural failure in preclinical animal models of osteoporosis, although that procedure from image segmentation of micro-CT derived bone geometry to FEA is often challenging and computationally expensive, resulting in failure of the model to build. Notably, the selection of resolution and threshold for bone segmentation are key steps that greatly affect computational complexity and validity. In the following study, we evaluated an approach whereby Micro-CT derived greyscale attenuation and segmentation data guided the selection of trabecular bone for analysis by FEA. We further correlated those FEA results to both two and three dimensional bone microarchitecture from sham and ovariectomized (OVX rats (n=10/group. A virtual cylinder of vertebral trabecular bone 40% in length from the caudal side was selected for FEA because micro-CT based image analysis indicated the largest differences in microarchitecture between the two groups resided there. Bone stiffness was calculated using FEA and statistically correlated with the three dimensional values of bone volume/tissue volume, bone mineral density, fractal dimension, trabecular separation and trabecular bone pattern factor. Our method simplified the process for the assessment of trabecular bone stiffness by FEA from Micro-CT images and highlighted the importance of bone microarchitecture in conferring significantly increased bone quality capable of resisting failure due to increased mechanical loading.

Radionuclide patterns of femoral head disease

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Webber, M M; Wagner, J; Cragin, M D [California Univ., Los Angeles (USA). Dept. of Radiological Sciences

1977-12-01

The pattern of uptake of bone marrow specific radio-sup(99m)Tc sulfur colloid and the pattern of uptake of bone mineral specific radio-sup(99m)Tc pryophosphate may be valuable in assessing bone vascularity in diseases suspected of causing impaired blood supply, or indicate the presence of reactive bone formation. The low energy of the technetium label has been shown to be superior to /sup 18/F and /sup 85/Sr, and leads to greater imaging detail on the scans. Femoral head scanning with mineral and/or marrow specific radionuclides offers the clinician a method of evaluating the status of the femoral head and possibly an early diagnosis of avascular necrosis before roentgenographic changes occur. This study, which reports on a 5-year experience using radionuclide scanning to assess femoral head vascularity, begins with baseline or normal studies followed by variations of the normal pattern. Typical scan patterns of hip pathology described above are also presented.

July/August 2009 25 Pattern of Bone Tumours Seen at Addis A

African Journals Online (AJOL)

jen

cancer morbidity and mortality, especially among young people. To measure the strength .... bones of the limbs and spine, clavicle, cranio-facial bones, pelvic bones, ribs, scapula, spine, and sternum. .... 45. 24.39. 21.95. Pathological Fracture.

Using Weather Types to Understand and Communicate Weather and Climate Impacts

Science.gov (United States)

Prein, A. F.; Hale, B.; Holland, G. J.; Bruyere, C. L.; Done, J.; Mearns, L.

2017-12-01

A common challenge in atmospheric research is the translation of scientific advancements and breakthroughs to decision relevant and actionable information. This challenge is central to the mission of NCAR's Capacity Center for Climate and Weather Extremes (C3WE, www.c3we.ucar.edu). C3WE advances our understanding of weather and climate impacts and integrates these advances with distributed information technology to create tools that promote a global culture of resilience to weather and climate extremes. Here we will present an interactive web-based tool that connects historic U.S. losses and fatalities from extreme weather and climate events to 12 large-scale weather types. Weather types are dominant weather situations such as winter high-pressure systems over the U.S. leading to very cold temperatures or summertime moist humid air masses over the central U.S. leading to severe thunderstorms. Each weather type has a specific fingerprint of economic losses and fatalities in a region that is quantified. Therefore, weather types enable a direct connection of observed or forecasted weather situation to loss of life and property. The presented tool allows the user to explore these connections, raise awareness of existing vulnerabilities, and build resilience to weather and climate extremes.

Paget's disease of bone resembling bone metastasis from gastric cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Shimoyama, Yasuyuki; Kusano, Motoyasu; Shimoda, Yoko; Ishihara, Shingo; Toyomasu, Yoshitaka; Ohno, Tetsuro; Mochiki, Erito; Sano, Takaaki; Hirato, Junko; Mori, Masatomo

2011-08-01

A 74-year-old man had an endoscopic type 0'-IIc tumor in the upper gastric body on the greater curvature and biopsy showed the tumor to be a well-differentiated adenocarcinoma (Group 5). He was referred to us for endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD). Endoscopy revealed fold convergency, fold swelling, and fusion of the fold, indicating tumor invasion into the submucosa, which was outside the indications for ESD. In addition, there was an increase of serum bone-type alkaline phosphatase (ALP-III and ALP-IV) and urinary cross-linked N-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (a bone metabolism marker), while (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography showed increased uptake in the left pelvis and Th10, suggesting bone metastases. We first diagnosed gastric cancer with bone metastases; however, the symptoms suggested pathological bone fracture and no bone pain. Therefore, a computed tomography-guided aspiration bone biopsy was performed to exclude the possibility of Paget's disease of bone. Biopsy specimens revealed no tumor and a mosaic pattern. No increased uptake of (18)F-FAMT (L-[3-(18)F] α-methyltyrosine) supported a diagnosis of no bone metastases from gastric cancer. We finally diagnosed gastric cancer accompanied by Paget's disease of bone and performed a laparoscopy-assisted proximal gastrectomy. The pathological diagnosis was U less 0-IIb, and U post 0-IIc ypT1a (M) N0H0P0M0 yp stage IA. In gastric cancer patients with suspected bone metastasis, we also need to consider Paget's disease of bone.

Surface Weather, Signal Service and Weather Bureau

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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Surface Weather, Signal Service and Weather Bureau (SWSSWB) Records primarily created by the United States Army Signal Service from 1819 until the paid and voluntary...

Correlation of bone quality in radiographic images with clinical bone quality classification

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Hyun Woo; Huh, Kyung Hoe; Kim, Jeong Hwa; Yi, Won Jin; Heo, Min Suk; Lee, Sam Sun; Choi, Soon Chul [Seoul National University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Park, Kwan Soo [Inje University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2006-03-15

To investigate the validity of digital image processing on panoramic radiographs in estimating bone quality before endosseous dental implant installation by correlating bone quality in radiographic images with clinical bone quality classification. An experienced surgeon assessed and classified bone quality for implant sites with tactile sensation at the time of implant placement. Including fractal dimension eighteen morphologic features of trabecular pattern were examined in each anatomical sites on panoramic radiographs. Finally bone quality of 67 implant sites were evaluated in 42 patients. Pearson correlation analysis showed that three morphologic parameters had weak linear negative correlation with clinical bone quality classification showing correlation coefficients of -0.276, -0.280, and -0.289, respectively (p<0.05). And other three morphologic parameters had obvious linear negative correlation with clinical bone quality classification showing correlation coefficients of -0.346, -0.488, and -0.343 respectively (p<0.05). Fractal dimension also had a linear correlating with clinical bone quality classification with correlation coefficients -0.506 significantly (P<0.05). This study suggests that fractal and morphometric analysis using digital panoramic radiographs can be used to evaluate bone quality for implant recipient sites.

Adverse Weather Evokes Nostalgia.

Science.gov (United States)

van Tilburg, Wijnand A P; Sedikides, Constantine; Wildschut, Tim

2018-03-01

Four studies examined the link between adverse weather and the palliative role of nostalgia. We proposed and tested that (a) adverse weather evokes nostalgia (Hypothesis 1); (b) adverse weather causes distress, which predicts elevated nostalgia (Hypothesis 2); (c) preventing nostalgia exacerbates weather-induced distress (Hypothesis 3); and (d) weather-evoked nostalgia confers psychological benefits (Hypothesis 4). In Study 1, participants listened to recordings of wind, thunder, rain, and neutral sounds. Adverse weather evoked nostalgia. In Study 2, participants kept a 10-day diary recording weather conditions, distress, and nostalgia. We also obtained meteorological data. Adverse weather perceptions were positively correlated with distress, which predicted higher nostalgia. Also, adverse natural weather was associated with corresponding weather perceptions, which predicted elevated nostalgia. (Results were mixed for rain.) In Study 3, preventing nostalgia (via cognitive load) increased weather-evoked distress. In Study 4, weather-evoked nostalgia was positively associated with psychological benefits. The findings pioneer the relevance of nostalgia as source of comfort in adverse weather.

Bone marrow scintigraphy vs bone scintigraphy and radiography in multiple myeloma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feggi, M.; Prandini, N.; Orzincolo, C.; Bagni, B.; Scutellari, P.N.; Spanedda, R.; Gennari, M.; Scapoli, C.L.

1988-01-01

The radiography patterns of the skeleton of 73 patients affected by multiple myeloma (MM) were compared to the correspondent scintigraphic findings. Whole body scans were performed using Tc-diphosphonates 99m (bone scintigraphy). And Tc-microcolloides 99m (bone marrow scintigraphy). The results indicate that: a) radiography is more sensitive and accurate than scintigraphy in detecting typical myeloma-related bone lesions; b) bone scintigraphy is useful in detecting alterations in particular locations-i.e. sternum, ribs, scapulae, etc.-which are difficult to demonstrate by plain X-rays; moreover, the recovery of the fractures can be visualized; c) bone marrow scintigraphy is employed to demonstrate the presence of marrow expasion, of cold/hot spots, and relative marrow uptake, related to phagocytic activity. Since in adult men red marrow is confined to the epiphysis of long bones and to the spine, all the diseases affecting bone marrow cause medullary expansion/reduction, which are both easily detected by specific radiopharmaceuticals. The peripheral expasions is clearly documented especially in distal humeri and femora since marrow uptake is included, in healthy adults, in the axial and proximal appendicular skeleton. In spite of its yielding unique informetion, bone marrow scintigraphy remains an additional technique of bone scan, because of its low diagnoditc accuracy

Bone marrow edema in sports: General concepts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vanhoenacker, F.M.; Snoeckx, A.

2007-01-01

This paper will discuss the value of medical imaging in the detection and follow-up of bone marrow edema (BME), resulting from acute and chronic trauma in sports. MR imaging is the only imaging technique that allows direct evaluation of bone marrow edema in sports medicine. The use of fat suppressed T2-weighted or STIR images is particularly appropriate to detect bone marrow edema. The extent of bone marrow edema reflects the biomechanics of trauma. Compressive forces between two bony structures will result in extensive areas of bone marrow edema, whereas distraction forces provoke more subtle areas of bone marrow edema at the insertion of supporting structures of joints. In most clinical situations, a combination of compression and distraction forces is present, causing a complex pattern of bone marrow edema. A meticulous pattern approach of the distribution of these bone marrow changes around a joint can reveal in most instances the underlying mechanism of trauma. This may be helpful to analyze which joint supporting structures may be at risk. In the acute setting, plain radiography and CT scan may have an additional role in the detection of small avulsion fractures occurring at the site of minor areas of bone marrow edema. The clinical significance and natural history of bone marrow edema is still a matter of debate

A Western Diet Pattern Is Associated with Higher Concentrations of Blood and Bone Lead among Middle-Aged and Elderly Men.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xin; Ding, Ning; Tucker, Katherine L; Weisskopf, Marc G; Sparrow, David; Hu, Howard; Park, Sung Kyun

2017-07-01

Background: Little is known about the effects of overall dietary pattern on lead concentration. Objective: We examined the association of overall dietary patterns, derived from a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire, with bone and blood lead concentrations. Methods: These longitudinal analyses included mostly non-Hispanic white, middle-aged-to-elderly men from the Veterans Affairs Normative Aging Study. Long-term lead exposures were measured as tibia and patella lead concentrations by using K-shell-X-ray fluorescence. Short-term lead exposures were measured as blood lead concentrations by using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy. Dietary pattern scores were derived by using factor analysis. Linear mixed-effects models were utilized to predict blood lead concentrations among 983 men, aged 44-92 y at baseline, with a total of 3273 observations (during 1987-2008). We constructed linear regression models to determine the relations between dietary patterns and bone lead concentrations among 649 participants with an age range of 49-93 y. Results: Two major dietary patterns were identified: a prudent dietary pattern, characterized by high intakes of fruit, legumes, vegetables, whole grains, poultry, and seafood; and a Western dietary pattern, characterized by high intakes of processed meat, red meat, refined grains, high-fat dairy products, French fries, butter, and eggs. After adjusting for age, smoking status, body mass index, total energy intake, education, occupation, neighborhood-based education and income level, men in the highest tertile of the Western pattern score (compared with the lowest) had 0.91 μg/dL (95% CI: 0.41, 1.42 μg/dL) higher blood lead, 5.96 μg/g (95% CI: 1.76, 10.16 μg/g) higher patella lead, and 3.83 μg/g (95% CI: 0.97, 6.70 μg/g) higher tibia lead. No significant association was detected with the prudent dietary pattern in the adjusted model. Conclusions: These findings suggest that the Western diet is associated with

Future weather types and their influence on mean and extreme climate indices for precipitation and temperature in Central Europe

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ulf Riediger

2014-09-01

Full Text Available In Central Europe, the spatial and temporal distributions of precipitation and temperature are determined by the occurrence of major weather types. In this paper, we examine climate indices (i.e. mean values or hot, cold, wet and dry days for different weather types in a recent (1971–2000 and future climate (2070–2099. The weather types are classified objectively for the control run and for the A1B scenario with an ensemble of eight global climate simulations (GCM to be compared with different reanalyses. To derive climate indices, the high-resolution, regionalized reference dataset HYRAS and an ensemble of nine regional climate simulations (RCM are used. Firstly, the reliability of simulated weather patterns and their climate indices are tested in the control period. The reanalyses circulation climatology can be reproduced well by the GCM ensemble mean. For temperature and precipitation, each climate index is characterized and evaluated in terms of defined weather patterns. The comparison of HYRAS and RCM data show reliable mean temperature values with differences between weather classes by +2$+2$ to -6$-6$ °C during winter (13 to 19 °C in summer. The analysis of observed and simulated precipitation reveal that mean winter precipitation is significantly influenced by the direction of air flow, while in summer, mesoscale atmospheric patterns of cyclonic rotation play a larger role. Secondly, the analysis of potential future changes simulated by the RCM ensemble were able to demonstrate that weather type changes, superior climate trends (such as mean warming and their interaction lead to major changes for precipitation and temperature in Central Europe. While temperature differences between cold and warm weather types are nearly stable over time, the ensemble temperature changes (with a range of +2$+2$ to +4$+4$ °C reinforce warm/hot conditions in the future winter and summer. Milder, wetter winters can be explained by an increased

Central and peripheral distribution of bone marrow on bone marrow scintigraphy with antigranulocytic antibody in hematologic malignancy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kang, Do Young [Dong-A University College of Medicne, Busan (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Jae Tae; Sohn, Sang Kyun; Lee, Kyu Bo [Kyungpook National University School of Medicine, Taegu (Korea, Republic of)

2002-10-01

Bone marrow scintigraphy has been used to evaluate the status of bone marrow in various hematologic disorders. We have analyzed the peripheral distribution pattern and central uptake ratio of bone marrow using anti-NCA-95 monoclonal antibody and the their correlation in patients with various hematologic malignancy. Bone marrow immunoscintigraphy was performed using Tc-99m anti-granulocyte monoclonal mouse antibody BW 250/183. Fifty patients were classified into four groups; 11 with acute myelogenous leukemia, 12 with acute lymphocytic leukemia, 15 with lymphoma and 12 with myelodysplastic syndrome. Th extension of peripheral bone marrow was categorized into four grades: I, II, III and IV. The activity of central bone marrow was expressed as sacroiliac uptake ratio. The patient's number was 4 in grade I, 27 in grade II, 15 in grade III and 4 in grade IV according to extension of peripheral bone marrow. The extension of peripheral bone marrow was marked (58% in grade III and IV) in myelodysplastic syndrome and acute lymphocytic leukemia and mild (93% in grade I and II) in lymphoma. Sacroiliac uptake ratio was highest (8.5{+-}4.0) in myelodysplastic syndrome and lowest (5.9{+-}3.6) in acute myelogenous leukemia, but not significantly different among four grades (p=0.003), but there was not correlated between grade of peripheral bone marrow and sacroiliac uptake ratio (r=0.05). Sacroiliac uptake ratio of whole patients was significantly different among four grades (p=0.003), but there was not correlated between grade of peripheral bone marrow and sacroiliac uptake ratio (r=0.05). The pattern of peripheral bone marrow extension and activity of central hemopoietic marrow were not specific to the disease entities. Response of hemopoietic bone marrow may be evaluated on both peripheral and central bone marrow in patients with hematologic malignancy.

Central and peripheral distribution of bone marrow on bone marrow scintigraphy with antigranulocytic antibody in hematologic malignancy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kang, Do Young; Lee, Jae Tae; Sohn, Sang Kyun; Lee, Kyu Bo

2002-01-01

Bone marrow scintigraphy has been used to evaluate the status of bone marrow in various hematologic disorders. We have analyzed the peripheral distribution pattern and central uptake ratio of bone marrow using anti-NCA-95 monoclonal antibody and the their correlation in patients with various hematologic malignancy. Bone marrow immunoscintigraphy was performed using Tc-99m anti-granulocyte monoclonal mouse antibody BW 250/183. Fifty patients were classified into four groups; 11 with acute myelogenous leukemia, 12 with acute lymphocytic leukemia, 15 with lymphoma and 12 with myelodysplastic syndrome. Th extension of peripheral bone marrow was categorized into four grades: I, II, III and IV. The activity of central bone marrow was expressed as sacroiliac uptake ratio. The patient's number was 4 in grade I, 27 in grade II, 15 in grade III and 4 in grade IV according to extension of peripheral bone marrow. The extension of peripheral bone marrow was marked (58% in grade III and IV) in myelodysplastic syndrome and acute lymphocytic leukemia and mild (93% in grade I and II) in lymphoma. Sacroiliac uptake ratio was highest (8.5±4.0) in myelodysplastic syndrome and lowest (5.9±3.6) in acute myelogenous leukemia, but not significantly different among four grades (p=0.003), but there was not correlated between grade of peripheral bone marrow and sacroiliac uptake ratio (r=0.05). Sacroiliac uptake ratio of whole patients was significantly different among four grades (p=0.003), but there was not correlated between grade of peripheral bone marrow and sacroiliac uptake ratio (r=0.05). The pattern of peripheral bone marrow extension and activity of central hemopoietic marrow were not specific to the disease entities. Response of hemopoietic bone marrow may be evaluated on both peripheral and central bone marrow in patients with hematologic malignancy

Assessing Weather-Yield Relationships in Rice at Local Scale Using Data Mining Approaches.

Science.gov (United States)

Delerce, Sylvain; Dorado, Hugo; Grillon, Alexandre; Rebolledo, Maria Camila; Prager, Steven D; Patiño, Victor Hugo; Garcés Varón, Gabriel; Jiménez, Daniel

2016-01-01

Seasonal and inter-annual climate variability have become important issues for farmers, and climate change has been shown to increase them. Simultaneously farmers and agricultural organizations are increasingly collecting observational data about in situ crop performance. Agriculture thus needs new tools to cope with changing environmental conditions and to take advantage of these data. Data mining techniques make it possible to extract embedded knowledge associated with farmer experiences from these large observational datasets in order to identify best practices for adapting to climate variability. We introduce new approaches through a case study on irrigated and rainfed rice in Colombia. Preexisting observational datasets of commercial harvest records were combined with in situ daily weather series. Using Conditional Inference Forest and clustering techniques, we assessed the relationships between climatic factors and crop yield variability at the local scale for specific cultivars and growth stages. The analysis showed clear relationships in the various location-cultivar combinations, with climatic factors explaining 6 to 46% of spatiotemporal variability in yield, and with crop responses to weather being non-linear and cultivar-specific. Climatic factors affected cultivars differently during each stage of development. For instance, one cultivar was affected by high nighttime temperatures in the reproductive stage but responded positively to accumulated solar radiation during the ripening stage. Another was affected by high nighttime temperatures during both the vegetative and reproductive stages. Clustering of the weather patterns corresponding to individual cropping events revealed different groups of weather patterns for irrigated and rainfed systems with contrasting yield levels. Best-suited cultivars were identified for some weather patterns, making weather-site-specific recommendations possible. This study illustrates the potential of data mining for

Assessing Weather-Yield Relationships in Rice at Local Scale Using Data Mining Approaches.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sylvain Delerce

Full Text Available Seasonal and inter-annual climate variability have become important issues for farmers, and climate change has been shown to increase them. Simultaneously farmers and agricultural organizations are increasingly collecting observational data about in situ crop performance. Agriculture thus needs new tools to cope with changing environmental conditions and to take advantage of these data. Data mining techniques make it possible to extract embedded knowledge associated with farmer experiences from these large observational datasets in order to identify best practices for adapting to climate variability. We introduce new approaches through a case study on irrigated and rainfed rice in Colombia. Preexisting observational datasets of commercial harvest records were combined with in situ daily weather series. Using Conditional Inference Forest and clustering techniques, we assessed the relationships between climatic factors and crop yield variability at the local scale for specific cultivars and growth stages. The analysis showed clear relationships in the various location-cultivar combinations, with climatic factors explaining 6 to 46% of spatiotemporal variability in yield, and with crop responses to weather being non-linear and cultivar-specific. Climatic factors affected cultivars differently during each stage of development. For instance, one cultivar was affected by high nighttime temperatures in the reproductive stage but responded positively to accumulated solar radiation during the ripening stage. Another was affected by high nighttime temperatures during both the vegetative and reproductive stages. Clustering of the weather patterns corresponding to individual cropping events revealed different groups of weather patterns for irrigated and rainfed systems with contrasting yield levels. Best-suited cultivars were identified for some weather patterns, making weather-site-specific recommendations possible. This study illustrates the potential of

Weather swap as an instrument for weather risk management in wheat production

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marković Todor

2012-01-01

Full Text Available A special type of weather derivatives are weather forwards and they exists mostly in the form of weather swaps. Hedging effectiveness in wheat production with and without weather swap was analyzed in this paper using stochastic dominance. The results show that the effect of risk reduction is significant using weather swap, but geographical- basis risk and production-related basis risk are important factor that reduce the utility of weather derivatives.

Weather conditions: a neglected factor in human salivary cortisol research?

Science.gov (United States)

Milas, Goran; Šupe-Domić, Daniela; Drmić-Hofman, Irena; Rumora, Lada; Klarić, Irena Martinović

2018-02-01

There is ample evidence that environmental stressors such as extreme weather conditions affect animal behavior and that this process is in part mediated through the elevated activity of the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis which results in an increase in cortisol secretion. This relationship has not been extensively researched in humans, and weather conditions have not been analyzed as a potential confounder in human studies of stress. Consequently, the goal of this paper was to assess the relationship between salivary cortisol and weather conditions in the course of everyday life and to test a possible moderating effect of two weather-related variables, the climate region and timing of exposure to outdoors conditions. The sample consisted of 903 secondary school students aged 18 to 21 years from Mediterranean and Continental regions. Cortisol from saliva was sampled in naturalistic settings at three time points over the course of a single day. We found that weather conditions are related to salivary cortisol concentration and that this relationship may be moderated by both the specific climate and the anticipation of immediate exposure to outdoors conditions. Unpleasant weather conditions are predictive for the level of salivary cortisol, but only among individuals who anticipate being exposed to it in the immediate future (e.g., in students attending school in the morning shift). We also demonstrated that isolated weather conditions or their patterns may be relevant in one climate area (e.g., Continental) while less relevant in the other (e.g., Mediterranean). Results of this study draw attention to the importance of controlling weather conditions in human salivary cortisol research.

Weathering and landscape evolution

Science.gov (United States)

Turkington, Alice V.; Phillips, Jonathan D.; Campbell, Sean W.

2005-04-01

In recognition of the fundamental control exerted by weathering on landscape evolution and topographic development, the 35th Binghamton Geomorphology Symposium was convened under the theme of Weathering and Landscape Evolution. The papers and posters presented at the conference imparted the state-of-the-art in weathering geomorphology, tackled the issue of scale linkage in geomorphic studies and offered a vehicle for interdisciplinary communication on research into weathering and landscape evolution. The papers included in this special issue are encapsulated here under the general themes of weathering mantles, weathering and relative dating, weathering and denudation, weathering processes and controls and the 'big picture'.

Trends in adverse weather patterns and large wildland fires in Aragón (NE Spain from 1978 to 2010

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Cardil

2013-05-01

Full Text Available This work analyzes the effects of high temperature days on large wildland fires during 1978–2010 in Aragón (NE Spain. A high temperature day was established when air temperature was higher than 20 °C at 850 hPa. Temperature at 850 hPa was chosen because it properly characterizes the low troposphere state, and some of the problems that affect surface reanalysis do not occur. High temperature days were analyzed from April to October in the study period, and the number of these extreme days increased significantly. This temporal trend implied more frequent adverse weather conditions in later years that could facilitate extreme fire behavior. The effects of those high temperatures days in large wildland fire patterns have been increasingly important in the last years of the series.

Climate change, extreme weather events, air pollution and respiratory health in Europe.

Science.gov (United States)

De Sario, M; Katsouyanni, K; Michelozzi, P

2013-09-01

Due to climate change and other factors, air pollution patterns are changing in several urbanised areas of the world, with a significant effect on respiratory health both independently and synergistically with weather conditions; climate scenarios show Europe as one of the most vulnerable regions. European studies on heatwave episodes have consistently shown a synergistic effect of air pollution and high temperatures, while the potential weather-air pollution interaction during wildfires and dust storms is unknown. Allergen patterns are also changing in response to climate change, and air pollution can modify the allergenic potential of pollens, especially in the presence of specific weather conditions. The underlying mechanisms of all these interactions are not well known; the health consequences vary from decreases in lung function to allergic diseases, new onset of diseases, exacerbation of chronic respiratory diseases, and premature death. These multidimensional climate-pollution-allergen effects need to be taken into account in estimating both climate and air pollution-related respiratory effects, in order to set up adequate policy and public health actions to face both the current and future climate and pollution challenges.

Is countershading camouflage robust to lighting change due to weather?

Science.gov (United States)

Penacchio, Olivier; Lovell, P George; Harris, Julie M

2018-02-01

Countershading is a pattern of coloration thought to have evolved in order to implement camouflage. By adopting a pattern of coloration that makes the surface facing towards the sun darker and the surface facing away from the sun lighter, the overall amount of light reflected off an animal can be made more uniformly bright. Countershading could hence contribute to visual camouflage by increasing background matching or reducing cues to shape. However, the usefulness of countershading is constrained by a particular pattern delivering 'optimal' camouflage only for very specific lighting conditions. In this study, we test the robustness of countershading camouflage to lighting change due to weather, using human participants as a 'generic' predator. In a simulated three-dimensional environment, we constructed an array of simple leaf-shaped items and a single ellipsoidal target 'prey'. We set these items in two light environments: strongly directional 'sunny' and more diffuse 'cloudy'. The target object was given the optimal pattern of countershading for one of these two environment types or displayed a uniform pattern. By measuring detection time and accuracy, we explored whether and how target detection depended on the match between the pattern of coloration on the target object and scene lighting. Detection times were longest when the countershading was appropriate to the illumination; incorrectly camouflaged targets were detected with a similar pattern of speed and accuracy to uniformly coloured targets. We conclude that structural changes in light environment, such as caused by differences in weather, do change the effectiveness of countershading camouflage.

Reconstruction of Historical Weather by Assimilating Old Weather Diary Data

Science.gov (United States)

Neluwala, P.; Yoshimura, K.; Toride, K.; Hirano, J.; Ichino, M.; Okazaki, A.

2017-12-01

Climate can control not only human life style but also other living beings. It is important to investigate historical climate to understand the current and future climates. Information about daily weather can give a better understanding of past life on earth. Long-term weather influences crop calendar as well as the development of civilizations. Unfortunately, existing reconstructed daily weather data are limited to 1850s due to the availability of instrumental data. The climate data prior to that are derived from proxy materials (e.g., tree-ring width, ice core isotopes, etc.) which are either in annual or decadal scale. However, there are many historical documents which contain information about weather such as personal diaries. In Japan, around 20 diaries in average during the 16th - 19th centuries have been collected and converted into a digitized form. As such, diary data exist in many other countries. This study aims to reconstruct historical daily weather during the 18th and 19th centuries using personal daily diaries which have analogue weather descriptions such as `cloudy' or `sunny'. A recent study has shown the possibility of assimilating coarse weather data using idealized experiments. We further extend this study by assimilating modern weather descriptions similar to diary data in recent periods. The Global Spectral model (GSM) of National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) is used to reconstruct weather with the Local Ensemble Kalman filter (LETKF). Descriptive data are first converted to model variables such as total cloud cover (TCC), solar radiation and precipitation using empirical relationships. Those variables are then assimilated on a daily basis after adding random errors to consider the uncertainty of actual diary data. The assimilation of downward short wave solar radiation using weather descriptions improves RMSE from 64.3 w/m2 to 33.0 w/m2 and correlation coefficient (R) from 0.5 to 0.8 compared with the case without any

Monthly Weather Review

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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Supplements to the Monthly Weather Review publication. The Weather Bureau published the Monthly weather review Supplement irregularly from 1914 to 1949. The...

Presbycusis: a human temporal bone study of individuals with downward sloping audiometric patterns of hearing loss and review of the literature.

Science.gov (United States)

Nelson, Erik G; Hinojosa, Raul

2006-09-01

The purpose of this retrospective case review was to identify patterns of cochlear element degeneration in individuals with presbycusis exhibiting downward sloping audiometric patterns of hearing loss and to correlate these findings with those reported in the literature to clarify conflicting concepts regarding the association between hearing loss and morphologic abnormalities. Archival human temporal bones from individuals with presbycusis were selected on the basis of strict audiometric criteria for downward-sloping audiometric thresholds. Twenty-one temporal bones that met these criteria were identified and compared with 10 temporal bones from individuals with normal hearing. The stria vascularis volumes, spiral ganglion cell populations, inner hair cells, and outer hair cells were quantitatively evaluated. The relationship between the severity of hearing loss and the degeneration of cochlear elements was analyzed using univariate linear regression models. Outer hair cell loss and ganglion cell loss was observed in all individuals with presbycusis. Inner hair cell loss was observed in 18 of the 21 individuals with presbycusis and stria vascularis loss was observed in 10 of the 21 individuals with presbycusis. The extent of degeneration of all four of the cochlear elements evaluated was highly associated with the severity of hearing loss based on audiometric thresholds at 8,000 Hz and the pure-tone average at 500, 1,000, and 2,000 Hz. The extent of ganglion cell degeneration was associated with the slope of the audiogram. Individuals with downward-sloping audiometric patterns of presbycusis exhibit degeneration of the stria vascularis, spiral ganglion cells, inner hair cells, and outer hair cells that is associated with the severity of hearing loss. This association has not been previously reported in studies that did not use quantitative methodologies for evaluating the cochlear elements and strict audiometric criteria for selecting cases.

Bone and bone marrow scintigraphy in the diagnosis of neoplastic involvement of the skeletal system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sacchi, S.; Marietta, M.; Rinaldi, G.; Torelli, U.; Pantusa, M.; Romani, F.; Zaniol, P.

1987-01-01

Bone and bone marrow scintigraphy has been performed in 16 patients with epithelial tumor or lymphoproliferative diseases and in 22 patients affected by multiple myeloma. The first technique revealed skeletal alterations in 60.5% of all the patients; the second in 42.1%. In 21 cases, however, there was agreement between bone and bone marrow radionuclide imaging, making possible a more accurate etiological diagnosis of the hot areas found in skeletal scintigraphy. In patients with multiple myeloma we found a high correlation between the marrow distribution pattern and the plasmocytoma staging accoding to Durie and Salmon. It is thoght therefore that bone marrow scintigraphy may be useful sice it provides a further diagnostic tool for a better clinical staging of patients with multiple myeloma

Age-related differences in the bone mineralization pattern of rats following exercise

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McDonald, R.; Hegenauer, J.; Saltman, P.

1986-01-01

The effect of 12 weeks of treadmill exercise on the mineralization of trabecular and cortical bone was studied in rats 7, 14, and 19 months of age. Bone mineralization was evaluated by measuring concentrations of Ca, Mg, and hydroxyproline as well as uptake of 45Ca concentration in the femur, humerus, rib and calvaria. The 7- and 14-month-old rats increased mineralization in those cortical bones directly involved in exercise. The 19-month animal responded to exercise by increasing mineralization in all bones examined, including the nonweight bearing trabecular calvaria and cortical rib. From these data, it is apparent that the older animals undergo a total skeletal mineralization in response to exercise compared with local adaptation in the younger animal. Further, we provide evidence to support the use of the rat as a model in which to study mammalian bone physiology during the aging process

Computer stress study of bone with computed tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Linden, M.J.; Marom, S.A.; Linden, C.N.

1986-01-01

A computer processing tool has been developed which, together with a finite element program, determines the stress-deformation pattern in a long bone, utilizing Computed Tomography (CT) data files for the geometry and radiographic density information. The geometry, together with mechanical properties and boundary conditions: loads and displacements, comprise the input of the Finite element (FE) computer program. The output of the program is the stresses and deformations in the bone. The processor is capable of developing an accurate three-dimensional finite element model from a scanned human long bone due to the CT high pixel resolution and the local mechanical properties determined from the radiographic densities of the scanned bone. The processor, together with the finite element program, serves first as an analysis tool towards improved understanding of bone function and remodelling. In this first stage, actual long bones may be scanned and analyzed under applied loads and displacements, determined from existing gait analyses. The stress-deformation patterns thus obtained may be used for studying the biomechanical behavior of particular long bones such as bones with implants and with osteoporosis. As a second stage, this processor may serve as a diagnostic tool for analyzing the biomechanical response of a specific patient's long long bone under applied loading by utilizing a CT data file of the specific bone as an input to the processor with the FE program

Dynamic Weather Routes: A Weather Avoidance Concept for Trajectory-Based Operations

Science.gov (United States)

McNally, B. David; Love, John

2011-01-01

The integration of convective weather modeling with trajectory automation for conflict detection, trial planning, direct routing, and auto resolution has uncovered a concept that could help controllers, dispatchers, and pilots identify improved weather routes that result in significant savings in flying time and fuel burn. Trajectory automation continuously and automatically monitors aircraft in flight to find those that could potentially benefit from improved weather reroutes. Controllers, dispatchers, and pilots then evaluate reroute options to assess their suitability given current weather and traffic. In today's operations aircraft fly convective weather avoidance routes that were implemented often hours before aircraft approach the weather and automation does not exist to automatically monitor traffic to find improved weather routes that open up due to changing weather conditions. The automation concept runs in real-time and employs two keysteps. First, a direct routing algorithm automatically identifies flights with large dog legs in their routes and therefore potentially large savings in flying time. These are common - and usually necessary - during convective weather operations and analysis of Fort Worth Center traffic shows many aircraft with short cuts that indicate savings on the order of 10 flying minutes. The second and most critical step is to apply trajectory automation with weather modeling to determine what savings could be achieved by modifying the direct route such that it avoids weather and traffic and is acceptable to controllers and flight crews. Initial analysis of Fort Worth Center traffic suggests a savings of roughly 50% of the direct route savings could be achievable.The core concept is to apply trajectory automation with convective weather modeling in real time to identify a reroute that is free of weather and traffic conflicts and indicates enough time and fuel savings to be considered. The concept is interoperable with today

Microarchitecture of the Augmented Bone Following Sinus Elevation with an Albumin Impregnated Demineralized Freeze-Dried Bone Allograft (BoneAlbumin versus Anorganic Bovine Bone Mineral: A Randomized Prospective Clinical, Histomorphometric, and Micro-Computed Tomography Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kivovics Márton

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Serum albumin has been identified as an endogenous protein that is integral to early bone regeneration. We hypothesized that albumin addition to allografts may result in better bone remodeling than what can be achieved with anorganic xenografts. Sinus elevations were performed at 32 sites of 18 patients with the lateral window technique. Sites either received filling with an anorganic bovine bone mineral (ABBM, BioOss, Geistlich, CH or albumin impregnated allograft (BoneAlbumin, OrthoSera, AT. After 6-months patients received dental implants and 16 bone core biopsy samples were obtained from the ABBM filled, and 16 from the BoneAlbumin augmented sites. The biopsies were examined by histomorphometry and µCT. Percentage of the residual graft in the BoneAlbumin group was 0–12.7%, median 5.4% vs. ABBM 6.3–35.9%, median 16.9%, p < 0.05. Results of the µCT analysis showed that the microarchitecture of the augmented bone in the BoneAlbumin group resembles that of the native maxilla in morphometric parameters Trabecular Pattern Factor and Connectivity. Our data show that while ABBM successfully integrates into the newly formed bone tissue as persisting particles, BoneAlbumin is underway towards complete remodeling with new bone closely resembling that of the intact maxilla.

The Effects of Weather Patterns on the Spatio-Temporal Distribution of SO2 over East Asia as Seen from Satellite Measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Dunlap, L.; Li, C.; Dickerson, R. R.; Krotkov, N. A.

2015-12-01

Weather systems, particularly mid-latitude wave cyclones, have been known to play an important role in the short-term variation of near-surface air pollution. Ground measurements and model simulations have demonstrated that stagnant air and minimal precipitation associated with high pressure systems are conducive to pollutant accumulation. With the passage of a cold front, built up pollution is transported downwind of the emission sources or washed out by precipitation. This concept is important to note when studying long-term changes in spatio-temporal pollution distribution, but has not been studied in detail from space. In this study, we focus on East Asia (especially the industrialized eastern China), where numerous large power plants and other point sources as well as area sources emit large amounts of SO2, an important gaseous pollutant and a precursor of aerosols. Using data from the Aura Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) we show that such weather driven distribution can indeed be discerned from satellite data by utilizing probability distribution functions (PDFs) of SO2 column content. These PDFs are multimodal and give insight into the background pollution level at a given location and contribution from local and upwind emission sources. From these PDFs it is possible to determine the frequency for a given region to have SO2 loading that exceeds the background amount. By comparing OMI-observed long-term change in the frequency with meteorological data, we can gain insights into the effects of climate change (e.g., the weakening of Asian monsoon) on regional air quality. Such insight allows for better interpretation of satellite measurements as well as better prediction of future pollution distribution as a changing climate gives way to changing weather patterns.

A comparison of weather variables linked to infectious disease patterns using laboratory addresses and patient residence addresses.

Science.gov (United States)

Djennad, Abdelmajid; Lo Iacono, Giovanni; Sarran, Christophe; Fleming, Lora E; Kessel, Anthony; Haines, Andy; Nichols, Gordon L

2018-04-27

To understand the impact of weather on infectious diseases, information on weather parameters at patient locations is needed, but this is not always accessible due to confidentiality or data availability. Weather parameters at nearby locations are often used as a proxy, but the accuracy of this practice is not known. Daily Campylobacter and Cryptosporidium cases across England and Wales were linked to local temperature and rainfall at the residence postcodes of the patients and at the corresponding postcodes of the laboratory where the patient's specimen was tested. The paired values of daily rainfall and temperature for the laboratory versus residence postcodes were interpolated from weather station data, and the results were analysed for agreement using linear regression. We also assessed potential dependency of the findings on the relative geographic distance between the patient's residence and the laboratory. There was significant and strong agreement between the daily values of rainfall and temperature at diagnostic laboratories with the values at the patient residence postcodes for samples containing the pathogens Campylobacter or Cryptosporidium. For rainfall, the R-squared was 0.96 for the former and 0.97 for the latter, and for maximum daily temperature, the R-squared was 0.99 for both. The overall mean distance between the patient residence and the laboratory was 11.9 km; however, the distribution of these distances exhibited a heavy tail, with some rare situations where the distance between the patient residence and the laboratory was larger than 500 km. These large distances impact the distributions of the weather variable discrepancies (i.e. the differences between weather parameters estimated at patient residence postcodes and those at laboratory postcodes), with discrepancies up to ±10 °C for the minimum and maximum temperature and 20 mm for rainfall. Nevertheless, the distributions of discrepancies (estimated separately for minimum and maximum

Patterns of magnetic resonance imaging bone erosion in rheumatoid arthritis--which bones are most frequently involved and show the most change?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ostergaard, Mikkel; Møller Døhn, Uffe; Duer-Jensen, Anne

2011-01-01

To investigate by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) which bones in wrists and metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints most frequently show bone erosions, and which most frequently demonstrate erosive progression, in early and established rheumatoid arthritis (RA).......To investigate by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) which bones in wrists and metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints most frequently show bone erosions, and which most frequently demonstrate erosive progression, in early and established rheumatoid arthritis (RA)....

Transition pattern and mechanism of B-lymphocyte precursors in regenerated mouse bone marrow after subtotal body irradiation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Deping Han

Full Text Available Little is known about the effects of ionizing radiation on the transition and the related signal transduction of progenitor B cells in the bone marrow. Thus, using an NIH Swiss mouse model, we explored the impact of ionizing radiation on the early stage of B-cell development via an examination of the transition of CLP to pro-B to pre-B cells within bone marrow as a function of radiation doses and times. Our results showed that while the total number of bone marrow lymphoid cells at different stages were greatly reduced by subtotal body irradiation (sub-TBI, the surviving cells continued to transition from common lymphoid progenitors to pro-B and then to pre-B in a reproducible temporal pattern. The rearrangement of the immunoglobulin heavy chain increased significantly 1-2 weeks after irradiation, but no change occurred after 3-4 weeks. The rearrangement of the immunoglobulin light chain decreased significantly 1-2 weeks after sub-TBI but increased dramatically after 3-4 weeks. In addition, several key transcription factors and signaling pathways were involved in B-precursor transitions after sub-TBI. The data indicate that week 2 after irradiation is a critical time for the transition from pro-B cells to pre-B cells, reflecting that the functional processes for different B-cell stages are well preserved even after high-dose irradiation.

Autumn Weather and Winter Increase in Cerebrovascular Disease Mortality

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

McDonagh, R

2016-11-01

Mortality from cerebrovascular disease increases in winter but the cause is unclear. Ireland’s oceanic climate means that it infrequently experiences extremes of weather. We examined how weather patterns relate to stroke mortality in Ireland. Seasonal data for Sunshine (% of average), Rainfall (% of average) and Temperature (degrees Celsius above average) were collected for autumn (September-November) and winter (December-February) using official Irish Meteorological Office data. National cerebrovascular mortality data was obtained from Quarterly Vital Statistics. Excess winter deaths were calculated by subtracting (nadir) 3rd quarter mortality data from subsequent 1st quarter data. Data for 12 years were analysed, 2002-2014. Mean winter mortality excess was 24.7%. Winter mortality correlated with temperature (r=.60, p=0.04). Rise in winter mortality correlated strongly with the weather in the preceding autumn (Rainfall: r=-0.19 p=0.53, Temperature: r=-0.60, p=0.03, Sunshine, r=0.58, p=0.04). Winter cerebrovascular disease mortality appears higher following cool, sunny autum

The usefulness of postoperative pinhole bone scintigraphy in the assessment of prognosis after multiple drilling or vascularized bone graft in patients with avascular necrosis of femoral head

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jeong, Young An; Kim, Sung Hoon; Cheon, Kyung Ah; Park, Young Ha; Jeong, Soo Kyo [College of Medicine, The Catholic Univ., Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Song Moon Kab [Eulji Medical Center, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

1999-08-01

It is important to evaluate the healing process of avascular necrosis (AVN) involving femoral head after treatment. The purpose of this study was to assess the usefulness of pinhole bone scintigraphy in the AVN of femoral head after surgery. We analyzed the changing pattern of pinhole bone scintigram in 21 femoral heads of 16 patients (14 lesions/11 male, 7 lesions/5 female, mean age : 39.4 yrs) before and after multiple drilling or vascularized bone grafting for AVN of the femoral head. In all patients, pre-operative scintigrams were obtained at 1 to 3 months before treatment and the first post-operative scintigrams were obtained at 1 to 3 months after treatment. All patients were followed for 2 to 4 years after operation. The findings of the pinhole scintigrams were divided into three patterns: 1) curvilinear, 2) scattered spotty and 3) underdetermined. The 10 of 11 lesions with curvilinear pattern had good postoperative clinical and radiological follow-up findings. However, all 6 lesions with scattered spotty pattern showed poor postoperative findings, which necessitated total hip joint replacement. Of the 4 lesions with undetermined pattern, 2 required total hip joint replacement. There was significant difference in postoperative prognosis between the curvilinear and scattered spotty patterns (p<0.05). We conclude that the pattern of pinhole bone scintigram obtained within 1 to 3 months after multiple drilling or vascularized bone graft operation is a useful prognostic indicator in the AVN of femoral head.

The usefulness of postoperative pinhole bone scintigraphy in the assessment of prognosis after multiple drilling or vascularized bone graft in patients with avascular necrosis of femoral head

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jeong, Young An; Kim, Sung Hoon; Cheon, Kyung Ah; Park, Young Ha; Jeong, Soo Kyo; Song Moon Kab

1999-01-01

It is important to evaluate the healing process of avascular necrosis (AVN) involving femoral head after treatment. The purpose of this study was to assess the usefulness of pinhole bone scintigraphy in the AVN of femoral head after surgery. We analyzed the changing pattern of pinhole bone scintigram in 21 femoral heads of 16 patients (14 lesions/11 male, 7 lesions/5 female, mean age : 39.4 yrs) before and after multiple drilling or vascularized bone grafting for AVN of the femoral head. In all patients, pre-operative scintigrams were obtained at 1 to 3 months before treatment and the first post-operative scintigrams were obtained at 1 to 3 months after treatment. All patients were followed for 2 to 4 years after operation. The findings of the pinhole scintigrams were divided into three patterns: 1) curvilinear, 2) scattered spotty and 3) underdetermined. The 10 of 11 lesions with curvilinear pattern had good postoperative clinical and radiological follow-up findings. However, all 6 lesions with scattered spotty pattern showed poor postoperative findings, which necessitated total hip joint replacement. Of the 4 lesions with undetermined pattern, 2 required total hip joint replacement. There was significant difference in postoperative prognosis between the curvilinear and scattered spotty patterns (p<0.05). We conclude that the pattern of pinhole bone scintigram obtained within 1 to 3 months after multiple drilling or vascularized bone graft operation is a useful prognostic indicator in the AVN of femoral head

Alveolar bone regeneration pattern following surgical and non ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

One hundred and fifty six interproximal sites, with periodontal pockets deeper than 5mm and showing loss of bone on standard dental periapical radiographs, were treated by subgingival instrumentation and open periodontal flap debridement in 12 patients properly motivated and given thorough oral hygiene instructions.

Cold-Weather Sports

Science.gov (United States)

... Videos for Educators Search English Español Cold-Weather Sports KidsHealth / For Teens / Cold-Weather Sports What's in this article? What to Do? Classes ... weather. What better time to be outdoors? Winter sports can help you burn calories, increase your cardiovascular ...

New quantitative, in-situ characterization of weathering in geomaterials.

Science.gov (United States)

Scrivano, Simona; Gaggero, Laura; Gisbert Aguilar, Josep; Yus Gonzalez, Adrian

2016-04-01

intensity results are defined and categorized. Drdàcky M. & Slìzkovà Z., 2014. In situ peeling tests for assessing the cohesion and consolidation characteristics of historic plasters and render surfaces. Studies in conservation, vol 0. Fitzner B. & Heinrichs K., 2002. Damage diagnosis on stone monuments weathering forms, damage categories and damage indices. - In: Prikryl R. and Viles H.A. (eds.): Understanding and managing stone decay. - Proceedings Internat. Conf. "Stone weathering and atmospheric pollution network (SWAPNET)": 11-56, Charles Univ. Prague (Karolinum Press). ICOMOS.ISCS, 2008 Illustrated glossary on stone deterioration patterns, 78 pp. Scrivano S., Gaggero L. & Taddei A., 2013. Alteration patterns of marble under different environmental exposures: a systematic approach from the Staglieno Monumental cemetery and museum collections in Genoa (Italy). In: Proceedings of the 12th International Congress on Deterioration and Conservation of Stone, New York, 22-26 October 2012. In press.

No evidence of the effect of extreme weather events on annual occurrence of four groups of ectothermic species.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Agnieszka H Malinowska

Full Text Available Weather extremes may have strong effects on biodiversity, as known from theoretical and modelling studies. Predicted negative effects of increased weather variation are found only for a few species, mostly plants and birds in empirical studies. Therefore, we investigated correlations between weather variability and patterns in occupancy, local colonisations and local extinctions (metapopulation metrics across four groups of ectotherms: Odonata, Orthoptera, Lepidoptera, and Reptilia. We analysed data of 134 species on a 1×1 km-grid base, collected in the last 20 years from the Netherlands, combining standardised data and opportunistic data. We applied dynamic site-occupancy models and used the results as input for analyses of (i trends in distribution patterns, (ii the effect of temperature on colonisation and persistence probability, and (iii the effect of years with extreme weather on all the three metapopulation metrics. All groups, except butterflies, showed more positive than negative trends in metapopulation metrics. We did not find evidence that the probability of colonisation or persistence increases with temperature nor that extreme weather events are reflected in higher extinction risks. We could not prove that weather extremes have visible and consistent negative effects on ectothermic species in temperate northern hemisphere. These findings do not confirm the general prediction that increased weather variability imperils biodiversity. We conclude that weather extremes might not be ecologically relevant for the majority of species. Populations might be buffered against weather variation (e.g. by habitat heterogeneity, or other factors might be masking the effects (e.g. availability and quality of habitat. Consequently, we postulate that weather extremes have less, or different, impact in real world metapopulations than theory and models suggest.

Lions as Bone Accumulators? Paleontological and Ecological Implications of a Modern Bone Assemblage from Olduvai Gorge.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mari Carmen Arriaza

Full Text Available Analytic models have been developed to reconstruct early hominin behaviour, especially their subsistence patterns, revealed mainly through taphonomic analyses of archaeofaunal assemblages. Taphonomic research is used to discern which agents (carnivores, humans or both generate the bone assemblages recovered at archaeological sites. Taphonomic frameworks developed during the last decades show that the only large-sized carnivores in African biomes able to create bone assemblages are leopards and hyenas. A carnivore-made bone assemblage located in the short-grassland ecological unit of the Serengeti (within Olduvai Gorge was studied. Taphonomic analyses of this assemblage including skeletal part representation, bone density, breakage patterns and anatomical distribution of tooth marks, along with an ecological approach to the prey selection made by large carnivores of the Serengeti, were carried out. The results show that this bone assemblage may be the first lion-accumulated assemblage documented, although other carnivores (namely spotted hyenas may have also intervened through postdepositional ravaging. This first faunal assemblage potentially created by lions constitutes a new framework for neotaphonomic studies. Since lions may accumulate carcasses under exceptional circumstances, such as those documented at the site reported here, this finding may have important consequences for interpretations of early archaeological and paleontological sites, which provide key information about human evolution.

Lions as Bone Accumulators? Paleontological and Ecological Implications of a Modern Bone Assemblage from Olduvai Gorge.

Science.gov (United States)

Arriaza, Mari Carmen; Domínguez-Rodrigo, Manuel; Yravedra, José; Baquedano, Enrique

2016-01-01

Analytic models have been developed to reconstruct early hominin behaviour, especially their subsistence patterns, revealed mainly through taphonomic analyses of archaeofaunal assemblages. Taphonomic research is used to discern which agents (carnivores, humans or both) generate the bone assemblages recovered at archaeological sites. Taphonomic frameworks developed during the last decades show that the only large-sized carnivores in African biomes able to create bone assemblages are leopards and hyenas. A carnivore-made bone assemblage located in the short-grassland ecological unit of the Serengeti (within Olduvai Gorge) was studied. Taphonomic analyses of this assemblage including skeletal part representation, bone density, breakage patterns and anatomical distribution of tooth marks, along with an ecological approach to the prey selection made by large carnivores of the Serengeti, were carried out. The results show that this bone assemblage may be the first lion-accumulated assemblage documented, although other carnivores (namely spotted hyenas) may have also intervened through postdepositional ravaging. This first faunal assemblage potentially created by lions constitutes a new framework for neotaphonomic studies. Since lions may accumulate carcasses under exceptional circumstances, such as those documented at the site reported here, this finding may have important consequences for interpretations of early archaeological and paleontological sites, which provide key information about human evolution.

Lions as Bone Accumulators? Paleontological and Ecological Implications of a Modern Bone Assemblage from Olduvai Gorge

Science.gov (United States)

Arriaza, Mari Carmen; Domínguez-Rodrigo, Manuel; Yravedra, José; Baquedano, Enrique

2016-01-01

Analytic models have been developed to reconstruct early hominin behaviour, especially their subsistence patterns, revealed mainly through taphonomic analyses of archaeofaunal assemblages. Taphonomic research is used to discern which agents (carnivores, humans or both) generate the bone assemblages recovered at archaeological sites. Taphonomic frameworks developed during the last decades show that the only large-sized carnivores in African biomes able to create bone assemblages are leopards and hyenas. A carnivore-made bone assemblage located in the short-grassland ecological unit of the Serengeti (within Olduvai Gorge) was studied. Taphonomic analyses of this assemblage including skeletal part representation, bone density, breakage patterns and anatomical distribution of tooth marks, along with an ecological approach to the prey selection made by large carnivores of the Serengeti, were carried out. The results show that this bone assemblage may be the first lion-accumulated assemblage documented, although other carnivores (namely spotted hyenas) may have also intervened through postdepositional ravaging. This first faunal assemblage potentially created by lions constitutes a new framework for neotaphonomic studies. Since lions may accumulate carcasses under exceptional circumstances, such as those documented at the site reported here, this finding may have important consequences for interpretations of early archaeological and paleontological sites, which provide key information about human evolution. PMID:27144649

Cockpit weather information needs

Science.gov (United States)

Scanlon, Charles H.

1992-01-01

The primary objective is to develop an advanced pilot weather interface for the flight deck and to measure its utilization and effectiveness in pilot reroute decision processes, weather situation awareness, and weather monitoring. Identical graphical weather displays for the dispatcher, air traffic control (ATC), and pilot crew should also enhance the dialogue capabilities for reroute decisions. By utilizing a broadcast data link for surface observations, forecasts, radar summaries, lightning strikes, and weather alerts, onboard weather computing facilities construct graphical displays, historical weather displays, color textual displays, and other tools to assist the pilot crew. Since the weather data is continually being received and stored by the airborne system, the pilot crew has instantaneous access to the latest information. This information is color coded to distinguish degrees of category for surface observations, ceiling and visibilities, and ground radar summaries. Automatic weather monitoring and pilot crew alerting is accomplished by the airborne computing facilities. When a new weather information is received, the displays are instantaneously changed to reflect the new information. Also, when a new surface or special observation for the intended destination is received, the pilot crew is informed so that information can be studied at the pilot's discretion. The pilot crew is also immediately alerted when a severe weather notice, AIRMET or SIGMET, is received. The cockpit weather display shares a multicolor eight inch cathode ray tube and overlaid touch panel with a pilot crew data link interface. Touch sensitive buttons and areas are used for pilot selection of graphical and data link displays. Time critical ATC messages are presented in a small window that overlays other displays so that immediate pilot alerting and action can be taken. Predeparture and reroute clearances are displayed on the graphical weather system so pilot review of weather along

Extreme weather-year sequences have nonadditive effects on environmental nitrogen losses.

Science.gov (United States)

Iqbal, Javed; Necpalova, Magdalena; Archontoulis, Sotirios V; Anex, Robert P; Bourguignon, Marie; Herzmann, Daryl; Mitchell, David C; Sawyer, John E; Zhu, Qing; Castellano, Michael J

2018-01-01

The frequency and intensity of extreme weather years, characterized by abnormal precipitation and temperature, are increasing. In isolation, these years have disproportionately large effects on environmental N losses. However, the sequence of extreme weather years (e.g., wet-dry vs. dry-wet) may affect cumulative N losses. We calibrated and validated the DAYCENT ecosystem process model with a comprehensive set of biogeophysical measurements from a corn-soybean rotation managed at three N fertilizer inputs with and without a winter cover crop in Iowa, USA. Our objectives were to determine: (i) how 2-year sequences of extreme weather affect 2-year cumulative N losses across the crop rotation, and (ii) if N fertilizer management and the inclusion of a winter cover crop between corn and soybean mitigate the effect of extreme weather on N losses. Using historical weather (1951-2013), we created nine 2-year scenarios with all possible combinations of the driest ("dry"), wettest ("wet"), and average ("normal") weather years. We analyzed the effects of these scenarios following several consecutive years of relatively normal weather. Compared with the normal-normal 2-year weather scenario, 2-year extreme weather scenarios affected 2-year cumulative NO 3 - leaching (range: -93 to +290%) more than N 2 O emissions (range: -49 to +18%). The 2-year weather scenarios had nonadditive effects on N losses: compared with the normal-normal scenario, the dry-wet sequence decreased 2-year cumulative N 2 O emissions while the wet-dry sequence increased 2-year cumulative N 2 O emissions. Although dry weather decreased NO 3 - leaching and N 2 O emissions in isolation, 2-year cumulative N losses from the wet-dry scenario were greater than the dry-wet scenario. Cover crops reduced the effects of extreme weather on NO 3 - leaching but had a lesser effect on N 2 O emissions. As the frequency of extreme weather is expected to increase, these data suggest that the sequence of interannual weather

Silica Retention and Enrichment in Open-System Chemical Weathering on Mars

Science.gov (United States)

Yen, A. S.; Ming, D. W.; Gellert, R.; Clark, B. C.; Mittlefehldt, D. W.; Morris, R. V.; Thompson, L. M.; Berger, J.

2015-01-01

Chemical signatures of weathering are evident in the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) datasets from Gusev Crater, Meridiani Planum, and Gale Crater. Comparisons across the landing sites show consistent patterns indicating silica retention and/or enrichment in open-system aqueous alteration.

NASA Space Weather Center Services: Potential for Space Weather Research

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Yihua; Kuznetsova, Masha; Pulkkinen, Antti; Taktakishvili, A.; Mays, M. L.; Chulaki, A.; Lee, H.; Hesse, M.

2012-01-01

The NASA Space Weather Center's primary objective is to provide the latest space weather information and forecasting for NASA's robotic missions and its partners and to bring space weather knowledge to the public. At the same time, the tools and services it possesses can be invaluable for research purposes. Here we show how our archive and real-time modeling of space weather events can aid research in a variety of ways, with different classification criteria. We will list and discuss major CME events, major geomagnetic storms, and major SEP events that occurred during the years 2010 - 2012. Highlights of major tools/resources will be provided.

Weathering and weathering rates of natural stone

Science.gov (United States)

Winkler, Erhard M.

1987-06-01

Physical and chemical weathering were studied as separate processes in the past. Recent research, however, shows that most processes are physicochemical in nature. The rates at which calcite and silica weather by dissolution are dependent on the regional and local climatic environment. The weathering of silicate rocks leaves discolored margins and rinds, a function of the rocks' permeability and of the climatic parameters. Salt action, the greatest disruptive factor, is complex and not yet fully understood in all its phases, but some of the causes of disruption are crystallization pressure, hydration pressure, and hygroscopic attraction of excess moisture. The decay of marble is complex, an interaction between disolution, crack-corrosion, and expansion-contraction cycies triggered by the release of residual stresses. Thin spalls of granites commonly found near the street level of buildings are generally caused by a combination of stress relief and salt action. To study and determine weathering rates of a variety of commercial stones, the National Bureau of Standards erected a Stone Exposure Test Wall in 1948. Of the many types of stone represented, only a few fossiliferous limestones permit a valid measurement of surface reduction in a polluted urban environment.

On the dual nature of lichen-induced rock surface weathering in contrasting micro-environments.

Science.gov (United States)

Marques, Joana; Gonçalves, João; Oliveira, Cláudia; Favero-Longo, Sergio E; Paz-Bermúdez, Graciela; Almeida, Rubim; Prieto, Beatriz

2016-10-01

Contradictory evidence from biogeomorphological studies has increased the debate on the extent of lichen contribution to differential rock surface weathering in both natural and cultural settings. This study, undertaken in Côa Valley Archaeological Park, aimed at evaluating the effect of rock surface orientation on the weathering ability of dominant lichens. Hyphal penetration and oxalate formation at the lichen-rock interface were evaluated as proxies of physical and chemical weathering, respectively. A new protocol of pixel-based supervised image classification for the analysis of periodic acid-Schiff stained cross-sections of colonized schist revealed that hyphal spread of individual species was not influenced by surface orientation. However, hyphal spread was significantly higher in species dominant on northwest facing surfaces. An apparently opposite effect was noticed in terms of calcium oxalate accumulation at the lichen-rock interface; it was detected by Raman spectroscopy and complementary X-ray microdiffraction on southeast facing surfaces only. These results suggest that lichen-induced physical weathering may be most severe on northwest facing surfaces by means of an indirect effect of surface orientation on species abundance, and thus dependent on the species, whereas lichen-induced chemical weathering is apparently higher on southeast facing surfaces and dependent on micro-environmental conditions, giving only weak support to the hypothesis that lichens are responsible for the currently observed pattern of rock-art distribution in Côa Valley. Assumptions about the drivers of open-air rock-art distribution patterns elsewhere should also consider the micro-environmental controls of lichen-induced weathering, to avoid biased measures of lichen contribution to rock-art deterioration. © 2016 by the Ecological Society of America.

Classification of alveolar bone destruction patterns on maxillary ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Objective: The defective diagnosis of alveolar structures is one of most serious handicaps when assessing available periodontal treatment options for the prevention of tooth loss. The aim of this research was to classify alveolar bone defects in the maxillary molar region which is a challenging area for dental implant ...

Patterns of Practice in Palliative Radiotherapy for Painful Bone Metastases: Impact of a Regional Rapid Access Clinic on Access to Care

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, Jackson S.Y.; Kerba, Marc; Wong, Rebecca K.S.; Mckimmon, Erin; Eigl, Bernhard; Hagen, Neil A.

2010-01-01

Purpose: External beam radiotherapy (RT) is commonly indicated for the palliation of symptomatic bone metastases, but there is evidence of underutilization of this treatment modality in palliative care for cancer populations. This study was conducted to investigate factors that influenced the use of palliative RT services at a regional comprehensive cancer center. Methods and Materials: A cohort of patients with radiographically confirmed bone metastases and first-time users of palliative RT between 2003 and 2005 was retrospectively reviewed from the time of initial diagnosis of bone metastases to death or last follow-up. Type of radiation treatment service provider used (rapid access or routine access) and patient-, tumor-, and treatment-related factors were analyzed for their influences on the number of treatment courses given over the duration of disease. Results: A total of 887 patients received 1,354 courses of palliative RT for bone metastases at a median interval of 4.0 months between courses. Thirty-three percent of patients required more than one RT course. Increased age and travel distance reduced the likelihood and number of treatment courses, while service through a rapid access clinic was independently associated with an increase in subsequent use of palliative RT. Conclusions: A rapid access service model for palliative RT facilitated access to RT. Travel distance and other factors remained substantial barriers to use of palliative RT services. The pattern of practice suggests an unmet need for symptom control in patients with bone metastases.

Giant cell tumor with secondary aneurysmal bone cyst shows heterogeneous metabolic pattern on {sup 18}F-FDG PET.CT: A case reort

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Hee Jeong; Kwon, Seong Young; Yoon, Yeon Hong [Chonnam National University Hwasun Hospital, Huasun (Korea, Republic of); Cho, Sang Geon; Kim, Jahae; Song, Ho Chun; Kim, Sung Sun; Park, Jin Gyoon [Chonnam National University Hospital, Gwangju (Korea, Republic of)

2016-12-15

Giant cell tumor (GCT) is a generally benign bone tumor accounting for approximately 5 % of all primary bone neoplasms. Cystic components in GCTs that indicate secondary aneurysmal bone cysts (ABCs) are reported in 14 % of GCTs. Although both of them have been described separately in previous reports that may show considerable fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake despite their benign nature, the findings of GCT with secondary ABC on 18F-FDG positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) have not been well-known. We report a case of GCT with secondary ABC in a 26-year-old woman. 18F-FDG PET/CT revealed a heterogeneous hypermetabolic lesion in the left proximal femur with the maximum standardized uptake value of 4.7. The solid components of the tumor showed higher FDG uptake than the cystic components. These observations suggest that the ABC components in GCTs show heterogeneous metabolic patterns on {sup 18}F-FDG PET/CT.

Giant cell tumor with secondary aneurysmal bone cyst shows heterogeneous metabolic pattern on "1"8F-FDG PET.CT: A case reort

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Hee Jeong; Kwon, Seong Young; Yoon, Yeon Hong; Cho, Sang Geon; Kim, Jahae; Song, Ho Chun; Kim, Sung Sun; Park, Jin Gyoon

2016-01-01

Giant cell tumor (GCT) is a generally benign bone tumor accounting for approximately 5 % of all primary bone neoplasms. Cystic components in GCTs that indicate secondary aneurysmal bone cysts (ABCs) are reported in 14 % of GCTs. Although both of them have been described separately in previous reports that may show considerable fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake despite their benign nature, the findings of GCT with secondary ABC on 18F-FDG positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) have not been well-known. We report a case of GCT with secondary ABC in a 26-year-old woman. 18F-FDG PET/CT revealed a heterogeneous hypermetabolic lesion in the left proximal femur with the maximum standardized uptake value of 4.7. The solid components of the tumor showed higher FDG uptake than the cystic components. These observations suggest that the ABC components in GCTs show heterogeneous metabolic patterns on "1"8F-FDG PET/CT

Presbycusis: a human temporal bone study of individuals with flat audiometric patterns of hearing loss using a new method to quantify stria vascularis volume.

Science.gov (United States)

Nelson, Erik G; Hinojosa, Raul

2003-10-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of stria vascularis atrophy in individuals with presbycusis and flat audiometric patterns of hearing loss. Individuals with presbycusis have historically been categorized by the shape of their audiograms, and flat audiometric thresholds have been reported to be associated with atrophy of the stria vascularis. Stria vascularis volume was not measured in these studies. Retrospective case review. Archival human temporal bones from individuals with presbycusis were selected on the basis of strict audiometric criteria for flat audiometric thresholds. Six temporal bones that met these criteria were identified and compared with 10 temporal bones in individuals with normal hearing. A unique quantitative method was developed to measure the stria vascularis volume in these temporal bones. The hair cell and spiral ganglion cell populations also were quantitatively evaluated. Only one of the six individuals with presbycusis and flat audiometric thresholds had significant atrophy of the stria vascularis. This individual with stria vascularis atrophy also had reduced inner hair cell, outer hair cell, and ganglion cell populations. Three of the individuals with presbycusis had spiral ganglion cell loss, three individuals had inner hair cell loss, and all six individuals had outer hair cell loss. The results of this investigation suggest that individuals with presbycusis and flat audiometric patterns of hearing loss infrequently have stria vascularis atrophy. Outer hair cell loss alone or in combination with inner hair cell or ganglion cell loss may be the cause of flat audiometric thresholds in individuals with presbycusis.

Investigation of the weathering effect on Rb-Sr systematics and trace element abundances in Antarctic and non-Antarctic meteorites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nishikawa, Yoshiyuki; Nakamura, Noboru; Misawa, Keiji; Okano, Osamu; Yamamoto, Koshi; Kagami, Hiroo.

1990-01-01

In order to examine weathering effects on chondritic meteorites in Antarctic and non-Antarctic environments, the Rb-Sr isotopic ratios and abundances of REE, Ba, Sr, Rb, and K were determined for 8H-group chondrites (Yamato-790986 [H3], Yamato-74492 [H3], Grady [H3], Brownfield [H3], Clovis (No.1) [H3], Yamato-74155 [H4], Allegan [H5] [one whole-rock and two chondrules], and Yamato-74371 [H5]), and partly for the Etter (L5) chondrite. The Allegan whole-rock shows a flat REE pattern with a large negative Eu anomaly and Sr depletion. Analyses of Rb-Sr systematics of one whole-rock and two chondrules show somewhat younger age 4.38±0.12 b.y. It is suggested that REE and Rb-Sr were redistributed during the early thermal metamorphism. Except for Allegan, most other H-chondrites (finds) show the perturbation of the Rb-Sr systematics, indicating recent loss of Rb. It was found that the weathering degree is related with the Rb-Sr disturbance in Antarctic H-chondrite. In spite of different degrees of weathering, all the Antarctic H-chondrites studied (including heavily weathered ones) show flat REE patterns normal as H-chondrite with occasional occurrence of minor Eu anomalies, indicating the tough resistance of REE in H-chondrites to the Antarctic weathering. On the other hand, non-Antarctic finds (particularly the weathered chondrites) indicate light-REE enriched patterns with a large negative Ce anomaly and extreme enrichment of Ba, suggestive of terrestrial contaminations. (author)

Weatherization Works: Weatherization Assistance Program Close-Up Fact Sheet

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2001-01-01

The United States demonstrates its commitment to technology and efficiency through the Weatherization Program. Weatherization uses advanced technologies and techniques to reduce energy costs for low-income families by increasing the energy efficiency of their homes

Utilizing artificial neural networks to predict demand for weather-sensitive products at retail stores

OpenAIRE

Taghizadeh, Elham

2017-01-01

One key requirement for effective supply chain management is the quality of its inventory management. Various inventory management methods are typically employed for different types of products based on their demand patterns, product attributes, and supply network. In this paper, our goal is to develop robust demand prediction methods for weather sensitive products at retail stores. We employ historical datasets from Walmart, whose customers and markets are often exposed to extreme weather ev...

Climate Change, Extreme Weather Events, and Human Health Implications in the Asia Pacific Region.

Science.gov (United States)

Hashim, Jamal Hisham; Hashim, Zailina

2016-03-01

The Asia Pacific region is regarded as the most disaster-prone area of the world. Since 2000, 1.2 billion people have been exposed to hydrometeorological hazards alone through 1215 disaster events. The impacts of climate change on meteorological phenomena and environmental consequences are well documented. However, the impacts on health are more elusive. Nevertheless, climate change is believed to alter weather patterns on the regional scale, giving rise to extreme weather events. The impacts from extreme weather events are definitely more acute and traumatic in nature, leading to deaths and injuries, as well as debilitating and fatal communicable diseases. Extreme weather events include heat waves, cold waves, floods, droughts, hurricanes, tropical cyclones, heavy rain, and snowfalls. Globally, within the 20-year period from 1993 to 2012, more than 530 000 people died as a direct result of almost 15 000 extreme weather events, with losses of more than US$2.5 trillion in purchasing power parity. © 2015 APJPH.

Identification of mechanosensitive genes during embryonic bone formation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Niamh C Nowlan

2008-12-01

Full Text Available Although it is known that mechanical forces are needed for normal bone development, the current understanding of how biophysical stimuli are interpreted by and integrated with genetic regulatory mechanisms is limited. Mechanical forces are thought to be mediated in cells by "mechanosensitive" genes, but it is a challenge to demonstrate that the genetic regulation of the biological system is dependant on particular mechanical forces in vivo. We propose a new means of selecting candidate mechanosensitive genes by comparing in vivo gene expression patterns with patterns of biophysical stimuli, computed using finite element analysis. In this study, finite element analyses of the avian embryonic limb were performed using anatomically realistic rudiment and muscle morphologies, and patterns of biophysical stimuli were compared with the expression patterns of four candidate mechanosensitive genes integral to bone development. The expression patterns of two genes, Collagen X (ColX and Indian hedgehog (Ihh, were shown to colocalise with biophysical stimuli induced by embryonic muscle contractions, identifying them as potentially being involved in the mechanoregulation of bone formation. An altered mechanical environment was induced in the embryonic chick, where a neuromuscular blocking agent was administered in ovo to modify skeletal muscle contractions. Finite element analyses predicted dramatic changes in levels and patterns of biophysical stimuli, and a number of immobilised specimens exhibited differences in ColX and Ihh expression. The results obtained indicate that computationally derived patterns of biophysical stimuli can be used to inform a directed search for genes that may play a mechanoregulatory role in particular in vivo events or processes. Furthermore, the experimental data demonstrate that ColX and Ihh are involved in mechanoregulatory pathways and may be key mediators in translating information from the mechanical environment to the

[Trace elements of bone tumors].

Science.gov (United States)

Kalashnikov, V M; Zaĭchik, V E; Bizer, V A

1983-01-01

Due to activation analysis involving the use of neutrons from a nuclear reactor, the concentrations of 11 trace elements: scandium, iron, cobalt, mercury, rubidium, selenium, silver, antimony, chrome, zinc and terbium in intact bone and skeletal tumors were measured. 76 specimens of bioptates and resected material of operations for bone tumors and 10 specimens of normal bone tissue obtained in autopsies of cases of sudden death were examined. The concentrations of trace elements and their dispersion patterns in tumor tissue were found to be significantly higher than those in normal bone tissue. Also, the concentrations of some trace elements in tumor differed significantly from those in normal tissue; moreover, they were found to depend on the type and histogenesis of the neoplasm.

Bone and bone marrow scintigraphy in a patient with sickle cell-thalassemia and recurrent pain attacks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mikosch, P.; Gallowitsch, H.-J.; Lind, P.; Jauk, B.; Kaulfersch, W.

2003-01-01

The case of an eight years old African boy who suffers from sickle cell-thalassemia is presented. In the course of the disease frequent pain attacks occurred within the abdomen and extremities, recently also within the trunk. Local pain, at some occasions in combination with local swelling and always positive laboratory parameters for inflammation, hindered a solely clinical differentiation between bone infarcts and osteomyelitis. Bone scintigraphy, eventually in combination with bone marrow scintigraphy, can assist the clinician in the differentiation of aseptic bone infarcts versus secondary osteomyelitis. Based on the presented case scintigraphic results for bone infarcts, osteomyelitis and special scintigraphic pattern seen in sickle cell disease are presented. Furthermore, problems regarding the interpretation of the scintigraphies in relation to the delayed time after the beginning of pain attacks are discussed. (author)

Powernext weather, benchmark indices for effective weather risk management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2006-01-01

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, an estimated 25% of the GNP is affected by weather-related events. The variations in temperature - even small ones - can also have long-lasting effects on the operational results of a company. Among other, the Energy supply sector is sensitive to weather risks: a milder or harsher than usual winter leads to a decrease or increase of energy consumption. The price of electricity on power trading facilities like Powernext is especially sensitive to odd changes in temperatures. Powernext and Meteo-France (the French meteorological agency) have joined expertise in order to promote the use of weather indices in term of decision making or underlying of hedging tools to energy actors, end users from any other sector of activity and specialists of the weather risk hedging. The Powernext Weather indices are made from information collected by Meteo-France's main observation network according to the norms of international meteorology, in areas carefully selected. The gross data are submitted to a thorough review allowing the correction of abnormalities and the reconstitution of missing data. Each index is fashioned to take into account the economic activity in the various regions of the country as represented by each region's population. This demographic information represents a fair approximation of the weight of the regional economic activity. This document presents the Powernext/Meteo France partnership for the elaboration of efficient weather-related risk management indices. (J.S.)

Normal human bone marrow and its variations in MRI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vahlensieck, M.; Schmidt, H.M.

2000-01-01

Physiology and age dependant changes of human bone marrow are described. The resulting normal distribution patterns of active and inactive bone marrow including the various contrasts on different MR-sequences are discussed. (orig.) [de

Socio-Economic Impacts of Space Weather and User Needs for Space Weather Information

Science.gov (United States)

Worman, S. L.; Taylor, S. M.; Onsager, T. G.; Adkins, J. E.; Baker, D. N.; Forbes, K. F.

2017-12-01

The 2015 National Space Weather Strategy and Space Weather Action Plan (SWAP) details the activities, outcomes, and timelines to build a "Space Weather Ready Nation." NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center and Abt Associates are working together on two SWAP initiatives: (1) identifying, describing, and quantifying the socio-economic impacts of moderate and severe space weather; and (2) outreach to engineers and operators to better understand user requirements for space weather products and services. Both studies cover four technological sectors (electric power, commercial aviation, satellites, and GNSS users) and rely heavily on industry input. Findings from both studies are essential for decreasing vulnerabilities and enhancing preparedness.

Topographic imprint on chemical weathering in deeply weathered soil-mantled landscapes (southern Brazil)

Science.gov (United States)

Vanacker, Veerle; Schoonejans, Jerome; Ameijeiras-Marino, Yolanda; Opfergelt, Sophie; Minella, Jean

2017-04-01

The regolith mantle is defined as the thin layer of unconsolidated material overlaying bedrock that contributes to shape the Earth's surface. The development of the regolith mantle in a landscape is the result of in-situ weathering, atmospheric input and downhill transport of weathering products. Bedrock weathering - the physical and chemical transformations of rock to soil - contributes to the vertical development of the regolith layer through downward propagation of the weathering front. Lateral transport of soil particles, aggregates and solutes by diffusive and concentrated particle and solute fluxes result in lateral redistribution of weathering products over the hillslope. In this study, we aim to expand the empirical basis on long-term soil evolution at the landscape scale through a detailed study of soil weathering in subtropical soils. Spatial variability in chemical mass fluxes and weathering intensity were studied along two toposequences with similar climate, lithology and vegetation but different slope morphology. This allowed us to isolate the topographic imprint on chemical weathering and soil development. The toposequences have convexo-concave slope morphology, and eight regolith profiles were analysed involving the flat upslope, steep midslope and flat toeslope part. Our data show a clear topographic imprint on soil development. Along hillslope, the chemical weathering intensity of the regolith profiles increases with distance from the crest. In contrast to the upslope positions, the soils in the basal concavities develop on in-situ and transported regolith. While the chemical weathering extent on the slope convexities (the upslope profiles) is similar for the steep and gentle toposequence, there is a clear difference in the rate of increase of the chemical weathering extent with distance from the crest. The increase of chemical weathering extent along hillslope is highest for the steep toposequence, suggesting that topography enhances soil particle

Studies on 99Tcm-sulfur colloid bone marrow scintigraphy in myeloproliferative disorders

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Yong; Zhang Yifan; Jia Fangxian; Kang Fu; Jian Shiquan

2002-01-01

Objective: To discuss the imaging features and changing patterns of bone marrow scintigraphy in myeloproliferative disorders (MPD) as well as its clinical significance. Methods: Bone marrow scintigraphy using 99 Tc m -sulfur colloid 370-550 MBq was performed on 85 MPD patients, including 40 cases of idiopathic myelofibrosis (IMF), 15 of polycythemia vera (PV), 5 of essential thrombocythaemia (ET), 30 of chronic granulocytic leukemia. Also, 40 cases of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) were observed in this study. Results: Abnormal bone marrow imaging was found in 88.2% of the 85 patients. The suppression rate of central bone marrow (CBM) and expansion rate of peripheral bone marrow (PBM) in these MPD patients were 61.2% and 56.5%, respectively. The imaging patterns was classified into three types according to the distribution and activity of bone marrow. 1) reduced imaging (31.8%); 2) increased and expanded imaging (27.1%); 3) depressed and expanded imaging (29.4%). Splenomegaly with minimal residual marrow activity was typical for late stages of MPD. Expansion of PBM was the further feature, but of no major importance for improving hematopoiesis of MPD, and it tended to retract during clinical recovery in chronic granulocytic leukemia (CGL). With expanding PBM, unmatched peripheral blood decreasing was found in MDS. The expansion pattern of PBM in different MPD was of relatively definite features. Conclusions: The imaging pattern of bone marrow was correlated with blood work-up data and clinical course or stages of MPD. Bone marrow scintigraphy may be proven useful in differential diagnosis and evaluation of clinical staging and prognosis of MPD

Ethnic Differences in Bone Health

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ayse eZengin

2015-03-01

Full Text Available There are differences in bone health between ethnic groups in both men and in women. Variations in body size and composition are likely to contribute to reported differences. Most studies report ethnic differences in areal bone mineral density (aBMD which do not consistently parallel ethnic patterns in fracture rates. This suggests that other parameters beside aBMD should be considered when determining fracture risk between and within populations, including other aspects of bone strength: bone structure and microarchitecture as well muscle strength (mass, force generation, anatomy and fat mass. We review what is known about differences in bone-densitometry derived outcomes between ethnic groups and the extent to which they account for the differences in fracture risk. Studies are included that were published primarily between 1994 – 2014. A ‘one size fits all approach’ should not be used to understand better ethnic differences in fracture risk.

MR imaging of bone marrow disorders

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshida, H.; Mano, I.; Yashiro, N.; Asai, S.; Lio, M.

1986-01-01

The author performed MR imaging in 89 patients with bone marrow disorders (29 with aplastic anemia, 20 with leukemia, 9 with postirradiation changes, 8 with hemosiderosis, 6 with primary bone tumors and metastases, and 17 with bone marrow disorders of other etiologies). They selected the thoracic and lumbar vertebral marrow as a target and used both T1-weighted spin-echo images and calculated T1 images. T1 was prolonged in bone marrow hyperplasia but shortened in hypoplasia. Bone marrow T1 values proved to depend on the number of fat cells (pathologic correlation). In aplastic anemia scattered islands of low signal intensity were seen within a background of high signal intensity in some typical cases. MR imaging patterns were used for staging aplastic anemia. T1 was prolonged in leukemia cells

Weather and emotional state

Science.gov (United States)

Spasova, Z.

2010-09-01

Introduction Given the proven effects of weather on the human organism, an attempt to examine its effects on a psychic and emotional level has been made. Emotions affect the bio-tonus, working ability and concentration, hence their significance in various domains of economic life, such as health care, education, transportation, tourism, etc. Data and methods The research has been made in Sofia City within a period of 8 months, using 5 psychological methods (Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Test for Self-assessment of the emotional state (developed by Wessman and Ricks), Test for evaluation of moods and Test "Self-confidence - Activity - Mood" (developed by the specialists from the Military Academy in Saint Petersburg). The Fiodorov-Chubukov's complex-climatic method was used to characterize meteorological conditions because of the purpose to include in the analysis a maximal number of meteorological elements. 16 weather types are defined in dependence of the meteorological elements values according to this method. Abrupt weather changes from one day to another, defined by the same method, were considered as well. Results and discussions The results obtained by t-test show that the different categories of weather lead to changes in the emotional status, which indicates a character either positive or negative for the organism. The abrupt weather changes, according to expectations, have negative effect on human emotions but only when a transition to the cloudy weather or weather type, classified as "unfavourable" has been realized. The relationship between weather and human emotions is rather complicated since it depends on individual characteristics of people. One of these individual psychological characteristics, marked by the dimension "neuroticism", has a strong effect on emotional reactions in different weather conditions. Emotionally stable individuals are more "protected" to the weather influence on their emotions

Casebook on application for weather

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2009-11-01

This book introduces the excellent cases on application using weather at the industry, research center and public office. It lists the names and application cases in 2008 and 2009, which includes research on decease in risk by weather in the industry by Sam sung institute of safety and environment, service on weather information for people by KT, application with weather information in the flight by Korean air, use on weather information for prevention of disasters by Masan city hall, upgrade for business with weather marketing, center for river forecast in NOAA and the case using weather management for high profit margins.

Bioprinted Osteogenic and Vasculogenic Patterns for Engineering 3D Bone Tissue.

Science.gov (United States)

Byambaa, Batzaya; Annabi, Nasim; Yue, Kan; Trujillo-de Santiago, Grissel; Alvarez, Mario Moisés; Jia, Weitao; Kazemzadeh-Narbat, Mehdi; Shin, Su Ryon; Tamayol, Ali; Khademhosseini, Ali

2017-08-01

Fabricating 3D large-scale bone tissue constructs with functional vasculature has been a particular challenge in engineering tissues suitable for repairing large bone defects. To address this challenge, an extrusion-based direct-writing bioprinting strategy is utilized to fabricate microstructured bone-like tissue constructs containing a perfusable vascular lumen. The bioprinted constructs are used as biomimetic in vitro matrices to co-culture human umbilical vein endothelial cells and bone marrow derived human mesenchymal stem cells in a naturally derived hydrogel. To form the perfusable blood vessel inside the bioprinted construct, a central cylinder with 5% gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) hydrogel at low methacryloyl substitution (GelMA LOW ) was printed. We also develop cell-laden cylinder elements made of GelMA hydrogel loaded with silicate nanoplatelets to induce osteogenesis, and synthesized hydrogel formulations with chemically conjugated vascular endothelial growth factor to promote vascular spreading. It was found that the engineered construct is able to support cell survival and proliferation during maturation in vitro. Additionally, the whole construct demonstrates high structural stability during the in vitro culture for 21 days. This method enables the local control of physical and chemical microniches and the establishment of gradients in the bioprinted constructs. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Sexual selection targets cetacean pelvic bones

Science.gov (United States)

Dines, J. P.; Otárola-Castillo, E.; Ralph, P.; Alas, J.; Daley, T.; Smith, A. D.; Dean, M. D.

2014-01-01

Male genitalia evolve rapidly, probably as a result of sexual selection. Whether this pattern extends to the internal infrastructure that influences genital movements remains unknown. Cetaceans (whales and dolphins) offer a unique opportunity to test this hypothesis: since evolving from land-dwelling ancestors, they lost external hind limbs and evolved a highly reduced pelvis which seems to serve no other function except to anchor muscles that maneuver the penis. Here we create a novel morphometric pipeline to analyze the size and shape evolution of pelvic bones from 130 individuals (29 species) in the context of inferred mating system. We present two main findings: 1) males from species with relatively intense sexual selection (inferred by relative testes size) have evolved relatively large penises and pelvic bones compared to their body size, and 2) pelvic bone shape diverges more quickly in species pairs that have diverged in inferred mating system. Neither pattern was observed in the anterior-most pair of vertebral ribs, which served as a negative control. This study provides evidence that sexual selection can affect internal anatomy that controls male genitalia. These important functions may explain why cetacean pelvic bones have not been lost through evolutionary time. PMID:25186496

Weather Instruments.

Science.gov (United States)

Brantley, L. Reed, Sr.; Demanche, Edna L.; Klemm, E. Barbara; Kyselka, Will; Phillips, Edwin A.; Pottenger, Francis M.; Yamamoto, Karen N.; Young, Donald B.

This booklet presents some activities to measure various weather phenomena. Directions for constructing a weather station are included. Instruments including rain gauges, thermometers, wind vanes, wind speed devices, humidity devices, barometers, atmospheric observations, a dustfall jar, sticky-tape can, detection of gases in the air, and pH of…

Understanding Referral Patterns for Bone Mineral Density Testing among Family Physicians: A Qualitative Descriptive Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sarah E. P. Munce

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction. Evidence of inappropriate bone mineral density (BMD testing has been identified in terms of overtesting in low risk women and undertesting among patients at high risk. In light of these phenomena, the objective of this study was to understand the referral patterns for BMD testing among Ontario’s family physicians (FPs. Methods. A qualitative descriptive approach was adopted. Twenty-two FPs took part in a semi-structured interview lasting approximately 30 minutes. An inductive thematic analysis was performed on the transcribed data in order to understand the referral patterns for BMD testing. Results. We identified a lack of clarity about screening for osteoporosis with a tendency for baseline BMD testing in healthy, postmenopausal women and a lack of clarity on the appropriate age for screening for men in particular. A lack of clarity on appropriate intervals for follow-up testing was also described. Conclusions. These findings lend support to what has been documented at the population level suggesting a tendency among FPs to refer menopausal women (at low risk. Emphasis on referral of high-risk groups as well as men and further clarification and education on the appropriate intervals for follow-up testing is warranted.

A Milestone in Commercial Space Weather: USTAR Center for Space Weather

Science.gov (United States)

Tobiska, W.; Schunk, R. W.; Sojka, J. J.; Thompson, D. C.; Scherliess, L.; Zhu, L.; Gardner, L. C.

2009-12-01

As of 2009, Utah State University (USU) hosts a new organization to develop commercial space weather applications using funding that has been provided by the State of Utah’s Utah Science Technology and Research (USTAR) initiative. The USTAR Center for Space Weather (UCSW) is located on the USU campus in Logan, Utah and is developing innovative applications for mitigating adverse space weather effects in technological systems. Space weather’s effects upon the near-Earth environment are due to dynamic changes in the Sun’s photons, particles, and fields. Of the space environment domains that are affected by space weather, the ionosphere is the key region that affects communication and navigation systems. The UCSW has developed products for users of systems that are affected by space weather-driven ionospheric changes. For example, on September 1, 2009 USCW released, in conjunction with Space Environment Technologies, the world’s first real-time space weather via an iPhone app. Space WX displays the real-time, current global ionosphere total electron content along with its space weather drivers; it is available through the Apple iTunes store and is used around the planet. The Global Assimilation of Ionospheric Measurements (GAIM) system is now being run operationally in real-time at UCSW with the continuous ingestion of hundreds of global data streams to dramatically improve the ionosphere’s characterization. We discuss not only funding and technical advances that have led to current products but also describe the direction for UCSW that includes partnering opportunities for moving commercial space weather into fully automated specification and forecasting over the next half decade.

The Effect of Weather Events on Truck Traffic Patterns Using Fixed and Mobile Traffic Sensors

Science.gov (United States)

2017-12-20

Connected vehicle applications related to road weather management and enabling systems are being designed to collect and take advantage of connected vehicle data and information transmissions to increase situational awareness, improve roadway levels ...

SEM corrosion-casts study of the microcirculation of the flat bones in the rat.

Science.gov (United States)

Pannarale, L; Morini, S; D'Ubaldo, E; Gaudio, E; Marinozzi, G

1997-04-01

Little is known about the organization of microcirculation in flat bones in comparison with long bones. This study, therefore, helps us to determine the design of this vascular system in flat bones in relation to their structure and function. The organization of microvasculature in parietal, scapula, and ileum bones of 15 young sexually mature rats, aged 6-7 weeks, was studied by light and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) from vascular corrosion cast (vcc), a resin-cast obtained material. Our observations show that the pattern of the microcirculation in flat bones is different in the thick and thin parts of such bones. Where the bone is thinner than 0.4 mm, only periosteal and dural network exist. Larger vessels which do not form a real network connect the two tables of the bones in these regions. In thicker areas, the organization of the microvasculature is similar to that in long bones, with distinct periosteal, cortical and bone marrow networks. Moreover, in different bones, outer networks show slightly different characteristics according to the different adjacent structures (dura mater, muscles etc.). Different types of vessels were recognized by comparing their different diameter, course and endothelial imprints. The microvascular patterns of the flat bones are strongly influenced by the bone thickness. The different microvascular systems can interact both with the bone modelling and remodeling and with the variable metabolic needs, modifying the microvascular pattern and the blood flow. This is even more important in view of the reciprocal influence of the different networks within the same bone.

Weatherization: Wyoming's Hidden Resource; Weatherization Assistance Close-Up Fact Sheet

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2001-01-01

Wyoming demonstrates its commitment to technology and efficiency through the Weatherization Program. Weatherization uses advanced technologies and techniques to reduce energy costs for low-income families by increasing the energy efficiency of their homes

The relationship between extreme weather events and crop losses in central Taiwan

Science.gov (United States)

Lai, Li-Wei

2017-09-01

The frequency of extreme weather events, which cause severe crop losses, is increasing. This study investigates the relationship between crop losses and extreme weather events in central Taiwan from 2003 to 2015 and determines the main factors influencing crop losses. Data regarding the crop loss area and meteorological information were obtained from government agencies. The crops were categorised into the following five groups: `grains', `vegetables', `fruits', `flowers' and `other crops'. The extreme weather events and their synoptic weather patterns were categorised into six and five groups, respectively. The data were analysed using the z score, correlation coefficient and stepwise regression model. The results show that typhoons had the highest frequency of all extreme weather events (58.3%). The largest crop loss area (4.09%) was caused by two typhoons and foehn wind in succession. Extreme wind speed coupled with heavy rainfall is an important factor affecting the losses in the grain and vegetable groups. Extreme wind speed is a common variable that affects the loss of `grains', `vegetables', `fruits' and `flowers'. Consecutive extreme weather events caused greater crop losses than individual events. Crops with long production times suffered greater losses than those with short production times. This suggests that crops with physical structures that can be easily damaged and long production times would benefit from protected cultivation to maintain food security.

Differential expression pattern of extracellular matrix molecules during chondrogenesis of mesenchymal stem cells from bone marrow and adipose tissue

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mehlhorn, A T; Niemeyer, P; Kaiser, S

2006-01-01

Adipose-derived adult stem cells (ADASCs) or bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) are considered as alternative cell sources for cell-based cartilage repair due to their ability to produce cartilage-specific matrix. This article addresses the differential expression pattern...... chondroinduction. TGF-beta1 induces alternative splicing of the alpha(1)-procollagen type II transcript in BMSCs, but not in ADASCs. These findings may direct the development of a cell-specific culture environment either to prevent hypertrophy in BMSCs or to promote chondrogenic maturation in ADASCs....

Weather derivatives or how an energy company can hedge its weather risks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tahghighi, A.; Carpentier, Ph.

2000-01-01

This paper gives a detailed overview of weather derivatives and explains where this new class of financial products falls. The emergence of weather derivatives came about as a response to a need in the energy sector to hedge this sector's weather risks. This article focuses on the nature of these financial contracts, what they include and how they are priced. This article concludes by stating that energy companies in Europe can no longer afford to remain exposed to weather risks in an increasingly privatized and competitive market

Chemical weathering as a mechanism for the climatic control of bedrock river incision

Science.gov (United States)

Murphy, Brendan P.; Johnson, Joel P. L.; Gasparini, Nicole M.; Sklar, Leonard S.

2016-04-01

Feedbacks between climate, erosion and tectonics influence the rates of chemical weathering reactions, which can consume atmospheric CO2 and modulate global climate. However, quantitative predictions for the coupling of these feedbacks are limited because the specific mechanisms by which climate controls erosion are poorly understood. Here we show that climate-dependent chemical weathering controls the erodibility of bedrock-floored rivers across a rainfall gradient on the Big Island of Hawai‘i. Field data demonstrate that the physical strength of bedrock in streambeds varies with the degree of chemical weathering, which increases systematically with local rainfall rate. We find that incorporating the quantified relationships between local rainfall and erodibility into a commonly used river incision model is necessary to predict the rates and patterns of downcutting of these rivers. In contrast to using only precipitation-dependent river discharge to explain the climatic control of bedrock river incision, the mechanism of chemical weathering can explain strong coupling between local climate and river incision.

Formation of halloysite from feldspar: Low temperature, artificial weathering versus natural weathering

Science.gov (United States)

Parham, Walter E.

1969-01-01

Weathering products formed on surfaces of both potassium and plagioclase feldspar (An70), which were continuously leached in a Soxhlet extraction apparatus for 140 days with 7.21 of distilled water per day at a temperature of approximately 78°C, are morphologically identical to natural products developed on potassium feldspars weathered under conditions of good drainage in the humid tropics. The new products, which first appear as tiny bumps on the feldspar surface, start to develop mainly at exposed edges but also at apparently random sites on flat cleavage surfaces. As weathering continues, the bumps grow outward from the feldspar surface to form tapered projections, which then develop into wide-based thin films or sheets. The thin sheets of many projections merge laterally to form one continuous flame-shaped sheet. The sheets formed on potassium feldspars may then roll to form tubes that are inclined at a high angle to the feldspar surface. Etch pits of triangular outline on the artificially weathered potassium feldspars serve as sites for development of continuous, non-rolled, hollow tubes. It is inferred from its morphology that this weathering product is halloysite or its primitive form. The product of naturally weathered potassium feldspars is halloysite . 4H2O.The flame-shaped films or sheets formed on artificially weathered plagioclase feldspar do not develop into hollow tubes, but instead give rise to a platy mineral that is most probably boehmite. These plates form within the flame-shaped films, and with continued weathering are released as the film deteriorates. There is no indication from this experiment that platy pseudohexagonal kaolinite forms from any of these minerals under the initial stage of weathering.

Different responses of influenza epidemic to weather factors among Shanghai, Hong Kong, and British Columbia.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xi-Ling; Yang, Lin; He, Dai-Hai; Chiu, Alice Py; Chan, Kwok-Hung; Chan, King-Pan; Zhou, Maigeng; Wong, Chit-Ming; Guo, Qing; Hu, Wenbiao

2017-06-01

Weather factors have long been considered as key sources for regional heterogeneity of influenza seasonal patterns. As influenza peaks coincide with both high and low temperature in subtropical cities, weather factors may nonlinearly or interactively affect influenza activity. This study aims to assess the nonlinear and interactive effects of weather factors with influenza activity and compare the responses of influenza epidemic to weather factors in two subtropical regions of southern China (Shanghai and Hong Kong) and one temperate province of Canada (British Columbia). Weekly data on influenza activity and weather factors (i.e., mean temperature and relative humidity (RH)) were obtained from pertinent government departments for the three regions. Absolute humidity (AH) was measured by vapor pressure (VP), which could be converted from temperature and RH. Generalized additive models were used to assess the exposure-response relationship between weather factors and influenza virus activity. Interactions of weather factors were further assessed by bivariate response models and stratification analyses. The exposure-response curves of temperature and VP, but not RH, were consistent among three regions/cities. Bivariate response model revealed a significant interactive effect between temperature (or VP) and RH (P weather factors in developing a universal model to explain seasonal outbreaks of influenza. However, further research is needed to assess the association between weather factors and influenza activity in a wider context of social and environmental conditions.

Waste glass weathering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bates, J.K.; Buck, E.C.

1994-01-01

The weathering of glass is reviewed by examining processes that affect the reaction of commercial, historical, natural, and nuclear waste glass under conditions of contact with humid air and slowly dripping water, which may lead to immersion in nearly static solution. Radionuclide release data from weathered glass under conditions that may exist in an unsaturated environment are presented and compared to release under standard leaching conditions. While the comparison between the release under weathering and leaching conditions is not exact, due to variability of reaction in humid air, evidence is presented of radionuclide release under a variety of conditions. These results suggest that both the amount and form of radionuclide release can be affected by the weathering of glass

Weather Information Processing

Science.gov (United States)

1991-01-01

Science Communications International (SCI), formerly General Science Corporation, has developed several commercial products based upon experience acquired as a NASA Contractor. Among them are METPRO, a meteorological data acquisition and processing system, which has been widely used, RISKPRO, an environmental assessment system, and MAPPRO, a geographic information system. METPRO software is used to collect weather data from satellites, ground-based observation systems and radio weather broadcasts to generate weather maps, enabling potential disaster areas to receive advance warning. GSC's initial work for NASA Goddard Space Flight Center resulted in METPAK, a weather satellite data analysis system. METPAK led to the commercial METPRO system. The company also provides data to other government agencies, U.S. embassies and foreign countries.

Warm Arctic episodes linked with increased frequency of extreme winter weather in the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Cohen, Judah; Pfeiffer, Karl; Francis, Jennifer A

2018-03-13

Recent boreal winters have exhibited a large-scale seesaw temperature pattern characterized by an unusually warm Arctic and cold continents. Whether there is any physical link between Arctic variability and Northern Hemisphere (NH) extreme weather is an active area of research. Using a recently developed index of severe winter weather, we show that the occurrence of severe winter weather in the United States is significantly related to anomalies in pan-Arctic geopotential heights and temperatures. As the Arctic transitions from a relatively cold state to a warmer one, the frequency of severe winter weather in mid-latitudes increases through the transition. However, this relationship is strongest in the eastern US and mixed to even opposite along the western US. We also show that during mid-winter to late-winter of recent decades, when the Arctic warming trend is greatest and extends into the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere, severe winter weather-including both cold spells and heavy snows-became more frequent in the eastern United States.

Vegetarian-style dietary pattern during adolescence has long-term positive impact on bone from adolescence to young adulthood: a longitudinal study.

Science.gov (United States)

Movassagh, Elham Z; Baxter-Jones, Adam D G; Kontulainen, Saija; Whiting, Susan; Szafron, Michael; Vatanparast, Hassan

2018-02-28

The amount of bone accrued during adolescence is an important determinant of later osteoporosis risk. Little is known about the influence of dietary patterns (DPs) on the bone during adolescence and their potential long-term implications into adulthood. We examined the role of adolescent DPs on adolescent and young adult bone and change in DPs from adolescence to young adulthood. We recruited participants from the Saskatchewan Pediatric Bone Mineral Accrual Study (1991-2011). Data from 125 participants (53 females) for adolescent analysis (age 12.7 ± 2 years) and 115 participants (51 females) for adult analysis (age 28.2 ± 3 years) were included. Bone mineral content (BMC) and areal bone mineral density (aBMD) of total body (TB), femoral neck (FN) and lumbar spine (LS) were measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Adolescent dietary intake data from multiple 24-h recalls were summarized into 25 food group intakes and were used in the principal component analysis to derive DPs during adolescence. Associations between adolescent DPs and adolescent or adult BMC/BMD were analyzed using multiple linear regression and multivariate analysis of covariance while adjusting for sex, age, the age of peak height velocity, height, weight, physical activity and total energy intake. Generalized estimating equations were used for tracking DPs. We derived five DPs including "Vegetarian-style", "Western-like", "High-fat, high-protein", "Mixed" and "Snack" DPs. The "Vegetarian-style" DP was a positive independent predictor of adolescent TBBMC, and adult TBBMC, TBaBMD (P adolescent TBaBMD and young adult TBBMC, TBaBMD, FNBMC and FNaBMD were 5%, 8.5%, 6%, 10.6% and 9% higher, respectively, in third quartile of "Vegetarian-style" DP compared to first quartile (P adolescence to adulthood. There were an upward trend in adherence to "Vegetarian-style" DP and an downward trend in adherence to "High-fat, high-protein" DP from adolescence to young adulthood (P�

Significance of bone specific alkaline phosphatase as a tumor marker in malignant bone tumor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Sug Jun; Jeon, Dae Geun; Huh, Kwang

1998-01-01

The relationship between total alkaline phosphatase activity and bone forming lesion is a well known fact. But alkaline phosphatase consist mainly of two portion (liver, bone). To clarify the exact activity of bone forming tissue, quantitative measurement of BALP is essential. Two finds of tests were performed for their feasibility as a laboratory test (wheat germ lectin vs electrophoresis). We analyzed 40 bony lesion and got 58 samples. Lectin method was simple, economic, with reliable resproducability. Owing to the small number of test sample, we could not identify the relationship between the disease activity and measured BALP level. Further collection of clinical sample and analysis the pattern of BALP on each clinical settings. (author). 8 refs

Wacky Weather

Science.gov (United States)

Sabarre, Amy; Gulino, Jacqueline

2013-01-01

What do a leaf blower, water hose, fan, and ice cubes have in common? Ask the students who participated in an integrative science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (I-STEM) education unit, "Wacky Weather," and they will tell say "fun and severe weather"--words one might not have expected! The purpose of the unit…

MR imaging of bone marrow metastasis in patients with neuroblastoma. Comparison between mass-screened cases and clinically detected cases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kanegawa, Kimio; Akasaka, Yoshinori; Kawasaki, Ryuta; Nishiyama, Shoji; Mabuchi, Osamu; Muraji, Toshihiro

1999-01-01

Seventy-six patients with neuroblastoma who underwent bone marrow MRI were divided into two groups: the first group consisted of patients detected by mass screening (M group, n=55), and the second group of patients detected clinically (non-M group, n=21). Bone marrow metastasis was morphologically classified into two types, nodular type and diffuse type. We studied the incidence of bone marrow metastasis, relationship between the patterns of bone marrow metastasis and the presence of bone metastasis, and morphological changes of bone marrow metastasis after chemotherapy. In M group, the incidence of bone marrow metastasis was 7.3% (4 patients) and the patterns of bone marrow metastases were all nodular type not accompanied with bone metastasis and disappeared after chemotherapy. In non-M group, the incidence of bone marrow metastasis was 52.4% (11 patients). Bone marrow metastases had both patterns of metastasis. Forty-five per cent of diffuse type of bone marrow metastasis were accompanied with bone metastasis. All bone marrow metastases disappeared after chemotherapy, but in one of 11, there was recurrence of bone marrow metastasis. (author)

MRI ``road-map`` of normal age-related bone marrow. Pt. 1. Cranial bone and spine

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Taccone, A. [Radiology Dept., G. Gaslini Children`s Hospital, Genova (Italy); Oddone, M. [Radiology Dept., G. Gaslini Children`s Hospital, Genova (Italy); Occhi, M. [Radiology Dept., G. Gaslini Children`s Hospital, Genova (Italy); Dell`Acqua, A. [Radiology Dept., G. Gaslini Children`s Hospital, Genova (Italy); Ciccone, M.A. [Radiology Dept., G. Gaslini Children`s Hospital, Genova (Italy)

1995-11-01

We retrospectively reviewed 733 cranial and 250 spinal T1-weighted MR images of patients younger than 24 years to evaluate the bone marrow changes. The signal intensity of the bone marrow on short-TR/TE images was compared with that of fat and normal muscles in the contiguous region and graded. The signal intensity of all anatomic segments was as low as that of muscle, or inferior, in all patients younger than 3 months because of hematopoietic tissue and probably greater amounts of trabecular bone. The first anatomic segments of cranial bone to become hyperintense were the zygomatic bone and mandibular symphysis, followed by the presphenoid bone, basisphenoid, basiocciput, calvaria, and the petrous apex. After 3 years of age, most patients demonstrated pneumatization of the sphenoid sinus. We describe the most interesting changes in the developing spine, which occur in the first 2 years of life. The morphology of the vertebral bodies was evaluated. The variability of the signal and the morphology of the disks were also evaluated. Regional patterns of bone marrow signal intensity and age-related differences should not be misinterpreted as a pathologic condition. (orig.). With 14 figs., 2 tabs.

MRI ''road-map'' of normal age-related bone marrow. Pt. 1. Cranial bone and spine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taccone, A.; Oddone, M.; Occhi, M.; Dell'Acqua, A.; Ciccone, M.A.

1995-01-01

We retrospectively reviewed 733 cranial and 250 spinal T1-weighted MR images of patients younger than 24 years to evaluate the bone marrow changes. The signal intensity of the bone marrow on short-TR/TE images was compared with that of fat and normal muscles in the contiguous region and graded. The signal intensity of all anatomic segments was as low as that of muscle, or inferior, in all patients younger than 3 months because of hematopoietic tissue and probably greater amounts of trabecular bone. The first anatomic segments of cranial bone to become hyperintense were the zygomatic bone and mandibular symphysis, followed by the presphenoid bone, basisphenoid, basiocciput, calvaria, and the petrous apex. After 3 years of age, most patients demonstrated pneumatization of the sphenoid sinus. We describe the most interesting changes in the developing spine, which occur in the first 2 years of life. The morphology of the vertebral bodies was evaluated. The variability of the signal and the morphology of the disks were also evaluated. Regional patterns of bone marrow signal intensity and age-related differences should not be misinterpreted as a pathologic condition. (orig.). With 14 figs., 2 tabs

Weather Radar Stations

Data.gov (United States)

Department of Homeland Security — These data represent Next-Generation Radar (NEXRAD) and Terminal Doppler Weather Radar (TDWR) weather radar stations within the US. The NEXRAD radar stations are...

Internet Weather Source

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The National Weather Service (NWS) National Telecommunications Gateway provides weather, hydrologic, and climate forecasts and warnings for the United States, its...

Aggressive Ewing's sarcoma appearing as a cold lesion on bone scan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chatti, K.; Guezguez, M.; Maha Ben Fredj, M.; Sfar, R.; Essabbah, H.; Mtaoumi, M.; Chatti, K.

2009-01-01

Ewing's sarcoma classically presents as a hot spot on bone scan as a result of increased vascularity of the tumor and new bone formation. Purpose We report and analyze an uncommon pattern of a 'cold' lesion in Ewing's sarcoma on bone scan and its pathophysiologic significance. Case report A 15-year-old boy complaining of thigh pain. CT scan evoked Ewing's sarcoma or osteitis. MRI evoked chronic osteitis. Scintigraphy showed a fairly intense and heterogeneous uptake on the femoral lesion and no abnormal uptake elsewhere. Biopsy showed none pathologic pattern. Three months later, a second biopsy concluded to Ewing's sarcoma. Bone scan showed a larger lesion with peripheral intense uptake centered by enlarged 'cold' area in the left femoral diaphysis and no evident bone metastasis. The patient underwent chemotherapy and surgery. Three months later, bone scan showed extensive skeletal metastasis. Conclusion Ewing's sarcoma appears usually as an intense lesion on bone scan. Nevertheless, decreased radiopharmaceutical uptake or 'cold' lesion may be seen in aggressive Ewing's sarcoma with lytic tumor, growth of which is very rapid and bony reaction is minimal. (authors)

Influences of transplantation on metabolic bone diseases in dialysis patients. Measurement of bone density with multiple X-ray photodensitometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hida, Miho

1994-01-01

Renal osteodystrophy is a grave complication in dialysis patients. In this study, we evaluated the effect of renal transplantation (Txp) on metabolic bone diseases in renal transplant recipients (RTR), by multiple scanning X-ray photodensitometry (MD/MS). In only about 10% of RTR, bone metabolism recovered following improvement of renal function 1-2 years after Txp. Most cases showed decreased ΣGS and μ' scores on the MD/MS 1-2 years after Txp. Then ΣGS and μ' gradually increased over a long period. In seven of ten RTR with long-term graft survival (10 years<), ΣGS and μ' scores were within normal limits and densitometry bone patterns were normal. In four of five cases that received ciclosporin and had undergone Txp more than five years before, densitometry bone patterns were normal. Treatment with high doses of steroids due to acute rejection caused a sharp decline of ΣGS and μ' scores. In FK506-medicated RTR, ΣGS and μ' scores 1-2 years after Txp were decreased. In a 21-year-old female patient who had undergone Txp as the age of 13-year-old, there was little bone growth and ΣGS and μ' scores were significantly decreased. (author)

Mariners Weather Log

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Mariners Weather Log (MWL) is a publication containing articles, news and information about marine weather events and phenomena, worldwide environmental impact...

Pilot Weather Reports

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Aviation weather reports relayed from pilots to FAA air traffic controllers or National Weather Service personnel. Elements include sky cover, turbulence, wind...

Impact of obesity on bone metabolism.

Science.gov (United States)

López-Gómez, Juan J; Pérez Castrillón, José L; de Luis Román, Daniel A

2016-12-01

High weight is a protective factor against osteoporosis and risk of fracture. In obesity, however, where overweight is associated to excess fat, this relationship does not appear to be so clear, excess weight has sometimes been associated to decreased bone mass. Obesity interferes with bone metabolism through mechanical, hormonal, and inflammatory factors. These factors are closely related to weight, body composition, and dietary patterns of these patients. The net beneficial or harmful effect on bone mass or risk of fracture of the different components of this condition is not well known. We need to recognize patients at a greater risk of bone disease related to obesity to start an adequate intervention. Copyright © 2016. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U.

Surface Weather Observations

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Surface Weather Observation Collection consists primarily of hourly, synoptic, daily, and monthly forms submitted to the archive by the National Weather Service...

Radar Weather Observation

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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Radar Weather Observation is a set of archived historical manuscripts stored on microfiche. The primary source of these radar weather observations manuscript records...

Daily Weather Records

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — These daily weather records were compiled from a subset of stations in the Global Historical Climatological Network (GHCN)-Daily dataset. A weather record is...

Biomechanical Evaluation of Glenoid Reconstruction With an Implant-Free J-Bone Graft for Anterior Glenoid Bone Loss.

Science.gov (United States)

Pauzenberger, Leo; Dyrna, Felix; Obopilwe, Elifho; Heuberer, Philipp R; Arciero, Robert A; Anderl, Werner; Mazzocca, Augustus D

2017-10-01

The anatomic restoration of glenoid morphology with an implant-free J-shaped iliac crest bone graft offers an alternative to currently widely used glenoid reconstruction techniques. No biomechanical data on the J-bone grafting technique are currently available. To evaluate (1) glenohumeral contact patterns, (2) graft fixation under cyclic loading, and (3) the initial stabilizing effect of anatomic glenoid reconstruction with the implant-free J-bone grafting technique. Controlled laboratory study. Eight fresh-frozen cadaveric shoulders and J-shaped iliac crest bone grafts were used for this study. J-bone grafts were harvested, prepared, and implanted according to a previously described, clinically used technique. Glenohumeral contact patterns were measured using dynamic pressure-sensitive sensors under a compressive load of 440 N with the humerus in (a) 30° of abduction, (b) 30° of abduction and 60° of external rotation, (c) 60° of abduction, and (d) 60° of abduction and 60° of external rotation. Using a custom shoulder-testing system allowing positioning with 6 degrees of freedom, a compressive load of 50 N was applied, and the peak force needed to translate the humeral head 10 mm anteriorly at a rate of 2.0 mm/s was recorded. All tests were performed (1) for the intact glenoid, (2) after the creation of a 30% anterior osseous glenoid defect parallel to the longitudinal axis of the glenoid, and (3) after anatomic glenoid reconstruction with an implant-free J-bone graft. Furthermore, after glenoid reconstruction, each specimen was translated anteriorly for 5 mm at a rate of 4.0 mm/s for a total of 3000 cycles while logging graft protrusion and mediolateral bending motions. Graft micromovements were recorded using 2 high-resolution, linear differential variable reluctance transducer strain gauges placed in line with the long leg of the graft and the mediolateral direction, respectively. The creation of a 30% glenoid defect significantly decreased glenohumeral

Differences in the importance of weather and weather-based decisions among campers in Ontario parks (Canada)

Science.gov (United States)

Hewer, Micah J.; Scott, Daniel J.; Gough, William A.

2017-10-01

Parks and protected areas represent an important resource for tourism in Canada, in which camping is a common recreational activity. The important relationship between weather and climate with recreation and tourism has been widely acknowledged within the academic literature. Howbeit, the need for activity-specific assessments has been identified as an on-going need for future research in the field of tourism climatology. Furthermore, very little is known about the interrelationships between personal characteristics and socio-demographics with weather preferences and behavioural thresholds. This study uses a stated climate preferences approach (survey responses) to explore differences in the importance of weather and related weather-based decisions among summer campers in Ontario parks. Statistically significant differences were found among campers for each of the four dependent variables tested in this study. Physically active campers placed greater importance on weather but were still more tolerant of adverse weather conditions. Older campers placed greater importance on weather. Campers travelling shorter distances placed greater importance on weather and were more likely to leave the park early due to adverse weather. Campers staying for longer periods of time were less likely to leave early due to weather and were willing to endure longer durations of adverse weather conditions. Beginner campers placed greater importance on weather, were more likely to leave early due to weather and recorded lower temporal weather thresholds. The results of this study contribute to the study of tourism climatology by furthering understanding of how personal characteristics such as gender, age, activity selection, trip duration, distance travelled, travel experience and life cycles affect weather preferences and decisions, focusing this time on recreational camping in a park tourism context.

Reversible bone pain and symmetric bone scan uptake in a dialysis patient treated with cinacalcet: a case report

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bottino Carla

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Introduction The medical management of secondary hyperparathyroidism in patients with end-stage renal disease involves a combination of dietary restrictions, phosphate binders, active vitamin D analogs, and calcimimetics. Case presentation We report the case of a 36-year-old Hispanic dialysis patient, originally from Cuba and now residing in the USA, who developed severe bone pain and muscle twitching after starting low dose cinacalcet, despite normal pre-dialysis ionized calcium and elevated parathyroid hormone. The clinical symptoms correlated with increased symmetrical uptake on bone scan that resolved rapidly upon discontinuation of cinacalcet. Conclusion Cinacalcet may induce severe bone pain and a unique bone scan uptake pattern in hemodialysis patients.

Contribution of Circulatory Disturbances in Subchondral Bone to the Pathophysiology of Osteoarthritis.

Science.gov (United States)

Aaron, Roy K; Racine, Jennifer; Dyke, Jonathan P

2017-08-01

This review describes the contributions of abnormal bone circulation to the pathophysiology of osteoarthritis. Combining dynamic imaging with MRI and PET with previous observations reveals that venous stasis and a venous outlet syndrome is most likely the key circulatory pathology associated with the initiation or progression of osteoarthritis. MRI and PET have revealed that venous outflow obstruction results in physicochemical changes in subchondral bone to which osteoblasts are responsive. The osteoblasts express an altered pattern of cytokines, many of which can serve as structural or signaling molecules contributing to both bone remodeling and cartilage degeneration. The patterns of circulatory changes are associated with alterations in the physicochemical environment of subchondral bone, including hypoxia. Osteoblast cytokines can transit the subchondral bone plate and calcified cartilage and communicate with chondrocytes.

Links between Synoptic Weather Types and Extreme Wet Events in the Arabian Peninsula (1960-2100)

KAUST Repository

El Kenawy, Ahmed M.

2014-05-01

In this work, an automated version of the Lamb weather type classification scheme was applied to classify daily weather types in the Arabian Peninsula. The output catalogue included ten basic weather types, which describe the direction and vorticity of airflow in the peninsula (i.e., cyclonic, anticyclonic and directional). These large-scale patterns were first defined for the observed climate (1960-2013), allowing for an assessment of the spatial and temporal variations in circulation-rainfall relationships over the peninsula using rainfall data from 209 weather observatories. The same methodology was then applied to assess how the defined weather types will be presented in future climate simulations (under RCP45 and RCP85 emission scenarios) and to explore their probable dependency with rainfall characteristics. In this regard, daily simulated SLP derived from an ensemble of 12 climate models within the CMIP5 project were used for two future time-slices (2035-2060 and 2075-2100). Our findings indicate that the cyclonic (C) type represented the most frequent classification with 69.2% of days, followed by SE directional flows (21%). It was also found that the main circulation features influencing winter (spring) rainfall across the peninsula are the strong influence of the anticyclonic (easterly and southeasterly) air masses. Generally, the role of airflows originating from the Indian Ocean is larger than those of the Mediterranean and the Red Seas. The trend results of defined weather types show that the cyclonic (anticyclonic) conditions tend to decrease (increase). This picture is likely to continue during the 21st century. The only exception corresponds to the summer season. Here, understanding the association between atmospheric circulation patterns and rainfall in the Arabian Peninsula can be important for the understanding of climatic variability and thus developing circulation-based downscaling methods in this region.

Wounded to the bone

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Boucherie, Alexandra; Jørkov, M L S; Smith, Martin

2017-01-01

avenue for achieving both greater detail and accuracy through digital microscopy. Patterns of injury were investigated among 45 individuals from a Medieval Danish mass grave (Sandbjerget, AD 1300–1350). Injuries were recorded on every anatomical element, except hand and foot bones. Each was photographed...

Effects of carbocalcitonin treatment on PAGET's disease assessed by quantitative bone scintigraphy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vattimo, A.; Di Maggio, G.; Burroni, L.

1988-01-01

Sixteen patients with PAGET's disease of bone underwent quantitative bone scintigraphy with 99m Tc-MDP before and after a long-term treatment with carbocalcitonin, a synthetic analogue of eel calcitonin. The radionuclide study consisted in the blood pool and bone uptake measurement and in the bone avidity calculation (bone uptake - blood pool ratio). In our patients, a significant decrease in bone uptake and bone avidity was found, whereas the blood pool remained statistically unchanged. This behaviour could be accounted for the shift of the compact bone to a lamellar pattern. (orig.) [de

Time series regression model for infectious disease and weather.

Science.gov (United States)

Imai, Chisato; Armstrong, Ben; Chalabi, Zaid; Mangtani, Punam; Hashizume, Masahiro

2015-10-01

Time series regression has been developed and long used to evaluate the short-term associations of air pollution and weather with mortality or morbidity of non-infectious diseases. The application of the regression approaches from this tradition to infectious diseases, however, is less well explored and raises some new issues. We discuss and present potential solutions for five issues often arising in such analyses: changes in immune population, strong autocorrelations, a wide range of plausible lag structures and association patterns, seasonality adjustments, and large overdispersion. The potential approaches are illustrated with datasets of cholera cases and rainfall from Bangladesh and influenza and temperature in Tokyo. Though this article focuses on the application of the traditional time series regression to infectious diseases and weather factors, we also briefly introduce alternative approaches, including mathematical modeling, wavelet analysis, and autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) models. Modifications proposed to standard time series regression practice include using sums of past cases as proxies for the immune population, and using the logarithm of lagged disease counts to control autocorrelation due to true contagion, both of which are motivated from "susceptible-infectious-recovered" (SIR) models. The complexity of lag structures and association patterns can often be informed by biological mechanisms and explored by using distributed lag non-linear models. For overdispersed models, alternative distribution models such as quasi-Poisson and negative binomial should be considered. Time series regression can be used to investigate dependence of infectious diseases on weather, but may need modifying to allow for features specific to this context. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Weather and mortality: a 10 year retrospective analysis of the Nouna Health and Demographic Surveillance System, Burkina Faso

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rainer Sauerborn

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Background: A growing body of evidence points to the emission of greenhouse gases from human activity as a key factor in climate change. This in turn affects human health and wellbeing through consequential changes in weather extremes. At present, little is known about the effects of weather on the health of sub-Saharan African populations, as well as the related anticipated effects of climate change partly due to scarcity of good quality data. We aimed to study the association between weather patterns and daily mortality in the Nouna Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS area during 1999–2009. Methods: Meteorological data were obtained from a nearby weather station in the Nouna HDSS area and linked to mortality data on a daily basis. Time series Poisson regression models were established to estimate the association between the lags of weather and daily population-level mortality, adjusting for time trends. The analyses were stratified by age and sex to study differential population susceptibility. Results: We found profound associations between higher temperature and daily mortality in the Nouna HDSS, Burkina Faso. The short-term direct heat effect was particularly strong on the under-five child mortality rate. We also found independent coherent effects and strong associations between rainfall events and daily mortality, particularly in elderly populations. Conclusion: Mortality patterns in the Nouna HDSS appear to be closely related to weather conditions. Further investigation on cause-specific mortality, as well as on vulnerability and susceptibility is required. Studies on local adaptation and mitigation measures to avoid health impacts from weather and climate change is also needed to reduce negative effects from weather and climate change on population health in rural areas of the sub-Saharan Africa.

NASA Aviation Safety Program Weather Accident Prevention/weather Information Communications (WINCOMM)

Science.gov (United States)

Feinberg, Arthur; Tauss, James; Chomos, Gerald (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Weather is a contributing factor in approximately 25-30 percent of general aviation accidents. The lack of timely, accurate and usable weather information to the general aviation pilot in the cockpit to enhance pilot situational awareness and improve pilot judgment remains a major impediment to improving aviation safety. NASA Glenn Research Center commissioned this 120 day weather datalink market survey to assess the technologies, infrastructure, products, and services of commercial avionics systems being marketed to the general aviation community to address these longstanding safety concerns. A market survey of companies providing or proposing to provide graphical weather information to the general aviation cockpit was conducted. Fifteen commercial companies were surveyed. These systems are characterized and evaluated in this report by availability, end-user pricing/cost, system constraints/limits and technical specifications. An analysis of market survey results and an evaluation of product offerings were made. In addition, recommendations to NASA for additional research and technology development investment have been made as a result of this survey to accelerate deployment of cockpit weather information systems for enhancing aviation safety.

Modeling the influence of organic acids on soil weathering

Science.gov (United States)

Lawrence, Corey R.; Harden, Jennifer W.; Maher, Kate

2014-01-01

Biological inputs and organic matter cycling have long been regarded as important factors in the physical and chemical development of soils. In particular, the extent to which low molecular weight organic acids, such as oxalate, influence geochemical reactions has been widely studied. Although the effects of organic acids are diverse, there is strong evidence that organic acids accelerate the dissolution of some minerals. However, the influence of organic acids at the field-scale and over the timescales of soil development has not been evaluated in detail. In this study, a reactive-transport model of soil chemical weathering and pedogenic development was used to quantify the extent to which organic acid cycling controls mineral dissolution rates and long-term patterns of chemical weathering. Specifically, oxalic acid was added to simulations of soil development to investigate a well-studied chronosequence of soils near Santa Cruz, CA. The model formulation includes organic acid input, transport, decomposition, organic-metal aqueous complexation and mineral surface complexation in various combinations. Results suggest that although organic acid reactions accelerate mineral dissolution rates near the soil surface, the net response is an overall decrease in chemical weathering. Model results demonstrate the importance of organic acid input concentrations, fluid flow, decomposition and secondary mineral precipitation rates on the evolution of mineral weathering fronts. In particular, model soil profile evolution is sensitive to kaolinite precipitation and oxalate decomposition rates. The soil profile-scale modeling presented here provides insights into the influence of organic carbon cycling on soil weathering and pedogenesis and supports the need for further field-scale measurements of the flux and speciation of reactive organic compounds.

Climate and weather impact timing of emergence of bats.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Winifred F Frick

Full Text Available Interest in forecasting impacts of climate change have heightened attention in recent decades to how animals respond to variation in climate and weather patterns. One difficulty in determining animal response to climate variation is lack of long-term datasets that record animal behaviors over decadal scales. We used radar observations from the national NEXRAD network of Doppler weather radars to measure how group behavior in a colonially-roosting bat species responded to annual variation in climate and daily variation in weather over the past 11 years. Brazilian free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis form dense aggregations in cave roosts in Texas. These bats emerge from caves daily to forage at high altitudes, which makes them detectable with Doppler weather radars. Timing of emergence in bats is often viewed as an adaptive trade-off between emerging early and risking predation or increased competition and emerging late which restricts foraging opportunities. We used timing of emergence from five maternity colonies of Brazilian free-tailed bats in south-central Texas during the peak lactation period (15 June-15 July to determine whether emergence behavior was associated with summer drought conditions and daily temperatures. Bats emerged significantly earlier during years with extreme drought conditions than during moist years. Bats emerged later on days with high surface temperatures in both dry and moist years, but there was no relationship between surface temperatures and timing of emergence in summers with normal moisture levels. We conclude that emergence behavior is a flexible animal response to climate and weather conditions and may be a useful indicator for monitoring animal response to long-term shifts in climate.

An unusual scintigraphic pattern in sickle cell patients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Glaser, A.M.; Chen, D.C.P.; Siegel, M.E.; Norris, S.L.; Haywood, L.J.

1989-01-01

We reviewed the nuclear medicine files of all patients enrolled in the sickle cell disease clinic who had had scans performed within the previous 5 years. We specifically looked for patterns of tracer uptake in these scans that would correlate with the severe anemia and consequent bone marrow hyperactivity of sickle cell patients. Thirty-three patients were included (21 men and 12 women) with a mean age of 26.8 years (range 17-48 years). The appearance of each of these patients' most recent scans was examined in the areas of the distal femurs, the proximal tibias and the distal tibias; a distinct triangular shaped pattern of increased activity was identified in these areas in a majority of patients. Thirty-three patients without sickle cell disease served as age-matched controls. This pattern was seen in 65.1% (95 out of 146 images) of the sickle cell patients' delayed images and 80.4% (82 out of 102 images) of their blood pool images. In contrast, the control patients demonstrated the triangular pattern in none of their blood pool studies (0%) and only 10.9% of their delayed bone images (P<0.001). The mean age of sickle cell patients with this pattern is 25.6 years which was significantly lower than that of those without this pattern (mean=37.5 years, P<0.05). Given the high prevalence of this unique scintigraphic pattern in a group of patients with known accelerated bone marrow function, these findings may be scintigraphic evidence of bone marrow expansion. The patient's age appears to be an important factor in visualization of this pattern. (orig.)

ENSO Weather and Coral Bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia

Science.gov (United States)

McGowan, Hamish; Theobald, Alison

2017-10-01

The most devastating mass coral bleaching has occurred during El Niño events, with bleaching reported to be a direct result of increased sea surface temperatures (SSTs). However, El Niño itself does not cause SSTs to rise in all regions that experience bleaching. Nor is the upper ocean warming trend of 0.11°C per decade since 1971, attributed to global warming, sufficient alone to exceed the thermal tolerance of corals. Here we show that weather patterns during El Niño that result in reduced cloud cover, higher than average air temperatures and higher than average atmospheric pressures, play a crucial role in determining the extent and location of coral bleaching on the world's largest coral reef system, the World Heritage Great Barrier Reef (GBR), Australia. Accordingly, synoptic-scale weather patterns and local atmosphere-ocean feedbacks related to El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and not large-scale SST warming due to El Niño alone and/or global warming are often the cause of coral bleaching on the GBR.

The effect of radiation sterilization on human transplantable bone

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Triantafyllou, N.; Karatzas, P.

1974-11-01

In order to study the effect of radiation sterilization on human transplantable bones, work was carried out on human and bovine bone tissue samples. Factors causing possible alterations in the mechanical structures of the preserved bone allografts were considered to be deep freezing (-35degC), lyophylization, irradiation, or a combination of lyophylization and irradiation. The latter could be shown to lower the mechanical strength of the bone. Crystal lattice of the bone did not show any alterations in x-ray diffraction pattern, following freeze drying and/or irradiation with doses up to 10 Mrad of gamma radiation. Deterioration in mechanical properties is probably due to damage to the organic phase of the bone matrix

Weatherization Makes Headlines in Connecticut: Weatherization Assistance Close-Up Fact Sheet

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2001-01-01

Connecticut demonstrates its commitment to technology and efficiency through the Weatherization Program. Weatherization uses advanced technologies and techniques to reduce energy costs for low-income families by increasing the energy efficiency of their homes

Weatherization Makes Headlines in Connecticut: Weatherization Assistance Close-Up Fact Sheet

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

D& R International

2001-10-10

Connecticut demonstrates its commitment to technology and efficiency through the Weatherization Program. Weatherization uses advanced technologies and techniques to reduce energy costs for low-income families by increasing the energy efficiency of their homes.

Fleet size estimation for spreading operation considering road geometry, weather and traffic

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Steven I-Jy Chien

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Extreme weather conditions(i.e. snow storm in winter time have caused significant travel disruptions and increased delay and traffic accidents. Snow plowing and salt spreading are the most common counter-measures for making our roads safer for motorists. To assist highway maintenance authorities with better planning and allocation of winter maintenance resources, this study introduces an analytical model to estimate the required number of trucks for spreading operation subjective to pre-specified service time constraints considering road geometry, weather and traffic. The complexity of the research problem lies in dealing with heterogeneous road geometry of road sections, truck capacities, spreading patterns, and traffic speeds under different weather conditions and time periods of an event. The proposed model is applied to two maintenance yards with seven road sections in New Jersey (USA, which demonstrates itself fairly practical to be implemented, considering diverse operational conditions.

Bone scintigraphy and tenofovir-induced osteomalacia in chronic hepatitis B

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoe, Alex khoo cheen; Feng, Lee Yeong

2017-01-01

Tenofovir, used in the treatment of chronic hepatitis B and HIV, is known for its side effects on the kidneys and bones. We share interesting images of a patient with tenofovir-induced osteomalacia on Technetium-99 m hydroxymethyelene (Tc-99 m HDP) bone scintigraphy. Pattern recognition of this bone scintigraphy and correlation with the clinical history is essential to avoid misdiagnosis

Bone scintigraphy and tenofovir-induced osteomalacia in chronic hepatitis B

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hoe, Alex khoo cheen; Feng, Lee Yeong [Dept. of Nuclear Medicine, Penang Hospital, Georgetown (Malaysia)

2017-06-15

Tenofovir, used in the treatment of chronic hepatitis B and HIV, is known for its side effects on the kidneys and bones. We share interesting images of a patient with tenofovir-induced osteomalacia on Technetium-99 m hydroxymethyelene (Tc-99 m HDP) bone scintigraphy. Pattern recognition of this bone scintigraphy and correlation with the clinical history is essential to avoid misdiagnosis.

Design of complex bone internal structure using topology optimization with perimeter control.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Jaejong; Sutradhar, Alok; Shah, Jami J; Paulino, Glaucio H

2018-03-01

Large facial bone loss usually requires patient-specific bone implants to restore the structural integrity and functionality that also affects the appearance of each patient. Titanium alloys (e.g., Ti-6Al-4V) are typically used in the interfacial porous coatings between the implant and the surrounding bone to promote stability. There exists a property mismatch between the two that in general leads to complications such as stress-shielding. This biomechanical discrepancy is a hurdle in the design of bone replacements. To alleviate the mismatch, the internal structure of the bone replacements should match that of the bone. Topology optimization has proven to be a good technique for designing bone replacements. However, the complex internal structure of the bone is difficult to mimic using conventional topology optimization methods without additional restrictions. In this work, the complex bone internal structure is recovered using a perimeter control based topology optimization approach. By restricting the solution space by means of the perimeter, the intricate design complexity of bones can be achieved. Three different bone regions with well-known physiological loadings are selected to illustrate the method. Additionally, we found that the target perimeter value and the pattern of the initial distribution play a vital role in obtaining the natural curvatures in the bone internal structures as well as avoiding excessive island patterns. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Winter Weather Emergencies

Science.gov (United States)

Severe winter weather can lead to health and safety challenges. You may have to cope with Cold related health problems, including ... there are no guarantees of safety during winter weather emergencies, you can take actions to protect yourself. ...

New York Signals Weatherization Savings: Weatherization Assistance Close-Up Fact Sheet

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2001-01-01

New York demonstrates its commitment to technology and efficiency through the Weatherization Program. Weatherization uses advanced technologies and techniques to reduce energy costs for low-income families by increasing the energy efficiency of their homes

New York Signals Weatherization Savings: Weatherization Assistance Close-Up Fact Sheet

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

D& R International

2001-10-10

New York demonstrates its commitment to technology and efficiency through the Weatherization Program. Weatherization uses advanced technologies and techniques to reduce energy costs for low-income families by increasing the energy efficiency of their homes.

NASA GSFC Space Weather Center - Innovative Space Weather Dissemination: Web-Interfaces, Mobile Applications, and More

Science.gov (United States)

Maddox, Marlo; Zheng, Yihua; Rastaetter, Lutz; Taktakishvili, A.; Mays, M. L.; Kuznetsova, M.; Lee, Hyesook; Chulaki, Anna; Hesse, Michael; Mullinix, Richard;

The influence of the circulation on surface temperature and precipitation patterns over Europe

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. D. Jones

2009-06-01

Full Text Available The atmospheric circulation clearly has an important influence on variations in surface temperature and precipitation. In this study we illustrate the spatial patterns of variation that occur for the principal circulation patterns across Europe in the standard four seasons. We use an existing classification scheme of surface pressure patterns, with the aim of considering whether the patterns of influence of specific weather types have changed over the course of the 20th century. We consider whether the long-term warming across Europe is associated with more favourable weather types or related to warming within some of the weather types. The results indicate that the latter is occurring, but not all circulation types show warming. The study also illustrates that certain circulation types can lead to marked differences in temperature and/or precipitation for relatively closely positioned sites when the sites are located in areas of high relief or near coasts.

Bone marrow trephine biopsy in Hodgkin's lymphoma. Comparison with PET-CT scan in 65 patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Lakhwani, Sunil; Cabello-García, Dolores; Allende-Riera, Ana; Cárdenas-Negro, Carlos; Raya, José María; Hernández-Garcia, Miguel T

2018-02-09

To compare bone marrow biopsy (BMB) and PET/CT in detecting bone marrow involvement in Hodgkin's lymphoma MATERIAL AND METHODS: Retrospective analysis of 65 patients with both tests in the initial staging or in relapse with special attention to the PET/CT uptake pattern. In 3 patients (4.6%), the BMB showed bone marrow involvement with the PET/CT being positive in them all: 2 with diffuse+multifocal pattern and one diffuse only. In 11 additional patients (total 14/65, 21%), bone marrow involvement was diagnosed by PET/CT because bone marrow uptake was above hepatic one. The pattern was focal only in 2 cases, multifocal in 5, diffuse in 3 and diffuse+multifocal in one. In these last 4 cases the BMB showed an unspecific myelopathy. PET/CT detects all cases with BMB affected and many that escape to biopsy, however when the uptake pattern is diffuse it could be by involvement or reactive hyperplasia and in those cases the BMB should be done. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Seasonal weather-related decision making for cattle production in the Northern Great Plains

Science.gov (United States)

High inter-annual variability of seasonal weather patterns can greatly affect forage and therefore livestock production in the Northern Great Plains. This variability can make it difficult for ranchers to set yearly stocking rates, particularly in advance of the grazing season. To better understand ...

Mobility of rare earth element in hydrothermal process and weathering product: a review

Science.gov (United States)

Lintjewas, L.; Setiawan, I.

2018-02-01

The Rare Earth Element (REE), consists of La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Lu, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, are important elements to be used as raw materials of advanced technology such as semiconductors, magnets, and lasers. The research of REE in Indonesia has not been done. Several researches were conducted on granitic rocks and weathering product such as Bangka, Sibolga, West Kalimantan, West Sulawesi and Papua. REE can be formed by hydrothermal processes such as Bayan Obo, South China. The REE study on active hydrothermal system (geothermal) in this case also has the potential to produce mineral deposits. The purpose of this review paper is to know the mobility of REE on hydrothermal process and weathering products. Mobility of REE in the hydrothermal process can change the distribution patterns and REE content such as Ce, Eu, La, Lu, Nd, Sm, and Y. Another process besides the hydrothermal is weathering process. REE mobility is influenced by weathering products, where the REE will experience residual and secondary enrichment processes in heavier minerals.

Dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging of the water fraction of normal bone marrow and diffuse bone marrow disease

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Katsuya, Tomoo; Inoue, Tomio; Ishizaka, Hiroshi; Aoki, Jun; Endo, Keigo [Gunma Univ., Maebashi (Japan). School of Medicine

2000-10-01

To clarify the contrast-enhancement pattern of the normal hematopoietic element by isolating the signal of the water fraction in vertebral bone marrow and to investigate whether this approach can be used to characterize bone marrow pathology in several diffuse bone marrow diseases. Two groups were examined: 30 normal healthy volunteers and 19 patients with primary diffuse bone marrow disease (aplastic anemia [n=8], myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) [n=5], chronic myelogenic leukemia (CML) [n=4], polycythemia vera [n=2]). Isolation of the signal of hematopoietic tissue was done by the chemical-shift misregistration effect. Twenty consecutive T1-weighted midsagittal lumber vertebral images were obtained immediately after the intravenous administration of Gd-DTPA of 0.1 mmol/kg body weight, and the pattern of the time-intensity curve, the peak contrast-enhancement (CE) ratio, and the washout rate (%/min) of bone marrow in normal volunteers were compared with those in patients suffering from primary diffuse bone marrow disease. The pattern of the time-intensity curve of patients with aplastic anemia showed a low peak value followed by a slow washout. However, the pattern of time-intensity curves in patients with MDS, CML, and polycythemia vera was similar to that of normal volunteers. The peak CE ratio of the water fraction in normal marrow ranged from 0.45 to 1.26 (mean {+-}S.D.: 0.87{+-}0.18). Patients with aplastic anemia showed an abnormally lower peak CE ratio of the water fraction (mean {+-}S.D.: 0.34{+-}0.19, p<0.0001). On the other hand, the peak CE ratio of the water fraction in patients with MDS was significantly higher than that of normal volunteers (mean {+-}S.D. 1.35{+-}0.39, p<0.05). In contrast, the peak CE ratio of patients with CML or polycythemia vera did not differ significantly from that of normal volunteers. The mean washout rate of patients with aplastic anemia was significantly lower than that of normal volunteers (mean {+-}S.D.: 3.50{+-}2.51 %/min

Dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging of the water fraction of normal bone marrow and diffuse bone marrow disease

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Katsuya, Tomoo; Inoue, Tomio; Ishizaka, Hiroshi; Aoki, Jun; Endo, Keigo

2000-01-01

To clarify the contrast-enhancement pattern of the normal hematopoietic element by isolating the signal of the water fraction in vertebral bone marrow and to investigate whether this approach can be used to characterize bone marrow pathology in several diffuse bone marrow diseases. Two groups were examined: 30 normal healthy volunteers and 19 patients with primary diffuse bone marrow disease (aplastic anemia [n=8], myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) [n=5], chronic myelogenic leukemia (CML) [n=4], polycythemia vera [n=2]). Isolation of the signal of hematopoietic tissue was done by the chemical-shift misregistration effect. Twenty consecutive T1-weighted midsagittal lumber vertebral images were obtained immediately after the intravenous administration of Gd-DTPA of 0.1 mmol/kg body weight, and the pattern of the time-intensity curve, the peak contrast-enhancement (CE) ratio, and the washout rate (%/min) of bone marrow in normal volunteers were compared with those in patients suffering from primary diffuse bone marrow disease. The pattern of the time-intensity curve of patients with aplastic anemia showed a low peak value followed by a slow washout. However, the pattern of time-intensity curves in patients with MDS, CML, and polycythemia vera was similar to that of normal volunteers. The peak CE ratio of the water fraction in normal marrow ranged from 0.45 to 1.26 (mean ±S.D.: 0.87±0.18). Patients with aplastic anemia showed an abnormally lower peak CE ratio of the water fraction (mean ±S.D.: 0.34±0.19, p<0.0001). On the other hand, the peak CE ratio of the water fraction in patients with MDS was significantly higher than that of normal volunteers (mean ±S.D. 1.35±0.39, p<0.05). In contrast, the peak CE ratio of patients with CML or polycythemia vera did not differ significantly from that of normal volunteers. The mean washout rate of patients with aplastic anemia was significantly lower than that of normal volunteers (mean ±S.D.: 3.50±2.51 %/min vs. 7.13±1

Ghosts of yellowstone: multi-decadal histories of wildlife populations captured by bones on a modern landscape.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joshua H Miller

Full Text Available Natural accumulations of skeletal material (death assemblages have the potential to provide historical data on species diversity and population structure for regions lacking decades of wildlife monitoring, thereby contributing valuable baseline data for conservation and management strategies. Previous studies of the ecological and temporal resolutions of death assemblages from terrestrial large-mammal communities, however, have largely focused on broad patterns of community composition in tropical settings. Here, I expand the environmental sampling of large-mammal death assemblages into a temperate biome and explore more demanding assessments of ecological fidelity by testing their capacity to record past population fluctuations of individual species in the well-studied ungulate community of Yellowstone National Park (Yellowstone. Despite dramatic ecological changes following the 1988 wildfires and 1995 wolf re-introduction, the Yellowstone death assemblage is highly faithful to the living community in species richness and community structure. These results agree with studies of tropical death assemblages and establish the broad capability of vertebrate remains to provide high-quality ecological data from disparate ecosystems and biomes. Importantly, the Yellowstone death assemblage also correctly identifies species that changed significantly in abundance over the last 20 to ∼80 years and the directions of those shifts (including local invasions and extinctions. The relative frequency of fresh versus weathered bones for individual species is also consistent with documented trends in living population sizes. Radiocarbon dating verifies the historical source of bones from Equus caballus (horse: a functionally extinct species. Bone surveys are a broadly valuable tool for obtaining population trends and baseline shifts over decadal-to-centennial timescales.

Analysis of Long Bone and Vertebral Failure Patterns.

Science.gov (United States)

1983-03-01

apophyseal joints, lumbar spondylosis and low back pain in Jayson, M.I.V. (ed) The Lumbar Spine and Back Pain, Pitman Medical, pp. 83-114. PUBLICATIONS...NOTES Material in this report was presented at the International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine, Toronto, Canada, June 6-10, 1982. 19. KEY...intervertebral disc and end plate fragments were observed in the vertebral bodies (G84 L2 -3 ) of the upper lumbar levels. Also fragments of trabecular bone

Fair weather atmospheric electricity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harrison, R G

2011-01-01

Not long after Franklin's iconic studies, an atmospheric electric field was discovered in 'fair weather' regions, well away from thunderstorms. The origin of the fair weather field was sought by Lord Kelvin, through development of electrostatic instrumentation and early data logging techniques, but was ultimately explained through the global circuit model of C.T.R. Wilson. In Wilson's model, charge exchanged by disturbed weather electrifies the ionosphere, and returns via a small vertical current density in fair weather regions. New insights into the relevance of fair weather atmospheric electricity to terrestrial and planetary atmospheres are now emerging. For example, there is a possible role of the global circuit current density in atmospheric processes, such as cloud formation. Beyond natural atmospheric processes, a novel practical application is the use of early atmospheric electrostatic investigations to provide quantitative information on past urban air pollution.

Comparison of xenogenic bone bioimplant and calcium phosphate granules on experimental femoral bone defect healing in rabbits

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

GH Mousavi

2012-05-01

Full Text Available Rebuilding and renovation of lost bone whether because of physiologic or pathologic factors was one of the surgeons’ motivations from the past. Osteogenesis of decalcified bone induced by growth factors contained in it. This study is to assay probability effect of decalcified bone and calcium phosphate granules on osteogenesis which is made in experimental flaw and it is as a laboratory pattern in rabbit femur.This experimental study is made on 15 male rabbits. Animals were divided randomly into 3 groups (control and treatments.After induction of general anesthesia, 2 holes in size of 2 mm in diameter was made using a dental bit in femur width to medullary channel. After surgery, the control group left untreated and decalcified bones was placed in group 2 and calcium phosphate granules were placed in group 3. Histopathological and histomorphometrical studies for evaluation of bone healing were carried out in experimental rats, which were euthanized after 45 days of the experiment using hematoxylin-eosin (H&E staining method.In control group, defect seemed to be filled with woven bone and bone marrow spaces and in spite of a poor osteogenic activity. In calcium phosphate group, young bone trabeculas increased in number and bone trabeculas more organized. Histomorphometric results, observed that calcium phosphate granules has significant effect on bone healing than decalcified and control groups.

Aviation & Space Weather Policy Research: Integrating Space Weather Observations & Forecasts into Operations

Science.gov (United States)

Fisher, G.; Jones, B.

2006-12-01

The American Meteorological Society and SolarMetrics Limited are conducting a policy research project leading to recommendations that will increase the safety, reliability, and efficiency of the nation's airline operations through more effective use of space weather forecasts and information. This study, which is funded by a 3-year National Science Foundation grant, also has the support of the Federal Aviation Administration and the Joint Planning and Development Office (JPDO) who is planning the Next Generation Air Transportation System. A major component involves interviewing and bringing together key people in the aviation industry who deal with space weather information. This research also examines public and industrial strategies and plans to respond to space weather information. The focus is to examine policy issues in implementing effective application of space weather services to the management of the nation's aviation system. The results from this project will provide government and industry leaders with additional tools and information to make effective decisions with respect to investments in space weather research and services. While space weather can impact the entire aviation industry, and this project will address national and international issues, the primary focus will be on developing a U.S. perspective for the airlines.

Quantitative assessment of periodontal bone defects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stelt, P.F. van der; Geraets, W.G.M.

1987-01-01

Radiographs are a well-accepted tool in diagnosing periodontal bone lesions and making an accurate evaluation of the treatment. However, the assessment of bone is hampered by the complicated and as it were unpredictable pattern of bone structure. Therefore, and to compensate for the bias always present in human observations, a computer aided procedure was developed to detect and describe periodontal bone lesions. This paper describes a comparison of the performance by human observers and of the computer program. Two series of artificial periodontal bone lesions served as material for the assessments. This study shows that the automated lesion detection program enables an assessment of periodontal bone lesions, which is at least comparable with the results of a group of experienced observers and probably better. It is considerably better than the results of observers individually, and decreases the time-dependent variability appearing in repeated assessments of a single observer. The computer aided detection of periodontal lesions can be considered as a useful and reliable tool in periodontal diagnosis. 9 ref.; 2 figs

Space Weather Services of Korea

Science.gov (United States)

Yoon, K.; Hong, S.; Jangsuk, C.; Dong Kyu, K.; Jinyee, C.; Yeongoh, C.

2016-12-01

The Korean Space Weather Center (KSWC) of the National Radio Research Agency (RRA) is a government agency which is the official source of space weather information for Korean Government and the primary action agency of emergency measure to severe space weather condition. KSWC's main role is providing alerts, watches, and forecasts in order to minimize the space weather impacts on both of public and commercial sectors of satellites, aviation, communications, navigations, power grids, and etc. KSWC is also in charge of monitoring the space weather condition and conducting research and development for its main role of space weather operation in Korea. In this study, we will present KSWC's recent efforts on development of application-oriented space weather research products and services on user needs, and introduce new international collaborative projects, such as IPS-Driven Enlil model, DREAM model estimating electron in satellite orbit, global network of DSCOVR and STEREO satellites tracking, and ARMAS (Automated Radiation Measurement for Aviation Safety).

Weather Information Communications (WINCOMM) Project: Dissemination of Weather Information for the Reduction of Aviation Weather-Related Accident Causal Factors

Science.gov (United States)

Jarrell, Michael; Tanger, Thomas

2004-01-01

Weather Information Communications (WINCOMM) is part of the Weather Accident Prevention (WxAP) Project, which is part of the NASA's Aviation Safety and Security Program. The goals of WINCOMM are to facilitate the exchange of tactical and strategic weather information between air and ground. This viewgraph presentation provides information on data link decision factors, architectures, validation goals. WINCOMM is capable of providing en-route communication air-to-ground, ground-to-air, and air-to-air, even on international or intercontinental flights. The presentation also includes information on the capacity, cost, and development of data links.

Periprosthetic bone remodelling of short-stem total hip arthroplasty: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Shuang G; Weber, Patrick; Steinbrück, Arnd; Hua, Xingyi; Jansson, Volkmar; Schmidutz, Florian

2017-11-27

Short-stem hip arthroplasty (SHA) was designed to preserve bone stock and provide an improved load transfer. To gain more evidence regarding the load transfer, this review analysed the periprosthetic bone remodelling of SHA in comparison to standard hip arthroplasty (THA). PubMed and ScienceDirect were screened to extract dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) studies evaluating the periprosthetic bone remodelling of SHA and two proven THA designs. From the studies included, the postoperative change in periprosthetic bone mineral density (BMD) after one year and the trend over two years was determined. Fifteen studies with four SHAs (CFP, Metha, Nanos, Fitmore) and two THAs (CLS and Bicontact) designs were included. All SHA and THA stems revealed an initial decrease at the calcar and major trochanter (Gruen 1 and 7) with the Metha, Nanos and Fitmore showing a smaller and more balanced remodelling compared to THA. The pattern after one year and the trend over two years argue for a methaphyseal anchorage of the Metha and Nanos, whereas the Fitmore and CFP seem to anchor metha-diaphyseal. Clearly different pattern of bone remodelling were observed between all four SHAs. Periprosthetic bone remodelling is also present in SHA, with the main bone reduction observed proximally. However, certain SHA stems show a more balanced remodelling compared to THA, arguing for a favourable load transfer. Also, the femoral length where bone remodelling occurs is clearly shorter in SHA. As distinctively different pattern between the SHA designs were observed, they should not be judged as a single implant group.

Chronic pyogenic osteomyelitis of long bones at specialized hospital ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Introduction: Chronic pyogenic osteomyelitis of long bones is common and difficult to treat. Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine the pattern of presentation and outcome of treatment of chronic osteomyelitis of long bones at specialized hospital in Nigeria. Patients and methods: Case records of patients who were ...

SAP FLOW RESPONSE OF CHERRY TREES TO WEATHER CONDITION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Á. JUHÁSZ

2011-03-01

Full Text Available Sap flow response of cherry trees to weather condition. Themain goal of our study is to measure water-demand of cherry trees budded ontodifferent rootstocks by sapflow equipment and to study the sap flow response to themeteorological factors. The investigations are carried out in Soroksár in Hungary at‘Rita’ sweet cherry orchard. The pattern of sapflow was analyzed in relation ofsolar radiation, vapour pressure deficit and air temperature. Between solar radiationand sap flow was found a parabolic relation, daily pattern of sapflow is in closerelation (cubic also to vapour pressure deficit. No significant relationship existedbetween sapflow and air temperature. The sapflow performance of sweet cherrytrees on different rootstocks showed typical daily characters.

Alaska Native Weatherization Training and Jobs Program First Steps Toward Tribal Weatherization – Human Capacity Development

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wiita, Joanne

2013-07-30

The Alaska Native Weatherization Training and Jobs Project expanded weatherization services for tribal members’ homes in southeast Alaska while providing weatherization training and on the job training (OJT) for tribal citizens that lead to jobs and most probably careers in weatherization-related occupations. The program resulted in; (a) 80 Alaska Native citizens provided with skills training in five weatherization training units that were delivered in cooperation with University of Alaska Southeast, in accordance with the U.S. Department of Energy Core Competencies for Weatherization Training that prepared participants for employment in three weatherizationrelated occupations: Installer, Crew Chief, and Auditor; (b) 25 paid OJT training opportunities for trainees who successfully completed the training course; and (c) employed trained personnel that have begun to rehab on over 1,000 housing units for weatherization.

The influence of weather on health-related help-seeking behavior of senior citizens in Hong Kong

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, Ho Ting; Chiu, Marcus Yu Lung; Wu, Cynthia Sau Ting; Lee, Tsz Cheung

2015-03-01

It is believed that extreme hot and cold weather has a negative impact on general health conditions. Much research focuses on mortality, but there is relatively little community health research. This study is aimed at identifying high-risk groups who are sensitive to extreme weather conditions, in particular, very hot and cold days, through an analysis of the health-related help-seeking patterns of over 60,000 Personal Emergency Link (PE-link) users in Hong Kong relative to weather conditions. In the study, 1,659,716 PE-link calls to the help center were analyzed. Results showed that females, older elderly, people who did not live alone, non-subsidized (relatively high-income) users, and those without medical histories of heart disease, hypertension, stroke, and diabetes were more sensitive to extreme weather condition. The results suggest that using official government weather forecast reports to predict health-related help-seeking behavior is feasible. An evidence-based strategic plan could be formulated by using a method similar to that used in this study to identify high-risk groups. Preventive measures could be established for protecting the target groups when extreme weather conditions are forecasted.

Convection Weather Detection by General Aviation Pilots with Convectional and Data-Linked Graphical Weather Information Sources

Science.gov (United States)

Chamberlain, James P.; Latorella, Kara A.

2001-01-01

This study compares how well general aviation (GA) pilots detect convective weather in flight with different weather information sources. A flight test was conducted in which GA pilot test subjects were given different in-flight weather information cues and flown toward convective weather of moderate or greater intensity. The test subjects were not actually flying the aircraft, but were given pilot tasks representative of the workload and position awareness requirements of the en route portion of a cross country GA flight. On each flight, one test subject received weather cues typical of a flight in visual meteorological conditions (VMC), another received cues typical of flight in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), and a third received cues typical of flight in IMC but augmented with a graphical weather information system (GWIS). The GWIS provided the subject with near real time data-linked weather products, including a weather radar mosaic superimposed on a moving map with a symbol depicting the aircraft's present position and direction of track. At several points during each flight, the test subjects completed short questionnaires which included items addressing their weather situation awareness and flight decisions. In particular, test subjects were asked to identify the location of the nearest convective cells. After the point of nearest approach to convective weather, the test subjects were asked to draw the location of convective weather on an aeronautical chart, along with the aircraft's present position. This paper reports preliminary results on how accurately test subjects provided with these different weather sources could identify the nearest cell of moderate or greater intensity along their route of flight. Additional flight tests are currently being conducted to complete the data set.

Biomechanical testing of isolated bones: holographic study

Science.gov (United States)

Silvennoinen, Raimo; Nygren, Kaarlo; Karna, Markku

1992-08-01

Holographic nondestructive testing (HNDT) is used to investigate the complex structures of bones of various shapes and sizes subjected to forces. Three antlered deer skulls of different species were investigated and significant species-specific differences were observed. The HNDT method was also used to verify the advanced healing of an osteosynthetized sheep jawbone. Radioulnar bones of a normal and an orphaned moose calf were subjected to a bending test. The undernourished calf showed torsio displacement combined with the bending of the bone, which was not seen in the normal calf. The effects of the masticatory forces on the moose skull surface were studied by simulating masseter muscle contractions with jawbones in occlusion. The fringe patterns showed fast-moving bone surfaces on the naso- maxillo-lacrimal region.

Integrating K-means Clustering with Kernel Density Estimation for the Development of a Conditional Weather Generation Downscaling Model

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Y.; Ho, C.; Chang, L.

2011-12-01

conditional probability density function (PDF) of precipitations approximated by the kernel density estimation are calculated respectively for each weather types. In the synthesis step, 100 patterns of synthesis data are generated. First, the weather type of the n-th day are determined by the results of K-means clustering. The associated transition matrix and PDF of the weather type were also determined for the usage of the next sub-step in the synthesis process. Second, the precipitation condition, dry or wet, can be synthesized basing on the transition matrix. If the synthesized condition is dry, the quantity of precipitation is zero; otherwise, the quantity should be further determined in the third sub-step. Third, the quantity of the synthesized precipitation is assigned as the random variable of the PDF defined above. The synthesis efficiency compares the gap of the monthly mean curves and monthly standard deviation curves between the historical precipitation data and the 100 patterns of synthesis data.

Bone stress: a radionuclide imaging perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roub, L.W.; Gumerman, L.W.; Hanley, E.N. Jr.; Clark, M.W.; Goodman, M.; Herbert, D.L.

1979-01-01

Thirty-five college athletes with lower leg pain underwent radiography and radionuclide studies to rule out a stress fracture. Their asymptomatic extremities and 13 pain-free athletes served as controls. Four main patterns were observed: (a) sharply marginated scintigraphic abnormalities and positive radiographs; (b) sharply marginated scintigraphic abnormalities and negatives radiographs; (c) ill-defined scintigraphic abnormalities and negative radiographs; and (d) negative radionuclide images and negative radiographs. Since the patients with the first two patterns were otherwise identical medically, the authors feel that this scintigraphic appearance is characterisic of bone stress in the appropriate clinical setting, regardless of the radiographic findings. A schema is proposed to explain the occurrence of positive radionuclide images and negative radiographs in the same patient, using a broad conceptual approach to the problem of bone stress

The ventralizing activity of Radar, a maternally expressed bone morphogenetic protein, reveals complex bone morphogenetic protein interactions controlling dorso-ventral patterning in zebrafish.

Science.gov (United States)

Goutel, C; Kishimoto, Y; Schulte-Merker, S; Rosa, F

2000-12-01

In Xenopus and zebrafish, BMP2, 4 and 7 have been implicated, after the onset of zygotic expression, in inducing and maintaining ventro-lateral cell fate during early development. We provide evidence here that a maternally expressed bone morphogenetic protein (BMP), Radar, may control early ventral specification in zebrafish. We show that Radar ventralizes zebrafish embryos and induces the early expression of bmp2b and bmp4. The analysis of Radar overexpression in both swirl/bmp2b mutants and embryos expressing truncated BMP receptors shows that Radar-induced ventralization is dependent on functional BMP2/4 pathways, and may initially rely on an Alk6-related signaling pathway. Finally, we show that while radar-injected swirl embryos still exhibit a strongly dorsalized phenotype, the overexpression of Radar into swirl/bmp2b mutant embryos restores ventral marker expression, including bmp4 expression. Our results suggest that a complex regulation of different BMP pathways controls dorso-ventral (DV) patterning from early cleavage stages until somitogenesis.

The scope of the Weatherization Assistance Program: The weatherized population and the resource base

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Power, M.; Eisenberg, J.F.; Michels, E. (Economic Opportunity Research Inst., Washington, DC (United States)); Witherspoon, M.J. (National Association for State Community Service Programs, Washington, DC (United States)); Brown, M.A. (Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States))

1992-05-01

This study is one of five parts of the US Department of Energy's national evaluation of its Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP). It has three major goals: (1) to enumerate the size and sources of investment in low-income weatherization; (2) to provide a count of the number of low-income units weatherized by all weatherization programs and characterized the type and tenure of those homes; and (3) to document the extent to which the DOE/WAP funding has been expanded though use of external resources.

The scope of the Weatherization Assistance Program: The weatherized population and the resource base

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Power, M.; Eisenberg, J.F.; Michels, E. [Economic Opportunity Research Inst., Washington, DC (United States); Witherspoon, M.J. [National Association for State Community Service Programs, Washington, DC (United States); Brown, M.A. [Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)

1992-05-01

This study is one of five parts of the US Department of Energy`s national evaluation of its Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP). It has three major goals: (1) to enumerate the size and sources of investment in low-income weatherization; (2) to provide a count of the number of low-income units weatherized by all weatherization programs and characterized the type and tenure of those homes; and (3) to document the extent to which the DOE/WAP funding has been expanded though use of external resources.

Reactions of Air Transport Flight Crews to Displays of Weather During Simulated Flight

Science.gov (United States)

Bliss, James P.; Fallon, Corey; Bustamante, Ernesto; Bailey, William R., III; Anderson, Brittany

2005-01-01

Display of information in the cockpit has long been a challenge for aircraft designers. Given the limited space in which to present information, designers have had to be extremely selective about the types and amount of flight related information to present to pilots. The general goal of cockpit display design and implementation is to ensure that displays present information that is timely, useful, and helpful. This suggests that displays should facilitate the management of perceived workload, and should allow maximal situation awareness. The formatting of current and projected weather displays represents a unique challenge. As technologies have been developed to increase the variety and capabilities of weather information available to flight crews, factors such as conflicting weather representations and increased decision importance have increased the likelihood for errors. However, if formatted optimally, it is possible that next generation weather displays could allow for clearer indications of weather trends such as developing or decaying weather patterns. Important issues to address include the integration of weather information sources, flight crew trust of displayed weather information, and the teamed reactivity of flight crews to displays of weather. Past studies of weather display reactivity and formatting have not adequately addressed these issues; in part because experimental stimuli have not approximated the complexity of modern weather displays, and in part because they have not used realistic experimental tasks or participants. The goal of the research reported here was to investigate the influence of onboard and NEXRAD agreement, range to the simulated potential weather event, and the pilot flying on flight crew deviation decisions, perceived workload, and perceived situation awareness. Fifteen pilot-copilot teams were required to fly a simulated route while reacting to weather events presented in two graphical formats on a separate visual display

Space Weather- Physics and Effects

CERN Document Server

Bothmer, Volker

2007-01-01

This book is a state-of-the-art review on the physics of space weather and on space weather impacts on human technology, including manned spaceflight. With contributions from a team of international experts, this comprehensive work covers all aspects of space weather physical processes, and all known aspects of space hazards from humans, both in space and on Earth. Space Weather - Physics and Effects provides the first comprehensive, scientific background of space storms caused by the sun and its impact on geospace focuses on weather issues that have become vital for the development of nationwide technological infrastructures explains magnetic storms on Earth, including the effects of EUV radiation on the atmosphere is an invaluable aid in establishing real-time weather forecasts details the threat that solar effects might have on modern telecommunication systems, including national power grid systems, aircraft and manned spaceflight.

Wormian bones in osteogenesis imperfecta and other disorders

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cremin, B.; Goodman, H.; Spranger, J.; Beighton, P.

1982-01-01

When are Wormian bones significant is not an easy question to answer, but its relevance is important in relation to bone dysplasias such as osteogenesis imperfecta. Recognition will differ with age of patient, radiographic objectivity, and personal subjectivity. In order to attempt an answer, the skull radiographs of 81 cases of osteogenesis imperfecta of varying ages were examined for the presence of Wormian bones. These were compared against the incidence of Wormian bones in 500 skull radiographs of normal children. Significant Wormian bones as against normal developmental variants were considered to be those more than 10 in number, measuring greater than 6 mm by 4 mm, and arranged in a general mosaic pattern. They were found in all the cases of osteogenesis imperfecta but not in the normal skulls. The occurrence of significant Wormian bones in other bone dysplasias from our material and that of the literature was recorded. Other incidental findings in the skulls of the cases of osteogenesis imperfecta were also appraised. (orig.)

Fabulous Weather Day

Science.gov (United States)

Marshall, Candice; Mogil, H. Michael

2007-01-01

Each year, first graders at Kensington Parkwood Elementary School in Kensington, Maryland, look forward to Fabulous Weather Day. Students learn how meteorologists collect data about the weather, how they study wind, temperature, precipitation, basic types/characteristics of clouds, and how they forecast. The project helps the students grow in…

Seasonal Forecasting of Fire Weather Based on a New Global Fire Weather Database

Science.gov (United States)

Dowdy, Andrew J.; Field, Robert D.; Spessa, Allan C.

2016-01-01

Seasonal forecasting of fire weather is examined based on a recently produced global database of the Fire Weather Index (FWI) system beginning in 1980. Seasonal average values of the FWI are examined in relation to measures of the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD). The results are used to examine seasonal forecasts of fire weather conditions throughout the world.

Weatherization is a Hit in Michigan: Weatherization Assistance Close-Up Fact Sheet

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2001-01-01

Michigan demonstrates its commitment to technology and efficiency through the Weatherization Program. Weatherization uses advanced technologies and techniques to reduce energy costs for low-income families by increasing the energy efficiency of their homes

Weatherization Builds on Delaware's Innovative Past: Weatherization Assistance Close-Up Fact Sheet

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2001-01-01

Delaware demonstrates its commitment to technology and efficiency through the Weatherization Program. Weatherization uses advanced technologies and techniques to reduce energy costs for low-income families by increasing the energy efficiency of their homes

Development of a regional ensemble prediction method for probabilistic weather prediction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nohara, Daisuke; Tamura, Hidetoshi; Hirakuchi, Hiromaru

2015-01-01

A regional ensemble prediction method has been developed to provide probabilistic weather prediction using a numerical weather prediction model. To obtain consistent perturbations with the synoptic weather pattern, both of initial and lateral boundary perturbations were given by differences between control and ensemble member of the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA)'s operational one-week ensemble forecast. The method provides a multiple ensemble member with a horizontal resolution of 15 km for 48-hour based on a downscaling of the JMA's operational global forecast accompanied with the perturbations. The ensemble prediction was examined in the case of heavy snow fall event in Kanto area on January 14, 2013. The results showed that the predictions represent different features of high-resolution spatiotemporal distribution of precipitation affected by intensity and location of extra-tropical cyclone in each ensemble member. Although the ensemble prediction has model bias of mean values and variances in some variables such as wind speed and solar radiation, the ensemble prediction has a potential to append a probabilistic information to a deterministic prediction. (author)

Radiographic evaluation and unusual bone formations in different genetic patterns in synpolydactyly

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yucel, Aylin; Acar, Murat; Kuru, Ilhami; Bozan, M. Eray; Solak, Mustafa

2005-01-01

To compare the radiological findings of heterozygous and homozygous subjects with synpolydactyly (SPD) and to discuss their unusual bone formations. Families with hand and foot SPD were examined. Genetic analysis was performed with blood samples and the pedigree was constructed. The affected individuals, especially those with distinctive phenotypic features, were invited to our orthopaedics clinic for further diagnostic studies. All participants underwent detailed clinical and X-ray examinations. Of the invited patients, 16 (five female and 11 male; age range 4-37 years, mean age 10.75 years) were included in our study, and hand and foot radiographs were obtained. All subjects had bilateral hand radiographs (32 hands), and 14 had bilateral foot radiographs (28 feet). Genetic analysis revealed 12 heterozygote (75%) and four (25%) homozygote phenotypes. Among patients enrolled into the study nine (three homozygotes, six heterozygotes) had SPD of both hands and feet bilaterally (tetrasynpolydactyly). Six unusual bone formations were observed in the hands and feet: delta phalanx, delta metacarpal/metatarsal, kissing delta phalanx, true double epiphysis, pseudoepiphysis and cone-shaped epiphysis. There were major differences in radiological and clinical manifestations of homozygote and heterozygote phenotypes. The homozygous SPD presented with very distinctive unusual bone formations. The existence and variety of unusual bones may indicate the severity of penetrance and expressivity of SPD. (orig.)

Paleo and present-day chemical weathering in lacustrine and riverine sediments in Northern Patagonia, Argentina

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roman Ross, Gabriela [Comision Nacional de Energia Atomica, San Carlos de Bariloche (Argentina). Centro Atomico Bariloche. Lab. de Analisis por Activacion Neutronica; Arribere, Maria A.; Guevara, Sergio Ribeiro [Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, XX (Argentina)

1996-07-01

Neutron activation analysis was used to study the abundance, distribution and fraction of REE (Rare Earth Elements) and diagnostic elements (Th, Co, Cr, Sc, Rb, Sr) in sediments from Mascardi lake and Upper Manso river. The local weathering patterns of this watershed show a strong influence of volcanic rocks with a selective mobilization of the more soluble elements. These patterns are very similar to those observed in a sedimentary lacustrine core from Mascardi lake. Paleolimnological record indicates a change in local fluxes of water and sediments, and an increase in organic matter content since the last full-glacial maximum. However, the chemical composition of the sedimentary inputs has not changed significantly during the last 14000 years. Our data support the hypothesis that present-day and Holocene chemical weathering have similar characteristics. All of the above conclusions are based on geochemical parameters only. (author)

Paleo and present-day chemical weathering in lacustrine and riverine sediments in Northern Patagonia, Argentina

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roman Ross, Gabriela

1996-01-01

Neutron activation analysis was used to study the abundance, distribution and fraction of REE (Rare Earth Elements) and diagnostic elements (Th, Co, Cr, Sc, Rb, Sr) in sediments from Mascardi lake and Upper Manso river. The local weathering patterns of this watershed show a strong influence of volcanic rocks with a selective mobilization of the more soluble elements. These patterns are very similar to those observed in a sedimentary lacustrine core from Mascardi lake. Paleolimnological record indicates a change in local fluxes of water and sediments, and an increase in organic matter content since the last full-glacial maximum. However, the chemical composition of the sedimentary inputs has not changed significantly during the last 14000 years. Our data support the hypothesis that present-day and Holocene chemical weathering have similar characteristics. All of the above conclusions are based on geochemical parameters only. (author)

Experimental research of ZrO{sub 2}/BCP/PCL scaffold with complex pore pattern for bone tissue

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sa, Min Woo; Shin, Hae Ri; Kim, Jong Young [Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Andong National University, Andong (Korea, Republic of)

2015-11-15

Recently, synthetic biopolymers and bioceramics such as poly (-caprolactone)(PCL), hydroxyapatite, tricalcium phosphate, biphasic calcium phosphate(BCP), and zirconia have been used as substrates to generate various tissues or organs in tissue engineering. Thus, the purpose of this study was the characterization of ZrO{sub 2}/BCP/PCL(ZBP) scaffold for bone tissue regeneration. Based on the result of single-line test, blended 3D ZBP scaffolds with fully interconnected pores and new complex pore pattern of -type and staggered-type were successfully fabricated using a polymer deposition system. Furthermore, the effect of ZBP scaffold on mechanical property was analyzed. In addition, in vitro cell interaction of ZBP scaffold on MG63 cells was evaluated using a cell counting kit-8(CCK-8) assay.

From the clouds to the ground - snow precipitation patterns vs. snow accumulation patterns

Science.gov (United States)

Gerber, Franziska; Besic, Nikola; Mott, Rebecca; Gabella, Marco; Germann, Urs; Bühler, Yves; Marty, Mauro; Berne, Alexis; Lehning, Michael

2017-04-01

Knowledge about snow distribution and snow accumulation patterns is important and valuable for different applications such as the prediction of seasonal water resources or avalanche forecasting. Furthermore, accumulated snow on the ground is an important ground truth for validating meteorological and climatological model predictions of precipitation in high mountains and polar regions. Snow accumulation patterns are determined by many different processes from ice crystal nucleation in clouds to snow redistribution by wind and avalanches. In between, snow precipitation undergoes different dynamical and microphysical processes, such as ice crystal growth, aggregation and riming, which determine the growth of individual particles and thereby influence the intensity and structure of the snowfall event. In alpine terrain the interaction of different processes and the topography (e.g. lifting condensation and low level cloud formation, which may result in a seeder-feeder effect) may lead to orographic enhancement of precipitation. Furthermore, the redistribution of snow particles in the air by wind results in preferential deposition of precipitation. Even though orographic enhancement is addressed in numerous studies, the relative importance of micro-physical and dynamically induced mechanisms on local snowfall amounts and especially snow accumulation patterns is hardly known. To better understand the relative importance of different processes on snow precipitation and accumulation we analyze snowfall and snow accumulation between January and March 2016 in Davos (Switzerland). We compare MeteoSwiss operational weather radar measurements on Weissfluhgipfel to a spatially continuous snow accumulation map derived from airborne digital sensing (ADS) snow height for the area of Dischma valley in the vicinity of the weather radar. Additionally, we include snow height measurements from automatic snow stations close to the weather radar. Large-scale radar snow accumulation

Bone scintigraphy in two cases of chronic brucellosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kujat, C.; Neidl, K.; Mueller-Leisse, C.; Berg, D.

1989-01-01

As shown in the case reports, bone scintigraphy plays an important part considering the diagnosis of chronic brucellosis, an infectious disease which occurs rarely in Germany. To establish the diagnosis knowledge of symptoms and signs of the disease is necessary. Chronic brucellosis may occur in each organ, ionvolving especially bones and joints. The disease may manifest as spondilytis (especially of the lumbar spine) or arthritis of large joints, sacroiliacal joints or costotransverse joints. Chronic brucellosis has to be considered if a bone scan reveals a typical pattern even without a typical history. (orig.) [de

Training Early Career Space Weather Researchers and other Space Weather Professionals at the CISM Space Weather Summer School

Science.gov (United States)

Gross, N. A.; Hughes, W.

2011-12-01

This talk will outline the organization of a summer school designed to introduce young professions to a sub-discipline of geophysics. Through out the 10 year life time of the Center for Integrated Space Weather Modeling (CISM) the CISM Team has offered a two week summer school that introduces new graduate students and other interested professional to the fundamentals of space weather. The curriculum covers basic concepts in space physics, the hazards of space weather, and the utility of computer models of the space environment. Graduate students attend from both inside and outside CISM, from all the sub-disciplines involved in space weather (solar, heliosphere, geomagnetic, and aeronomy), and from across the nation and around the world. In addition, between 1/4 and 1/3 of the participants each year are professionals involved in space weather in some way, such as: forecasters from NOAA and the Air Force, Air Force satellite program directors, NASA specialists involved in astronaut radiation safety, and representatives from industries affected by space weather. The summer school has adopted modern pedagogy that has been used successfully at the undergraduate level. A typical daily schedule involves three morning lectures followed by an afternoon lab session. During the morning lectures, student interaction is encouraged using "Timeout to Think" questions and peer instruction, along with question cards for students to ask follow up questions. During the afternoon labs students, working in groups of four, answer thought provoking questions using results from simulations and observation data from a variety of source. Through the interactions with each other and the instructors, as well as social interactions during the two weeks, students network and form bonds that will last them through out their careers. We believe that this summer school can be used as a model for summer schools in a wide variety of disciplines.

Powernext weather, benchmark indices for effective weather risk management; Powernext Weather, des indices de reference pour gerer le risque meteo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2006-07-01

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, an estimated 25% of the GNP is affected by weather-related events. The variations in temperature - even small ones - can also have long-lasting effects on the operational results of a company. Among other, the Energy supply sector is sensitive to weather risks: a milder or harsher than usual winter leads to a decrease or increase of energy consumption. The price of electricity on power trading facilities like Powernext is especially sensitive to odd changes in temperatures. Powernext and Meteo-France (the French meteorological agency) have joined expertise in order to promote the use of weather indices in term of decision making or underlying of hedging tools to energy actors, end users from any other sector of activity and specialists of the weather risk hedging. The Powernext Weather indices are made from information collected by Meteo-France's main observation network according to the norms of international meteorology, in areas carefully selected. The gross data are submitted to a thorough review allowing the correction of abnormalities and the reconstitution of missing data. Each index is fashioned to take into account the economic activity in the various regions of the country as represented by each region's population. This demographic information represents a fair approximation of the weight of the regional economic activity. This document presents the Powernext/Meteo France partnership for the elaboration of efficient weather-related risk management indices. (J.S.)

Association of bone scintigraphic abnormalities with knee malalignment and pain.

Science.gov (United States)

Kraus, V B; McDaniel, G; Worrell, T W; Feng, S; Vail, T P; Varju, G; Coleman, R E

2009-11-01

The information content of knee bone scintigraphy was evaluated, including pattern, localisation and intensity of retention relative to radiographic features of knee osteoarthritis, knee alignment and knee symptoms. A total of 308 knees (159 subjects) with symptomatic and radiographic knee osteoarthritis of at least one knee was assessed by late-phase (99m)Technetium methylene disphosphonate bone scintigraph, fixed-flexion knee radiograph, full limb radiograph for knee alignment and for self-reported knee symptom severity. Generalised linear models were used to control for within-subject correlation of knee data. The compartmental localisation (medial vs lateral) and intensity of knee bone scan retention were associated with the pattern (varus vs valgus) (p<0.001) and severity (p<0.001) of knee malalignment and localisation and severity of radiographic osteoarthritis (p<0.001). Bone scan agent retention in the tibiofemoral, but not patellofemoral, compartment was associated with severity of knee symptoms (p<0.001) and persisted after adjusting for radiographic osteoarthritis (p<0.001). To the authors' knowledge, this is the first study describing a relationship between knee malalignment, joint symptom severity and compartment-specific abnormalities by bone scintigraphy. This work demonstrates that bone scintigraphy is a sensitive and quantitative indicator of symptomatic knee osteoarthritis. Used selectively, bone scintigraphy is a dynamic imaging modality that holds great promise as a clinical trial screening tool and outcome measure.

An assessment of fire occurrence regime and performance of Canadian fire weather index in south central Siberian boreal region

OpenAIRE

Chu, T.; Guo, X.

2014-01-01

Wildfire is the dominant natural disturbance in Eurasian boreal region, which acts as a major driver of the global carbon cycle. An effectiveness of wildfire management requires suitable tools for fire prevention and fire risk assessment. This study aims to investigate fire occurrence patterns in relation to fire weather conditions in the remote south central Siberia region. The Canadian Fire Weather Index derived from large-scale meteorol...

Classification of micro-CT images using 3D characterization of bone canal patterns in human osteogenesis imperfecta

Science.gov (United States)

Abidin, Anas Z.; Jameson, John; Molthen, Robert; Wismüller, Axel

2017-03-01

Few studies have analyzed the microstructural properties of bone in cases of Osteogenenis Imperfecta (OI), or `brittle bone disease'. Current approaches mainly focus on bone mineral density measurements as an indirect indicator of bone strength and quality. It has been shown that bone strength would depend not only on composition but also structural organization. This study aims to characterize 3D structure of the cortical bone in high-resolution micro CT images. A total of 40 bone fragments from 28 subjects (13 with OI and 15 healthy controls) were imaged using micro tomography using a synchrotron light source (SRµCT). Minkowski functionals - volume, surface, curvature, and Euler characteristics - describing the topological organization of the bone were computed from the images. The features were used in a machine learning task to classify between healthy and OI bone. The best classification performance (mean AUC - 0.96) was achieved with a combined 4-dimensional feature of all Minkowski functionals. Individually, the best feature performance was seen using curvature (mean AUC - 0.85), which characterizes the edges within a binary object. These results show that quantitative analysis of cortical bone microstructure, in a computer-aided diagnostics framework, can be used to distinguish between healthy and OI bone with high accuracy.

Weather regimes over Senegal during the summer monsoon season using self-organizing maps and hierarchical ascendant classification. Part II: interannual time scale

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gueye, A.K. [ESP, UCAD, Dakar (Senegal); Janicot, Serge; Sultan, Benjamin [LOCEAN/IPSL, IRD, Universite Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris cedex 05 (France); Niang, A. [LTI, ESP/UCAD, Dakar (Senegal); Sawadogo, S. [LTI, EPT, Thies (Senegal); Diongue-Niang, A. [ANACIM, Dakar (Senegal); Thiria, S. [LOCEAN/IPSL, UPMC, Paris (France)

2012-11-15

The aim of this work is to define over the period 1979-2002 the main synoptic weather regimes relevant for understanding the daily variability of rainfall during the summer monsoon season over Senegal. ''Interannual'' synoptic weather regimes are defined by removing the influence of the mean 1979-2002 seasonal cycle. This is different from Part I where the seasonal evolution of each year was removed, then removing also the contribution of interannual variability. As in Part I, the self-organizing maps approach, a clustering methodology based on non-linear artificial neural network, is combined with a hierarchical ascendant classification to compute these regimes. Nine weather regimes are identified using the mean sea level pressure and 850 hPa wind field as variables. The composite circulation patterns of all these nine weather regimes are very consistent with the associated anomaly patterns of precipitable water, mid-troposphere vertical velocity and rainfall. They are also consistent with the distribution of rainfall extremes. These regimes have been then gathered into different groups. A first group of four regimes is included in an inner circuit and is characterized by a modulation of the semi-permanent trough located along the western coast of West Africa and an opposite modulation on the east. This circuit is important because it associates the two wettest and highly persistent weather regimes over Senegal with the driest and the most persistent one. One derivation of this circuit is highlighted, including the two driest regimes and the most persistent one, what can provide important dry sequences occurrence. An exit of this circuit is characterised by a filling of the Saharan heat low. An entry into the main circuit includes a southward location of the Saharan heat low followed by its deepening. The last weather regime is isolated from the other ones and it has no significant impact on Senegal. It is present in June and September, and

Climate Prediction - NOAA's National Weather Service

Science.gov (United States)

Statistical Models... MOS Prod GFS-LAMP Prod Climate Past Weather Predictions Weather Safety Weather Radio National Weather Service on FaceBook NWS on Facebook NWS Director Home > Climate > Predictions Climate Prediction Long range forecasts across the U.S. Climate Prediction Web Sites Climate Prediction

Effects of active acromegaly on bone mRNA and microRNA expression patterns.

Science.gov (United States)

Belaya, Zhanna; Grebennikova, Tatiana; Melnichenko, Galina; Nikitin, Alexey; Solodovnikov, Alexander; Brovkina, Olga; Grigoriev, Andrey; Rozhinskaya, Liudmila; Lutsenko, Alexander; Dedov, Ivan

2018-04-01

To evaluate the response of bone to chronic long-term growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF1) excess by measuring the expression of selected mRNA and microRNA (miR) in bone tissue samples of patients with active acromegaly. Case-control study. Bone tissue samples were obtained during transsphenoidal adenomectomy from the sphenoid bone (sella turcica) from 14 patients with clinically and biochemically confirmed acromegaly and 10 patients with clinically non-functioning pituitary adenoma (NFPA) matched by sex and age. Expression of genes involved in the regulation of bone remodeling was studied using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Of the genes involved in osteoblast and osteoclast activity, only alkaline phosphatase (ALP) mRNA was 50% downregulated in patients with acromegaly. GH excess caused increased expression of the Wnt signaling antagonists ( DKK1) and agonists ( WNT10B) and changes in the levels of miR involved in mesenchymal stem cell commitment to chondrocytes (miR-199a-5p) or adipocytes (miR-27-5p, miR-125b-5p, miR-34a-5p, miR-188-3p) P  Acromegaly had minimal effects on tested mRNAs specific to osteoblast or osteoclast function except for downregulated ALP expression. The expressions of miR known to be involved in mesenchymal stem cell commitment and downregulated TWIST1 expression suggest acromegaly has a negative effect on osteoblastogenesis. © 2018 European Society of Endocrinology.

Graphical tools for TV weather presentation

Science.gov (United States)

Najman, M.

2010-09-01

Contemporary meteorology and its media presentation faces in my opinion following key tasks: - Delivering the meteorological information to the end user/spectator in understandable and modern fashion, which follows industry standard of video output (HD, 16:9) - Besides weather icons show also the outputs of numerical weather prediction models, climatological data, satellite and radar images, observed weather as actual as possible. - Does not compromise the accuracy of presented data. - Ability to prepare and adjust the weather show according to actual synoptic situtation. - Ability to refocus and completely adjust the weather show to actual extreme weather events. - Ground map resolution weather data presentation need to be at least 20 m/pixel to be able to follow the numerical weather prediction model resolution. - Ability to switch between different numerical weather prediction models each day, each show or even in the middle of one weather show. - The graphical weather software need to be flexible and fast. The graphical changes nee to be implementable and airable within minutes before the show or even live. These tasks are so demanding and the usual original approach of custom graphics could not deal with it. It was not able to change the show every day, the shows were static and identical day after day. To change the content of the weather show daily was costly and most of the time impossible with the usual approach. The development in this area is fast though and there are several different options for weather predicting organisations such as national meteorological offices and private meteorological companies to solve this problem. What are the ways to solve it? What are the limitations and advantages of contemporary graphical tools for meteorologists? All these questions will be answered.

Cranial base morphology and temporal bone pneumatization in Asian Homo erectus.

Science.gov (United States)

Balzeau, Antoine; Grimaud-Hervé, Dominique

2006-10-01

The external morphological features of the temporal bone are used frequently to determine taxonomic affinities of fossils of the genus Homo. Temporal bone pneumatization has been widely studied in great apes and in early hominids. However, this feature is rarely examined in the later hominids, particularly in Asian Homo erectus. We provide a comparative morphological and quantitative analysis of Asian Homo erectus from the sites of Ngandong, Sambungmacan, and Zhoukoudian, and of Neandertals and anatomically modern Homo sapiens in order to discuss causes and modalities of temporal bone pneumatization during hominid evolution. The evolution of temporal bone pneumatization in the genus Homo is more complex than previously described. Indeed, the Zhoukoudian fossils have a unique pattern of temporal bone pneumatization, whereas Ngandong and Sambungmacan fossils, as well as the Neandertals, more closely resemble the modern human pattern. Moreover, these Chinese fossils are characterized by a wide midvault and a relatively narrow occipital bone. Our results support the point of view that cell development does not play an active role in determining cranial base morphology. Instead, pneumatization is related to available space and to temporal bone morphology, and its development is related to correlated morphology and the relative disposition of the bones and cerebral lobes. Because variation in pneumatization is extensive within the same species, the phyletic implications of pneumatization are limited in the taxa considered here.

Road weather information for travelers : improving road weather messages and dissemination methods.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Road Weather Management Program (RWMP) recently completed a study titled Human Factors Analysis of Road Weather Advisory and Control Information (Publication No. FHWAJPO- 10-053). The goal of the study was to...

National Convective Weather Diagnostic

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Current convective hazards identified by the National Convective Weather Detection algorithm. The National Convective Weather Diagnostic (NCWD) is an automatically...

Natural Weathering Exposure Station

Data.gov (United States)

Federal Laboratory Consortium — The Corps of Engineers' Treat Island Natural Weathering Exposure Station is a long-term natural weathering facility used to study concrete durability. Located on the...

Pilot's Automated Weather Support System (PAWSS) concepts demonstration project. Phase 1: Pilot's weather information requirements and implications for weather data systems design

Science.gov (United States)

Crabill, Norman L.; Dash, Ernie R.

1991-01-01

The weather information requirements for pilots and the deficiencies of the current aviation weather support system in meeting these requirements are defined. As the amount of data available to pilots increases significantly in the near future, expert system technology will be needed to assist pilots in assimilating that information. Some other desirable characteristics of an automation-assisted system for weather data acquisition, dissemination, and assimilation are also described.

Magnetic resonance imaging of the bone marrow in hematological malignancies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berg, B.C. vande; Lecouvet, F.E.; Maldague, B.; Malghem, J.; Michaux, L.; Ferrant, A.

1998-01-01

Despite its lack of specificity, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the bone marrow has the potential to play a role in the management of patients with primary neoplastic disorders of the hematopoietic system, including lymphomas, leukemias and multiple myeloma. In addition to its use in the assessment of suspected spinal cord compression, bone marrow MRI could be used as a prognostic method or as a technique to assess the response to treatment. The current review addresses the common patterns of bone marrow involvement observed in primary neoplasms of the bone marrow, basic technical principles of bone marrow MRI, and several applications of MRI in selected clinical situations. (orig.) (orig.)

Effects of carbocalcitonin treatment on PAGET's disease assessed by quantitative bone scintigraphy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vattimo, A.; Di Maggio, G.; Burroni, L.

1988-06-01

Sixteen patients with PAGET's disease of bone underwent quantitative bone scintigraphy with /sup 99m/Tc-MDP before and after a long-term treatment with carbocalcitonin, a synthetic analogue of eel calcitonin. The radionuclide study consisted in the blood pool and bone uptake measurement and in the bone avidity calculation (bone uptake - blood pool ratio). In our patients, a significant decrease in bone uptake and bone avidity was found, whereas the blood pool remained statistically unchanged. This behaviour could be accounted for the shift of the compact bone to a lamellar pattern.

Weather forecast

CERN Document Server

Courtier, P

1994-02-07

Weather prediction is performed using the numerical model of the atmosphere evolution.The evolution equations are derived from the Navier Stokes equation for the adiabatic part but the are very much complicated by the change of phase of water, the radiation porocess and the boundary layer.The technique used operationally is described. Weather prediction is an initial value problem and accurate initial conditions need to be specified. Due to the small number of observations available (105 ) as compared to the dimension of the model state variable (107),the problem is largely underdetermined. Techniques of optimal control and inverse problems are used and have been adapted to the large dimension of our problem. our problem.The at mosphere is a chaotic system; the implication for weather prediction is discussed. Ensemble prediction is used operationally and the technique for generating initial conditions which lead to a numerical divergence of the subsequent forecasts is described.

Surface Weather Observations Hourly

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Standard hourly observations taken at Weather Bureau/National Weather Service offices and airports throughout the United States. Hourly observations began during the...

Land Surface Weather Observations

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — METAR is the international standard code format for hourly surface weather observations. The acronym roughly translates from French as Aviation Routine Weather...

Effects of Climate on Co-evolution of Weathering Profiles and Hillscapes

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, R. S.; Rajaram, H.; Anderson, S. P.

2017-12-01

Considerable debate revolves around the relative importance of rock type, tectonics, and climate in creating the architecture of the critical zone. It has recently been proposed that differences in the depths and patterns of weathering between landscapes in Colorado's Front Range and South Carolina's piedmont can be attributed to the state of stress in the rock imposed by the magnitude and orientation the regional stresses with respect to the ridgelines (St. Claire et al., 2016). We argue for the importance of the climate, and in particular, in temperate regions, the amount of recharge. We employ numerical models of hillslope evolution between bounding erosional channels, in which the degree of rock weathering governs the rate of transformation of rock to soil. As the water table drapes between the stream channels, fresh rock is brought into the weathering zone at a rate governed by the rate of incision of the channels. We track the chemical weathering of rock, represented by alteration of feldspar to clays, which in turn requires calculation of the concentration of reactive species in the water along hydrologic flow paths. We present results from analytic solutions to the flow field in which travel times can be efficiently assessed. Below the water table, flow paths are hyperbolic, taking on considerable lateral components as they veer toward the bounding channels that serve as drains to the hillslope. We find that if water is far from equilibrium with respect to weatherable minerals at the water table, as occurs in wet, slowly-eroding landscapes, deep weathering can occur well below the water table to levels approximating the base of the bounding channels. In dry climates, on the other hand, the weathering zone is limited to a shallow surface - parallel layer. These models capture the essence of the observed differences in depth to fresh rock in both wet and dry climates without appeal to the state of stress in the rock.

Urbanization of black South African women may increase risk of low bone mass due to low vitamin D status, low calcium intake and high bone turnover

OpenAIRE

Kruger, Annamarie; Kruger, Marlena C.; Kruger, Iolanthé Marike; Wentzel-Viljoen, Edelweiss

2011-01-01

Globally, rural to urban migration is accompanied by changes in dietary patterns and lifestyle that have serious health implications, including development of low bone mass. We hypothesized that serum 25 (OH) vitamin D3 (25[OH]D3) levels will be lower, bone turnover higher, and nutrition inadequate in urban postmenopausal black women, increasing risk for low bone mass. We aimed to assess the prevalence of risk factors for low bone mass in 1261 black women from rural and urban areas in the Nor...

A new look at the decomposition of agricultural productivity growth incorporating weather effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Njuki, Eric; Bravo-Ureta, Boris E; O'Donnell, Christopher J

2018-01-01

Random fluctuations in temperature and precipitation have substantial impacts on agricultural output. However, the contribution of these changing configurations in weather to total factor productivity (TFP) growth has not been addressed explicitly in econometric analyses. Thus, the key objective of this study is to quantify and to investigate the role of changing weather patterns in explaining yearly fluctuations in TFP. For this purpose, we define TFP to be a measure of total output divided by a measure of total input. We estimate a stochastic production frontier model using U.S. state-level agricultural data incorporating growing season temperature and precipitation, and intra-annual standard deviations of temperature and precipitation for the period 1960-2004. We use the estimated parameters of the model to compute a TFP index that has good axiomatic properties. We then decompose TFP growth in each state into weather effects, technological progress, technical efficiency, and scale-mix efficiency changes. This approach improves our understanding of the role of different components of TFP in agricultural productivity growth. We find that annual TFP growth averaged 1.56% between 1960 and 2004. Moreover, we observe substantial heterogeneity in weather effects across states and over time.

Cause of focal uptake in the cervical vertebral column in routine bone scintigraphy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Buell, U.; Winkler, U.

1983-09-01

Focal uptake was seen in the cervical vertebral column of 61 patients in the course of routine bone scintigraphy. These focal increases were subjected to close analysis. In 60 of these patients (98.4%) degenerative lesions became manifest as the cause of the scintigraphic finding already by the bone scintigraphy pattern (paravertebral localisation in the posterior and dorsal localisation in the lateral. Two typical examples of metastatic changes are presented to facilitate differentiation. The bone scintigraphic pattern in arthrosis of the intervertebral joint is so typical that X-ray control examinations to confirm the diagnosis can be omitted in many cases.

Atmospheric turbulence triggers pronounced diel pattern in karst carbonate geochemistry

Science.gov (United States)

Roland, M.; Serrano-Ortiz, P.; Kowalski, A. S.; Goddéris, Y.; Sánchez-Cañete, E. P.; Ciais, P.; Domingo, F.; Cuezva, S.; Sanchez-Moral, S.; Longdoz, B.; Yakir, D.; Van Grieken, R.; Schott, J.; Cardell, C.; Janssens, I. A.

2013-07-01

CO2 exchange between terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere is key to understanding the feedbacks between climate change and the land surface. In regions with carbonaceous parent material, CO2 exchange patterns occur that cannot be explained by biological processes, such as disproportionate outgassing during the daytime or nighttime CO2 uptake during periods when all vegetation is senescent. Neither of these phenomena can be attributed to carbonate weathering reactions, since their CO2 exchange rates are too small. Soil ventilation induced by high atmospheric turbulence is found to explain atypical CO2 exchange between carbonaceous systems and the atmosphere. However, by strongly altering subsurface CO2 concentrations, ventilation can be expected to influence carbonate weathering rates. By imposing ventilation-driven CO2 outgassing in a carbonate weathering model, we show here that carbonate geochemistry is accelerated and does play a surprisingly large role in the observed CO2 exchange pattern of a semi-arid ecosystem. We found that by rapidly depleting soil CO2 during the daytime, ventilation disturbs soil carbonate equilibria and therefore strongly magnifies daytime carbonate precipitation and associated CO2 production. At night, ventilation ceases and the depleted CO2 concentrations increase steadily. Dissolution of carbonate is now enhanced, which consumes CO2 and largely compensates for the enhanced daytime carbonate precipitation. This is why only a relatively small effect on global carbonate weathering rates is to be expected. On the short term, however, ventilation has a drastic effect on synoptic carbonate weathering rates, resulting in a pronounced diel pattern that exacerbates the non-biological behavior of soil-atmosphere CO2 exchanges in dry regions with carbonate soils.

It's the Physics: Organized Complexity in the Arctic/Midlatitude Weather Controversy

Science.gov (United States)

Overland, J. E.; Francis, J. A.; Wang, M.

2017-12-01

There is intense scientific and public interest in whether major Arctic changes can and will impact mid-latitude weather. Despite numerous workshops and a growing literature, convergence of understanding is lacking, with major objections about possible large impacts within the scientific community. Yet research on the Arctic as a new potential driver in improving subseasonal forecasting at midlatitudes remains a priority. A recent review laid part of the controversy on shortcomings in experimental design and ill-suited metrics, such as examining the influence of only sea-ice loss rather than overall Arctic temperature amplification, and/or calculating averages over large regions, long time periods, or many ensemble members that would tend to obscure event-like Arctic connections. The present analysis lays the difficulty at a deeper level owing to the inherently complex physics. Jet-stream dynamics and weather linkages on the scale of a week to months has characteristics of an organized complex system, with large-scale processes that operate in patterned, quasi-geostrophic ways but whose component feedbacks are continually changing. Arctic linkages may be state dependent, i.e., relationships may be more robust in one atmospheric wave pattern than another, generating intermittency. The observational network is insufficient to fully initialize such a system and the inherent noise obscures linkage signals, leading to an underdetermined problem; often more than one explanation can fit the data. Further, the problem may be computationally irreducible; the only way to know the result of these interactions is to trace out their path over time. Modeling is a suggested approach, but at present it is unclear whether previous model studies fully resolve anticipated complexity. The jet stream from autumn to early winter is characterized by non-linear interactions among enhanced atmospheric planetary waves, irregular transitions between the zonal and meridional flows, and the

Probabilistic forecasting of shallow, rainfall-triggered landslides using real-time numerical weather predictions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Schmidt

2008-04-01

Full Text Available A project established at the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA in New Zealand is aimed at developing a prototype of a real-time landslide forecasting system. The objective is to predict temporal changes in landslide probability for shallow, rainfall-triggered landslides, based on quantitative weather forecasts from numerical weather prediction models. Global weather forecasts from the United Kingdom Met Office (MO Numerical Weather Prediction model (NWP are coupled with a regional data assimilating NWP model (New Zealand Limited Area Model, NZLAM to forecast atmospheric variables such as precipitation and temperature up to 48 h ahead for all of New Zealand. The weather forecasts are fed into a hydrologic model to predict development of soil moisture and groundwater levels. The forecasted catchment-scale patterns in soil moisture and soil saturation are then downscaled using topographic indices to predict soil moisture status at the local scale, and an infinite slope stability model is applied to determine the triggering soil water threshold at a local scale. The model uses uncertainty of soil parameters to produce probabilistic forecasts of spatio-temporal landslide occurrence 48~h ahead. The system was evaluated for a damaging landslide event in New Zealand. Comparison with landslide densities estimated from satellite imagery resulted in hit rates of 70–90%.

Sun, weather, and climate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Herman, J.R.; Goldberg, R.A.

1985-01-01

The general field of sun-weather/climate relationships that is, apparent weather and climate responses to solar activity is introduced and theoretical and experimental suggestions for further research to identify and investigate the unknown casual mechanisms are provided. Topics of discussion include: (1) solar-related correlation factors and energy sources; (2) long-term climate trends; (3) short-term meteorological correlations; (4) miscellaneous obscuring influences; (5) physical processes and mechanisms; (6) recapitulation of sun-weather relationships; and (7) guidelines for experiments. 300 references

"Share weather" : Design and evaluation of a new concept for sharing weather information

OpenAIRE

Elevant, Katarina

2013-01-01

Already centuries ago, humans had observed the weather in their everyday lives, seeking ways to understand, comprehend, and predict it. Until the present day, weather has had tremendous impacts on our lives and with climate change human civilizations as well. With new media technologies weather constitutes a part of the information services used by many residents of modern cities, people and businesses worldwide. The rise of Web 2.0, a cyberspace where individuals may connect and interact und...

Space Weather in Operation

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The “Space Weather in Operations” effort will provide on-demand and near-real time space weather event information to the Data Access Toolkit (DAT), which is the...

Weather Augmented Risk Determination (WARD) System

Science.gov (United States)

Niknejad, M.; Mazdiyasni, O.; Momtaz, F.; AghaKouchak, A.

2017-12-01

Extreme climatic events have direct and indirect impacts on society, economy and the environment. Based on the United States Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) data, over one third of the U.S. GDP can be considered as weather-sensitive involving some degree of weather risk. This expands from a local scale concrete foundation construction to large scale transportation systems. Extreme and unexpected weather conditions have always been considered as one of the probable risks to human health, productivity and activities. The construction industry is a large sector of the economy, and is also greatly influenced by weather-related risks including work stoppage and low labor productivity. Identification and quantification of these risks, and providing mitigation of their effects are always the concerns of construction project managers. In addition to severe weather conditions' destructive effects, seasonal changes in weather conditions can also have negative impacts on human health. Work stoppage and reduced labor productivity can be caused by precipitation, wind, temperature, relative humidity and other weather conditions. Historical and project-specific weather information can improve better project management and mitigation planning, and ultimately reduce the risk of weather-related conditions. This paper proposes new software for project-specific user-defined data analysis that offers (a) probability of work stoppage and the estimated project length considering weather conditions; (b) information on reduced labor productivity and its impacts on project duration; and (c) probabilistic information on the project timeline based on both weather-related work stoppage and labor productivity. The software (WARD System) is designed such that it can be integrated into the already available project management tools. While the system and presented application focuses on the construction industry, the developed software is general and can be used for any application that involves

Phylogenetic patterns and correlation of key structures for jumping: bone crests and cross-sectional areas of muscles in Leptodactylus (Anura, Leptodactylidae).

Science.gov (United States)

Ponssa, María Laura; Fratani, Jéssica; Abdala, Virginia

2018-05-01

Anurans are characterized by their saltatory mode of locomotion, which is associated with a specific morphology. The coordinated action of the muscles and bones of the pelvic girdle is key to the transmission of the force of the hindlimbs to the axial skeleton during jumping. Two features are critical for optimal locomotory performance: the cross-sectional area of muscle and the bone crest attachment sites. The first character is a proxy of the force exerted by the muscle, whereas the crests are muscle attachments sites related to muscle force. The provisory relationship between these features has previously been identified and bone crest size can be used to infer the magnitude and, therefore, muscle force in fossils records. In this work, we explore the correlation between the cross-sectional area of essential muscles to the jumping mechanism (longissimus dorsi, extensor iliotibialis B, tenuissimus, puboischiofemoralis internus B, coccygeo-sacralis and coccygeo-iliacus) and the bone crests where these muscles are inserted (dorsal tubercle, dorsal crest and urostylar crest) in species of the genus Leptodactylus. This genus, along with other leptodactylids, exhibits a diversity of locomotor modes, including jumping, hopping, swimming and burrowing. We therefore analyzed the morphometric variation in the two features, cross-sectional area and bone crest area, expecting a correlation with different locomotor types. Our results showed: (i) a correlation between the urostylar crest and the cross-sectional area of the related muscles; (ii) that the bone crest surface area of urostyle and ilium and the cross-sectional area of the corresponding muscles can be utilized to infer locomotor faculties in leptodactylid frogs; and (iii) that the evolution of both characters demonstrates a general tendency from lower values in leptodactylid ancestors to higher values in the Leptodactylus genus. The results attest to the importance of the comparison of current ecological and

Negative feedback loop of bone resorption by NFATc1-dependent induction of Cadm1.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shinya Nakamura

Full Text Available Trimethylation of histone H3 lysine 4 and lysine 27 (H3K4me3 and H3K27me3 at gene promoter regions critically regulates gene expression. Key developmental genes tend to exhibit changes in histone modification patterns from the H3K4me3/H3K27me3 bivalent pattern to the H3K4me3 monovalent pattern. Using comprehensive chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by sequencing in bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMMs and mature osteoclasts, we found that cell surface adhesion molecule 1 (Cadm1 is a direct target of nuclear factor of activated T cells 1 (NFATc1 and exhibits a bivalent histone pattern in BMMs and a monovalent pattern in osteoclasts. Cadm1 expression was upregulated in BMMs by receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa B ligand (RANKL, and blocked by a calcineurin/NFATc1 inhibitor, FK506. Cadm1-deficient mice exhibited significantly reduced bone mass compared with wild-type mice, which was due to the increased osteoclast differentiation, survival and bone-resorbing activity in Cadm1-deficient osteoclasts. These results suggest that Cadm1 is a direct target of NFATc1, which is induced by RANKL through epigenetic modification, and regulates osteoclastic bone resorption in a negative feedback manner.

The Findings of 99mTc-MDP Bone Scan in Primary malignant Bone Tumors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hyun, In Young; Lee, Kung Han; Lee, Dong Soo; Chung, June Key; Lee, Myung Chul; Koh, Chang Soon; Kang, Heung Sik; Lee, Sang Hoon; Lee, Han Koo

1995-01-01

Tc-99m-MDP bone scan was performed in 31 patients with primary malignant bone tumors, 22 patients with osteogenic sarcoma, 5 patients with chondrosarcoma and 4 patients with Ewing's sarcoma. The findings were classified by isotope intensity of accumulation in tumor as grade 1 to 3, overall pattern of isotope distribution in tumor as grade 1 to 3, and distortion of bony outline as grade 1 to 3. Histologic classifications were correlated with scan findings in 22 patients with osteogenic sarcoma. The results were as follows. 1) In 22 patients with osteogenic sarcoma, markedly increased isotope intensity higher than sacroiliac joint with patchy areas of decreased intensity and severe bony distortion were found in 16 patients. The correlations between histologic classification and scan findings were not discovered. 2) In 5 patients with chondrosarcoma, mildly increased isotope intensity with patchy areas of increased intensity and mild bony distortion were found in 4 patients. 3) In 4 patients with Ewing's sarcoma, markedly increased homogenous intensity with moderate bony distortion were found in 3 patients. Conclusively there were common findings in each 3 primary malignant bone tumors and Tc-99m-MDP bone scan was complemented with radiologic studies in differentiating primary malignant bone tumors.

Immobilisation-induced changes in forearm bone quantity and quality: radiographic fourier image analysis vs bone densitometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moore, G.; Price, R.I.; Buck, A.M.; University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA; Price, R.L.; University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA; Sweetman, I.M.; Ho, S.

1996-01-01

Full text: Determinants of bone fracture risk include indices of bone 'quantity' such as bone mineral content (BMC, mineral mass per unit scanned bone length), plus 'environmental' (eg impact force) and 'quality' factors (Melton L.J. III et al, Bone and Min 2: 321, 1987). Bone 'quality' refers largely to the micro-geometry of bone (∼ 10-200μ), but has been less well studied because of the need for bone slices from (invasive) bone biopsies. Such studies often compare the geometry of trabecular networks (eg trabecular bone volume, trabecular number) with clinical outcomes such as fracture rates. Another (invasive) approach is to examine the two-dimensional (2-D) Fourier transform (FT) of a high-resolution radiographic image of the bone slice, since structural information is in theory encoded in the 2-D spatial-frequency (ν) spectrum. Additionally, the FT method can be applied to bone images obtained in-vivo, though superposition of information from the third dimension is a major confounding factor in their interpretation. Quantitative radiography of the ultradistal (UD) forearm permits determination of BMC (Price R et al; ACPSEM 6: 128- 137, 1983 and ACPSEM 11: 36-43, 1988), and (as a bonus) reveals a pattern (suitable for FT analysis) of the radiographic shadows of the 3-D trabecular network projected onto the image plane. Hemiplegia is associated with excessive bone loss in the paralysed (hemi) forearm, and is a model for the study of immobilisation osteoporosis. Thus, by comparing hemiplegia-induced changes in BMC and trabecular structure, derived from the same in vivo radiographic image, it is possible to compare directly the effects of disease on both bone quantity and quality, using the image of the non-paralysed (non-hemi) arm as a control. Seventy-four patients with hemiplegia of duration 3.6±3.6 (Mean±SD) years were studied cross-sectionally for radiographic BMC of their normal and paralysed UD forearms in AP view, each arm in duplicate. Methods

Bone scan and red blood cell scan in a patient with epidermal naevus syndrome

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Becker, W.; Wolf, F.; Stosiek, N.; Peters, K.P.

1990-01-01

A bone scan and red blood cell scan in the rare epidermal naevus syndrome, associated with multiple haemangiomes of the bone and hypophosphataemic osteomalacia in a 20-year-old man are reported. The typical pattern of osteomalacia on the bone scan was associated with lesions of increased bone metabolism in the peripheral bones. The haemangiomas did not pool labelled red blood cells. Thus, the bone scan seems to be suited for diagnosing the complete extent of haemangiomas in bone, but they could not be specifically proven by red blood cell pooling. (orig.)

Taking Weatherization to New Heights in Colorado: Weatherization Assistance Close-Up Fact Sheet

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2001-01-01

Colorado demonstrates its commitment to technology and efficiency through the Weatherization Program. Weatherization uses advanced technologies and techniques to reduce energy costs for low-income families by increasing the energy efficiency of their homes

Weatherization is a Natural Choice for Montana: Weatherization Assistance Close-Up Fact Sheet

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2001-01-01

Montana demonstrates its commitment to technology and efficiency through the Weatherization Program. Weatherization uses advanced technologies and techniques to reduce energy costs for low-income families by increasing the energy efficiency of their homes

Weatherization is a Natural Choice for Montana: Weatherization Assistance Close-Up Fact Sheet

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

D& R International

2001-10-10

Montana demonstrates its commitment to technology and efficiency through the Weatherization Program. Weatherization uses advanced technologies and techniques to reduce energy costs for low-income families by increasing the energy efficiency of their homes.

Weatherization Sails on Maryland's Legacy of Innovation: Weatherization Assistance Close-Up Fact Sheet

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2001-01-01

Maryland demonstrates its commitment to technology and efficiency through the Weatherization Program. Weatherization uses advanced technologies and techniques to reduce energy costs for low-income families by increasing the energy efficiency of their homes

Weatherization Plays a Starring Role in Mississippi: Weatherization Assistance Close-Up Fact Sheet

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

D& R International

2001-10-10

Mississippi demonstrates its commitment to technology and efficiency through the Weatherization Program. Weatherization uses advanced technologies and techniques to reduce energy costs for low-income families by increasing the energy efficiency of their homes.

Designing a better weather display

Science.gov (United States)

Ware, Colin; Plumlee, Matthew

2012-01-01

The variables most commonly displayed on weather maps are atmospheric pressure, wind speed and direction, and surface temperature. But they are usually shown separately, not together on a single map. As a design exercise, we set the goal of finding out if it is possible to show all three variables (two 2D scalar fields and a 2D vector field) simultaneously such that values can be accurately read using keys for all variables, a reasonable level of detail is shown, and important meteorological features stand out clearly. Our solution involves employing three perceptual "channels", a color channel, a texture channel, and a motion channel in order to perceptually separate the variables and make them independently readable. We conducted an experiment to evaluate our new design both against a conventional solution, and against a glyph-based solution. The evaluation tested the abilities of novice subjects both to read values using a key, and to see meteorological patterns in the data. Our new scheme was superior especially in the representation of wind patterns using the motion channel, and it also performed well enough in the representation of pressure using the texture channel to suggest it as a viable design alternative.

Prospective evaluation of bone and leukocyte scintigraphy for diagnosis of chronic osteomyelitis in patients with coexistent soft-tissue pathology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jacobson, A.F.; Harley, J.D.; Lipsky, B.A.; Pecoraro, R.E.

1989-01-01

This paper reports on a study involving twenty-four patients with soft-tissue infections or wounds and radiographic abnormalities in contiguous bones possibly representing osteomyelitis who underwent three-phase T c -99 m methylene diphosphonate (MDP) bone scanning, followed by In-111 leukocyte scintigraphy (22 patients) and bone biopsy (21 patients). Chronic osteomyelitis was confirmed in 12 patients by means of biopsy cultures and in one by means of histologic findings following amputation. Four patterns of leukocyte uptake in bone were identified: definitely increased, possibly increased, normal, and decreased. The prevalence of osteomyelitis for these four leukocyte scan patterns was as follows: 89% (eight of nine patients), 40% (two of five), 20% (one of five), and 67% (two of three), respectively. A definite increase in bone uptake of In-111-labeled leukocytes usually reflects osteomyelitis, but bone biopsy may be necessary to establish the diagnosis when other scan patterns are present

Cartilage and bone cells do not participate in skeletal regeneration in Ambystoma mexicanum limbs.

Science.gov (United States)

McCusker, Catherine D; Diaz-Castillo, Carlos; Sosnik, Julian; Q Phan, Anne; Gardiner, David M

2016-08-01

The Mexican Axolotl is one of the few tetrapod species that is capable of regenerating complete skeletal elements in injured adult limbs. Whether the skeleton (bone and cartilage) plays a role in the patterning and contribution to the skeletal regenerate is currently unresolved. We tested the induction of pattern formation, the effect on cell proliferation, and contributions of skeletal tissues (cartilage, bone, and periosteum) to the regenerating axolotl limb. We found that bone tissue grafts from transgenic donors expressing GFP fail to induce pattern formation and do not contribute to the newly regenerated skeleton. Periosteum tissue grafts, on the other hand, have both of these activities. These observations reveal that skeletal tissue does not contribute to the regeneration of skeletal elements; rather, these structures are patterned by and derived from cells of non-skeletal connective tissue origin. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Bone marker gene expression in calvarial bones: different bone microenvironments.

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Amer, Osama

2017-12-01

In calvarial mice, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) differentiate into osteoprogenitor cells and then differentiate into osteoblasts that differentiate into osteocytes, which become embedded within the bone matrix. In this case, the cells participating in bone formation include MSCs, osteoprogenitor cells, osteoblasts and osteocytes. The calvariae of C57BL/KaLwRijHsD mice consist of the following five bones: two frontal bones, two parietal bones and one interparietal bone. This study aimed to analyse some bone marker genes and bone related genes to determine whether these calvarial bones have different bone microenvironments. C57BL/KaLwRijHsD calvariae were carefully excised from five male mice that were 4-6 weeks of age. Frontal, parietal, and interparietal bones were dissected to determine the bone microenvironment in calvariae. Haematoxylin and eosin staining was used to determine the morphology of different calvarial bones under microscopy. TaqMan was used to analyse the relative expression of Runx2, OC, OSX, RANK, RANKL, OPG, N-cadherin, E-cadherin, FGF2 and FGFR1 genes in different parts of the calvariae. Histological analysis demonstrated different bone marrow (BM) areas between the different parts of the calvariae. The data show that parietal bones have the smallest BM area compared to frontal and interparietal bones. TaqMan data show a significant increase in the expression level of Runx2, OC, OSX, RANKL, OPG, FGF2 and FGFR1 genes in the parietal bones compared with the frontal and interparietal bones of calvariae. This study provides evidence that different calvarial bones, frontal, parietal and interparietal, contain different bone microenvironments.

Synoptic weather typing applied to air pollution mortality among the elderly in 10 Canadian cities.

Science.gov (United States)

Vanos, Jennifer K; Cakmak, Sabit; Bristow, Corben; Brion, Vladislav; Tremblay, Neil; Martin, Sara L; Sheridan, Scott S

2013-10-01

Synoptic circulation patterns (large-scale weather systems) affect ambient levels of air pollution, as well as the relationship between air pollution and human health. To investigate the air pollution-mortality relationship within weather types and seasons, and to determine which combination of atmospheric conditions may pose increased health threats in the elderly age categories. The relative risk of mortality (RR) due to air pollution was examined using Poisson generalized linear models (GLMs) within specific weather types. Analysis was completed by weather type and age group (all ages, ≤64, 65-74, 75-84, ≥85 years) in ten Canadian cities from 1981 to 1999. There was significant modification of RR by weather type and age. When examining the entire population, weather type was shown to have the greatest modifying effect on the risk of dying due to ozone (O3). This effect was highest on average for the dry tropical (DT) weather type, with the all-age RR of mortality at a population weighted mean (PWM) found to be 1.055 (95% CI 1.026-1.085). All-weather type risk estimates increased with age due to exposure to carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and sulphur dioxide (SO2). On average, RR increased by 2.6, 3.8 and 1.5% for the respective pollutants between the ≤64 and ≥85 age categories. Conversely, mean ozone estimates remained relatively consistent with age. Elevated levels of air pollution were found to be detrimental to the health of elderly individuals for all weather types. However, the entire population was negatively effected by air pollution on the hot dry (DT) and hot humid (MT) days. We identified a significant modification of RR for mortality due to air pollution by age, which is enhanced under specific weather types. Efforts should be targeted at minimizing pollutant exposure to the elderly and/or all age groups with respect to weather type in question. Crown Copyright © 2013 Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Weatherization Savings Takes Root in New Mexico: Weatherization Assistance Close-Up Fact Sheet

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2001-01-01

New Mexico demonstrates its commitment to technology and efficiency through the Weatherization Program. Weatherization uses advanced technologies and techniques to reduce energy costs for low-income families by increasing the energy efficiency of their homes

AWE: Aviation Weather Data Visualization Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Spirkovska, Lilly; Lodha, Suresh K.; Norvig, Peter (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

Weather is one of the major causes of aviation accidents. General aviation (GA) flights account for 92% of all the aviation accidents, In spite of all the official and unofficial sources of weather visualization tools available to pilots, there is an urgent need for visualizing several weather related data tailored for general aviation pilots. Our system, Aviation Weather Data Visualization Environment AWE), presents graphical displays of meteorological observations, terminal area forecasts, and winds aloft forecasts onto a cartographic grid specific to the pilot's area of interest. Decisions regarding the graphical display and design are made based on careful consideration of user needs. Integral visual display of these elements of weather reports is designed for the use of GA pilots as a weather briefing and route selection tool. AWE provides linking of the weather information to the flight's path and schedule. The pilot can interact with the system to obtain aviation-specific weather for the entire area or for his specific route to explore what-if scenarios and make "go/no-go" decisions. The system, as evaluated by some pilots at NASA Ames Research Center, was found to be useful.

Weatherization and Intergovernmental Program - Weatherization Assistance Program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2010-06-01

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Weatherization Assistance Program reduces energy costs for low-income households by increasing the energy efficiency of their homes, while ensuring their health and safety.

Erythropoietic bone marrow in the pigeon: Development of its distribution and volume during growth and pneumatization of bones

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schepelmann, K.

1990-01-01

During postnatal development of the pigeon, a large portion of the skeleton becomes pneumatized, displacing the hemopoietic bone marrow. The consequences of pneumatization on distribution and quantity of bone marrow as well as the availability of other sites for hemopoiesis have been investigated. Hemopoietic marrow of differently aged pigeons divided into five groups from 1 week posthatching (p.h.) up to 6 months p.h. was labeled with Fe-59 and examined by serial whole-body sections. Autoradiography and morphometry as well as scintillation counts of single bones and organs were also carried out. No sign of a reactivation of embryonic sites of erythropoiesis was found. Bone marrow weight and its proportion of whole-body weight increased during the first 4 weeks p.h. from 0.54% to 2.44% and decreased in the following months to about 1.0%. The developing bone marrow showed a progressive distribution during the first months of life, eventually being distributed proportionally over the entire skeleton, except for the skull. At the age of 6 months p.h. bone marrow had been displaced, its volume decreasing in correlation to increasing pneumaticity and conversion to fatty marrow. This generates the characteristic pattern of bone marrow distribution in adult pigeons, which shows hemopoietic bone marrow in ulna, radius, femur, tibiotarsus, scapula, furcula, and the caudal vertebrae

Assessing Weather Curiosity in University Students

Science.gov (United States)

Stewart, A. E.

2017-12-01

This research focuses upon measuring an individual's level of trait curiosity about the weather using the Weather Curiosity Scale (WCS). The measure consists of 15 self-report items that describe weather preferences and/or behaviors that people may perform more or less frequently. The author reports on two initial studies of the WCS that have used the responses of 710 undergraduate students from a large university in the southeastern United States. In the first study, factor analysis of the 15 items indicated that the measure was unidimensional - suggesting that its items singularly assessed weather curiosity. The WCS also was internally consistent as evidenced by an acceptable Cronbach's alpha, a = .81). The second study sought to identify other personality variables that may relate with the WCS scores and thus illuminate the nature of weather curiosity. Several clusters of personality variables appear to underlie the curiosity levels people exhibited, the first of which related to perceptual curiosity (r = .59). Being curious about sights, sounds, smells, and textures generally related somewhat to curiosity about weather. Two measures of trait sensitivity to environmental stimulation, the Highly Sensitive Person Scale (r = .47) and the Orientation Sensitivity Scale of the Adult Temperament Questionnaire (r = .43), also predicted weather curiosity levels. Finally, possessing extraverted personality traits (r = .34) and an intense style of experiencing one's emotions (r = .33) related to weather curiosity. How can this measure be used in K-12 or post-secondary settings to further climate literacy? First, the WCS can identify students with natural curiosities about weather and climate so these students may be given more challenging instruction that will leverage their natural interests. Second, high-WCS students may function as weather and climate ambassadors during inquiry-based learning activities and thus help other students who are not as oriented to the

Verification of Space Weather Forecasts using Terrestrial Weather Approaches

Science.gov (United States)

Henley, E.; Murray, S.; Pope, E.; Stephenson, D.; Sharpe, M.; Bingham, S.; Jackson, D.

2015-12-01

The Met Office Space Weather Operations Centre (MOSWOC) provides a range of 24/7 operational space weather forecasts, alerts, and warnings, which provide valuable information on space weather that can degrade electricity grids, radio communications, and satellite electronics. Forecasts issued include arrival times of coronal mass ejections (CMEs), and probabilistic forecasts for flares, geomagnetic storm indices, and energetic particle fluxes and fluences. These forecasts are produced twice daily using a combination of output from models such as Enlil, near-real-time observations, and forecaster experience. Verification of forecasts is crucial for users, researchers, and forecasters to understand the strengths and limitations of forecasters, and to assess forecaster added value. To this end, the Met Office (in collaboration with Exeter University) has been adapting verification techniques from terrestrial weather, and has been working closely with the International Space Environment Service (ISES) to standardise verification procedures. We will present the results of part of this work, analysing forecast and observed CME arrival times, assessing skill using 2x2 contingency tables. These MOSWOC forecasts can be objectively compared to those produced by the NASA Community Coordinated Modelling Center - a useful benchmark. This approach cannot be taken for the other forecasts, as they are probabilistic and categorical (e.g., geomagnetic storm forecasts give probabilities of exceeding levels from minor to extreme). We will present appropriate verification techniques being developed to address these forecasts, such as rank probability skill score, and comparing forecasts against climatology and persistence benchmarks. As part of this, we will outline the use of discrete time Markov chains to assess and improve the performance of our geomagnetic storm forecasts. We will also discuss work to adapt a terrestrial verification visualisation system to space weather, to help

The identification of proteoglycans and glycosaminoglycans in archaeological human bones and teeth.

Science.gov (United States)

Coulson-Thomas, Yvette M; Coulson-Thomas, Vivien J; Norton, Andrew L; Gesteira, Tarsis F; Cavalheiro, Renan P; Meneghetti, Maria Cecília Z; Martins, João R; Dixon, Ronald A; Nader, Helena B

2015-01-01

Bone tissue is mineralized dense connective tissue consisting mainly of a mineral component (hydroxyapatite) and an organic matrix comprised of collagens, non-collagenous proteins and proteoglycans (PGs). Extracellular matrix proteins and PGs bind tightly to hydroxyapatite which would protect these molecules from the destructive effects of temperature and chemical agents after death. DNA and proteins have been successfully extracted from archaeological skeletons from which valuable information has been obtained; however, to date neither PGs nor glycosaminoglycan (GAG) chains have been studied in archaeological skeletons. PGs and GAGs play a major role in bone morphogenesis, homeostasis and degenerative bone disease. The ability to isolate and characterize PG and GAG content from archaeological skeletons would unveil valuable paleontological information. We therefore optimized methods for the extraction of both PGs and GAGs from archaeological human skeletons. PGs and GAGs were successfully extracted from both archaeological human bones and teeth, and characterized by their electrophoretic mobility in agarose gel, degradation by specific enzymes and HPLC. The GAG populations isolated were chondroitin sulfate (CS) and hyaluronic acid (HA). In addition, a CSPG was detected. The localization of CS, HA, three small leucine rich PGs (biglycan, decorin and fibromodulin) and glypican was analyzed in archaeological human bone slices. Staining patterns were different for juvenile and adult bones, whilst adolescent bones had a similar staining pattern to adult bones. The finding that significant quantities of PGs and GAGs persist in archaeological bones and teeth opens novel venues for the field of Paleontology.

Typical patterns of smallholder vulnerability to weather extremes with regard to food security in the Peruvian Altiplano

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sietz, D.; Mamani Choque, S.E.; Lûdeke, M.K.B.

2012-01-01

Smallholder livelihoods in the Peruvian Altiplano are frequently threatened by weather extremes, including droughts, frosts and heavy rainfall. Given the persistence of significant undernourishment despite regional development efforts, we propose a cluster approach to evaluate smallholders’

Linking the M&Rfi Weather Generator with Agrometeorological Models

Science.gov (United States)

Dubrovsky, Martin; Trnka, Miroslav

2015-04-01

Realistic meteorological inputs (representing the present and/or future climates) for the agrometeorological model simulations are often produced by stochastic weather generators (WGs). This contribution presents some methodological issues and results obtained in our recent experiments. We also address selected questions raised in the synopsis of this session. The input meteorological time series for our experiments are produced by the parametric single site weather generator (WG) Marfi, which is calibrated from the available observational data (or interpolated from surrounding stations). To produce meteorological series representing the future climate, the WG parameters are modified by climate change scenarios, which are prepared by the pattern scaling method: the standardised scenarios derived from Global or Regional Climate Models are multiplied by the change in global mean temperature (ΔTG) determined by the simple climate model MAGICC. The presentation will address following questions: (i) The dependence of the quality of the synthetic weather series and impact results on the WG settings. An emphasis will be put on an effect of conditioning the daily WG on monthly WG (presently being one of our hot topics), which aims at improvement of the reproduction of the low-frequency weather variability. Comparison of results obtained with various WG settings is made in terms of climatic and agroclimatic indices (including extreme temperature and precipitation characteristics and drought indices). (ii) Our methodology accounts for the uncertainties coming from various sources. We will show how the climate change impact results are affected by 1. uncertainty in climate modelling, 2. uncertainty in ΔTG, and 3. uncertainty related to the complexity of the climate change scenario (focusing on an effect of inclusion of changes in variability into the climate change scenarios). Acknowledgements: This study was funded by project "Building up a multidisciplinary scientific

Unsuspected costo-vertebral fractures demonstrated by bone scanning in the child abuse syndrome

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Smith, F W; Gilday, D L; Ash, J M; Green, M D

1980-01-01

Many patterns of injury have been described in the child abuse syndrome. Until recently, all the bone manifestations of this syndrome have been diagnosed radiologically. Four cases of multiple costovertebral fracture diagnosed by bone scan are described and their etiology discussed. The use of bone scanning in identifying fractures which previously would have been missed is advocated.

Unsuspected costo-vertebral fractures demonstrated by bone scanning in the child abuse syndrome

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, F.W.; Gilday, D.L.; Ash, J.M.; Green, M.D.

1980-01-01

Many patterns of injury have been described in the child abuse syndrome. Until recently, all the bone manifestations of this syndrome have been diagnosed radiologically. Four cases of multiple costovertebral fracture diagnosed by bone scan are described and their etiology discussed. The use of bone scanning in identifying fractures which previously would have been missed is advocated. (orig.) [de

New Technologies for Weather Accident Prevention

Science.gov (United States)

Stough, H. Paul, III; Watson, James F., Jr.; Daniels, Taumi S.; Martzaklis, Konstantinos S.; Jarrell, Michael A.; Bogue, Rodney K.

2005-01-01

Weather is a causal factor in thirty percent of all aviation accidents. Many of these accidents are due to a lack of weather situation awareness by pilots in flight. Improving the strategic and tactical weather information available and its presentation to pilots in flight can enhance weather situation awareness and enable avoidance of adverse conditions. This paper presents technologies for airborne detection, dissemination and display of weather information developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in partnership with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), industry and the research community. These technologies, currently in the initial stages of implementation by industry, will provide more precise and timely knowledge of the weather and enable pilots in flight to make decisions that result in safer and more efficient operations.

Dietary patterns in Canadian men and women ages 25 and older: relationship to demographics, body mass index, and bone mineral density

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Towheed Tanveer

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Previous research has shown that underlying dietary patterns are related to the risk of many different adverse health outcomes, but the relationship of these underlying patterns to skeletal fragility is not well understood. The objective of the study was to determine whether dietary patterns in men (ages 25-49, 50+ and women (pre-menopause, post-menopause are related to femoral neck bone mineral density (BMD independently of other lifestyle variables, and whether this relationship is mediated by body mass index. Methods We performed an analysis of 1928 men and 4611 women participants in the Canadian Multicentre Osteoporosis Study, a randomly selected population-based longitudinal cohort. We determined dietary patterns based on the self-administered food frequency questionnaires in year 2 of the study (1997-99. Our primary outcome was BMD as measured by dual x-ray absorptiometry in year 5 of the study (2000-02. Results We identified two underlying dietary patterns using factor analysis and then derived factor scores. The first factor (nutrient dense was most strongly associated with intake of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. The second factor (energy dense was most strongly associated with intake of soft drinks, potato chips and French fries, certain meats (hamburger, hot dog, lunch meat, bacon, and sausage, and certain desserts (doughnuts, chocolate, ice cream. The energy dense factor was associated with higher body mass index independent of other demographic and lifestyle factors, and body mass index was a strong independent predictor of BMD. Surprisingly, we did not find a similar positive association between diet and BMD. In fact, when adjusted for body mass index, each standard deviation increase in the energy dense score was associated with a BMD decrease of 0.009 (95% CI: 0.002, 0.016 g/cm2 for men 50+ years old and 0.004 (95% CI: 0.000, 0.008 g/cm2 for postmenopausal women. In contrast, for men 25-49 years old

Insurance against weather risk : use of heating degree-days from non-local stations for weather derivatives

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Asseldonk, van M.A.P.M.

2003-01-01

Weather derivatives enable policy-holders to safeguard themselves against extreme weather conditions. The effectiveness and the efficiency of the risk transfer is determined by the spatial risk basis, which is the stochastic dependency of the local weather outcome being insured and the outcome of

Can the Weather Affect My Child's Asthma?

Science.gov (United States)

... English Español Can the Weather Affect My Child's Asthma? KidsHealth / For Parents / Can the Weather Affect My ... Asthma? Print Can the Weather Affect My Child's Asthma? Yes. Weather conditions can bring on asthma symptoms. ...

Severity and pattern of bone mineral loss in endocrine causes of osteoporosis as compared to age-related bone mineral loss

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D Dutta

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Data are scant on bone health in endocrinopathies from India. This study evaluated bone mineral density (BMD loss in endocrinopathies [Graves′ disease (GD, type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM, hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism (HypoH, hypergonadotropic hypogonadism (HyperH, hypopituitarism, primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT] as compared to age-related BMD loss [postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMO, andropause]. Materials and Methods: Retrospective audit of records of patients >30 years age attending a bone clinic from August 2014 to January 2016 was done. Results: Five-hundred and seven records were screened, out of which 420 (females:male = 294:126 were analyzed. A significantly higher occurrence of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency was noted in T1DM (89.09%, HyperH (85%, and HypoH (79.59% compared to age-related BMD loss (60.02%; P < 0.001. The occurrence of osteoporosis among females and males was 55.41% and 53.97%, respectively, and of osteopenia among females and males was 28.91% and 32.54%, respectively. In females, osteoporosis was significantly higher in T1DM (92%, HyperH (85%, and HypoH (59.26% compared to PMO (49.34%; P < 0.001. Z score at LS, TF, NOF, and greater trochanter (GT was consistently lowest in T1DM women. Among men, osteoporosis was significantly higher in T1DM (76.67% and HypoH (54.55% compared to andropause (45.45%; P = 0.001. Z score at LS, TF, NOF, GT, and TR was consistently lowest in T1DM men. In GD, the burden of osteoporosis was similar to PMO and andropause. BMD difference among the study groups was not significantly different after adjusting for body mass index (BMI and vitamin D. Conclusion: Low bone mass is extremely common in endocrinopathies, warranting routine screening and intervention. Concomitant vitamin D deficiency compounds the problem. Calcium and vitamin D supplementations may improve bone health in this setting.

A three-dimensional finite element analysis of a passive and friction fit implant abutment interface and the influence of occlusal table dimension on the stress distribution pattern on the implant and surrounding bone

Science.gov (United States)

Sarfaraz, Hasan; Paulose, Anoopa; Shenoy, K. Kamalakanth; Hussain, Akhter

2015-01-01

Aims: The aim of the study was to evaluate the stress distribution pattern in the implant and the surrounding bone for a passive and a friction fit implant abutment interface and to analyze the influence of occlusal table dimension on the stress generated. Materials and Methods: CAD models of two different types of implant abutment connections, the passive fit or the slip-fit represented by the Nobel Replace Tri-lobe connection and the friction fit or active fit represented by the Nobel active conical connection were made. The stress distribution pattern was studied at different occlusal dimension. Six models were constructed in PRO-ENGINEER 05 of the two implant abutment connection for three different occlusal dimensions each. The implant and abutment complex was placed in cortical and cancellous bone modeled using a computed tomography scan. This complex was subjected to a force of 100 N in the axial and oblique direction. The amount of stress and the pattern of stress generated were recorded on a color scale using ANSYS 13 software. Results: The results showed that overall maximum Von Misses stress on the bone is significantly less for friction fit than the passive fit in any loading conditions stresses on the implant were significantly higher for the friction fit than the passive fit. The narrow occlusal table models generated the least amount of stress on the implant abutment interface. Conclusion: It can thus be concluded that the conical connection distributes more stress to the implant body and dissipates less stress to the surrounding bone. A narrow occlusal table considerably reduces the occlusal overload. PMID:26929518

NWS Weather Fatality, Injury and Damage Statistics

Science.gov (United States)

... Weather Awareness Floods, Wind Chill, Tornadoes, Heat... Education Weather Terms, Teachers, Statistics government web resources and services. Natural Hazard Statistics Statistics U.S. Summaries 78-Year List of Severe Weather Fatalities Preliminary Hazardous Weather Statistics for 2017 Now

Methods and theory in bone modeling drift: comparing spatial analyses of primary bone distributions in the human humerus.

Science.gov (United States)

Maggiano, Corey M; Maggiano, Isabel S; Tiesler, Vera G; Chi-Keb, Julio R; Stout, Sam D

2016-01-01

This study compares two novel methods quantifying bone shaft tissue distributions, and relates observations on human humeral growth patterns for applications in anthropological and anatomical research. Microstructural variation in compact bone occurs due to developmental and mechanically adaptive circumstances that are 'recorded' by forming bone and are important for interpretations of growth, health, physical activity, adaptation, and identity in the past and present. Those interpretations hinge on a detailed understanding of the modeling process by which bones achieve their diametric shape, diaphyseal curvature, and general position relative to other elements. Bone modeling is a complex aspect of growth, potentially causing the shaft to drift transversely through formation and resorption on opposing cortices. Unfortunately, the specifics of modeling drift are largely unknown for most skeletal elements. Moreover, bone modeling has seen little quantitative methodological development compared with secondary bone processes, such as intracortical remodeling. The techniques proposed here, starburst point-count and 45° cross-polarization hand-drawn histomorphometry, permit the statistical and populational analysis of human primary tissue distributions and provide similar results despite being suitable for different applications. This analysis of a pooled archaeological and modern skeletal sample confirms the importance of extreme asymmetry in bone modeling as a major determinant of microstructural variation in diaphyses. Specifically, humeral drift is posteromedial in the human humerus, accompanied by a significant rotational trend. In general, results encourage the usage of endocortical primary bone distributions as an indicator and summary of bone modeling drift, enabling quantitative analysis by direction and proportion in other elements and populations. © 2015 Anatomical Society.

... AND HERE COMES THE WEATHER - Austrian TV and radio weather news in the eye of the public

Science.gov (United States)

Keul, A.; Holzer, A. M.; Wostal, T.

2010-09-01

Media weather reports as the main avenue of meteorological and climatological information to the general public have always been in the focus of critical investigation. Former research found that although weather reports are high-interest topics, the amount of information recalled by non-experts is rather low, and criticized this. A pilot study (Keul et al., 2009) by the Salzburg University in cooperation with ORF, the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation, used historic radio files on a fair-weather and a storm situation. It identified the importance of intelligible wording of the weather forecast messages for lay people. Without quality control, weather information can stimulate rumours, false comfort or false alarms. More qualitative and experimental research, also on TV weather, seems justified. This need for further research was addressed by a second and larger field experiment in the spring of 2010. The survey took place in Salzburg City, Austria, with a quota sample of about 90 lay persons. This time TV and radio weather reports were used and a more realistic listening and viewing situation was created by presenting the latest weather forecasts of the given day to the test persons in the very next hours after originally broadcasting them. It asked lay people what they find important in the weather reports and what they remember for their actual next-day use. Reports of a fairweather prognosis were compared with a warning condition. The weather media mix of the users was explored. A second part of the study was a questionnaire which tested the understanding of typical figures of speech used in weather forecasts or even meteorological terms, which might also be important for fully understanding the severe weather warnings. This leads to quantitative and qualitative analysis from which the most important and unexpected results are presented. Short presentation times (1.5 to 2 minutes) make Austrian radio and TV weather reports a narrow compromise between general

Quantitative CBCT evaluation of maxillary and mandibular cortical bone thickness and density variability for orthodontic miniplate placement.

Science.gov (United States)

Rossi, Margherita; Bruno, Giovanni; De Stefani, Alberto; Perri, Alessandro; Gracco, Antonio

2017-12-01

To assess whether cortical bone thickness and density vary in relation to age, sex and skeletal pattern at the maxillary and mandibular areas suitable for miniplates placement for orthodontic purposes. CBCT of 92 subjects (42 males and 50 females) with skeletal class I, II or III malocclusion, divided between adolescents and adults, were examined. InVivoDental ® software (Anatomage Inc, USA) was used to measure 34 maxillary areas and 40 mandibular areas per side. Values obtained were then compared between the groups of subjects. Statistical analysis was performed using the non-parametric Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney rank-sum test for independent samples. No significant differences were found in the cortical bone thickness values between the three skeletal patterns, and according to sex and age. Both maxilla and mandible showed an increase in cortical bone thickness from the anterior towards the posterior regions, and from the alveolar boneto the basal bone. Cortical bone density significantly varied in relation to the subject's age, with adults always showing higher values. Slight clinically significant differences were found between the three skeletal patterns and sex. In terms of cortical bone thickness, age, sex and skeletal pattern do not represent valid decision criteria for the evaluation of the best insertion areas for miniplates, while in terms of cortical bone density, only age is useful as a decision criterion. Copyright © 2017 CEO. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Rethinking the nature of fibrolamellar bone: an integrative biological revision of sauropod plexiform bone formation.

Science.gov (United States)

Stein, Koen; Prondvai, Edina

2014-02-01

We present novel findings on sauropod bone histology that cast doubt on general palaeohistological concepts concerning the true nature of woven bone in primary cortical bone and its role in the rapid growth and giant body sizes of sauropod dinosaurs. By preparing and investigating longitudinal thin sections of sauropod long bones, of which transverse thin sections were published previously, we found that the amount of woven bone in the primary complex has been largely overestimated. Using comparative cellular and light-extinction characteristics in the two section planes, we revealed that the majority of the bony lamina consists of longitudinally organized primary bone, whereas woven bone is usually represented only by a layer a few cells thin in the laminae. Previous arguments on sauropod biology, which have been based on the overestimated amount, misinterpreted formation process and misjudged role of woven bone in the plexiform bone formation of sauropod dinosaurs, are thereby rejected. To explain the observed pattern in fossil bones, we review the most recent advances in bone biology concerning bone formation processes at the cellular and tissue levels. Differentiation between static and dynamic osteogenesis (SO and DO) and the revealed characteristics of SO- versus DO-derived bone tissues shed light on several questions raised by our palaeohistological results and permit identification of these bone tissues in fossils with high confidence. By presenting the methods generally used for investigating fossil bones, we show that the major cause of overestimation of the amount of woven bone in previous palaeohistological studies is the almost exclusive usage of transverse sections. In these sections, cells and crystallites of the longitudinally organized primary bone are cut transversely, thus cells appear rounded and crystallites remain dark under crossed plane polarizers, thereby giving the false impression of woven bone. In order to avoid further confusion in

The scintigraphic reaction pattern of traumatic bone lesions; Das szintigraphische Reaktionsmuster knoecherner Verletzungen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Spitz, J. [Praxis fuer Nuklearmedizin, Staedtisches Klinikum Wiesbaden (Germany)

1994-12-01

The indications for bone scintigraphy in traumatology result: 1. Definite exclusion of bone lesions by normal scintigraphic findings (except for the scull). 2. Unclear result of X-ray or a mismatch between clinical investigation and X-ray result. 3. Screening after multiple injury which leads to the detection of an unknown bone lesion in every second patient. 4. Suspicion of a complicated healting course in cases of doubtful X-ray results. 5. The estimation of relative fracture age. This question always rises, if a pre-existing trauma or morphologic changes in X-ray make a clear diagnosis impossible. The additional information gained by bone scintigraphy is in part exclusive and not to be drawn from any other imaging modality. This renders bone scintigraphy to an important tool in the work up of medico-legal questions in traumatology. (orig.) [Deutsch] Aus den speziellen szintigraphischen Eigenschaften knoecherner Verletzungen ergeben sich die Indikationen fuer die Skelettszintigraphie in der Traumatologie: 1. Ausschluss einer ossaeren Laesion durch einen szintigraphischen Normalbefund (bei Einhaltung eines ausreichenden Abstandes zum Trauma bilden nur die Schaedelknochen eine Ausnahme); 2. ein unklarer Roentgenbefund oder eine Diskrepanz zwischen Klinik, Anamnese und Roentgenbild; 3. das Screening nach Polytrauma, das bei jedem zweiten unfallverletzten Patienten eine zusaetzliche, bis dahin noch nicht bekannte und radiologisch dann nachvollziehbare Fraktur nachweist; 4. der Verdacht auf einen gestoerten Heilungsverlauf, soweit die primaer eingesetzte Roentgendiagnostik keine verbindliche Interpretation erlaubt; 5. die Bestimmung des relativen Frakturalters, die von Bedeutung ist, wenn vorbestehende Unfaelle in der Anamnese oder morphologische Veraenderungen die Interpretation des Roentgenbildes beeintraechtigen. Die mit Hilfe der Skelettszintigraphie erhaltenen Informationen sind zum Teil exklusiv und mit keinem anderen bildgebenden Verfahren so einfach zu

A Severe Weather Laboratory Exercise for an Introductory Weather and Climate Class Using Active Learning Techniques

Science.gov (United States)

Grundstein, Andrew; Durkee, Joshua; Frye, John; Andersen, Theresa; Lieberman, Jordan

2011-01-01

This paper describes a new severe weather laboratory exercise for an Introductory Weather and Climate class, appropriate for first and second year college students (including nonscience majors), that incorporates inquiry-based learning techniques. In the lab, students play the role of meteorologists making forecasts for severe weather. The…

Engaging Earth- and Environmental-Science Undergraduates Through Weather Discussions and an eLearning Weather Forecasting Contest

Science.gov (United States)

Schultz, David M.; Anderson, Stuart; Seo-Zindy, Ryo

2013-06-01

For students who major in meteorology, engaging in weather forecasting can motivate learning, develop critical-thinking skills, improve their written communication, and yield better forecasts. Whether such advances apply to students who are not meteorology majors has been less demonstrated. To test this idea, a weather discussion and an eLearning weather forecasting contest were devised for a meteorology course taken by third-year undergraduate earth- and environmental-science students. The discussion consisted of using the recent, present, and future weather to amplify the topics of the week's lectures. Then, students forecasted the next day's high temperature and the probability of precipitation for Woodford, the closest official observing site to Manchester, UK. The contest ran for 10 weeks, and the students received credit for participation. The top students at the end of the contest received bonus points on their final grade. A Web-based forecast contest application was developed to register the students, receive their forecasts, and calculate weekly standings. Students who were successful in the forecast contest were not necessarily those who achieved the highest scores on the tests, demonstrating that the contest was possibly testing different skills than traditional learning. Student evaluations indicate that the weather discussion and contest were reasonably successful in engaging students to learn about the weather outside of the classroom, synthesize their knowledge from the lectures, and improve their practical understanding of the weather. Therefore, students taking a meteorology class, but not majoring in meteorology, can derive academic benefits from weather discussions and forecast contests. Nevertheless, student evaluations also indicate that better integration of the lectures, weather discussions, and the forecasting contests is necessary.

Cross-sex pattern of bone mineral density in early onset gender identity disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Haraldsen, I R; Haug, E; Falch, J; Egeland, T; Opjordsmoen, S

2007-09-01

Hormonally controlled differences in bone mineral density (BMD) between males and females are well studied. The effects of cross-sex hormones on bone metabolism in patients with early onset gender identity disorder (EO-GID), however, are unclear. We examined BMD, total body fat (TBF) and total lean body mass (TLBM) in patients prior to initiation of sex hormone treatment and during treatment at months 3 and 12. The study included 33 EO-GID patients who were approved for sex reassignment and a control group of 122 healthy Norwegians (males, n=77; females, n=45). Male patients (n=12) received an oral dose of 50 mug ethinylestradiol daily for the first 3 months and 100 mug daily thereafter. Female patients (n=21) received 250 mg testosterone enantate intramuscularly every third week. BMD, TBF and TLBM were estimated using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). In male patients, the DXA measurements except TBF were significantly lower compared to their same-sex control group at baseline and did not change during treatment. In female patients, the DXA measurements were slightly higher than in same-sex controls at baseline and also remained unchanged during treatment. In conclusion, this study reports that body composition and bone density of EO-GID patients show less pronounced sex differences compared to controls and that bone density was unaffected by cross-sex hormone treatment.

Large Scale Meteorological Pattern of Extreme Rainfall in Indonesia

Science.gov (United States)

Kuswanto, Heri; Grotjahn, Richard; Rachmi, Arinda; Suhermi, Novri; Oktania, Erma; Wijaya, Yosep

2014-05-01

Extreme Weather Events (EWEs) cause negative impacts socially, economically, and environmentally. Considering these facts, forecasting EWEs is crucial work. Indonesia has been identified as being among the countries most vulnerable to the risk of natural disasters, such as floods, heat waves, and droughts. Current forecasting of extreme events in Indonesia is carried out by interpreting synoptic maps for several fields without taking into account the link between the observed events in the 'target' area with remote conditions. This situation may cause misidentification of the event leading to an inaccurate prediction. Grotjahn and Faure (2008) compute composite maps from extreme events (including heat waves and intense rainfall) to help forecasters identify such events in model output. The composite maps show large scale meteorological patterns (LSMP) that occurred during historical EWEs. Some vital information about the EWEs can be acquired from studying such maps, in addition to providing forecaster guidance. Such maps have robust mid-latitude meteorological patterns (for Sacramento and California Central Valley, USA EWEs). We study the performance of the composite approach for tropical weather condition such as Indonesia. Initially, the composite maps are developed to identify and forecast the extreme weather events in Indramayu district- West Java, the main producer of rice in Indonesia and contributes to about 60% of the national total rice production. Studying extreme weather events happening in Indramayu is important since EWEs there affect national agricultural and fisheries activities. During a recent EWE more than a thousand houses in Indramayu suffered from serious flooding with each home more than one meter underwater. The flood also destroyed a thousand hectares of rice plantings in 5 regencies. Identifying the dates of extreme events is one of the most important steps and has to be carried out carefully. An approach has been applied to identify the

Patterns of failure following bone marrow transplantation for metastatic breast cancer: the role of consolidative local therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shah, Amit B.; Hartsell, William F.; Ghalie, Richard; Kaizer, Herbert

1995-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this analysis is to evaluate the patterns of failure and the role of local therapy in conjunction with bone marrow transplantation (BMT) for metastatic or recurrent breast cancer. Methods and Materials: Between June 1986 and November 1991, 46 patients with hormone unresponsive metastatic or recurrent breast cancer underwent high dose chemotherapy (HDC) with hematopoietic stem cell support. The most commonly used preparative regimen consisted of thiotepa (750 mg/m 2 ), cisplatin (150 mg/m 2 ), and cyclophosphamide (120 mg/kg) followed by autologous BMT. Consolidative surgery or irradiation was considered in patients whose cancer responded to BMT and had localized sites of disease. Results: Six patients (13%) died of BMT-related complications. Of the remaining 40 patients, 22 were candidates for consolidative therapy, and 18 of those patients received consolidative irradiation (17 patients) or surgery (1 patient) to one or more sites. At median follow-up of 27 months (range, 20-78), 12 of 18 (67%) patients have continuous local control at the 22 consolidated sites (1 of 4 controlled at chest wall sites, 7 of 8 at regional nodal sites, 7 of 7 at localized bone sites, and 1 of 3 at lung/mediastinal sites). Toxicity of consolidative irradiation was mainly limited to myelosuppression in 6 of 17 patients. Two patients did not complete the consolidative local therapy, one because of hematologic toxicity and one because of rapid systemic tumor progression during treatment. Conclusion: In patients with localized areas of extravisceral metastases, consolidative irradiation is feasible with acceptable hematologic toxicity. Consolidative irradiation can result in continuous local control, especially in isolated bone metastases and in regional nodal sites; however, the advantage is less clear in patients undergoing consolidative irradiation for chest wall failures. Because distant visceral metastases still remain a major site of failure after this HDC

Regional-seasonal weather forecasting

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abarbanel, H.; Foley, H.; MacDonald, G.; Rothaus, O.; Rudermann, M.; Vesecky, J.

1980-08-01

In the interest of allocating heating fuels optimally, the state-of-the-art for seasonal weather forecasting is reviewed. A model using an enormous data base of past weather data is contemplated to improve seasonal forecasts, but present skills do not make that practicable. 90 references. (PSB)

Ossificans myositis: inflammatory changes and contrast enhancement of adjacent bone shown by MR imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

David, H.; Jolles, E.; Le Friant, G.; Silvestre, A.; Sarrazin, J.L.; Gordoliani, Y.S.

1995-01-01

The authors report a case of ossificans myositis, in which magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed inflammatory changes of the adjacent bone. T 1 weighted fat saturation sequence with gadolinium injection showed enhancement of medullary and cortical bone. This potentially mistaking pattern must be known, to avoid mis diagnosing with malignant osseous tumor, specially before achievement of the characteristic pattern of zonal maturation and its calcified rim. (authors). 15 refs., 6 figs

The formation of labyrinths, spots and stripe patterns in a biochemical approach to cardiovascular calcification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yochelis, A; Tintut, Y; Demer, L L; Garfinkel, A

2008-01-01

Calcification and mineralization are fundamental physiological processes, yet the mechanisms of calcification, in trabecular bone and in calcified lesions in atherosclerotic calcification, are unclear. Recently, it was shown in in vitro experiments that vascular-derived mesenchymal stem cells can display self-organized calcified patterns. These patterns were attributed to activator/inhibitor dynamics in the style of Turing, with bone morphogenetic protein 2 acting as an activator, and matrix GLA protein acting as an inhibitor. Motivated by this qualitative activator-inhibitor dynamics, we employ a prototype Gierer-Meinhardt model used in the context of activator-inhibitor-based biological pattern formation. Through a detailed analysis in one and two spatial dimensions, we explore the pattern formation mechanisms of steady state patterns, including their dependence on initial conditions. These patterns range from localized holes to labyrinths and localized peaks, or in other words, from dense to sparse activator distributions (respectively). We believe that an understanding of the wide spectrum of activator-inhibitor patterns discussed here is prerequisite to their biochemical control. The mechanisms of pattern formation suggest therapeutic strategies applicable to bone formation in atherosclerotic lesions in arteries (where it is pathological) and to the regeneration of trabecular bone (recapitulating normal physiological development)

Bone marrow edema syndrome

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Korompilias, Anastasios V.; Lykissas, Marios G.; Beris, Alexandros E.; Karantanas, Apostolos H.

2009-01-01

Bone marrow edema syndrome (BMES) refers to transient clinical conditions with unknown pathogenic mechanism, such as transient osteoporosis of the hip (TOH), regional migratory osteoporosis (RMO), and reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD). BMES is primarily characterized by bone marrow edema (BME) pattern. The disease mainly affects the hip, the knee, and the ankle of middle-aged males. Many hypotheses have been proposed to explain the pathogenesis of the disease. Unfortunately, the etiology of BMES remains obscure. The hallmark that separates BMES from other conditions presented with BME pattern is its self-limited nature. Laboratory tests usually do not contribute to the diagnosis. Histological examination of the lesion is unnecessary. Plain radiographs may reveal regional osseous demineralization. Magnetic resonance imaging is mainly used for the early diagnosis and monitoring the progression of the disease. Early differentiation from other aggressive conditions with long-term sequelae is essential in order to avoid unnecessary treatment. Clinical entities, such as TOH, RMO, and RSD are spontaneously resolving, and surgical treatment is not needed. On the other hand, early differential diagnosis and surgical treatment in case of osteonecrosis is of crucial importance. (orig.)

Weather Derivatives – Origin, Types and Application

OpenAIRE

Piotr Binkowski

2008-01-01

The number of companies that are exposed to the revenues loss risk caused by weather variability is still increasing. The businesses that are mostly exposed to weather risk are following: energy, agriculture, constructions and transport. That situation has initiated dynamic growth of weather derivatives markets as well as the awareness of the weather risk among the market participants. Presently, the weather derivatives markets evaluate rapidly in all the mature economies: USA, Asia and Europ...

Weatherization in Arkansas: A Gem of a Program: Weatherization Assistance Close-Up Fact Sheet

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2001-01-01

Arkansas demonstrates its commitment to technology and efficiency through the Weatherization Program. Weatherization uses advanced technologies and techniques to reduce energy costs for low-income families by increasing the energy efficiency of their homes

Weather Derivatives – Origin, Types and Application

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Piotr Binkowski

2008-01-01

Full Text Available The number of companies that are exposed to the revenues loss risk caused by weather variability is still increasing. The businesses that are mostly exposed to weather risk are following: energy, agriculture, constructions and transport. That situation has initiated dynamic growth of weather derivatives markets as well as the awareness of the weather risk among the market participants. Presently, the weather derivatives markets evaluate rapidly in all the mature economies: USA, Asia and Europe. Constructing weather derivatives relies on qu- antifying climate factors in the form of indexes, what is quite simple task, more difficultly can be gathering precise historical data of required climate factors. Taking into consideration so far development of derivatives especially the financial derivatives based on different types of indexes financial market has at disposal wide range of different types of proved derivatives (futures, forward, options, swaps, which can be successfully utilised on the weather-driven markets both for hedging weather risk and speculating.

MR findings of chondroblastoma with emphasis on enhancement pattern

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oh, Kyung Joong; Go, Sung Hye; Lee, Gyung Kyu; Kim, Jung Eun; Choi, Jung A; Park, Chang Min; Choi, Seung Hong; Kang, Heung Sik; Ahn, Jung Mo; Kim, Sung Moon

2003-01-01

To analyze the MR findings of chondroblastoma and peritumoral bone marrow, focussing on the enhancement pattern. Enhanced MR images obtained from 23 patients with pathologically proven chondroblastoma were retrospectively reviewed by three radiologists. The enhancement pattern was classified as one of three types: homogeneous, heterogeneous, or peripheral rim, while peritumoral bone marrow enhancement was assigned one of four grades. Correlation between the enhancement pattern and T2 signal intensity of a tumor was analyzed by fisher's exact test. The enhancement pattern was homogeneous in ten cases, heterogeneous in six, and involved the peripheral rim in seven. In 11 cases, peritumoral bone marrow enhancement was observed. Among the ten instances of homogeneous enhancement the signal intensity seen at T2W1 was homogeneously iso or low in six cases, homogeneously high in two, and heterogeneous in two. Among the seven cases in which three was peripheral rim enhancement, the signal intensity observed at T2W1 was homogeneously high in three, fluid-fluid level in three, and homogeneously iso or low in one. At MR imaging, chondroblastoma shows variable signal intensities and enhancement patterns. The peripheral rim enhancement observed at T2W1 correlated with homogeneously high signal intensity or fluid-fluid levels

MR findings of chondroblastoma with emphasis on enhancement pattern

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oh, Kyung Joong; Go, Sung Hye; Lee, Gyung Kyu; Kim, Jung Eun; Choi, Jung A; Park, Chang Min; Choi, Seung Hong; Kang, Heung Sik [Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Ahn, Jung Mo [Samsung Medical Center, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Sung Moon [Asan Medical Center, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2003-03-01

To analyze the MR findings of chondroblastoma and peritumoral bone marrow, focussing on the enhancement pattern. Enhanced MR images obtained from 23 patients with pathologically proven chondroblastoma were retrospectively reviewed by three radiologists. The enhancement pattern was classified as one of three types: homogeneous, heterogeneous, or peripheral rim, while peritumoral bone marrow enhancement was assigned one of four grades. Correlation between the enhancement pattern and T2 signal intensity of a tumor was analyzed by fisher's exact test. The enhancement pattern was homogeneous in ten cases, heterogeneous in six, and involved the peripheral rim in seven. In 11 cases, peritumoral bone marrow enhancement was observed. Among the ten instances of homogeneous enhancement the signal intensity seen at T2W1 was homogeneously iso or low in six cases, homogeneously high in two, and heterogeneous in two. Among the seven cases in which three was peripheral rim enhancement, the signal intensity observed at T2W1 was homogeneously high in three, fluid-fluid level in three, and homogeneously iso or low in one. At MR imaging, chondroblastoma shows variable signal intensities and enhancement patterns. The peripheral rim enhancement observed at T2W1 correlated with homogeneously high signal intensity or fluid-fluid levels.

Strontium isotopes reveal weathering processes in lateritic covers in southern China with implications for paleogeographic reconstructions

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Xiao; Wang, Shijie; Ji, Hongbing; Shi, Zhenhua

2018-01-01

The isotope ratios of Sr are useful tracers for studying parent material sources, weathering processes, and biogeochemical cycling. Mineralogical and geochemical investigations of two lateritic weathering covers, in an area close to the Tropic of Cancer (Guangxi Province, southern China), were undertaken to study the regional weathering processes and Sr isotopic sources. We found that weathering and decomposition of Rb- and Sr-bearing minerals change the Sr isotopic composition in weathering products (lateritic soils). Weathering of illite lowered the 87Sr/86Sr ratio whereas dissolving and leaching of carbonate minerals increased the 87Sr/86Sr ratio. An Fe nodular horizon is widely developed on the top of the weathering covers in the studied area and it differs from the lateritic soil horizon in mineral composition, construction, and elemental concentration. Furthermore, both Fe2O3 and P2O5 (concentrations) are negatively correlated with the 87Sr/86Sr ratios, suggesting fixation of apatite by Fe oxides is a controlling factor of the Sr isotopic composition in the Fe nodular horizon. The 87Sr/86Sr and Nb/Sr ratios imply the contents and proportions of Fe nodules and clay are critical in controlling the changes of Sr isotopic composition in the Fe nodular horizon. The two stages of the weathering process of carbonate rocks are revealed by the87Sr/86Sr versus Nb/Sr diagram. The 87Sr/86Sr and Rb/Sr ratios suggest that Sr isotopes in the weathering covers within the studied area are derived mainly from parent rock weathering and that the contributions from allothogenic Sr isotopes are limited. A comparison of Sr isotopic composition signatures in the weathering covers of the studied area and Guizhou Province provided insight into the Sr isotopic source and paleogeographic evolution of southern China. From the Permian to the Triassic, the continental fragment sources of the South China sedimentary basin changed significantly. In the Permian, Southern China presented the

Strontium isotopes reveal weathering processes in lateritic covers in southern China with implications for paleogeographic reconstructions.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiao Wei

Full Text Available The isotope ratios of Sr are useful tracers for studying parent material sources, weathering processes, and biogeochemical cycling. Mineralogical and geochemical investigations of two lateritic weathering covers, in an area close to the Tropic of Cancer (Guangxi Province, southern China, were undertaken to study the regional weathering processes and Sr isotopic sources. We found that weathering and decomposition of Rb- and Sr-bearing minerals change the Sr isotopic composition in weathering products (lateritic soils. Weathering of illite lowered the 87Sr/86Sr ratio whereas dissolving and leaching of carbonate minerals increased the 87Sr/86Sr ratio. An Fe nodular horizon is widely developed on the top of the weathering covers in the studied area and it differs from the lateritic soil horizon in mineral composition, construction, and elemental concentration. Furthermore, both Fe2O3 and P2O5 (concentrations are negatively correlated with the 87Sr/86Sr ratios, suggesting fixation of apatite by Fe oxides is a controlling factor of the Sr isotopic composition in the Fe nodular horizon. The 87Sr/86Sr and Nb/Sr ratios imply the contents and proportions of Fe nodules and clay are critical in controlling the changes of Sr isotopic composition in the Fe nodular horizon. The two stages of the weathering process of carbonate rocks are revealed by the87Sr/86Sr versus Nb/Sr diagram. The 87Sr/86Sr and Rb/Sr ratios suggest that Sr isotopes in the weathering covers within the studied area are derived mainly from parent rock weathering and that the contributions from allothogenic Sr isotopes are limited. A comparison of Sr isotopic composition signatures in the weathering covers of the studied area and Guizhou Province provided insight into the Sr isotopic source and paleogeographic evolution of southern China. From the Permian to the Triassic, the continental fragment sources of the South China sedimentary basin changed significantly. In the Permian, Southern