LIFTING THE VEIL ON OBSCURED ACCRETION: ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI NUMBER COUNTS AND SURVEY STRATEGIES FOR IMAGING HARD X-RAY MISSIONS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ballantyne, D. R.; Draper, A. R.; Madsen, K. K.; Rigby, J. R.; Treister, E.

2011-01-01

Finding and characterizing the population of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) that produces the X-ray background (XRB) is necessary to connect the history of accretion to observations of galaxy evolution at longer wavelengths. The year 2012 will see the deployment of the first hard X-ray imaging telescope which, through deep extragalactic surveys, will be able to measure the AGN population at the energies where the XRB peaks (∼20-30 keV). Here, we present predictions of AGN number counts in three hard X-ray bandpasses: 6-10 keV, 10-30 keV, and 30-60 keV. Separate predictions are presented for the number counts of Compton thick AGNs, the most heavily obscured active galaxies. The number counts are calculated for five different models of the XRB that differ in the assumed hard X-ray luminosity function, the evolution of the Compton thick AGNs, and the underlying AGN spectral model. The majority of the hard X-ray number counts will be Compton thin AGNs, but there is a greater than tenfold increase in the Compton thick number counts from the 6-10 keV to the 10-30 keV band. The Compton thick population shows enough variation that a hard X-ray number counts measurement will constrain the models. The computed number counts are used to consider various survey strategies for the NuSTAR mission, assuming a total exposure time of 6.2 Ms. We find that multiple surveys will allow a measurement of Compton thick evolution. The predictions presented here should be useful for all future imaging hard X-ray missions.

Clean Hands Count

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Spitzer deep and wide legacy mid- and far-infrared number counts and lower limits of cosmic infrared background

Science.gov (United States)

Béthermin, M.; Dole, H.; Beelen, A.; Aussel, H.

2010-03-01

Aims: We aim to place stronger lower limits on the cosmic infrared background (CIB) brightness at 24 μm, 70 μm and 160 μm and measure the extragalactic number counts at these wavelengths in a homogeneous way from various surveys. Methods: Using Spitzer legacy data over 53.6 deg2 of various depths, we build catalogs with the same extraction method at each wavelength. Completeness and photometric accuracy are estimated with Monte-Carlo simulations. Number count uncertainties are estimated with a counts-in-cells moment method to take galaxy clustering into account. Furthermore, we use a stacking analysis to estimate number counts of sources not detected at 70 μm and 160 μm. This method is validated by simulations. The integration of the number counts gives new CIB lower limits. Results: Number counts reach 35 μJy, 3.5 mJy and 40 mJy at 24 μm, 70 μm, and 160 μm, respectively. We reach deeper flux densities of 0.38 mJy at 70, and 3.1 at 160 μm with a stacking analysis. We confirm the number count turnover at 24 μm and 70 μm, and observe it for the first time at 160 μm at about 20 mJy, together with a power-law behavior below 10 mJy. These mid- and far-infrared counts: 1) are homogeneously built by combining fields of different depths and sizes, providing a legacy over about three orders of magnitude in flux density; 2) are the deepest to date at 70 μm and 160 μm; 3) agree with previously published results in the common measured flux density range; 4) globally agree with the Lagache et al. (2004) model, except at 160 μm, where the model slightly overestimates the counts around 20 and 200 mJy. Conclusions: These counts are integrated to estimate new CIB firm lower limits of 2.29-0.09+0.09 nW m-2 sr-1, 5.4-0.4+0.4 nW m-2 sr-1, and 8.9-1.1+1.1 nW m-2 sr-1 at 24 μm, 70 μm, and 160 μm, respectively, and extrapolated to give new estimates of the CIB due to galaxies of 2.86-0.16+0.19 nW m-2 sr-1, 6.6-0.6+0.7 nW m-2 sr-1, and 14.6-2.9+7.1 nW m-2 sr-1

The number counts and infrared backgrounds from infrared-bright galaxies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hacking, P.B.; Soifer, B.T.

1991-01-01

Extragalactic number counts and diffuse backgrounds at 25, 60, and 100 microns are predicted using new luminosity functions and improved spectral-energy distribution density functions derived from IRAS observations of nearby galaxies. Galaxies at redshifts z less than 3 that are like those in the local universe should produce a minimum diffuse background of 0.0085, 0.038, and 0.13 MJy/sr at 25, 60, and 100 microns, respectively. Models with significant luminosity evolution predict backgrounds about a factor of 4 greater than this minimum. 22 refs

THE HAWAII SCUBA-2 LENSING CLUSTER SURVEY: NUMBER COUNTS AND SUBMILLIMETER FLUX RATIOS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hsu, Li-Yen; Cowie, Lennox L.; Barger, Amy J. [Institute of Astronomy, University of Hawaii, 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822 (United States); Chen, Chian-Chou [Center for Extragalactic Astronomy, Department of Physics, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE (United Kingdom); Wang, Wei-Hao [Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, P.O. Box 23-141, Taipei 10617, Taiwan (China)

2016-09-20

We present deep number counts at 450 and 850 μ m using the SCUBA-2 camera on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope. We combine data for six lensing cluster fields and three blank fields to measure the counts over a wide flux range at each wavelength. Thanks to the lensing magnification, our measurements extend to fluxes fainter than 1 mJy and 0.2 mJy at 450 μ m and 850 μ m, respectively. Our combined data highly constrain the faint end of the number counts. Integrating our counts shows that the majority of the extragalactic background light (EBL) at each wavelength is contributed by faint sources with L {sub IR} < 10{sup 12} L {sub ⊙}, corresponding to luminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs) or normal galaxies. By comparing our result with the 500 μ m stacking of K -selected sources from the literature, we conclude that the K -selected LIRGs and normal galaxies still cannot fully account for the EBL that originates from sources with L {sub IR} < 10{sup 12} L {sub ⊙}. This suggests that many faint submillimeter galaxies may not be included in the UV star formation history. We also explore the submillimeter flux ratio between the two bands for our 450 μ m and 850 μ m selected sources. At 850 μ m, we find a clear relation between the flux ratio and the observed flux. This relation can be explained by a redshift evolution, where galaxies at higher redshifts have higher luminosities and star formation rates. In contrast, at 450 μ m, we do not see a clear relation between the flux ratio and the observed flux.

Cross-Cultural and Intra-Cultural Differences in Finger-Counting Habits and Number Magnitude Processing: Embodied Numerosity in Canadian and Chinese University Students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kyle Richard Morrissey

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Recent work in numerical cognition has shown-that number magnitude is not entirely abstract, and at least partly rooted in embodied and situated experiences, including finger-counting. The current study extends previous cross-cultural research to address within-culture individual differences in finger counting habits. Results indicated that Canadian participants demonstrated an additional cognitive load when comparing numbers that require more than one hand to represent, and this pattern of performance is further modulated by whether they typically start counting on their left hand or their right hand. Chinese students typically count on only one hand and so show no such effect, except for an increase in errors, similar to that seen in Canadians, for those whom self-identify as predominantly two-hand counters. Results suggest that the impact of finger counting habits extend beyond cultural experience and concord in predictable ways with differences in number magnitude processing for specific number-digits. We conclude that symbolic number magnitude processing is partially rooted in learned finger-counting habits, consistent with a motor simulation account of embodied numeracy and that argument is supported by both cross-cultural and within-culture differences in finger-counting habits.

Estimation of equivalent dose and its uncertainty in the OSL SAR protocol when count numbers do not follow a Poisson distribution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bluszcz, Andrzej; Adamiec, Grzegorz; Heer, Aleksandra J.

2015-01-01

The current work focuses on the estimation of equivalent dose and its uncertainty using the single aliquot regenerative protocol in optically stimulated luminescence measurements. The authors show that the count numbers recorded with the use of photomultiplier tubes are well described by negative binomial distributions, different ones for background counts and photon induced counts. This fact is then exploited in pseudo-random count number generation and simulations of D e determination assuming a saturating exponential growth. A least squares fitting procedure is applied using different types of weights to determine whether the obtained D e 's and their error estimates are unbiased and accurate. A weighting procedure is suggested that leads to almost unbiased D e estimates. It is also shown that the assumption of Poisson distribution in D e estimation may lead to severe underestimation of the D e error. - Highlights: • Detailed analysis of statistics of count numbers in luminescence readers. • Generation of realistically scattered pseudo-random numbers of counts in luminescence measurements. • A practical guide for stringent analysis of D e values and errors assessment.

EcoCount

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Phillip P. Allen

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Techniques that analyze biological remains from sediment sequences for environmental reconstructions are well established and widely used. Yet, identifying, counting, and recording biological evidence such as pollen grains remain a highly skilled, demanding, and time-consuming task. Standard procedure requires the classification and recording of between 300 and 500 pollen grains from each representative sample. Recording the data from a pollen count requires significant effort and focused resources from the palynologist. However, when an adaptation to the recording procedure is utilized, efficiency and time economy improve. We describe EcoCount, which represents a development in environmental data recording procedure. EcoCount is a voice activated fully customizable digital count sheet that allows the investigator to continuously interact with a field of view during the data recording. Continuous viewing allows the palynologist the opportunity to remain engaged with the essential task, identification, for longer, making pollen counting more efficient and economical. EcoCount is a versatile software package that can be used to record a variety of environmental evidence and can be installed onto different computer platforms, making the adoption by users and laboratories simple and inexpensive. The user-friendly format of EcoCount allows any novice to be competent and functional in a very short time.

Going Online to Make Learning Count

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cathy Brigham

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Adult students often come to higher education with college-level learning that they have acquired outside of the classroom – from the workplace, military service, self-study, or hobbies. For decades, many forward-thinking colleges and universities have been offering services to evaluate that learning and award it college credit that counts towards a degree. However, for a range of reasons, not every institution can offer prior learning assessment (PLA in every discipline or for every student. With funding from several U.S. philanthropic organizations, the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL is launching Learning Counts, a national online service that will offer students a range of opportunities to have their learning evaluated for college credit. This online service will expand the capacity of institutions offering PLA to students and provide an efficient and scalable delivery mechanism for the awarding of credit through PLA.

Upper limits from counting experiments with multiple pipelines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sutton, Patrick J

2009-01-01

In counting experiments, one can set an upper limit on the rate of a Poisson process based on a count of the number of events observed due to the process. In some experiments, one makes several counts of the number of events, using different instruments, different event detection algorithms or observations over multiple time intervals. We demonstrate how to generalize the classical frequentist upper limit calculation to the case where multiple counts of events are made over one or more time intervals using several (not necessarily independent) procedures. We show how different choices of the rank ordering of possible outcomes in the space of counts correspond to applying different levels of significance to the various measurements. We propose an ordering that is matched to the sensitivity of the different measurement procedures and show that in typical cases it gives stronger upper limits than other choices. As an example, we show how this method can be applied to searches for gravitational-wave bursts, where multiple burst-detection algorithms analyse the same data set, and demonstrate how a single combined upper limit can be set on the gravitational-wave burst rate.

Going Online to Make Learning Count

Science.gov (United States)

Brigham, Cathy; Klein-Collins, Rebecca

2011-01-01

Adult students often come to higher education with college-level learning that they have acquired outside of the classroom--from the workplace, military service, self-study, or hobbies. For decades, many forward-thinking colleges and universities have been offering services to evaluate that learning and award it college credit that counts towards…

Requirements on the Redshift Accuracy for future Supernova and Number Count Surveys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huterer, Dragan; Kim, Alex; Broderick, Tamara

2004-01-01

We investigate the required redshift accuracy of type Ia supernova and cluster number-count surveys in order for the redshift uncertainties not to contribute appreciably to the dark energy parameter error budget. For the SNAP supernova experiment, we find that, without the assistance of ground-based measurements, individual supernova redshifts would need to be determined to about 0.002 or better, which is a challenging but feasible requirement for a low-resolution spectrograph. However, we find that accurate redshifts for z < 0.1 supernovae, obtained with ground-based experiments, are sufficient to immunize the results against even relatively large redshift errors at high z. For the future cluster number-count surveys such as the South Pole Telescope, Planck or DUET, we find that the purely statistical error in photometric redshift is less important, and that the irreducible, systematic bias in redshift drives the requirements. The redshift bias will have to be kept below 0.001-0.005 per redshift bin (which is determined by the filter set), depending on the sky coverage and details of the definition of the minimal mass of the survey. Furthermore, we find that X-ray surveys have a more stringent required redshift accuracy than Sunyaev-Zeldovich (SZ) effect surveys since they use a shorter lever arm in redshift; conversely, SZ surveys benefit from their high redshift reach only so long as some redshift information is available for distant (zgtrsim1) clusters

Effect of number of cigarettes smoked per day on red blood cell, lecocyte and platelet count in adult Indian male smokers – A case control study

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Bharati Anil Sherke

2016-02-01

Full Text Available The effects of cigarette smoking are fatal. Present study was done to compare cell counts of blood in males smoking different number of cigarettes per day and non smokers of Hyderabad city. 150 consenting subjects of which 30 controls (non-smokers and 120 cases (smokers were studied. Smokers were divided into four groups based on number of cigarettes smoked per day. Blood samples processed using Hematology analyser (ABX Micros60®, HORIBA, Kyoto, Japan. The smokers had significantly different red blood cell counts (p<0.0001, white blood cells counts (p<0.0001 including neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes and eosinophils. This effect was significant irrespective of the number of cigarettes. There was no significant change in the percentage of basophils and platelet counts. Conclusion: Our findings showed that cigarette smoking has a significant effect on hematological cell counts and these counts changed significantly with increasing number of cigarettes smoked per day.

Some types of parent number talk count more than others: relations between parents' input and children's cardinal-number knowledge.

Science.gov (United States)

Gunderson, Elizabeth A; Levine, Susan C

2011-09-01

Before they enter preschool, children vary greatly in their numerical and mathematical knowledge, and this knowledge predicts their achievement throughout elementary school (e.g. Duncan et al., 2007; Ginsburg & Russell, 1981). Therefore, it is critical that we look to the home environment for parental inputs that may lead to these early variations. Recent work has shown that the amount of number talk that parents engage in with their children is robustly related to a critical aspect of mathematical development - cardinal-number knowledge (e.g. knowing that the word 'three' refers to sets of three entities; Levine, Suriyakham, Rowe, Huttenlocher & Gunderson, 2010). The present study characterizes the different types of number talk that parents produce and investigates which types are most predictive of children's later cardinal-number knowledge. We find that parents' number talk involving counting or labeling sets of present, visible objects is related to children's later cardinal-number knowledge, whereas other types of parent number talk are not. In addition, number talk that refers to large sets of present objects (i.e. sets of size 4 to 10 that fall outside children's ability to track individual objects) is more robustly predictive of children's later cardinal-number knowledge than talk about smaller sets. The relation between parents' number talk about large sets of present objects and children's cardinal-number knowledge remains significant even when controlling for factors such as parents' socioeconomic status and other measures of parents' number and non-number talk. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Data analysis in emission tomography using emission-count posteriors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sitek, Arkadiusz

2012-01-01

A novel approach to the analysis of emission tomography data using the posterior probability of the number of emissions per voxel (emission count) conditioned on acquired tomographic data is explored. The posterior is derived from the prior and the Poisson likelihood of the emission-count data by marginalizing voxel activities. Based on emission-count posteriors, examples of Bayesian analysis including estimation and classification tasks in emission tomography are provided. The application of the method to computer simulations of 2D tomography is demonstrated. In particular, the minimum-mean-square-error point estimator of the emission count is demonstrated. The process of finding this estimator can be considered as a tomographic image reconstruction technique since the estimates of the number of emissions per voxel divided by voxel sensitivities and acquisition time are the estimates of the voxel activities. As an example of a classification task, a hypothesis stating that some region of interest (ROI) emitted at least or at most r-times the number of events in some other ROI is tested. The ROIs are specified by the user. The analysis described in this work provides new quantitative statistical measures that can be used in decision making in diagnostic imaging using emission tomography. (paper)

Data analysis in emission tomography using emission-count posteriors

Science.gov (United States)

Sitek, Arkadiusz

2012-11-01

A novel approach to the analysis of emission tomography data using the posterior probability of the number of emissions per voxel (emission count) conditioned on acquired tomographic data is explored. The posterior is derived from the prior and the Poisson likelihood of the emission-count data by marginalizing voxel activities. Based on emission-count posteriors, examples of Bayesian analysis including estimation and classification tasks in emission tomography are provided. The application of the method to computer simulations of 2D tomography is demonstrated. In particular, the minimum-mean-square-error point estimator of the emission count is demonstrated. The process of finding this estimator can be considered as a tomographic image reconstruction technique since the estimates of the number of emissions per voxel divided by voxel sensitivities and acquisition time are the estimates of the voxel activities. As an example of a classification task, a hypothesis stating that some region of interest (ROI) emitted at least or at most r-times the number of events in some other ROI is tested. The ROIs are specified by the user. The analysis described in this work provides new quantitative statistical measures that can be used in decision making in diagnostic imaging using emission tomography.

Noun Countability; Count Nouns and Non-count Nouns, What are the Syntactic Differences Between them?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Azhar A. Alkazwini

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Words that function as the subjects of verbs, objects of verbs or prepositions and which can have a plural form and possessive ending are known as nouns. They are described as referring to persons, places, things, states, or qualities and might also be used as an attributive modifier. In this paper, classes and subclasses of nouns shall be presented, then, noun countability branching into count and non-count nous shall be discussed. A number of present examples illustrating differences between count and non-count nouns and this includes determiner-head-co-occurrence restrictions of number, subject-verb agreement, in addition to some exceptions to this agreement rule shall be discussed. Also, the lexically inherent number in nouns and how inherently plural nouns are classified in terms of (+/- count are illustrated. This research will discuss partitive construction of count and non-count nouns, nouns as attributive modifier and, finally, conclude with the fact that there are syntactic difference between count and non-count in the English Language.

The Big Pumpkin Count.

Science.gov (United States)

Coplestone-Loomis, Lenny

1981-01-01

Pumpkin seeds are counted after students convert pumpkins to jack-o-lanterns. Among the activities involved, pupils learn to count by 10s, make estimates, and to construct a visual representation of 1,000. (MP)

Deep 3 GHz number counts from a P(D) fluctuation analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Vernstrom, T.; Scott, Douglas; Wall, J. V.; Condon, J. J.; Cotton, W. D.; Fomalont, E. B.; Kellermann, K. I.; Miller, N.; Perley, R. A.

2014-05-01

Radio source counts constrain galaxy populations and evolution, as well as the global star formation history. However, there is considerable disagreement among the published 1.4-GHz source counts below 100 μJy. Here, we present a statistical method for estimating the μJy and even sub-μJy source count using new deep wide-band 3-GHz data in the Lockman Hole from the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array. We analysed the confusion amplitude distribution P(D), which provides a fresh approach in the form of a more robust model, with a comprehensive error analysis. We tested this method on a large-scale simulation, incorporating clustering and finite source sizes. We discuss in detail our statistical methods for fitting using Markov chain Monte Carlo, handling correlations, and systematic errors from the use of wide-band radio interferometric data. We demonstrated that the source count can be constrained down to 50 nJy, a factor of 20 below the rms confusion. We found the differential source count near 10 μJy to have a slope of -1.7, decreasing to about -1.4 at fainter flux densities. At 3 GHz, the rms confusion in an 8-arcsec full width at half-maximum beam is ˜ 1.2 μJy beam-1, and a radio background temperature ˜14 mK. Our counts are broadly consistent with published evolutionary models. With these results, we were also able to constrain the peak of the Euclidean normalized differential source count of any possible new radio populations that would contribute to the cosmic radio background down to 50 nJy.

Radiation counting statistics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Suh, M. Y.; Jee, K. Y.; Park, K. K.; Park, Y. J.; Kim, W. H

1999-08-01

This report is intended to describe the statistical methods necessary to design and conduct radiation counting experiments and evaluate the data from the experiment. The methods are described for the evaluation of the stability of a counting system and the estimation of the precision of counting data by application of probability distribution models. The methods for the determination of the uncertainty of the results calculated from the number of counts, as well as various statistical methods for the reduction of counting error are also described. (Author). 11 refs., 8 tabs., 8 figs.

Radiation counting statistics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Suh, M. Y.; Jee, K. Y.; Park, K. K. [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Taejon (Korea)

1999-08-01

This report is intended to describe the statistical methods necessary to design and conduct radiation counting experiments and evaluate the data from the experiments. The methods are described for the evaluation of the stability of a counting system and the estimation of the precision of counting data by application of probability distribution models. The methods for the determination of the uncertainty of the results calculated from the number of counts, as well as various statistical methods for the reduction of counting error are also described. 11 refs., 6 figs., 8 tabs. (Author)

Radiation counting statistics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suh, M. Y.; Jee, K. Y.; Park, K. K.; Park, Y. J.; Kim, W. H.

1999-08-01

This report is intended to describe the statistical methods necessary to design and conduct radiation counting experiments and evaluate the data from the experiment. The methods are described for the evaluation of the stability of a counting system and the estimation of the precision of counting data by application of probability distribution models. The methods for the determination of the uncertainty of the results calculated from the number of counts, as well as various statistical methods for the reduction of counting error are also described. (Author). 11 refs., 8 tabs., 8 figs

Three counting methods agree on cell and neuron number in chimpanzee primary visual cortex

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel James Miller

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Determining the cellular composition of specific brain regions is crucial to our understanding of the function of neurobiological systems. It is therefore useful to identify the extent to which different methods agree when estimating the same properties of brain circuitry. In this study, we estimated the number of neuronal and non-neuronal cells in the primary visual cortex (area 17 or V1 of both hemispheres from a single chimpanzee. Specifically, we processed samples distributed across V1 of the right hemisphere after cortex was flattened into a sheet using two variations of the isotropic fractionator cell and neuron counting method. We processed the left hemisphere as serial brain slices for stereological investigation. The goal of this study was to evaluate the agreement between these methods in the most direct manner possible by comparing estimates of cell density across one brain region of interest in a single individual. In our hands, these methods produced similar estimates of the total cellular population (approximately 1 billion as well as the number of neurons (approximately 675 million in chimpanzee V1, providing evidence that both techniques estimate the same parameters of interest. In addition, our results indicate the strengths of each distinct tissue preparation procedure, highlighting the importance of attention to anatomical detail. In summary, we found that the isotropic fractionator and the stereological optical fractionator produced concordant estimates of the cellular composition of V1, and that this result supports the conclusion that chimpanzees conform to the primate pattern of exceptionally high packing density in V1. Ultimately, our data suggest that investigators can optimize their experimental approach by using any of these counting methods to obtain reliable cell and neuron counts.

Does the Coordination of Verbal and Motor Information Explain the Development of Counting in Children?

Science.gov (United States)

Camos, Valerie; Barrouillet, Pierre; Fayol, Michel

2001-01-01

Tested in three experiments hypothesis that coordinating saying number-words and pointing to each object to count requires use of the central executive and that cost of coordination decreases with age. Found that for 5- and 9-year-olds and adults, manipulating difficulty of each component affected counting performance but did not make coordination…

Reconstructing the metric of the local Universe from number counts observations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vallejo, Sergio Andres [ICRANet, Piazza della Repubblica 10, I-65122 Pescara (Italy); Romano, Antonio Enea, E-mail: antonio.enea.romano@cern.ch [Theoretical Physics Department, CERN, CH-1211 Geneva 23 (Switzerland)

2017-10-01

Number counts observations available with new surveys such as the Euclid mission will be an important source of information about the metric of the Universe. We compute the low red-shift expansion for the energy density and the density contrast using an exact spherically symmetric solution in presence of a cosmological constant. At low red-shift the expansion is more precise than linear perturbation theory prediction. We then use the local expansion to reconstruct the metric from the monopole of the density contrast. We test the inversion method using numerical calculations and find a good agreement within the regime of validity of the red-shift expansion. The method could be applied to observational data to reconstruct the metric of the local Universe with a level of precision higher than the one achievable using perturbation theory.

Command Decision-Making: Experience Counts

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Wolgast, Kelly A

2005-01-01

Decision-making is the mainstay of military leadership and command. Due to the changed nature of the current military environment, military commanders can no longer rely solely on the traditional Military Decision-making Process (MDMP...

Blood count and number of somatic cells in milk of cows infected with Coxiella burnetii

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Radinović Miodrag

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The objective of the work was to examine the intensity of the local immune response of the mammary gland and the changes in the differential blood count of chronically infected cows. An experiment was performed on a group of cows with Q fever serologically proven using the ELISA test (IDEXX. Based on the ELISA test results, an experimental group of ten infected cows was formed. Blood was sampled from the experimental cows, and cumulative milk samples were taken. The number of erythrocytes was determined spectrophotometrically, and the number of leucocytes using the method according to Bürker - Türk. The blood analysis established an increased number of erythrocytes, while the number of leucocytes was within the limits of physiological values. The milk samples were used for the determination of the number of somatic cells using flow cytometric measurements. The processing of the milk samples established an average number of somatic cells of 853.000 /mL milk.

Recursive algorithms for phylogenetic tree counting.

Science.gov (United States)

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

2013-10-28

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

Combining cluster number counts and galaxy clustering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lacasa, Fabien; Rosenfeld, Rogerio, E-mail: fabien@ift.unesp.br, E-mail: rosenfel@ift.unesp.br [ICTP South American Institute for Fundamental Research, Instituto de Física Teórica, Universidade Estadual Paulista, São Paulo (Brazil)

2016-08-01

The abundance of clusters and the clustering of galaxies are two of the important cosmological probes for current and future large scale surveys of galaxies, such as the Dark Energy Survey. In order to combine them one has to account for the fact that they are not independent quantities, since they probe the same density field. It is important to develop a good understanding of their correlation in order to extract parameter constraints. We present a detailed modelling of the joint covariance matrix between cluster number counts and the galaxy angular power spectrum. We employ the framework of the halo model complemented by a Halo Occupation Distribution model (HOD). We demonstrate the importance of accounting for non-Gaussianity to produce accurate covariance predictions. Indeed, we show that the non-Gaussian covariance becomes dominant at small scales, low redshifts or high cluster masses. We discuss in particular the case of the super-sample covariance (SSC), including the effects of galaxy shot-noise, halo second order bias and non-local bias. We demonstrate that the SSC obeys mathematical inequalities and positivity. Using the joint covariance matrix and a Fisher matrix methodology, we examine the prospects of combining these two probes to constrain cosmological and HOD parameters. We find that the combination indeed results in noticeably better constraints, with improvements of order 20% on cosmological parameters compared to the best single probe, and even greater improvement on HOD parameters, with reduction of error bars by a factor 1.4-4.8. This happens in particular because the cross-covariance introduces a synergy between the probes on small scales. We conclude that accounting for non-Gaussian effects is required for the joint analysis of these observables in galaxy surveys.

You can count on monsters the first 100 numbers and their characters

CERN Document Server

Schwartz, Richard Evan

2010-01-01

Using a unique teaching tool designed to motivate kids to learn, this volume visually explores the concepts of factoring and the role of prime and composite numbers. The playful and colorful monsters are designed to give children (and even older audiences) an intuitive understanding of the building blocks of numbers and the basics of multiplication. The introduction and appendices can also help adult readers answer questions about factoring from their young audience. The artwork is crisp and creative and the colors are bright and engaging, making this volume a welcome deviation from standard math texts. CRC Press Author and NPR's Math Guy Keith Devlin spoke with Scott Simon about how the book makes finding prime numbers fun. "This is one of the most amazing math books for kids I have ever seen...," Devlin says. "Great colors, it's wonderful, and yet because [Schwartz] knows the mathematics, he very skillfully and subtly embeds mathematical ideas into the drawings."

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

Science.gov (United States)

Juul, Jonas S.; Joyner, Christopher H.

2018-06-01

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

KIDS COUNT Data Book, 2016: State Trends in Child Well-Being

Science.gov (United States)

Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2016

2016-01-01

The Annie E. Casey Foundation's "2016 KIDS COUNT Data Book" finds today's youth--Generation Z--are healthier and completing high school on time despite mounting economic inequality and increasingly unaffordable college tuition. Aided by smart policies and investments in prevention, a record number of teens are making positive choices.…

Counting on the mental number line to make a move: sensorimotor ('pen') control and numerical processing.

Science.gov (United States)

Sheridan, Rebecca; van Rooijen, Maaike; Giles, Oscar; Mushtaq, Faisal; Steenbergen, Bert; Mon-Williams, Mark; Waterman, Amanda

2017-10-01

Mathematics is often conducted with a writing implement. But is there a relationship between numerical processing and sensorimotor 'pen' control? We asked participants to move a stylus so it crossed an unmarked line at a location specified by a symbolic number (1-9), where number colour indicated whether the line ran left-right ('normal') or vice versa ('reversed'). The task could be simplified through the use of a 'mental number line' (MNL). Many modern societies use number lines in mathematical education and the brain's representation of number appears to follow a culturally determined spatial organisation (so better task performance is associated with this culturally normal orientation-the MNL effect). Participants (counter-balanced) completed two consistent blocks of trials, 'normal' and 'reversed', followed by a mixed block where line direction varied randomly. Experiment 1 established that the MNL effect was robust, and showed that the cognitive load associated with reversing the MNL not only affected response selection but also the actual movement execution (indexed by duration) within the mixed trials. Experiment 2 showed that an individual's motor abilities predicted performance in the difficult (mixed) condition but not the easier blocks. These results suggest that numerical processing is not isolated from motor capabilities-a finding with applied consequences.

Multiple-Event, Single-Photon Counting Imaging Sensor

Science.gov (United States)

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

2011-01-01

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

Counting on the mental number line to make a move: Sensorimotor ('pen') control and numerical processing

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sheridan, R.; Rooijen, M. van; Giles, O.; Mushtaq, F.; Steenbergen, B.; Mon-Williams, M.; Waterman, A.H.

2017-01-01

Mathematics is often conducted with a writing implement. But is there a relationship between numerical processing and sensorimotor 'pen' control? We asked participants to move a stylus so it crossed an unmarked line at a location specified by a symbolic number (1-9), where number colour indicated

Count-doubling time safety circuit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keefe, D.J.; McDowell, W.P.; Rusch, G.K.

1981-01-01

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

Count-doubling time safety circuit

Science.gov (United States)

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

1981-01-01

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

Count Data On Cancer Death In Ohio A Bayesian Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Walaa Hamdi

2015-08-01

Full Text Available This paper considers statistical modeling of count data on cancer death in Ohio State. We obtained count data on male and female from a website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and used Bayesian analyses to find suitable models which help us to do inferences and predictions for next year. To assist us in selecting appropriate models we use criteria such as the DIC. In this paper we analyze the data to spatial longitudinal so we can capture possible correlations. Using our analyses we make predictions of the numbers of people who will die with cancer in a future year in Ohio State.

Operational Testing and Measurement of the Resolving Time of a Counting Assembly

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Manent, G.; Scheemaecker, J. de

1968-01-01

An experiment is described which constitutes a very sensitive test of the satisfactory operation of a counting assembly. It makes it possible to measure the resolving time of an assembly to an accuracy of 1 per cent. A certain number of examples are presented which show the sensitivity of the test. (author) [fr

The Herschel Virgo Cluster Survey. XVII. SPIRE point-source catalogs and number counts

Science.gov (United States)

Pappalardo, Ciro; Bendo, George J.; Bianchi, Simone; Hunt, Leslie; Zibetti, Stefano; Corbelli, Edvige; di Serego Alighieri, Sperello; Grossi, Marco; Davies, Jonathan; Baes, Maarten; De Looze, Ilse; Fritz, Jacopo; Pohlen, Michael; Smith, Matthew W. L.; Verstappen, Joris; Boquien, Médéric; Boselli, Alessandro; Cortese, Luca; Hughes, Thomas; Viaene, Sebastien; Bizzocchi, Luca; Clemens, Marcel

2015-01-01

Aims: We present three independent catalogs of point-sources extracted from SPIRE images at 250, 350, and 500 μm, acquired with the Herschel Space Observatory as a part of the Herschel Virgo Cluster Survey (HeViCS). The catalogs have been cross-correlated to consistently extract the photometry at SPIRE wavelengths for each object. Methods: Sources have been detected using an iterative loop. The source positions are determined by estimating the likelihood to be a real source for each peak on the maps, according to the criterion defined in the sourceExtractorSussextractor task. The flux densities are estimated using the sourceExtractorTimeline, a timeline-based point source fitter that also determines the fitting procedure with the width of the Gaussian that best reproduces the source considered. Afterwards, each source is subtracted from the maps, removing a Gaussian function in every position with the full width half maximum equal to that estimated in sourceExtractorTimeline. This procedure improves the robustness of our algorithm in terms of source identification. We calculate the completeness and the flux accuracy by injecting artificial sources in the timeline and estimate the reliability of the catalog using a permutation method. Results: The HeViCS catalogs contain about 52 000, 42 200, and 18 700 sources selected at 250, 350, and 500 μm above 3σ and are ~75%, 62%, and 50% complete at flux densities of 20 mJy at 250, 350, 500 μm, respectively. We then measured source number counts at 250, 350, and 500 μm and compare them with previous data and semi-analytical models. We also cross-correlated the catalogs with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey to investigate the redshift distribution of the nearby sources. From this cross-correlation, we select ~2000 sources with reliable fluxes and a high signal-to-noise ratio, finding an average redshift z ~ 0.3 ± 0.22 and 0.25 (16-84 percentile). Conclusions: The number counts at 250, 350, and 500 μm show an increase in

Fitting a distribution to microbial counts: Making sense of zeroes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ribeiro Duarte, Ana Sofia; Stockmarr, Anders; Nauta, Maarten

2015-01-01

The accurate estimation of true prevalence and concentration of microorganisms in foods is an important element of quantitative microbiological risk assessment (QMRA). This estimation is often based on microbial detection and enumeration data. Among such data are artificial zero counts, that orig......The accurate estimation of true prevalence and concentration of microorganisms in foods is an important element of quantitative microbiological risk assessment (QMRA). This estimation is often based on microbial detection and enumeration data. Among such data are artificial zero counts......, that originated by chance from contaminated food products. When these products are not differentiated from uncontaminated products that originate true zero counts, the estimates of true prevalence and concentration may be inaccurate. This inaccuracy is especially relevant in situations where highly pathogenic...... bacteria are involved and where growth can occur along the food pathway. Our aim was to develop a method that provides accurate estimates of concentration parameters and differentiates between artificial and true zeroes, thus also accurately estimating true prevalence. We first show the disadvantages...

Tower counts

Science.gov (United States)

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

2007-01-01

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

Rainflow counting revisited

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Soeker, H [Deutsches Windenergie-Institut (Germany)

1996-09-01

As state of the art method the rainflow counting technique is presently applied everywhere in fatigue analysis. However, the author feels that the potential of the technique is not fully recognized in wind energy industries as it is used, most of the times, as a mere data reduction technique disregarding some of the inherent information of the rainflow counting results. The ideas described in the following aim at exploitation of this information and making it available for use in the design and verification process. (au)

Resonance ionization spectroscopy: Counting noble gas atoms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hurst, G.S.; Payne, M.G.; Chen, C.H.; Willis, R.D.; Lehmann, B.E.; Kramer, S.D.

1981-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to describe new work on the counting of noble gas atoms, using lasers for the selective ionization and detectors for counting individual particles (electrons or positive ions). When positive ions are counted, various kinds of mass analyzers (magnetic, quadrupole, or time-of-flight) can be incorporated to provide A selectivity. We show that a variety of interesting and important applications can be made with atom-counting techniques which are both atomic number (Z) and mass number (A) selective. (orig./FKS)

An algorithm for determining the rotation count of pulsars

Science.gov (United States)

Freire, Paulo C. C.; Ridolfi, Alessandro

2018-06-01

We present here a simple, systematic method for determining the correct global rotation count of a radio pulsar; an essential step for the derivation of an accurate phase-coherent ephemeris. We then build on this method by developing a new algorithm for determining the global rotational count for pulsars with sparse timing data sets. This makes it possible to obtain phase-coherent ephemerides for pulsars for which this has been impossible until now. As an example, we do this for PSR J0024-7205aa, an extremely faint Millisecond pulsar (MSP) recently discovered in the globular cluster 47 Tucanae. This algorithm has the potential to significantly reduce the number of observations and the amount of telescope time needed to follow up on new pulsar discoveries.

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2010-06-01

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

The Nustar Extragalactic Surveys: The Number Counts of Active Galactic Nuclei and the Resolved Fraction of the Cosmic X-Ray Background

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Harrison, F. A.; Aird, J.; Civano, F.

2016-01-01

. The measured NuSTAR counts lie significantly abovesimple extrapolation with a Euclidian slope to low flux of the Swift/BAT 15–55 keV number counts measured at higher fluxes (S(15–55 keV) ≤ 10−11 erg s-1 cm-2), reflecting the evolution of the AGN population between the Swift/BAT local (z ...STAR’s z ~ 1 sample. CXB synthesis models, which account for AGNevolution, lie above the Swift/BAT measurements, suggesting that they do not fully capture the evolution of obscured AGNs at low redshifts....... cm-2 ≤ 10-12, a factor ∼100 fainter than previous measurements. The 8–24 keV number counts match predictions from AGN populationsynthesis models, directly confirming the existence of a population of obscured and/or hard X-ray sources inferredfrom the shape of the integrated cosmic X-ray background...

Preverbal and verbal counting and computation.

Science.gov (United States)

Gallistel, C R; Gelman, R

1992-08-01

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

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2013-01-01

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

Calculating concentration of inhaled radiolabeled particles from external gamma counting: External counting efficiency and attenuation coefficient of thorax

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Langenback, E.G.; Foster, W.M.; Bergofsky, E.H.

1989-01-01

We determined the overall external counting efficiency of radiolabeled particles deposited in the sheep lung. This efficiency permits the noninvasive calculation of the number of particles and microcuries from gamma-scintillation lung images of the live sheep. Additionally, we have calculated the attenuation of gamma radiation (120 keV) by the posterior chest wall and the gamma-scintillation camera collection efficiency of radiation emitted from the lung. Four methods were employed in our experiments: (1) by light microscopic counting of discrete carbonized polystyrene particles with a count median diameter (CMD) of 2.85 microns and tagged with cobalt-57, we delineated a linear relationship between the number of particles and the emitted counts per minute (cpm) detected by well scintillation counting; (2) from this conversion relationship we determined the number of particles inhaled and deposited in the lungs by scintillation counting fragments of dissected lung at autopsy; (3) we defined a linear association between the number of particles or microcuries contained in the lung and the emitted radiation as cpm detected by a gamma scintillation camera in the live sheep prior to autopsy; and (4) we compared the emitted radiation from the lungs of the live sheep to that of whole excised lungs in order to calculate the attenuation coefficient (ac) of the chest wall. The mean external counting efficiency was 4.00 X 10(4) particles/cpm (5.1 X 10(-3) microCi/cpm), the camera collection efficiency was 1 cpm/10(4) disintegrations per minute (dpm), and the ac had a mean of 0.178/cm. The external counting efficiency remained relatively constant over a range of particles and microcuries, permitting a more general use of this ratio to estimate number of particles or microcuries depositing after inhalation in a large mammalian lung if a similarly collimated gamma camera system is used

The development of neutron activation, sample transportation and γ-ray counting routine system for numbers of geological samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shibata Shin-nosuke; Tanaka, Tsuyoshi; Minami, Masayo

2001-01-01

A new gamma-ray counting and data processing system for non-destructive neutron activation analysis has been set up in Radioisotope Center in Nagoya University. The system carry out gamma-ray counting, sample change and data processing automatically, and is able to keep us away from parts of complicated operations in INAA. In this study, we have arranged simple analytical procedure that makes practical works easier than previous. The concrete flow is described from the reparation of powder rock samples to gamma-ray counting and data processing by the new INAA system. Then it is run over that the analyses used two Geological Survey of Japan rock reference samples JB-1a and JG-1a in order to evaluate how the new analytical procedure give any speediness and accuracy for analyses of geological materials. Two United States Geological Survey reference samples BCR-1 and G-2 used as the standard respectively. Twenty two elements for JB-1a and 25 elements for JG-1a were analyzed, the uncertainty are <5% for Na, Sc, Fe, Co, La, Ce, Sm, Eu, Yb, Lu, Hf, Ta and Th, and of <10% for Cr, Zn, Cs, Ba, Nd, Tb and U. This system will enable us to analyze more than 1500 geologic samples per year. (author)

A rapid method for counting nucleated erythrocytes on stained blood smears by digital image analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Gering, E.; Atkinson, C.T.

2004-01-01

Measures of parasitemia by intraerythrocytic hematozoan parasites are normally expressed as the number of infected erythrocytes per n erythrocytes and are notoriously tedious and time consuming to measure. We describe a protocol for generating rapid counts of nucleated erythrocytes from digital micrographs of thin blood smears that can be used to estimate intensity of hematozoan infections in nonmammalian vertebrate hosts. This method takes advantage of the bold contrast and relatively uniform size and morphology of erythrocyte nuclei on Giemsa-stained blood smears and uses ImageJ, a java-based image analysis program developed at the U.S. National Institutes of Health and available on the internet, to recognize and count these nuclei. This technique makes feasible rapid and accurate counts of total erythrocytes in large numbers of microscope fields, which can be used in the calculation of peripheral parasitemias in low-intensity infections.

How to count an introduction to combinatorics

CERN Document Server

Allenby, RBJT

2010-01-01

What's It All About? What Is Combinatorics? Classic Problems What You Need to Know Are You Sitting Comfortably? Permutations and Combinations The Combinatorial Approach Permutations CombinationsApplications to Probability Problems The Multinomial Theorem Permutations and Cycles Occupancy Problems Counting the Solutions of Equations New Problems from Old A ""Reduction"" Theorem for the Stirling Numbers The Inclusion-Exclusion Principle Double Counting Derangements A Formula for the Stirling NumbersStirling and Catalan Numbers Stirling Numbers Permutations and Stirling Numbers Catalan Numbers Pa

Proposals of counting method for bubble detectors and their intercomparisons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramalho, Eduardo; Silva, Ademir X.; Bellido, Luis F.; Facure, Alessandro; Pereira, Mario

2009-01-01

The study of neutron's spectrometry and dosimetry has become significantly easier due to relatively new devices called bubble detectors. Insensitive to gamma rays and composed by superheated emulsions, they still are subjects of many researches in Radiation Physics and Nuclear Engineering. In bubble detectors, either exposed to more intense neutron fields or for a long time, when more bubbles are produced, the statistical uncertainty during the dosimetric and spectrometric processes is reduced. A proposal of this nature is set up in this work, which presents ways to perform counting processes for bubble detectors and an updated proceeding to get the irradiated detectors' images in order to make the manual counting easier. Twelve BDS detectors were irradiated by RDS111 cyclotron from IEN's (Instituto de Engenharia Nuclear) and photographed using an assembly specially designed for this experiment. Counting was proceeded manually in a first moment; simultaneously, ImagePro was used in order to perform counting automatically. The bubble counting values, either manual or automatic, were compared and the time to get them and their difficult levels as well. After the bubble counting, the detectors' standardizes responses were calculated in both cases, according to BDS's manual and they were also compared. Among the results, the counting on these devices really becomes very hard at a large number of bubbles, besides higher variations in counting of many bubbles. Because of the good agreement between manual counting and the custom program, the last one revealed a good alternative in practical and economical levels. Despite the good results, the custom program needs of more adjustments in order to achieve more accuracy on higher counting on bubble detectors for neutron measurement applications. (author)

Background to neutrino counting in e+e- collisions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dicus, D.A.

1979-06-01

The background from e + e - → 3γ to the proposed neutrino counting process of e + e - → γ ν anti ν is calculated. It is shown that at PEP or PETRA beam energies the 3γ cross section is at least three orders of magnitude greater than the γ ν anti ν cross section. At higher beam energies, near the Z pole, the γ ν anti ν cross section is larger than the background but other ambiguities may make a determination of the number of types of neutrinos very difficult. 9 references

DC KIDS COUNT e-Databook Indicators

Science.gov (United States)

DC Action for Children, 2012

2012-01-01

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

Morphological spot counting from stacked images for automated analysis of gene copy numbers by fluorescence in situ hybridization.

Science.gov (United States)

Grigoryan, Artyom M; Dougherty, Edward R; Kononen, Juha; Bubendorf, Lukas; Hostetter, Galen; Kallioniemi, Olli

2002-01-01

Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) is a molecular diagnostic technique in which a fluorescent labeled probe hybridizes to a target nucleotide sequence of deoxyribose nucleic acid. Upon excitation, each chromosome containing the target sequence produces a fluorescent signal (spot). Because fluorescent spot counting is tedious and often subjective, automated digital algorithms to count spots are desirable. New technology provides a stack of images on multiple focal planes throughout a tissue sample. Multiple-focal-plane imaging helps overcome the biases and imprecision inherent in single-focal-plane methods. This paper proposes an algorithm for global spot counting in stacked three-dimensional slice FISH images without the necessity of nuclei segmentation. It is designed to work in complex backgrounds, when there are agglomerated nuclei, and in the presence of illumination gradients. It is based on the morphological top-hat transform, which locates intensity spikes on irregular backgrounds. After finding signals in the slice images, the algorithm groups these together to form three-dimensional spots. Filters are employed to separate legitimate spots from fluorescent noise. The algorithm is set in a comprehensive toolbox that provides visualization and analytic facilities. It includes simulation software that allows examination of algorithm performance for various image and algorithm parameter settings, including signal size, signal density, and the number of slices.

Calculation of the correlation coefficients between the numbers of counts (peak areas and backgrounds) obtained from gamma-ray spectra

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Korun, M.; Vodenik, B.; Zorko, B.

2016-01-01

Two simple methods for calculating the correlations between peaks appearing in gamma-ray spectra are described. We show how the areas are correlated when the peaks do not overlap, but the spectral regions used for the calculation of the background below the peaks do. When the peaks overlap, the correlation can be stronger than in the case of the non-overlapping peaks. The methods presented are simplified to the extent of allowing their implementation with manual calculations. They are intended for practitioners as additional tools to be used when the correlations between the areas of the peaks in the gamma-ray spectra are to be calculated. Also, the correlation coefficient between the number of counts in the peak and the number of counts in the continuous background below the peak is derived. - Highlights: • The correlation coefficients between areas of closely spaced peaks are assessed. • For isolated peaks the correlation arises from the common continuous background. • If peaks overlap the correlation coefficient depends on how much they overlap. • If peaks overlap also the background height affects the correlation coefficient. • The correlation coefficient between the peak area and its background is −1.

Radon counting statistics - a Monte Carlo investigation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scott, A.G.

1996-01-01

Radioactive decay is a Poisson process, and so the Coefficient of Variation (COV) of open-quotes nclose quotes counts of a single nuclide is usually estimated as 1/√n. This is only true if the count duration is much shorter than the half-life of the nuclide. At longer count durations, the COV is smaller than the Poisson estimate. Most radon measurement methods count the alpha decays of 222 Rn, plus the progeny 218 Po and 214 Po, and estimate the 222 Rn activity from the sum of the counts. At long count durations, the chain decay of these nuclides means that every 222 Rn decay must be followed by two other alpha decays. The total number of decays is open-quotes 3Nclose quotes, where N is the number of radon decays, and the true COV of the radon concentration estimate is 1/√(N), √3 larger than the Poisson total count estimate of 1/√3N. Most count periods are comparable to the half lives of the progeny, so the relationship between COV and count time is complex. A Monte-Carlo estimate of the ratio of true COV to Poisson estimate was carried out for a range of count periods from 1 min to 16 h and three common radon measurement methods: liquid scintillation, scintillation cell, and electrostatic precipitation of progeny. The Poisson approximation underestimates COV by less than 20% for count durations of less than 60 min

The Making Assessment Count (MAC consortium maximising assessment and feedback design by working together

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mark JP Kerrigan

2011-02-01

Full Text Available The Making Assessment Count (MAC project started at the University of Westminster in 2008. It sought to align staff and student expectations of feedback and support greater use of feed-forward approaches. A baseline analysis of staff views in the School of Life Sciences suggested that students did not make strategic use of the feedback they received. A similar analysis of the student position revealed that as a group they felt that the feedback provided to them was often insufficiently helpful. To address this dichotomy, a MAC process was developed in the School of Life Sciences and trialled with a cohort of about 350 first year undergraduate students. The process was based on a student-centred, three-stage model of feedback: Subject specific, Operational, and Strategic (SOS model. The student uses the subject tutor's feedback on an assignment to complete an online self-review questionnaire delivered by a simple tool. The student answers are processed by a web application called e-Reflect to generate a further feedback report. Contained within this report are personalised graphical representations of performance, time management, satisfaction and other operational feedback designed to help the student reflect on their approach to preparation and completion of future work. The student then writes in an online learning journal, which is shared with their personal tutor to support the personal tutorial process and the student's own development plan (PDP. Since the initial development and implementation of the MAC process within Life Sciences at Westminster, a consortium of universities has worked together to maximise the benefits of the project outcomes and collaboratively explore how the SOS model and e-Reflect can be exploited in different institutional and subject contexts. This paper presents and discusses an evaluation of the use of the MAC process within Life Sciences at Westminster from both staff and student perspective. In addition, the

Differences in meristic counts of the genus Clarias (pisces: clariidae ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Specific differences in meristic counts were exhibited in both the anal fin ray count and the vertebral count in the clariids of Anambra rver, Nigeria. There was a close numerical relationship between the number of anal fin rays and the number of vertebrae. The present study further justifies the taxonomic importance of anal fin ...

Properties making a chaotic system a good Pseudo Random Number Generator

OpenAIRE

Falcioni, Massimo; Palatella, Luigi; Pigolotti, Simone; Vulpiani, Angelo

2005-01-01

We discuss two properties making a deterministic algorithm suitable to generate a pseudo random sequence of numbers: high value of Kolmogorov-Sinai entropy and high-dimensionality. We propose the multi dimensional Anosov symplectic (cat) map as a Pseudo Random Number Generator. We show what chaotic features of this map are useful for generating Pseudo Random Numbers and investigate numerically which of them survive in the discrete version of the map. Testing and comparisons with other generat...

Determining Gate Count Reliability in a Library Setting

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeffrey Phillips

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Objective – Patron counts are a common form of measurement for library assessment. To develop accurate library statistics, it is necessary to determine any differences between various counting devices. A yearlong comparison between card reader turnstiles and laser gate counters in a university library sought to offer a standard percentage of variance and provide suggestions to increase the precision of counts. Methods – The collection of library exit counts identified the differences between turnstile and laser gate counter data. Statistical software helped to eliminate any inaccuracies in the collection of turnstile data, allowing this data set to be the base for comparison. Collection intervals were randomly determined and demonstrated periods of slow, average, and heavy traffic. Results – After analyzing 1,039,766 patron visits throughout a year, the final totals only showed a difference of .43% (.0043 between the two devices. The majority of collection periods did not exceed a difference of 3% between the counting instruments. Conclusion – Turnstiles card readers and laser gate counters provide similar levels of reliability when measuring patron activity. Each system has potential counting inaccuracies, but several methods exist to create more precise totals. Turnstile card readers are capable of offering greater detail involving patron identity, but their high cost makes them inaccessible for libraries with lower budgets. This makes laser gate counters an affordable alternative for reliable patron counting in an academic library.

How Parents Read Counting Books and Non-numerical Books to Their Preverbal Infants: An Observational Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Goldstein, Alison; Cole, Thomas; Cordes, Sara

2016-01-01

Studies have stressed the importance of counting with children to promote formal numeracy abilities; however, little work has investigated when parents begin to engage in this behavior with their young children. In the current study, we investigated whether parents elaborated on numerical information when reading a counting book to their preverbal infants and whether developmental differences in numerical input exist even in the 1st year of life. Parents and their 5-10 months old infants were asked to read, as they would at home, two books to their infants: a counting book and another book that did not have numerical content. Parents' spontaneous statements rarely focused on number and those that did consisted primarily of counting, with little emphasis on labeling the cardinality of the set. However, developmental differences were observed even in this age range, such that parents were more likely to make numerical utterances when reading to older infants. Together, results are the first to characterize naturalistic reading behaviors between parents and their preverbal infants in the context of counting books, suggesting that although counting books promote numerical language in parents, infants still receive very little in the way of numerical input before the end of the 1st year of life. While little is known regarding the impact of number talk on the cognitive development of young infants, the current results may guide future work in this area by providing the first assessment of the characteristics of parental numerical input to preverbal infants.

Another Crisis Can We Count on the Reserves?

Science.gov (United States)

1994-05-16

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

Seed counting system evaluation using arduino microcontroller

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paulo Fernando Escobar Paim

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The development of automated systems has been highlighted in the most diverse productive sectors, among them, the agricultural sector. These systems aim to optimize activities by increasing operational efficiency and quality of work. In this sense, the present work has the objective of evaluating a prototype developed for seed count in laboratory, using Arduino microcontroller. The prototype of the system for seed counting was built using a dosing mechanism commonly used in seeders, electric motor, Arduino Uno, light dependent resistor and light emitting diode. To test the prototype, a completely randomized design (CRD was used in a two-factorial scheme composed of three groups defined according to the number of seeds (500, 1000 and 1500 seeds tested, three speeds of the dosing disc that allowed the distribution in 17, 21 and 32 seeds per second, with 40 repetitions evaluating the seed counting prototype performance in different speeds. The prototype of the bench counter showed a moderate variability of seed number of counted within the nine tests and a high precision in the seed count on the distribution speeds of 17 and 21 seeds per second (s-1 up to 1500 seeds tested. Therefore, based on the observed results, the developed prototype presents itself as an excellent tool for counting seeds in laboratory.

High Reproducibility of ELISPOT Counts from Nine Different Laboratories

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Srividya Sundararaman

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The primary goal of immune monitoring with ELISPOT is to measure the number of T cells, specific for any antigen, accurately and reproducibly between different laboratories. In ELISPOT assays, antigen-specific T cells secrete cytokines, forming spots of different sizes on a membrane with variable background intensities. Due to the subjective nature of judging maximal and minimal spot sizes, different investigators come up with different numbers. This study aims to determine whether statistics-based, automated size-gating can harmonize the number of spot counts calculated between different laboratories. We plated PBMC at four different concentrations, 24 replicates each, in an IFN-γ ELISPOT assay with HCMV pp65 antigen. The ELISPOT plate, and an image file of the plate was counted in nine different laboratories using ImmunoSpot® Analyzers by (A Basic Count™ relying on subjective counting parameters set by the respective investigators and (B SmartCount™, an automated counting protocol by the ImmunoSpot® Software that uses statistics-based spot size auto-gating with spot intensity auto-thresholding. The average coefficient of variation (CV for the mean values between independent laboratories was 26.7% when counting with Basic Count™, and 6.7% when counting with SmartCount™. Our data indicates that SmartCount™ allows harmonization of counting ELISPOT results between different laboratories and investigators.

Algorithm for counting large directed loops

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bianconi, Ginestra [Abdus Salam International Center for Theoretical Physics, Strada Costiera 11, 34014 Trieste (Italy); Gulbahce, Natali [Theoretical Division and Center for Nonlinear Studies, Los Alamos National Laboratory, NM 87545 (United States)

2008-06-06

We derive a Belief-Propagation algorithm for counting large loops in a directed network. We evaluate the distribution of the number of small loops in a directed random network with given degree sequence. We apply the algorithm to a few characteristic directed networks of various network sizes and loop structures and compare the algorithm with exhaustive counting results when possible. The algorithm is adequate in estimating loop counts for large directed networks and can be used to compare the loop structure of directed networks and their randomized counterparts.

Strengthening Children's Math Skills with Enhanced Instruction: The Impacts of Making Pre-K Count and High 5s on Kindergarten Outcomes

Science.gov (United States)

Mattera, Shira K.; Jacob, Robin; Morris, Pamela A.

2018-01-01

Early math skills are a strong predictor of later achievement for young children, not only in math, but in other domains as well. Exhibiting strong math skills in elementary school is predictive of later high school completion and college attendance. To that end, the Making Pre-K Count and High 5s studies set out to rigorously assess whether…

Counting Triangles to Sum Squares

Science.gov (United States)

DeMaio, Joe

2012-01-01

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

How Parents Read Counting Books and Non-Numerical Books to Their Preverbal Infants: An Observational Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alison Goldstein

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Studies have stressed the importance of counting with children to promote formal numeracy abilities; however little work has investigated when parents begin to engage in this behavior with their young children. In the current study, we investigated whether parents elaborated on numerical information when reading a counting book to their preverbal infants and whether developmental differences in numerical input exist even in the first year of life. Parents and their 5-10 month old infants were asked to read, as they would at home, two books to their infants: a counting book and another book that did not have numerical content. Parents’ spontaneous statements rarely focused on number and those that did consisted primarily of counting, with little emphasis on labeling the cardinality of the set. However, developmental differences were observed even in this age range, such that parents were more likely to make numerical utterances when reading to older infants. Together, results are the first to characterize naturalistic reading behaviors between parents and their preverbal infants in the context of counting books, suggesting that although counting books promote numerical language in parents, infants still receive very little in the way of numerical input before the end of the first year of life. While little is known regarding the impact of number talk on the cognitive development of young infants, the current results may guide future work in this area by providing the first assessment of the characteristics of parental numerical input to preverbal infants.

Correction of the counting up number by dead time in detector systems for radiograph images

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cerdeira E, A.; Cicuttin, A.; Cerdeira, A.; Estrada, M.; Luca, A. de

2002-01-01

The effect of the dead time in a detection system by counting up of particles and the contribution of this error in the final image resolution is analysed. It is given a statistical criteria for the optimization of electronic parameters such as dead time and counting up memory which help in the implementation of these systems with the minimum necessary characteristics which satisfy the resolution requirements. (Author)

Leveraging multiple datasets for deep leaf counting

OpenAIRE

Dobrescu, Andrei; Giuffrida, Mario Valerio; Tsaftaris, Sotirios A

2017-01-01

The number of leaves a plant has is one of the key traits (phenotypes) describing its development and growth. Here, we propose an automated, deep learning based approach for counting leaves in model rosette plants. While state-of-the-art results on leaf counting with deep learning methods have recently been reported, they obtain the count as a result of leaf segmentation and thus require per-leaf (instance) segmentation to train the models (a rather strong annotation). Instead, our method tre...

Is It Counting, or Is It Adding?

Science.gov (United States)

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

2014-01-01

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

Measurement of apoptosis by SCAN©, a system for counting and analysis of fluorescently labelled nuclei

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Neta Shlezinger

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Apoptosis-like programmed cell death (A-PCD is a universal process common to all types of eukaryotic organisms. Because A-PCD-associated processes are conserved, it is possible to define A-PCD by a standard set of markers. Many of the popular methods to measure A-PCD make use of fluorescent ligands that change in intensity or cellular localization during A-PCD. In single cell organisms, it is possible to quantify levels of A-PCD by scoring the number of apoptotic cells using flow cytometry instruments. In a multicellular organism, quantification of A-PCD is more problematic due to the complex nature of the tissue. The situation is further complicated in filamentous fungi, in which nuclei are divided between compartments, each containing a number of nuclei, which can also migrate between the compartments. We developed SCAN©, a System for Counting and Analysis of Nuclei, and used it to measure A-PCD according to two markers – chromatin condensation and DNA strand breaks. The package includes three modules designed for counting the number of nuclei in multi-nucleated domains, scoring the relative number of nuclei with condensed chromatin, and calculating the relative number of nuclei with DNA strand breaks. The method provides equal or better results compared with manual counting, the analysis is fast and can be applied on large data sets. While we demonstrated the utility of the software for measurement of A-PCD in fungi, the method is readily adopted for measurement of A-PCD in other types of multicellular specimens.

Genome Replikin Count Predicts Increased Infectivity/Lethality of Viruses

OpenAIRE

Samuel Bogoch; Elenore S. Bogoch

2012-01-01

The genomes of all groups of viruses whose sequences are listed on Pubmed, specimens since 1918, analyzed by a software from Bioradar UK Ltd., contain Replikins which range in concentration from a Replikin Count (number of Replikins per 100 amino acids) of less than 1 to 30 (see accompanying communications for higher Counts in tuberculosis, malaria, and cancer, associated with higher lethality). Counts of less than 4.0 were found in ‘resting’ virus states; Counts greater than 4....

Counts and colors of faint galaxies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kron, R.G.

1980-01-01

The color distribution of faint galaxies is an observational dimension which has not yet been fully exploited, despite the important constraints obtainable for galaxy evolution and cosmology. Number-magnitude counts alone contain very diluted information about the state of things because galaxies from a wide range in redshift contribute to the counts at each magnitude. The most-frequently-seen type of galaxy depends on the luminosity function and the relative proportions of galaxies of different spectral classes. The addition of color as a measured quantity can thus considerably sharpen the interpretation of galaxy counts since the apparent color depends on the redshift and rest-frame spectrum. (Auth.)

Bayesian approach in MN low dose of radiation counting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Serna Berna, A.; Alcaraz, M.; Acevedo, C.; Navarro, J. L.; Alcanzar, M. D.; Canteras, M.

2006-01-01

The Micronucleus assay in lymphocytes is a well established technique for the assessment of genetic damage induced by ionizing radiation. Due to the presence of a natural background of MN the net MN is obtained by subtracting this value to the gross value. When very low doses of radiation are given the induced MN is close even lower than the predetermined background value. Furthermore, the damage distribution induced by the radiation follows a Poisson probability distribution. These two facts pose a difficult task to obtain the net counting rate in the exposed situations. It is possible to overcome this problem using a bayesian approach, in which the selection of a priori distributions for the background and net counting rate plays an important role. In the present work we make a detailed analysed using bayesian theory to infer the net counting rate in two different situations: a) when the background is known for an individual sample, using exact value value for the background and Jeffreys prior for the net counting rate, and b) when the background is not known and we make use of a population background distribution as background prior function and constant prior for the net counting rate. (Author)

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2016-01-01

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

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

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Peronio, P.; Acconcia, G.; Rech, I.; Ghioni, M. [Dipartimento di Elettronica, Informazione e Bioingegneria, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milano (Italy)

2015-11-15

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

How fast can quantum annealers count?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hen, Itay

2014-01-01

We outline an algorithm for the quantum counting problem using adiabatic quantum computation (AQC). We show that the mechanism of quantum-adiabatic evolution may be utilized toward estimating the number of solutions to a problem, and not only to find them. Using local adiabatic evolution, a process in which the adiabatic procedure is performed at a variable rate, the problem of counting the number of marked items in an unstructured database is solved quadratically faster than the corresponding classical algorithm. The above algorithm provides further evidence for the potentially powerful capabilities of AQC as a paradigm for more efficient problem solving on a quantum computer, and may be used as the basis for solving more sophisticated problems. (paper)

ALMACAL I: FIRST DUAL-BAND NUMBER COUNTS FROM A DEEP AND WIDE ALMA SUBMILLIMETER SURVEY, FREE FROM COSMIC VARIANCE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oteo, I.; Ivison, R. J. [Institute for Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Royal Observatory, Blackford Hill, Edinburgh EH9 3HJ UK (United Kingdom); Zwaan, M. A.; Biggs, A. D. [European Southern Observatory, Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2, D-85748 Garching (Germany); Smail, I., E-mail: ivanoteogomez@gmail.com [Centre for Extragalactic Astronomy, Department of Physics, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE UK (United Kingdom)

2016-05-01

We have exploited ALMA calibration observations to carry out a novel, wide, and deep submillimeter (submm) survey, almacal. These calibration data comprise a large number of observations of calibrator fields in a variety of frequency bands and array configurations. By gathering together data acquired during multiple visits to many ALMA calibrators, it is possible to reach noise levels which allow the detection of faint, dusty, star-forming galaxies (DSFGs) over a significant area. In this paper, we outline our survey strategy and report the first results. We have analyzed data for 69 calibrators, reaching depths of ∼25 μ Jy beam{sup −1} at sub-arcsec resolution. Adopting a conservative approach based on ≥5 σ detections, we have found 8 and 11 DSFGs in ALMA bands 6 and 7, respectively, with flux densities S {sub 1.2} m {sub m} ≥ 0.2 mJy. The faintest galaxies would have been missed by even the deepest Herschel surveys. Our cumulative number counts have been determined independently at 870 μ m and 1.2 mm from a sparse sampling of the astronomical sky, and are thus relatively free of cosmic variance. The counts are lower than reported previously by a factor of at least 2×. Future analyses will yield large, secure samples of DSFGs with redshifts determined via the detection of submm spectral lines. Uniquely, our strategy then allows for morphological studies of very faint DSFGs—representative of more normal star-forming galaxies than conventional submm galaxies—in fields where self-calibration is feasible, yielding milliarcsecond spatial resolution.

A new method of quench monitoring in liquid scintillation counting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Horrocks, D.L.

1978-01-01

The quench level of different liquid scintillation counting samples is measured by comparing the responses (pulse heights) produced by the same energy electrons in each sample. The electrons utilized in the measurements are those of the maximum energy (Esub(max)) which are produced by the single Compton scattering process for the same energy gamma-rays in each sample. The Esub(max) response produced in any sample is related to the Esub(max) response produced in an unquenched, sealed standard. The difference in response on a logarithm response scale is defined as the ''H Number''. The H number is related to the counting efficiency of the desired radionuclide by measurement of a set of standards of known amounts of the radionuclide and different amounts of quench (standard quench curve). The concept of the H number has been shown to be theoretically valid. Based upon this proof, the features of the H number concept as embodied in the Beckman LS-8000 Series Liquid Scintillation Systems have been demonstrated. It has been shown that one H number is unique; it provides a method of instrument calibration and wide dynamic quench range measurements. Further, it has been demonstrated that the H number concept provides a universal quench parameter. Counting efficiency vs. H number plots are repeatable within the statistical limits of +-1% counting efficiency. By the use of the H number concept a very accurate method of automatic quench compensation (A.Q.C.) is possible. (T.G.)

Silicon Quantum Dots with Counted Antimony Donor Implants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Singh, Meenakshi [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies; Pacheco, Jose L. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies; Perry, Daniel Lee [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies; Garratt, E. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies; Ten Eyck, Gregory A. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies; Wendt, Joel R. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies; Manginell, Ronald P. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies; Luhman, Dwight [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies; Bielejec, Edward S. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies; Lilly, Michael [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies; Carroll, Malcolm S. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies

2015-10-01

Deterministic control over the location and number of donors is crucial to donor spin quantum bits (qubits) in semiconductor based quantum computing. A focused ion beam is used to implant close to quantum dots. Ion detectors are integrated next to the quantum dots to sense the implants. The numbers of ions implanted can be counted to a precision of a single ion. Regular coulomb blockade is observed from the quantum dots. Charge offsets indicative of donor ionization, are observed in devices with counted implants.

The influence of number line estimation precision and numeracy on risky financial decision making.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Inkyung; Cho, Soohyun

2018-01-10

This study examined whether different aspects of mathematical proficiency influence one's ability to make adaptive financial decisions. "Numeracy" refers to the ability to process numerical and probabilistic information and is commonly reported as an important factor which contributes to financial decision-making ability. The precision of mental number representation (MNR), measured with the number line estimation (NLE) task has been reported to be another critical factor. This study aimed to examine the contribution of these mathematical proficiencies while controlling for the influence of fluid intelligence, math anxiety and personality factors. In our decision-making task, participants chose between two options offering probabilistic monetary gain or loss. Sensitivity to expected value was measured as an index for the ability to discriminate between optimal versus suboptimal options. Partial correlation and hierarchical regression analyses revealed that NLE precision better explained EV sensitivity compared to numeracy, after controlling for all covariates. These results suggest that individuals with more precise MNR are capable of making more rational financial decisions. We also propose that the measurement of "numeracy," which is commonly used interchangeably with general mathematical proficiency, should include more diverse aspects of mathematical cognition including basic understanding of number magnitude. © 2018 International Union of Psychological Science.

Random numbers spring from alpha decay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frigerio, N.A.; Sanathanan, L.P.; Morley, M.; Clark, N.A.; Tyler, S.A.

1980-05-01

Congruential random number generators, which are widely used in Monte Carlo simulations, are deficient in that the number they generate are concentrated in a relatively small number of hyperplanes. While this deficiency may not be a limitation in small Monte Carlo studies involving a few variables, it introduces a significant bias in large simulations requiring high resolution. This bias was recognized and assessed during preparations for an accident analysis study of nuclear power plants. This report describes a random number device based on the radioactive decay of alpha particles from a 235 U source in a high-resolution gas proportional counter. The signals were fed to a 4096-channel analyzer and for each channel the frequency of signals registered in a 20,000-microsecond interval was recorded. The parity bits of these frequency counts (0 for an even count and 1 for an odd count) were then assembled in sequence to form 31-bit binary random numbers and transcribed to a magnetic tape. This cycle was repeated as many times as were necessary to create 3 million random numbers. The frequency distribution of counts from the present device conforms to the Brockwell-Moyal distribution, which takes into account the dead time of the counter (both the dead time and decay constant of the underlying Poisson process were estimated). Analysis of the count data and tests of randomness on a sample set of the 31-bit binary numbers indicate that this random number device is a highly reliable source of truly random numbers. Its use is, therefore, recommended in Monte Carlo simulations for which the congruential pseudorandom number generators are found to be inadequate. 6 figures, 5 tables

A Formula for Making Every Hour Count

Science.gov (United States)

Warihay, Philomena

1978-01-01

Making people aware of how they use--and waste--time must be the first step in any program to increase office productivity. Available from Geyer-McAllister Publications, Inc., 51 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10010; single issue $2.75. (Author)

Do bacterial cell numbers follow a theoretical Poisson distribution? Comparison of experimentally obtained numbers of single cells with random number generation via computer simulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Koyama, Kento; Hokunan, Hidekazu; Hasegawa, Mayumi; Kawamura, Shuso; Koseki, Shigenobu

2016-12-01

We investigated a bacterial sample preparation procedure for single-cell studies. In the present study, we examined whether single bacterial cells obtained via 10-fold dilution followed a theoretical Poisson distribution. Four serotypes of Salmonella enterica, three serotypes of enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli and one serotype of Listeria monocytogenes were used as sample bacteria. An inoculum of each serotype was prepared via a 10-fold dilution series to obtain bacterial cell counts with mean values of one or two. To determine whether the experimentally obtained bacterial cell counts follow a theoretical Poisson distribution, a likelihood ratio test between the experimentally obtained cell counts and Poisson distribution which parameter estimated by maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) was conducted. The bacterial cell counts of each serotype sufficiently followed a Poisson distribution. Furthermore, to examine the validity of the parameters of Poisson distribution from experimentally obtained bacterial cell counts, we compared these with the parameters of a Poisson distribution that were estimated using random number generation via computer simulation. The Poisson distribution parameters experimentally obtained from bacterial cell counts were within the range of the parameters estimated using a computer simulation. These results demonstrate that the bacterial cell counts of each serotype obtained via 10-fold dilution followed a Poisson distribution. The fact that the frequency of bacterial cell counts follows a Poisson distribution at low number would be applied to some single-cell studies with a few bacterial cells. In particular, the procedure presented in this study enables us to develop an inactivation model at the single-cell level that can estimate the variability of survival bacterial numbers during the bacterial death process. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Serum Copper Level Significantly Influences Platelet Count, Lymphocyte Count and Mean Cell Hemoglobin in Sickle Cell Anemia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Okocha Chide

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Background Changes in serum micro nutrients levels affect a number of critically important metabolic processes; these could potentially influence blood counts and ultimately disease presentation in patients with sickle cell anemia (SCA. Objectives To evaluate the influence of serum micro-nutrients levels; zinc, copper, selenium and magnesium on blood counts in steady state SCA patients. Methods A cross sectional study that involved 28 steady state adult SCA subjects. Seven milliliters (mls of blood was collected; 3 mls was for hemoglobin electrophoresis and full blood count determination while 4 mls was for measurement of serum micro nutrients levels, by the atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Correlation between serum micro-nutrient levels and blood counts was done by the Pearson’s linear regression. Ethical approval was obtained from the institutional review board and each participant gave informed consent. All data was analyzed by SPSS software version 20. Results There was a significant correlation between serum copper levels and mean cell hemoglobin (MCH, platelet and lymphocyte counts (r = 0.418; P = 0.02, r = -0.376; P = 0.04 and r = -0.383; P = 0.04, respectively. There were no significant correlations between serum levels of other micro nutrients (selenium, zinc and magnesium and blood counts. Conclusions Copper influences blood count in SCA patients probably by inducing red cell haemolysis, oxidant tissue damage and stimulating the immune system.

Single-Cell-Based Platform for Copy Number Variation Profiling through Digital Counting of Amplified Genomic DNA Fragments.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Chunmei; Yu, Zhilong; Fu, Yusi; Pang, Yuhong; Huang, Yanyi

2017-04-26

We develop a novel single-cell-based platform through digital counting of amplified genomic DNA fragments, named multifraction amplification (mfA), to detect the copy number variations (CNVs) in a single cell. Amplification is required to acquire genomic information from a single cell, while introducing unavoidable bias. Unlike prevalent methods that directly infer CNV profiles from the pattern of sequencing depth, our mfA platform denatures and separates the DNA molecules from a single cell into multiple fractions of a reaction mix before amplification. By examining the sequencing result of each fraction for a specific fragment and applying a segment-merge maximum likelihood algorithm to the calculation of copy number, we digitize the sequencing-depth-based CNV identification and thus provide a method that is less sensitive to the amplification bias. In this paper, we demonstrate a mfA platform through multiple displacement amplification (MDA) chemistry. When performing the mfA platform, the noise of MDA is reduced; therefore, the resolution of single-cell CNV identification can be improved to 100 kb. We can also determine the genomic region free of allelic drop-out with mfA platform, which is impossible for conventional single-cell amplification methods.

Cosmic numbers the numbers that define our universe

CERN Document Server

Stein, James D

2011-01-01

Our fascination with numbers begins when we are children and continues throughout our lives. We start counting our fingers and toes and end up balancing checkbooks and calculating risk. So powerful is the appeal of numbers that many people ascribe to them a mystical significance. Other numbers go beyond the supernatural, working to explain our universe and how it behaves. In Cosmic Numbers , mathematics professor James D. Stein traces the discovery, evolution, and interrelationships of the numbers that define our world. Everyone knows about the speed of light and absolute zero, but numbers lik

Evaluating call-count procedures for measuring local mourning dove populations

Science.gov (United States)

Armbruster, M.J.; Baskett, T.S.; Goforth, W.R.; Sadler, K.C.

1978-01-01

Seventy-nine mourning dove call-count runs were made on a 32-km route in Osage County, Missouri, May 1-August 31, 1971 and 1972. Circular study areas, each 61 ha, surrounding stop numbers 4 and 5, were delineated for intensive nest searches and population estimates. Tallies of cooing male doves along the entire call-count route were quite variable in repeated runs, fluctuating as much as 50 percent on consecutive days. There were no consistent relationships between numbers of cooing males tallied at stops 4 and 5 and the numbers of current nests or doves estimated to be present in the surrounding study areas. We doubt the suitability of call-count procedures to estimate precisely the densities of breeding pairs, nests or production of doves on small areas. Our findings do not dispute the usefulness of the national call-count survey as an index to relative densities of mourning doves during the breeding season over large portions of the United States, or as an index to annual population trends.

Liquid scintillation counting (LSC) - an overview

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ravi, S.; Mathew, K.M.

2005-01-01

In Liquid Scintillation Counting, the amount of light produced is proportional to the amount of radiation present in the sample and the energy of the light produced is proportional to the energy of the radiation that is present in the sample. This makes LSC a very convenient tool to measure radioactivity

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

Science.gov (United States)

Jared Verner

1988-01-01

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

Categorical counting.

Science.gov (United States)

Fetterman, J Gregor; Killeen, P Richard

2010-09-01

Pigeons pecked on three keys, responses to one of which could be reinforced after a few pecks, to a second key after a somewhat larger number of pecks, and to a third key after the maximum pecking requirement. The values of the pecking requirements and the proportion of trials ending with reinforcement were varied. Transits among the keys were an orderly function of peck number, and showed approximately proportional changes with changes in the pecking requirements, consistent with Weber's law. Standard deviations of the switch points between successive keys increased more slowly within a condition than across conditions. Changes in reinforcement probability produced changes in the location of the psychometric functions that were consistent with models of timing. Analyses of the number of pecks emitted and the duration of the pecking sequences demonstrated that peck number was the primary determinant of choice, but that passage of time also played some role. We capture the basic results with a standard model of counting, which we qualify to account for the secondary experiments. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An approach to solve group-decision-making problems with ordinal interval numbers.

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Zhi-Ping; Liu, Yang

2010-10-01

The ordinal interval number is a form of uncertain preference information in group decision making (GDM), while it is seldom discussed in the existing research. This paper investigates how the ranking order of alternatives is determined based on preference information of ordinal interval numbers in GDM problems. When ranking a large quantity of ordinal interval numbers, the efficiency and accuracy of the ranking process are critical. A new approach is proposed to rank alternatives using ordinal interval numbers when every ranking ordinal in an ordinal interval number is thought to be uniformly and independently distributed in its interval. First, we give the definition of possibility degree on comparing two ordinal interval numbers and the related theory analysis. Then, to rank alternatives, by comparing multiple ordinal interval numbers, a collective expectation possibility degree matrix on pairwise comparisons of alternatives is built, and an optimization model based on this matrix is constructed. Furthermore, an algorithm is also presented to rank alternatives by solving the model. Finally, two examples are used to illustrate the use of the proposed approach.

Counting Possibilia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alfredo Tomasetta

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Timothy Williamson supports the thesis that every possible entity necessarily exists and so he needs to explain how a possible son of Wittgenstein’s, for example, exists in our world:he exists as a merely possible object (MPO, a pure locus of potential. Williamson presents a short argument for the existence of MPOs: how many knives can be made by fitting together two blades and two handles? Four: at the most two are concrete objects, the others being merely possible knives and merely possible objects. This paper defends the idea that one can avoid reference and ontological commitment to MPOs. My proposal is that MPOs can be dispensed with by using the notion of rules of knife-making. I first present a solution according to which we count lists of instructions - selected by the rules - describing physical combinations between components. This account, however, has its own difficulties and I eventually suggest that one can find a way out by admitting possible worlds, entities which are more commonly accepted - at least by philosophers - than MPOs. I maintain that, in answering Williamson’s questions, we count classes of physically possible worlds in which the same instance of a general rule is applied.

Analysis of the factors that affect photon counts in Compton scattering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luo, Guang; Xiao, Guangyu

2015-01-01

Compton scattering has been applied in a variety of fields. The factors that affect Compton scattering have been studied extensively in the literature. However, the factors that affect the measured photon counts in Compton scattering are rarely considered. In this paper, we make a detailed discussion on those factors. First, Compton scattering experiments of some alloy series and powder mixture series are explored. Second, the electron density is researched in terms of atom and lattice constants. Third, the factor of attenuation coefficient is discussed. And then, the active degree of electrons is discussed based on the DFT theory. Lastly, the conclusions are made, that the factors affecting Compton scattering photon counts include mainly electron number density, attenuation coefficient and active degree of electrons. - Highlights: • Compton scattering experiments of some alloy series and powder mixture series are explored. • The influence of electron density is researched in terms of atom and lattice constants. • The influence of attenuation coefficient is discussed. • The active degree of electrons is discussed detailedly based on DFT theory

Counting in Lattices: Combinatorial Problems from Statistical Mechanics.

Science.gov (United States)

Randall, Dana Jill

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

A Multicriteria Decision Making Approach for Estimating the Number of Clusters in a Data Set

Science.gov (United States)

Peng, Yi; Zhang, Yong; Kou, Gang; Shi, Yong

2012-01-01

Determining the number of clusters in a data set is an essential yet difficult step in cluster analysis. Since this task involves more than one criterion, it can be modeled as a multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) problem. This paper proposes a multiple criteria decision making (MCDM)-based approach to estimate the number of clusters for a given data set. In this approach, MCDM methods consider different numbers of clusters as alternatives and the outputs of any clustering algorithm on validity measures as criteria. The proposed method is examined by an experimental study using three MCDM methods, the well-known clustering algorithm–k-means, ten relative measures, and fifteen public-domain UCI machine learning data sets. The results show that MCDM methods work fairly well in estimating the number of clusters in the data and outperform the ten relative measures considered in the study. PMID:22870181

A New Method for Calculating Counts in Cells

Science.gov (United States)

Szapudi, István

1998-04-01

In the near future, a new generation of CCD-based galaxy surveys will enable high-precision determination of the N-point correlation functions. The resulting information will help to resolve the ambiguities associated with two-point correlation functions, thus constraining theories of structure formation, biasing, and Gaussianity of initial conditions independently of the value of Ω. As one of the most successful methods of extracting the amplitude of higher order correlations is based on measuring the distribution of counts in cells, this work presents an advanced way of measuring it with unprecedented accuracy. Szapudi & Colombi identified the main sources of theoretical errors in extracting counts in cells from galaxy catalogs. One of these sources, termed as measurement error, stems from the fact that conventional methods use a finite number of sampling cells to estimate counts in cells. This effect can be circumvented by using an infinite number of cells. This paper presents an algorithm, which in practice achieves this goal; that is, it is equivalent to throwing an infinite number of sampling cells in finite time. The errors associated with sampling cells are completely eliminated by this procedure, which will be essential for the accurate analysis of future surveys.

Everything Counts 52 Remarkable Ways to Inspire Excellence and Drive Results

CERN Document Server

Blair, Gary Ryan

2009-01-01

Everything Counts! is an execution strategy for inspiring excellence and driving exceptional results.Too many people and organizations are mired in a mediocrity of their own making. They focus their attention and efforts on getting the big things right, but they ignore the little things that often make a big difference. As a result, reputations are damaged, brands diluted, and loyalty is lost by blatant disregard for the small stuff which negatively impacts the customer experience. For years, we've been taught not to sweat the small stuff, but in the real world of business, Everything Counts.E

Aggregation operators of neutrosophic linguistic numbers for multiple attribute group decision making.

Science.gov (United States)

Ye, Jun

2016-01-01

Based on the concept of neutrosophic linguistic numbers (NLNs) in symbolic neutrosophic theory presented by Smarandache in 2015, the paper firstly proposes basic operational laws of NLNs and the expected value of a NLN to rank NLNs. Then, we propose the NLN weighted arithmetic average (NLNWAA) and NLN weighted geometric average (NLNWGA) operators and discuss their properties. Further, we establish a multiple attribute group decision-making (MAGDM) method by using the NLNWAA and NLNWGA operators under NLN environment. Finally, an illustrative example on a decision-making problem of manufacturing alternatives in the flexible manufacturing system is given to show the application of the proposed MAGDM method.

Multiple sample, radioactive particle counting apparatus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reddy, R.R.V.; Kelso, D.M.

1978-01-01

An apparatus is described for determining the respective radioactive particle sample count being emitted from radioactive particle containing samples. It includes means for modulating the information on the radioactive particles being emitted from the samples, coded detecting means for sequentially detecting different respective coded combinations of the radioactive particles emitted from more than one but less than all of the samples, and processing the modulated information to derive the sample count for each sample. It includes a single light emitting crystal next to a number of samples, an encoder belt sequentially movable between the crystal and the samples. The encoder belt has a coded array of apertures to provide corresponding modulated light pulses from the crystal, and a photomultiplier tube to convert the modulated light pulses to decodable electrical signals for deriving the respective sample count

Cherenkov radiation effects on counting efficiency in extremely quenched liquid scintillation samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grau Carles, A.; Grau Malonda, A.; Rodriguez Barquero, L.

1993-01-01

The CIEMAT/NIST tracer method has successfully standardized nuclides with diverse quench values and decay schemes in liquid scintillation counting. However, the counting efficiency is computed inaccurately for extremely quenched samples. This article shows that when samples are extremely quenched, the counting efficiency in high-energy beta-ray nuclides depends principally on the Cherenkov effect. A new technique is described for quench determination, which makes the measurement of counting efficiency possible when scintillation counting approaches zero. A new efficiency computation model for pure beta-ray nuclides is also described. The results of the model are tested experimentally for 89 Sr, 90 Y, 36 Cl and 204 Tl nuclides with independence of the quench level. (orig.)

Compton suppression gamma-counting: The effect of count rate

Science.gov (United States)

Millard, H.T.

1984-01-01

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

RBC count

Science.gov (United States)

... by kidney disease) RBC destruction ( hemolysis ) due to transfusion, blood vessel injury, or other cause Leukemia Malnutrition Bone ... slight risk any time the skin is broken) Alternative Names Erythrocyte count; Red blood cell count; Anemia - RBC count Images Blood test ...

Strategies for enumeration of circulating microvesicles on a conventional flow cytometer: Counting beads and scatter parameters.

Science.gov (United States)

Alkhatatbeh, Mohammad J; Enjeti, Anoop K; Baqar, Sara; Ekinci, Elif I; Liu, Dorothy; Thorne, Rick F; Lincz, Lisa F

2018-01-01

Enumeration of circulating microvesicles (MVs) by conventional flow cytometry is accomplished by the addition of a known amount of counting beads and calculated from the formula: MV/μl = (MV count/bead count) × final bead concentration. We sought to optimize each variable in the equation by determining the best parameters for detecting 'MV count' and examining the effects of different bead preparations and concentrations on the final calculation. Three commercially available bead preparations (TruCount, Flow-Count and CountBright) were tested, and MV detection on a BD FACSCanto was optimized for gating by either forward scatter (FSC) or side scatter (SSC); the results were compared by calculating different subsets of MV on a series of 74 typical patient plasma samples. The relationship between the number of beads added to each test and the number of beads counted by flow cytometry remained linear over a wide range of bead concentrations ( R 2 ≥ 0.997). However, TruCount beads produced the most consistent (concentration variation = 3.8%) calculated numbers of plasma CD41 + /Annexin V + MV, which were significantly higher from that calculated using either Flow-Count or CountBright ( p beads by FSC and 0.16 μm beads by SSC, but there were significantly more background events using SSC compared with FSC (3113 vs. 470; p = 0.008). In general, sample analysis by SSC resulted in significantly higher numbers of MV ( p beads provided linear results at concentrations ranging from 6 beads/μl to 100 beads/μl, but TruCount was the most consistent. Using SSC to gate MV events produced high background which negatively affected counting bead enumeration and overall MV calculations. Strategies to reduce SSC background should be employed in order to reliably use this technique.

Experimental Study for Automatic Colony Counting System Based Onimage Processing

Science.gov (United States)

Fang, Junlong; Li, Wenzhe; Wang, Guoxin

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

Counts-in-Cylinders in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey with Comparisons to N-Body

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berrier, Heather D.; Barton, Elizabeth J.; /UC, Irvine; Berrier, Joel C.; /Arkansas U.; Bullock, James S.; /UC, Irvine; Zentner, Andrew R.; /Pittsburgh U.; Wechsler, Risa H. /KIPAC, Menlo Park /SLAC

2010-12-16

Environmental statistics provide a necessary means of comparing the properties of galaxies in different environments and a vital test of models of galaxy formation within the prevailing, hierarchical cosmological model. We explore counts-in-cylinders, a common statistic defined as the number of companions of a particular galaxy found within a given projected radius and redshift interval. Galaxy distributions with the same two-point correlation functions do not necessarily have the same companion count distributions. We use this statistic to examine the environments of galaxies in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, Data Release 4. We also make preliminary comparisons to four models for the spatial distributions of galaxies, based on N-body simulations, and data from SDSS DR4 to study the utility of the counts-in-cylinders statistic. There is a very large scatter between the number of companions a galaxy has and the mass of its parent dark matter halo and the halo occupation, limiting the utility of this statistic for certain kinds of environmental studies. We also show that prevalent, empirical models of galaxy clustering that match observed two- and three-point clustering statistics well fail to reproduce some aspects of the observed distribution of counts-in-cylinders on 1, 3 and 6-h{sup -1}Mpc scales. All models that we explore underpredict the fraction of galaxies with few or no companions in 3 and 6-h{sup -1} Mpc cylinders. Roughly 7% of galaxies in the real universe are significantly more isolated within a 6 h{sup -1} Mpc cylinder than the galaxies in any of the models we use. Simple, phenomenological models that map galaxies to dark matter halos fail to reproduce high-order clustering statistics in low-density environments.

RANDOMNUMBERS, Random Number Sequence Generated from Gas Ionisation Chamber Data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frigerio, N.A.; Sanathanan, L.P.; Morley, M.; Tyler, S.A.; Clark, N.A.; Wang, J.

1989-01-01

1 - Description of problem or function: RANDOM NUMBERS is a data collection of almost 2.7 million 31-bit random numbers generated by using a high resolution gas ionization detector chamber in conjunction with a 4096-channel multichannel analyzer to record the radioactive decay of alpha particles from a U-235 source. The signals from the decaying alpha particles were fed to the 4096-channel analyzer, and for each channel the frequency of signals registered in a 20,000-microsecond interval was recorded. The parity bits of these frequency counts, 0 for an even count and 1 for and odd count, were then assembled in sequence to form 31-bit random numbers and transcribed onto magnetic tape. This cycle was repeated to obtain the random numbers. 2 - Method of solution: The frequency distribution of counts from the device conforms to the Brockwell-Moyal distribution which takes into account the dead time of the counter. The count data were analyzed and tests for randomness on a sample indicate that the device is a highly reliable source of truly random numbers. 3 - Restrictions on the complexity of the problem: The RANDOM NUMBERS tape contains 2,669,568 31-bit numbers

Pill counts and pill rental: unintended entrepreneurial opportunities.

Science.gov (United States)

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

2013-07-01

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

The Origin of Mathematics and Number Sense in the Cerebellum: with Implications for Finger Counting and Dyscalculia.

Science.gov (United States)

Vandervert, Larry

2017-01-01

Mathematicians and scientists have struggled to adequately describe the ultimate foundations of mathematics. Nobel laureates Albert Einstein and Eugene Wigner were perplexed by this issue, with Wigner concluding that the workability of mathematics in the real world is a mystery we cannot explain. In response to this classic enigma, the major purpose of this article is to provide a theoretical model of the ultimate origin of mathematics and "number sense" (as defined by S. Dehaene) that is proposed to involve the learning of inverse dynamics models through the collaboration of the cerebellum and the cerebral cortex (but prominently cerebellum-driven). This model is based upon (1) the modern definition of mathematics as the "science of patterns," (2) cerebellar sequence (pattern) detection, and (3) findings that the manipulation of numbers is automated in the cerebellum. This cerebro-cerebellar approach does not necessarily conflict with mathematics or number sense models that focus on brain functions associated with especially the intraparietal sulcus region of the cerebral cortex. A direct corollary purpose of this article is to offer a cerebellar inner speech explanation for difficulty in developing "number sense" in developmental dyscalculia. It is argued that during infancy the cerebellum learns (1) a first tier of internal models for a primitive physics that constitutes the foundations of visual-spatial working memory, and (2) a second (and more abstract) tier of internal models based on (1) that learns "number" and relationships among dimensions across the primitive physics of the first tier. Within this context it is further argued that difficulty in the early development of the second tier of abstraction (and "number sense") is based on the more demanding attentional requirements imposed on cerebellar inner speech executive control during the learning of cerebellar inverse dynamics models. Finally, it is argued that finger counting improves (does not

The impact of finger counting habits on arithmetic in adults and children.

Science.gov (United States)

Newman, Sharlene D; Soylu, Firat

2014-07-01

Here, we explored the impact of finger counting habits on arithmetic in both adults and children. Two groups of participants were examined, those that begin counting with their left hand (left-starters) and those that begin counting with their right hand (right-starters). For the adults, performance on an addition task in which participants added 2 two-digit numbers was compared. The results revealed that left-starters were slower than right-starters when adding and they had lower forward and backward digit-span scores. The children (aged 5-12) showed similar results on a single-digit timed addition task-right-starters outperformed left-starters. However, the children did not reveal differences in working memory or verbal and non-verbal intelligence as a function of finger counting habit. We argue that the motor act of finger counting influences how number is represented and suggest that left-starters may have a more bilateral representation that accounts for the slower processing.

Operation voltage of the counting system of nuclear traces in solids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garcia, M.L.; Quirino, L.L.; Mireles, F.; Davila, J.I.; Pinedo, J.L.; Lugo, J.F.; Vadillo, V.E.

2002-01-01

The semi-automatic counting system based on electric spark and used for traces reading in solid state detectors is evaluated for obtaining its counting voltage and also the breaking voltage of material. In the treatment of the solid state detectors it is continued the NTD methodology for concluding with the individual counting of the films, whose graphics offer the existing relationship among the applied voltage and the traces number. From each film a counting and breaking voltages are obtained. Finally, an average voltage of all them is estimated. (Author)

Trainable estimators for indirect people counting : a comparative study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Acampora, G.; Loia, V.; Percannella, G.; Vento, M.

2011-01-01

Estimating the number of people in a scene is a very relevant issue due to the possibility of using it in a large number of contexts where it is necessary to automatically monitor an area for security/safety reasons, for economic purposes, etc. The large number of people counting approaches

Physician relationships: make your first impression count.

Science.gov (United States)

Crepeau, Jason

2012-05-01

Strategies for physician recruitment should include the following: Consider creating an in-house recruiting system to save money and to "own" the health system's first impression. Gain a competitive advantage by nurturing relationships with prospects over the long-term. Use innovative recruitment techniques, such as video interviewing and electronic reference checking, to better coordinate recruitment, follow-up, and mentoring. Make a new hire's job satisfaction and home life a top priority during the first 90 days of employment, and then plan regular follow-ups to maintain a positive relationship.

Passive hand movements disrupt adults’ counting strategies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ineke eImbo

2011-09-01

Full Text Available In the present study, we experimentally tested the role of hand motor circuits in simple-arithmetic strategies. Educated adults solved simple additions (e.g., 8+3 or simple subtractions (e.g., 11–3 while they were required to retrieve the answer from long-term memory (e.g., knowing that 8+3 = 11, to transform the problem by making an intermediate step (e.g., 8+3 = 8+2+1 = 10+1 = 11 or to count one-by-one (e.g., 8+3 = 8…9…10…11. During the process of solving the arithmetic problems, the experimenter did or did not move the participants’ hand on a 4-point matrix. The results show that passive hand movements disrupted the counting strategy while leaving the other strategies unaffected. This pattern of results is in agreement with a procedural account, showing that the involvement of hand motor circuits in adults’ mathematical abilities is reminiscent of finger counting during childhood.

Photon number projection using non-number-resolving detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rohde, Peter P; Webb, James G; Huntington, Elanor H; Ralph, Timothy C

2007-01-01

Number-resolving photo-detection is necessary for many quantum optics experiments, especially in the application of entangled state preparation. Several schemes have been proposed for approximating number-resolving photo-detection using non-number-resolving detectors. Such techniques include multi-port detection and time-division multiplexing. We provide a detailed analysis and comparison of different number-resolving detection schemes, with a view to creating a useful reference for experimentalists. We show that the ideal architecture for projective measurements is a function of the detector's dark count and efficiency parameters. We also describe a process for selecting an appropriate topology given actual experimental component parameters

Effects of plutonium redistribution on lung counting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Swinth, K.L.

1976-01-01

Early counts of Pu deposition in lungs will tend to overestimate lung contents since calibrations are performed with a uniform distribution and since a more favorable geometry exists in contaminated subjects because the activity is closer to the periphery of the lungs. Although the concentration into the outer regions of the lungs continues as evidenced by the autopsy studies, the counts performed by L X-rays will probably underestimate the lung content; because, simplistically, the geometry several years after exposure consists of a spherical shell with a point of activity in the center. This point of activity represents concentration in the lymph nodes from which the 60 keV gamma of 241 Am will be counted, but from which few of the L X-rays will be counted (this is an example of interorgan distribution). When a correction is made to the L X-ray intensity, the lymph node contribution will tend to increase the amount subtracted while correcting for 241 Am X-rays. It is doubtful that the relative increase in X-ray intensity by concentration in the pleural and sub-pleural regions will compensate for this effect. This will make the plutonium burden disappear while the 241 Am can still be detected. This effect has been observed in a case where counts with an intraesophageal probe indicated a substantial lymph node burden. In order to improve the accuracy of in vivo plutonium measurements, an improved understanding of pulmonary distribution and of distribution effects on in vivo counting are required

Elliptic Tales Curves, Counting, and Number Theory

CERN Document Server

Ash, Avner

2012-01-01

Elliptic Tales describes the latest developments in number theory by looking at one of the most exciting unsolved problems in contemporary mathematics--the Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer Conjecture. The Clay Mathematics Institute is offering a prize of 1 million to anyone who can discover a general solution to the problem. In this book, Avner Ash and Robert Gross guide readers through the mathematics they need to understand this captivating problem. The key to the conjecture lies in elliptic curves, which are cubic equations in two variables. These equations may appear simple, yet they arise from

Language and counting: Some recent results

Science.gov (United States)

Bell, Garry

1990-02-01

It has long been recognised that the language of mathematics is an important variable in the learning of mathematics, and there has been useful work in isolating and describing the linkage. Steffe and his co-workers at Georgia, for example, (Steffe, von Glasersfeld, Richardson and Cobb, 1983) have suggested that young children may construct verbal countable items to count objects which are hidden from their view. Although there has been a surge of research interest in counting and early childhood mathematics, and in cultural differences in mathematics attainment, there has been little work reported on the linkage between culture as exemplified by language, and initial concepts of numeration. This paper reports on some recent clinical research with kindergarten children of European and Asian background in Australia and America. The research examines the influence that number naming grammar appears to have on young children's understandings of two-digit numbers and place value. It appears that Transparent Standard Number Word Sequences such as Japanese, Chinese and Vietnamese which follow the numerical representation pattern by naming tens and units in order ("two tens three"), may be associated with distinctive place value concepts which may support sophisticated mental algorithms.

Counting statistics and loss corrections for the APS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, W.K.; Mills, D.M.

1992-01-01

It has been suggested that for timing experiments, it might be advantageous to arrange the bunches in the storage ring in an asymmetrical mode. In this paper, we determine the counting losses from pulsed x-ray sources from basic probabilistic arguments and from Poisson statistics. In particular the impact on single photon counting losses of a variety of possible filling modes for the Advanced Photon Source (APS) is examined. For bunches of equal current, a loss of 10% occurs whenever the count rate exceeds 21% of the bunch repetition rate. This changes slightly when bunches containing unequal numbers of particles are considered. The results are applied to several common detector/electronics systems

Counting statistics and loss corrections for the APS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, W.K.; Mills, D.M.

1992-01-01

It has been suggested that for timing experiments, it might be advantageous to arrange the bunches in the storage ring in an asymmetrical mode. In this paper, we determine the counting losses from pulsed x-ray sources from basic probabilistic arguments and from Poisson statistics. In particular the impact on single-photon counting losses of a variety of possible filling modes for the Advanced Photon Source (APS) is examined. For bunches of equal current, a loss of 10% occurs whenever the count rate exceeds 21% of the bunch repetition rate. This changes slightly when bunches containing unequal numbers of particles are considered. The results are applied to several common detector/electronics systems

A methodology for on line fatigue life monitoring : rainflow cycle counting method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mukhopadhyay, N.K.; Dutta, B.K.; Kushwaha, H.S.

1992-01-01

Green's function technique is used in on line fatigue life monitoring to convert plant data to stress versus time data. This technique converts plant data most efficiently to stress versus time data. To compute the fatigue usage factor the actual number of cycles experienced by the component is to be found out from stress versus time data. Using material fatigue properties the fatigue usage factor is to be computed from the number of cycles. Generally the stress response is very irregular in nature. To convert an irregular stress history to stress frequency spectra rainflow cycle counting method is used. This method is proved to be superior to other counting methods and yields best fatigue estimates. A code has been developed which computes the number of cycles experienced by the component from stress time history using rainflow cycle counting method. This postprocessor also computes the accumulated fatigue usage factor from material fatigue properties. The present report describes the development of a code to compute fatigue usage factor using rainflow cycle counting technique and presents a real life case study. (author). 10 refs., 10 figs

Counted Sb donors in Si quantum dots

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Meenakshi; Pacheco, Jose; Bielejec, Edward; Perry, Daniel; Ten Eyck, Gregory; Bishop, Nathaniel; Wendt, Joel; Luhman, Dwight; Carroll, Malcolm; Lilly, Michael

2015-03-01

Deterministic control over the location and number of donors is critical for donor spin qubits in semiconductor based quantum computing. We have developed techniques using a focused ion beam and a diode detector integrated next to a silicon MOS single electron transistor to gain such control. With the diode detector operating in linear mode, the numbers of ions implanted have been counted and single ion implants have been detected. Poisson statistics in the number of ions implanted have been observed. Transport measurements performed on samples with counted number of implants have been performed and regular coulomb blockade and charge offsets observed. The capacitances to various gates are found to be in agreement with QCAD simulations for an electrostatically defined dot. This work was performed, in part, at the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, a U.S. DOE Office of Basic Energy Sciences user facility. The work was supported by Sandia National Laboratories Directed Research and Development Program. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed-Martin Company, for the U. S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC04-94AL85000.

Determination of plutonium-241 by liquid scintillation counting method and its application to environmental samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Watanabe, Miki; Amano, Hikaru

1997-03-01

Radionuclides are usually measured by gross counting mode in liquid scintillator counting (LSC) which measures both α and β pulses. This method can easily measure radioactivities, but its background counting is high. Recently reported α-β pulse shape discrimination method (α-β PSD method) in LSC which distinguishes α pulses from β pulses, shows low background counting, so it makes the detection limit lower. The aim of this research is to develop the best method for the determination of 241 Pu which is β-emitter, and Pu isotopes of α-emitters which have long half-lives and stay long in animal body. In this research, two LSC machines was carried out in different scintillators, vial volumes, measurement modes and so on. The following things were found. 1. The liquid scintillator based on naphthalene is proved to be the best separator of α-ray from β-ray, because it acts quickly in energy translation procedure between solvent and aromatic compounds. 2. α-β PSD method makes the background counting rate ten times lower than usual method. It makes the measurement performance better. 3. It is possible to determine 241 Pu in environmental samples around Chernobyl by the combination of LSC and radiochemical separation methods. (author)

Effect of alginate chemical disinfection on bacterial count over gypsum cast.

Science.gov (United States)

Haralur, Satheesh B; Al-Dowah, Omir S; Gana, Naif S; Al-Hytham, Abdullah

2012-05-01

To evaluate the efficacy of sodium hypochlorite (1 : 10) and iodophor disinfectants on alginate impressions along with their effect on the survived bacterium count on the gypsum cast. Four alginate impression on each dentate patients were made, of which Group I were not washed or disinfected, Group II impressions were merely washed with water, Group III were disinfected by spraying with sodium hypochlorite (1 : 10), Group IV were disinfected with iodophor (1 : 213). Gypsum cast (type III) were made from all the impression. Impressions and gypsum cast were swabbed in mid palatal region for bacterial culture. Bacterial colony counting done after 3 days of incubation at 37℃ in blood agar media. The data obtained was analyzed by one way ANOVA test at a significant difference level of 0.05. Group I and Group II showed significantly more bacteria compared to Group III and Group IV. Bacterial colonies on the alginate impression and gypsum cast in group disinfected with Sodium hypochlorite (1 : 10) were 0.18, 0.82 respectively compared to group treated with iodophor (1 : 213). There was an increase in bacterial count on dental cast compared to source alginate impressions. Sodium hypochlorite (1 : 10) was found to be better disinfectant for alginate impression. There was an indication of increase in number of bacteria from alginate impression to making of dental cast. Additional gypsum cast disinfectant procedures need to be encouraged to completely eliminate cross infection to dental laboratory.

Limit of sensitivity of low-background counting equipment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Homann, S.G.

1991-01-01

The Hazards Control Department's Radiological Measurements Laboratory (RML) analyzes many types of sample media in support of the Laboratory's health and safety program. The Department has determined that the equation for the minimum limit of sensitivity, MDC(α,β) = 2.71 + 3.29 (r b t s ) 1/2 is also adequate for RML counting systems with very-low-background levels. This paper reviews the normal distribution case and address the special case of determining the limit of sensitivity of a counting system when the background count rate is well known and small. In the latter case, we must use an exact test procedure based on the binomial distribution. However, the error in using the normal distribution for calculating a detection system's limit of sensitivity is not significant even as the total observed number of counts approaches or equals zero. 2 refs., 4 figs

The cosmological analysis of X-ray cluster surveys - I. A new method for interpreting number counts

Science.gov (United States)

Clerc, N.; Pierre, M.; Pacaud, F.; Sadibekova, T.

2012-07-01

We present a new method aimed at simplifying the cosmological analysis of X-ray cluster surveys. It is based on purely instrumental observable quantities considered in a two-dimensional X-ray colour-magnitude diagram (hardness ratio versus count rate). The basic principle is that even in rather shallow surveys, substantial information on cluster redshift and temperature is present in the raw X-ray data and can be statistically extracted; in parallel, such diagrams can be readily predicted from an ab initio cosmological modelling. We illustrate the methodology for the case of a 100-deg2XMM survey having a sensitivity of ˜10-14 erg s-1 cm-2 and fit at the same time, the survey selection function, the cluster evolutionary scaling relations and the cosmology; our sole assumption - driven by the limited size of the sample considered in the case study - is that the local cluster scaling relations are known. We devote special attention to the realistic modelling of the count-rate measurement uncertainties and evaluate the potential of the method via a Fisher analysis. In the absence of individual cluster redshifts, the count rate and hardness ratio (CR-HR) method appears to be much more efficient than the traditional approach based on cluster counts (i.e. dn/dz, requiring redshifts). In the case where redshifts are available, our method performs similar to the traditional mass function (dn/dM/dz) for the purely cosmological parameters, but constrains better parameters defining the cluster scaling relations and their evolution. A further practical advantage of the CR-HR method is its simplicity: this fully top-down approach totally bypasses the tedious steps consisting in deriving cluster masses from X-ray temperature measurements.

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2017-10-26

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

Investigation of internal conversion electron lines by track counting technique

CERN Document Server

Islamov, T A; Kambarova, N T; Muminov, T M; Lebedev, N A; Solnyshkin, A A; Aleshin, Yu D; Kolesnikov, V V; Silaev, V I; Niipf-Tashgu, T

2001-01-01

The methodology of counting the tracks of the internal conversion electron (ICE) in the nuclear photoemulsion is described. The results on counting the ICE tracks on the photoplates for sup 1 sup 6 sup 1 Ho, sup 1 sup 6 sup 3 Tm, sup 1 sup 6 sup 6 Tm, sup 1 sup 3 sup 5 Ce is described. The above results are obtained through the MBI-9 microscope and the MAS-1 automated facility. The ICE track counting on the photoplates provides for essentially higher sensitivity as compared to the photometry method. This makes it possible to carry out measurements with the sources by 1000 times weaker as by the study into the density of blackening

The real-time fitting of radioactive decay curves. Pt. 3. Counting during sampling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hartley, B.M.

1994-01-01

An analysis of a least-squares method for the real-time fitting of the theoretical total count function to the actual total count from radioactive decays has been given previously for the case where counting takes place after a sample is taken. The counting may be done in a number of different counting systems which distinguish between different types or energies of radiation emitted from the sample. The method would allow real-time determination of the numbers of atoms and hence activities of the individual isotopes present and has been designated the Time Evolved Least-Squares method (TELS). If the radioactivity which is to be measured exists as an aerosol or in a form where a sample is taken at a constant rate it may be possible to count during sampling and by so doing reduce the total time required to determine the activity of the individual isotopes present. The TELS method is extended here to the case where counting and the evaluation of the activity takes place concurrently with the sampling. The functions which need to be evaluated are derived and the calculations required to implement the method are discussed. As with the TELS method of counting after sampling the technique of counting during sampling and the simultaneous evaluation of activity could be achieved in real-time. Results of testing the method by computer simulation for two counting schemes for the descendants of radon are presented. ((orig.))

COUNTS-IN-CYLINDERS IN THE SLOAN DIGITAL SKY SURVEY WITH COMPARISONS TO N-BODY SIMULATIONS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berrier, Heather D.; Barton, Elizabeth J.; Bullock, James S.; Berrier, Joel C.; Zentner, Andrew R.; Wechsler, Risa H.

2011-01-01

Environmental statistics provide a necessary means of comparing the properties of galaxies in different environments, and a vital test of models of galaxy formation within the prevailing hierarchical cosmological model. We explore counts-in-cylinders, a common statistic defined as the number of companions of a particular galaxy found within a given projected radius and redshift interval. Galaxy distributions with the same two-point correlation functions do not necessarily have the same companion count distributions. We use this statistic to examine the environments of galaxies in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 4 (SDSS DR4). We also make preliminary comparisons to four models for the spatial distributions of galaxies, based on N-body simulations and data from SDSS DR4, to study the utility of the counts-in-cylinders statistic. There is a very large scatter between the number of companions a galaxy has and the mass of its parent dark matter halo and the halo occupation, limiting the utility of this statistic for certain kinds of environmental studies. We also show that prevalent empirical models of galaxy clustering, that match observed two- and three-point clustering statistics well, fail to reproduce some aspects of the observed distribution of counts-in-cylinders on 1, 3, and 6 h -1 Mpc scales. All models that we explore underpredict the fraction of galaxies with few or no companions in 3 and 6 h -1 Mpc cylinders. Roughly 7% of galaxies in the real universe are significantly more isolated within a 6 h -1 Mpc cylinder than the galaxies in any of the models we use. Simple phenomenological models that map galaxies to dark matter halos fail to reproduce high-order clustering statistics in low-density environments.

Construction of a system using a deep learning algorithm to count cell numbers in nanoliter wells for viable single-cell experiments.

Science.gov (United States)

Kamatani, Takashi; Fukunaga, Koichi; Miyata, Kaede; Shirasaki, Yoshitaka; Tanaka, Junji; Baba, Rie; Matsusaka, Masako; Kamatani, Naoyuki; Moro, Kazuyo; Betsuyaku, Tomoko; Uemura, Sotaro

2017-12-04

For single-cell experiments, it is important to accurately count the number of viable cells in a nanoliter well. We used a deep learning-based convolutional neural network (CNN) on a large amount of digital data obtained as microscopic images. The training set consisted of 103 019 samples, each representing a microscopic grayscale image. After extensive training, the CNN was able to classify the samples into four categories, i.e., 0, 1, 2, and more than 2 cells per well, with an accuracy of 98.3% when compared to determination by two trained technicians. By analyzing the samples for which judgments were discordant, we found that the judgment by technicians was relatively correct although cell counting was often difficult by the images of discordant samples. Based on the results, the system was further enhanced by introducing a new algorithm in which the highest outputs from CNN were used, increasing the accuracy to higher than 99%. Our system was able to classify the data even from wells with a different shape. No other tested machine learning algorithm showed a performance higher than that of our system. The presented CNN system is expected to be useful for various single-cell experiments, and for high-throughput and high-content screening.

Tutorial on Using Regression Models with Count Outcomes Using R

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Alexander Beaujean

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Education researchers often study count variables, such as times a student reached a goal, discipline referrals, and absences. Most researchers that study these variables use typical regression methods (i.e., ordinary least-squares either with or without transforming the count variables. In either case, using typical regression for count data can produce parameter estimates that are biased, thus diminishing any inferences made from such data. As count-variable regression models are seldom taught in training programs, we present a tutorial to help educational researchers use such methods in their own research. We demonstrate analyzing and interpreting count data using Poisson, negative binomial, zero-inflated Poisson, and zero-inflated negative binomial regression models. The count regression methods are introduced through an example using the number of times students skipped class. The data for this example are freely available and the R syntax used run the example analyses are included in the Appendix.

Determining random counts in liquid scintillation counting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Horrocks, D.L.

1979-01-01

During measurements involving coincidence counting techniques, errors can arise due to the detection of chance or random coincidences in the multiple detectors used. A method and the electronic circuits necessary are here described for eliminating this source of error in liquid scintillation detectors used in coincidence counting. (UK)

Edge detection of optical subaperture image based on improved differential box-counting method

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yi; Hui, Mei; Liu, Ming; Dong, Liquan; Kong, Lingqin; Zhao, Yuejin

2018-01-01

Optical synthetic aperture imaging technology is an effective approach to improve imaging resolution. Compared with monolithic mirror system, the image of optical synthetic aperture system is often more complex at the edge, and as a result of the existence of gap between segments, which makes stitching becomes a difficult problem. So it is necessary to extract the edge of subaperture image for achieving effective stitching. Fractal dimension as a measure feature can describe image surface texture characteristics, which provides a new approach for edge detection. In our research, an improved differential box-counting method is used to calculate fractal dimension of image, then the obtained fractal dimension is mapped to grayscale image to detect edges. Compared with original differential box-counting method, this method has two improvements as follows: by modifying the box-counting mechanism, a box with a fixed height is replaced by a box with adaptive height, which solves the problem of over-counting the number of boxes covering image intensity surface; an image reconstruction method based on super-resolution convolutional neural network is used to enlarge small size image, which can solve the problem that fractal dimension can't be calculated accurately under the small size image, and this method may well maintain scale invariability of fractal dimension. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can effectively eliminate noise and has a lower false detection rate compared with the traditional edge detection algorithms. In addition, this algorithm can maintain the integrity and continuity of image edge in the case of retaining important edge information.

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2016-02-08

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

The Rasch Poisson counts model for incomplete data : An application of the EM algorithm

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jansen, G.G.H.

Rasch's Poisson counts model is a latent trait model for the situation in which K tests are administered to N examinees and the test score is a count [e.g., the repeated occurrence of some event, such as the number of items completed or the number of items answered (in)correctly]. The Rasch Poisson

Silicon quantum dots with counted antimony donor implants

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Meenakshi; Pacheco, Jose; Perry, Daniel; Wendt, Joel; Manginell, Ronald; Dominguez, Jason; Pluym, Tammy; Luhman, Dwight; Bielejec, Edward; Lilly, Michael; Carroll, Malcolm

Antimony donor implants next to silicon quantum dots have been detected with integrated solid-state diode detectors with single ion precision. Devices with counted number of donors have been fabricated and low temperature transport measurements have been performed. Charge offsets, indicative of donor ionization and coupling to the quantum dot, have been detected in these devices. The number of offsets corresponds to 10-50% of the number of donors counted. We will report on tunneling time measurements and spin readout measurements on the donor offsets. This work was performed, in part, at the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, a U.S. DOE Office of Basic Energy Sciences user facility. The work was supported by Sandia National Laboratories Directed Research and Development Program. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed-Martin Company, for the U. S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC04-94AL85000.

An automated NaI 'well' counting system for the determination of radiocaesium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andrews, D.J.; Sutton, G.A.

1993-01-01

During the past five years the number of sea and freshwater samples collected by the (DFR) for radiocaesium analysis has increased significantly due to the extended monitoring programme following the Chernobyl accident. Counting times have increased because of the general reduction in levels of radioactivity following the introduction of a new effluent-treatment plant at British Nuclear Fuels's reprocessing plant at Sellafield. The large number of samples and the low levels of radioactivity have resulted in the requirement for an additional, highly sensitive, gamma counting system. This paper describes the design and development of an improved automated gamma counting system suitable for the determination of low levels of radiocaesium activity in these samples. (author)

Stalking the count. Dracula, Fandom and Tourism

NARCIS (Netherlands)

S.L. Reijnders (Stijn)

2011-01-01

textabstractLarge numbers of tourists travel to Transylvania every year, looking for traces of Count Dracula. This article investigates why people feel the need to connect fictional stories, such as Dracula, with identifiable physical locations, and why they subsequently want to visit these

Depth driven people counting using deep region proposal network

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Song, D.; Qiao, Y.; Corbetta, A.

2017-01-01

People counting is a crucial subject in video surveillance application. Factors such as severe occlusions, scene perspective distortions in real application scenario make this task challenging. In this paper, we carefully designed a deep detection framework based on depth information for people

Making communication count: a Strategic Communciations Framework

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Carlile, Liz

2011-06-15

Many researchers and development actors know that if their work is to benefit people and planet they need to communicate it. But we need to guard against focusing on individual products such as books and briefings rather than thinking about the end goal and what impact we need to achieve. We need to be strategic in how we think about communications. Experience suggests that a Strategic Communications Framework — which distinguishes approaches based on their underlying purpose be that influencing policy change, mobilising communities, sharing information or raising profiles — can help identify the most appropriate strategy for the purpose at hand and point to relevant tools and tactics to ensure communication activities make an impact.

Evaluation of bias and variance in low-count OSEM list mode reconstruction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jian, Y; Carson, R E; Planeta, B

2015-01-01

Statistical algorithms have been widely used in PET image reconstruction. The maximum likelihood expectation maximization reconstruction has been shown to produce bias in applications where images are reconstructed from a relatively small number of counts. In this study, image bias and variability in low-count OSEM reconstruction are investigated on images reconstructed with MOLAR (motion-compensation OSEM list-mode algorithm for resolution-recovery reconstruction) platform. A human brain ([ 11 C]AFM) and a NEMA phantom are used in the simulation and real experiments respectively, for the HRRT and Biograph mCT. Image reconstructions were repeated with different combinations of subsets and iterations. Regions of interest were defined on low-activity and high-activity regions to evaluate the bias and noise at matched effective iteration numbers (iterations × subsets). Minimal negative biases and no positive biases were found at moderate count levels and less than 5% negative bias was found using extremely low levels of counts (0.2 M NEC). At any given count level, other factors, such as subset numbers and frame-based scatter correction may introduce small biases (1–5%) in the reconstructed images. The observed bias was substantially lower than that reported in the literature, perhaps due to the use of point spread function and/or other implementation methods in MOLAR. (paper)

A Bayesian zero-truncated approach for analysing capture-recapture count data from classical scrapie surveillance in France.

Science.gov (United States)

Vergne, Timothée; Calavas, Didier; Cazeau, Géraldine; Durand, Benoît; Dufour, Barbara; Grosbois, Vladimir

2012-06-01

Capture-recapture (CR) methods are used to study populations that are monitored with imperfect observation processes. They have recently been applied to the monitoring of animal diseases to evaluate the number of infected units that remain undetected by the surveillance system. This paper proposes three bayesian models to estimate the total number of scrapie-infected holdings in France from CR count data obtained from the French classical scrapie surveillance programme. We fitted two zero-truncated Poisson (ZTP) models (with and without holding size as a covariate) and a zero-truncated negative binomial (ZTNB) model to the 2006 national surveillance count dataset. We detected a large amount of heterogeneity in the count data, making the use of the simple ZTP model inappropriate. However, including holding size as a covariate did not bring any significant improvement over the simple ZTP model. The ZTNB model proved to be the best model, giving an estimation of 535 (CI(95%) 401-796) infected and detectable sheep holdings in 2006, although only 141 were effectively detected, resulting in a holding-level prevalence of 4.4‰ (CI(95%) 3.2-6.3) and a sensitivity of holding-level surveillance of 26% (CI(95%) 18-35). The main limitation of the present study was the small amount of data collected during the surveillance programme. It was therefore not possible to build complex models that would allow depicting more accurately the epidemiological and detection processes that generate the surveillance data. We discuss the perspectives of capture-recapture count models in the context of animal disease surveillance. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Embedding Number-Combinations Practice Within Word-Problem Tutoring

Science.gov (United States)

Powell, Sarah R.; Fuchs, Lynn S.; Fuchs, Douglas

2012-01-01

Two aspects of mathematics with which students with mathematics learning difficulty (MLD) often struggle are word problems and number-combination skills. This article describes a math program in which students receive instruction on using algebraic equations to represent the underlying problem structure for three word-problem types. Students also learn counting strategies for answering number combinations that they cannot retrieve from memory. Results from randomized-control trials indicated that embedding the counting strategies for number combinations produces superior word-problem and number-combination outcomes for students with MLD beyond tutoring programs that focus exclusively on number combinations or word problems. PMID:22661880

Optimal staining methods for delineation of cortical areas and neuron counts in human brains.

Science.gov (United States)

Uylings, H B; Zilles, K; Rajkowska, G

1999-04-01

For cytoarchitectonic delineation of cortical areas in human brain, the Gallyas staining for somata with its sharp contrast between cell bodies and neuropil is preferable to the classical Nissl staining, the more so when an image analysis system is used. This Gallyas staining, however, does not appear to be appropriate for counting neuron numbers in pertinent brain areas, due to the lack of distinct cytological features between small neurons and glial cells. For cell counting Nissl is preferable. In an optimal design for cell counting at least both the Gallyas and the Nissl staining must be applied, the former staining for cytoarchitectural delineaton of cortical areas and the latter for counting the number of neurons in the pertinent cortical areas. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.

Finger Counting Habits in Middle Eastern and Western Individuals: An Online Survey

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lindemann, O.; Alipour, A.; Fischer, M.H.

2011-01-01

The current study documents the presence of cultural differences in the development of finger counting strategies. About 900 Middle Eastern (i.e., Iranian) and Western (i.e., European and American) individuals reported in an online survey how they map numbers onto their fingers when counting from 1

Characteristics of commercially available well scintillation counting systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morris, A.C. Jr.; Dudley, R.A.

1977-01-01

The document contains data on commercially available well scintillation counting systems as collected during early 1977, and up-dated in July 1977, by the staff of the Medical Application Section, Division of Life Sciences, IAEA. These data also appear as Appendix 2 of IAEA-201, Well Scintillation Counting Systems for Nuclear Medicine Applications in Developing Countries, Vienna, 1977. An attempt was made to include instruments currently offered by all manufacturers. However, it is inevitable that several manufacturers remain unknown to the Section, and a number of known manufacturers failed to provide adequate information. (orig.) [de

Point Counts of Birds in Bottomland Hardwood Forests of the Mississippi Alluvial Valley: Duration, Minimum Sample Size, and Points Versus Visits

Science.gov (United States)

Winston Paul Smith; Daniel J. Twedt; David A. Wiedenfeld; Paul B. Hamel; Robert P. Ford; Robert J. Cooper

1993-01-01

To compare efficacy of point count sampling in bottomland hardwood forests, duration of point count, number of point counts, number of visits to each point during a breeding season, and minimum sample size are examined.

Photon-number discrimination without a photon counter and its application to reconstructing non-Gaussian states

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chrzanowski, H. M.; Bernu, J.; Sparkes, B. M.; Hage, B.; Lam, P. K.; Symul, T.; Lund, A. P.; Ralph, T. C.

2011-01-01

The nonlinearity of a conditional photon-counting measurement can be used to ''de-Gaussify'' a Gaussian state of light. Here we present and experimentally demonstrate a technique for photon-number resolution using only homodyne detection. We then apply this technique to inform a conditional measurement, unambiguously reconstructing the statistics of the non-Gaussian one- and two-photon-subtracted squeezed vacuum states. Although our photon-number measurement relies on ensemble averages and cannot be used to prepare non-Gaussian states of light, its high efficiency, photon-number-resolving capabilities, and compatibility with the telecommunications band make it suitable for quantum-information tasks relying on the outcomes of mean values.

Electrostatically defined silicon quantum dots with counted antimony donor implants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Singh, M., E-mail: msingh@sandia.gov; Luhman, D. R.; Lilly, M. P. [Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185 (United States); Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87175 (United States); Pacheco, J. L.; Perry, D.; Garratt, E.; Ten Eyck, G.; Bishop, N. C.; Wendt, J. R.; Manginell, R. P.; Dominguez, J.; Pluym, T.; Bielejec, E.; Carroll, M. S. [Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185 (United States)

2016-02-08

Deterministic control over the location and number of donors is crucial to donor spin quantum bits (qubits) in semiconductor based quantum computing. In this work, a focused ion beam is used to implant antimony donors in 100 nm × 150 nm windows straddling quantum dots. Ion detectors are integrated next to the quantum dots to sense the implants. The numbers of donors implanted can be counted to a precision of a single ion. In low-temperature transport measurements, regular Coulomb blockade is observed from the quantum dots. Charge offsets indicative of donor ionization are also observed in devices with counted donor implants.

Maclaurin symmetric mean operators of linguistic intuitionistic fuzzy numbers and their application to multiple-attribute decision-making

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Peide; Qin, Xiyou

2017-11-01

Linguistic intuitionistic fuzzy number (LIFN) is a special intuitionistic fuzzy number which can more easily describe the vagueness existing in the real decision-making. Maclaurin symmetric mean (MSM) operator has the characteristic of considering the interrelationships among any number of input parameters. In this paper, we extended the MSM operator to the LIFNs and some extended MSM operators for LIFNs were proposed, some new decision-making methods were developed. Firstly, we introduced the definition, score function, properties and operational rules of the LIFNs. Then, we proposed some linguistic intuitionistic fuzzy MSM operators, such as linguistic intuitionistic fuzzy Maclaurin symmetric mean operator, weighted linguistic intuitionistic fuzzy Maclaurin symmetric mean (WLIFMSM) operator, linguistic intuitionistic fuzzy dual Maclaurin symmetric mean operator, weighted linguistic intuitionistic fuzzy dual Maclaurin symmetric mean (WLIFDMSM) operator. In the meantime, we studied some important properties of these operators, and developed some methods based on WLIFMSM operator and WLIFDMSM operator for multi-attribute decision-making. Finally, we use an example to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methods.

Counting carbohydrates

Science.gov (United States)

Carb counting; Carbohydrate-controlled diet; Diabetic diet; Diabetes-counting carbohydrates ... Many foods contain carbohydrates (carbs), including: Fruit and fruit juice Cereal, bread, pasta, and rice Milk and milk products, soy milk Beans, legumes, ...

The Box-and-Dot Method: A Simple Strategy for Counting Significant Figures

Science.gov (United States)

Stephenson, W. Kirk

2009-01-01

A visual method for counting significant digits is presented. This easy-to-learn (and easy-to-teach) method, designated the box-and-dot method, uses the device of "boxing" significant figures based on two simple rules, then counting the number of digits in the boxes. (Contains 4 notes.)

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

OpenAIRE

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

2010-01-01

The aims of this study were to assess how different bacterial groups in bulk milk are related to bulk milk somatic cell count (SCC), bulk milk total bacterial count (TBC), and bulk milk standard plate count (SPC) and to measure the repeatability of bulk milk culturing. On 53 Dutch dairy goat farms, 3 bulk milk samples were collected at intervals of 2 wk. The samples were cultured for SPC, coliform count, and staphylococcal count and for the presence of Staphylococcus aureus. Furthermore, SCC ...

Pre-therapeutic blood dosimetry in patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma using 124-iodine. Predicted blood doses correlate with changes in blood cell counts after radioiodine therapy and depend on modes of TSH stimulation and number of preceding radioiodine therapies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hartung-Knemeyer, V.; Nagarajah, J.; Jentzen, W.; Ruhlmann, M.; Freudenberg, L.S.; Stahl, A.R.; Bockisch, A.; Rosenbaum-Krumme, S.J.

2012-01-01

Pre-therapeutic blood dosimetry prior to a high-dose radioiodine therapy (RAIT) is recommended and a blood dose of 2 Gy is considered to be safe. In this study, changes in the blood cell count after radioiodine therapy of high risk differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) were analyzed and compared with the results of the pre-therapeutic blood dosimetry using 124 I. Moreover, the influence of different modes of TSH stimulation and the number of preceding radioiodine therapies on the blood dose were assessed. 198 patients with locally advanced or metastasized DTC received a pre-therapeutic blood dosimetry using 124 I. To analyze the influence of the modes of TSH stimulation and the number of preceding RAITs on blood dose subgroups were built as follows: patients with endogenous TSH stimulation versus patients with exogenous TSH stimulation and patients with no preceding RAIT versus patients with at least one preceding RAIT. In 124/198 patients subsequent RAIT was performed. In 73/124 patients, hemograms were performed from day 2 to 12 month after RAIT. There was no high-grade bone marrow toxicity (id est (i.e.) ≥grade 3) in patients receiving less than 2 Gy blood dose-independent of the therapeutic history. Within the first month after radioiodine therapy, there was an overall decrease in the white blood cell and platelet counts. The erythrocyte count was essentially stable. There was a correlation between cell count decrease and predicted blood doses (Spearman's correlation coefficient >-0.6 each) for the white cell line and the platelets. With regard to the subgroups, the blood dose per administered 131 I activity (BDpA) was significantly higher in patients with endogenous TSH stimulation (median 0.08 Gy/GBq) than in patients with exogenous TSH stimulation (0.06 Gy/GBq) and in patients with no previous RAIT (0.08 Gy/GBq) compared to patients who had previously undergone at least one RAIT (0.07 Gy/GBq). The range of BDpA among DTC patients is rather wide. Our

Monitoring butterflies using counts of puddling males: A case study of the Rajah Brooke's Birdwing (Trogonoptera brookiana albescens.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chooi-Khim Phon

Full Text Available The Rajah Brooke's Birdwing, Trogonoptera brookiana, is a large, iconic butterfly that is facing heavy commercial exploitation and habitat loss. Males of some subspecies exhibit puddling behavior. A method of conservation monitoring was developed for subspecies albescens in Ulu Geroh, Peninsular Malaysia, where the males consistently puddle in single-species aggregations at stable geothermal springs, reaching well over 300 individuals when the population is at its highest. Digital photography was used to conduct counts of numbers of males puddling. The numbers of birdwings puddling were significantly correlated with counts of birdwings in flight, but were much higher. The numbers puddling during the peak hour were correlated with numbers puddling throughout the day and could be predicted using the numbers puddling at an alternative hour, enabling flexibility in the time of counts. Average counts for three images taken at each puddle at three peak hours between 1400-1600 hours over 2-3 days were used as a monthly population index. The numbers puddling were positively associated with higher relative humidity and brightness during monitoring hours. Monthly counts of birdwings from monitoring of puddles over a period of two years are presented. The minimum effort required for a monitoring program using counts of puddling males is discussed, as well as the potential of using the method to monitor other species of puddling butterflies.

Monitoring butterflies using counts of puddling males: A case study of the Rajah Brooke's Birdwing (Trogonoptera brookiana albescens).

Science.gov (United States)

Phon, Chooi-Khim; Kirton, Laurence G; Norma-Rashid, Yusoff

2017-01-01

The Rajah Brooke's Birdwing, Trogonoptera brookiana, is a large, iconic butterfly that is facing heavy commercial exploitation and habitat loss. Males of some subspecies exhibit puddling behavior. A method of conservation monitoring was developed for subspecies albescens in Ulu Geroh, Peninsular Malaysia, where the males consistently puddle in single-species aggregations at stable geothermal springs, reaching well over 300 individuals when the population is at its highest. Digital photography was used to conduct counts of numbers of males puddling. The numbers of birdwings puddling were significantly correlated with counts of birdwings in flight, but were much higher. The numbers puddling during the peak hour were correlated with numbers puddling throughout the day and could be predicted using the numbers puddling at an alternative hour, enabling flexibility in the time of counts. Average counts for three images taken at each puddle at three peak hours between 1400-1600 hours over 2-3 days were used as a monthly population index. The numbers puddling were positively associated with higher relative humidity and brightness during monitoring hours. Monthly counts of birdwings from monitoring of puddles over a period of two years are presented. The minimum effort required for a monitoring program using counts of puddling males is discussed, as well as the potential of using the method to monitor other species of puddling butterflies.

The intensity detection of single-photon detectors based on photon counting probability density statistics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Zijing; Song Jie; Zhao Yuan; Wu Long

2017-01-01

Single-photon detectors possess the ultra-high sensitivity, but they cannot directly respond to signal intensity. Conventional methods adopt sampling gates with fixed width and count the triggered number of sampling gates, which is capable of obtaining photon counting probability to estimate the echo signal intensity. In this paper, we not only count the number of triggered sampling gates, but also record the triggered time position of photon counting pulses. The photon counting probability density distribution is obtained through the statistics of a series of the triggered time positions. Then Minimum Variance Unbiased Estimation (MVUE) method is used to estimate the echo signal intensity. Compared with conventional methods, this method can improve the estimation accuracy of echo signal intensity due to the acquisition of more detected information. Finally, a proof-of-principle laboratory system is established. The estimation accuracy of echo signal intensity is discussed and a high accuracy intensity image is acquired under low-light level environments. (paper)

Manifold-Based Visual Object Counting.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yi; Zou, Yuexian; Wang, Wenwu

2018-07-01

Visual object counting (VOC) is an emerging area in computer vision which aims to estimate the number of objects of interest in a given image or video. Recently, object density based estimation method is shown to be promising for object counting as well as rough instance localization. However, the performance of this method tends to degrade when dealing with new objects and scenes. To address this limitation, we propose a manifold-based method for visual object counting (M-VOC), based on the manifold assumption that similar image patches share similar object densities. Firstly, the local geometry of a given image patch is represented linearly by its neighbors using a predefined patch training set, and the object density of this given image patch is reconstructed by preserving the local geometry using locally linear embedding. To improve the characterization of local geometry, additional constraints such as sparsity and non-negativity are also considered via regularization, nonlinear mapping, and kernel trick. Compared with the state-of-the-art VOC methods, our proposed M-VOC methods achieve competitive performance on seven benchmark datasets. Experiments verify that the proposed M-VOC methods have several favorable properties, such as robustness to the variation in the size of training dataset and image resolution, as often encountered in real-world VOC applications.

Pick Your Poisson: A Tutorial on Analyzing Counts of Student Victimization Data

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Francis L.; Cornell, Dewey G.

2012-01-01

School violence research is often concerned with infrequently occurring events such as counts of the number of bullying incidents or fights a student may experience. Analyzing count data using ordinary least squares regression may produce improbable predicted values, and as a result of regression assumption violations, result in higher Type I…

Creating Opportunity for Families: A Two-Generation Approach. KIDS COUNT Policy Report

Science.gov (United States)

Gencer, Arin

2014-01-01

Nearly half of the nation's families with young children struggle to make ends meet. A new KIDS COUNT policy report makes the case for creating opportunity for families by addressing the needs of parents and their children simultaneously. "Creating Opportunity for Families: A Two-Generation Approach" describes a new approach to reducing…

Real-time passenger counting by active linear cameras

Science.gov (United States)

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

1996-03-01

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

Detecting overdispersion in count data: A zero-inflated Poisson regression analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Afiqah Muhamad Jamil, Siti; Asrul Affendi Abdullah, M.; Kek, Sie Long; Nor, Maria Elena; Mohamed, Maryati; Ismail, Norradihah

2017-09-01

This study focusing on analysing count data of butterflies communities in Jasin, Melaka. In analysing count dependent variable, the Poisson regression model has been known as a benchmark model for regression analysis. Continuing from the previous literature that used Poisson regression analysis, this study comprising the used of zero-inflated Poisson (ZIP) regression analysis to gain acute precision on analysing the count data of butterfly communities in Jasin, Melaka. On the other hands, Poisson regression should be abandoned in the favour of count data models, which are capable of taking into account the extra zeros explicitly. By far, one of the most popular models include ZIP regression model. The data of butterfly communities which had been called as the number of subjects in this study had been taken in Jasin, Melaka and consisted of 131 number of subjects visits Jasin, Melaka. Since the researchers are considering the number of subjects, this data set consists of five families of butterfly and represent the five variables involve in the analysis which are the types of subjects. Besides, the analysis of ZIP used the SAS procedure of overdispersion in analysing zeros value and the main purpose of continuing the previous study is to compare which models would be better than when exists zero values for the observation of the count data. The analysis used AIC, BIC and Voung test of 5% level significance in order to achieve the objectives. The finding indicates that there is a presence of over-dispersion in analysing zero value. The ZIP regression model is better than Poisson regression model when zero values exist.

An Algorithm to Automatically Generate the Combinatorial Orbit Counting Equations

Science.gov (United States)

Melckenbeeck, Ine; Audenaert, Pieter; Michoel, Tom; Colle, Didier; Pickavet, Mario

2016-01-01

Graphlets are small subgraphs, usually containing up to five vertices, that can be found in a larger graph. Identification of the graphlets that a vertex in an explored graph touches can provide useful information about the local structure of the graph around that vertex. Actually finding all graphlets in a large graph can be time-consuming, however. As the graphlets grow in size, more different graphlets emerge and the time needed to find each graphlet also scales up. If it is not needed to find each instance of each graphlet, but knowing the number of graphlets touching each node of the graph suffices, the problem is less hard. Previous research shows a way to simplify counting the graphlets: instead of looking for the graphlets needed, smaller graphlets are searched, as well as the number of common neighbors of vertices. Solving a system of equations then gives the number of times a vertex is part of each graphlet of the desired size. However, until now, equations only exist to count graphlets with 4 or 5 nodes. In this paper, two new techniques are presented. The first allows to generate the equations needed in an automatic way. This eliminates the tedious work needed to do so manually each time an extra node is added to the graphlets. The technique is independent on the number of nodes in the graphlets and can thus be used to count larger graphlets than previously possible. The second technique gives all graphlets a unique ordering which is easily extended to name graphlets of any size. Both techniques were used to generate equations to count graphlets with 4, 5 and 6 vertices, which extends all previous results. Code can be found at https://github.com/IneMelckenbeeck/equation-generator and https://github.com/IneMelckenbeeck/graphlet-naming. PMID:26797021

The Streaming Complexity of Cycle Counting, Sorting by Reversals, and Other Problems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Verbin, Elad; Yu, Wei

2011-01-01

-way. By designing reductions from BHH, we prove lower bounds for the streaming complexity of approximating the sorting by reversal distance, of approximately counting the number of cycles in a 2-regular graph, and of other problems. For example, here is one lower bound that we prove, for a cycle-counting problem...

Passive hand movements disrupt adults' counting strategies.

Science.gov (United States)

Imbo, Ineke; Vandierendonck, André; Fias, Wim

2011-01-01

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

Impact of Article Page Count and Number of Authors on Citations in Disability Related Fields: A Systematic Review Article.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmed, Abubakar; Adam, Mastura; Ghafar, Norafida A; Muhammad, Murtala; Ebrahim, Nader Ale

2016-09-01

Citation metrics and total publications in a field has become the gold standard for rating researchers and viability of a field. Hence, stimulating demand for citation has led to a search for useful strategies to improve performance metric index. Meanwhile, title, abstract and morphologic qualities of the articles attract researchers to scientific publications. Yet, there is relatively little understanding of the citation trend in disability related fields. We aimed to provide an insight into the factors associated with citation increase in this field. Additionally, we tried to know at what page number an article might appear attractive to disability researchers needs. Thus, our focus is placed on the article page count and the number of authors contributing to the fields per article. To this end, we evaluated the quantitative characteristics of top cited articles in the fields with a total citation (≥50) in the Web of Science (WoS) database. Using one-way independent ANOVA, data extracted spanning a period of 1980-2015 were analyzed, while the non-parametric data analysis uses Kruskal-Walis test. Articles with 11 to 20 pages attract more citations followed by those within the range of zero to 10. Articles with upward 21 pages are the least cited. Surprisingly, articles with more than two authors are significantly ( P <0.05) less cited and the citation decreases as the number of authors increased. Collaborative studies enjoy wider utilization and more citation, yet discounted merit of additional pages and limited collaborative research in disability field is revealed in this study.

Standardization of 241Am by digital coincidence counting, liquid scintillation counting and defined solid angle counting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Balpardo, C.; Capoulat, M.E.; Rodrigues, D.; Arenillas, P.

2010-01-01

The nuclide 241 Am decays by alpha emission to 237 Np. Most of the decays (84.6%) populate the excited level of 237 Np with energy of 59.54 keV. Digital coincidence counting was applied to standardize a solution of 241 Am by alpha-gamma coincidence counting with efficiency extrapolation. Electronic discrimination was implemented with a pressurized proportional counter and the results were compared with two other independent techniques: Liquid scintillation counting using the logical sum of double coincidences in a TDCR array and defined solid angle counting taking into account activity inhomogeneity in the active deposit. The results show consistency between the three methods within a limit of a 0.3%. An ampoule of this solution will be sent to the International Reference System (SIR) during 2009. Uncertainties were analysed and compared in detail for the three applied methods.

Number to finger mapping is topological.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Plaisier, M.A.; Smeets, J.B.J.

2011-01-01

It has been shown that humans associate fingers with numbers because finger counting strategies interact with numerical judgements. At the same time, there is evidence that there is a relation between number magnitude and space as small to large numbers seem to be represented from left to right. In

Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford Count Rumford on the nature of heat

CERN Document Server

Brown, Sanborn C

1967-01-01

Men of Physics: Benjamin Thompson - Count Rumford: Count Rumford on the Nature of Heat covers the significant contributions of Count Rumford in the fields of physics. Count Rumford was born with the name Benjamin Thompson on March 23, 1753, in Woburn, Massachusetts. This book is composed of two parts encompassing 11 chapters, and begins with a presentation of Benjamin Thompson's biography and his interest in physics, particularly as an advocate of an """"anti-caloric"""" theory of heat. The subsequent chapters are devoted to his many discoveries that profoundly affected the physical thought

Corrections of the whole body counting for various measurement geometries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fueloep, M.; Ragan, P.; Lahham, A.

1996-01-01

A simple method was suggested for making corrections during the calibration of HPGe detectors employed for the whole-body counting of humans ranging from infants to adults. The results obtained by calculations were verified by using phantoms. (P.A.). 1 tab., 5 figs., 3 refs

An evaluation of the utility and limitations of counting motor unit action potentials in the surface electromyogram

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Ping; Zev Rymer, William

2004-12-01

The number of motor unit action potentials (MUAPs) appearing in the surface electromyogram (EMG) signal is directly related to motor unit recruitment and firing rates and therefore offers potentially valuable information about the level of activation of the motoneuron pool. In this paper, based on morphological features of the surface MUAPs, we try to estimate the number of MUAPs present in the surface EMG by counting the negative peaks in the signal. Several signal processing procedures are applied to the surface EMG to facilitate this peak counting process. The MUAP number estimation performance by this approach is first illustrated using the surface EMG simulations. Then, by evaluating the peak counting results from the EMG records detected by a very selective surface electrode, at different contraction levels of the first dorsal interosseous (FDI) muscles, the utility and limitations of such direct peak counts for MUAP number estimation in surface EMG are further explored.

Photon-number discrimination without a photon counter and its application to reconstructing non-Gaussian states

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chrzanowski, H. M.; Bernu, J.; Sparkes, B. M.; Hage, B.; Lam, P. K.; Symul, T. [Centre for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology, Quantum Optics group, Department of Quantum Science, Research School of Physics and Engineering, Australian National University, Canberra ACT 0200 (Australia); Lund, A. P. [Centre for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology, Centre for Quantum Dynamics, Griffith University, Nathan QLD 4111 (Australia); Ralph, T. C. [Centre for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology, Department of Physics, University of Queensland, St. Lucia QLD 4072 (Australia)

2011-11-15

The nonlinearity of a conditional photon-counting measurement can be used to ''de-Gaussify'' a Gaussian state of light. Here we present and experimentally demonstrate a technique for photon-number resolution using only homodyne detection. We then apply this technique to inform a conditional measurement, unambiguously reconstructing the statistics of the non-Gaussian one- and two-photon-subtracted squeezed vacuum states. Although our photon-number measurement relies on ensemble averages and cannot be used to prepare non-Gaussian states of light, its high efficiency, photon-number-resolving capabilities, and compatibility with the telecommunications band make it suitable for quantum-information tasks relying on the outcomes of mean values.

Counting cormorants

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bregnballe, Thomas; Carss, David N; Lorentsen, Svein-Håkon

2013-01-01

This chapter focuses on Cormorant population counts for both summer (i.e. breeding) and winter (i.e. migration, winter roosts) seasons. It also explains differences in the data collected from undertaking ‘day’ versus ‘roost’ counts, gives some definitions of the term ‘numbers’, and presents two...

Comprehensive nuclear counting and detector characterisation system for the radiochemistry laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parthasarathy, R.; Saisubalakshmi, D.; Mishra, G.K.; Srinivas, K.C.; Venkatasubramani, C.R.

2004-01-01

The paper describes a comprehensive nuclear pulse counting system that can cater to up to seven nuclear detector set-ups located in different places in the laboratory. Each detector set up has an interfacing module that conditions the amplifier pulses and transmits them to a common counting system. The microcontroller-based system receives these pulses through a multiplexer and counts the pulses for a user specified preset time. The system has a routine to determine detector plateau characteristics and fix the detector operating voltage. In this mode, the system collects the EHT-versus- counts data in a EHT programmed sequence and plots the profile. The system conducts the counting routine for a stipulated number of times and does all necessary statistical tests to ensure the proper functioning of the detector under test. The system also includes a test routine that checks the performance of the counting system by connecting it to a local pulse generator. The microcontroller based system interacts with a PC through RS232 communication for user interaction and reporting. (author)

Pedestrian Counting with Occlusion Handling Using Stereo Thermal Cameras

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kristoffersen, Miklas Strøm; Dueholm, Jacob Velling; Gade, Rikke

2016-01-01

and the complexity of scenes with many people occluding one another. To address these challenges, this paper introduces the use of a stereo thermal camera setup for pedestrian counting. We investigate the reconstruction of 3D points in a pedestrian street with two thermal cameras and propose an algorithm......The number of pedestrians walking the streets or gathered in public spaces is a valuable piece of information for shop owners, city governments, event organizers and many others. However, automatic counting that takes place day and night is challenging due to changing lighting conditions...

Fringe counting method for synthetic phase with frequency-modulated laser diodes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Onodera, Ribun; Sakuyama, Munechika; Ishii, Yukihiro

2007-01-01

Fringe counting method with laser diodes (LDs) for displacement measurement has been constructed. Two LDs are frequency modulated by mutually inverted sawtooth currents on an unbalanced two-beam interferometer. The mutually inverted sawtooth-current modulation of LDs produces interference fringe signals with opposite signs for respective wavelengths. The two fringe signals are fed to an electronic mixer to produce a synthetic fringe signal with a reduced sensitivity to the synthetic wavelength. Synthetic fringe pulses derived from the synthetic fringe signal make a fringe counting system possible for faster movement of the tested mirror

Analytic number theory an introductory course

CERN Document Server

Bateman, Paul T

2004-01-01

This valuable book focuses on a collection of powerful methods ofanalysis that yield deep number-theoretical estimates. Particularattention is given to counting functions of prime numbers andmultiplicative arithmetic functions. Both real variable ("elementary")and complex variable ("analytic") methods are employed.

Statistical Methods for Unusual Count Data

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Guthrie, Katherine A.; Gammill, Hilary S.; Kamper-Jørgensen, Mads

2016-01-01

microchimerism data present challenges for statistical analysis, including a skewed distribution, excess zero values, and occasional large values. Methods for comparing microchimerism levels across groups while controlling for covariates are not well established. We compared statistical models for quantitative...... microchimerism values, applied to simulated data sets and 2 observed data sets, to make recommendations for analytic practice. Modeling the level of quantitative microchimerism as a rate via Poisson or negative binomial model with the rate of detection defined as a count of microchimerism genome equivalents per...

A Method for Counting Moving People in Video Surveillance Videos

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mario Vento

2010-01-01

Full Text Available People counting is an important problem in video surveillance applications. This problem has been faced either by trying to detect people in the scene and then counting them or by establishing a mapping between some scene feature and the number of people (avoiding the complex detection problem. This paper presents a novel method, following this second approach, that is based on the use of SURF features and of an ϵ-SVR regressor provide an estimate of this count. The algorithm takes specifically into account problems due to partial occlusions and to perspective. In the experimental evaluation, the proposed method has been compared with the algorithm by Albiol et al., winner of the PETS 2009 contest on people counting, using the same PETS 2009 database. The provided results confirm that the proposed method yields an improved accuracy, while retaining the robustness of Albiol's algorithm.

A Method for Counting Moving People in Video Surveillance Videos

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Conte Donatello

2010-01-01

Full Text Available People counting is an important problem in video surveillance applications. This problem has been faced either by trying to detect people in the scene and then counting them or by establishing a mapping between some scene feature and the number of people (avoiding the complex detection problem. This paper presents a novel method, following this second approach, that is based on the use of SURF features and of an -SVR regressor provide an estimate of this count. The algorithm takes specifically into account problems due to partial occlusions and to perspective. In the experimental evaluation, the proposed method has been compared with the algorithm by Albiol et al., winner of the PETS 2009 contest on people counting, using the same PETS 2009 database. The provided results confirm that the proposed method yields an improved accuracy, while retaining the robustness of Albiol's algorithm.

A Method for Counting Moving People in Video Surveillance Videos

Science.gov (United States)

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

2010-12-01

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

One, Two, Three, Four, Nothing More: An Investigation of the Conceptual Sources of the Verbal Counting Principles

Science.gov (United States)

Le Corre, Mathieu; Carey, Susan

2007-01-01

Since the publication of [Gelman, R., & Gallistel, C. R. (1978). "The child's understanding of number." Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.] seminal work on the development of verbal counting as a representation of number, the nature of the ontogenetic sources of the verbal counting principles has been intensely debated. The present…

Neocortical glial cell numbers in human brains

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pelvig, D.P.; Pakkenberg, H.; Stark, A.K.

2008-01-01

Stereological cell counting was applied to post-mortem neocortices of human brains from 31 normal individuals, age 18-93 years, 18 females (average age 65 years, range 18-93) and 13 males (average age 57 years, range 19-87). The cells were differentiated in astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, microglia...... while the total astrocyte number is constant through life; finally males have a 28% higher number of neocortical glial cells and a 19% higher neocortical neuron number than females. The overall total number of neocortical neurons and glial cells was 49.3 billion in females and 65.2 billion in males...... and neurons and counting were done in each of the four lobes. The study showed that the different subpopulations of glial cells behave differently as a function of age; the number of oligodendrocytes showed a significant 27% decrease over adult life and a strong correlation to the total number of neurons...

Counting statistics of many-particle quantum walks

Science.gov (United States)

Mayer, Klaus; Tichy, Malte C.; Mintert, Florian; Konrad, Thomas; Buchleitner, Andreas

2011-06-01

We study quantum walks of many noninteracting particles on a beam splitter array as a paradigmatic testing ground for the competition of single- and many-particle interference in a multimode system. We derive a general expression for multimode particle-number correlation functions, valid for bosons and fermions, and infer pronounced signatures of many-particle interferences in the counting statistics.

Counting statistics of many-particle quantum walks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mayer, Klaus; Tichy, Malte C.; Buchleitner, Andreas; Mintert, Florian; Konrad, Thomas

2011-01-01

We study quantum walks of many noninteracting particles on a beam splitter array as a paradigmatic testing ground for the competition of single- and many-particle interference in a multimode system. We derive a general expression for multimode particle-number correlation functions, valid for bosons and fermions, and infer pronounced signatures of many-particle interferences in the counting statistics.

Psychosocial factors and T lymphocyte counts in Brazilian peacekeepers.

Science.gov (United States)

Silva, Angela M Monteiro da; Speranza, Francisco A B; Ishii, Solange Kiyoko; Hirata, Raphael; Mattos-Guaraldi, Ana Luíza; Milagres, Lucimar Gonçalves

2015-02-01

To investigate the associations between psychosocial factors and peripheral blood CD4 and CD8 T lymphocyte numbers in Brazilian peacekeepers. Venous blood was collected from 759 peacekeepers who had just returned from a peace mission in Haiti. Among the 759 soldiers, 642 individuals completed the psychosocial measures. CD4 and CD8 T lymphocyte counts were measured by flow cytometry using a commercially available kit. Psychosocial factors, including military peace force stressors, clinical stress, anxiety and depression, were recorded. As a reference for T lymphocyte numbers, we measured T lymphocyte counts in 75 blood donors from the Instituto de Biologia do Exército, Rio de Janeiro. The median numbers of CD4 and CD8 T lymphocytes in the blood donors were 819 cells/µl and 496 cells/µl, respectively, with a CD4:CD8 ratio of 1.6. Significantly (p<0.05) lower CD4 T cell counts (759 cells/µl) were recorded for peacekeepers, with similar CD8 levels (548 cells/µl) and smaller CD4:CD8 ratios (1.3, p<0.001) compared to blood donors. These differences were due to a group of 14 military personnel with CD4 and CD8 medians of 308 and 266 cells/µl, respectively. Only one (7.1%) of these 14 individuals was diagnosed with clinical stress compared with 13.5% of the individuals with normal levels of CD4 T lymphocytes. One individual out of 628 (0.16%) had a Lipp's Stress Symptom Inventory score of 3, indicating near exhaustion. The prevalence of psychological disorders was low and there were no associations with CD4 or CD8 T cell numbers.

Fatigue analysis through automated cycle counting using ThermAND

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burton, G.R.; Ding, Y.; Scovil, A.; Yetisir, M.

2008-01-01

The potential for fatigue damage due to thermal transients is one of the degradation mechanisms that needs to be managed for plant components. The original design of CANDU stations accounts for projected fatigue usage for specific components over a specified design lifetime. Fatigue design calculations were based on estimates of the number and severity of expected transients for 30 years operation at 80% power. Many CANDU plants are now approaching the end of their design lives and are being considered for extended operation. Industry practice is to have a comprehensive fatigue management program in place for extended operation beyond the original design life. A CANDU-specific framework for fatigue management has recently been developed to identify the options for implementation, and the critical components and locations requiring long-term fatigue monitoring. An essential element of fatigue monitoring is to identify, count and monitor the number of plant transients to ensure that the number assumed in the original design is not exceeded. The number and severity of actual CANDU station thermal transients at key locations in critical systems have been assessed using ThermAND, AECL's health monitor for systems and components, based on archived station operational data. The automated cycle counting has demonstrated that actual transients are generally less numerous than the quantity assumed in the design basis, and are almost always significantly less severe. This paper will discuss the methodology to adapt ThermAND for automated cycle counting of specific system transients, illustrate and test this capability for cycle-based fatigue monitoring using CANDU station data, report the results, and provide data for stress-based fatigue calculations. (author)

Numbers their history and meaning

CERN Document Server

Flegg, Graham

2003-01-01

Readable, jargon-free book examines the earliest endeavors to count and record numbers, initial attempts to solve problems by using equations, and origins of infinite cardinal arithmetic. "Surprisingly exciting." - Choice.

Gaussian distribution of LMOV numbers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Mironov

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Recent advances in knot polynomial calculus allowed us to obtain a huge variety of LMOV integers counting degeneracy of the BPS spectrum of topological theories on the resolved conifold and appearing in the genus expansion of the plethystic logarithm of the Ooguri–Vafa partition functions. Already the very first look at this data reveals that the LMOV numbers are randomly distributed in genus (! and are very well parameterized by just three parameters depending on the representation, an integer and the knot. We present an accurate formulation and evidence in support of this new puzzling observation about the old puzzling quantities. It probably implies that the BPS states, counted by the LMOV numbers can actually be composites made from some still more elementary objects.

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

NARCIS (Netherlands)

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

2010-01-01

The aims of this study were to assess how different bacterial groups in bulk milk are related to bulk milk somatic cell count (SCC), bulk milk total bacterial count (TBC), and bulk milk standard plate count (SPC) and to measure the repeatability of bulk milk culturing. On 53 Dutch dairy goat farms,

Cache-Oblivious Planar Orthogonal Range Searching and Counting

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Arge, Lars; Brodal, Gerth Stølting; Fagerberg, Rolf

2005-01-01

present the first cache-oblivious data structure for planar orthogonal range counting, and improve on previous results for cache-oblivious planar orthogonal range searching. Our range counting structure uses O(Nlog2 N) space and answers queries using O(logB N) memory transfers, where B is the block...... size of any memory level in a multilevel memory hierarchy. Using bit manipulation techniques, the space can be further reduced to O(N). The structure can also be modified to support more general semigroup range sum queries in O(logB N) memory transfers, using O(Nlog2 N) space for three-sided queries...... and O(Nlog22 N/log2log2 N) space for four-sided queries. Based on the O(Nlog N) space range counting structure, we develop a data structure that uses O(Nlog2 N) space and answers three-sided range queries in O(logB N+T/B) memory transfers, where T is the number of reported points. Based...

Modified conjugate counting technique for quantitative measurement of radioactivity in vivo

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsui, B.M.W.; Chen, C.T.; Yasillo, N.J.; Ortega, C.J.; Charleston, D.B.

1979-01-01

This paper presents a modified conjugate counting method for studying biochemical transformations in health and disease, in making realistic radiation-absorbed dose estimates, and in developing clinical procedures indicative of abnormal functions. A new instrument design improves the accuracy to within 5%

A new microcalorimeter concept for photon counting X-ray spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silver, E.H.; Labov, S.E.

1989-01-01

We present an innovative approach for performing photon counting X-ray spectroscopy with cryogenic microcalorimeters. The detector concept takes advantage of the temperature dependence of the dielectric constant in ferroelectric materials. A dielectric calorimeter has many potential advantages over traditional resistive devices, particularly in the reduction of Johnson noise. This makes the energy resolution for photon counting spectroscopy limited only to the noise produced by the intrinsic temperature fluctuations of the device. The detector concept is presented and its predicted performance is compared with resistive calorimeters. Calculations have shown that practical instruments operating with an energy resolution less than 20 eV may be possible at 300 mK. (orig.)

Road safety performance measures and AADT uncertainty from short-term counts.

Science.gov (United States)

Milligan, Craig; Montufar, Jeannette; Regehr, Jonathan; Ghanney, Bartholomew

2016-12-01

The objective of this paper is to enable better risk analysis of road safety performance measures by creating the first knowledge base on uncertainty surrounding annual average daily traffic (AADT) estimates when the estimates are derived by expanding short-term counts with the individual permanent counter method. Many road safety performance measures and performance models use AADT as an input. While there is an awareness that the input suffers from uncertainty, the uncertainty is not well known or accounted for. The paper samples data from a set of 69 permanent automatic traffic recorders in Manitoba, Canada, to simulate almost 2 million short-term counts over a five year period. These short-term counts are expanded to AADT estimates by transferring temporal information from a directly linked nearby permanent count control station, and the resulting AADT values are compared to a known reference AADT to compute errors. The impacts of five factors on AADT error are considered: length of short-term count, number of short-term counts, use of weekday versus weekend counts, distance from a count to its expansion control station, and the AADT at the count site. The mean absolute transfer error for expanded AADT estimates is 6.7%, and this value varied by traffic pattern group from 5% to 10.5%. Reference percentiles of the error distribution show that almost all errors are between -20% and +30%. Error decreases substantially by using a 48-h count instead of a 24-h count, and only slightly by using two counts instead of one. Weekday counts are superior to weekend counts, especially if the count is only 24h. Mean absolute transfer error increases with distance to control station (elasticity 0.121, p=0.001), and increases with AADT (elasticity 0.857, proad safety performance measures that use AADT as inputs. Analytical frameworks for such analysis exist but are infrequently used in road safety because the evidence base on AADT uncertainty is not well developed. Copyright �

Standardization of {sup 241}Am by digital coincidence counting, liquid scintillation counting and defined solid angle counting

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Balpardo, C., E-mail: balpardo@cae.cnea.gov.a [Laboratorio de Metrologia de Radioisotopos, CNEA, Buenos Aires (Argentina); Capoulat, M.E.; Rodrigues, D.; Arenillas, P. [Laboratorio de Metrologia de Radioisotopos, CNEA, Buenos Aires (Argentina)

2010-07-15

The nuclide {sup 241}Am decays by alpha emission to {sup 237}Np. Most of the decays (84.6%) populate the excited level of {sup 237}Np with energy of 59.54 keV. Digital coincidence counting was applied to standardize a solution of {sup 241}Am by alpha-gamma coincidence counting with efficiency extrapolation. Electronic discrimination was implemented with a pressurized proportional counter and the results were compared with two other independent techniques: Liquid scintillation counting using the logical sum of double coincidences in a TDCR array and defined solid angle counting taking into account activity inhomogeneity in the active deposit. The results show consistency between the three methods within a limit of a 0.3%. An ampoule of this solution will be sent to the International Reference System (SIR) during 2009. Uncertainties were analysed and compared in detail for the three applied methods.

Spark counting technique of alpha tracks on an aluminium oxide film

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morishima, Hiroshige; Koga, Taeko; Niwa, Takeo; Kawai, Hiroshi

1984-01-01

We have tried to use aluminium oxide film as a neutron detector film with a spark counter for neutron monitoring in the mixed field of neutron and gamma-rays near a reactor. The merits of this method are that (1) aluminium oxide is good electric insulator, (2) any desired thickness of the film can be prepared, (3) chemical etching of the thin film can be dispensed with. The relation between spark counts and numbers of alpha-particles which entered the aluminium oxide film 1 μm thick was linear in the range of 10 5 -10 7 alpha-particles. The sensitivity(ratio of the spark counts to irradiated numbers of alpha-particles) was approximately 10 -3 . (author)

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2015-01-01

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

A contagem oral como pré-requisito para a aquisição do conceito de número com crianças pré-escolares Oral counting as a pre-requisite for the acquisition of the concept of number with pre-scholars

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giseli Monteiro

2002-01-01

Full Text Available A contagem oral como pré-requisito para aquisição do conceito de número foi ensinada através do procedimento de escolha de acordo com o modelo com crianças pré-escolares. Aos dois grupos foram ensinadas as relações de equivalência entre número e quantidade, porém a contagem oral foi ensinada apenas para o Grupo Experimental. No treino foram utilizados estímulos impressos (números, palavras e figuras e auditivos (ditado. Ambos os grupos foram, então, submetidos a diferentes condições de teste para verificar o efeito da contagem oral. Na generalização foi utilizado um jogo de dominó. O desempenho dos sujeitos que foram submetidos ao ensino da contagem oral foi superior ao dos sujeitos que não passaram por esse procedimento. É discutida a importância da contagem oral na aquisição do conceito de número, sendo apontada como facilitadora no estabelecimento de relações de equivalência de estímulos não diretamente ensinadas (generalização.The oral counting as a pre-requisite for the acquisition of the concept of number taught through procedure of matching to sample with pre-scholars. To both groups were taught the equivalence relations between number and quantity, whereas the oral counting was taught just to the Experimental Group (EG. In training were used printed stimuli (numbers, words and figures and words dictated by the research. After that, both groups' subjects were assessed to different conditions of testing to evaluate the effects the oral counting. Lastly, all the subjects (CG and EG were given the Generalization Test I and Generalization Test II (game of domino, made out of all the relations. The behavior of subjects submitted to the training of oral counting was superior in relation of the subject's behavior that no submitted to that procedure. The importance of oral counting in the acquisition of the concept of numbers related to the setting up of the relations number-quantity is discussed, being the oral

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2013-01-01

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

Method and system of simulating nuclear power plant count rate for training purposes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alliston, W.H.; Koenig, R.H.

1975-01-01

A method and system are described for the real-time simulation of the dynamic operation of a nuclear power plant in which nuclear flux rate counters are provided for monitoring the rate of nuclear fission of the reactor. The system utilizes apparatus that includes digital computer means for calculating data relating to the rate of nuclear fission of a simulated reactor model, which rate is controlled in accordance with the operation of control panel devices. A digital number from the computer corresponding to the flux rate controls an oscillator driven counter means to produce a pulse after a predetermined count. This pulse controls an oscillator driven polynomial counter to count a random number that controls a third counter in accordance with pulse from the first counter to produce a random fission count for operating the meters. (U.S.)

Embodied Numerosity: Implicit Hand-Based Representations Influence Symbolic Number Processing across Cultures

Science.gov (United States)

Domahs, Frank; Moeller, Korbinian; Huber, Stefan; Willmes, Klaus; Nuerk, Hans-Christoph

2010-01-01

In recent years, a strong functional relationship between finger counting and number processing has been suggested. Developmental studies have shown specific effects of the structure of the individual finger counting system on arithmetic abilities. Moreover, the orientation of the mental quantity representation ("number line") seems to be…

Scaling up antiretroviral treatment services in Karnataka, India: impact on CD4 counts of HIV-infected people.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suresh Shastri

Full Text Available SETTING: Twelve antiretroviral treatment centres under National AIDS Control Programme (NACP, Karnataka State, India. OBJECTIVE: For the period 2004-2011, to describe the trends in the numbers of people living with HIV (PLHIV registered for care and their median baseline CD4 counts, disaggregated by age and sex. DESIGN: Descriptive study involving analysis of routinely captured data (year of registration, age, sex, baseline CD4 count under NACP. RESULTS: 34,882 (97% of total eligible PLHIV were included in analysis. The number registered for care has increased by over 12 times during 2004-11; with increasing numbers among females. The median baseline CD4 cell count rose from 125 in 2004 to 235 in 2011--the increase was greater among females as compared to males. However, about two-thirds still presented at CD4 cell counts less than 350. CONCLUSION: We found an increasing trend of median CD4 counts among PLHIV presenting to ART centres in Karnataka, an indicator of enhanced and early access to HIV care. Equal proportion of females and higher baseline CD4 counts among them allays any fear of differential access by gender. Despite this relative success, a substantial proportion still presented at low CD4 cell counts indicating possibly delayed HIV diagnosis and delayed linkage to HIV care. Universal HIV testing at health care facilities and strengthening early access to care are required to bridge the gap.

Nice numbers

CERN Document Server

Barnes, John

2016-01-01

In this intriguing book, John Barnes takes us on a journey through aspects of numbers much as he took us on a geometrical journey in Gems of Geometry. Similarly originating from a series of lectures for adult students at Reading and Oxford University, this book touches a variety of amusing and fascinating topics regarding numbers and their uses both ancient and modern. The author intrigues and challenges his audience with both fundamental number topics such as prime numbers and cryptography, and themes of daily needs and pleasures such as counting one's assets, keeping track of time, and enjoying music. Puzzles and exercises at the end of each lecture offer additional inspiration, and numerous illustrations accompany the reader. Furthermore, a number of appendices provides in-depth insights into diverse topics such as Pascal’s triangle, the Rubik cube, Mersenne’s curious keyboards, and many others. A theme running through is the thought of what is our favourite number. Written in an engaging and witty sty...

ChromAIX2: A large area, high count-rate energy-resolving photon counting ASIC for a Spectral CT Prototype

Science.gov (United States)

Steadman, Roger; Herrmann, Christoph; Livne, Amir

2017-08-01

Spectral CT based on energy-resolving photon counting detectors is expected to deliver additional diagnostic value at a lower dose than current state-of-the-art CT [1]. The capability of simultaneously providing a number of spectrally distinct measurements not only allows distinguishing between photo-electric and Compton interactions but also discriminating contrast agents that exhibit a K-edge discontinuity in the absorption spectrum, referred to as K-edge Imaging [2]. Such detectors are based on direct converting sensors (e.g. CdTe or CdZnTe) and high-rate photon counting electronics. To support the development of Spectral CT and show the feasibility of obtaining rates exceeding 10 Mcps/pixel (Poissonian observed count-rate), the ChromAIX ASIC has been previously reported showing 13.5 Mcps/pixel (150 Mcps/mm2 incident) [3]. The ChromAIX has been improved to offer the possibility of a large area coverage detector, and increased overall performance. The new ASIC is called ChromAIX2, and delivers count-rates exceeding 15 Mcps/pixel with an rms-noise performance of approximately 260 e-. It has an isotropic pixel pitch of 500 μm in an array of 22×32 pixels and is tile-able on three of its sides. The pixel topology consists of a two stage amplifier (CSA and Shaper) and a number of test features allowing to thoroughly characterize the ASIC without a sensor. A total of 5 independent thresholds are also available within each pixel, allowing to acquire 5 spectrally distinct measurements simultaneously. The ASIC also incorporates a baseline restorer to eliminate excess currents induced by the sensor (e.g. dark current and low frequency drifts) which would otherwise cause an energy estimation error. In this paper we report on the inherent electrical performance of the ChromAXI2 as well as measurements obtained with CZT (CdZnTe)/CdTe sensors and X-rays and radioactive sources.

HgCdTe APD-based linear-mode photon counting components and ladar receivers

Science.gov (United States)

Jack, Michael; Wehner, Justin; Edwards, John; Chapman, George; Hall, Donald N. B.; Jacobson, Shane M.

2011-05-01

Linear mode photon counting (LMPC) provides significant advantages in comparison with Geiger Mode (GM) Photon Counting including absence of after-pulsing, nanosecond pulse to pulse temporal resolution and robust operation in the present of high density obscurants or variable reflectivity objects. For this reason Raytheon has developed and previously reported on unique linear mode photon counting components and modules based on combining advanced APDs and advanced high gain circuits. By using HgCdTe APDs we enable Poisson number preserving photon counting. A metric of photon counting technology is dark count rate and detection probability. In this paper we report on a performance breakthrough resulting from improvement in design, process and readout operation enabling >10x reduction in dark counts rate to ~10,000 cps and >104x reduction in surface dark current enabling long 10 ms integration times. Our analysis of key dark current contributors suggest that substantial further reduction in DCR to ~ 1/sec or less can be achieved by optimizing wavelength, operating voltage and temperature.

The adventure of numbers

CERN Document Server

Godefroy, Gilles

2004-01-01

Numbers are fascinating. The fascination begins in childhood, when we first learn to count. It continues as we learn arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and so on. Eventually, we learn that numbers not only help us to measure the world, but also to understand it and, to some extent, to control it. In The Adventure of Numbers, Gilles Godefroy follows the thread of our expanding understanding of numbers to lead us through the history of mathematics. His goal is to share the joy of discovering and understanding this great adventure of the mind. The development of mathematics has been punctuated by a n

Pulse-duration discrimination for increasing counting characteristic plateau and for improving counting rate stability of a scintillation counter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuz'min, M.G.

1977-01-01

For greater stability of scintillation counters operation, discussed is the possibility for increasing the plateau and reducing its slope. Presented is the circuit for discrimination of the signal pulses from input pulses of a photomultiplier. The counting characteristics have been measured with the scintillation detectors being irradiated by different gamma sources ( 60 Co, 137 Cs, 241 Am) and without the source when the scintillation detector is shielded by a tungsten cylinder with a wall thickness of 23 mm. The comparison has revealed that discrimination in duration increase the plateau and reduces its slope. Proceeding from comparison of the noise characteristics, the relationship is found between the noise pulse number and gamma radiation energy. For better stability of the counting rate it is suggested to introduce into the scintillation counter the circuit for duration discrimination of the output pulses of a photomultiplier

Making the Climate Count: Climate Policy Integration and Coherence in Finland

OpenAIRE

Kivimaa, Paula; Mickwitz, Per

2009-01-01

Tackling climate change in Finland and other industrialised countries requires major changes in production processes and consumption patterns. These changes will not take place unless climate change becomes a crucial factor in general and sector-specific policy-making. In this report climate policy integration in Finland is studied at different levels of policy-making: at the national level, regionally in Kymenlakso and the Metropolitan Area, as well as in the city of Helsinki and the town of...

Validation of the sperm class analyser CASA system for sperm counting in a busy diagnostic semen analysis laboratory.

Science.gov (United States)

Dearing, Chey G; Kilburn, Sally; Lindsay, Kevin S

2014-03-01

Sperm counts have been linked to several fertility outcomes making them an essential parameter of semen analysis. It has become increasingly recognised that Computer-Assisted Semen Analysis (CASA) provides improved precision over manual methods but that systems are seldom validated robustly for use. The objective of this study was to gather the evidence to validate or reject the Sperm Class Analyser (SCA) as a tool for routine sperm counting in a busy laboratory setting. The criteria examined were comparison with the Improved Neubauer and Leja 20-μm chambers, within and between field precision, sperm concentration linearity from a stock diluted in semen and media, accuracy against internal and external quality material, assessment of uneven flow effects and a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis to predict fertility in comparison with the Neubauer method. This work demonstrates that SCA CASA technology is not a standalone 'black box', but rather a tool for well-trained staff that allows rapid, high-number sperm counting providing errors are identified and corrected. The system will produce accurate, linear, precise results, with less analytical variance than manual methods that correlate well against the Improved Neubauer chamber. The system provides superior predictive potential for diagnosing fertility problems.

Neocortical glial cell numbers in human brains.

Science.gov (United States)

Pelvig, D P; Pakkenberg, H; Stark, A K; Pakkenberg, B

2008-11-01

Stereological cell counting was applied to post-mortem neocortices of human brains from 31 normal individuals, age 18-93 years, 18 females (average age 65 years, range 18-93) and 13 males (average age 57 years, range 19-87). The cells were differentiated in astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, microglia and neurons and counting were done in each of the four lobes. The study showed that the different subpopulations of glial cells behave differently as a function of age; the number of oligodendrocytes showed a significant 27% decrease over adult life and a strong correlation to the total number of neurons while the total astrocyte number is constant through life; finally males have a 28% higher number of neocortical glial cells and a 19% higher neocortical neuron number than females. The overall total number of neocortical neurons and glial cells was 49.3 billion in females and 65.2 billion in males, a difference of 24% with a high biological variance. These numbers can serve as reference values in quantitative studies of the human neocortex.

Counting States of Near-Extremal Black Holes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Horowitz, G.T.; Strominger, A.

1996-01-01

A six-dimensional black string is considered and its Bekenstein-Hawking entropy computed. It is shown that to leading order above extremality this entropy precisely counts the number of string states with the given energy and charges. This identification implies that Hawking decay of the near-extremal black string can be analyzed in string perturbation theory and is perturbatively unitary. copyright 1996 The American Physical Society

A computer simulation used to investigate optimization in low level counting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, R.C.; Kephart, G.S.

1984-01-01

The differential form of the interval distribution for randomly spaced events such as radioactive decay is represented as dP/sub t/=ae - /supat/dt, the Poisson distribution. As applied to radioactive decay, this states that the probability (dP/sub t/) of the duration of a particular interval (elapsed time between counts) will be between t and t+dt as a function of the count rate (a). Thus a logarithmic transformation of this probability distribution results in a linear function whose slope and intercept are defined by the count rate. The effort expended in defining the interval distribution of a given radiation measurement equates in the laboratory to measuring and accumulating discrete time intervals between events rather than the usual approach of counting events per unit time. It follows from basic information theory that this greater effort should result in an improved statistical confidence in determinations of the ''true'' count rate (a). Using a random number generator as an analog of the discrete decay event, the authors have devised a Monte Carlo approach to investigate application of the above theory to the low level counting situation. This investigative approach is well suited to sensitivity analyses such that any constraints on proposed optimization techniques can be well defined prior to introducing these methods into the counting requirements in the laboratory

Changing author counts in five major general medicine journals: effect of author contribution forms.

Science.gov (United States)

Baerlocher, Mark Otto; Gautam, Tina; Newton, Marshall; Tomlinson, George

2009-08-01

Objective and indirect evidence was used to determine whether required author contribution forms were associated with a decrease in author counts in four major general medicine journals (British Medical Journal [BMJ], Journal of the American Medical Association [JAMA], Canadian Medical Association Journal [CMAJ], and the Lancet). The number of authors listed per article before and after the introduction of explicit author contribution requirements were counted and compared with that found for the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) that did not require such disclosure. The primary hypothesis was that author counts decreased more in the BMJ, CMAJ, JAMA, and the Lancet after introduction of the rules than they did in the NEJM. The number of authors listed per original research article published in the five general medical journals with the greatest 2004 Impact Factors in the first issue of each month in the years before and after introduction of required author contribution forms was compared. Introduction of the required author contribution forms by the four leading general medical journals did not result in a drop in the rate of increasing authors per article per year, or in the number of authors per article compared with the control. Overall, there was a trend of an increasing number of authors listed per article. Based on the presented objective and indirect evidence, required author contribution forms were not associated with a decrease in author counts.

Activity patterns and monitoring numbers of Horned Puffins and Parakeet Auklets

Science.gov (United States)

Hatch, Shyla A.

2002-01-01

Nearshore counts of birds on the water and time-lapse photography were used to monitor seasonal activity patterns and interannual variation in numbers of Horned Puffins (Fratercula corniculata) and Parakeet Auklets (Aethia psittacula) at the Semidi Islands, Alaska. The best period for over-water counts was mid egg-laying through hatching in auklets and late prelaying through early hatching in puffins. Daily counts (07.00 h-09.30 h) varied widely, with peak numbers and days with few or no birds present occurring throughout the census period. Variation among annual means in four years amounted to 26% and 72% of total count variation in puffins and auklets, respectively. Time-lapse photography of nesting habitat in early incubation revealed a morning (08.00 h-12.00 h) peak in the number of puffins loitering on study plots. Birds recorded in time-lapse images never comprised more than a third of the estimated breeding population on a plot. Components of variance in the time-lapse study were 29% within hours, 9% among hours (08.00 h-12.00 h), and 62% among days (8-29 June). Variability of overwater and land-based counts is reduced by standardizing the time of day when counts are made, but weather conditions had little influence on either type of count. High international variation of population indices implies low power to detect numerical trends in crevice-nesting auklets and puffins.

Genetic parameters for ewe reproductive performance and peri-parturient fecal egg counts and their genetic relationships with lamb body weights and fecal egg counts in Katahdin sheep

Science.gov (United States)

Genetic parameters for ewe reproductive traits [number of lambs born (NLB) and number of lambs weaned (NLW)] and ewe peri-parturient rise (PPR) fecal egg counts (FEC) at lambing (PPR0) and at 30-d post lambing (PPR30), and their genetic relationships with lamb BW and FEC in Katahdin sheep were estim...

Automatic counting of microglial cell activation and its applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Beatriz I Gallego

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Glaucoma is a multifactorial optic neuropathy characterized by the damage and death of the retinal ganglion cells. This disease results in vision loss and blindness. Any vision loss resulting from the disease cannot be restored and nowadays there is no available cure for glaucoma; however an early detection and treatment, could offer neuronal protection and avoid later serious damages to the visual function. A full understanding of the etiology of the disease will still require the contribution of many scientific efforts. Glial activation has been observed in glaucoma, being microglial proliferation a hallmark in this neurodegenerative disease. A typical project studying these cellular changes involved in glaucoma often needs thousands of images - from several animals - covering different layers and regions of the retina. The gold standard to evaluate them is the manual count. This method requires a large amount of time from specialized personnel. It is a tedious process and prone to human error. We present here a new method to count microglial cells by using a computer algorithm. It counts in one hour the same number of images that a researcher counts in four weeks, with no loss of reliability.

Clean Hands Count

Medline Plus

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Perturbative Power Counting, Lowest-Index Operators and Their Renormalization in Standard Model Effective Field Theory

Science.gov (United States)

Liao, Yi; Ma, Xiao-Dong

2018-03-01

We study two aspects of higher dimensional operators in standard model effective field theory. We first introduce a perturbative power counting rule for the entries in the anomalous dimension matrix of operators with equal mass dimension. The power counting is determined by the number of loops and the difference of the indices of the two operators involved, which in turn is defined by assuming that all terms in the standard model Lagrangian have an equal perturbative power. Then we show that the operators with the lowest index are unique at each mass dimension d, i.e., (H † H) d/2 for even d ≥ 4, and (LT∈ H)C(LT∈ H) T (H † H)(d-5)/2 for odd d ≥ 5. Here H, L are the Higgs and lepton doublet, and ∈, C the antisymmetric matrix of rank two and the charge conjugation matrix, respectively. The renormalization group running of these operators can be studied separately from other operators of equal mass dimension at the leading order in power counting. We compute their anomalous dimensions at one loop for general d and find that they are enhanced quadratically in d due to combinatorics. We also make connections with classification of operators in terms of their holomorphic and anti-holomorphic weights. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant Nos. 11025525, 11575089, and by the CAS Center for Excellence in Particle Physics (CCEPP)

PPO-ethanol system as wavelength shifter for the Cherenkov counting technique using a liquid scintillation counter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takiue, M.; Fujii, H.; Ishikawa, H.

1984-01-01

2,5-diphenyloxazole (PPO) has been proposed as a wavelength shifter for Cherenkov counting. Since PPO is not incorporated with water, we have introduced the fluor into water in the form of micelle using a PPO-ethanol system. This technique makes it possible to obtain a high Cherenkov counting efficiency under stable sample conditions, attributed to the proper spectrometric features of the PPO. The 32 P Cherenkov counting efficiency (68.4%) obtained from this technique is 1.62 times as large as that measured with a conventional Cherenkov technique. (orig.)

Number of warning information sources and decision making during tornadoes.

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Jianjun; Cong, Zhen; Liang, Daan

2015-03-01

Taking proper protective action upon receiving tornado warnings is critical to reducing casualties. With more warning information sources becoming available, how the number of such information sources affects decision making should be quantitatively investigated. To examine how the number of warning information sources affected individuals' decisions to take protective action during tornadoes. A telephone survey using random sampling was conducted in 2012 with residents in Tuscaloosa AL and Joplin MO, resulting in a working sample of 782 respondents. Both cities were struck by violent tornadoes (Enhanced Fujita Scale [EF]4 and EF5) in 2011. The analysis was conducted in 2013. Logistic regression analysis showed that relative to having only one warning information source, having two and three or more warning information sources significantly increased the odds of taking protective action in Joplin but not in Tuscaloosa; having three or more sources had a significantly stronger effect on taking protective action in Joplin than in Tuscaloosa. Having an emergency preparation plan in both cities and being white in Tuscaloosa significantly increased the odds of taking protective action, whereas being divorced in Joplin reduced these odds. Receiving warnings from more warning information sources might be more beneficial in places with less previous exposure to tornadoes and for populations with lower awareness of a potential tornado and higher probability of receiving no warnings. Emergency management agencies and public health officials should give priority to these places and populations when formulating disaster mitigation decisions and policies. Copyright © 2015 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Making Pythagoras Count

Science.gov (United States)

Turner, Paul

2006-01-01

This article discusses Pythagoras' theorem, typically, it is introduce to students in the junior years of secondary school. Students consolidate their understanding of the theorem by using it for finding missing sides of triangles and for checking whether a given triangle has a right angle. But the topic often seems to dry up rapidly once these…

Count-to-count time interval distribution analysis in a fast reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perez-Navarro Gomez, A.

1973-01-01

The most important kinetic parameters have been measured at the zero power fast reactor CORAL-I by means of the reactor noise analysis in the time domain, using measurements of the count-to-count time intervals. (Author) 69 refs

Influence of type of prosthesis on oral environment and the number of missing teeth in elderly persons.

Science.gov (United States)

Tanaka, Junko; Tanaka, Masahiro

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the number of missing teeth (MT) and the statuses of oral environmental factors (the stimulated salivary flow rate, buffering capacity, and the counts of mutans streptococci, lactobacilli, and Candida) in the elderly. The subjects were 64 elderly subjects with fixed prostheses and 49 who wore removable partial dentures aged over 65 years. We used one-way ANOVA to test for overall differences of the number of MT among 5 oral environmental factors. The significant differences were observed in the lactobacilli counts for different number of MT. The number of MT increased with an increase in the lactobacilli counts with removable denture. In conclusion, for the patients wearing removable dentures, increasing number of MT was associated with an increase in the lactobacilli counts in saliva. For the patients with crowns and fixed partial dentures, the number of MT was not significantly affected by salivary mutans streptococci, lactobacilli, and Candida counts.

Influence of Type of Prosthesis on Oral Environment and the Number of Missing Teeth in Elderly Persons

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Junko Tanaka

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the number of missing teeth (MT and the statuses of oral environmental factors (the stimulated salivary flow rate, buffering capacity, and the counts of mutans streptococci, lactobacilli, and Candida in the elderly. The subjects were 64 elderly subjects with fixed prostheses and 49 who wore removable partial dentures aged over 65 years. We used one-way ANOVA to test for overall differences of the number of MT among 5 oral environmental factors. The significant differences were observed in the lactobacilli counts for different number of MT. The number of MT increased with an increase in the lactobacilli counts with removable denture. In conclusion, for the patients wearing removable dentures, increasing number of MT was associated with an increase in the lactobacilli counts in saliva. For the patients with crowns and fixed partial dentures, the number of MT was not significantly affected by salivary mutans streptococci, lactobacilli, and Candida counts.

Binomial distribution of Poisson statistics and tracks overlapping probability to estimate total tracks count with low uncertainty

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khayat, Omid; Afarideh, Hossein; Mohammadnia, Meisam

2015-01-01

In the solid state nuclear track detectors of chemically etched type, nuclear tracks with center-to-center neighborhood of distance shorter than two times the radius of tracks will emerge as overlapping tracks. Track overlapping in this type of detectors causes tracks count losses and it becomes rather severe in high track densities. Therefore, tracks counting in this condition should include a correction factor for count losses of different tracks overlapping orders since a number of overlapping tracks may be counted as one track. Another aspect of the problem is the cases where imaging the whole area of the detector and counting all tracks are not possible. In these conditions a statistical generalization method is desired to be applicable in counting a segmented area of the detector and the results can be generalized to the whole surface of the detector. Also there is a challenge in counting the tracks in densely overlapped tracks because not sufficient geometrical or contextual information are available. It this paper we present a statistical counting method which gives the user a relation between the tracks overlapping probabilities on a segmented area of the detector surface and the total number of tracks. To apply the proposed method one can estimate the total number of tracks on a solid state detector of arbitrary shape and dimensions by approximating the tracks averaged area, whole detector surface area and some orders of tracks overlapping probabilities. It will be shown that this method is applicable in high and ultra high density tracks images and the count loss error can be enervated using a statistical generalization approach. - Highlights: • A correction factor for count losses of different tracks overlapping orders. • For the cases imaging the whole area of the detector is not possible. • Presenting a statistical generalization method for segmented areas. • Giving a relation between the tracks overlapping probabilities and the total tracks

Poisson regression for modeling count and frequency outcomes in trauma research.

Science.gov (United States)

Gagnon, David R; Doron-LaMarca, Susan; Bell, Margret; O'Farrell, Timothy J; Taft, Casey T

2008-10-01

The authors describe how the Poisson regression method for analyzing count or frequency outcome variables can be applied in trauma studies. The outcome of interest in trauma research may represent a count of the number of incidents of behavior occurring in a given time interval, such as acts of physical aggression or substance abuse. Traditional linear regression approaches assume a normally distributed outcome variable with equal variances over the range of predictor variables, and may not be optimal for modeling count outcomes. An application of Poisson regression is presented using data from a study of intimate partner aggression among male patients in an alcohol treatment program and their female partners. Results of Poisson regression and linear regression models are compared.

Citizen Science: The First Peninsular Malaysia Butterfly Count

Science.gov (United States)

Jisming-See, Shi-Wei; Brandon-Mong, Guo-Jie; Lim, Aik-Hean; Lim, Voon-Ching; Lee, Ping-Shin; Sing, Kong-Wah

2015-01-01

Abstract Background Over the past 50 years, Southeast Asia has suffered the greatest losses of biodiversity of any tropical region in the world. Malaysia is a biodiversity hotspot in the heart of Southeast Asia with roughly the same number of mammal species, three times the number of butterfly species, but only 4% of the land area of Australia. Consequently, in Malaysia, there is an urgent need for biodiversity monitoring and also public engagement with wildlife to raise awareness of biodiversity loss. Citizen science is “on the rise” globally and can make valuable contributions to long-term biodiversity monitoring, but perhaps more importantly, involving the general public in science projects can raise public awareness and promote engagement. Butterflies are often the focus of citizen science projects due to their charisma and familiarity and are particularly valuable “ambassadors” of biodiversity conservation for public outreach. New information Here we present the data from our citizen science project, the first “Peninsular Malaysia Butterfly Count”. Participants were asked to go outdoors on June 6, 2015, and (non-lethally) sample butterfly legs for species identification through DNA barcoding. Fifty-seven citizens responded to our adverts and registered to take part in the butterfly count with many registering on behalf of groups. Collectively the participants sampled 220 butterfly legs from 26 mostly urban and suburban sampling localities. These included our university campus, a highschool, several public parks and private residences. On the basis of 192 usable DNA barcodes, 43 species were sampled by the participants. The most sampled species was Appias olferna, followed by Junonia orithya and Zizina otis. Twenty-two species were only sampled once, five were only sampled twice, and four were only sampled three times. Three DNA barcodes could not be assigned species names. The sampled butterflies revealed that widely distributed, cosmopolitan

Fluorescent Biosensors Based on Single-Molecule Counting.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Fei; Li, Ying; Tang, Bo; Zhang, Chun-Yang

2016-09-20

Biosensors for highly sensitive, selective, and rapid quantification of specific biomolecules make great contributions to biomedical research, especially molecular diagnostics. However, conventional methods for biomolecular assays often suffer from insufficient sensitivity and poor specificity. In some case (e.g., early disease diagnostics), the concentration of target biomolecules is too low to be detected by these routine approaches, and cumbersome procedures are needed to improve the detection sensitivity. Therefore, there is an urgent need for rapid and ultrasensitive analytical tools. In this respect, single-molecule fluorescence approaches may well satisfy the requirement and hold promising potential for the development of ultrasensitive biosensors. Encouragingly, owing to the advances in single-molecule microscopy and spectroscopy over past decades, the detection of single fluorescent molecule comes true, greatly boosting the development of highly sensitive biosensors. By in vitro/in vivo labeling of target biomolecules with proper fluorescent tags, the quantification of certain biomolecule at the single-molecule level is achieved. In comparison with conventional ensemble measurements, single-molecule detection-based analytical methods possess the advantages of ultrahigh sensitivity, good selectivity, rapid analysis time, and low sample consumption. Consequently, single-molecule detection may be potentially employed as an ideal analytical approach to quantify low-abundant biomolecules with rapidity and simplicity. In this Account, we will summarize our efforts for developing a series of ultrasensitive biosensors based on single-molecule counting. Single-molecule counting is a member of single-molecule detection technologies and may be used as a very simple and ultrasensitive method to quantify target molecules by simply counting the individual fluorescent bursts. In the fluorescent sensors, the signals of target biomolecules may be translated to the

Counting on dis-inhibition: a circuit motif for interval counting and selectivity in the anuran auditory system.

Science.gov (United States)

Naud, Richard; Houtman, Dave; Rose, Gary J; Longtin, André

2015-11-01

Information can be encoded in the temporal patterning of spikes. How the brain reads these patterns is of general importance and represents one of the greatest challenges in neuroscience. We addressed this issue in relation to temporal pattern recognition in the anuran auditory system. Many species of anurans perform mating decisions based on the temporal structure of advertisement calls. One important temporal feature is the number of sound pulses that occur with a species-specific interpulse interval. Neurons representing this pulse count have been recorded in the anuran inferior colliculus, but the mechanisms underlying their temporal selectivity are incompletely understood. Here, we construct a parsimonious model that can explain the key dynamical features of these cells with biologically plausible elements. We demonstrate that interval counting arises naturally when combining interval-selective inhibition with pulse-per-pulse excitation having both fast- and slow-conductance synapses. Interval-dependent inhibition is modeled here by a simple architecture based on known physiology of afferent nuclei. Finally, we consider simple implementations of previously proposed mechanistic explanations for these counting neurons and show that they do not account for all experimental observations. Our results demonstrate that tens of millisecond-range temporal selectivities can arise from simple connectivity motifs of inhibitory neurons, without recourse to internal clocks, spike-frequency adaptation, or appreciable short-term plasticity. Copyright © 2015 the American Physiological Society.

From zero to infinity what makes numbers interesting

CERN Document Server

Reid, Constance

2006-01-01

From Zero to Infinity is a combination of number lore, number history, and sparkling descriptions of the simply stated but exceedingly difficult problems posed by the most ordinary numbers that first appeared in 1955 and has been kept in print continuously ever since. With the fifth edition this classic has been updated to report on advances in number theory over the last 50 years, including the proof of Fermat's Last Theorem. Deceptively simple in style and structure, it is a book to which the reader will return again and again, gaining greater understanding and satisfaction with each reading

Applying ultrasonographic evaluation of antral follicle count to improve reproductive management in heifers

Science.gov (United States)

Ultrasonography is a powerful technology that can be used to improve reproductive management in heifers. By counting the number of antral follicles observed on an ultrasound screen the practitioner can gather additional information when reproductive tract scoring, because the number of antral folli...

Optimal Matched Filter in the Low-number Count Poisson Noise Regime and Implications for X-Ray Source Detection

Science.gov (United States)

Ofek, Eran O.; Zackay, Barak

2018-04-01

Detection of templates (e.g., sources) embedded in low-number count Poisson noise is a common problem in astrophysics. Examples include source detection in X-ray images, γ-rays, UV, neutrinos, and search for clusters of galaxies and stellar streams. However, the solutions in the X-ray-related literature are sub-optimal in some cases by considerable factors. Using the lemma of Neyman–Pearson, we derive the optimal statistics for template detection in the presence of Poisson noise. We demonstrate that, for known template shape (e.g., point sources), this method provides higher completeness, for a fixed false-alarm probability value, compared with filtering the image with the point-spread function (PSF). In turn, we find that filtering by the PSF is better than filtering the image using the Mexican-hat wavelet (used by wavdetect). For some background levels, our method improves the sensitivity of source detection by more than a factor of two over the popular Mexican-hat wavelet filtering. This filtering technique can also be used for fast PSF photometry and flare detection; it is efficient and straightforward to implement. We provide an implementation in MATLAB. The development of a complete code that works on real data, including the complexities of background subtraction and PSF variations, is deferred for future publication.

Using Christmas Bird Count data in analysis of population change

Science.gov (United States)

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

2002-01-01

The scientific credibility of Christmas Bird Count (CBC) results depend on the development and implementation of appropriate methods of statistical analysis. The key to any successful analysis of CBC data is to begin with a careful review of how the limitations of the data are likely to influence the results of the analysis, then to choose methods of analysis that accommodate as much as possible the limitations of the survey. For our analyses of CBC data, we develop a flexible model for effort adjustment and use information from the data to guide the selection of the best model. We include geographic structuring to accommodate the regional variation in number of samples, use a model that allows for overdispersed poisson data appropriate for counts, and employ empirical Bayes procedures to accommodate differences in quality of information in regional summaries. This generalized linear model approach is very flexible, and can be applied to a variety of studies focused on factors influencing wintering bird populations. In particular, the model can be easily modified to contain covariates, allowing for assessment of associations between CBC counts and winter weather, disturbance, and a variety of other environmental factors. These new survey analysis methods have added value in that they provide insights into changes in survey design that can enhance the value of the information. The CBC has been extremely successful as a tool for increasing public interest in birding and bird conservation. Use of the information for bird conservation creates new demands on quality of information, and it is important to maintain a dialogue between users of the information, information needs for the analyses, and survey coordinators and participants. Our work as survey analysts emphasizes the value and limitations of existing data, and provides some indications of what features of the survey could be modified to make the survey a more reliable source of bird population data. Surveys

The effect of volume and quenching on estimation of counting efficiencies in liquid scintillation counting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Knoche, H.W.; Parkhurst, A.M.; Tam, S.W.

1979-01-01

The effect of volume on the liquid scintillation counting performance of 14 C-samples has been investigated. A decrease in counting efficiency was observed for samples with volumes below about 6 ml and those above about 18 ml when unquenched samples were assayed. Two quench-correction methods, sample channels ratio and external standard channels ratio, and three different liquid scintillation counters, were used in an investigation to determine the magnitude of the error in predicting counting efficiencies when small volume samples (2 ml) with different levels of quenching were assayed. The 2 ml samples exhibited slightly greater standard deviations of the difference between predicted and determined counting efficiencies than did 15 ml samples. Nevertheless, the magnitude of the errors indicate that if the sample channels ratio method of quench correction is employed, 2 ml samples may be counted in conventional counting vials with little loss in counting precision. (author)

TasselNet: counting maize tassels in the wild via local counts regression network.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Hao; Cao, Zhiguo; Xiao, Yang; Zhuang, Bohan; Shen, Chunhua

2017-01-01

Accurately counting maize tassels is important for monitoring the growth status of maize plants. This tedious task, however, is still mainly done by manual efforts. In the context of modern plant phenotyping, automating this task is required to meet the need of large-scale analysis of genotype and phenotype. In recent years, computer vision technologies have experienced a significant breakthrough due to the emergence of large-scale datasets and increased computational resources. Naturally image-based approaches have also received much attention in plant-related studies. Yet a fact is that most image-based systems for plant phenotyping are deployed under controlled laboratory environment. When transferring the application scenario to unconstrained in-field conditions, intrinsic and extrinsic variations in the wild pose great challenges for accurate counting of maize tassels, which goes beyond the ability of conventional image processing techniques. This calls for further robust computer vision approaches to address in-field variations. This paper studies the in-field counting problem of maize tassels. To our knowledge, this is the first time that a plant-related counting problem is considered using computer vision technologies under unconstrained field-based environment. With 361 field images collected in four experimental fields across China between 2010 and 2015 and corresponding manually-labelled dotted annotations, a novel Maize Tassels Counting ( MTC ) dataset is created and will be released with this paper. To alleviate the in-field challenges, a deep convolutional neural network-based approach termed TasselNet is proposed. TasselNet can achieve good adaptability to in-field variations via modelling the local visual characteristics of field images and regressing the local counts of maize tassels. Extensive results on the MTC dataset demonstrate that TasselNet outperforms other state-of-the-art approaches by large margins and achieves the overall best counting

TasselNet: counting maize tassels in the wild via local counts regression network

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hao Lu

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Accurately counting maize tassels is important for monitoring the growth status of maize plants. This tedious task, however, is still mainly done by manual efforts. In the context of modern plant phenotyping, automating this task is required to meet the need of large-scale analysis of genotype and phenotype. In recent years, computer vision technologies have experienced a significant breakthrough due to the emergence of large-scale datasets and increased computational resources. Naturally image-based approaches have also received much attention in plant-related studies. Yet a fact is that most image-based systems for plant phenotyping are deployed under controlled laboratory environment. When transferring the application scenario to unconstrained in-field conditions, intrinsic and extrinsic variations in the wild pose great challenges for accurate counting of maize tassels, which goes beyond the ability of conventional image processing techniques. This calls for further robust computer vision approaches to address in-field variations. Results This paper studies the in-field counting problem of maize tassels. To our knowledge, this is the first time that a plant-related counting problem is considered using computer vision technologies under unconstrained field-based environment. With 361 field images collected in four experimental fields across China between 2010 and 2015 and corresponding manually-labelled dotted annotations, a novel Maize Tassels Counting (MTC dataset is created and will be released with this paper. To alleviate the in-field challenges, a deep convolutional neural network-based approach termed TasselNet is proposed. TasselNet can achieve good adaptability to in-field variations via modelling the local visual characteristics of field images and regressing the local counts of maize tassels. Extensive results on the MTC dataset demonstrate that TasselNet outperforms other state-of-the-art approaches by large

Identification and red blood cell automated counting from blood smear images using computer-aided system.

Science.gov (United States)

Acharya, Vasundhara; Kumar, Preetham

2018-03-01

Red blood cell count plays a vital role in identifying the overall health of the patient. Hospitals use the hemocytometer to count the blood cells. Conventional method of placing the smear under microscope and counting the cells manually lead to erroneous results, and medical laboratory technicians are put under stress. A computer-aided system will help to attain precise results in less amount of time. This research work proposes an image-processing technique for counting the number of red blood cells. It aims to examine and process the blood smear image, in order to support the counting of red blood cells and identify the number of normal and abnormal cells in the image automatically. K-medoids algorithm which is robust to external noise is used to extract the WBCs from the image. Granulometric analysis is used to separate the red blood cells from the white blood cells. The red blood cells obtained are counted using the labeling algorithm and circular Hough transform. The radius range for the circle-drawing algorithm is estimated by computing the distance of the pixels from the boundary which automates the entire algorithm. A comparison is done between the counts obtained using the labeling algorithm and circular Hough transform. Results of the work showed that circular Hough transform was more accurate in counting the red blood cells than the labeling algorithm as it was successful in identifying even the overlapping cells. The work also intends to compare the results of cell count done using the proposed methodology and manual approach. The work is designed to address all the drawbacks of the previous research work. The research work can be extended to extract various texture and shape features of abnormal cells identified so that diseases like anemia of inflammation and chronic disease can be detected at the earliest.

The precision of mapping between number words and the approximate number system predicts children's formal math abilities.

Science.gov (United States)

Libertus, Melissa E; Odic, Darko; Feigenson, Lisa; Halberda, Justin

2016-10-01

Children can represent number in at least two ways: by using their non-verbal, intuitive approximate number system (ANS) and by using words and symbols to count and represent numbers exactly. Furthermore, by the time they are 5years old, children can map between the ANS and number words, as evidenced by their ability to verbally estimate numbers of items without counting. How does the quality of the mapping between approximate and exact numbers relate to children's math abilities? The role of the ANS-number word mapping in math competence remains controversial for at least two reasons. First, previous work has not examined the relation between verbal estimation and distinct subtypes of math abilities. Second, previous work has not addressed how distinct components of verbal estimation-mapping accuracy and variability-might each relate to math performance. Here, we addressed these gaps by measuring individual differences in ANS precision, verbal number estimation, and formal and informal math abilities in 5- to 7-year-old children. We found that verbal estimation variability, but not estimation accuracy, predicted formal math abilities, even when controlling for age, expressive vocabulary, and ANS precision, and that it mediated the link between ANS precision and overall math ability. These findings suggest that variability in the ANS-number word mapping may be especially important for formal math abilities. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

How to improve the standardization and the diagnostic performance of the fecal egg count reduction test?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Levecke, Bruno; Kaplan, Ray M.; Thamsborg, Stig M.

2018-01-01

Although various studies have provided novel insights into how to best design, analyze and interpret a fecal egg count reduction test (FECRT), it is still not straightforward to provide guidance that allows improving both the standardization and the analytical performance of the FECRT across...... a variety of both animal and nematode species. For example, it has been suggested to recommend a minimum number of eggs to be counted under the microscope (not eggs per gram of feces), but we lack the evidence to recommend any number of eggs that would allow a reliable assessment of drug efficacy. Other...... the UI methodology that yields the most reliable assessment of drug efficacy (coverage of TDE) and detection of reduced drug efficacy, and (iii) to determine the required sample size and number of eggs counted under the microscope that optimizes the detection of reduced efficacy. Our results confirm...

Modal Logics with Counting

Science.gov (United States)

Areces, Carlos; Hoffmann, Guillaume; Denis, Alexandre

We present a modal language that includes explicit operators to count the number of elements that a model might include in the extension of a formula, and we discuss how this logic has been previously investigated under different guises. We show that the language is related to graded modalities and to hybrid logics. We illustrate a possible application of the language to the treatment of plural objects and queries in natural language. We investigate the expressive power of this logic via bisimulations, discuss the complexity of its satisfiability problem, define a new reasoning task that retrieves the cardinality bound of the extension of a given input formula, and provide an algorithm to solve it.

Modelling T4 cell count as a marker of HIV progression in the ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

∗Corresponding author: Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, University ... T4 cell count as a marker of HIV progression in the absence of any defense ... This observation enables us to make the assumption that the population of ...

Clustering method for counting passengers getting in a bus with single camera

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Tao; Zhang, Yanning; Shao, Dapei; Li, Ying

2010-03-01

Automatic counting of passengers is very important for both business and security applications. We present a single-camera-based vision system that is able to count passengers in a highly crowded situation at the entrance of a traffic bus. The unique characteristics of the proposed system include, First, a novel feature-point-tracking- and online clustering-based passenger counting framework, which performs much better than those of background-modeling-and foreground-blob-tracking-based methods. Second, a simple and highly accurate clustering algorithm is developed that projects the high-dimensional feature point trajectories into a 2-D feature space by their appearance and disappearance times and counts the number of people through online clustering. Finally, all test video sequences in the experiment are captured from a real traffic bus in Shanghai, China. The results show that the system can process two 320×240 video sequences at a frame rate of 25 fps simultaneously, and can count passengers reliably in various difficult scenarios with complex interaction and occlusion among people. The method achieves high accuracy rates up to 96.5%.

Building counting by traditional game: Mathematics Program for Young Children

OpenAIRE

Nasrullah Nasrullah; Zulkardi Zulkardi

2011-01-01

In line with design research, the use of Bermain Satu Rumah (BSR) as traditional  game to support children’s counting classroom wherein students are encouraged to construct mathematical understanding. Number in traditional games is an interesting aspect that is helpful for children to encounter numerous situations that bring them into contact with sounds, symbols and meanings that relate to numbers. Bermain satu rumah as starting activity would be media to enhance student’s sense of number as...

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

Science.gov (United States)

Robert, Mark E; Linthicum, Fred H

2016-01-01

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

Counting It Twice.

Science.gov (United States)

Schattschneider, Doris

1991-01-01

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

Low White Blood Cell Count

Science.gov (United States)

Symptoms Low white blood cell count By Mayo Clinic Staff A low white blood cell count (leukopenia) is a decrease ... of white blood cell (neutrophil). The definition of low white blood cell count varies from one medical ...

Improvement and automatization of a proportional alpha-beta counting system - FAG

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

German, U.; Levinson, S.; Pelled, O.; Shemesh, Y.; Assido, H.

1997-01-01

An alpha and beta counting system - FAG*, for planchette samples is operated at the Health Physics department's laboratory of the NRCN. The original operation mode of the system was based on manual tasks handled by the FHT1 100 electronics. An option for a basic computer keyboard operation was available too. A computer with an appropriate I/O card was connected to the system and a new operating program was developed which enables full automatic control of the various components. The program includes activity calculations and statistical checks as well as data management. A bar-code laser system for sample number reading was integrated into the Alpha-Beta automatic counting system. The sample identification by means of an attached bar-code label enables unmistakable and reliable attribution of results to the counted sample. authors)

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2010-01-01

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

Short Communication: A Simple Method for Performing Worm-Egg Counts on Sodium Acetate Formaldehyde-Preserved Samples

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wayne Melrose

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The Kato Katz method is the most common way of performing worm-egg counts on human faecal samples, but it must be done in the field using freshly collected samples. This makes it difficult to use in remote, poorly accessible situations. This paper describes a simple method for egg counts on preserved samples collected in the field and sent to a central location for further processing.

Digital coincidence counting

Science.gov (United States)

Buckman, S. M.; Ius, D.

1996-02-01

This paper reports on the development of a digital coincidence-counting system which comprises a custom-built data acquisition card and associated PC software. The system has been designed to digitise the pulse-trains from two radiation detectors at a rate of 20 MSamples/s with 12-bit resolution. Through hardware compression of the data, the system can continuously record both individual pulse-shapes and the time intervals between pulses. Software-based circuits are used to process the stored pulse trains. These circuits are constructed simply by linking together icons representing various components such as coincidence mixers, time delays, single-channel analysers, deadtimes and scalers. This system enables a pair of pulse trains to be processed repeatedly using any number of different methods. Some preliminary results are presented in order to demonstrate the versatility and efficiency of this new method.

Digital coincidence counting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buckman, S.M.; Ius, D.

1996-01-01

This paper reports on the development of a digital coincidence-counting system which comprises a custom-built data acquisition card and associated PC software. The system has been designed to digitise the pulse-trains from two radiation detectors at a rate of 20 MSamples/s with 12-bit resolution. Through hardware compression of the data, the system can continuously record both individual pulse-shapes and the time intervals between pulses. Software-based circuits are used to process the stored pulse trains. These circuits are constructed simply by linking together icons representing various components such as coincidence mixers, time delays, single-channel analysers, deadtimes and scalers. This system enables a pair of pulse trains to be processed repeatedly using any number of different methods. Some preliminary results are presented in order to demonstrate the versatility and efficiency of this new method. (orig.)

The magical number four: A biological, historical and mythological enigma.

Science.gov (United States)

Gross, Hans J

2012-01-01

Precise recognition of small object numbers without counting is a widespread phenomenon. It is well documented for humans and for a series of non-human vertebrates. Recently this has been confirmed for an invertebrate, the honeybee.(1) This type of inborn numerical competence has been named "subitizing", from the Latin subito = suddenly, immediately. It differs from the classical, sequential counting which has to be trained, starting with the help of our fingers. For humans it had been established since 1871 by Jevons(2) that only up to four objects are precisely recognized and memorized. Under conditions which do not allow sequential counting, mistakes start to occur in case of more than four objects. This result has been confirmed whenever the range of visual attention has been carefully tested under a variety of rigorous conditions. It provides the basis for a novel hypothesis about the evolution of counting and numbering systems in ancient civilizations.(3)  

Invitation to number theory

CERN Document Server

Ore, Oystein

2017-01-01

Number theory is the branch of mathematics concerned with the counting numbers, 1, 2, 3, … and their multiples and factors. Of particular importance are odd and even numbers, squares and cubes, and prime numbers. But in spite of their simplicity, you will meet a multitude of topics in this book: magic squares, cryptarithms, finding the day of the week for a given date, constructing regular polygons, pythagorean triples, and many more. In this revised edition, John Watkins and Robin Wilson have updated the text to bring it in line with contemporary developments. They have added new material on Fermat's Last Theorem, the role of computers in number theory, and the use of number theory in cryptography, and have made numerous minor changes in the presentation and layout of the text and the exercises.

The analysis of incontinence episodes and other count data in patients with overactive bladder by Poisson and negative binomial regression.

Science.gov (United States)

Martina, R; Kay, R; van Maanen, R; Ridder, A

2015-01-01

Clinical studies in overactive bladder have traditionally used analysis of covariance or nonparametric methods to analyse the number of incontinence episodes and other count data. It is known that if the underlying distributional assumptions of a particular parametric method do not hold, an alternative parametric method may be more efficient than a nonparametric one, which makes no assumptions regarding the underlying distribution of the data. Therefore, there are advantages in using methods based on the Poisson distribution or extensions of that method, which incorporate specific features that provide a modelling framework for count data. One challenge with count data is overdispersion, but methods are available that can account for this through the introduction of random effect terms in the modelling, and it is this modelling framework that leads to the negative binomial distribution. These models can also provide clinicians with a clearer and more appropriate interpretation of treatment effects in terms of rate ratios. In this paper, the previously used parametric and non-parametric approaches are contrasted with those based on Poisson regression and various extensions in trials evaluating solifenacin and mirabegron in patients with overactive bladder. In these applications, negative binomial models are seen to fit the data well. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

An electron counting mechanism for the open counter operated in air

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Noguchi, T.; Nagashima, S.; Uda, M.

1994-01-01

An electron counting mechanism for an open or air filled counter has been explicitly explained for the first time. Electrons emitted from a solid surface or formed in air by radiations are transported to the neighborhood of the anode in the counter in the form of O 2 - ions, and are detached from the ions and multiplied in the proximity to the anode through electronic avalanche process. The estimation of the number of the emitted electrons from observed count rates has successively been performed by expressing the dead time as the sum of time intervals necessary for quenching using an external circuit and for drifting of the O 2 - ions, and also by taking into account the reduction in the number of electrons during transportation, which is due to scattering of the O 2 - ions in air. (orig.)

Nearest neighbors by neighborhood counting.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Hui

2006-06-01

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

Hanford whole body counting manual

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Palmer, H.E.; Brim, C.P.; Rieksts, G.A.; Rhoads, M.C.

1987-05-01

This document, a reprint of the Whole Body Counting Manual, was compiled to train personnel, document operation procedures, and outline quality assurance procedures. The current manual contains information on: the location, availability, and scope of services of Hanford's whole body counting facilities; the administrative aspect of the whole body counting operation; Hanford's whole body counting facilities; the step-by-step procedure involved in the different types of in vivo measurements; the detectors, preamplifiers and amplifiers, and spectroscopy equipment; the quality assurance aspect of equipment calibration and recordkeeping; data processing, record storage, results verification, report preparation, count summaries, and unit cost accounting; and the topics of minimum detectable amount and measurement accuracy and precision. 12 refs., 13 tabs

The Precision of Mapping Between Number Words and the Approximate Number System Predicts Children’s Formal Math Abilities

Science.gov (United States)

Libertus, Melissa E.; Odic, Darko; Feigenson, Lisa; Halberda, Justin

2016-01-01

Children can represent number in at least two ways: by using their non-verbal, intuitive Approximate Number System (ANS), and by using words and symbols to count and represent numbers exactly. Further, by the time they are five years old, children can map between the ANS and number words, as evidenced by their ability to verbally estimate numbers of items without counting. How does the quality of the mapping between approximate and exact numbers relate to children’s math abilities? The role of the ANS-number word mapping in math competence remains controversial for at least two reasons. First, previous work has not examined the relation between verbal estimation and distinct subtypes of math abilities. Second, previous work has not addressed how distinct components of verbal estimation – mapping accuracy and variability – might each relate to math performance. Here, we address these gaps by measuring individual differences in ANS precision, verbal number estimation, and formal and informal math abilities in 5- to 7-year-old children. We found that verbal estimation variability, but not estimation accuracy, predicted formal math abilities even when controlling for age, expressive vocabulary, and ANS precision, and that it mediated the link between ANS precision and overall math ability. These findings suggest that variability in the ANS-number word mapping may be especially important for formal math abilities. PMID:27348475

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2018-07-01

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

Data process of liquid scintillation counting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishikawa, Hiroaki; Kuwajima, Susumu.

1975-01-01

The use of liquid scintillation counting system has been significantly spread because automatic sample changers and printers have recently come to be incorporated. However, the system will be systematized completely if automatic data processing and the sample preparation of radioactive materials to be measured are realized. Dry or wet oxidation method is applied to the sample preparation when radioactive materials are hard to dissolve into scintillator solution. Since these several years, the automatic sample combustion system, in which the dry oxidation is automated, has been rapidly spread and serves greatly to labor saving. Since the printers generally indicate only counted number, data processing system has been developed, and speeded up calculating process, which automatically corrects quenching of samples for obtaining the final radioactivity required. The data processing system is roughly divided into on-line and off-line systems according to whether computers are connected directly or indirectly, while its hardware is classified to input, calculating and output devices. Also, the calculation to determine sample activity by external standard method is explained. (Wakatsuki, Y.)

Sunspot number recalibration: The ~1840–1920 anomaly in the observer normalization factors of the group sunspot number

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cliver Edward W.

2017-01-01

Full Text Available We analyze the normalization factors (k′-factors used to scale secondary observers to the Royal Greenwich Observatory (RGO reference series of the Hoyt & Schatten (1998a, 1998b group sunspot number (GSN. A time series of these k′-factors exhibits an anomaly from 1841 to 1920, viz., the average k′-factor for all observers who began reporting groups from 1841 to 1883 is 1.075 vs. 1.431 for those who began from 1884 to 1920, with a progressive rise, on average, during the latter period. The 1883–1884 break between the two subintervals occurs precisely at the point where Hoyt and Schatten began to use a complex daisy-chaining method to scale observers to RGO. The 1841–1920 anomaly implies, implausibly, that the average sunspot observer who began from 1841 to 1883 was nearly as proficient at counting groups as mid-20th century RGO (for which k′ = 1.0 by definition while observers beginning during the 1884–1920 period regressed in group counting capability relative to those from the earlier interval. Instead, as shown elsewhere and substantiated here, RGO group counts increased relative to those of other long-term observers from 1874 to ~1915. This apparent inhomogeneity in the RGO group count series is primarily responsible for the increase in k′-factors from 1884 to 1920 and the suppression, by 44% on average, of the Hoyt and Schatten GSN relative to the original Wolf sunspot number (WSN before ~1885. Correcting for the early “learning curve” in the RGO reference series and minimizing the use of daisy-chaining rectifies the anomalous behavior of the k′-factor series. The resultant GSN time series (designated GSN* is in reasonable agreement with the revised WSN (SN*; Clette & Lefèvre 2016 and the backbone-based group sunspot number (RGS; Svalgaard & Schatten 2016 but significantly higher than other recent reconstructions (Friedli, personal communication, 2016; Lockwood et al. 2014a, 2014b; Usoskin et al. 2016a. This result

Project for an analogue divider using electronic counting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Novat, J.

1964-01-01

The apparatus which has been developed is designed to give the reciprocal of a number between 10 3 and 10 7 . In practice this number can be the pulse count provided during a given time by a detector of the BF 3 type during a criticality experiment. The apparatus is made up of two parts: one provides, by means of relays, a voltage proportional to the reciprocal required, the other is a numeric voltmeter measuring this voltage between 0.1 and 1 volt. The relative error of the result is under 5 per cent. (author) [fr

Skin tags: A link between lesional mast cell count/tryptase expression and obesity and dyslipidemia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Samar Abdallah M Salem

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Background:The etiology of skin tags (STs is not fully understood. A relation to diabetes mellitus and obesity was suggested. Few studies of possible mast cells (MCs involvement were reported. Tyrptase is a mast cell mediator and a potent fibroblast growth factor. It may provide a molecular link between mast cell activation and fibrosis. Aims: The aim was to assess clinical and laboratory findings in patients with STs, and the possible link between obesity, dyslipidemia, and lesional MC count/tryptase expression. Materials and Methods: A total of 20 patients with STs were subjected to clinical examination, estimation of body mass index (BMI, fasting blood glucose (FBG, postprandial blood glucose (PPBG, serum cholesterol and triglycerides, abdominal ultrasound for fatty liver assessment, in addition to study of MCs through staining for MC tryptase in two skin biopsies; lesional and nonlesional (control. Results:All patients showed abnormally high BMI and hypertriglyceridemia, with abnormal sonographic pattern in 15 patients (75%. STs number positively correlated with the age of patients. STs showed significantly higher MC counts and tryptase expression, compared with control skin ( P < 0.001, with no correlation of the STs number or MC count with BMI, FBG, PPBG or serum cholesterol. Obese patients showed a significantly higher MC count than overweight and there was a positive correlation between MC count and serum triglycerides. Axilla and under breast STs showed a higher MC count compared with other sites. Conclusions:STs seem to be related to obesity and hypertriglyceridemia. MCs with their tryptase are possibly involved in pathogenesis of STs. MC count is related to the associated factors; obesity and serum triglycerides. MC tryptase expression is a reliable method for accurate tissue MC counting.

Studies on the characteristics of nuclear track spark counting for neutron monitoring

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kawai, H.; Koga, T.; Morishima, H.; Niwa, T.; Nishiwaki, Y.

1979-01-01

The fission-track counting method using polycarbonate foil is known to be very effective for neutron monitoring. The detection system consists of a track detector foil placed in contact with a thin layer of fissile material. When the unit is irradiated with neutrons, fission fragments from the fissile material produce tracks in the foil. The foil is then etched chemically to enlarge the tracks to etch-pits, which are counted by an automatic spark counting method suggested by Cross and Tommasino. Spark counting characteristics of the above system using polycarbonate detector foils of different thicknesses and aluminized polyester sheets having different thicknesses of the aluminium which serves as an electrode, and etch-pit sizes in relation to spark counting have been studied. The results obtained are summarized as follows: 1. A growth in etch-pit sizes was observed for etching times of 10 to 50 minutes with Makrofol KG (10 μm thick) and Panlite foils (18 μm thick). As the etching time increased, the number of etch-pits which appeared as round pits increased and the number which appeared rod-like decreased; 2. Round etch-pits seemed to be easily spark-punched; 3. Major and minor diameters of etch-pits produced by fission fragments from the uranium fissile target were larger than those from the thorium target; 4. As the thickness of the Makrofol KG foil increased, the minor diameters of the etch-pits appeared to become smaller and major diameters larger; 5. The foils that appeared to be best suited for routine use were 10 μm thick Makrofol KG or 6 μm thick Lumirror foils. (author)

ATMS software: Fuzzy Hough Transform in a hybrid algorithm for counting the overlapped etched tracks and orientation recognition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khayat, O.; Ghergherehchi, M.; Afarideh, H.; Durrani, S.A.; Pouyan, Ali A.; Kim, Y.S.

2013-01-01

A computer program named ATMS written in MATLAB and running with a friendly interface has been developed for recognition and parametric measurements of etched tracks in images captured from the surface of Solid State Nuclear Track Detectors. The program, using image analysis tools, counts the number of etched tracks and depending on the current working mode classifies them according to their radii (small object removal) or their axis (non-perpendicular or non-circular etched tracks), their mean intensity value and their orientation through the minor and major axes. Images of the detectors' surfaces are input to the code, which generates text and figure files as output, including the number of counted etched tracks with the associated track parameters, histograms and a figure showing edge and center of detected etched tracks. ATMS code is running hierarchically as calibration, testing and measurement modes to demonstrate the reliability, repeatability and adaptability. Fuzzy Hough Transform is used for the estimation of the number of etched tracks and their parameters, providing results even in cases that overlapping and orientation occur. ATMS code is finally converted to a standalone file which makes it able to run out of MATLAB environment. - Highlights: ► Presenting a novel code named ATMS for nuclear track measurements. ► Execution in three modes for generality, adaptability and reliability. ► Using Fuzzy Hough Transform for overlapping detection and orientation recognition. ► Using DFT as a filter for noise removal process in track images. ► Processing the noisy track images and demonstration of the presented code

CalCOFI Egg Counts

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Fish egg counts and standardized counts for eggs captured in CalCOFI icthyoplankton nets (primarily vertical [Calvet or Pairovet], oblique [bongo or ring nets], and...

Photon Counting Using Edge-Detection Algorithm

Science.gov (United States)

Gin, Jonathan W.; Nguyen, Danh H.; Farr, William H.

2010-01-01

New applications such as high-datarate, photon-starved, free-space optical communications require photon counting at flux rates into gigaphoton-per-second regimes coupled with subnanosecond timing accuracy. Current single-photon detectors that are capable of handling such operating conditions are designed in an array format and produce output pulses that span multiple sample times. In order to discern one pulse from another and not to overcount the number of incoming photons, a detection algorithm must be applied to the sampled detector output pulses. As flux rates increase, the ability to implement such a detection algorithm becomes difficult within a digital processor that may reside within a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). Systems have been developed and implemented to both characterize gigahertz bandwidth single-photon detectors, as well as process photon count signals at rates into gigaphotons per second in order to implement communications links at SCPPM (serial concatenated pulse position modulation) encoded data rates exceeding 100 megabits per second with efficiencies greater than two bits per detected photon. A hardware edge-detection algorithm and corresponding signal combining and deserialization hardware were developed to meet these requirements at sample rates up to 10 GHz. The photon discriminator deserializer hardware board accepts four inputs, which allows for the ability to take inputs from a quadphoton counting detector, to support requirements for optical tracking with a reduced number of hardware components. The four inputs are hardware leading-edge detected independently. After leading-edge detection, the resultant samples are ORed together prior to deserialization. The deserialization is performed to reduce the rate at which data is passed to a digital signal processor, perhaps residing within an FPGA. The hardware implements four separate analog inputs that are connected through RF connectors. Each analog input is fed to a high-speed 1

A bar-code reader for an alpha-beta automatic counting system - FAG

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Levinson, S; Shemesh, Y; Ankry, N; Assido, H; German, U; Peled, O [Israel Atomic Energy Commission, Beersheba (Israel). Nuclear Research Center-Negev

1996-12-01

A bar-code laser system for sample number reading was integrated into the FAG Alpha-Beta automatic counting system. The sample identification by means of an attached bar-code label enables unmistakable and reliable attribution of results to the counted sample. Installation of the bar-code reader system required several modifications: Mechanical changes in the automatic sample changer, design and production of new sample holders, modification of the sample planchettes, changes in the electronic system, update of the operating software of the system (authors).

A bar-code reader for an alpha-beta automatic counting system - FAG

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Levinson, S.; Shemesh, Y.; Ankry, N.; Assido, H.; German, U.; Peled, O.

1996-01-01

A bar-code laser system for sample number reading was integrated into the FAG Alpha-Beta automatic counting system. The sample identification by means of an attached bar-code label enables unmistakable and reliable attribution of results to the counted sample. Installation of the bar-code reader system required several modifications: Mechanical changes in the automatic sample changer, design and production of new sample holders, modification of the sample planchettes, changes in the electronic system, update of the operating software of the system (authors)

Current automated 3D cell detection methods are not a suitable replacement for manual stereologic cell counting

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christoph eSchmitz

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Stereologic cell counting has had a major impact on the field of neuroscience. A major bottleneck in stereologic cell counting is that the user must manually decide whether or not each cell is counted according to three-dimensional (3D stereologic counting rules by visual inspection within hundreds of microscopic fields-of-view per investigated brain or brain region. Reliance on visual inspection forces stereologic cell counting to be very labor-intensive and time-consuming, and is the main reason why biased, non-stereologic two-dimensional (2D cell counting approaches have remained in widespread use. We present an evaluation of the performance of modern automated cell detection and segmentation algorithms as a potential alternative to the manual approach in stereologic cell counting. The image data used in this study were 3D microscopic images of thick brain tissue sections prepared with a variety of commonly used nuclear and cytoplasmic stains. The evaluation compared the numbers and locations of cells identified unambiguously and counted exhaustively by an expert observer with those found by three automated 3D cell detection algorithms: nuclei segmentation from the FARSIGHT toolkit, nuclei segmentation by 3D multiple level set methods, and the 3D object counter plug-in for ImageJ. Of these methods, FARSIGHT performed best, with true-positive detection rates between 38–99% and false-positive rates from 3.6–82%. The results demonstrate that the current automated methods suffer from lower detection rates and higher false-positive rates than are acceptable for obtaining valid estimates of cell numbers. Thus, at present, stereologic cell counting with manual decision for object inclusion according to unbiased stereologic counting rules remains the only adequate method for unbiased cell quantification in histologic tissue sections.

Utility of NucleoCounter for the chondrocyte count in the collagenase digest of human native cartilage

Science.gov (United States)

Yonenaga, Kazumichi; Nishizawa, Satoru; Akizawa, Miki; Asawa, Yukiyo; Fujihara, Yuko; Takato, Tsuyoshi

2010-01-01

In cartilage tissue engineering, viable cell numbers should be correctly counted in the collagenase digest of the biopsied cartilage. However, this is a difficult task due to the presence of matrix debris, cell ghosts and their aggregates. To search for the correct cell counting method in this situation, we evaluated the utility of an automatic cell counting device, the NucleoCounter, and compared it with conventional staining using the LIVE/DEAD® kit. We first measured the cell numbers of a standard chondrocyte sample by the NucleoCounter, which showed a high accuracy (R2 = 0.9999) and reproducibility (%CV: 2.00–8.66). We then calculated the cell numbers and viability in some collagenase digests of native cartilage using either the NucleoCounter or LIVE/DEAD® kit, revealing that the total cell numbers, viable ones and viability were highly correlated between them (R2 = 0.9601, 0.9638 and 0.917, respectively). However, both the intrapersonal and interpersonal variabilities in the NucleoCounter was significantly decreased to about 1/20–1/5, compared to that of the LIVE/DEAD® kit. The NucleoCounter was regarded as a useful tool for simple, rapid, and highly reproducible cell counts, which may not only provide constant experimental data in a certain laboratory, but also contribute to the high reproducibility of the clinical results of cartilage tissue engineering among multiple institutions. PMID:20845070

Multisite study of particle number concentrations in urban air.

Science.gov (United States)

Harrison, Roy M; Jones, Alan M

2005-08-15

Particle number concentration data are reported from a total of eight urban site locations in the United Kingdom. Of these, six are central urban background sites, while one is an urban street canyon (Marylebone Road) and another is influenced by both a motorway and a steelworks (Port Talbot). The concentrations are generally of a similar order to those reported in the literature, although higher than those in some of the other studies. Highest concentrations are at the Marylebone Road site and lowest are at the Port Talbot site. The central urban background locations lie somewhere between with concentrations typically around 20 000 cm(-3). A seasonal pattern affects all sites, with highest concentrations in the winter months and lowest concentrations in the summer. Data from all sites show a diurnal variation with a morning rush hour peak typical of an anthropogenic pollutant. When the dilution effects of windspeed are accounted for, the data show little directionality at the central urban background sites indicating the influence of sources from all directions as might be expected if the major source were road traffic. At the London Marylebone Road site there is high directionality driven by the air circulation in the street canyon, and at the Port Talbot site different diurnal patterns are seen for particle number count and PM10 influenced by emissions from road traffic (particle number count) and the steelworks (PM10) and local meteorological factors. Hourly particle number concentrations are generally only weakly correlated to NO(x) and PM10, with the former showing a slightly closer relationship. Correlations between daily average particle number count and PM10 were also weak. Episodes of high PM10 concentration in summer typically show low particle number concentrations consistent with transport of accumulation mode secondary aerosol, while winter episodes are frequently associated with high PM10 and particle number count arising from poor dispersion of

Generalized estimators of avian abundance from count survey data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Royle, J. A.

2004-01-01

Full Text Available I consider modeling avian abundance from spatially referenced bird count data collected according to common protocols such as capture-recapture, multiple observer, removal sampling and simple point counts. Small sample sizes and large numbers of parameters have motivated many analyses that disregard the spatial indexing of the data, and thus do not provide an adequate treatment of spatial structure. I describe a general framework for modeling spatially replicated data that regards local abundance as a random process, motivated by the view that the set of spatially referenced local populations (at the sample locations constitute a metapopulation. Under this view, attention can be focused on developing a model for the variation in local abundance independent of the sampling protocol being considered. The metapopulation model structure, when combined with the data generating model, define a simple hierarchical model that can be analyzed using conventional methods. The proposed modeling framework is completely general in the sense that broad classes of metapopulation models may be considered, site level covariates on detection and abundance may be considered, and estimates of abundance and related quantities may be obtained for sample locations, groups of locations, unsampled locations. Two brief examples are given, the first involving simple point counts, and the second based on temporary removal counts. Extension of these models to open systems is briefly discussed.

Regression models for categorical, count, and related variables an applied approach

CERN Document Server

Hoffmann, John P

2016-01-01

Social science and behavioral science students and researchers are often confronted with data that are categorical, count a phenomenon, or have been collected over time. Sociologists examining the likelihood of interracial marriage, political scientists studying voting behavior, criminologists counting the number of offenses people commit, health scientists studying the number of suicides across neighborhoods, and psychologists modeling mental health treatment success are all interested in outcomes that are not continuous. Instead, they must measure and analyze these events and phenomena in a discrete manner.   This book provides an introduction and overview of several statistical models designed for these types of outcomes--all presented with the assumption that the reader has only a good working knowledge of elementary algebra and has taken introductory statistics and linear regression analysis.   Numerous examples from the social sciences demonstrate the practical applications of these models. The chapte...

Testing the count rate performance of the scintillation camera by exponential attenuation: Decaying source; Multiple filters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adams, R.; Mena, I.

1988-01-01

An algorithm and two fortrAN programs have been developed to evaluate the count rate performance of scintillation cameras from count rates reduced exponentially, either by a decaying source or by filtration. The first method is used with short-lived radionuclides such as 191 /sup m/Ir or 191 /sup m/Au. The second implements a National Electrical Manufacturers' Association (NEMA) protocol in which the count rate from a source of 191 /sup m/Tc is attenuated by a varying number of copper filters stacked over it. The count rate at each data point is corrected for deadtime loss after assigning an arbitrary deadtime (tau). A second-order polynomial equation is fitted to the logarithms of net count rate values: ln(R) = A+BT+CT 2 where R is the net corrected count rate (cps), and T is the elapsed time (or the filter thickness in the NEMA method). Depending on C, tau is incremented or decremented iteratively, and the count rate corrections and curve fittings are repeated until C approaches zero, indicating a correct value of the deadtime (tau). The program then plots the measured count rate versus the corrected count rate values

A Multispectral Photon-Counting Double Random Phase Encoding Scheme for Image Authentication

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Faliu Yi

2014-05-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we propose a new method for color image-based authentication that combines multispectral photon-counting imaging (MPCI and double random phase encoding (DRPE schemes. The sparsely distributed information from MPCI and the stationary white noise signal from DRPE make intruder attacks difficult. In this authentication method, the original multispectral RGB color image is down-sampled into a Bayer image. The three types of color samples (red, green and blue color in the Bayer image are encrypted with DRPE and the amplitude part of the resulting image is photon counted. The corresponding phase information that has nonzero amplitude after photon counting is then kept for decryption. Experimental results show that the retrieved images from the proposed method do not visually resemble their original counterparts. Nevertheless, the original color image can be efficiently verified with statistical nonlinear correlations. Our experimental results also show that different interpolation algorithms applied to Bayer images result in different verification effects for multispectral RGB color images.

A multispectral photon-counting double random phase encoding scheme for image authentication.

Science.gov (United States)

Yi, Faliu; Moon, Inkyu; Lee, Yeon H

2014-05-20

In this paper, we propose a new method for color image-based authentication that combines multispectral photon-counting imaging (MPCI) and double random phase encoding (DRPE) schemes. The sparsely distributed information from MPCI and the stationary white noise signal from DRPE make intruder attacks difficult. In this authentication method, the original multispectral RGB color image is down-sampled into a Bayer image. The three types of color samples (red, green and blue color) in the Bayer image are encrypted with DRPE and the amplitude part of the resulting image is photon counted. The corresponding phase information that has nonzero amplitude after photon counting is then kept for decryption. Experimental results show that the retrieved images from the proposed method do not visually resemble their original counterparts. Nevertheless, the original color image can be efficiently verified with statistical nonlinear correlations. Our experimental results also show that different interpolation algorithms applied to Bayer images result in different verification effects for multispectral RGB color images.

Planck 2013 results. XX. Cosmology from Sunyaev-Zeldovich cluster counts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ade, P. A. R.; Aghanim, N.; Armitage-Caplan, C.

2013-01-01

We present constraints on cosmological parameters using number counts as a function of redshift for a sub-sample of 189 galaxy clusters from the Planck SZ (PSZ) catalogue. The PSZ is selected through the signature of the Sunyaev-Zeldovich (SZ) effect, and the sub-sample used here has a signal-to-...

Influence of puberty and antral follicle count on calving day in crossbred beef heifers.

Science.gov (United States)

McNeel, Anthony K; Cushman, Robert A

2015-10-15

Lifetime productivity and longevity are greater in beef cows that give birth early in their first calving season. The ability of heifers to conceive early in the breeding season is traditionally thought to be a function of pubertal status; however, recent evidence suggests that antral follicle count is positively associated with calving day in pubertal beef heifers. Additionally, there is evidence to suggest that the total number of ovarian follicles may alter response to hormonal synchronization protocols. The objectives of this study were to confirm the beneficial influence of antral follicle count on calving day in beef heifers and to determine whether response to PGF2α is associated with differences in antral follicle counts. A 2 × 2 factorial experiment was designed to investigate the interaction between calving period (early vs. late) and PGF2α (control vs. PGF) on calving day and antral follicle count in yearling beef heifers (n = 95). As intended, calving day was less in the early calving period compared to the late calving period (P 0.05). There was a significant interaction between calving period and PGF2α on age at first calving (P reproductive tract scoring for commercial production because of its association with calving day. As a prebreeding ovarian phenotype, antral follicle counts may hold additional applicability for organic beef producers looking to reduce the length of their calving season without increasing the total number of replacement heifers retained. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Counting statistics in radioactivity measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martin, J.

1975-01-01

The application of statistical methods to radioactivity measurement problems is analyzed in several chapters devoted successively to: the statistical nature of radioactivity counts; the application to radioactive counting of two theoretical probability distributions, Poisson's distribution law and the Laplace-Gauss law; true counting laws; corrections related to the nature of the apparatus; statistical techniques in gamma spectrometry [fr

The irrationals a story of the numbers you can't count on

CERN Document Server

Havil, Julian

2012-01-01

The ancient Greeks discovered them, but it wasn’t until the nineteenth century that irrational numbers were properly understood and rigorously defined, and even today not all their mysteries have been revealed. In The Irrationals, the first popular and comprehensive book on the subject, Julian Havil tells the story of irrational numbers and the mathematicians who have tackled their challenges, from antiquity to the twenty-first century. Along the way, he explains why irrational numbers are surprisingly difficult to define—and why so many questions still surround them. Fascinating and illuminating, this is a book for everyone who loves math and the history behind it.

Number of Langerhans cells is decreased in premalignant keratosis and skin cancers.

Science.gov (United States)

Shevchuk, Z; Filip, A; Shevchuk, V; Kashuba, E

2014-03-01

It was shown earlier that a number of CD207 positive Langerhans cells was lower in basal cell carcinomas than in the normal epidermis. Moreover, benign skin lesions presented a higher number of Langerhans cells when they were compared to malignant tumors. To count Langerhans cells, assessing expression levels of CD1A and CD207 markers in actinic keratosis, basal and squamous cell carcinomas, compared with the normal skin. Comparison of Langerhans cells might give a valuable prognostic marker for skin cancer. Immunohistochemistry and methods of statistics were used. Expression of CD1A and CD207 markers was assessed in tumor samples of actinic keratosis, cutaneous basal and squamous cell carcinomas, in comparison with the normal skin. In each cohort there were 40 patients (and 11 healthy individuals). We have shown that the number of Langerhans cells is considerably lower in cutaneous basal and squamous cell carcinomas, compared with their number in the normal skin (p keratosis, basal and squamous cell carcinoma. This may suggest an alteration of Langerhans cells phenotype in skin neoplastic diseases, making the number of Langerhans cells a valuable prognostic factor for skin tumors.

Conversion from Engineering Units to Telemetry Counts on Dryden Flight Simulators

Science.gov (United States)

Fantini, Jay A.

1998-01-01

Dryden real-time flight simulators encompass the simulation of pulse code modulation (PCM) telemetry signals. This paper presents a new method whereby the calibration polynomial (from first to sixth order), representing the conversion from counts to engineering units (EU), is numerically inverted in real time. The result is less than one-count error for valid EU inputs. The Newton-Raphson method is used to numerically invert the polynomial. A reverse linear interpolation between the EU limits is used to obtain an initial value for the desired telemetry count. The method presented here is not new. What is new is how classical numerical techniques are optimized to take advantage of modem computer power to perform the desired calculations in real time. This technique makes the method simple to understand and implement. There are no interpolation tables to store in memory as in traditional methods. The NASA F-15 simulation converts and transmits over 1000 parameters at 80 times/sec. This paper presents algorithm development, FORTRAN code, and performance results.

Correlation between total lymphocyte count, hemoglobin, hematocrit and CD4 count in HIV patients in Nigeria.

Science.gov (United States)

Emuchay, Charles Iheanyichi; Okeniyi, Shemaiah Olufemi; Okeniyi, Joshua Olusegun

2014-04-01

The expensive and technology limited setting of CD4 count testing is a major setback to the initiation of HAART in a resource limited country like Nigeria. Simple and inexpensive tools such as Hemoglobin (Hb) measurement and Total Lymphocyte Count (TLC) are recommended as substitute marker. In order to assess the correlations of these parameters with CD4 count, 100 "apparently healthy" male volunteers tested HIV positive aged ≥ 20 years but ≤ 40 years were recruited and from whom Hb, Hct, TLC and CD4 count were obtained. The correlation coefficients, R, the Nash-Sutcliffe Coefficient of Efficiency (CoE) and the p-values of the ANOVA model of Hb, Hct and TLC with CD4 count were assessed. The assessments show that there is no significant relationship of any of these parameters with CD4 count and the correlation coefficients are very weak. This study shows that Hb, Hct and TLC cannot be substitute for CD4 count as this might lead to certain individuals' deprivation of required treatment.

Correlation between discharged worms and fecal egg counts in human clonorchiasis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jae-Hwan Kim

2011-10-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Stool examination by counting eggs per gram of feces (EPGs is the best method to estimate worm burden of Clonorchis sinensis in infected humans. The present study investigated a correlation between EPGs and worm burden in human clonorchiasis. METHODS AND FINDINGS: A total of 60 residents, 50 egg-positive and 10 egg-negative, in Sancheong-gun, Korea, participated in this worm collection trial in 2006-2009. They were diagnosed by egg positivity in feces using the Kato-Katz method. After administration of praziquantel, they were purged with cathartics on the next day, and then discharged adult worms were collected from their feces. Their EPGs ranged from 0 to 65,544. Adult worms of C. sinensis were collected from 17 egg-positive cases, and the number of worms ranged from 1 to 114 in each individual. A positive correlation between EPGs and numbers of worms was demonstrated (r = 0.681, P<0.001. Worm recovery rates were 9.7% in cases of EPGs 1-1,000 and 73.7% in those of EPGs over 1,000. No worms were detected from egg-negative subjects. Maximum egg count per worm per day was roughly estimated 3,770 in a subject with EPGs 2,664 and 106 collected worms. CONCLUSIONS: The numbers of the worms are significantly correlated with the egg counts in human clonorchiasis. It is estimated that at least 110 worms are infected in a human body with EPGs around 3,000, and egg productivity of a worm per day is around 4,000.

It counts who counts: an experimental evaluation of the importance of observer effects on spotlight count estimates

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sunde, Peter; Jessen, Lonnie

2013-01-01

observers with respect to their ability to detect and estimate distance to realistic animal silhouettes at different distances. Detection probabilities were higher for observers experienced in spotlighting mammals than for inexperienced observers, higher for observers with a hunting background compared...... with non-hunters and decreased as function of age but were independent of sex or educational background. If observer-specific detection probabilities were applied to real counting routes, point count estimates from inexperienced observers without a hunting background would only be 43 % (95 % CI, 39...

Analysis of the number of enlarged pores according to site, age, and sex.

Science.gov (United States)

Jung, H J; Ahn, J Y; Lee, J I; Bae, J Y; Kim, H L; Suh, H Y; Youn, J I; Park, M Y

2018-02-02

Increasing the number of enlarged pores causes cosmetic problems. The difference in the number of enlarged pores according to facial site, age, and sex is unclear. To analyze the distribution of the number of enlarged pores according to facial site, age, and sex. We analyzed the number of the enlarged pores and the percentage of wrinkles in the nose, forehead, and cheek from 434 polarized images. The measurement results were analyzed according to site, age, and sex. Relationship between enlarged pore counts and wrinkle severity was also analyzed. The study was conducted by using DermaVision,™ which can take cross-polarization, parallel polarization, and ultraviolet light images. The enlarged pores of the nose and forehead were more prominent than in the cheeks. Pore counts were increased with age, and the increment was significant between the 30's and 40's. There was no significant difference by gender. Enlarged pore counts were related to wrinkle severity. The number of enlarged pores differs depending on body site and increased with age. The enlarged pore counts correlate with wrinkle severity and the correlation varies depending on the body site. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Enumerating the Hidden Homeless: Strategies to Estimate the Homeless Gone Missing From a Point-in-Time Count

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Agans Robert P.

2014-06-01

Full Text Available To receive federal homeless funds, communities are required to produce statistically reliable, unduplicated counts or estimates of homeless persons in sheltered and unsheltered locations during a one-night period (within the last ten days of January called a point-in-time (PIT count. In Los Angeles, a general population telephone survey was implemented to estimate the number of unsheltered homeless adults who are hidden from view during the PIT count. Two estimation approaches were investigated: i the number of homeless persons identified as living on private property, which employed a conventional household weight for the estimated total (Horvitz-Thompson approach; and ii the number of homeless persons identified as living on a neighbor’s property, which employed an additional adjustment derived from the size of the neighborhood network to estimate the total (multiplicity-based approach. This article compares the results of these two methods and discusses the implications therein.

Use of Image Pro Plus for counting of α particles tracks in CR-39

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miranda, Marcia Valeria F.E. Sa; Crispim, Verginia Reis

2011-01-01

This paper measured the radon radiations present in NORM samples, through the diffusion chambers which contained a nuclear track detector (CR-39). For automatic counting of those tracks the computer program Image Pro plus was used. This paper reports the application of Image Pro plus for counting the nuclear tracks, coming from the radon radiation present in NORM samples. As the radiation rate of 222 Rn if proportional to the number of these tracks, the methodology allowed to compare the levels of contamination of the analysed samples. Also, tables and graphics are presented with counting results referring to the stage of validation of Image Pro plus

Total lymphocyte count and subpopulation lymphocyte counts in relation to dietary intake and nutritional status of peritoneal dialysis patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Grzegorzewska, Alicja E; Leander, Magdalena

2005-01-01

Dietary deficiency causes abnormalities in circulating lymphocyte counts. For the present paper, we evaluated correlations between total and subpopulation lymphocyte counts (TLC, SLCs) and parameters of nutrition in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. Studies were carried out in 55 patients treated with PD for 22.2 +/- 11.4 months. Parameters of nutritional status included total body mass, lean body mass (LBM), body mass index (BMI), and laboratory indices [total protein, albumin, iron, ferritin, and total iron binding capacity (TIBC)]. The SLCs were evaluated using flow cytometry. Positive correlations were seen between TLC and dietary intake of niacin; TLC and CD8 and CD16+56 counts and energy delivered from protein; CD4 count and beta-carotene and monounsaturated fatty acids 17:1 intake; and CD19 count and potassium, copper, vitamin A, and beta-carotene intake. Anorexia negatively influenced CD19 count. Serum albumin showed correlations with CD4 and CD19 counts, and LBM with CD19 count. A higher CD19 count was connected with a higher red blood cell count, hemoglobin, and hematocrit. Correlations were observed between TIBC and TLC and CD3 and CD8 counts, and between serum Fe and TLC and CD3 and CD4 counts. Patients with a higher CD19 count showed a better clinical-laboratory score, especially less weakness. Patients with a higher CD4 count had less expressed insomnia. Quantities of ingested vitamins and minerals influence lymphocyte counts in the peripheral blood of PD patients. Evaluation of TLC and SLCs is helpful in monitoring the effectiveness of nutrition in these patients.

Robustifying Bayesian nonparametric mixtures for count data.

Science.gov (United States)

Canale, Antonio; Prünster, Igor

2017-03-01

Our motivating application stems from surveys of natural populations and is characterized by large spatial heterogeneity in the counts, which makes parametric approaches to modeling local animal abundance too restrictive. We adopt a Bayesian nonparametric approach based on mixture models and innovate with respect to popular Dirichlet process mixture of Poisson kernels by increasing the model flexibility at the level both of the kernel and the nonparametric mixing measure. This allows to derive accurate and robust estimates of the distribution of local animal abundance and of the corresponding clusters. The application and a simulation study for different scenarios yield also some general methodological implications. Adding flexibility solely at the level of the mixing measure does not improve inferences, since its impact is severely limited by the rigidity of the Poisson kernel with considerable consequences in terms of bias. However, once a kernel more flexible than the Poisson is chosen, inferences can be robustified by choosing a prior more general than the Dirichlet process. Therefore, to improve the performance of Bayesian nonparametric mixtures for count data one has to enrich the model simultaneously at both levels, the kernel and the mixing measure. © 2016, The International Biometric Society.

Computing Hypergraph Ramsey Numbers by Using Quantum Circuit

OpenAIRE

Qu, Ri; Li, Zong-shang; Wang, Juan; Bao, Yan-ru; Cao, Xiao-chun

2012-01-01

Gaitan and Clark [Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 010501 (2012)] have recently shown a quantum algorithm for the computation of the Ramsey numbers using adiabatic quantum evolution. We present a quantum algorithm to compute the two-color Ramsey numbers for r-uniform hypergraphs by using the quantum counting circuit.

Modeling Zero-Inflated and Overdispersed Count Data: An Empirical Study of School Suspensions

Science.gov (United States)

Desjardins, Christopher David

2016-01-01

The purpose of this article is to develop a statistical model that best explains variability in the number of school days suspended. Number of school days suspended is a count variable that may be zero-inflated and overdispersed relative to a Poisson model. Four models were examined: Poisson, negative binomial, Poisson hurdle, and negative…

Daily Patterns of Preschoolers’ Objectively Measured Step Counts in Six European Countries: Cross-Sectional Results from the ToyBox-Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vicky Van Stappen

2018-02-01

Full Text Available This study is part of the ToyBox-study, which is conducted in six European countries (Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Poland and Spain, aiming to develop a cost-effective kindergarten-based, family-involved intervention to prevent overweight and obesity in four- to six-year-old preschool children. In the current study, we aimed to examine and compare preschoolers’ step count patterns, across the six European countries. A sample of 3578 preschoolers (mean age: 4.8 ± 0.4 was included. Multilevel analyses were performed to take clustering of measurements into account. Based on the average hourly steps, step count patterns for the six European countries were created for weekdays and weekend days. The step count patterns during weekdays were related to the daily kindergarten schedules. Step count patterns during weekdays showed several significant peaks and troughs (p < 0.01 and clearly reflected the kindergartens’ daily schedules, except for Germany. For example, low numbers of steps were observed during afternoon naptimes and high numbers of steps during recess. In Germany, step count patterns did not show clear peaks and troughs, which can be explained by a less structured kindergarten schedule. On weekend days, differences in step count patterns were observed in the absolute number of steps in the afternoon trough and the period in which the evening peak occurred. Differences in step count patterns across the countries can be explained by differences in (school policy, lifestyle habits, and culture. Therefore, it might be important to respond to these step count patterns and more specifically to tackle the inactive periods during interventions to promote physical activity in preschoolers.

Counting states of black strings with traveling waves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Horowitz, G.T.; Marolf, D.

1997-01-01

We consider a family of solutions to string theory which depend on arbitrary functions and contain regular event horizons. They describe six-dimensional extremal black strings with traveling waves and have an inhomogeneous distribution of momentum along the string. The structure of these solutions near the horizon is studied and the horizon area computed. We also count the number of BPS string states at weak coupling whose macroscopic momentum distribution agrees with that of the black string. It is shown that the number of such states is given by the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy of the black string with traveling waves. copyright 1997 The American Physical Society

Photon-counting digital radiography using high-pressure xenon filled detectors

CERN Document Server

Li, Maozhen; Johns, P C

2001-01-01

Digital radiography overcomes many of the limitations of the traditional screen/film system. Further enhancements in the digital radiography image are possible if the X-ray image receptor could measure the energy of individual photons instead of simply integrating their energy, as is the case at present. A prototype photon counting scanned projection radiography system has been constructed, which combines a Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) and a Gas Microstrip Detector (GMD) using Xe : CH sub 4 (90 : 10) at high pressure. With the gain contribution from the GEM, the GMD can be operated at lower and safer voltages making the imaging system more reliable. Good energy resolution, and spatial resolution comparable to that of screen/film, have been demonstrated for the GEM/GMD hybrid imaging system in photon counting mode for X-ray spectra up to 50 kV.

Influence of Heat Shock Temperatures and Fast Freezing on Viability of Probiotic Sporeformers and the Issue of Spore Plate Count Versus True Numbers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mojtaba Jafari

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Background and Objectives: The purpose of the present study was to investigate effects of various heat shock conditions and fast freezing and subsequent thawing on the viability and recovery of Bacillus coagulans and Bacillus subtilis as probiotic sporeformers, and also to compare spore plate and microscopic counts. Materials and Methods: After preparing the final suspensions of B. coagulans and Bacillus subtilis subsp. Natto spores, they were spread-plated before and after fast freezing treatment (-70°C for about 1 min. Heat shock treatments of the spores were carried out at 68oC for 15, 20, and 30 min as well as at 80oC for 10 and 15 min. Concentrations of the examined probiotic sporeformers were determined simultaneously by plate enumerations and microscopically determined counts. Student’s t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA of SPSS were used for statistical analysis of the data. Analysis of DoE results was carried out using Minitab. Results: The results presented here show that the highest recovery rates for B. coagulans (14.75 log CFU/mL and B. subtilis spores (14.80 log CFU/mL were under a heat shock condition of 68°C for 20 min in nutrient agar (p<0.05. In addition, the survival rates of B. coagulans and B. subtilis spores under the fast freezing and subsequent thawing condition were about 90% and 88%, respectively. Plate counts differed significantly from counts determined microscopically, with differences of almost 0.5 and 0.8 log for B. coagulans and B. subtilis spores, respectively (p<0.05. In addition, DoE results of the study revealed that both factors of spore count method and only freezing factor in fast freezing treatment have a significant effect on concentrations of the spores examined (p<0.05. Conclusions: Heat shock conditions, freezing and subsequent thawing circumstances, and plate counts or enumerations determined microscopically have significant influences on the viability of probiotic sporeformers and

Disease Mapping and Regression with Count Data in the Presence of Overdispersion and Spatial Autocorrelation: A Bayesian Model Averaging Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Mohebbi, Mohammadreza; Wolfe, Rory; Forbes, Andrew

2014-01-01

This paper applies the generalised linear model for modelling geographical variation to esophageal cancer incidence data in the Caspian region of Iran. The data have a complex and hierarchical structure that makes them suitable for hierarchical analysis using Bayesian techniques, but with care required to deal with problems arising from counts of events observed in small geographical areas when overdispersion and residual spatial autocorrelation are present. These considerations lead to nine regression models derived from using three probability distributions for count data: Poisson, generalised Poisson and negative binomial, and three different autocorrelation structures. We employ the framework of Bayesian variable selection and a Gibbs sampling based technique to identify significant cancer risk factors. The framework deals with situations where the number of possible models based on different combinations of candidate explanatory variables is large enough such that calculation of posterior probabilities for all models is difficult or infeasible. The evidence from applying the modelling methodology suggests that modelling strategies based on the use of generalised Poisson and negative binomial with spatial autocorrelation work well and provide a robust basis for inference. PMID:24413702

Optimizing the calculation of point source count-centroid in pixel size measurement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou Luyi; Kuang Anren; Su Xianyu

2004-01-01

Purpose: Pixel size is an important parameter of gamma camera and SPECT. A number of Methods are used for its accurate measurement. In the original count-centroid method, where the image of a point source(PS) is acquired and its count-centroid calculated to represent PS position in the image, background counts are inevitable. Thus the measured count-centroid (Xm) is an approximation of the true count-centroid (Xp) of the PS, i.e. Xm=Xp+(Xb-Xp)/(1+Rp/Rb), where Rp is the net counting rate of the PS, Xb the background count-centroid and Rb the background counting rate. To get accurate measurement, Rp must be very big, which is unpractical, resulting in the variation of measured pixel size. Rp-independent calculation of PS count-centroid is desired. Methods: The proposed method attempted to eliminate the effect of the term (Xb-Xp)/(1+Rp/Rb) by bringing Xb closer to Xp and by reducing Rb. In the acquired PS image, a circular ROI was generated to enclose the PS, the pixel with the maximum count being the center of the ROI. To choose the diameter (D) of the ROI, a Gaussian count distribution was assumed for the PS, accordingly, K=I-(0.5)D/R percent of the total PS counts was in the ROI, R being the full width at half maximum of the PS count distribution. D was set to be 6*R to enclose most (K=98.4%) of the PS counts. The count-centroid of the ROI was calculated to represent Xp. The proposed method was tested in measuring the pixel size of a well-tuned SPECT, whose pixel size was estimated to be 3.02 mm according to its mechanical and electronic setting (128*128 matrix, 387 mm UFOV, ZOOM=1). For comparison, the original method, which was use in the former versions of some commercial SPECT software, was also tested. 12 PSs were prepared and their image acquired and stored. The net counting rate of the PSs increased from 10cps to 1183cps. Results: Using the proposed method, the measured pixel size (in mm) varied only between 3.00 and 3.01( mean= 3.01±0.00) as Rp increased

Heterogeneous counting on filter support media

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Long, E.; Kohler, V.; Kelly, M.J.

1976-01-01

Many investigators in the biomedical research area have used filter paper as the support for radioactive samples. This means that a heterogeneous counting of sample sometimes results. The count rate of a sample on a filter will be affected by positioning, degree of dryness, sample application procedure, the type of filter, and the type of cocktail used. Positioning of the filter (up or down) in the counting vial can cause a variation of 35% or more when counting tritiated samples on filter paper. Samples of varying degrees of dryness when added to the counting cocktail can cause nonreproducible counts if handled improperly. Count rates starting at 2400 CPM initially can become 10,000 CPM in 24 hours for 3 H-DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) samples dried on standard cellulose acetate membrane filters. Data on cellulose nitrate filters show a similar trend. Sample application procedures in which the sample is applied to the filter in a small spot or on a large amount of the surface area can cause nonreproducible or very low counting rates. A tritiated DNA sample, when applied topically, gives a count rate of 4,000 CPM. When the sample is spread over the whole filter, 13,400 CPM are obtained with a much better coefficient of variation (5% versus 20%). Adding protein carrier (bovine serum albumin-BSA) to the sample to trap more of the tritiated DNA on the filter during the filtration process causes a serious beta absorption problem. Count rates which are one-fourth the count rate applied to the filter are obtained on calibrated runs. Many of the problems encountered can be alleviated by a proper choice of filter and the use of a liquid scintillation cocktail which dissolves the filter. Filter-Solv has been used to dissolve cellulose nitrate filters and filters which are a combination of cellulose nitrate and cellulose acetate. Count rates obtained for these dissolved samples are very reproducible and highly efficient

Learning from Number Board Games: You Learn What You Encode

Science.gov (United States)

Laski, Elida V.; Siegler, Robert S.

2014-01-01

We tested the hypothesis that encoding the numerical-spatial relations in a number board game is a key process in promoting learning from playing such games. Experiment 1 used a microgenetic design to examine the effects on learning of the type of counting procedure that children use. As predicted, having kindergartners count-on from their current…

Stereological Methods for Estimation of Total Number of Particles in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

In certain organs, like the brain, it is important to count the number of neurons associated with a particular function or region. The count gives an estimate of the electronic units available for a specific task or are endowed with a quantum of electrical energy. Similar studies can be extended in organs like the kidney, glands ...

Automatic airline baggage counting using 3D image segmentation

Science.gov (United States)

Yin, Deyu; Gao, Qingji; Luo, Qijun

2017-06-01

The baggage number needs to be checked automatically during baggage self-check-in. A fast airline baggage counting method is proposed in this paper using image segmentation based on height map which is projected by scanned baggage 3D point cloud. There is height drop in actual edge of baggage so that it can be detected by the edge detection operator. And then closed edge chains are formed from edge lines that is linked by morphological processing. Finally, the number of connected regions segmented by closed chains is taken as the baggage number. Multi-bag experiment that is performed on the condition of different placement modes proves the validity of the method.

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2014-01-01

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

Full Counting Statistics for Interacting Fermions with Determinantal Quantum Monte Carlo Simulations.

Science.gov (United States)

Humeniuk, Stephan; Büchler, Hans Peter

2017-12-08

We present a method for computing the full probability distribution function of quadratic observables such as particle number or magnetization for the Fermi-Hubbard model within the framework of determinantal quantum Monte Carlo calculations. Especially in cold atom experiments with single-site resolution, such a full counting statistics can be obtained from repeated projective measurements. We demonstrate that the full counting statistics can provide important information on the size of preformed pairs. Furthermore, we compute the full counting statistics of the staggered magnetization in the repulsive Hubbard model at half filling and find excellent agreement with recent experimental results. We show that current experiments are capable of probing the difference between the Hubbard model and the limiting Heisenberg model.

A matrix-inversion method for gamma-source mapping from gamma-count data - 59082

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bull, Richard K.; Adsley, Ian; Burgess, Claire

2012-01-01

Gamma ray counting is often used to survey the distribution of active waste material in various locations. Ideally the output from such surveys would be a map of the activity of the waste. In this paper a simple matrix-inversion method is presented. This allows an array of gamma-count data to be converted to an array of source activities. For each survey area the response matrix is computed using the gamma-shielding code Microshield [1]. This matrix links the activity array to the count array. The activity array is then obtained via matrix inversion. The method was tested on artificially-created arrays of count-data onto which statistical noise had been added. The method was able to reproduce, quite faithfully, the original activity distribution used to generate the dataset. The method has been applied to a number of practical cases, including the distribution of activated objects in a hot cell and to activated Nimonic springs amongst fuel-element debris in vaults at a nuclear plant. (authors)

Amplitude distributions of dark counts and photon counts in NbN superconducting single-photon detectors integrated with the HEMT readout

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kitaygorsky, J. [Kavli Institute of Nanoscience Delft, Delft University of Technology, 2600 GA Delft (Netherlands); Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627-0231 (United States); Słysz, W., E-mail: wslysz@ite.waw.pl [Institute of Electron Technology, PL-02 668 Warsaw (Poland); Shouten, R.; Dorenbos, S.; Reiger, E.; Zwiller, V. [Kavli Institute of Nanoscience Delft, Delft University of Technology, 2600 GA Delft (Netherlands); Sobolewski, Roman [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627-0231 (United States)

2017-01-15

Highlights: • A new operation regime of NbN superconducting single-photon detectors (SSPDs). • A better understanding of the origin of dark counts generated by the detector. • A promise of PNR functionality in SSPD measurements. - Abstract: We present a new operation regime of NbN superconducting single-photon detectors (SSPDs) by integrating them with a low-noise cryogenic high-electron-mobility transistor and a high-load resistor. The integrated sensors are designed to get a better understanding of the origin of dark counts triggered by the detector, as our scheme allows us to distinguish the origin of dark pulses from the actual photon pulses in SSPDs. The presented approach is based on a statistical analysis of amplitude distributions of recorded trains of the SSPD photoresponse transients. It also enables to obtain information on energy of the incident photons, as well as demonstrates some photon-number-resolving capability of meander-type SSPDs.

Linguistic influence on mathematical development is specific rather than pervasive: revisiting the Chinese Number Advantage in Chinese and English children

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Winifred eMark

2015-02-01

Full Text Available The relative linguistic transparency of the Asian counting system has been used to explain Asian students’ relative superiority in cross-cultural comparisons of mathematics achievement. To test the validity and extent of linguistic transparency in accounting for mathematical abilities, this study tested Chinese and British primary school children. Children in Hong Kong can learn mathematics using languages with both regular (Chinese and irregular (English counting systems, depending on their schools’ medium of instruction. This makes it possible to compare groups with varying levels of exposure to the regular and irregular number systems within the same educational system, curriculum, and cultural environment. The study included three groups of first/second graders and third/fourth graders with varying degrees of experience to the Chinese language and counting systems: no experience (UK; n=49; spoke Chinese at home and learnt to count in English at school (HK-E; n=43; spoke Chinese at home and learnt to count in Chinese at school (HK-C; n=47. They were compared on counting, numerical abilities and place value representation. The present study also measured nonverbal reasoning, attitude towards mathematics, involvement of parents, and extra-curricular mathematics lessons to explore alternative explanations of children’s numeric ability. Results indicated that students in HK-C were better at counting backward and on the numeric skills test than those in HK-E, who were in turn better than the UK students. However, there was no statistical difference in counting forward, place value understanding, and a measure of arithmetic. Our findings add to existent literature suggesting that linguistic transparency does not have an all-pervasive influence on cross-national differences in arithmetic performance.

The optimal on-source region size for detections with counting-type telescopes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Klepser, Stefan

2017-01-15

The on-source region is typically a circular area with radius θ in which the signal is expected to appear with the shape of the instrument point spread function (PSF). This paper addresses the question of what is the θ that maximises the probability of detection for a given PSF width and background event density. In the high count number limit and assuming a Gaussian PSF profile, the optimum is found to be at ζ{sup 2}{sub ∞}∼2.51 times the squared PSF width σ{sup 2}{sub PSF39}. While this number is shown to be a good choice in many cases, a dynamic formula for cases of lower count numbers, which favour larger on-source regions, is given. The recipe to get to this parametrisation can also be applied to cases with a non-Gaussian PSF. This result can standardise and simplify analysis procedures, reduce trials and eliminate the need for experience-based ad hoc cut definitions or expensive case-by-case Monte Carlo simulations.

The optimal on-source region size for detections with counting-type telescopes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klepser, Stefan

2017-01-01

The on-source region is typically a circular area with radius θ in which the signal is expected to appear with the shape of the instrument point spread function (PSF). This paper addresses the question of what is the θ that maximises the probability of detection for a given PSF width and background event density. In the high count number limit and assuming a Gaussian PSF profile, the optimum is found to be at ζ"2_∞∼2.51 times the squared PSF width σ"2_P_S_F_3_9. While this number is shown to be a good choice in many cases, a dynamic formula for cases of lower count numbers, which favour larger on-source regions, is given. The recipe to get to this parametrisation can also be applied to cases with a non-Gaussian PSF. This result can standardise and simplify analysis procedures, reduce trials and eliminate the need for experience-based ad hoc cut definitions or expensive case-by-case Monte Carlo simulations.

Assessment of the statistical uncertainty affecting a counting; Evaluation de l'incertitude statistique affectant un comptage

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cluchet, J.

1960-07-01

After a recall of some aspects regarding the Gauss law and the Gauss curve, this note addresses the case of performance of a large number of measurements of a source activity by means of a sensor (counter, scintillator, nuclear emulsion, etc.) at equal intervals, and with a number of events which is not rigorously constant. Thus, it addresses measurements, and more particularly counting operations in a random or statistical environment. It more particularly addresses the case of a counting rate due to a source greater (and then lower) than twenty times the Eigen movement. The validity of curves is discussed.

LAWRENCE RADIATION LABORATORY COUNTING HANDBOOK

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Group, Nuclear Instrumentation

1966-10-01

The Counting Handbook is a compilation of operational techniques and performance specifications on counting equipment in use at the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory, Berkeley. Counting notes have been written from the viewpoint of the user rather than that of the designer or maintenance man. The only maintenance instructions that have been included are those that can easily be performed by the experimenter to assure that the equipment is operating properly.

Characteristic performance evaluation of a photon counting Si strip detector for low dose spectral breast CT imaging

Science.gov (United States)

Cho, Hyo-Min; Barber, William C.; Ding, Huanjun; Iwanczyk, Jan S.; Molloi, Sabee

2014-01-01

Purpose: The possible clinical applications which can be performed using a newly developed detector depend on the detector's characteristic performance in a number of metrics including the dynamic range, resolution, uniformity, and stability. The authors have evaluated a prototype energy resolved fast photon counting x-ray detector based on a silicon (Si) strip sensor used in an edge-on geometry with an application specific integrated circuit to record the number of x-rays and their energies at high flux and fast frame rates. The investigated detector was integrated with a dedicated breast spectral computed tomography (CT) system to make use of the detector's high spatial and energy resolution and low noise performance under conditions suitable for clinical breast imaging. The aim of this article is to investigate the intrinsic characteristics of the detector, in terms of maximum output count rate, spatial and energy resolution, and noise performance of the imaging system. Methods: The maximum output count rate was obtained with a 50 W x-ray tube with a maximum continuous output of 50 kVp at 1.0 mA. A109Cd source, with a characteristic x-ray peak at 22 keV from Ag, was used to measure the energy resolution of the detector. The axial plane modulation transfer function (MTF) was measured using a 67 μm diameter tungsten wire. The two-dimensional (2D) noise power spectrum (NPS) was measured using flat field images and noise equivalent quanta (NEQ) were calculated using the MTF and NPS results. The image quality parameters were studied as a function of various radiation doses and reconstruction filters. The one-dimensional (1D) NPS was used to investigate the effect of electronic noise elimination by varying the minimum energy threshold. Results: A maximum output count rate of 100 million counts per second per square millimeter (cps/mm2) has been obtained (1 million cps per 100 × 100 μm pixel). The electrical noise floor was less than 4 keV. The energy resolution

Comparison of Birds Detected from Roadside and Off-Road Point Counts in the Shenandoah National Park

Science.gov (United States)

Cherry M.E. Keller; Mark R. Fuller

1995-01-01

Roadside point counts are generally used for large surveys to increase the number of samples. We examined differences in species detected from roadside versus off-road (200-m and 400-m) point counts in the Shenandoah National Park. We also compared the list of species detected in the first 3 minutes to those detected in 10 minutes for potential species biases. Results...

Machine Learning Based Single-Frame Super-Resolution Processing for Lensless Blood Cell Counting

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiwei Huang

2016-11-01

Full Text Available A lensless blood cell counting system integrating microfluidic channel and a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS image sensor is a promising technique to miniaturize the conventional optical lens based imaging system for point-of-care testing (POCT. However, such a system has limited resolution, making it imperative to improve resolution from the system-level using super-resolution (SR processing. Yet, how to improve resolution towards better cell detection and recognition with low cost of processing resources and without degrading system throughput is still a challenge. In this article, two machine learning based single-frame SR processing types are proposed and compared for lensless blood cell counting, namely the Extreme Learning Machine based SR (ELMSR and Convolutional Neural Network based SR (CNNSR. Moreover, lensless blood cell counting prototypes using commercial CMOS image sensors and custom designed backside-illuminated CMOS image sensors are demonstrated with ELMSR and CNNSR. When one captured low-resolution lensless cell image is input, an improved high-resolution cell image will be output. The experimental results show that the cell resolution is improved by 4×, and CNNSR has 9.5% improvement over the ELMSR on resolution enhancing performance. The cell counting results also match well with a commercial flow cytometer. Such ELMSR and CNNSR therefore have the potential for efficient resolution improvement in lensless blood cell counting systems towards POCT applications.

Colour quenching corrections on the measurement of 90Sr through Cerenkov counting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mosqueda, F.; Villa, M.; Vaca, F.; Bolivar, J.P.

2007-01-01

The determination of 90 Sr through the Cerenkov radiation emitted by its descendant 90 Y is a well-known method and firmly established in literature. Nevertheless, in order to obtain an accurate result based on a Cerenkov measurement, the experimental work must be extremely rigorous because the efficiency of Cerenkov counting is especially sensitive to the presence of colour. Any traces of colour in the sample produce a decrease in the number of photons detected in the photomultipliers and, therefore, this might cause a diminution in Cerenkov counting efficiency. It is essential not only to detect the effect of colour quenching in the sample but also to correct the decrease in counting efficiency. For this reason, colour quenching correction curves versus counting efficiency are usually done when measuring through Cerenkov counting. One of the most widely used techniques to evaluate colour quenching in these measurements is the channel ratio method, which consists of the measurement of the shift of the spectrum measuring the ratio of counts in two different windows. The selection of the windows for the application of the corrections might have an influence on the quality of the fitting parameters of the correction curves efficiency versus colour quenching degree and hence on the final 90 Sr result. This work is focused on the calculation of the counting efficiency decrease using the channel ratio method and on obtaining the best fitting correction curve. For this purpose, empirical curves obtained through artificial quenchers have been studied and the results have been tested in real samples. Additionally, given that the Packard Tri-Carb 3170 TR/SL liquid scintillation counter is a novel detector for use in Cerenkov counting, the previous calibration of the Tri-Carb 3170 TR/SL detector, necessary for the measurement of 90 Sr, is included

Haematological changes in HIV infection with correlation to CD4 cell count

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

SS Parinitha

2012-03-01

Full Text Available BackgroundHIV infection is associated with a wide range of haematological abnormalities.Methods and ObjectivesThe objectives in this study were to study haematological changes in HIV patients and to correlate them with CD4 cell counts. Two hundred and fifty HIV positive patients referred to the haematology laboratory section for complete haemogram in whom CD4 count was done were included in the study. Haematologic parameters and CD4 counts were studied in each of these patients.Descriptive statistics were applied. Association between two attributes was calculated by chi-square test and p value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.ResultsAmong 250 patients, anaemia was seen in 210 (84% cases. The most common type was normocytic normochromic (40.4%. Lymphopenia was seen in 163 (65.2% cases and thrombocytopenia in 45 (18% cases. The majority of cases (70% had CD4 cell counts below 200 cells/mm3. Fifty-four cases (21.6% had CD4 counts between 200 to 499 cells/mm3 and 21 (8.4% cases had CD4 counts more than 500 cells/ mm3.In patients with CD4 counts less than 200 cells/mm3, anaemia was seen in 91.4% cases, leucopenia in 26.8%cases, lymphopenia in 80% cases and thrombocytopenia in 21.7% cases.ConclusionHaematologic manifestations of HIV infection are common and more frequent with progression of disease. The present study revealed a significant increase in the number of cases of anaemia, and lymphopenia, with decreasing CD4 cell counts. Thrombocytopenia is also seen but does not show significant increase with disease progression. The study also highlights the importance of simultaneously treating HIV patients for haematologic manifestations to reduce morbidity.

The Kruskal Count

OpenAIRE

Lagarias, Jeffrey C.; Rains, Eric; Vanderbei, Robert J.

2001-01-01

The Kruskal Count is a card trick invented by Martin J. Kruskal in which a magician "guesses" a card selected by a subject according to a certain counting procedure. With high probability the magician can correctly "guess" the card. The success of the trick is based on a mathematical principle related to coupling methods for Markov chains. This paper analyzes in detail two simplified variants of the trick and estimates the probability of success. The model predictions are compared with simula...

SPERM COUNT DISTRIBUTIONS IN FERTILE MEN

Science.gov (United States)

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

Gauge invariance and degree of freedom count

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Henneaux, M.; Universite Libre de Bruxelles; Teitelboim, C.; Texas Univ., Austin; Zanelli, J.; Chile Univ., Santiago. Dept. de Fisica)

1990-01-01

The precise relation between the gauge transformations in lagrangian and hamiltonian form is derived for any gauge theory. It is found that in order to define a lagrangian gauge symmetry, the coefficients of the first class constraints in the hamiltonian generator of gauge transformations must obey a set of differential equations. Those equations involve, in general, the Lagrange multipliers. Their solution contains as many arbitrary functions of time as there are primary first class constraints. If n is the number of generations of constraints (primary, secondary, tertiary...), the arbitrary functions appear in the general solution together with their successive time derivatives up to order n-1. The analysis yields as by-products: (i) a systematic way to derive all the gauge symmetries of a given lagrangian; (ii) a precise criterion for counting the physical degrees of freedom of a gauge theory directly from the form of gauge transformations in lagrangian form. This last part is illustrated by means of examples. The BRST analog of the counting of physical degrees of freedom is also discussed. (orig.)

Reduction in sperm count and increase in abnormal sperm in the mouse following x-irradiation or injection of 22Na

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harrison, A.; Moore, P.C.

1980-01-01

The accumulated reduction in sperm count and increase in the number of aberrant sperm in the mouse were used to compare acute X-irradiation with protracted radiation from an injection of 22 Na. The effects per unit of absorbed dose of acute and protracted radiation were similar on sperm count, but in respect of numbers of abnormal sperm the 22 Na induced a significantly greater maximum than X-rays. (author)

The count variance-covariance matrix in a critical reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carloni, F.; Giovannini, R.

1984-01-01

The present paper deals with a critical reactor containing a set of neutron detectors operating one at time in different time intervals. The analysis makes use of the Kolmogorov backward formalism for the branching processes, in the framework of the one-velocity, point reactor model, explicitly taking into account the six groups of delayed neutrons. The expression of the mean value, the covariance of the counting distribution are reported. The list of the Fortran 4. subroutine CRITIC which computes these moments is also reported

Fitting of alpha-efficiency versus quenching parameter by exponential functions in liquid scintillation counting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sosa, M.; Manjón, G.; Mantero, J.; García-Tenorio, R.

2014-01-01

The objective of this work is to propose an exponential fit for the low alpha-counting efficiency as a function of a sample quenching parameter using a Quantulus liquid scintillation counter. The sample quenching parameter in a Quantulus is the Spectral Quench Parameter of the External Standard (SQP(E)), which is defined as the number of channel under which lies the 99% of Compton spectrum generated by a gamma emitter ( 152 Eu). Although in the literature one usually finds a polynomial fitting of the alpha counting efficiency, it is shown here that an exponential function is a better description. - Highlights: • We have studied the quenching in alpha measurement by liquid scintillation counting. • We have reviewed typical fitting of alpha counting efficiency versus quenching parameter. • Exponential fitting of data is proposed as better fitting. • We consider exponential fitting has a physical basis

Fitting of alpha-efficiency versus quenching parameter by exponential functions in liquid scintillation counting

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sosa, M. [Departamento de Ingeniería Física, Campus León, Universidad de Guanajuato, 37150 León, Guanajuato (Mexico); Universidad de Sevilla, Departamento de Física Aplicada II, E.T.S. Arquitectura, Av. Reina Mercedes, 2, 41012 Sevilla (Spain); Manjón, G., E-mail: manjon@us.es [Universidad de Sevilla, Departamento de Física Aplicada II, E.T.S. Arquitectura, Av. Reina Mercedes, 2, 41012 Sevilla (Spain); Mantero, J.; García-Tenorio, R. [Universidad de Sevilla, Departamento de Física Aplicada II, E.T.S. Arquitectura, Av. Reina Mercedes, 2, 41012 Sevilla (Spain)

2014-05-01

The objective of this work is to propose an exponential fit for the low alpha-counting efficiency as a function of a sample quenching parameter using a Quantulus liquid scintillation counter. The sample quenching parameter in a Quantulus is the Spectral Quench Parameter of the External Standard (SQP(E)), which is defined as the number of channel under which lies the 99% of Compton spectrum generated by a gamma emitter ({sup 152}Eu). Although in the literature one usually finds a polynomial fitting of the alpha counting efficiency, it is shown here that an exponential function is a better description. - Highlights: • We have studied the quenching in alpha measurement by liquid scintillation counting. • We have reviewed typical fitting of alpha counting efficiency versus quenching parameter. • Exponential fitting of data is proposed as better fitting. • We consider exponential fitting has a physical basis.

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

Science.gov (United States)

Klumpp, John; Brandl, Alexander

2015-03-01

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

Crowd counting via scale-adaptive convolutional neural network

OpenAIRE

Zhang, Lu; Shi, Miaojing; Chen, Qiaobo

2017-01-01

The task of crowd counting is to automatically estimate the pedestrian number in crowd images. To cope with the scale and perspective changes that commonly exist in crowd images, state-of-the-art approaches employ multi-column CNN architectures to regress density maps of crowd images. Multiple columns have different receptive fields corresponding to pedestrians (heads) of different scales. We instead propose a scale-adaptive CNN (SaCNN) architecture with a backbone of fixed small receptive fi...

Statistical approaches to the analysis of point count data: A little extra information can go a long way

Science.gov (United States)

Farnsworth, G.L.; Nichols, J.D.; Sauer, J.R.; Fancy, S.G.; Pollock, K.H.; Shriner, S.A.; Simons, T.R.; Ralph, C. John; Rich, Terrell D.

2005-01-01

Point counts are a standard sampling procedure for many bird species, but lingering concerns still exist about the quality of information produced from the method. It is well known that variation in observer ability and environmental conditions can influence the detection probability of birds in point counts, but many biologists have been reluctant to abandon point counts in favor of more intensive approaches to counting. However, over the past few years a variety of statistical and methodological developments have begun to provide practical ways of overcoming some of the problems with point counts. We describe some of these approaches, and show how they can be integrated into standard point count protocols to greatly enhance the quality of the information. Several tools now exist for estimation of detection probability of birds during counts, including distance sampling, double observer methods, time-depletion (removal) methods, and hybrid methods that combine these approaches. Many counts are conducted in habitats that make auditory detection of birds much more likely than visual detection. As a framework for understanding detection probability during such counts, we propose separating two components of the probability a bird is detected during a count into (1) the probability a bird vocalizes during the count and (2) the probability this vocalization is detected by an observer. In addition, we propose that some measure of the area sampled during a count is necessary for valid inferences about bird populations. This can be done by employing fixed-radius counts or more sophisticated distance-sampling models. We recommend any studies employing point counts be designed to estimate detection probability and to include a measure of the area sampled.

[Absolute numbers of peripheral blood CD34+ hematopoietic stem cells prior to a leukapheresis procedure as a parameter predicting the efficiency of stem cell collection].

Science.gov (United States)

Galtseva, I V; Davydova, Yu O; Gaponova, T V; Kapranov, N M; Kuzmina, L A; Troitskaya, V V; Gribanova, E O; Kravchenko, S K; Mangasarova, Ya K; Zvonkov, E E; Parovichnikova, E N; Mendeleeva, L P; Savchenko, V G

To identify a parameter predicting a collection of at least 2·106 CD34+ hematopoietic stem cells (HSC)/kg body weight per leukapheresis (LA) procedure. The investigation included 189 patients with hematological malignancies and 3 HSC donors, who underwent mobilization of stem cells with their subsequent collection by LA. Absolute numbers of peripheral blood leukocytes and CD34+ cells before a LA procedure, as well as a number of CD34+ cells/kg body weight (BW) in the LA product stored on the same day were determined in each patient (donor). There was no correlation between the number of leukocytes and that of stored CD34+ cells/kg BW. There was a close correlation between the count of peripheral blood CD34+ cells prior to LA and that of collected CD34+ cells calculated with reference to kg BW. The optimal absolute blood CD34+ cell count was estimated to 20 per µl, at which a LA procedure makes it possible to collect 2·106 or more CD34+ cells/kg BW.

Total bacterial count and somatic cell count in refrigerated raw milk stored in communal tanks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edmar da Costa Alves

2014-09-01

Full Text Available The current industry demand for dairy products with extended shelf life has resulted in new challenges for milk quality maintenance. The processing of milk with high bacterial counts compromises the quality and performance of industrial products. The study aimed to evaluate the total bacteria counts (TBC and somatic cell count (SCC in 768 samples of refrigerated raw milk, from 32 communal tanks. Samples were collected in the first quarter of 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 and analyzed by the Laboratory of Milk Quality - LQL. Results showed that 62.5%, 37.5%, 15.6% and 27.1% of the means for TBC in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013, respectively, were above the values established by legislation. However, we observed a significant reduction in the levels of total bacterial count (TBC in the studied periods. For somatic cell count, 100% of the means indicated values below 600.000 cells/mL, complying with the actual Brazilian legislation. The values found for the somatic cell count suggests the adoption of effective measures for the sanitary control of the herd. However, the results must be considered with caution as it highlights the need for quality improvements of the raw material until it achieves reliable results effectively.

Bacteriocidal activity of sanitizers against Enterococcus faecium attached to stainless steel as determined by plate count and impedance methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Andrade, N J; Bridgeman, T A; Zottola, E A

1998-07-01

Enterococcus faecium attached to stainless steel chips (100 mm2) was treated with the following sanitizers: sodium hypochlorite, peracetic acid (PA), peracetic acid plus an organic acid (PAS), quaternary ammonium, organic acid, and anionic acid. The effectiveness of sanitizer solutions on planktonic cells (not attached) was evaluated by the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC) suspension test. The number of attached cells was determined by impedance measurement and plate count method after vortexing. The decimal reduction (DR) in numbers of the E. faecium population was determined for the three methods and was analyzed by analysis of variance (P plate count method after vortexing, and impedance measurement, respectively. Plate count and impedance methods showed a difference (P measurement was the best method to measure adherent cells. Impedance measurement required the development of a quadratic regression. The equation developed from 82 samples is as follows: log CFU/chip = 0.2385T2-0.96T + 9.35, r2 = 0.92, P plate count method after vortexing. These data suggest that impedance measurement is the method of choice when evaluating the number of bacterial cells adhered to a surface.

Counting ability in Down syndrome: The comprehension of the one-to-one correspondence principle and the role of receptive vocabulary.

Science.gov (United States)

Abreu-Mendoza, Roberto A; Arias-Trejo, Natalia

2017-10-01

The authors investigated whether children with Down's syndrome (DS) who have not started to produce number words understand the one-to-one correspondence principle (Experiment 1), and they looked at the relationship between number word knowledge and receptive vocabulary (Experiment 2). Sixteen children with DS who did not recite the count list participated in Experiment 1, along with 2 comparison groups: 1 of 16 children with DS who recited up to 10, paired by chronological age, and another of 16 typically developing children paired by their ability to recite the list. The understanding of the principle was evaluated by a preferential looking task. Children saw 1 of 2 conditions. In the number condition, they heard number words and in the beep condition they heard computerized beeps. In both conditions, children saw videos depicting counting events that were principle-consistent or principle-inconsistent. Experiment 2 evaluated 25 children with DS using the Give-a-Number task and the Receptive Vocabulary subtest of the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-III. In Experiment 1, children in the number condition preferred principle-consistent videos, independent of their ability to recite the count list. Experiment 2 showed a strong correlation between number word knowledge and receptive vocabulary scores, independent of chronological age. The results suggest that the difficulty of children with DS in acquiring counting ability might not reflect a lack of understanding of the one-to-one correspondence principle, but might instead be related to vocabulary development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

An improved method for chromosome counting in maize.

Science.gov (United States)

Kato, A

1997-09-01

An improved method for counting chromosomes in maize (Zea mays L.) is presented. Application of cold treatment (5C, 24 hr), heat treatment (42 C, 5 min) and a second cold treatment (5C, 24 hr) to root tips before fixation increased the number of condensed and dispersed countable metaphase chromosome figures. Fixed root tips were prepared by the enzymatic maceration-air drying method and preparations were stained with acetic orcein. Under favorable conditions, one preparation with 50-100 countable chromosome figures could be obtained in diploid maize using this method. Conditions affecting the dispersion of the chromosomes are described. This technique is especially useful for determining the somatic chromosome number in triploid and tetraploid maize lines.

Optimizing the calculation of point source count-centroid in pixel size measurement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou Luyi; Kuang Anren; Su Xianyu

2004-01-01

Pixel size is an important parameter of gamma camera and SPECT. A number of methods are used for its accurate measurement. In the original count-centroid method, where the image of a point source (PS) is acquired and its count-centroid calculated to represent PS position in the image, background counts are inevitable. Thus the measured count-centroid (X m ) is an approximation of the true count-centroid (X p ) of the PS, i.e. X m =X p + (X b -X p )/(1+R p /R b ), where Rp is the net counting rate of the PS, X b the background count-centroid and Rb the background counting. To get accurate measurement, R p must be very big, which is unpractical, resulting in the variation of measured pixel size. R p -independent calculation of PS count-centroid is desired. Methods: The proposed method attempted to eliminate the effect of the term (X b -X p )/(1 + R p /R b ) by bringing X b closer to X p and by reducing R b . In the acquired PS image, a circular ROI was generated to enclose the PS, the pixel with the maximum count being the center of the ROI. To choose the diameter (D) of the ROI, a Gaussian count distribution was assumed for the PS, accordingly, K=1-(0.5) D/R percent of the total PS counts was in the ROI, R being the full width at half maximum of the PS count distribution. D was set to be 6*R to enclose most (K=98.4%) of the PS counts. The count-centroid of the ROI was calculated to represent X p . The proposed method was tested in measuring the pixel size of a well-tuned SPECT, whose pixel size was estimated to be 3.02 mm according to its mechanical and electronic setting (128 x 128 matrix, 387 mm UFOV, ZOOM=1). For comparison, the original method, which was use in the former versions of some commercial SPECT software, was also tested. 12 PSs were prepared and their image acquired and stored. The net counting rate of the PSs increased from 10 cps to 1183 cps. Results: Using the proposed method, the measured pixel size (in mm) varied only between 3.00 and 3.01 (mean

Modelling the Covariance Structure in Marginal Multivariate Count Models

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bonat, W. H.; Olivero, J.; Grande-Vega, M.

2017-01-01

The main goal of this article is to present a flexible statistical modelling framework to deal with multivariate count data along with longitudinal and repeated measures structures. The covariance structure for each response variable is defined in terms of a covariance link function combined...... be used to indicate whether there was statistical evidence of a decline in blue duikers and other species hunted during the study period. Determining whether observed drops in the number of animals hunted are indeed true is crucial to assess whether species depletion effects are taking place in exploited...... with a matrix linear predictor involving known matrices. In order to specify the joint covariance matrix for the multivariate response vector, the generalized Kronecker product is employed. We take into account the count nature of the data by means of the power dispersion function associated with the Poisson...

Pole counting and resonance classification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morgan, D.

1992-01-01

S-wave resonances occurring close to an inelastic threshold can be classified according to the number of nearby poles they possess. One then has a useful possibility of distinguishing dynamical alternatives by objective appeal to data. Making this quantitative entails developing suitable effective range expansions for various realizations of potential scattering. A key application is deciding the make-up of f 0 (976) (S*). (author)

Hanford whole body counting manual

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Palmer, H.E.; Rieksts, G.A.; Lynch, T.P.

1990-06-01

This document describes the Hanford Whole Body Counting Program as it is administered by Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) in support of the US Department of Energy--Richland Operations Office (DOE-RL) and its Hanford contractors. Program services include providing in vivo measurements of internally deposited radioactivity in Hanford employees (or visitors). Specific chapters of this manual deal with the following subjects: program operational charter, authority, administration, and practices, including interpreting applicable DOE Orders, regulations, and guidance into criteria for in vivo measurement frequency, etc., for the plant-wide whole body counting services; state-of-the-art facilities and equipment used to provide the best in vivo measurement results possible for the approximately 11,000 measurements made annually; procedures for performing the various in vivo measurements at the Whole Body Counter (WBC) and related facilities including whole body counts; operation and maintenance of counting equipment, quality assurance provisions of the program, WBC data processing functions, statistical aspects of in vivo measurements, and whole body counting records and associated guidance documents. 16 refs., 48 figs., 22 tabs

Black hole state counting in loop quantum gravity: a number-theoretical approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Agulló, Iván; Barbero G, J Fernando; Díaz-Polo, Jacobo; Fernández-Borja, Enrique; Villaseñor, Eduardo J S

2008-05-30

We give an efficient method, combining number-theoretic and combinatorial ideas, to exactly compute black hole entropy in the framework of loop quantum gravity. Along the way we provide a complete characterization of the relevant sector of the spectrum of the area operator, including degeneracies, and explicitly determine the number of solutions to the projection constraint. We use a computer implementation of the proposed algorithm to confirm and extend previous results on the detailed structure of the black hole degeneracy spectrum.

Platelet Count and Plateletcrit

African Journals Online (AJOL)

strated that neonates with late onset sepsis (bacteremia after 3 days of age) had a dramatic increase in MPV and. PDW18. We hypothesize that as the MPV and PDW increase and platelet count and PCT decrease in sick children, intui- tively, the ratio of MPV to PCT; MPV to Platelet count,. PDW to PCT, PDW to platelet ...

Counting OCR errors in typeset text

Science.gov (United States)

Sandberg, Jonathan S.

1995-03-01

Frequently object recognition accuracy is a key component in the performance analysis of pattern matching systems. In the past three years, the results of numerous excellent and rigorous studies of OCR system typeset-character accuracy (henceforth OCR accuracy) have been published, encouraging performance comparisons between a variety of OCR products and technologies. These published figures are important; OCR vendor advertisements in the popular trade magazines lead readers to believe that published OCR accuracy figures effect market share in the lucrative OCR market. Curiously, a detailed review of many of these OCR error occurrence counting results reveals that they are not reproducible as published and they are not strictly comparable due to larger variances in the counts than would be expected by the sampling variance. Naturally, since OCR accuracy is based on a ratio of the number of OCR errors over the size of the text searched for errors, imprecise OCR error accounting leads to similar imprecision in OCR accuracy. Some published papers use informal, non-automatic, or intuitively correct OCR error accounting. Still other published results present OCR error accounting methods based on string matching algorithms such as dynamic programming using Levenshtein (edit) distance but omit critical implementation details (such as the existence of suspect markers in the OCR generated output or the weights used in the dynamic programming minimization procedure). The problem with not specifically revealing the accounting method is that the number of errors found by different methods are significantly different. This paper identifies the basic accounting methods used to measure OCR errors in typeset text and offers an evaluation and comparison of the various accounting methods.

Gaussian point count statistics for families of curves over a fixed finite field

OpenAIRE

Kurlberg, Par; Wigman, Igor

2010-01-01

We produce a collection of families of curves, whose point count statistics over F_p becomes Gaussian for p fixed. In particular, the average number of F_p points on curves in these families tends to infinity.

An Adaptive Smoother for Counting Measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kondrasovs Vladimir; Coulon Romain; Normand Stephane

2013-06-01

Counting measurements associated with nuclear instruments are tricky to carry out due to the stochastic process of the radioactivity. Indeed events counting have to be processed and filtered in order to display a stable count rate value and to allow variations monitoring in the measured activity. Smoothers (as the moving average) are adjusted by a time constant defined as a compromise between stability and response time. A new approach has been developed and consists in improving the response time while maintaining count rate stability. It uses the combination of a smoother together with a detection filter. A memory of counting data is processed to calculate several count rate estimates using several integration times. These estimates are then sorted into the memory from short to long integration times. A measurement position, in terms of integration time, is then chosen into this memory after a detection test. An inhomogeneity into the Poisson counting process is detected by comparison between current position estimate and the other estimates contained into the memory in respect with the associated statistical variance calculated with homogeneous assumption. The measurement position (historical time) and the ability to forget an obsolete data or to keep in memory a useful data are managed using the detection test result. The proposed smoother is then an adaptive and a learning algorithm allowing an optimization of the response time while maintaining measurement counting stability and converging efficiently to the best counting estimate after an effective change in activity. This algorithm has also the specificity to be low recursive and thus easily embedded into DSP electronics based on FPGA or micro-controllers meeting 'real life' time requirements. (authors)

Genetic parameters for ewe reproductive performance and peri-parturient fecal egg counts and their genetic relationships with lamb body weights and fecal egg counts in Katahdin sheep

Science.gov (United States)

This study estimated genetic parameters for ewe reproductive traits [number of lambs born (NLB) and weaned (NLW) per ewe lambing] and peri-parturient (PPR) fecal egg counts (FEC) at lambing (PPR0) and 30 d postpartum (PPR30), and their genetic relationships with lamb BW and FEC in Katahdin sheep. Th...

Basic gambling mathematics the numbers behind the neon

CERN Document Server

Bollman, Mark

2014-01-01

Introduction HISTORICAL BACKGROUND MATHEMATICAL BACKGROUND WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE RANDOM? Fundamental Ideas DEFINITIONS AXIOMS OF PROBABILITY ELEMENTARY COUNTING ARGUMENTS ADVANCED COUNTING ARGUMENTS ODDS Compound Events THE ADDITION RULES THE MULTIPLICATION RULES AND CONDITIONAL PROBABILITY Probability Distributions and Expectation RANDOM VARIABLES EXPECTED VALUE THE BINOMIAL DISTRIBUTION Modified Casino Games ROULETTE DICE GAMES CARD GAMES CASINO PROMOTIONS Blackjack: The Mathematical Exception RULES OF BLACKJACK THE MATHEMATICS OF BLACKJACK BASIC STRATEGY CARD COUNTING Betting Strategies: Why They Don't Work ROULETTE STRATEGIESCRAPS STRATEGIES SLOT MACHINE STRATEGIES BLACKJACK STRATEGIES AND ONE THAT DOES: LOTTERY STRATEGIES HOW TO DOUBLE YOUR MONEY Appendix A: House AdvantagesAppendix B: Mathematical Induction Appendix C: Internet Resources Answers to Odd-Numbered Exercises BibliographyIndexExercises appear at the end of each chapter.

Effects of finger counting on numerical development – the opposing views of neurocognition and mathematics education

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Korbinian eMoeller

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Usually children learn the basic principles of number and arithmetic by the help of finger-based representations. However, whether the reliance on finger-based representations is only beneficial or whether it may even become detrimental is the subject of an ongoing debate between neuro-cognitive and mathematics education researchers. From the neuro-cognitive perspective finger counting provides multi-sensory input conveying both cardinal and ordinal aspects of numbers. Recent data indicate that children with good finger-based numerical representations show better arithmetic skills and that training finger gnosis enhances mathematical skills. From this neuro-cognitive researchers conclude that elaborate finger-based numerical representations are beneficial for later numerical development.However, mathematics education research recommends fostering mental numerical representations so as to induce children to abandon finger-counting. More precisely mathematics education recommends moving from finger counting to concrete structured representations and then, finally, to mental representations of numbers.Taken together, there is obviously an important debate between the neuro-cognitve and mathematics education research concerning the benefits or detriments of finger-based strategies for numerical development. In the present review, the rationale of both lines of evidence will be presented and discussed.

Counting probe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsumoto, Haruya; Kaya, Nobuyuki; Yuasa, Kazuhiro; Hayashi, Tomoaki

1976-01-01

Electron counting method has been devised and experimented for the purpose of measuring electron temperature and density, the most fundamental quantities to represent plasma conditions. Electron counting is a method to count the electrons in plasma directly by equipping a probe with the secondary electron multiplier. It has three advantages of adjustable sensitivity, high sensitivity of the secondary electron multiplier, and directional property. Sensitivity adjustment is performed by changing the size of collecting hole (pin hole) on the incident front of the multiplier. The probe is usable as a direct reading thermometer of electron temperature because it requires to collect very small amount of electrons, thus it doesn't disturb the surrounding plasma, and the narrow sweep width of the probe voltage is enough. Therefore it can measure anisotropy more sensitively than a Langmuir probe, and it can be used for very low density plasma. Though many problems remain on anisotropy, computer simulation has been carried out. Also it is planned to provide a Helmholtz coil in the vacuum chamber to eliminate the effect of earth magnetic field. In practical experiments, the measurement with a Langmuir probe and an emission probe mounted to the movable structure, the comparison with the results obtained in reverse magnetic field by using a Helmholtz coil, and the measurement of ionic sound wave are scheduled. (Wakatsuki, Y.)

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel B Levinson

2014-10-01

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

Standardization of iodine-129 by the TDCR liquid scintillation method and 4π β-γ coincidence counting

Science.gov (United States)

Cassette, P.; Bouchard, J.; Chauvenet, B.

1994-01-01

Iodine-129 is a long-lived fission product, with physical and chemical properties that make it a good candidate for evaluating the environmental impact of the nuclear energy fuel cycle. To avoid solid source preparation problems, liquid scintillation has been used to standardize this nuclide for a EUROMET intercomparison. Two methods were used to measure the iodine-129 activity: triple-to-double-coincidence ratio liquid scintillation counting and 4π β-γ coincidence counting; the results are in good agreement.

Principles of correlation counting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mueller, J.W.

1975-01-01

A review is given of the various applications which have been made of correlation techniques in the field of nuclear physics, in particular for absolute counting. Whereas in most cases the usual coincidence method will be preferable for its simplicity, correlation counting may be the only possible approach in such cases where the two radiations of the cascade cannot be well separated or when there is a longliving intermediate state. The measurement of half-lives and of count rates of spurious pulses is also briefly discussed. The various experimental situations lead to different ways the correlation method is best applied (covariance technique with one or with two detectors, application of correlation functions, etc.). Formulae are given for some simple model cases, neglecting dead-time corrections

Mitosis Counting in Breast Cancer: Object-Level Interobserver Agreement and Comparison to an Automatic Method.

Science.gov (United States)

Veta, Mitko; van Diest, Paul J; Jiwa, Mehdi; Al-Janabi, Shaimaa; Pluim, Josien P W

2016-01-01

Tumor proliferation speed, most commonly assessed by counting of mitotic figures in histological slide preparations, is an important biomarker for breast cancer. Although mitosis counting is routinely performed by pathologists, it is a tedious and subjective task with poor reproducibility, particularly among non-experts. Inter- and intraobserver reproducibility of mitosis counting can be improved when a strict protocol is defined and followed. Previous studies have examined only the agreement in terms of the mitotic count or the mitotic activity score. Studies of the observer agreement at the level of individual objects, which can provide more insight into the procedure, have not been performed thus far. The development of automatic mitosis detection methods has received large interest in recent years. Automatic image analysis is viewed as a solution for the problem of subjectivity of mitosis counting by pathologists. In this paper we describe the results from an interobserver agreement study between three human observers and an automatic method, and make two unique contributions. For the first time, we present an analysis of the object-level interobserver agreement on mitosis counting. Furthermore, we train an automatic mitosis detection method that is robust with respect to staining appearance variability and compare it with the performance of expert observers on an "external" dataset, i.e. on histopathology images that originate from pathology labs other than the pathology lab that provided the training data for the automatic method. The object-level interobserver study revealed that pathologists often do not agree on individual objects, even if this is not reflected in the mitotic count. The disagreement is larger for objects from smaller size, which suggests that adding a size constraint in the mitosis counting protocol can improve reproducibility. The automatic mitosis detection method can perform mitosis counting in an unbiased way, with substantial

Commercial bacterial colony counter for semiautomatic track counting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Griffith, R.V.; McMahon, T.A.; Espinosa, G.

1983-01-01

Bacterial colony counters have not been widely used for track counting. However, they do provide an economical alternative to sophisticated optical analyzers for applications that require reproducible track density measurements for large numbers of samples. Simple measurements of size characteristics can be made when there is little need for high resolutions. Such systems are particularly well suited for neutron and alpha dosimetry work, particularly if electrochemical etching or some other track enhancement method has been used. 5 refs., 3 figs

Modeling time-series count data: the unique challenges facing political communication studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Fogarty, Brian J; Monogan, James E

2014-05-01

This paper demonstrates the importance of proper model specification when analyzing time-series count data in political communication studies. It is common for scholars of media and politics to investigate counts of coverage of an issue as it evolves over time. Many scholars rightly consider the issues of time dependence and dynamic causality to be the most important when crafting a model. However, to ignore the count features of the outcome variable overlooks an important feature of the data. This is particularly the case when modeling data with a low number of counts. In this paper, we argue that the Poisson autoregressive model (Brandt and Williams, 2001) accurately meets the needs of many media studies. We replicate the analyses of Flemming et al. (1997), Peake and Eshbaugh-Soha (2008), and Ura (2009) and demonstrate that models missing some of the assumptions of the Poisson autoregressive model often yield invalid inferences. We also demonstrate that the effect of any of these models can be illustrated dynamically with estimates of uncertainty through a simulation procedure. The paper concludes with implications of these findings for the practical researcher. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Surface contamination of counting tools after mock dispensing of cyclophosphamide in a simulated outpatient pharmacy.

Science.gov (United States)

Chaffee, Bruce W; Lander, Michael J; Christen, Catherine; Redic, Kimberly A

2018-01-01

Purpose The primary aim was to determine if dispensing of cyclophosphamide tablets resulted in accumulated residue on pharmacy counting tools during a simulated outpatient dispensing process. Secondary objectives included determining if cyclophosphamide contamination exceeded a defined threshold level of 1 ng/cm 2 and if a larger number of prescriptions dispensed resulted in increased contamination. Methods Mock prescriptions of 40 cyclophosphamide 50 mg tablets were counted on clean trays in three scenarios using a simulated outpatient pharmacy after assaying five cleaned trays as controls. The three scenarios consisted of five simulated dispensings of one, three, or six prescriptions dispensed per scenario. Wipe samples of trays and spatulas were collected and assayed for all trays, including the five clean trays used as controls. Contamination was defined as an assayed cyclophosphamide level at or above 0.001 ng/cm 2 and levels above 1 ng/cm 2 were considered sufficient to cause risk of human uptake. Mean contamination for each scenario was calculated and compared using one-way analysis of variance. P-values of contamination on trays used to count one, three, and six cyclophosphamide prescriptions was 0.51 ± 0.10 (p=0.0003), 1.02 ± 0.10 (p contamination. Increasing the number of prescriptions dispensed from 1 to 3, 1 to 6, and 3 to 6 counts increased contamination by 0.51 ± 0.15 (p = 0.0140), 1.31 + 0.15 (p contaminates pharmacy counting tools, and an increased number of prescriptions dispensed correlates with increased level of contamination. Counting out three or more prescriptions leads to trays having contamination that surpasses the threshold at which worker exposure may be increased. Pharmacies should consider devoting a separate tray to cyclophosphamide tablets, as cross-contamination could occur with other drugs and the efficacy of decontamination methods is unclear. Employee exposure could be minimized with the use

Modeling both of the number of pausibacillary and multibacillary leprosy patients by using bivariate poisson regression

Science.gov (United States)

Winahju, W. S.; Mukarromah, A.; Putri, S.

2015-03-01

Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by bacteria of leprosy (Mycobacterium leprae). Leprosy has become an important thing in Indonesia because its morbidity is quite high. Based on WHO data in 2014, in 2012 Indonesia has the highest number of new leprosy patients after India and Brazil with a contribution of 18.994 people (8.7% of the world). This number makes Indonesia automatically placed as the country with the highest number of leprosy morbidity of ASEAN countries. The province that most contributes to the number of leprosy patients in Indonesia is East Java. There are two kind of leprosy. They consist of pausibacillary and multibacillary. The morbidity of multibacillary leprosy is higher than pausibacillary leprosy. This paper will discuss modeling both of the number of multibacillary and pausibacillary leprosy patients as responses variables. These responses are count variables, so modeling will be conducted by using bivariate poisson regression method. Unit experiment used is in East Java, and predictors involved are: environment, demography, and poverty. The model uses data in 2012, and the result indicates that all predictors influence significantly.

Reasoning strategies with rational numbers revealed by eye tracking.

Science.gov (United States)

Plummer, Patrick; DeWolf, Melissa; Bassok, Miriam; Gordon, Peter C; Holyoak, Keith J

2017-07-01

Recent research has begun to investigate the impact of different formats for rational numbers on the processes by which people make relational judgments about quantitative relations. DeWolf, Bassok, and Holyoak (Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 144(1), 127-150, 2015) found that accuracy on a relation identification task was highest when fractions were presented with countable sets, whereas accuracy was relatively low for all conditions where decimals were presented. However, it is unclear what processing strategies underlie these disparities in accuracy. We report an experiment that used eye-tracking methods to externalize the strategies that are evoked by different types of rational numbers for different types of quantities (discrete vs. continuous). Results showed that eye-movement behavior during the task was jointly determined by image and number format. Discrete images elicited a counting strategy for both fractions and decimals, but this strategy led to higher accuracy only for fractions. Continuous images encouraged magnitude estimation and comparison, but to a greater degree for decimals than fractions. This strategy led to decreased accuracy for both number formats. By analyzing participants' eye movements when they viewed a relational context and made decisions, we were able to obtain an externalized representation of the strategic choices evoked by different ontological types of entities and different types of rational numbers. Our findings using eye-tracking measures enable us to go beyond previous studies based on accuracy data alone, demonstrating that quantitative properties of images and the different formats for rational numbers jointly influence strategies that generate eye-movement behavior.

Delta count-rate monitoring system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van Etten, D.; Olsen, W.A.

1985-01-01

A need for a more effective way to rapidly search for gamma-ray contamination over large areas led to the design and construction of a very sensitive gamma detection system. The delta count-rate monitoring system was installed in a four-wheel-drive van instrumented for environmental surveillance and accident response. The system consists of four main sections: (1) two scintillation detectors, (2) high-voltage power supply amplifier and single-channel analyzer, (3) delta count-rate monitor, and (4) count-rate meter and recorder. The van's 6.5-kW generator powers the standard nuclear instrument modular design system. The two detectors are mounted in the rear corners of the van and can be run singly or jointly. A solid-state bar-graph count-rate meter mounted on the dashboard can be read easily by both the driver and passenger. A solid-state strip chart recorder shows trends and provides a permanent record of the data. An audible alarm is sounded at the delta monitor and at the dashboard count-rate meter if a detected radiation level exceeds the set background level by a predetermined amount

In vivo counting of uranium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Palmer, H.E.

1985-03-01

A state-of-the-art radiation detector system consisting of six individually mounted intrinsic germanium planar detectors, each 20 cm 2 by 13 mm thick, mounted together such that the angle of the whole system can be changed to match the slope of the chest of the person being counted, is described. The sensitivity of the system for counting uranium and plutonium in vivo and the precedures used in calibrating the system are also described. Some results of counts done on uranium mill workers are presented. 15 figs., 2 tabs

Peripheral blood leukocyte count as an index of defense status in the leukopenic host

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cawley, S.; Findon, G.; Miller, T.E.

1988-01-01

These experimental studies have investigated the reliability of the peripheral blood leukocyte count to predict whether the leukopenic host can contain or eliminate infection. Additionally, we have investigated the possibility that determination of leukocyte recruitment, supplementary to peripheral blood leukocyte counts, might allow individuals with neutropenia at risk from serious infection to be distinguished with greater certainty. Varying doses of radiation, cyclophosphamide, and methylprednisolone were used to induce distinct levels of leukopenia in rats. Leukocyte recruitment was measured by quantifying the response of neutropenic animals to evocative, subcutaneous stimuli, and the results of this assay were then compared with circulating leukocyte counts in the same individuals. Six models of experimentally induced infection were used to compare circulating and recruitable leukocytes as indicators of the susceptibility of the leukopenic host to infection. Response curves relating leukocyte numbers to host resistance were similar when circulating or recruitable leukocytes were used as an index of defense capability. These findings support the use of peripheral blood leukocyte numbers as an index of resistance to infection in individuals with leukopenia and suggest that functional analyses such as leukocyte recruitment are unlikely to provide additional information

Alpha scintillation radon counting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lucas, H.F. Jr.

1977-01-01

Radon counting chambers which utilize the alpha-scintillation properties of silver activated zinc sulfide are simple to construct, have a high efficiency, and, with proper design, may be relatively insensitive to variations in the pressure or purity of the counter filling. Chambers which were constructed from glass, metal, or plastic in a wide variety of shapes and sizes were evaluated for the accuracy and the precision of the radon counting. The principles affecting the alpha-scintillation radon counting chamber design and an analytic system suitable for a large scale study of the 222 Rn and 226 Ra content of either air or other environmental samples are described. Particular note is taken of those factors which affect the accuracy and the precision of the method for monitoring radioactivity around uranium mines

Colour quenching corrections on the measurement of {sup 90}Sr through Cerenkov counting

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mosqueda, F. [Dpto. de Fisica Aplicada, Facultad de Ciencias Experimentales, Universidad de Huelva, Campus de El Carmen, 21071 Huelva (Spain)], E-mail: fernando.mosqueda@dfa.uhu.es; Villa, M. [Centro de Investigacion, Tecnologia e Innovacion, Universidad de Sevilla, Av. Reina Mercedes 4B, E41012 Sevilla (Spain); Vaca, F.; Bolivar, J.P. [Dpto. de Fisica Aplicada, Facultad de Ciencias Experimentales, Universidad de Huelva, Campus de El Carmen, 21071 Huelva (Spain)

2007-12-05

The determination of {sup 90}Sr through the Cerenkov radiation emitted by its descendant {sup 90}Y is a well-known method and firmly established in literature. Nevertheless, in order to obtain an accurate result based on a Cerenkov measurement, the experimental work must be extremely rigorous because the efficiency of Cerenkov counting is especially sensitive to the presence of colour. Any traces of colour in the sample produce a decrease in the number of photons detected in the photomultipliers and, therefore, this might cause a diminution in Cerenkov counting efficiency. It is essential not only to detect the effect of colour quenching in the sample but also to correct the decrease in counting efficiency. For this reason, colour quenching correction curves versus counting efficiency are usually done when measuring through Cerenkov counting. One of the most widely used techniques to evaluate colour quenching in these measurements is the channel ratio method, which consists of the measurement of the shift of the spectrum measuring the ratio of counts in two different windows. The selection of the windows for the application of the corrections might have an influence on the quality of the fitting parameters of the correction curves efficiency versus colour quenching degree and hence on the final {sup 90}Sr result. This work is focused on the calculation of the counting efficiency decrease using the channel ratio method and on obtaining the best fitting correction curve. For this purpose, empirical curves obtained through artificial quenchers have been studied and the results have been tested in real samples. Additionally, given that the Packard Tri-Carb 3170 TR/SL liquid scintillation counter is a novel detector for use in Cerenkov counting, the previous calibration of the Tri-Carb 3170 TR/SL detector, necessary for the measurement of {sup 90}Sr, is included.

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

Science.gov (United States)

Böhning, Dankmar; Kuhnert, Ronny

2006-12-01

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

Optimization of a photon rejecter to separate electronic noise in a photon-counting detector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cho, Hyo-Min; Choi, Yu-Na; Lee, Seung-Wan; Lee, Young-Jin; Ryu, Hyun-Ju; Kim, Hee-Joung

2012-01-01

Photon-counting-based X-ray imaging technology provides the capability to count individual photons and to characterize photon energies. The cadmium telluride (CdTe)-based photon-counting detector is limited in capability, however, under a high X-ray flux. A photon rejecter composed of aluminum, for example, can reduce this limitation by modulating the incident number of photons. In addition to this function, the optimal photon rejecter can separate electronic noise, which degrades image quality. The aim of this work was to optimize a photon rejecter for high-quality image acquisition by removing electronic noise from the actual pulse signal. The images and spectra were acquired using a micro-focus X-ray source with a CdTe-based photon-counting detector. We acquired data with various types of photon-rejecter materials composed of aluminum (Al) and iodine at three different tube voltages (50, 70, and 90 kVp). A phantom composed of high-atomic-number materials was imaged to evaluate the efficiency of the photon rejecter. Photon rejecters composed of 1-mm Al, 10-mm Al, and a combination of 10-mm Al and iodine provided optimum capability at 50, 70, and 90 kVp, respectively. Each optimal combination of photon-rejecter material and voltage effectively separated electronic noise from the actual pulse signal and gave the highest contrast-to-noise ratio for materials on the image. These optimized types of photon rejecters can effectively discriminate electronic noise and improve image quality at different tube voltages.

Strange Curves, Counting Rabbits, & Other Mathematical Explorations

CERN Document Server

Ball, Keith

2011-01-01

How does mathematics enable us to send pictures from space back to Earth? Where does the bell-shaped curve come from? Why do you need only 23 people in a room for a 50/50 chance of two of them sharing the same birthday? In Strange Curves, Counting Rabbits, and Other Mathematical Explorations, Keith Ball highlights how ideas, mostly from pure math, can answer these questions and many more. Drawing on areas of mathematics from probability theory, number theory, and geometry, he explores a wide range of concepts, some more light-hearted, others central to the development of the field and used dai

Secondary syphilis in HIV positive individuals: correlation with histopathologic findings, CD4 counts, and quantity of treponemes in microscopic sections.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosa, Gabriela; Procop, Gary W; Schold, Jesse D; Piliang, Melissa P

2016-10-01

Although syphilis is uncommon, infection rates are much higher in HIV-infected individuals than the general population. A proposed explanation is impaired cellular immunity with HIV infection. A search of one institution yielded 10 patients with a diagnosis of secondary syphilis on skin biopsy, positive syphilis serology and available CD4 counts. We evaluated 11 biopsies from the 10 patients. We correlated the patients' CD4 counts with the histologic findings and with the number of treponemes on skin biopsies, highlighted by immunohistochemistry (IHC). We also compared the detection of spirochetes in silver stained sections (e.g. Warthin-Starry) with T. pallidum IHC. All biopsies were assessed for various histologic features. The sensitivity of IHC to detect treponemes was 64% and of silver stain was 9% (p-value 0.04). The number of treponemes on the biopsies was determined by IHC. High numbers of spirochetes (i.e. >100 per 10 hpf) were only seen in patients with CD4 counts less than 250 cells/ml. The most consistent histologic finding was a moderate to severe lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate. Although the study is small, it appears that a higher number of spirochetes is associated with CD4 counts less than 250 cell/ml. The T. pallidum IHC stain was vastly superior to the Warthin-Starry stain. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Blood Count Tests: MedlinePlus Health Topic

Science.gov (United States)

... Spanish WBC count (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish Topic Image MedlinePlus Email Updates Get Blood Count Tests ... WBC count Show More Show Less Related Health Topics Bleeding Disorders Blood Laboratory Tests National Institutes of ...

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2017-11-01

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

Daily Patterns of Preschoolers' Objectively Measured Step Counts in Six European Countries: Cross-Sectional Results from the ToyBox-Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Van Stappen, Vicky; Van Dyck, Delfien; Latomme, Julie; De Bourdeaudhuij, Ilse; Moreno, Luis; Socha, Piotr; Iotova, Violeta; Koletzko, Berthold; Manios, Yannis; Androutsos, Odysseas; Cardon, Greet; De Craemer, Marieke

2018-02-07

This study is part of the ToyBox-study, which is conducted in six European countries (Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Poland and Spain), aiming to develop a cost-effective kindergarten-based, family-involved intervention to prevent overweight and obesity in four- to six-year-old preschool children. In the current study, we aimed to examine and compare preschoolers' step count patterns, across the six European countries. A sample of 3578 preschoolers (mean age: 4.8 ± 0.4) was included. Multilevel analyses were performed to take clustering of measurements into account. Based on the average hourly steps, step count patterns for the six European countries were created for weekdays and weekend days. The step count patterns during weekdays were related to the daily kindergarten schedules. Step count patterns during weekdays showed several significant peaks and troughs ( p steps were observed during afternoon naptimes and high numbers of steps during recess. In Germany, step count patterns did not show clear peaks and troughs, which can be explained by a less structured kindergarten schedule. On weekend days, differences in step count patterns were observed in the absolute number of steps in the afternoon trough and the period in which the evening peak occurred. Differences in step count patterns across the countries can be explained by differences in (school) policy, lifestyle habits, and culture. Therefore, it might be important to respond to these step count patterns and more specifically to tackle the inactive periods during interventions to promote physical activity in preschoolers.

Design of time interval generator based on hybrid counting method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yao, Yuan; Wang, Zhaoqi; Lu, Houbing; Chen, Lian; Jin, Ge

2016-01-01

Time Interval Generators (TIGs) are frequently used for the characterizations or timing operations of instruments in particle physics experiments. Though some “off-the-shelf” TIGs can be employed, the necessity of a custom test system or control system makes the TIGs, being implemented in a programmable device desirable. Nowadays, the feasibility of using Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) to implement particle physics instrumentation has been validated in the design of Time-to-Digital Converters (TDCs) for precise time measurement. The FPGA-TDC technique is based on the architectures of Tapped Delay Line (TDL), whose delay cells are down to few tens of picosecond. In this case, FPGA-based TIGs with high delay step are preferable allowing the implementation of customized particle physics instrumentations and other utilities on the same FPGA device. A hybrid counting method for designing TIGs with both high resolution and wide range is presented in this paper. The combination of two different counting methods realizing an integratable TIG is described in detail. A specially designed multiplexer for tap selection is emphatically introduced. The special structure of the multiplexer is devised for minimizing the different additional delays caused by the unpredictable routings from different taps to the output. A Kintex-7 FPGA is used for the hybrid counting-based implementation of a TIG, providing a resolution up to 11 ps and an interval range up to 8 s.

Design of time interval generator based on hybrid counting method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yao, Yuan [State Key Laboratory of Particle Detection and Electronics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026 (China); Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031 (China); Wang, Zhaoqi [State Key Laboratory of Particle Detection and Electronics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026 (China); Lu, Houbing [State Key Laboratory of Particle Detection and Electronics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026 (China); Hefei Electronic Engineering Institute, Hefei 230037 (China); Chen, Lian [State Key Laboratory of Particle Detection and Electronics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026 (China); Jin, Ge, E-mail: goldjin@ustc.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Particle Detection and Electronics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026 (China)

2016-10-01

Time Interval Generators (TIGs) are frequently used for the characterizations or timing operations of instruments in particle physics experiments. Though some “off-the-shelf” TIGs can be employed, the necessity of a custom test system or control system makes the TIGs, being implemented in a programmable device desirable. Nowadays, the feasibility of using Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) to implement particle physics instrumentation has been validated in the design of Time-to-Digital Converters (TDCs) for precise time measurement. The FPGA-TDC technique is based on the architectures of Tapped Delay Line (TDL), whose delay cells are down to few tens of picosecond. In this case, FPGA-based TIGs with high delay step are preferable allowing the implementation of customized particle physics instrumentations and other utilities on the same FPGA device. A hybrid counting method for designing TIGs with both high resolution and wide range is presented in this paper. The combination of two different counting methods realizing an integratable TIG is described in detail. A specially designed multiplexer for tap selection is emphatically introduced. The special structure of the multiplexer is devised for minimizing the different additional delays caused by the unpredictable routings from different taps to the output. A Kintex-7 FPGA is used for the hybrid counting-based implementation of a TIG, providing a resolution up to 11 ps and an interval range up to 8 s.

Correction for decay during counting in gamma spectrometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nir-El, Y.

2013-01-01

A basic result in gamma spectrometry is the count rate of a relevant peak. Correction for decay during counting and expressing the count rate at the beginning of the measurement can be done by a multiplicative factor that is derived from integrating the count rate over time. The counting time substituted in this factor must be the live time, whereas the use of the real-time is an error that underestimates the count rate by about the dead-time (DT) (in percentage). This error of underestimation of the count rate is corroborated in the measurement of a nuclide with a high DT. The present methodology is not applicable in systems that include a zero DT correction function. (authors)

Interpretation of galaxy counts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tinsely, B.M.

1980-01-01

New models are presented for the interpretation of recent counts of galaxies to 24th magnitude, and predictions are shown to 28th magnitude for future comparison with data from the Space Telescope. The results supersede earlier, more schematic models by the author. Tyson and Jarvis found in their counts a ''local'' density enhancement at 17th magnitude, on comparison with the earlier models; the excess is no longer significant when a more realistic mixture of galaxy colors is used. Bruzual and Kron's conclusion that Kron's counts show evidence for evolution at faint magnitudes is confirmed, and it is predicted that some 23d magnitude galaxies have redshifts greater than unity. These may include spheroidal systems, elliptical galaxies, and the bulges of early-type spirals and S0's, seen during their primeval rapid star formation

Robust small area prediction for counts.

Science.gov (United States)

Tzavidis, Nikos; Ranalli, M Giovanna; Salvati, Nicola; Dreassi, Emanuela; Chambers, Ray

2015-06-01

A new semiparametric approach to model-based small area prediction for counts is proposed and used for estimating the average number of visits to physicians for Health Districts in Central Italy. The proposed small area predictor can be viewed as an outlier robust alternative to the more commonly used empirical plug-in predictor that is based on a Poisson generalized linear mixed model with Gaussian random effects. Results from the real data application and from a simulation experiment confirm that the proposed small area predictor has good robustness properties and in some cases can be more efficient than alternative small area approaches. © The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

Total lymphocyte count as a substitute to cd4 count in management of hiv infected individuals in resource limited society

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Daud, M.Y.; Qazi, R.A.

2015-01-01

Pakistan is a resource limited society and gold standard parameters to monitor HIV disease activity are very costly. The objective of the study was to evaluate total lymphocyte count (TLC) as a surrogate to CD4 count to monitor disease activity in HIV/AIDS in resource limited society. Methods: This cross sectional study was carried out at HIV/AIDS treatment centre, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), Islamabad. A total of seven hundred and seventy four (774) HIV positive patients were enrolled in this study, and their CD4 count and total lymphocyte count were checked to find any correlation between the two by using Spearman ranked correlation coefficient. Results: The mean CD4 count was (434.30 ± 269.23), with minimum CD4 count of (9.00), and maximum of (1974.00). The mean total lymphocyte count (TLC) was (6764.0052 ± 2364.02) with minimum TLC (1200.00) and maximum TLC was (20200.00). Using the Pearson's correlation (r) there was a significant and positive correlation between TLC and CD4 count. (r2=0.127 and p=0.000) at 0.01 level. Conclusion: Our study showed a significant positive correlation between CD4 count and total lymphocyte count (TLC), so TLC can be used as a marker of disease activity in HIV infected patients. (author)

Number in Plato’s Philebus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shetnikov, Andrey

2009-06-01

Full Text Available The paper concerns the concept of number (arithmos, important for dialectical method of later Plato. It becomes clear that the arithmos in Plato’s dialectics should be understood as a concrete operation, a sort of tekhne, such as counting, enumeration, compilation of a comprehensive and systematic list, etc., rather then the theoretical number of abstract arithmetic. The author analyses a series of grammatical, musical and rhetorical examples, supplied by Plato in the Philebus and other dialogues, and traces the usage of arithmos and similar words in the earlier tradition, particularly, in Homer, Hesiod, the classical tragedy, and Herodotus.

Systematic management of sealed source and nucleonic counting system in field service

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mahadi Mustapha; Mohd Fitri Abdul Rahman; Jaafar Abdullah

2005-01-01

PAT group have received a lot of service from the oil and gas plant. All the services use sealed source and nucleonic counting system. This paper described the detail of management before going to the field service. This management is important to make sure the job is smoothly done and safe to the radiation worker and public. Furthermore this management in line with the regulation from LPTA. (Author)

Using Count Data and Ordered Models in National Forest Recreation Demand Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Simões, Paula; Barata, Eduardo; Cruz, Luis

2013-11-01

This research addresses the need to improve our knowledge on the demand for national forests for recreation and offers an in-depth data analysis supported by the complementary use of count data and ordered models. From a policy-making perspective, while count data models enable the estimation of monetary welfare measures, ordered models allow for the wider use of the database and provide a more flexible analysis of data. The main purpose of this article is to analyse the individual forest recreation demand and to derive a measure of its current use value. To allow a more complete analysis of the forest recreation demand structure the econometric approach supplements the use of count data models with ordered category models using data obtained by means of an on-site survey in the Bussaco National Forest (Portugal). Overall, both models reveal that travel cost and substitute prices are important explanatory variables, visits are a normal good and demographic variables seem to have no influence on demand. In particular, estimated price and income elasticities of demand are quite low. Accordingly, it is possible to argue that travel cost (price) in isolation may be expected to have a low impact on visitation levels.

Starting points and pathways in Aboriginal students' learning of number: recognising different world views

Science.gov (United States)

Treacy, Kaye; Frid, Sandra; Jacob, Lorraine

2015-09-01

This research was designed to investigate the conceptualisations and thinking strategies Indigenous Australian students use in counting tasks. Eighteen Aboriginal students, in years 1 to 11 at a remote community school, were interviewed using standard counting tasks and a `counting' task that involved fetching `maku' (witchetty grubs) to have enough to give a maku to each person in a picture. The tasks were developed with, and the interviews conducted by, an Aboriginal research assistant, to ensure appropriate cultural and language contexts. A main finding was that most of the students did not see the need to use counting to make equivalent sets, even though they were able to demonstrate standard counting skills. The findings highlight a need to further examine the world views, orientations and related mathematical concepts and processes that Indigenous students bring to school.

Resonant count diagram and solar g mode oscillations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guenther, D.B.; Demarque, P.

1984-01-01

Evidence is provided to support the hypothesis that, because of the particular frequency separations of the solar g modes, resonant three-wave interactions stimulate only a selected few g modes. A resonant count diagram was obtained by plotting the total number of possible resonant three-wave interactions or a given beat frequency against the inverse of the beat frequency (the beat period), within a given frequency tolerance. The 1 = 1, 2, 3, 4 g modes calculated by Christensen-Dalsgaard, Gough and Morgan (1979) for a standard model of the Sun were used. The diagram has a significant peak at 160 minutes as well as other peaks at longer periods. The g modes that Delache and Scherrer (1983) tentatively identified from the Crimea-Stanford data were also plotted. These modes were found to correspond with the other peaks in the diagram. This coincidence between the observed g modes and the peaks in the resonant count diagram suggest that the observed g modes do owe their observability to resonant three-wave interactions

Gamma radiation effects on commercial Mexican bread making wheat flour

Science.gov (United States)

Agúndez-Arvizu, Z.; Fernández-Ramírez, M. V.; Arce-Corrales, M. E.; Cruz-Zaragoza, E.; Meléndrez, R.; Chernov, V.; Barboza-Flores, M.

2006-04-01

Gamma irradiation is considered to be an alternative method for food preservation to prevent food spoilage, insect infestation and capable of reducing the microbial load. In the present investigation, commercial Mexican bread making wheat flour was irradiated at 1.0 kGy using a 60C Gammabeam 651 PT irradiator facility. No changes were detected in moisture, protein and ashes in gamma irradiated samples as compared to those of non-irradiated samples. Slight radiation effects were observed in the alveogram values and farinograph properties; the falling number decreased 11%, the absorption as well as the mixing tolerance were practically unchanged by irradiation. An increase of 15% in the stability value and a 29% in the dough development time were observed. Also the deformation energy decreased 7% with no change at all in the tenacity/extensibility factor. Total aerobic, yeast and mold counts were reduced 96%, 25% and 75%; respectively by the irradiation process. The obtained results confirm that gamma irradiation is effective in reducing the microbial load in bread making wheat flour without a significant change in the physicochemical and baking properties.

Gamma radiation effects on commercial Mexican bread making wheat flour

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Agundez-Arvizu, Z. [Departamento de Ciencias Quimico Biologicas, Universidad de Sonora, Hermosillo, Sonora 83000 (Mexico); Fernandez-Ramirez, M.V. [Departamento de Ciencias Quimico Biologicas, Universidad de Sonora, Hermosillo, Sonora 83000 (Mexico); Arce-Corrales, M.E. [Departamento de Ciencias Quimico Biologicas, Universidad de Sonora, Hermosillo, Sonora 83000 (Mexico); Cruz-Zaragoza, E. [Instituto de Ciencias Nucleares-UNAM, A.P. 70-543, Mexico 04510 DF (Mexico); Melendrez, R. [Centro de Investigacion en Fisica, Universidad de Sonora, Apartado Postal 5-088, Hermosillo, Sonora 83190 (Mexico); Chernov, V. [Centro de Investigacion en Fisica, Universidad de Sonora, Apartado Postal 5-088, Hermosillo, Sonora 83190 (Mexico); Barboza-Flores, M. [Centro de Investigacion en Fisica, Universidad de Sonora, Apartado Postal 5-088, Hermosillo, Sonora 83190 (Mexico)]. E-mail: mbarboza@cajeme.cifus.uson.mx

2006-04-15

Gamma irradiation is considered to be an alternative method for food preservation to prevent food spoilage, insect infestation and capable of reducing the microbial load. In the present investigation, commercial Mexican bread making wheat flour was irradiated at 1.0 kGy using a {sup 6}C Gammabeam 651 PT irradiator facility. No changes were detected in moisture, protein and ashes in gamma irradiated samples as compared to those of non-irradiated samples. Slight radiation effects were observed in the alveogram values and farinograph properties; the falling number decreased 11%, the absorption as well as the mixing tolerance were practically unchanged by irradiation. An increase of 15% in the stability value and a 29% in the dough development time were observed. Also the deformation energy decreased 7% with no change at all in the tenacity/extensibility factor. Total aerobic, yeast and mold counts were reduced 96%, 25% and 75%; respectively by the irradiation process. The obtained results confirm that gamma irradiation is effective in reducing the microbial load in bread making wheat flour without a significant change in the physicochemical and baking properties.

Gamma radiation effects on commercial Mexican bread making wheat flour

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Agundez-Arvizu, Z.; Fernandez-Ramirez, M.V.; Arce-Corrales, M.E.; Cruz-Zaragoza, E.; Melendrez, R.; Chernov, V.; Barboza-Flores, M.

2006-01-01

Gamma irradiation is considered to be an alternative method for food preservation to prevent food spoilage, insect infestation and capable of reducing the microbial load. In the present investigation, commercial Mexican bread making wheat flour was irradiated at 1.0 kGy using a 6 C Gammabeam 651 PT irradiator facility. No changes were detected in moisture, protein and ashes in gamma irradiated samples as compared to those of non-irradiated samples. Slight radiation effects were observed in the alveogram values and farinograph properties; the falling number decreased 11%, the absorption as well as the mixing tolerance were practically unchanged by irradiation. An increase of 15% in the stability value and a 29% in the dough development time were observed. Also the deformation energy decreased 7% with no change at all in the tenacity/extensibility factor. Total aerobic, yeast and mold counts were reduced 96%, 25% and 75%; respectively by the irradiation process. The obtained results confirm that gamma irradiation is effective in reducing the microbial load in bread making wheat flour without a significant change in the physicochemical and baking properties

Shared Decision-making in the Emergency Department: Respecting Patient Autonomy When Seconds Count.

Science.gov (United States)

Hess, Erik P; Grudzen, Corita R; Thomson, Richard; Raja, Ali S; Carpenter, Christopher R

2015-07-01

Shared decision-making (SDM), a collaborative process in which patients and providers make health care decisions together, taking into account the best scientific evidence available, as well as the patient's values and preferences, is being increasingly advocated as the optimal approach to decision-making for many health care decisions. The rapidly paced and often chaotic environment of the emergency department (ED), however, is a unique clinical setting that offers many practical and contextual challenges. Despite these challenges, in a recent survey emergency physicians reported there to be more than one reasonable management option for over 50% of their patients and that they take an SDM approach in 58% of such patients. SDM has also been selected as the topic on which to develop a future research agenda at the 2016 Academic Emergency Medicine consensus conference, "Shared Decision-making in the Emergency Department: Development of a Policy-relevant Patient-centered Research Agenda" (http://www.saem.org/annual-meeting/education/2016-aem-consensus-conference). In this paper the authors describe the conceptual model of SDM as originally conceived by Charles and Gafni and highlight aspects of the model relevant to the practice of emergency medicine. In addition, through the use of vignettes from the authors' clinical practices, the applicability of SDM to contemporary EM practice is illustrated and the ethical and pragmatic implications of taking an SDM approach are explored. It is hoped that this document will be read in advance of the 2016 Academic Emergency Medicine consensus conference, to facilitate group discussions at the conference. © 2015 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.

A counting-card circuit based on PCI bus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shi Jing; Li Yong; Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou; Su Hong; Dong Chengfu; Li Xiaogang; Ma Xiaoli

2004-01-01

A counting-card circuit based on PCI bus that we developed recently used for advanced personal computer will be introduced in this paper briefly. The maximum count capacity of this counting-card is 10 9 -1, ranging from 0 to 999 999 999, the maximum counting time range, 1 x 10 6 s, can be set in 1 cycle, the maximum counting rate is 20 MHz for positive input. (authors)

Upgradation of automatic liquid scintillation counting system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhattacharya, Sadhana; Behere, Anita; Sonalkar, S.Y.; Vaidya, P.P.

2001-01-01

This paper describes the upgradation of Microprocessor based Automatic Liquid Scintillation Counting systems (MLSC). This system was developed in 1980's and subsequently many systems were manufactured and supplied to Environment Survey labs at various Nuclear Power Plants. Recently this system has been upgraded to a more sophisticated one by using PC add-on hardware and developing Windows based software. The software implements more intuitive graphical user interface and also enhances the features making it comparable with commercially available systems. It implements data processing using full spectrum analysis as against channel ratio method adopted earlier, improving the accuracy of the results. Also it facilitates qualitative as well as quantitative analysis of the β-spectrum. It is possible to analyze a sample containing an unknown β-source. (author)

Evaluation of high-energy electron detectors for probing the inner magnetosphere under high-counting condition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tamada, Yukihiro; Takashima, Takeshi; Mitani, Takefumi; Miyake, Wataru

2013-01-01

An ERG (Energization and Radiation in Geospace) satellite will be launched to study the acceleration processes of energetic particles in the radiation belt surrounding the earth. It is very important to reveal the acceleration process of high-energy particles for both science and the application to space weather forecast. Drastic increases of high-energy electrons in the radiation belt is sometimes observed during a geomagnetic storm. When a large magnetic storm occurs, energetic electron count rates may exceed flux limits expected in the nominal design and large number of incident electrons leading to detection loss. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate that the count rate range of a single detection on board ERG satellite can be expanded by means of reading circuit operations to decrease an area of detection. In our ground experiment, we also found an unexpected result that count peaks shift to the higher energy side under high counting conditions. (author)

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

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liang, A K; Koniczek, M; Antonuk, L E; El-Mohri, Y; Zhao, Q [University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States)

2016-06-15

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

Platelet Counts in Insoluble Platelet-Rich Fibrin Clots: A Direct Method for Accurate Determination

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yutaka Kitamura

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Platelet-rich fibrin (PRF clots have been used in regenerative dentistry most often, with the assumption that growth factor levels are concentrated in proportion to the platelet concentration. Platelet counts in PRF are generally determined indirectly by platelet counting in other liquid fractions. This study shows a method for direct estimation of platelet counts in PRF. To validate this method by determination of the recovery rate, whole-blood samples were obtained with an anticoagulant from healthy donors, and platelet-rich plasma (PRP fractions were clotted with CaCl2 by centrifugation and digested with tissue-plasminogen activator. Platelet counts were estimated before clotting and after digestion using an automatic hemocytometer. The method was then tested on PRF clots. The quality of platelets was examined by scanning electron microscopy and flow cytometry. In PRP-derived fibrin matrices, the recovery rate of platelets and white blood cells was 91.6 and 74.6%, respectively, after 24 h of digestion. In PRF clots associated with small and large red thrombi, platelet counts were 92.6 and 67.2% of the respective total platelet counts. These findings suggest that our direct method is sufficient for estimating the number of platelets trapped in an insoluble fibrin matrix and for determining that platelets are distributed in PRF clots and red thrombi roughly in proportion to their individual volumes. Therefore, we propose this direct digestion method for more accurate estimation of platelet counts in most types of platelet-enriched fibrin matrix.

Comparing distribution models for small samples of overdispersed counts of freshwater fish

Science.gov (United States)

Vaudor, Lise; Lamouroux, Nicolas; Olivier, Jean-Michel

2011-05-01

The study of species abundance often relies on repeated abundance counts whose number is limited by logistic or financial constraints. The distribution of abundance counts is generally right-skewed (i.e. with many zeros and few high values) and needs to be modelled for statistical inference. We used an extensive dataset involving about 100,000 fish individuals of 12 freshwater fish species collected in electrofishing points (7 m 2) during 350 field surveys made in 25 stream sites, in order to compare the performance and the generality of four distribution models of counts (Poisson, negative binomial and their zero-inflated counterparts). The negative binomial distribution was the best model (Bayesian Information Criterion) for 58% of the samples (species-survey combinations) and was suitable for a variety of life histories, habitat, and sample characteristics. The performance of the models was closely related to samples' statistics such as total abundance and variance. Finally, we illustrated the consequences of a distribution assumption by calculating confidence intervals around the mean abundance, either based on the most suitable distribution assumption or on an asymptotical, distribution-free (Student's) method. Student's method generally corresponded to narrower confidence intervals, especially when there were few (≤3) non-null counts in the samples.

A UNIFIED EMPIRICAL MODEL FOR INFRARED GALAXY COUNTS BASED ON THE OBSERVED PHYSICAL EVOLUTION OF DISTANT GALAXIES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Béthermin, Matthieu; Daddi, Emanuele; Sargent, Mark T.; Elbaz, David; Mullaney, James; Pannella, Maurilio; Magdis, Georgios; Hezaveh, Yashar; Le Borgne, Damien; Buat, Véronique; Charmandaris, Vassilis; Lagache, Guilaine; Scott, Douglas

2012-01-01

We reproduce the mid-infrared to radio galaxy counts with a new empirical model based on our current understanding of the evolution of main-sequence (MS) and starburst (SB) galaxies. We rely on a simple spectral energy distribution (SED) library based on Herschel observations: a single SED for the MS and another one for SB, getting warmer with redshift. Our model is able to reproduce recent measurements of galaxy counts performed with Herschel, including counts per redshift slice. This agreement demonstrates the power of our 2-Star-Formation Modes (2SFM) decomposition in describing the statistical properties of infrared sources and their evolution with cosmic time. We discuss the relative contribution of MS and SB galaxies to the number counts at various wavelengths and flux densities. We also show that MS galaxies are responsible for a bump in the 1.4 GHz radio counts around 50 μJy. Material of the model (predictions, SED library, mock catalogs, etc.) is available online.

Optimization of irradiation decay and counting times in nuclear activation analysis using short-lived nuclides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bjoernstad, T.

This work describes a method and outlines a procedure for optim- ization of an activation analysis with respect to the experimental times, irradiation time, t(subi), decay time and counting time. The method is based on the 'minimum relative standard deviation criterion', and specially designed for the use on short-lived nuclides. A computer program, COMB1, is written in the BASIC language in order to make the calculations easier and faster. It is intended to be understandable, and easily applicable on a computer of modest size. Time and cost are important factors, especially for routine analysis on a service basis. In such cases one can often allow a controlled reduction in the analysis quality (through a higher relative standard deviation). The procedure outlined can therefore help find acceptable conditions by calculation of the 'best practical' (or reasonable) experimental time values, and the minimum number of accumulation cycles necessary to fulfil the requirements given. (Auth.)

Counting equations in algebraic attacks on block ciphers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Knudsen, Lars Ramkilde; Miolane, Charlotte Vikkelsø

2010-01-01

This paper is about counting linearly independent equations for so-called algebraic attacks on block ciphers. The basic idea behind many of these approaches, e.g., XL, is to generate a large set of equations from an initial set of equations by multiplication of existing equations by the variables...... in the system. One of the most difficult tasks is to determine the exact number of linearly independent equations one obtain in the attacks. In this paper, it is shown that by splitting the equations defined over a block cipher (an SP-network) into two sets, one can determine the exact number of linearly...... independent equations which can be generated in algebraic attacks within each of these sets of a certain degree. While this does not give us a direct formula for the success of algebraic attacks on block ciphers, it gives some interesting bounds on the number of equations one can obtain from a given block...

Studies in Intelligence. Volume 54, Number 4, December 2010

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-01

of Monte Cristo . In its description of Japan, including its intelligence organs, Hong’s story is far more detailed and accurate than that of, say...Chun-hyang, the author makes references to the poetry of Pushkin, the fiction of Stendhal, Shakespeare’s play Twelfth Night, and Dumas’ novel The Count

White blood cell counting analysis of blood smear images using various segmentation strategies

Science.gov (United States)

Safuan, Syadia Nabilah Mohd; Tomari, Razali; Zakaria, Wan Nurshazwani Wan; Othman, Nurmiza

2017-09-01

In white blood cell (WBC) diagnosis, the most crucial measurement parameter is the WBC counting. Such information is widely used to evaluate the effectiveness of cancer therapy and to diagnose several hidden infection within human body. The current practice of manual WBC counting is laborious and a very subjective assessment which leads to the invention of computer aided system (CAS) with rigorous image processing solution. In the CAS counting work, segmentation is the crucial step to ensure the accuracy of the counted cell. The optimal segmentation strategy that can work under various blood smeared image acquisition conditions is remain a great challenge. In this paper, a comparison between different segmentation methods based on color space analysis to get the best counting outcome is elaborated. Initially, color space correction is applied to the original blood smeared image to standardize the image color intensity level. Next, white blood cell segmentation is performed by using combination of several color analysis subtraction which are RGB, CMYK and HSV, and Otsu thresholding. Noises and unwanted regions that present after the segmentation process is eliminated by applying a combination of morphological and Connected Component Labelling (CCL) filter. Eventually, Circle Hough Transform (CHT) method is applied to the segmented image to estimate the number of WBC including the one under the clump region. From the experiment, it is found that G-S yields the best performance.

Photon-counting image sensors

CERN Document Server

Teranishi, Nobukazu; Theuwissen, Albert; Stoppa, David; Charbon, Edoardo

2017-01-01

The field of photon-counting image sensors is advancing rapidly with the development of various solid-state image sensor technologies including single photon avalanche detectors (SPADs) and deep-sub-electron read noise CMOS image sensor pixels. This foundational platform technology will enable opportunities for new imaging modalities and instrumentation for science and industry, as well as new consumer applications. Papers discussing various photon-counting image sensor technologies and selected new applications are presented in this all-invited Special Issue.

Correction for phylogeny, small number of observations and data redundancy improves the identification of coevolving amino acid pairs using mutual information

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Buslje, C.M.; Santos, J.; Delfino, J.M.

2009-01-01

Motivation: Mutual information (MI) theory is often applied to predict positional correlations in a multiple sequence alignment (MSA) to make possible the analysis of those positions structurally or functionally important in a given fold or protein family. Accurate identification of coevolving......-weighting techniques to reduce sequence redundancy and low-count corrections to account for small number of observations in limited size sequence families, can significantly improve the predictability of MI. The evaluation is made on large sets of both in silico-generated alignments as well as on biological sequence...

Atom-counting in High Resolution Electron Microscopy:TEM or STEM - That's the question.

Science.gov (United States)

Gonnissen, J; De Backer, A; den Dekker, A J; Sijbers, J; Van Aert, S

2017-03-01

In this work, a recently developed quantitative approach based on the principles of detection theory is used in order to determine the possibilities and limitations of High Resolution Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (HR STEM) and HR TEM for atom-counting. So far, HR STEM has been shown to be an appropriate imaging mode to count the number of atoms in a projected atomic column. Recently, it has been demonstrated that HR TEM, when using negative spherical aberration imaging, is suitable for atom-counting as well. The capabilities of both imaging techniques are investigated and compared using the probability of error as a criterion. It is shown that for the same incoming electron dose, HR STEM outperforms HR TEM under common practice standards, i.e. when the decision is based on the probability function of the peak intensities in HR TEM and of the scattering cross-sections in HR STEM. If the atom-counting decision is based on the joint probability function of the image pixel values, the dependence of all image pixel intensities as a function of thickness should be known accurately. Under this assumption, the probability of error may decrease significantly for atom-counting in HR TEM and may, in theory, become lower as compared to HR STEM under the predicted optimal experimental settings. However, the commonly used standard for atom-counting in HR STEM leads to a high performance and has been shown to work in practice. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of Point Count Duration, Time-of-Day, and Aural Stimuli on Detectability of Migratory and Resident Bird Species in Quintana Roo, Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

James F. Lynch

1995-01-01

Effects of count duration, time-of-day, and aural stimuli were studied in a series of unlimited-radius point counts conducted during winter in Quintana Roo, Mexico. The rate at which new species were detected was approximately three times higher during the first 5 minutes of each 15- minute count than in the final 5 minutes. The number of individuals and species...

Platelet counting using the Coulter electronic counter.

Science.gov (United States)

Eggleton, M J; Sharp, A A

1963-03-01

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

Automated uranium analysis by delayed-neutron counting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kunzendorf, H.; Loevborg, L.; Christiansen, E.M.

1980-10-01

Automated uranium analysis by fission-induced delayed-neutron counting is described. A short description is given of the instrumentation including transfer system, process control, irradiation and counting sites, and computer operations. Characteristic parameters of the facility (sample preparations, background, and standards) are discussed. A sensitivity of 817 +- 22 counts per 10 -6 g U is found using irradiation, delay, and counting times of 20 s, 5 s, and 10 s, respectively. Presicion is generally less than 1% for normal geological samples. Critical level and detection limits for 7.5 g samples are 8 and 16 ppb, respectively. The importance of some physical and elemental interferences are outlined. Dead-time corrections of measured count rates are necessary and a polynomical expression is used for count rates up to 10 5 . The presence of rare earth elements is regarded as the most important elemental interference. A typical application is given and other areas of application are described. (auther)

Count rate effect in proportional counters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bednarek, B.

1980-01-01

A new concept is presented explaining changes in spectrometric parameters of proportional counters which occur due to varying count rate. The basic feature of this concept is that the gas gain of the counter remains constant in a wide range of count rate and that the decrease in the pulse amplitude and the detorioration of the energy resolution observed are the results of changes in the shape of original current pulses generated in the active volume of the counter. In order to confirm the validity of this statement, measurements of the gas amplification factor have been made in a wide count rate range. It is shown that above a certain critical value the gas gain depends on both the operating voltage and the count rate. (author)

Cellular and soluble components decrease the viable pathogen counts in milk from dairy cows with subclinical mastitis.

Science.gov (United States)

Koshiishi, Tomoko; Watanabe, Masako; Miyake, Hajime; Hisaeda, Keiichi; Isobe, Naoki

2017-08-10

The present study was undertaken to clarify the factors that reduce the viable pathogen count in milk collected from the udders of subclinical mastitic cows during preservation. Milk was centrifuged to divide somatic cells (cellular components, precipitates) and antimicrobial peptides (soluble components, supernatants without fat layer); each fraction was cultured with bacteria, and the number of viable bacteria was assessed prior to and after culture. In 28.8% of milk samples, we noted no viable bacteria immediately after collection; this value increased significantly after a 5-hr incubation of milk with cellular components but not with soluble components (48.1 and 28.8%, respectively). After culture with cellular components, the numbers of bacteria (excluding Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus uberis) and yeast decreased dramatically, although the differences were not statistically significant. After cultivation with soluble components, only yeasts showed a tendency toward decreased mean viability, whereas the mean bacterial counts of S. uberis and T. pyogenes tended to increase after 5-hr preservation with soluble components. These results suggest that most pathogens in high somatic cell count (SCC) milk decreased during preservation at 15 to 25°C, due to both the cellular components and antimicrobial components in the milk. Particularly, the cellular components more potently reduced bacterial counts during preservation.

Utility of the point of care CD4 analyzer, PIMA, to enumerate CD4 counts in the field settings in India

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thakar Madhuri

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background In resource limited settings non-availability of CD4 count facility at the site could adversely affect the ART roll out programme. Point of care CD4 enumerating equipments can make the CD4 count available at the site of care and improve the patients’ management considerably. This study is aimed at determining the utility of a Point of Care PIMA CD4 analyzer (Alere, Germany in the field settings in India. Method The blood samples were collected from 1790 participants at 21 ART centers from different parts of the country and tested using PIMA and the reference methods (FACSCalibur, FACSCount and CyFlow SL3. The paired finger prick and venous blood samples from 175 participants were tested by the PIMA CD4 Analyzer and then by FACSCalibur. Result The CD4 counts obtained by PIMA CD4 analyzer showed excellent correlation with the counts obtained by the reference methods; for venous blood the Pearson’s r was 0.921, p 500 cells/mm3, the differences in the median CD4 counts obtained by the reference method and the PIMA analyzer were not significant (P > 0.05 and the relative bias were low (−7 to 5.1%. The Intermachine comparison showed variation within the acceptable limit of%CV of 10%. Conclusion In the field settings, the POC PIMA CD4 analyzer gave CD4 counts comparable to the reference methods for all CD4 ranges. The POC equipment could identify the patients eligible for ART in 91% cases. Adequate training is necessary for finger prick sample collection for optimum results. Decentralization of CD4 testing by making the CD4 counts available at primary health centers, especially in remote areas with minimum or no infrastructure would reduce the missed visits and improve adherence of the patients.

Observations of the Hubble Deep Field with the Infrared Space Observatory .3. Source counts and P(D) analysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Oliver, S.J.; Goldschmidt, P.; Franceschini, A.

1997-01-01

We present source counts at 6.7 and 15 mu m from our maps of the Hubble Deep Field (HDF) region, reaching 38.6 mu Jy at 6.7 mu m and 255 mu Jy at 15 mu m. These are the first ever extragalactic number counts to be presented at 6.7 mu m, and are three decades fainter than IRAS at 12 mu m. Both...

Function and platelet count in thrombocyte concentrate (TC during the storage

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elida Marpaung

2016-01-01

with threedifferent test time were conducted on day 0, third day, and fifth day storage.Results: On 50 bags samples, pH, and number of platelets increased, but the platelet aggregation functiondecreased on the third day of storage. On the fifth day of storage the pH, number of platelets and theplatelets aggregation function decreased and found the lowest number almost in all samples.Conclusion: The three parameters: pH, platelet counts, and aggregation functions decreased on the fifthday of storage. (Health Science Journal of Indonesia;2015;6:48-51Keywords: platelets, pH, aggregation, platelet storage

Rapid enumeration of low numbers of moulds in tea based drinks using an automated system.

Science.gov (United States)

Tanaka, Kouichi; Yamaguchi, Nobuyasu; Baba, Takashi; Amano, Norihide; Nasu, Masao

2011-01-31

Aseptically prepared cold drinks based on tea have become popular worldwide. Contamination of these drinks with harmful microbes is a potential health problem because such drinks are kept free from preservatives to maximize aroma and flavour. Heat-tolerant conidia and ascospores of fungi can survive pasteurization, and need to be detected as quickly as possible. We were able to rapidly and accurately detect low numbers of conidia and ascospores in tea-based drinks using fluorescent staining followed by an automated counting system. Conidia or ascospores were inoculated into green tea and oolong tea, and samples were immediately filtered through nitrocellulose membranes (pore size: 0.8 μm) to concentrate fungal propagules. These were transferred onto potato dextrose agar and incubated for 23 h at 28 °C. Fungi germinating on the membranes were fluorescently stained for 30 min. The stained mycelia were counted selectively within 90s using an automated counting system (MGS-10LD; Chuo Electric Works, Osaka, Japan). Very low numbers (1 CFU/100ml) of conidia or ascospores could be rapidly counted, in contrast to traditional labour intensive techniques. All tested mould strains were detected within 24h while conventional plate counting required 72 h for colony enumeration. Counts of slow-growing fungi (Cladosporium cladosporioides) obtained by automated counting and by conventional plate counting were close (r(2) = 0.986). Our combination of methods enables counting of both fast- and slow-growing fungi, and should be useful for microbiological quality control of tea-based and also other drinks. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automatic counting of fission fragments tracks using the gas permeation technique

CERN Document Server

Yamazaki, I M

1999-01-01

An automatic counting system for fission tracks induced in a polycarbonate plastic Makrofol KG (10 mu m thickness) is described. The method is based on the gas transport mechanism proposed by Knudsen, where the gas permeability for a porous membrane is expected to be directly related to its track density. In this work, nitrogen permeabilities for several Makrofol films, with different fission track densities, have been measured using an adequate gas permeation system. The fission tracks were produced by irradiating Makrofol foils with a 252Cf calibrated source in a 2 pi geometry. A calibration curve fission track number versus nitrogen permeability has been obtained, for track densities higher than 1000/cm sup 2 , where the spark gap technique and the visual methods employing a microscope, are not appropriate for track counting.

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2016-12-01

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

Automated cell counts on CSF samples: A multicenter performance evaluation of the GloCyte system.

Science.gov (United States)

Hod, E A; Brugnara, C; Pilichowska, M; Sandhaus, L M; Luu, H S; Forest, S K; Netterwald, J C; Reynafarje, G M; Kratz, A

2018-02-01

Automated cell counters have replaced manual enumeration of cells in blood and most body fluids. However, due to the unreliability of automated methods at very low cell counts, most laboratories continue to perform labor-intensive manual counts on many or all cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples. This multicenter clinical trial investigated if the GloCyte System (Advanced Instruments, Norwood, MA), a recently FDA-approved automated cell counter, which concentrates and enumerates red blood cells (RBCs) and total nucleated cells (TNCs), is sufficiently accurate and precise at very low cell counts to replace all manual CSF counts. The GloCyte System concentrates CSF and stains RBCs with fluorochrome-labeled antibodies and TNCs with nucleic acid dyes. RBCs and TNCs are then counted by digital image analysis. Residual adult and pediatric CSF samples obtained for clinical analysis at five different medical centers were used for the study. Cell counts were performed by the manual hemocytometer method and with the GloCyte System following the same protocol at all sites. The limits of the blank, detection, and quantitation, as well as precision and accuracy of the GloCyte, were determined. The GloCyte detected as few as 1 TNC/μL and 1 RBC/μL, and reliably counted as low as 3 TNCs/μL and 2 RBCs/μL. The total coefficient of variation was less than 20%. Comparison with cell counts obtained with a hemocytometer showed good correlation (>97%) between the GloCyte and the hemocytometer, including at very low cell counts. The GloCyte instrument is a precise, accurate, and stable system to obtain red cell and nucleated cell counts in CSF samples. It allows for the automated enumeration of even very low cell numbers, which is crucial for CSF analysis. These results suggest that GloCyte is an acceptable alternative to the manual method for all CSF samples, including those with normal cell counts. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

PMP, a novel solute for liquid and plastic scintillation counting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gusten, Hans

1983-01-01

The excellent fluorescence properties of PMP ( 11-phenyl-3-mesityl-2-pyrazoline) such as long wavelength emission of over 400 nm, and high fluorescence quantum yield with a short decay time together with a solubility of more than one Mol/L in toluene make this compound a promising solute for scintillation counting. The Stokes' shift of PMP of over 10,000 cm -1 is twice as large as that of the commonly used PPO. Due to this unusually large Stokes' shift PMP can be used as a primary solute without requiring a secondary solute as wavelength shifter. A comparison of the scintillation properties of PMP and PPO in toluene reveals that the counting efficiency for 14 C is better for PMP while the 3 H efficiency is equally good. Due to the large Stokes' shift, PMP is about 50 percent less sensitive to color quenching than PPO. Compared to the solute combinations PPO/secondary solutes, the scintillation counting efficiency of PMP for 14 C in toluene or xylene is the same, while the absolute 3 H efficiency of PPO/secondary solutes in cocktails with emulsifiers is about 10 percent higher. The PMP scintillation efficiency for 14 C as well as 3 H in chemical quenching by urine is more or less the same as for PPO/dimethyl-POPOP. PMP is more sensitive to quenching by halogenated solvents. In the dioxane-based scintillation, this sensitivity to chemical quenching by CHCl 3 vanishes and the counting efficiencies for 14 C and 3 H are as good as for PPO/dimethyl-POPOP or PPO/bis-MSB. Due to the large Stokes' shift, the self-absorption of the scintillation light by PMP is lower than in conventional scintillators. This offers good possibilities in very large-volume applications of liquid as well as plastic scintillators

Pre-Statistical Process Control: Making Numbers Count! JobLink Winning at Work Instructor's Manual, Module 3.

Science.gov (United States)

Coast Community Coll. District, Costa Mesa, CA.

This instructor's manual for workplace trainers contains the materials required to conduct a course in pre-statistical process control. The course consists of six lessons for workers and two lessons for supervisors that discuss the following: concepts taught in the six lessons; workers' progress in the individual lessons; and strategies for…

Confidence Intervals for Asbestos Fiber Counts: Approximate Negative Binomial Distribution.

Science.gov (United States)

Bartley, David; Slaven, James; Harper, Martin

2017-03-01

The negative binomial distribution is adopted for analyzing asbestos fiber counts so as to account for both the sampling errors in capturing only a finite number of fibers and the inevitable human variation in identifying and counting sampled fibers. A simple approximation to this distribution is developed for the derivation of quantiles and approximate confidence limits. The success of the approximation depends critically on the use of Stirling's expansion to sufficient order, on exact normalization of the approximating distribution, on reasonable perturbation of quantities from the normal distribution, and on accurately approximating sums by inverse-trapezoidal integration. Accuracy of the approximation developed is checked through simulation and also by comparison to traditional approximate confidence intervals in the specific case that the negative binomial distribution approaches the Poisson distribution. The resulting statistics are shown to relate directly to early research into the accuracy of asbestos sampling and analysis. Uncertainty in estimating mean asbestos fiber concentrations given only a single count is derived. Decision limits (limits of detection) and detection limits are considered for controlling false-positive and false-negative detection assertions and are compared to traditional limits computed assuming normal distributions. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Occupational Hygiene Society 2017.

Artificial neural network-aided image analysis system for cell counting.

Science.gov (United States)

Sjöström, P J; Frydel, B R; Wahlberg, L U

1999-05-01

In histological preparations containing debris and synthetic materials, it is difficult to automate cell counting using standard image analysis tools, i.e., systems that rely on boundary contours, histogram thresholding, etc. In an attempt to mimic manual cell recognition, an automated cell counter was constructed using a combination of artificial intelligence and standard image analysis methods. Artificial neural network (ANN) methods were applied on digitized microscopy fields without pre-ANN feature extraction. A three-layer feed-forward network with extensive weight sharing in the first hidden layer was employed and trained on 1,830 examples using the error back-propagation algorithm on a Power Macintosh 7300/180 desktop computer. The optimal number of hidden neurons was determined and the trained system was validated by comparison with blinded human counts. System performance at 50x and lO0x magnification was evaluated. The correlation index at 100x magnification neared person-to-person variability, while 50x magnification was not useful. The system was approximately six times faster than an experienced human. ANN-based automated cell counting in noisy histological preparations is feasible. Consistent histology and computer power are crucial for system performance. The system provides several benefits, such as speed of analysis and consistency, and frees up personnel for other tasks.

Recreational use in dispersed public lands measured using social media data and on-site counts.

Science.gov (United States)

Fisher, David M; Wood, Spencer A; White, Eric M; Blahna, Dale J; Lange, Sarah; Weinberg, Alex; Tomco, Michael; Lia, Emilia

2018-09-15

Outdoor recreation is one of many important benefits provided by public lands. Data on recreational use are critical for informing management of recreation resources, however, managers often lack actionable information on visitor use for large protected areas that lack controlled access points. The purpose of this study is to explore the potential for social media data (e.g., geotagged images shared on Flickr and trip reports shared on a hiking forum) to provide land managers with useful measures of recreational use to dispersed areas, and to provide lessons learned from comparing several more traditional counting methods. First, we measure daily and monthly visitation rates to individual trails within the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest (MBSNF) in western Washington. At 15 trailheads, we compare counts of hikers from infrared sensors, timelapse cameras, and manual on-site counts, to counts based on the number of shared geotagged images and trip reports from those locations. Second, we measure visitation rates to each National Forest System (NFS) unit across the US and compare annual measurements derived from the number of geotagged images to estimates from the US Forest Service National Visitor Use Monitoring Program. At both the NFS unit and the individual-trail scales, we found strong correlations between traditional measures of recreational use and measures based on user-generated content shared on the internet. For national forests in every region of the country, correlations between official Forest Service statistics and geotagged images ranged between 55% and 95%. For individual trails within the MBSNF, monthly visitor counts from on-site measurements were strongly correlated with counts from geotagged images (79%) and trip reports (91%). The convenient, cost-efficient and timely nature of collecting and analyzing user-generated data could allow land managers to monitor use over different seasons of the year and at sites and scales never previously

Smart fast blood counting of trace volumes of body fluids from various mammalian species using a compact custom-built microscope cytometer (Conference Presentation)

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Zachary J.; Gao, Tingjuan; Lin, Tzu-Yin; Carrade-Holt, Danielle; Lane, Stephen M.; Matthews, Dennis L.; Dwyre, Denis M.; Wachsmann-Hogiu, Sebastian

2016-03-01

Cell counting in human body fluids such as blood, urine, and CSF is a critical step in the diagnostic process for many diseases. Current automated methods for cell counting are based on flow cytometry systems. However, these automated methods are bulky, costly, require significant user expertise, and are not well suited to counting cells in fluids other than blood. Therefore, their use is limited to large central laboratories that process enough volume of blood to recoup the significant capital investment these instruments require. We present in this talk a combination of a (1) low-cost microscope system, (2) simple sample preparation method, and (3) fully automated analysis designed for providing cell counts in blood and body fluids. We show results on both humans and companion and farm animals, showing that accurate red cell, white cell, and platelet counts, as well as hemoglobin concentration, can be accurately obtained in blood, as well as a 3-part white cell differential in human samples. We can also accurately count red and white cells in body fluids with a limit of detection ~3 orders of magnitude smaller than current automated instruments. This method uses less than 1 microliter of blood, and less than 5 microliters of body fluids to make its measurements, making it highly compatible with finger-stick style collections, as well as appropriate for small animals such as laboratory mice where larger volume blood collections are dangerous to the animal's health.

CalCOFI Larvae Counts Positive Tows

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Fish larvae counts and standardized counts for eggs captured in CalCOFI icthyoplankton nets (primarily vertical [Calvet or Pairovet], oblique [bongo or ring nets],...

Atom counting in HAADF STEM using a statistical model-based approach: methodology, possibilities, and inherent limitations.

Science.gov (United States)

De Backer, A; Martinez, G T; Rosenauer, A; Van Aert, S

2013-11-01

In the present paper, a statistical model-based method to count the number of atoms of monotype crystalline nanostructures from high resolution high-angle annular dark-field (HAADF) scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) images is discussed in detail together with a thorough study on the possibilities and inherent limitations. In order to count the number of atoms, it is assumed that the total scattered intensity scales with the number of atoms per atom column. These intensities are quantitatively determined using model-based statistical parameter estimation theory. The distribution describing the probability that intensity values are generated by atomic columns containing a specific number of atoms is inferred on the basis of the experimental scattered intensities. Finally, the number of atoms per atom column is quantified using this estimated probability distribution. The number of atom columns available in the observed STEM image, the number of components in the estimated probability distribution, the width of the components of the probability distribution, and the typical shape of a criterion to assess the number of components in the probability distribution directly affect the accuracy and precision with which the number of atoms in a particular atom column can be estimated. It is shown that single atom sensitivity is feasible taking the latter aspects into consideration. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Set of counts by scintillations for atmospheric samplings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Appriou, D.; Doury, A.

1962-01-01

The author reports the development of a scintillation-based counting assembly with the following characteristics: a photo-multiplier with a wide photo-cathode, a thin plastic scintillator for the counting of beta + alpha (and possibility of mounting an alpha scintillator), a relatively small own motion with respect to activities to be counted, a weakly varying efficiency. The authors discuss the counting objective, present equipment tests (counter, proportional amplifier and pre-amplifier, input drawer). They describe the apparatus operation, discuss the selection of scintillators, report the study of the own movement (electron-based background noise, total background noise, background noise reduction), discuss counts (influence of the external source, sensitivity to alpha radiations, counting homogeneity, minimum detectable activity) and efficiencies

Track counting in radon dosimetry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fesenbeck, Ingo; Koehler, Bernd; Reichert, Klaus-Martin

2013-01-01

The newly developed, computer-controlled track counting system is capable of imaging and analyzing the entire area of nuclear track detectors. The high optical resolution allows a new analysis approach for the process of automated counting using digital image processing technologies. This way, higher exposed detectors can be evaluated reliably by an automated process as well. (orig.)

Prediction of facial height, width, and ratio from thumbprints ridge count and its possible applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lawan Hassan Adamu

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The fingerprints and face recognition are two biometric processes that comprise methods for uniquely recognizing humans based on certain number of intrinsic physical or behavioral traits. The objectives of the study were to predict the facial height (FH, facial width, and ratios from thumbprints ridge count and its possible applications. This was a cross-sectional study. A total of 457 participants were recruited. A fingerprint live scanner was used to capture the plain thumbprint. The facial photograph was captured using a digital camera. Pearson's correlation analysis was used for the relationship between thumbprint ridge density and facial linear dimensions. Step-wise linear multiple regression analysis was used to predict facial distances from thumbprint ridge density. The result showed that in males the right ulnar ridge count correlates negatively with lower facial width (LFW, upper facial width/upper FH (UFW/UFH, lower FH/FH (LFH/FH, and positively with UFH and UFW/LFW. The right and left proximal ridge counts correlate with LFW and UFH, respectively. In males, the right ulnar ridge count predicts LFW, UFW/LFW, UFW/UFH, and LFH/FH. Special upper face height I, LFW, height of lower third of the face, UFW/LFW was predicted by right radial ridge counts. LFH, height of lower third of the face, and LFH/FH were predicted from left ulnar ridge count whereas left proximal ridge count predicted LFW. In females only, the special upper face height I was predicted by right ulnar ridge count. In conclusion, thumbprint ridge counts can be used to predict FH, width, ratios among Hausa population. The possible application of fingerprints in facial characterization for used in human biology, paleodemography, and forensic science was demonstrated.

CalCOFI Egg Counts Positive Tows

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Fish egg counts and standardized counts for eggs captured in CalCOFI icthyoplankton nets (primarily vertical [Calvet or Pairovet], oblique [bongo or ring nets], and...

Number-counts slope estimation in the presence of Poisson noise

Science.gov (United States)

Schmitt, Juergen H. M. M.; Maccacaro, Tommaso

1986-01-01

The slope determination of a power-law number flux relationship in the case of photon-limited sampling. This case is important for high-sensitivity X-ray surveys with imaging telescopes, where the error in an individual source measurement depends on integrated flux and is Poisson, rather than Gaussian, distributed. A bias-free method of slope estimation is developed that takes into account the exact error distribution, the influence of background noise, and the effects of varying limiting sensitivities. It is shown that the resulting bias corrections are quite insensitive to the bias correction procedures applied, as long as only sources with signal-to-noise ratio five or greater are considered. However, if sources with signal-to-noise ratio five or less are included, the derived bias corrections depend sensitively on the shape of the error distribution.

Regression Models For Multivariate Count Data.

Science.gov (United States)

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