WorldWideScience

Sample records for ecme thresholding methods

  1. ECM using Edwards curves

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bernstein, D.J.; Birkner, P.; Lange, T.; Peters, C.P.

    2013-01-01

    This paper introduces EECM-MPFQ, a fast implementation of the elliptic-curve method of factoring integers. EECM-MPFQ uses fewer modular multiplications than the well-known GMP-ECM software, takes less time than GMP-ECM, and finds more primes than GMP-ECM. The main improvements above the

  2. ECM on graphics cards

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bernstein, D.J.; Chen, T.R.; Cheng, C.M.; Lange, T.; Yang, B.Y.; Joux, A.

    2009-01-01

    This paper reports record-setting performance for the elliptic-curve method of integer factorization: for example, 926.11 curves/second for ECM stage 1 with B 1¿=¿8192 for 280-bit integers on a single PC. The state-of-the-art GMP-ECM software handles 124.71 curves/second for ECM stage 1 with B

  3. Methods in studying ECM degradation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Everts, V.; Buttle, D.J.

    2008-01-01

    Almost all tissues in our body contain specific cells associated with the tissue itself, and an extracellular matrix (ECM) that consists of a variety of proteins of which the bulk is formed by different types of collagens, glycoproteins and proteoglycans. TheECMplays a pivotal role in numerous

  4. Targeting ECM Disrupts Cancer Progression

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Venning, Freja A; Wullkopf, Lena; Erler, Janine T

    2015-01-01

    , the extracellular matrix (ECM). Many ECM proteins are significantly deregulated during the progression of cancer, causing both biochemical and biomechanical changes that together promote the metastatic cascade. In this review, the influence of several ECM proteins on these multiple steps of cancer spread...... is summarized. In addition, we highlight the promising (pre-)clinical data showing benefits of targeting these ECM macromolecules to prevent cancer progression....

  5. Cell-ECM Interactions During Cancer Invasion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Yi

    The extracellular matrix (ECM), a fibrous material that forms a network in a tissue, significantly affects many aspects of cellular behavior, including cell movement and proliferation. Transgenic mouse tumor studies indicate that excess collagen, a major component of ECM, enhances tumor formation and invasiveness. Clinically, tumor associated collagen signatures are strong markers for breast cancer survival. However, the underlying mechanisms are unclear since the properties of ECM are complex, with diverse structural and mechanical properties depending on various biophysical parameters. We have developed a three-dimensional elastic fiber network model, and parameterized it with in vitro collagen mechanics. Using this model, we study ECM remodeling as a result of local deformation and cell migration through the ECM as a network percolation problem. We have also developed a three-dimensional, multiscale model of cell migration and interaction with ECM. Our model reproduces quantitative single cell migration experiments. This model is a first step toward a fully biomechanical cell-matrix interaction model and may shed light on tumor associated collagen signatures in breast cancer. This work was partially supported by NIH-U01CA143069.

  6. Decellularized heart ECM hydrogel using supercritical carbon dioxide for improved angiogenesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seo, Yoojin; Jung, Youngmee; Kim, Soo Hyun

    2018-02-01

    Initial angiogenesis within the first 3 days is critical for healing ischemic diseases such as myocardial infarction. Recently, decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM) has been reported to provide tissue-derived ECM components and can be used as a scaffold for cell delivery for angiogenesis in tissue engineering. Decellularization by various detergents such as sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and triton X-100 can remove the cell nuclei in tissue organs. However, this leads to ECM structure denaturation, decreased presence of various ECM proteins and cytokines, and loss of mechanical properties. To overcome these limitations, in this study, we developed a supercritical carbon dioxide and ethanol co-solvent (scCO 2 -EtOH) decellularization method, which is a detergent-free system that prevents ECM structure disruption and retains various angiogenic proteins in the heart dECM, and tested on rat heart tissues. The heart tissue was placed into the scCO 2 reactor and decellularized at 37 °C and 350 bar. After scCO 2 -EtOH treatment, the effects were evaluated by DNA, collagen, and glycosaminoglycan (GAG) quantification and hematoxylin and eosin and immunofluorescence staining to determine the absence of nucleic acids and preservation of heart ECM components. Similar to the native group, the scCO 2 -EtOH group contained more ECM components such as collagen, GAGs, collagen I, laminin, and fibronectin and angiogenic factors including vascular endothelial growth factor, fibroblast growth factor, and platelet-derived growth factor and others in comparison to the detergent group. In addition, to estimate angiogenesis of the dECM hydrogels, the neutralized dECM solution was injected in a rat subcutaneous layer (n = 6 in each group: collagen, scCO 2 -EOH, and detergent group), after which the solution naturally formed gelation in the subcutaneous layer. After 3 days, the gels were harvested and estimated by immunofluorescence staining and the ImageJ program for

  7. Neural ECM in addiction, schizophrenia, and mood disorder

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Lubbers, B.R.; Smit, A.B.; Spijker, S.; van den Oever, M.C.

    2014-01-01

    The extracellular matrix (ECM) has a prominent role in brain development, maturation of neural circuits, and adult neuroplasticity. This multifactorial role of the ECM suggests that processes that affect composition or turnover of ECM in the brain could lead to altered brain function, possibly

  8. ECM remodeling and its plasticity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feng, Jingchen; Jones, Christopher A. R.; Cibula, Matthew; Mao, Xiaoming; Sander, Leonard M.; Levine, Herbert; Sun, Bo

    The mechanical interactions between cells and Extracellular Matrix (ECM) are of great importance in many cellular processes. These interactions are reciprocal, i.e. contracting cells pull and reorganize the surrounding matrix, while the remodeled matrix feeds back to regulate cell activities. Recent experiments show in collagen gels with densely distributed cells, aligned fiber bundles are formed in the direction between neighboring cells. Fibers flow into the center region between contracting cell pairs in this process, which causes the concentration of fibers in the fiber bundles to become significantly enhanced. Using an extended lattice-based model, we show that viscoelasticity plays an essential role in ECM remodeling and contributes to the enhanced concentration in fiber bundles. We further characterize ECM plasticity within our model and verify our results with rheometer experiments.

  9. ECM and ECM-like materials - Biomaterials for applications in regenerative medicine and cancer therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hinderer, Svenja; Layland, Shannon Lee; Schenke-Layland, Katja

    2016-02-01

    Regenerative strategies such as stem cell-based therapies and tissue engineering applications are being developed with the aim to replace, remodel, regenerate or support damaged tissues and organs. In addition to careful cell type selection, the design of appropriate three-dimensional (3D) scaffolds is essential for the generation of bio-inspired replacement tissues. Such scaffolds are usually made of degradable or non-degradable biomaterials and can serve as cell or drug carriers. The development of more effective and efficient drug carrier systems is also highly relevant for novel cancer treatment strategies. In this review, we provide a summary of current approaches that employ ECM and ECM-like materials, or ECM-synthetic polymer hybrids, as biomaterials in the field of regenerative medicine. We further discuss the utilization of such materials for cell and drug delivery, and highlight strategies for their use as vehicles for cancer therapy. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. ECM Decorated Electrospun Nanofiber for Improving Bone Tissue Regeneration

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yong Fu

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Optimization of nanofiber surface properties can lead to enhanced tissue regeneration outcomes in the context of bone tissue engineering. Herein, we developed a facile strategy to decorate elctrospun nanofibers using extracellular matrix (ECM in order to improve their performance for bone tissue engineering. Electrospun PLLA nanofibers (PLLA NF were seeded with MC3T3-E1 cells and allowed to grow for two weeks in order to harvest a layer of ECM on nanofiber surface. After decellularization, we found that ECM was successfully preserved on nanofiber surface while maintaining the nanostructure of electrospun fibers. ECM decorated on PLLA NF is biologically active, as evidenced by its ability to enhance mouse bone marrow stromal cells (mBMSCs adhesion, support cell proliferation and promote early stage osteogenic differentiation of mBMSCs. Compared to PLLA NF without ECM, mBMSCs grown on ECM/PLLA NF exhibited a healthier morphology, faster proliferation profile, and more robust osteogenic differentiation. Therefore, our study suggests that ECM decoration on electrospun nanofibers could serve as an efficient approach to improving their performance for bone tissue engineering.

  11. Tailored PVA/ECM Scaffolds for Cartilage Regeneration

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elena Stocco

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Articular cartilage lesions are a particular challenge for regenerative medicine due to cartilage low self-ability repair in case of damage. Hence, a significant goal of musculoskeletal tissue engineering is the development of suitable structures in virtue of their matrix composition and biomechanical properties. The objective of our study was to design in vitro a supporting structure for autologous chondrocyte growth. We realized a biohybrid composite scaffold combining a novel and nonspecific extracellular matrix (ECM, which is decellularized Wharton’s jelly ECM, with the biomechanical properties of the synthetic hydrogel polyvinyl alcohol (PVA. Wharton’s jelly ECM was tested for its ability in promoting scaffold colonization by chondrocytes and compared with polyvinyl alcohol itself and the more specific decellularized cartilage matrix. Our preliminary evidences highlighted the chance of using Wharton’s jelly ECM in combination with PVA hydrogels as an innovative and easily available scaffold for cartilage restoration.

  12. Inverting adherent cells for visualizing ECM interactions at the basal cell side

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gudzenko, Tetyana [DFG-Center for Functional Nanostructures, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Wolfgang-Gaede-Strasse 1a, 76131 Karlsruhe (Germany); Franz, Clemens M., E-mail: clemens.franz@kit.edu [DFG-Center for Functional Nanostructures, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Wolfgang-Gaede-Strasse 1a, 76131 Karlsruhe (Germany)

    2013-05-15

    Interactions with the extracellular matrix (ECM) govern a wide range of cellular functions, including survival, migration and invasion. However, in adherent cells these interactions occur primarily on the basal cell side, making them inaccessible to high-resolution, surface-scanning imaging techniques such as atomic force microscopy (AFM) or scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Here we describe a fast and reliable method for inverting adherent cells, exposing the basal cell membrane for direct analysis by AFM or SEM in combination with fluorescence microscopy. Cells including their matrix adhesion sites remain intact during the inversion process and are transferred together with the complete array of basally associated ECM proteins. Molecular features of ECM proteins, such as the characteristic 67 nm collagen D-periodicity, are well preserved after inversion. To demonstrate the versatility of the method, we compared basal interactions of fibroblasts with fibrillar collagen I and fibronectin matrices. While fibroblasts remodel the fibronectin layer exclusively from above, they actively invade even thin collagen layers by contacting individual collagen nanofibrils both basally and apically through a network of cellular extensions. Cell–matrix entanglement coincides with enhanced cell spreading and flattening, indicating that nanoscale ECM interactions govern macroscopic changes in cell morphology. The presented cell inversion technique can thus provide novel insight into nanoscale cell–matrix interactions at the basal cell side. - Highlights: ► We present a novel method for inverting adherent cells to expose the basal cell side. ► Basal cell sides can be imaged at high resolution by AFM and SEM. ► Cells can be inverted together with the underlying extracellular matrix. ► AFM images of inverted cells provide a nanoscale look at basal cell–ECM interactions.

  13. Advanced Electrochemical Machining (ECM) for tungsten surface micro-structuring in blanket applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Holstein, Nils; Krauss, Wolfgang; Konys, Jürgen; Heuer, Simon; Weber, Thomas

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • Electrochemical Machining is an appropriate tool for tungsten shaping. • Progress in shaping achieved by combination of ECM with advanced micro-lithography. • Application in First Wall for connection of plasma facing material to breeder blanket. • Successful development of adhesion promotors by ECM for plasma spraying interlayers. • Microstructure electrochemical manufacturing of tungsten in sizes of 100 μm achieved. - Abstract: Plasma facing components for fusion applications must have to exhibit long-term stability under extreme physical conditions, and therefore any material imperfections caused by mechanical and/or thermal stresses in the shaping processes cannot be tolerated due to a high risk of possible technical failures under fusion conditions. To avoid such defects, the method of Electrochemical Machining (ECM) enables a complete defect-free processing of removal of tungsten material during the desired shaping, also for high penetration depths. Furthermore, supported by lithographic mask pretreatment, three-dimensional distinct geometric structures can be positive-imaged via the directional galvanic dissolution applying M-ECM process into the tungsten bulk material. New required applications for tungsten components, e.g. as adhesion promotors in W-surfaces to enable sure grip and bonding of thick plasma-spraying layers for blanket components, will define the way of further miniaturization of well-established millimeter dimensioned M-ECM shaping processes to dimensions of 100 μm and furthermore down to 50 μm. Besides current M-ECM limits the article describes inevitable needs of further developments for mask resists, mask materials and the resulting ECM parameters, to reach the needed accuracy in tungsten microstructure. The achieved progress and observed correlations of processing parameters will be manifested by produced demonstrators made by the new “μM”-ECM process.

  14. Advanced Electrochemical Machining (ECM) for tungsten surface micro-structuring in blanket applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Holstein, Nils, E-mail: nils.holstein@kit.edu [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, D-76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Baden-Württemberg (Germany); Krauss, Wolfgang; Konys, Jürgen [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, D-76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Baden-Württemberg (Germany); Heuer, Simon; Weber, Thomas [Research Center Jülich, Institute of Energy- and Climate Research – Plasma Physics (IEK-4), D-52425 Jülich (Germany)

    2016-11-01

    Highlights: • Electrochemical Machining is an appropriate tool for tungsten shaping. • Progress in shaping achieved by combination of ECM with advanced micro-lithography. • Application in First Wall for connection of plasma facing material to breeder blanket. • Successful development of adhesion promotors by ECM for plasma spraying interlayers. • Microstructure electrochemical manufacturing of tungsten in sizes of 100 μm achieved. - Abstract: Plasma facing components for fusion applications must have to exhibit long-term stability under extreme physical conditions, and therefore any material imperfections caused by mechanical and/or thermal stresses in the shaping processes cannot be tolerated due to a high risk of possible technical failures under fusion conditions. To avoid such defects, the method of Electrochemical Machining (ECM) enables a complete defect-free processing of removal of tungsten material during the desired shaping, also for high penetration depths. Furthermore, supported by lithographic mask pretreatment, three-dimensional distinct geometric structures can be positive-imaged via the directional galvanic dissolution applying M-ECM process into the tungsten bulk material. New required applications for tungsten components, e.g. as adhesion promotors in W-surfaces to enable sure grip and bonding of thick plasma-spraying layers for blanket components, will define the way of further miniaturization of well-established millimeter dimensioned M-ECM shaping processes to dimensions of 100 μm and furthermore down to 50 μm. Besides current M-ECM limits the article describes inevitable needs of further developments for mask resists, mask materials and the resulting ECM parameters, to reach the needed accuracy in tungsten microstructure. The achieved progress and observed correlations of processing parameters will be manifested by produced demonstrators made by the new “μM”-ECM process.

  15. Metabolism during ECM Detachment: Achilles Heel of Cancer Cells?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mason, Joshua A; Hagel, Kimberly R; Hawk, Mark A; Schafer, Zachary T

    2017-07-01

    Integrin-mediated attachment to the extracellular matrix (ECM) is required to combat the induction of programmed cell death in a variety of distinct cell types. If cells fail to maintain proper ECM attachment, they become subject to elimination via an apoptotic cell death program known as anoikis. However, anoikis inhibition is not sufficient to promote the long-term survival of ECM-detached cells. Several recent studies have unveiled the profound (anoikis-independent) impact of cell metabolism on the viability of ECM-detached cells. Thus, we posit that, during metastatic dissemination (when cancer cells are exposed to periods of ECM detachment), cancer cells must alter their metabolism in a fashion that promotes survival and ultimately contributes to metastatic outgrowth. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Time-efficient multidimensional threshold tracking method

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fereczkowski, Michal; Kowalewski, Borys; Dau, Torsten

    2015-01-01

    Traditionally, adaptive methods have been used to reduce the time it takes to estimate psychoacoustic thresholds. However, even with adaptive methods, there are many cases where the testing time is too long to be clinically feasible, particularly when estimating thresholds as a function of anothe...

  17. Trabecular meshwork ECM remodeling in glaucoma: could RAS be a target?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agarwal, Puneet; Agarwal, Renu

    2018-06-14

    Disturbances of extracellular matrix (ECM) homeostasis in trabecular meshwork (TM) cause increased aqueous outflow resistance leading to elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) in glaucomatous eyes. Therefore, restoration of ECM homeostasis is a rational approach to prevent disease progression. Since renin-angiotensin system (RAS) inhibition positively alters ECM homeostasis in cardiovascular pathologies involving pressure and volume overload, it is likely that RAS inhibitors reduce IOP primarily by restoring ECM homeostasis. Areas covered: Current evidence showing the presence of RAS components in ocular tissue and its role in regulating aqueous humor dynamics is briefly summarized. The role of RAS in ECM remodeling is discussed both in terms of its effects on ECM synthesis and its breakdown. The mechanisms of ECM remodeling involving interactions of RAS with transforming growth factor-β, Wnt/β-catenin signaling, bone morphogenic proteins, connective tissue growth factor, and matrix metalloproteinases in ocular tissue are discussed. Expert opinion: Current literature strongly indicates a significant role of RAS in ECM remodeling in TM of hypertensive eyes. Hence, IOP-lowering effect of RAS inhibitors may primarily be attributed to restoration of ECM homeostasis in aqueous outflow pathways rather than its vascular effects. However, the mechanistic targets for RAS inhibitors have much wider distribution and consequences, which remain relatively unexplored in TM.

  18. The Development and Verification of a Novel ECMS of Hybrid Electric Bus

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jun Wang

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents the system modeling, control strategy design, and hardware-in-the-loop test for a series-parallel hybrid electric bus. First, the powertrain mathematical models and the system architecture were proposed. Then an adaptive ECMS is developed for the real-time control of a hybrid electric bus, which is investigated and verified in a hardware-in-the-loop simulation system. The ECMS through driving cycle recognition results in updating the equivalent charge and discharge coefficients and extracting optimized rules for real-time control. This method not only solves the problems of mode transition frequently and improves the fuel economy, but also simplifies the complexity of control strategy design and provides new design ideas for the energy management strategy and gear-shifting rules designed. Finally, the simulation results show that the proposed real-time A-ECMS can coordinate the overall hybrid electric powertrain to optimize fuel economy and sustain the battery SOC level.

  19. Vascular cell responses to ECM produced by smooth muscle cells on TiO{sub 2} nanotubes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shen, Fangyu [School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu (China); Key Lab of Advanced Technology of Materials of Education Ministry, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031 (China); Zhu, Ying [School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu (China); Key Lab of Advanced Technology of Materials of Education Ministry, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031 (China); Wuhan Dragonbio Orthopedic Products CO., LTD, 18, Qinglnghe Road, Hongshan District, Wuhan 430065 (China); Li, Xin [School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu (China); Key Lab of Advanced Technology of Materials of Education Ministry, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031 (China); Luo, Rifang, E-mail: lrifang@126.com [School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu (China); Key Lab of Advanced Technology of Materials of Education Ministry, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031 (China); Tu, Qiufen [School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu (China); Key Lab of Advanced Technology of Materials of Education Ministry, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031 (China); Laboratory of Biosensing and Micro Mechatronics, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031 (China); Wang, Jin, E-mail: jinxxwang@263.net [School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu (China); Key Lab of Advanced Technology of Materials of Education Ministry, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031 (China); Huang, Nan [School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu (China); Key Lab of Advanced Technology of Materials of Education Ministry, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031 (China)

    2015-09-15

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • TiO{sub 2} nanotubes with the tube diameter of 30 nm via anodic oxidation was prepared. • SMCs on TiO{sub 2} nanotubes presented enhanced extracellular matrix secreting. • ECM prepared via decellularization retained the components: Fn, Ln and collagen. • ECM-covered TiO{sub 2} nanotubes significantly improved the proliferation of ECs. - Abstract: There is an increasing interest in developing new methods to promote biocompatibility of biomedical materials. The TiO{sub 2} nanotubes with the tube diameter of 30 nm were prepared by anodization. The response behavior of the human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) and human umbilical artery smooth muscle cell (HUASMC) to these different nanotube sizes was investigated. Compared to the flat Ti, the growth and viability of HUVEC are prohibited, but there was no significant difference of HUASMC on 30 nm TiO{sub 2} nanotubes. In this study, extracellular matrix (ECM) as a complex cellular environment which provides structural support to cells and regulates the cells functions was further used to modify the biological properties of TiO{sub 2} nanotubes. The ECM secreted from HUASMC was successfully deposited onto the 30 nm TiO{sub 2} nanotubes. Moreover, immunofluorescence staining of common ECM components, such as fibronectin, laminin and type IV collagen, also indicated the successful ECM-covering on nanotube surfaces. Interestingly, the surface of ECM-covered TiO{sub 2} nanotubes significantly improved the proliferation of HUVECs in vitro. This suggested that the ECM secreted from HUASMCs on the TiO{sub 2} nanotubular surface could further improve the HUVECs adhesion and proliferation.

  20. ‘Soglitude’- introducing a method of thinking thresholds

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tatjana Barazon

    2010-04-01

    Full Text Available ‘Soglitude’ is an invitation to acknowledge the existence of thresholds in thought. A threshold in thought designates the indetermination, the passage, the evolution of every state the world is in. The creation we add to it, and the objectivity we suppose, on the border of those two ideas lies our perceptive threshold. No state will ever be permanent, and in order to stress the temporary, fluent character of the world and our perception of it, we want to introduce a new suitable method to think change and transformation, when we acknowledge our own threshold nature. The contributions gathered in this special issue come from various disciplines: anthropology, philosophy, critical theory, film studies, political science, literature and history. The variety of these insights shows the resonance of the idea of threshold in every category of thought. We hope to enlarge the notion in further issues on physics and chemistry, as well as mathematics. The articles in this issue introduce the method of threshold thinking by showing the importance of the in-between, of the changing of perspective in their respective domain. The ‘Documents’ section named INTERSTICES, includes a selection of poems, two essays, a philosophical-artistic project called ‘infraphysique’, a performance on thresholds in the soul, and a dialogue with Israel Rosenfield. This issue presents a kaleidoscope of possible threshold thinking and hopes to initiate new ways of looking at things.For every change that occurs in reality there is a subjective counterpart in our perception and this needs to be acknowledged as such. What we name objective is reflected in our own personal perception in its own personal manner, in such a way that the objectivity of an event might altogether be questioned. The absolute point of view, the view from “nowhere”, could well be the projection that causes dogmatism. By introducing the method of thinking thresholds into a system, be it

  1. EcmPred: Prediction of extracellular matrix proteins based on random forest with maximum relevance minimum redundancy feature selection

    KAUST Repository

    Kandaswamy, Krishna Kumar Umar

    2013-01-01

    The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a major component of tissues of multicellular organisms. It consists of secreted macromolecules, mainly polysaccharides and glycoproteins. Malfunctions of ECM proteins lead to severe disorders such as marfan syndrome, osteogenesis imperfecta, numerous chondrodysplasias, and skin diseases. In this work, we report a random forest approach, EcmPred, for the prediction of ECM proteins from protein sequences. EcmPred was trained on a dataset containing 300 ECM and 300 non-ECM and tested on a dataset containing 145 ECM and 4187 non-ECM proteins. EcmPred achieved 83% accuracy on the training and 77% on the test dataset. EcmPred predicted 15 out of 20 experimentally verified ECM proteins. By scanning the entire human proteome, we predicted novel ECM proteins validated with gene ontology and InterPro. The dataset and standalone version of the EcmPred software is available at http://www.inb.uni-luebeck.de/tools-demos/Extracellular_matrix_proteins/EcmPred. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.

  2. Structural ECM components in the premetastatic and metastatic niche

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Høye, Anette M; Erler, Janine T

    2016-01-01

    The aim of this review is to give an overview of the extracellular matrix (ECM) components that are important for creating structural changes in the premetastatic and metastatic niche. The successful arrival and survival of cancer cells that have left the primary tumor and colonized distant sites...... aimed at targeting cell-ECM interactions may well be one of the best viable approaches to combat metastasis and thus improve patient care....

  3. Role of the ECM in notochord formation, function and disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trapani, Valeria; Bonaldo, Paolo; Corallo, Diana

    2017-10-01

    The notochord is a midline structure common to all chordate animals; it provides mechanical and signaling cues for the developing embryo. In vertebrates, the notochord plays key functions during embryogenesis, being a source of developmental signals that pattern the surrounding tissues. It is composed of a core of vacuolated cells surrounded by an epithelial-like sheath of cells that secrete a thick peri-notochordal basement membrane made of different extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins. The correct deposition and organization of the ECM is essential for proper notochord morphogenesis and function. Work carried out in the past two decades has allowed researchers to dissect the contribution of different ECM components to this embryonic tissue. Here, we will provide an overview of these genetic and mechanistic studies. In particular, we highlight the specific functions of distinct matrix molecules in regulating notochord development and notochord-derived signals. Moreover, we also discuss the involvement of ECM synthesis and its remodeling in the pathogenesis of chordoma, a malignant bone cancer that originates from remnants of notochord remaining after embryogenesis. © 2017. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

  4. Targeting of ECM molecules and their metabolizing enzymes and receptors for the treatment of CNS diseases

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Berezin, Vladimir; Walmod, Peter Schledermann; Filippov, Mikhail

    2014-01-01

    Extracellular matrix (ECM) molecules, their receptors at the cell surface, and cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) involved in cell-cell or cell-ECM interactions are implicated in processes related to major diseases of the central nervous system including Alzheimer's disease (AD), epilepsy......, schizophrenia, addiction, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and cancer. There are multiple strategies for targeting the ECM molecules and their metabolizing enzymes and receptors with antibodies, peptides, glycosaminoglycans, and other natural and synthetic compounds. ECM-targeting treatments include...... chondroitinase ABC, heparin/heparan sulfate-mimicking oligosaccharides, ECM cross-linking antibodies, and drugs stimulating expression of ECM molecules. The amount or activity of ECM-degrading enzymes like matrix metalloproteinases can be modulated indirectly via the regulation of endogenous inhibitors like...

  5. Identifying ECM Mediators of Tumor Cell Dormancy

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Schedin, Pepper

    2007-01-01

    .... The ECM preparations have been subjected to LCMS and MALDI-TOF mass spec. Due to technical difficulties also developed two in vitro models to investigate the effects of tamoxifen on mammary stroma...

  6. Alternative method for determining anaerobic threshold in rowers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Giovani Dos Santos Cunha

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available http://dx.doi.org/10.5007/1980-0037.2008v10n4p367 In rowing, the standard breathing that athletes are trained to use makes it difficult, or even impossible, to detect ventilatory limits, due to the coupling of the breath with the technical movement. For this reason, some authors have proposed determining the anaerobic threshold from the respiratory exchange ratio (RER, but there is not yet consensus on what value of RER should be used. The objective of this study was to test what value of RER corresponds to the anaerobic threshold and whether this value can be used as an independent parameter for determining the anaerobic threshold of rowers. The sample comprised 23 male rowers. They were submitted to a maximal cardiorespiratory test on a rowing ergometer with concurrent ergospirometry in order to determine VO2máx and the physiological variables corresponding to their anaerobic threshold. The anaerobic threshold was determined using the Dmax (maximal distance method. The physiological variables were classified into maximum values and anaerobic threshold values. The maximal state of these rowers reached VO2 (58.2±4.4 ml.kg-1.min-1, lactate (8.2±2.1 mmol.L-1, power (384±54.3 W and RER (1.26±0.1. At the anaerobic threshold they reached VO2 (46.9±7.5 ml.kg-1.min-1, lactate (4.6±1.3 mmol.L-1, power (300± 37.8 W and RER (0.99±0.1. Conclusions - the RER can be used as an independent method for determining the anaerobic threshold of rowers, adopting a value of 0.99, however, RER should exhibit a non-linear increase above this figure.

  7. Molecular analysis of lipoid proteinosis: identification of a novel nonsense mutation in the ECM1 gene in a Pakistani family

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Naeem Muhammad

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Lipoid proteinosis is a rare autosomal recessive disease characterized by cutaneous and mucosal lesions and hoarseness appearing in early childhood that is caused by homozygous or compound heterozygous mutations in the ECM1 gene located on chromosome 1q21. The aim of the study was to investigate the molecular genetic defect underlying lipoid proteinosis in a consanguineous Pakistani family. Methods Genotyping of seven members of the family was performed by amplifying microsatellite markers, tightly linked to the ECM1 gene. To screen for mutations in the ECM1 gene, all of its exons and splice junctions were PCR amplified from genomic DNA and analyzed by SSCP and sequenced directly in an ABI 3130 genetic analyzer. Results The results revealed linkage of the LP family to the ECM1 locus. Sequence analysis of the coding exons and splice junctions of the ECM1 gene revealed a novel homozygous mutation (c.616C > T in exon 6, predicted to replace glutamine with stop codon (p.Q206X at amino acid position 206. Conclusions The finding of a novel mutation in Pakistani family extends the body of evidence that supports the importance of ECM1 gene for the development of lipoid proteinosis.

  8. Fabrication of type I collagen microcarrier using a microfluidic 3D T-junction device and its application for the quantitative analysis of cell-ECM interactions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoon, Junghyo; Kim, Jaehoon; Jeong, Hyo Eun; Sudo, Ryo; Park, Myung-Jin; Chung, Seok

    2016-08-26

    We presented a new quantitative analysis for cell and extracellular matrix (ECM) interactions, using cell-coated ECM hydrogel microbeads (hydrobeads) made of type I collagen. The hydrobeads can carry cells as three-dimensional spheroidal forms with an ECM inside, facilitating a direct interaction between the cells and ECM. The cells on hydrobeads do not have a hypoxic core, which opens the possibility for using as a cell microcarrier for bottom-up tissue reconstitution. This technique can utilize various types of cells, even MDA-MB-231 cells, which have weak cell-cell interactions and do not form spheroids in conventional spheroid culture methods. Morphological indices of the cell-coated hydrobead visually present cell-ECM interactions in a quantitative manner.

  9. A New Wavelet Threshold Determination Method Considering Interscale Correlation in Signal Denoising

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Can He

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Due to simple calculation and good denoising effect, wavelet threshold denoising method has been widely used in signal denoising. In this method, the threshold is an important parameter that affects the denoising effect. In order to improve the denoising effect of the existing methods, a new threshold considering interscale correlation is presented. Firstly, a new correlation index is proposed based on the propagation characteristics of the wavelet coefficients. Then, a threshold determination strategy is obtained using the new index. At the end of the paper, a simulation experiment is given to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. In the experiment, four benchmark signals are used as test signals. Simulation results show that the proposed method can achieve a good denoising effect under various signal types, noise intensities, and thresholding functions.

  10. Subarray-based FDA radar to counteract deceptive ECM signals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abdalla, Ahmed; Wang, Wen-Qin; Yuan, Zhao; Mohamed, Suhad; Bin, Tang

    2016-12-01

    In recent years, the frequency diverse array (FDA) radar concept has attracted extensive attention, as it may benefit from a small frequency increment, compared to the carrier frequency across the array elements and thereby achieve an array factor that is a function of the angle, the time, and the range which is superior to the conventional phase array radar (PAR). However, limited effort on the subject of FDA in electronic countermeasure scenarios, especially in the presence of mainbeam deceptive jamming, has been published. Basic FDA is not desirable for anti-jamming applications, due to the range-angle coupling response of targets. In this paper, a novel method based on subarrayed FDA signal processing is proposed to counteract deceptive ECM signals. We divide the FDA array into multiple subarrays, each of which employs a distinct frequency increment. As a result, in the subarray-based FDA, the desired target can be distinguished at subarray level in joint range-angle-Doppler domain by utilizing the fact that the jammer generates false targets with the same ranges to each subarray without reparations. The performance assessment shows that the proposed solution is effective for deceptive ECM targets suppression. The effectiveness is verified by simulation results.

  11. The ECM-Cell Interaction of Cartilage Extracellular Matrix on Chondrocytes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yue Gao

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Cartilage extracellular matrix (ECM is composed primarily of the network type II collagen (COLII and an interlocking mesh of fibrous proteins and proteoglycans (PGs, hyaluronic acid (HA, and chondroitin sulfate (CS. Articular cartilage ECM plays a crucial role in regulating chondrocyte metabolism and functions, such as organized cytoskeleton through integrin-mediated signaling via cell-matrix interaction. Cell signaling through integrins regulates several chondrocyte functions, including differentiation, metabolism, matrix remodeling, responses to mechanical stimulation, and cell survival. The major signaling pathways that regulate chondrogenesis have been identified as wnt signal, nitric oxide (NO signal, protein kinase C (PKC, and retinoic acid (RA signal. Integrins are a large family of molecules that are central regulators in multicellular biology. They orchestrate cell-cell and cell-matrix adhesive interactions from embryonic development to mature tissue function. In this review, we emphasize the signaling molecule effect and the biomechanics effect of cartilage ECM on chondrogenesis.

  12. The selective role of ECM components on cell adhesion, morphology, proliferation and communication in vitro

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schlie-Wolter, Sabrina; Ngezahayo, Anaclet; Chichkov, Boris N.

    2013-01-01

    Cell binding to the extracellular matrix (ECM) is essential for cell and tissue functions. In this context, each tissue consists of a unique ECM composition, which may be responsible for tissue-specific cell responses. Due to the complexity of ECM-cell interactions—which depend on the interplay of inside-out and outside-in signaling cascades, cell and tissue specificity of ECM-guidance is poorly understood. In this paper, we investigate the role of different ECM components like laminin, fibronectin, and collagen type I with respect to the essential cell behaviour patterns: attachment dynamics such as adhesion kinetic and force, formation of focal adhesion complexes, morphology, proliferation, and intercellular communication. A detailed in vitro comparison of fibroblasts, endothelial cells, osteoblasts, smooth muscle cells, and chondrocytes reveals significant differences in their cell responses to the ECM: cell behaviour follows a cell specific ligand priority ranking, which was independent of the cell type origin. Fibroblasts responded best to fibronectin, chondrocytes best to collagen I, the other cell types best to laminin. This knowledge is essential for optimization of tissue-biomaterial interfaces in all tissue engineering applications and gives insight into tissue-specific cell guidance. -- Highlights: • We analyse the impact of ECM components on cell behaviour in vitro. • We compare five different cell types, using the same culture conditions. • The ECM significantly guides all cell responses. • Cell behaviour follows a cell specific ligand-priority ranking. • This gives insight in tissue formation and is essential for biomedical applications

  13. The selective role of ECM components on cell adhesion, morphology, proliferation and communication in vitro

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schlie-Wolter, Sabrina, E-mail: s.schlie@lzh.de [Laser Zentrum Hannover e.V., Hollerithallee 8, 30419 Hannover (Germany); Ngezahayo, Anaclet, E-mail: ngezahayo@biophysik.uni-hannover.de [Institute of Biophysics, Leibniz University Hannover, Herrenhäuser Str. 2, Hannover 30419 (Germany); Chichkov, Boris N., E-mail: b.chichkov@lzh.de [Laser Zentrum Hannover e.V., Hollerithallee 8, 30419 Hannover (Germany)

    2013-06-10

    Cell binding to the extracellular matrix (ECM) is essential for cell and tissue functions. In this context, each tissue consists of a unique ECM composition, which may be responsible for tissue-specific cell responses. Due to the complexity of ECM-cell interactions—which depend on the interplay of inside-out and outside-in signaling cascades, cell and tissue specificity of ECM-guidance is poorly understood. In this paper, we investigate the role of different ECM components like laminin, fibronectin, and collagen type I with respect to the essential cell behaviour patterns: attachment dynamics such as adhesion kinetic and force, formation of focal adhesion complexes, morphology, proliferation, and intercellular communication. A detailed in vitro comparison of fibroblasts, endothelial cells, osteoblasts, smooth muscle cells, and chondrocytes reveals significant differences in their cell responses to the ECM: cell behaviour follows a cell specific ligand priority ranking, which was independent of the cell type origin. Fibroblasts responded best to fibronectin, chondrocytes best to collagen I, the other cell types best to laminin. This knowledge is essential for optimization of tissue-biomaterial interfaces in all tissue engineering applications and gives insight into tissue-specific cell guidance. -- Highlights: • We analyse the impact of ECM components on cell behaviour in vitro. • We compare five different cell types, using the same culture conditions. • The ECM significantly guides all cell responses. • Cell behaviour follows a cell specific ligand-priority ranking. • This gives insight in tissue formation and is essential for biomedical applications.

  14. Threshold selection for classification of MR brain images by clustering method

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Moldovanu, Simona [Faculty of Sciences and Environment, Department of Chemistry, Physics and Environment, Dunărea de Jos University of Galaţi, 47 Domnească St., 800008, Romania, Phone: +40 236 460 780 (Romania); Dumitru Moţoc High School, 15 Milcov St., 800509, Galaţi (Romania); Obreja, Cristian; Moraru, Luminita, E-mail: luminita.moraru@ugal.ro [Faculty of Sciences and Environment, Department of Chemistry, Physics and Environment, Dunărea de Jos University of Galaţi, 47 Domnească St., 800008, Romania, Phone: +40 236 460 780 (Romania)

    2015-12-07

    Given a grey-intensity image, our method detects the optimal threshold for a suitable binarization of MR brain images. In MR brain image processing, the grey levels of pixels belonging to the object are not substantially different from the grey levels belonging to the background. Threshold optimization is an effective tool to separate objects from the background and further, in classification applications. This paper gives a detailed investigation on the selection of thresholds. Our method does not use the well-known method for binarization. Instead, we perform a simple threshold optimization which, in turn, will allow the best classification of the analyzed images into healthy and multiple sclerosis disease. The dissimilarity (or the distance between classes) has been established using the clustering method based on dendrograms. We tested our method using two classes of images: the first consists of 20 T2-weighted and 20 proton density PD-weighted scans from two healthy subjects and from two patients with multiple sclerosis. For each image and for each threshold, the number of the white pixels (or the area of white objects in binary image) has been determined. These pixel numbers represent the objects in clustering operation. The following optimum threshold values are obtained, T = 80 for PD images and T = 30 for T2w images. Each mentioned threshold separate clearly the clusters that belonging of the studied groups, healthy patient and multiple sclerosis disease.

  15. Electrospun ECM macromolecules as biomimetic scaffold for regenerative medicine: challenges for preserving conformation and bioactivity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chiara Emma Campiglio

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available The extracellular matrix (ECM, the physiological scaffold for cells in vivo, provides structural support to cells and guaranties tissue integrity. At the same time, however, it represents an extremely complex and finely tuned signaling environment that contributes in regulating tissue homeostasis and repair. ECM can bind, release and activate signaling molecules and also modulate cell reaction to soluble factors. Cell-ECM interactions, as a result, are recognized to be critical for physiological wound healing, and consequently in guiding regeneration. Due to its complexity, mimicking ECM chemistry and architecture appears a straightforward strategy to exploit the benefits of a biologically recognizable and cell-instructive environment. As ECM consists primarily of sub-micrometric fibers, electrospinning, a simple and versatile technique, has attracted the majority efforts aimed at reprocessing of biologically occurring molecules. However, the ability to trigger specific cellular behavior is likely to depend on both the chemical and conformational properties of biological molecules. As a consequence, when ECM macromolecules are electrospun, investigating the effect of processing on their structure, and the extent to which their potential in directing cellular behavior is preserved, appears crucial. In this perspective, this review explores the electrospinning of ECM molecules specifically focusing on the effect of processing on polymer structure and on in vitro or in vivo experiments designed to confirm the maintenance of their instructive role.

  16. Thresholding methods for PET imaging: A review

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dewalle-Vignion, A.S.; Betrouni, N.; Huglo, D.; Vermandel, M.; Dewalle-Vignion, A.S.; Hossein-Foucher, C.; Huglo, D.; Vermandel, M.; Dewalle-Vignion, A.S.; Hossein-Foucher, C.; Huglo, D.; Vermandel, M.; El Abiad, A.

    2010-01-01

    This work deals with positron emission tomography segmentation methods for tumor volume determination. We propose a state of art techniques based on fixed or adaptive threshold. Methods found in literature are analysed with an objective point of view on their methodology, advantages and limitations. Finally, a comparative study is presented. (authors)

  17. Evaluation of Maryland abutment scour equation through selected threshold velocity methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Benedict, S.T.

    2010-01-01

    The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Maryland State Highway Administration, used field measurements of scour to evaluate the sensitivity of the Maryland abutment scour equation to the critical (or threshold) velocity variable. Four selected methods for estimating threshold velocity were applied to the Maryland abutment scour equation, and the predicted scour to the field measurements were compared. Results indicated that performance of the Maryland abutment scour equation was sensitive to the threshold velocity with some threshold velocity methods producing better estimates of predicted scour than did others. In addition, results indicated that regional stream characteristics can affect the performance of the Maryland abutment scour equation with moderate-gradient streams performing differently from low-gradient streams. On the basis of the findings of the investigation, guidance for selecting threshold velocity methods for application to the Maryland abutment scour equation are provided, and limitations are noted.

  18. Modeling extracellular matrix (ECM) alterations in ovarian cancer by multiphoton excited fabrication of stromal models (Conference Presentation)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Campagnola, Paul J.; Ajeti, Visar; Lara, Jorge; Eliceiri, Kevin W.; Patankar, Mansh

    2016-04-01

    A profound remodeling of the extracellular matrix (ECM) occurs in human ovarian cancer but it unknown how this affects tumor growth, where this understanding could lead to better diagnostics and therapeutic approaches. We investigate the role of these ECM alterations by using multiphoton excited (MPE) polymerization to fabricate biomimetic models to investigate operative cell-matrix interactions in invasion/metastasis. First, we create nano/microstructured gradients mimicking the basal lamina to study adhesion/migration dynamics of ovarian cancer cells of differing metastatic potential. We find a strong haptotactic response that depends on both contact guidance and ECM binding cues. While we found enhanced migration for more invasive cells, the specifics of alignment and directed migration also depend on cell polarity. We further use MPE fabrication to create collagen scaffolds with complex, 3D submicron morphology. The stromal scaffold designs are derived directly from "blueprints" based on SHG images of normal, high risk, and malignant ovarian tissues. The models are seeded with different cancer cell lines and this allows decoupling of the roles of cell characteristics (metastatic potential) and ECM structure and composition (normal vs cancer) on adhesion/migration dynamics. We found the malignant stroma structure promotes enhanced migration and proliferation and also cytoskeletal alignment. Creating synthetic models based on fibers patterns further allows decoupling the topographic roles of the fibers themselves vs their alignment within the tissue. These models cannot be synthesized by other conventional fabrication methods and we suggest the MPE image-based fabrication method will enable a variety of studies in cancer biology.

  19. ECM. Kauneim heli pärast vaikust / Immo Mihkelson

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Mihkelson, Immo, 1959-

    2007-01-01

    Uutest Saksa plaadifirma ECM heliplaatidest Frode Haltli "Passing Images", Roscoe Mitchell "The Transatlantic Art Ensemble Composition", Chritian Wallumrod "TRhe Zoo Is Far", Valentin Silvestrov "Symphony No. 6"

  20. Development of novel tungsten processing technologies for electro-chemical machining (ECM) of plasma facing components

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Holstein, Nils; Krauss, Wolfgang; Konys, Juergen

    2011-01-01

    Plasma facing components for fusion applications must exhibit long-term stability under extreme conditions, and therefore material imperfections cannot be tolerated due to a high risk of technical failures. To prevent or abolish defects in refractory metals components during the manufacturing process, some methods of electro-chemical machining as S-ECM and C-ECM were developed, enabling both the processing of smooth plain defect-free surfaces of different geometry and the removal of bulk material for the shaping of three-dimensional structures, also without cracks. It is discussed, that tungsten ablation with accurate electro-chemical molding is very sensitive to the kind of electric current, and therefore current investigations focused also on the effects of frequency profiles on the sharpness of edge rounding.

  1. Modeling and simulation of the fluid flow in wire electrochemical machining with rotating tool (wire ECM)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klocke, F.; Herrig, T.; Zeis, M.; Klink, A.

    2017-10-01

    Combining the working principle of electrochemical machining (ECM) with a universal rotating tool, like a wire, could manage lots of challenges of the classical ECM sinking process. Such a wire-ECM process could be able to machine flexible and efficient 2.5-dimensional geometries like fir tree slots in turbine discs. Nowadays, established manufacturing technologies for slotting turbine discs are broaching and wire electrical discharge machining (wire EDM). Nevertheless, high requirements on surface integrity of turbine parts need cost intensive process development and - in case of wire-EDM - trim cuts to reduce the heat affected rim zone. Due to the process specific advantages, ECM is an attractive alternative manufacturing technology and is getting more and more relevant for sinking applications within the last few years. But ECM is also opposed with high costs for process development and complex electrolyte flow devices. In the past, few studies dealt with the development of a wire ECM process to meet these challenges. However, previous concepts of wire ECM were only suitable for micro machining applications. Due to insufficient flushing concepts the application of the process for machining macro geometries failed. Therefore, this paper presents the modeling and simulation of a new flushing approach for process assessment. The suitability of a rotating structured wire electrode in combination with an axial flushing for electrodes with high aspect ratios is investigated and discussed.

  2. Variable threshold method for ECG R-peak detection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kew, Hsein-Ping; Jeong, Do-Un

    2011-10-01

    In this paper, a wearable belt-type ECG electrode worn around the chest by measuring the real-time ECG is produced in order to minimize the inconvenient in wearing. ECG signal is detected using a potential instrument system. The measured ECG signal is transmits via an ultra low power consumption wireless data communications unit to personal computer using Zigbee-compatible wireless sensor node. ECG signals carry a lot of clinical information for a cardiologist especially the R-peak detection in ECG. R-peak detection generally uses the threshold value which is fixed. There will be errors in peak detection when the baseline changes due to motion artifacts and signal size changes. Preprocessing process which includes differentiation process and Hilbert transform is used as signal preprocessing algorithm. Thereafter, variable threshold method is used to detect the R-peak which is more accurate and efficient than fixed threshold value method. R-peak detection using MIT-BIH databases and Long Term Real-Time ECG is performed in this research in order to evaluate the performance analysis.

  3. Alternative method for determining anaerobic threshold in rowers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Giovani dos Santos Cunha

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available In rowing, the standard breathing that athletes are trained to use makes it difficult, or even impossible, to detectventilatory limits, due to the coupling of the breath with the technical movement. For this reason, some authors have proposeddetermining the anaerobic threshold from the respiratory exchange ratio (RER, but there is not yet consensus on what valueof RER should be used. The objective of this study was to test what value of RER corresponds to the anaerobic thresholdand whether this value can be used as an independent parameter for determining the anaerobic threshold of rowers. Thesample comprised 23 male rowers. They were submitted to a maximal cardiorespiratory test on a rowing ergometer withconcurrent ergospirometry in order to determine VO2máx and the physiological variables corresponding to their anaerobicthreshold. The anaerobic threshold was determined using the Dmax (maximal distance method. The physiological variableswere classified into maximum values and anaerobic threshold values. The maximal state of these rowers reached VO2(58.2±4.4 ml.kg-1.min-1, lactate (8.2±2.1 mmol.L-1, power (384±54.3 W and RER (1.26±0.1. At the anaerobic thresholdthey reached VO2 (46.9±7.5 ml.kg-1.min-1, lactate (4.6±1.3 mmol.L-1, power (300± 37.8 W and RER (0.99±0.1. Conclusions- the RER can be used as an independent method for determining the anaerobic threshold of rowers, adopting a value of0.99, however, RER should exhibit a non-linear increase above this figure.

  4. Correlation between ECM guidance and actin polymerization on osteogenic differentiation of human adipose-derived stem cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Keller, Vivian; Deiwick, Andrea [Laser Zentrum Hannover e.V., Department of Nanotechnology, Hollerithallee 8, D-30419 Hannover (Germany); Pflaum, Michael [Leibniz Research Laboratories for Biotechnology and Artificial Organs (LEBAO), Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1, D-30625 Hannover (Germany); Schlie-Wolter, Sabrina, E-mail: s.schlie@lzh.de [Laser Zentrum Hannover e.V., Department of Nanotechnology, Hollerithallee 8, D-30419 Hannover (Germany); Institute of Quantum Optics, Leibniz University of Hannover, Welfengarten 1, D-30617 Hannover (Germany)

    2016-10-01

    The correlation between extracellular matrix (ECM) components, cell shape, and stem cell guidance can shed light in understanding and mimicking the functionality of stem cell niches for various applications. This interplay on osteogenic guidance of human adipose-derived stem cells (hASCs) was focus of this study. Proliferation and osteogenic markers like alkaline phosphatase activity and calcium mineralization were slightly increased by the ECM components laminin (LA), collagen I (COL), and fibronectin (FIB); with control medium no differentiation occurred. ECM guided differentiation was rather dependent on osterix than on Runx2 pathway. FIB significantly enhanced cell elongation even in presence of actin polymerization blockers cytochalasin D (CytoD) and ROCK inhibitor Y-27632, which generally caused more rounded cells. Except for the COL surface, both inhibitors increased the extent of osterix, while the Runx2 pathway was more sensitive to the culture condition. Both inhibitors did not affect hASC proliferation. CytoD enabled osteogenic differentiation independently from the ECM, while it was rather blocked via Y-27632 treatment; on FIB the general highest extent of differentiation occurred. Taken together, the ECM effect on hASCs occurs indirectly and selectively via a dominant role of FIB: it sustains osteogenic differentiation in case of a tension-dependent control of actin polymerization. - Highlights: • Interplay of ECM and cell shape guides osteogenic differentiation of hASCs. • ECM components only present a promotive but not stimulative effect. • No direct correlation between ECM-enhanced cell elongation and differentiation. • Suppression of differentiation depends on a specific actin polymerization blocking. • Fibronectin sustains cell elongation and differentiation in case of blocking actin.

  5. 42 CFR 456.725 - Funding of ECM system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ..., and implementation of an on-line, real-time claims management system (that is, the most cost-effective... Claims Management System for Outpatient Drug Claims § 456.725 Funding of ECM system. (a) For funds... process that is integrated into a single comprehensive utilization and information reporting system. ...

  6. Improvement of ECM Techniques through Implementation of a Genetic Algorithm

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Townsend, James D

    2008-01-01

    This research effort develops the necessary interfaces between the radar signal processing components and an optimization routine, such as genetic algorithms, to develop Electronic Countermeasure (ECM...

  7. A Fast Method for Measuring Psychophysical Thresholds Across the Cochlear Implant Array

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julie A. Bierer

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available A rapid threshold measurement procedure, based on Bekesy tracking, is proposed and evaluated for use with cochlear implants (CIs. Fifteen postlingually deafened adult CI users participated. Absolute thresholds for 200-ms trains of biphasic pulses were measured using the new tracking procedure and were compared with thresholds obtained with a traditional forced-choice adaptive procedure under both monopolar and quadrupolar stimulation. Virtual spectral sweeps across the electrode array were implemented in the tracking procedure via current steering, which divides the current between two adjacent electrodes and varies the proportion of current directed to each electrode. Overall, no systematic differences were found between threshold estimates with the new channel sweep procedure and estimates using the adaptive forced-choice procedure. Test–retest reliability for the thresholds from the sweep procedure was somewhat poorer than for thresholds from the forced-choice procedure. However, the new method was about 4 times faster for the same number of repetitions. Overall the reliability and speed of the new tracking procedure provides it with the potential to estimate thresholds in a clinical setting. Rapid methods for estimating thresholds could be of particular clinical importance in combination with focused stimulation techniques that result in larger threshold variations between electrodes.

  8. Cost-effectiveness thresholds: methods for setting and examples from around the world.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Santos, André Soares; Guerra-Junior, Augusto Afonso; Godman, Brian; Morton, Alec; Ruas, Cristina Mariano

    2018-06-01

    Cost-effectiveness thresholds (CETs) are used to judge if an intervention represents sufficient value for money to merit adoption in healthcare systems. The study was motivated by the Brazilian context of HTA, where meetings are being conducted to decide on the definition of a threshold. Areas covered: An electronic search was conducted on Medline (via PubMed), Lilacs (via BVS) and ScienceDirect followed by a complementary search of references of included studies, Google Scholar and conference abstracts. Cost-effectiveness thresholds are usually calculated through three different approaches: the willingness-to-pay, representative of welfare economics; the precedent method, based on the value of an already funded technology; and the opportunity cost method, which links the threshold to the volume of health displaced. An explicit threshold has never been formally adopted in most places. Some countries have defined thresholds, with some flexibility to consider other factors. An implicit threshold could be determined by research of funded cases. Expert commentary: CETs have had an important role as a 'bridging concept' between the world of academic research and the 'real world' of healthcare prioritization. The definition of a cost-effectiveness threshold is paramount for the construction of a transparent and efficient Health Technology Assessment system.

  9. A rule based method for context sensitive threshold segmentation in SPECT using simulation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fleming, John S.; Alaamer, Abdulaziz S.

    1998-01-01

    Robust techniques for automatic or semi-automatic segmentation of objects in single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) are still the subject of development. This paper describes a threshold based method which uses empirical rules derived from analysis of computer simulated images of a large number of objects. The use of simulation allowed the factors affecting the threshold which correctly segmented objects to be investigated systematically. Rules could then be derived from these data to define the threshold in any particular context. The technique operated iteratively and calculated local context sensitive thresholds along radial profiles from the centre of gravity of the object. It was evaluated in a further series of simulated objects and in human studies, and compared to the use of a global fixed threshold. The method was capable of improving accuracy of segmentation and volume assessment compared to the global threshold technique. The improvements were greater for small volumes, shapes with large surface area to volume ratio, variable surrounding activity and non-uniform distributions. The method was applied successfully to simulated objects and human studies and is considered to be a significant advance on global fixed threshold techniques. (author)

  10. Modifications of collagen and chromatin in ECM-related disease : Uncovering therapeutic targets for fibrosis and cancer

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gjaltema, Rutger Almer Friso

    2016-01-01

    De extracellulaire matrix (ECM) is essentieel voor vele biologische functies en wordt strikt gereguleerd vanaf transcriptie tot post-translationeel niveau. Wanneer deze balans verstoord wordt kunnen er verscheidene ECM-gerelateerde ziekten ontstaan. Fibroproliferatieve aandoeningen, zoals

  11. Beyond the Matrix: The Many Non-ECM Ligands for Integrins

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bryce LaFoya

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available The traditional view of integrins portrays these highly conserved cell surface receptors as mediators of cellular attachment to the extracellular matrix (ECM, and to a lesser degree, as coordinators of leukocyte adhesion to the endothelium. These canonical activities are indispensable; however, there is also a wide variety of integrin functions mediated by non-ECM ligands that transcend the traditional roles of integrins. Some of these unorthodox roles involve cell-cell interactions and are engaged to support immune functions such as leukocyte transmigration, recognition of opsonization factors, and stimulation of neutrophil extracellular traps. Other cell-cell interactions mediated by integrins include hematopoietic stem cell and tumor cell homing to target tissues. Integrins also serve as cell-surface receptors for various growth factors, hormones, and small molecules. Interestingly, integrins have also been exploited by a wide variety of organisms including viruses and bacteria to support infectious activities such as cellular adhesion and/or cellular internalization. Additionally, the disruption of integrin function through the use of soluble integrin ligands is a common strategy adopted by several parasites in order to inhibit blood clotting during hematophagy, or by venomous snakes to kill prey. In this review, we strive to go beyond the matrix and summarize non-ECM ligands that interact with integrins in order to highlight these non-traditional functions of integrins.

  12. Watershed safety and quality control by safety threshold method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Da-Wei Tsai, David; Mengjung Chou, Caroline; Ramaraj, Rameshprabu; Liu, Wen-Cheng; Honglay Chen, Paris

    2014-05-01

    Taiwan was warned as one of the most dangerous countries by IPCC and the World Bank. In such an exceptional and perilous island, we would like to launch the strategic research of land-use management on the catastrophe prevention and environmental protection. This study used the watershed management by "Safety Threshold Method" to restore and to prevent the disasters and pollution on island. For the deluge prevention, this study applied the restoration strategy to reduce total runoff which was equilibrium to 59.4% of the infiltration each year. For the sediment management, safety threshold management could reduce the sediment below the equilibrium of the natural sediment cycle. In the water quality issues, the best strategies exhibited the significant total load reductions of 10% in carbon (BOD5), 15% in nitrogen (nitrate) and 9% in phosphorus (TP). We found out the water quality could meet the BOD target by the 50% peak reduction with management. All the simulations demonstrated the safety threshold method was helpful to control the loadings within the safe range of disasters and environmental quality. Moreover, from the historical data of whole island, the past deforestation policy and the mistake economic projects were the prime culprits. Consequently, this study showed a practical method to manage both the disasters and pollution in a watershed scale by the land-use management.

  13. Optimization of Polymer-ECM Composite Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering: Effect of Cells and Culture Conditions on Polymeric Nanofiber Mats

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ritu Goyal

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The design of composite tissue scaffolds containing an extracellular matrix (ECM and synthetic polymer fibers is a new approach to create bioactive scaffolds that can enhance cell function. Currently, studies investigating the effects of ECM-deposition and decellularization on polymer degradation are still lacking, as are data on optimizing the stability of the ECM-containing composite scaffolds during prolonged cell culture. In this study, we develop fibrous scaffolds using three polymer compositions, representing slow (E0000, medium (E0500, and fast (E1000 degrading materials, to investigate the stability, degradation, and mechanics of the scaffolds during ECM deposition and decellularization, and during the complete cellularization-decell-recell cycle. We report data on percent molecular weight (% Mw retention of polymeric fiber mats, changes in scaffold stiffness, ECM deposition, and the presence of fibronectin after decellularization. We concluded that the fast degrading E1000 (Mw retention ≤ 50% after 28 days was not sufficiently stable to allow scaffold handling after 28 days in culture, while the slow degradation of E0000 (Mw retention ≥ 80% in 28 days did not allow deposited ECM to replace the polymer support. The scaffolds made from medium degrading E0500 (Mw retention about 60% at 28 days allowed the gradual replacement of the polymer network with cell-derived ECM while maintaining the polymer network support. Thus, polymers with an intermediate rate of degradation, maintaining good scaffold handling properties after 28 days in culture, seem best suited for creating ECM-polymer composite scaffolds.

  14. An Advanced Method to Apply Multiple Rainfall Thresholds for Urban Flood Warnings

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jiun-Huei Jang

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Issuing warning information to the public when rainfall exceeds given thresholds is a simple and widely-used method to minimize flood risk; however, this method lacks sophistication when compared with hydrodynamic simulation. In this study, an advanced methodology is proposed to improve the warning effectiveness of the rainfall threshold method for urban areas through deterministic-stochastic modeling, without sacrificing simplicity and efficiency. With regards to flooding mechanisms, rainfall thresholds of different durations are divided into two groups accounting for flooding caused by drainage overload and disastrous runoff, which help in grading the warning level in terms of emergency and severity when the two are observed together. A flood warning is then classified into four levels distinguished by green, yellow, orange, and red lights in ascending order of priority that indicate the required measures, from standby, flood defense, evacuation to rescue, respectively. The proposed methodology is tested according to 22 historical events in the last 10 years for 252 urbanized townships in Taiwan. The results show satisfactory accuracy in predicting the occurrence and timing of flooding, with a logical warning time series for taking progressive measures. For systems with multiple rainfall thresholds already in place, the methodology can be used to ensure better application of rainfall thresholds in urban flood warnings.

  15. Efficacy of rhBMP-2 Loaded PCL/β-TCP/bdECM Scaffold Fabricated by 3D Printing Technology on Bone Regeneration

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eun-Bin Bae

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available This study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of 3D printed polycaprolactone (PCL/β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP scaffold containing bone demineralized and decellularized extracellular matrix (bdECM and human recombinant bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2 on bone regeneration. Scaffolds were divided into PCL/β-TCP, PCL/β-TCP/bdECM, and PCL/β-TCP/bdECM/BMP groups. In vitro release kinetics of rhBMP-2 were determined with respect to cell proliferation and osteogenic differentiation. These three reconstructive materials were implanted into 8 mm diameter calvarial bone defect in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Animals were sacrificed four weeks after implantation for micro-CT, histologic, and histomorphometric analyses. The findings obtained were used to calculate new bone volumes (mm3 and new bone areas (%. Excellent cell bioactivity was observed in the PCL/β-TCP/bdECM and PCL/β-TCP/bdECM/BMP groups, and new bone volume and area were significantly higher in the PCL/β-TCP/bdECM/BMP group than in the other groups (p<.05. Within the limitations of this study, bdECM printed PCL/β-TCP scaffolds can reproduce microenvironment for cells and promote adhering and proliferating the cells onto scaffolds. Furthermore, in the rat calvarial defect model, the scaffold which printed rhBMP-2 loaded bdECM stably carries rhBMP-2 and enhances bone regeneration confirming the possibility of bdECM as rhBMP-2 carrier.

  16. Low-Threshold Active Teaching Methods for Mathematic Instruction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marotta, Sebastian M.; Hargis, Jace

    2011-01-01

    In this article, we present a large list of low-threshold active teaching methods categorized so the instructor can efficiently access and target the deployment of conceptually based lessons. The categories include teaching strategies for lecture on large and small class sizes; student action individually, in pairs, and groups; games; interaction…

  17. Self-Tuning Threshold Method for Real-Time Gait Phase Detection Based on Ground Contact Forces Using FSRs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jing Tang

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a novel methodology for detecting the gait phase of human walking on level ground. The previous threshold method (TM sets a threshold to divide the ground contact forces (GCFs into on-ground and off-ground states. However, the previous methods for gait phase detection demonstrate no adaptability to different people and different walking speeds. Therefore, this paper presents a self-tuning triple threshold algorithm (STTTA that calculates adjustable thresholds to adapt to human walking. Two force sensitive resistors (FSRs were placed on the ball and heel to measure GCFs. Three thresholds (i.e., high-threshold, middle-threshold andlow-threshold were used to search out the maximum and minimum GCFs for the self-adjustments of thresholds. The high-threshold was the main threshold used to divide the GCFs into on-ground and off-ground statuses. Then, the gait phases were obtained through the gait phase detection algorithm (GPDA, which provides the rules that determine calculations for STTTA. Finally, the STTTA reliability is determined by comparing the results between STTTA and Mariani method referenced as the timing analysis module (TAM and Lopez–Meyer methods. Experimental results show that the proposed method can be used to detect gait phases in real time and obtain high reliability when compared with the previous methods in the literature. In addition, the proposed method exhibits strong adaptability to different wearers walking at different walking speeds.

  18. ANALISIS PENGARUH SUKU BUNGA, PENDAPATAN NASIONAL DAN INFLASI TERHADAP NILAI TUKAR NOMINAL : PENDEKATAN DENGAN COINTEGRATION DAN ERROR CORRECTION MODEL (ECM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roosaleh Laksono T.Y.

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract. This study aims to analyze the effect of interest rate, inflation, and national income on rupiah exchange rate against dollar both long-term balanced relationship and short-run balance of empirical data from 1980-2015 (36 years using secondary data. The research method used is multiple linear regression methods of OLS. This research method used to approach with cointegration and error correction model (ECM by previously passing some other stages of statistical testing. The results of the study with cointegration (Johansen Cointegration test indicate that all the independent variables (inflation, national income, and interest rate and the non-free variable (exchange rate have a long-term equilibrium relationship, as evidenced by the test results Where the trace statistic value of 102.1727 is much greater than the critical value (5% of 47.85613. In addition, the result of Maximum Eigenvalue Statistic is the result of 36.7908 greater than the critical value of 5%. 27,584434. While the results of the model error correction test (ECM that only variable inflation, interest rates and residual significant, while the variable national income is not significant. This means that the inflation and interest rate variables have a short-run relationship to the exchange rate, it is seen from the Probability (Prob. Value of each variable is 0,05 (5%, besides the residual coefficient on the ECM test result is -0,732447, it shows that error correction term is 73,24% and significant. Keywords: Interest rate; Nasional income; Inflation; Exchange rate; Cointegration; Error Correction Model. Abstrak. Penelitian  ini  bertujuan  untuk  menganalisa  pengaruh  Suku  bunga,  inflasi, dan Pendapatan Nasional terhadap nilai tukar rupiah terhadap dollar baik hubungan keseimbangan jangka panjang maupun keseimbangan jangka pendek data empiris  tahun 1980-2015 (36 tahun dengan menggunakan data sekunder. Metode  penelitian  yang  digunakan adalah regresi

  19. EcmPred: Prediction of extracellular matrix proteins based on random forest with maximum relevance minimum redundancy feature selection

    KAUST Repository

    Kandaswamy, Krishna Kumar Umar; Ganesan, Pugalenthi; Kalies, Kai Uwe; Hartmann, Enno; Martinetz, Thomas M.

    2013-01-01

    The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a major component of tissues of multicellular organisms. It consists of secreted macromolecules, mainly polysaccharides and glycoproteins. Malfunctions of ECM proteins lead to severe disorders such as marfan

  20. Multiphoton microscopy of ECM proteins in baboon aortic leaflet

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gonzalez, Mariacarla; Saytashev, Ilyas; Luna, Camila; Gonzalez, Brittany; Pinero, Alejandro; Perez, Manuel; Ramaswamy, Sharan; Ramella-Roman, Jessica

    2018-02-01

    The extracellular matrix (ECM) plays crucial role in defining mechanical properties of a heart valve yet the mechanobiological role of the ECM proteins - collagen and elastin - in living heart valve leaflets is still poorly understood. In this study, non-linear microscopy was used to obtain three dimensional images of collagen and elastin arrangement in aortic leaflets under combined steady flow (850 ml/min) and cyclic flexure (1 Hz) mechanical (dynamic) training. A novel bioreactor capable of mimicking the flow conditions in a living heart was used in this study and was optimized for microscopic imagery. A custom made non-linear microscope was used in this study to provide Second Harmonic Generation (SHG) imaging of collagen arrangement and two-photon imaging of elastin. Two control and three trained leaflet samples from static and dynamic tissue culture were imaged to observe protein changes in the tissue for a period of seven days. Dynamic training led to a decrease in alignment index of the protein fibers compared to the static treatment.

  1. ECMS--Educational Contest Management System for Selecting Elite Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schneider, Thorsten

    2004-01-01

    Selecting elite students out of a huge collective is a difficult task. The main problem is to provide automated processes to reduce human work. ECMS (Educational Contest Management System) is an online tool approach to help--fully or partly automated--with the task of selecting such elite students out of a mass of candidates. International tests…

  2. Targeting the ECM to Enhance Drug Delivery in Nf1-Associated Nerve Sheath Tumors

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-10-01

    development of the principal discipline(s) of the project? • We have learned that the drug PEGPH20, which degrades a component of connective tissue called...AWARD NUMBER: W81XWH-15-1-0114 TITLE: Targeting the ECM to Enhance Drug Delivery in Nf1-Associated Nerve Sheath Tumors PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR...14 Sep 2016 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER NF140089 Targeting the ECM to Enhance Drug Delivery in Nf1-Associated Nerve Sheath Tumors 5b

  3. Constructing financial network based on PMFG and threshold method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nie, Chun-Xiao; Song, Fu-Tie

    2018-04-01

    Based on planar maximally filtered graph (PMFG) and threshold method, we introduced a correlation-based network named PMFG-based threshold network (PTN). We studied the community structure of PTN and applied ISOMAP algorithm to represent PTN in low-dimensional Euclidean space. The results show that the community corresponds well to the cluster in the Euclidean space. Further, we studied the dynamics of the community structure and constructed the normalized mutual information (NMI) matrix. Based on the real data in the market, we found that the volatility of the market can lead to dramatic changes in the community structure, and the structure is more stable during the financial crisis.

  4. Torque-onset determination: Unintended consequences of the threshold method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dotan, Raffy; Jenkins, Glenn; O'Brien, Thomas D; Hansen, Steve; Falk, Bareket

    2016-12-01

    Compared with visual torque-onset-detection (TOD), threshold-based TOD produces onset bias, which increases with lower torques or rates of torque development (RTD). To compare the effects of differential TOD-bias on common contractile parameters in two torque-disparate groups. Fifteen boys and 12 men performed maximal, explosive, isometric knee-extensions. Torque and EMG were recorded for each contraction. Best contractions were selected by peak torque (MVC) and peak RTD. Visual-TOD-based torque-time traces, electromechanical delays (EMD), and times to peak RTD (tRTD) were compared with corresponding data derived from fixed 4-Nm- and relative 5%MVC-thresholds. The 5%MVC TOD-biases were similar for boys and men, but the corresponding 4-Nm-based biases were markedly different (40.3±14.1 vs. 18.4±7.1ms, respectively; ptorque kinetics tended to be faster than the boys' (NS), but the 4-Nm-based kinetics erroneously depicted the boys as being much faster to any given %MVC (p<0.001). When comparing contractile properties of dissimilar groups, e.g., children vs. adults, threshold-based TOD methods can misrepresent reality and lead to erroneous conclusions. Relative-thresholds (e.g., 5% MVC) still introduce error, but group-comparisons are not confounded. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Environmental Chemistry Methods (ECM) Index - N

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laboratories use testing methods to identify pesticides in water and soil. Environmental chemistry methods test soil and water samples to determine the fate of pesticides in the environment. Find methods for chemicals with N as the first character.

  6. Environmental Chemistry Methods (ECM) Index - K

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laboratories use testing methods to identify pesticides in water and soil. Environmental chemistry methods test soil and water samples to determine the fate of pesticides in the environment. Find methods for chemicals with K as the first character.

  7. Environmental Chemistry Methods (ECM) Index - M

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laboratories use testing methods to identify pesticides in water and soil. Environmental chemistry methods test soil and water samples to determine the fate of pesticides in the environment. Find methods for chemicals with M as the first character.

  8. Environmental Chemistry Methods (ECM) Index - R

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laboratories use testing methods to identify pesticides in water and soil. Environmental chemistry methods test soil and water samples to determine the fate of pesticides in the environment. Find methods for chemicals with R as the first character.

  9. Environmental Chemistry Methods (ECM) Index - G

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laboratories use testing methods to identify pesticides in water and soil. Environmental chemistry methods test soil and water samples to determine the fate of pesticides in the environment. Find methods for chemicals with G as the first character.

  10. Environmental Chemistry Methods (ECM) Index - O

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laboratories use testing methods to identify pesticides in water and soil. Environmental chemistry methods test soil and water samples to determine the fate of pesticides in the environment. Find methods for chemicals with O as the first character.

  11. Environmental Chemistry Methods (ECM) Index - S

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laboratories use testing methods to identify pesticides in water and soil. Environmental chemistry methods test soil and water samples to determine the fate of pesticides in the environment. Find methods for chemicals with S as the first character.

  12. Environmental Chemistry Methods (ECM) Index - B

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laboratories use testing methods to identify pesticides in water and soil. Environmental chemistry methods test soil and water samples to determine the fate of pesticides in the environment. Find methods for chemicals with B as the first character.

  13. Environmental Chemistry Methods (ECM) Index - C

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laboratories use testing methods to identify pesticides in water and soil. Environmental chemistry methods test soil and water samples to determine the fate of pesticides in the environment. Find methods for chemicals with C as the first character.

  14. Environmental Chemistry Methods (ECM) Index - F

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laboratories use testing methods to identify pesticides in water and soil. Environmental chemistry methods test soil and water samples to determine the fate of pesticides in the environment. Find methods for chemicals with F as the first character.

  15. Environmental Chemistry Methods (ECM) Index - P

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laboratories use testing methods to identify pesticides in water and soil. Environmental chemistry methods test soil and water samples to determine the fate of pesticides in the environment. Find methods for chemicals with P as the first character.

  16. Environmental Chemistry Methods (ECM) Index - L

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laboratories use testing methods to identify pesticides in water and soil. Environmental chemistry methods test soil and water samples to determine the fate of pesticides in the environment. Find methods for chemicals with L as the first character.

  17. Environmental Chemistry Methods (ECM) Index - H

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laboratories use testing methods to identify pesticides in water and soil. Environmental chemistry methods test soil and water samples to determine the fate of pesticides in the environment. Find methods for chemicals with H as the first character.

  18. Environmental Chemistry Methods (ECM) Index - I

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laboratories use testing methods to identify pesticides in water and soil. Environmental chemistry methods test soil and water samples to determine the fate of pesticides in the environment. Find methods for chemicals with I as the first character.

  19. Environmental Chemistry Methods (ECM) Index - Z

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laboratories use testing methods to identify pesticides in water and soil. Environmental chemistry methods test soil and water samples to determine the fate of pesticides in the environment. Find methods for chemicals with Z as the first character.

  20. Environmental Chemistry Methods (ECM) Index - A

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laboratories use testing methods to identify pesticides in water and soil. Environmental chemistry methods test soil and water samples to determine the fate of pesticides in the environment. Find methods for chemicals with A as the first character.

  1. Environmental Chemistry Methods (ECM) Index - E

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laboratories use testing methods to identify pesticides in water and soil. Environmental chemistry methods test soil and water samples to determine the fate of pesticides in the environment. Find methods for chemicals with E as the first character.

  2. Environmental Chemistry Methods (ECM) Index - T

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laboratories use testing methods to identify pesticides in water and soil. Environmental chemistry methods test soil and water samples to determine the fate of pesticides in the environment. Find methods for chemicals with T as the first character.

  3. Environmental Chemistry Methods (ECM) Index - D

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laboratories use testing methods to identify pesticides in water and soil. Environmental chemistry methods test soil and water samples to determine the fate of pesticides in the environment. Find methods for chemicals with D as the first character.

  4. Environmental Chemistry Methods (ECM) Index - Q

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laboratories use testing methods to identify pesticides in water and soil. Environmental chemistry methods test soil and water samples to determine the fate of pesticides in the environment. Find methods for chemicals with Q as the first character.

  5. In Vivo Assessment of Bone Regeneration in Alginate/Bone ECM Hydrogels with Incorporated Skeletal Stem Cells and Single Growth Factors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gothard, David; Smith, Emma L.; Kanczler, Janos M.; Black, Cameron R.; Wells, Julia A.; Roberts, Carol A.; White, Lisa J.; Qutachi, Omar; Peto, Heather; Rashidi, Hassan; Rojo, Luis; Stevens, Molly M.; El Haj, Alicia J.; Rose, Felicity R. A. J.; Shakesheff, Kevin M.; Oreffo, Richard O. C.

    2015-01-01

    The current study has investigated the use of decellularised, demineralised bone extracellular matrix (ECM) hydrogel constructs for in vivo tissue mineralisation and bone formation. Stro-1-enriched human bone marrow stromal cells were incorporated together with select growth factors including VEGF, TGF-β3, BMP-2, PTHrP and VitD3, to augment bone formation, and mixed with alginate for structural support. Growth factors were delivered through fast (non-osteogenic factors) and slow (osteogenic factors) release PLGA microparticles. Constructs of 5 mm length were implanted in vivo for 28 days within mice. Dense tissue assessed by micro-CT correlated with histologically assessed mineralised bone formation in all constructs. Exogenous growth factor addition did not enhance bone formation further compared to alginate/bone ECM (ALG/ECM) hydrogels alone. UV irradiation reduced bone formation through degradation of intrinsic growth factors within the bone ECM component and possibly also ECM cross-linking. BMP-2 and VitD3 rescued osteogenic induction. ALG/ECM hydrogels appeared highly osteoinductive and delivery of angiogenic or chondrogenic growth factors led to altered bone formation. All constructs demonstrated extensive host tissue invasion and vascularisation aiding integration and implant longevity. The proposed hydrogel system functioned without the need for growth factor incorporation or an exogenous inducible cell source. Optimal growth factor concentrations and spatiotemporal release profiles require further assessment, as the bone ECM component may suffer batch variability between donor materials. In summary, ALG/ECM hydrogels provide a versatile biomaterial scaffold for utilisation within regenerative medicine which may be tailored, ultimately, to form the tissue of choice through incorporation of select growth factors. PMID:26675008

  6. Twelve automated thresholding methods for segmentation of PET images: a phantom study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Prieto, Elena; Peñuelas, Iván; Martí-Climent, Josep M; Lecumberri, Pablo; Gómez, Marisol; Pagola, Miguel; Bilbao, Izaskun; Ecay, Margarita

    2012-01-01

    Tumor volume delineation over positron emission tomography (PET) images is of great interest for proper diagnosis and therapy planning. However, standard segmentation techniques (manual or semi-automated) are operator dependent and time consuming while fully automated procedures are cumbersome or require complex mathematical development. The aim of this study was to segment PET images in a fully automated way by implementing a set of 12 automated thresholding algorithms, classical in the fields of optical character recognition, tissue engineering or non-destructive testing images in high-tech structures. Automated thresholding algorithms select a specific threshold for each image without any a priori spatial information of the segmented object or any special calibration of the tomograph, as opposed to usual thresholding methods for PET. Spherical 18 F-filled objects of different volumes were acquired on clinical PET/CT and on a small animal PET scanner, with three different signal-to-background ratios. Images were segmented with 12 automatic thresholding algorithms and results were compared with the standard segmentation reference, a threshold at 42% of the maximum uptake. Ridler and Ramesh thresholding algorithms based on clustering and histogram-shape information, respectively, provided better results that the classical 42%-based threshold (p < 0.05). We have herein demonstrated that fully automated thresholding algorithms can provide better results than classical PET segmentation tools. (paper)

  7. Crystal Structure of Saccharomyces cerevisiae ECM4, a Xi-Class Glutathione Transferase that Reacts with Glutathionyl-(hydroquinones.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mathieu Schwartz

    Full Text Available Glutathionyl-hydroquinone reductases (GHRs belong to the recently characterized Xi-class of glutathione transferases (GSTXs according to unique structural properties and are present in all but animal kingdoms. The GHR ScECM4 from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been studied since 1997 when it was found to be potentially involved in cell-wall biosynthesis. Up to now and in spite of biological studies made on this enzyme, its physiological role remains challenging. The work here reports its crystallographic study. In addition to exhibiting the general GSTX structural features, ScECM4 shows extensions including a huge loop which contributes to the quaternary assembly. These structural extensions are probably specific to Saccharomycetaceae. Soaking of ScECM4 crystals with GS-menadione results in a structure where glutathione forms a mixed disulfide bond with the cysteine 46. Solution studies confirm that ScECM4 has reductase activity for GS-menadione in presence of glutathione. Moreover, the high resolution structures allowed us to propose new roles of conserved residues of the active site to assist the cysteine 46 during the catalytic act.

  8. ECM Proteins Glycosylation and Relation to Diabetes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pernodet, Nadine; Bloomberg, Ayla; Sood, Vandana; Slutsky, Lenny; Ge, Shouren; Clark, Richard; Rafailovich, Miriam

    2004-03-01

    The chemical modification and crosslinking of proteins by sugar glycosylation contribute to the aging of tissue proteins, and acceleration of this reaction during hyperglycemia is implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetic complications, such as disorder of the wound healing. Advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) formation and protein crosslinking are irreversible processes that alter the structural and functional properties of proteins, lipid components and nucleic acids. And the mechanism, by which it happens, is not clear. Fibrinogen and fibronectin are plasma proteins, which play a major role in human wound healing. Fibrinogen converts to an insoluble fibrin "gel" following a cut, which eventually forms a clot to prevent blood loss, to direct cell adhesion and migration for forming scars. Fibronectin is a critical protein for cell adhesion and migration in wound healing. The effects of glucose on the binding of these plasma proteins from the extra cellular matrix (ECM) were followed at different concentrations by atomic force microscopy and lateral force modulation to measure the mechanical response of the samples. Glucose solutions (1, 2, and 3mg/mL) were incubated with the protein (100 mg/ml) and silicon (Si) substrates spun with sulfonated polystyrene (SPS) 28% for five days. Data showed that not only the organization of the protein on the surface was affected but also its mechanical properties. At 3 mg/mL glucose, Fn fibers were observed to be harder than those of the control, in good agreement with our hypothesis that glycosylation hardens tissues by crosslinking of proteins in the ECM and might cause fibers to break more easily.

  9. The ECM deposited by basal asthmatic and non-asthmatic ASM cells is different in composition but not biological function

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Harkness, L.; Ashton, A.; Burgess, J.

    2015-01-01

    Aim: The remodelled asthmatic airway has increased airway smooth muscle cell (ASMC) growth, expanded vasculature, and altered extracellular matrix (ECM). The ECM is the external cellular microenvironment which regulates cell behaviour. Under proliferative, inflammatory, or fibrotic conditions, the

  10. Particle identification using the time-over-threshold method in the ATLAS Transition Radiation Tracker

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Akesson, T.; Arik, E.; Assamagan, K.; Baker, K.; Barberio, E.; Barberis, D.; Bertelsen, H.; Bytchkov, V.; Callahan, J.; Catinaccio, A.; Danielsson, H.; Dittus, F.; Dolgoshein, B.; Dressnandt, N.; Ebenstein, W.L.; Eerola, P.; Farthouat, P.; Froidevaux, D.; Grichkevitch, Y.; Hajduk, Z.; Hansen, J.R.; Keener, P.T.; Kekelidze, G.; Konovalov, S.; Kowalski, T.; Kramarenko, V.A.; Krivchitch, A.; Laritchev, A.; Lichard, P.; Lucotte, A.; Lundberg, B.; Luehring, F.; Mailov, A.; Manara, A.; McFarlane, K.; Mitsou, V.A.; Morozov, S.; Muraviev, S.; Nadtochy, A.; Newcomer, F.M.; Olszowska, J.; Ogren, H.; Oh, S.H.; Peshekhonov, V.; Rembser, C.; Romaniouk, A.; Rousseau, D.; Rust, D.R.; Schegelsky, V.; Sapinski, M.; Shmeleva, A.; Smirnov, S.; Smirnova, L.N.; Sosnovtsev, V.; Soutchkov, S.; Spiridenkov, E.; Tikhomirov, V.; Van Berg, R.; Vassilakopoulos, V.; Wang, C.; Williams, H.H.

    2001-01-01

    Test-beam studies of the ATLAS Transition Radiation Tracker (TRT) straw tube performance in terms of electron-pion separation using a time-over-threshold method are described. The test-beam data are compared with Monte Carlo simulations of charged particles passing through the straw tubes of the TRT. For energies below 10 GeV, the time-over-threshold method combined with the standard transition-radiation cluster-counting technique significantly improves the electron-pion separation in the TRT. The use of the time-over-threshold information also provides some kaon-pion separation, thereby significantly enhancing the B-physics capabilities of the ATLAS detector

  11. Crystal Structure of Saccharomyces cerevisiae ECM4, a Xi-Class Glutathione Transferase that Reacts with Glutathionyl-(hydro)quinones

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schwartz, Mathieu; Didierjean, Claude; Hecker, Arnaud; Girardet, Jean-Michel; Morel-Rouhier, Mélanie; Gelhaye, Eric; Favier, Frédérique

    2016-01-01

    Glutathionyl-hydroquinone reductases (GHRs) belong to the recently characterized Xi-class of glutathione transferases (GSTXs) according to unique structural properties and are present in all but animal kingdoms. The GHR ScECM4 from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been studied since 1997 when it was found to be potentially involved in cell-wall biosynthesis. Up to now and in spite of biological studies made on this enzyme, its physiological role remains challenging. The work here reports its crystallographic study. In addition to exhibiting the general GSTX structural features, ScECM4 shows extensions including a huge loop which contributes to the quaternary assembly. These structural extensions are probably specific to Saccharomycetaceae. Soaking of ScECM4 crystals with GS-menadione results in a structure where glutathione forms a mixed disulfide bond with the cysteine 46. Solution studies confirm that ScECM4 has reductase activity for GS-menadione in presence of glutathione. Moreover, the high resolution structures allowed us to propose new roles of conserved residues of the active site to assist the cysteine 46 during the catalytic act. PMID:27736955

  12. Optimization of process parameters of ECM by RSM on AISI 202 steel

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P. Alex John Britto

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The machining of complex shaped designs was difficult earlier, but with the advent of the newer machining processes incorporating in it electrical, chemical & mechanical processes, manufacturing has redefined itself. Especially, the Electrochemical Machining (ECM process is used to machine the hard to cut materials without producing heat and friction. Hence, in this work, the ECM process has been chosen to machine SS AISI 202 steel. This study establishes the effect of process parameters such as voltage, current and concentration of electrolyte on the responses on material removal rate (MRR. In this work, second-order quadratic models were developed for MRR, considering the electrolyte concentration, voltage and current as the machining parameters, using central composite design. The developed models were used for Response Surface Methodology (RSM optimization by desirability function approach to determine the optimum machining parameters.

  13. Clinical feasibility of a myocardial signal intensity threshold-based semi-automated cardiac magnetic resonance segmentation method

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Varga-Szemes, Akos; Schoepf, U.J.; Suranyi, Pal; De Cecco, Carlo N.; Fox, Mary A. [Medical University of South Carolina, Division of Cardiovascular Imaging, Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Charleston, SC (United States); Muscogiuri, Giuseppe [Medical University of South Carolina, Division of Cardiovascular Imaging, Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Charleston, SC (United States); University of Rome ' ' Sapienza' ' , Department of Medical-Surgical Sciences and Translational Medicine, Rome (Italy); Wichmann, Julian L. [Medical University of South Carolina, Division of Cardiovascular Imaging, Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Charleston, SC (United States); University Hospital Frankfurt, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Frankfurt (Germany); Cannao, Paola M. [Medical University of South Carolina, Division of Cardiovascular Imaging, Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Charleston, SC (United States); University of Milan, Scuola di Specializzazione in Radiodiagnostica, Milan (Italy); Renker, Matthias [Medical University of South Carolina, Division of Cardiovascular Imaging, Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Charleston, SC (United States); Kerckhoff Heart and Thorax Center, Bad Nauheim (Germany); Mangold, Stefanie [Medical University of South Carolina, Division of Cardiovascular Imaging, Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Charleston, SC (United States); Eberhard-Karls University Tuebingen, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Tuebingen (Germany); Ruzsics, Balazs [Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals, Department of Cardiology, Liverpool (United Kingdom)

    2016-05-15

    To assess the accuracy and efficiency of a threshold-based, semi-automated cardiac MRI segmentation algorithm in comparison with conventional contour-based segmentation and aortic flow measurements. Short-axis cine images of 148 patients (55 ± 18 years, 81 men) were used to evaluate left ventricular (LV) volumes and mass (LVM) using conventional and threshold-based segmentations. Phase-contrast images were used to independently measure stroke volume (SV). LV parameters were evaluated by two independent readers. Evaluation times using the conventional and threshold-based methods were 8.4 ± 1.9 and 4.2 ± 1.3 min, respectively (P < 0.0001). LV parameters measured by the conventional and threshold-based methods, respectively, were end-diastolic volume (EDV) 146 ± 59 and 134 ± 53 ml; end-systolic volume (ESV) 64 ± 47 and 59 ± 46 ml; SV 82 ± 29 and 74 ± 28 ml (flow-based 74 ± 30 ml); ejection fraction (EF) 59 ± 16 and 58 ± 17 %; and LVM 141 ± 55 and 159 ± 58 g. Significant differences between the conventional and threshold-based methods were observed in EDV, ESV, and LVM measurements; SV from threshold-based and flow-based measurements were in agreement (P > 0.05) but were significantly different from conventional analysis (P < 0.05). Excellent inter-observer agreement was observed. Threshold-based LV segmentation provides improved accuracy and faster assessment compared to conventional contour-based methods. (orig.)

  14. Reliability and validity of a brief method to assess nociceptive flexion reflex (NFR) threshold.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rhudy, Jamie L; France, Christopher R

    2011-07-01

    The nociceptive flexion reflex (NFR) is a physiological tool to study spinal nociception. However, NFR assessment can take several minutes and expose participants to repeated suprathreshold stimulations. The 4 studies reported here assessed the reliability and validity of a brief method to assess NFR threshold that uses a single ascending series of stimulations (Peak 1 NFR), by comparing it to a well-validated method that uses 3 ascending/descending staircases of stimulations (Staircase NFR). Correlations between the NFR definitions were high, were on par with test-retest correlations of Staircase NFR, and were not affected by participant sex or chronic pain status. Results also indicated the test-retest reliabilities for the 2 definitions were similar. Using larger stimulus increments (4 mAs) to assess Peak 1 NFR tended to result in higher NFR threshold estimates than using the Staircase NFR definition, whereas smaller stimulus increments (2 mAs) tended to result in lower NFR threshold estimates than the Staircase NFR definition. Neither NFR definition was correlated with anxiety, pain catastrophizing, or anxiety sensitivity. In sum, a single ascending series of electrical stimulations results in a reliable and valid estimate of NFR threshold. However, caution may be warranted when comparing NFR thresholds across studies that differ in the ascending stimulus increments. This brief method to assess NFR threshold is reliable and valid; therefore, it should be useful to clinical pain researchers interested in quickly assessing inter- and intra-individual differences in spinal nociceptive processes. Copyright © 2011 American Pain Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Evaluation of the threshold trimming method for micro inertial fluidic switch based on electrowetting technology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tingting Liu

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available The switch based on electrowetting technology has the advantages of no moving part, low contact resistance, long life and adjustable acceleration threshold. The acceleration threshold of switch can be fine-tuned by adjusting the applied voltage. This paper is focused on the electrowetting properties of switch and the influence of microchannel structural parameters, applied voltage and droplet volume on acceleration threshold. In the presence of process errors of micro inertial fluidic switch and measuring errors of droplet volume, there is a deviation between test acceleration threshold and target acceleration threshold. Considering the process errors and measuring errors, worst-case analysis is used to analyze the influence of parameter tolerance on the acceleration threshold. Under worst-case condition the total acceleration threshold tolerance caused by various errors is 9.95%. The target acceleration threshold can be achieved by fine-tuning the applied voltage. The acceleration threshold trimming method of micro inertial fluidic switch is verified.

  16. Comparison on taste threshold between adult male white cigarette and clove cigarette smokers using Murphy clinical test method

    OpenAIRE

    Ronald Reyses Tapilatu; Edeh Rolleta Haroen; Rosiliwati Wihardja

    2008-01-01

    The habit of smoking white cigarettes and clove cigarettes may affect the gustatory function, that is, it will cause damage to taste buds, resulting in an increase in gustatory threshold. This research used the descriptive comparative method and had the purpose of obtaining an illustration of gustatory threshold and compare gustatory threshold in white cigarette smokers and clove cigarette smokers in young, male adults. For gustatory threshold evaluation, the Murphy method was used to obtain ...

  17. Environmental Chemistry Methods (ECM) Index - 0-9

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laboratories use testing methods to identify pesticides in water and soil. Environmental chemistry methods test soil and water samples to determine the fate of pesticides in the environment. Find methods for chemicals with a number as the first character.

  18. Bayesian methods for jointly estimating genomic breeding values of one continuous and one threshold trait.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chonglong Wang

    Full Text Available Genomic selection has become a useful tool for animal and plant breeding. Currently, genomic evaluation is usually carried out using a single-trait model. However, a multi-trait model has the advantage of using information on the correlated traits, leading to more accurate genomic prediction. To date, joint genomic prediction for a continuous and a threshold trait using a multi-trait model is scarce and needs more attention. Based on the previously proposed methods BayesCπ for single continuous trait and BayesTCπ for single threshold trait, we developed a novel method based on a linear-threshold model, i.e., LT-BayesCπ, for joint genomic prediction of a continuous trait and a threshold trait. Computing procedures of LT-BayesCπ using Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithm were derived. A simulation study was performed to investigate the advantages of LT-BayesCπ over BayesCπ and BayesTCπ with regard to the accuracy of genomic prediction on both traits. Factors affecting the performance of LT-BayesCπ were addressed. The results showed that, in all scenarios, the accuracy of genomic prediction obtained from LT-BayesCπ was significantly increased for the threshold trait compared to that from single trait prediction using BayesTCπ, while the accuracy for the continuous trait was comparable with that from single trait prediction using BayesCπ. The proposed LT-BayesCπ could be a method of choice for joint genomic prediction of one continuous and one threshold trait.

  19. ANALISIS FAKTOR-FAKTOR YANG MEMPENGARUHI KONSUMSI DI INDONESIA MENGGUNAKAN ERROR CORRECTION MODEL (ECM PERIODE TAHUN 1994.1–2005.4

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Firdayetti SE, MSi

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available The aim of the implementation of this research was to know whether the national income, the interest rate of the fixed deposit, and the interest rate of credit had the influence that was significant or not towards consumption in Indonesia, and whether being gotten by long-term and short relations towards consumption. The methodology that was utilised in this research was the Error Correction Model method (ECM that from the OLS method, with before carried out steps as follows, that is the test, the integration test and the test of the co-integration approach of the unit root. And the data that was used in this research was the secondary data in a kwartalan manner in the period 1994:1 up to 2005:4. Was based on results of the research that was carried out, then could be concluded that results of the test of the unit root, showed all variable was not yet stationary and just was stationary in the level test of the integration. While results of the co-integration test showed the stationary consumption model so as to be able to be carried out by the test of ECM. And the results of the Error Correction Model test (ECM showed that in the long term the national income variable had the influence that was significant towards consumption. The interest rate of the Fixed Deposit in the long term and short-term did not have the influence on consumption. The interest rate of Credit in the long term and short-term also did not have the influence that was significant towards consumption. Keywords :Real Consumption, Real GDP, Deposit Interest Rate, Credit Interest

  20. Comparison on taste threshold between adult male white cigarette and clove cigarette smokers using Murphy clinical test method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ronald Reyses Tapilatu

    2008-03-01

    Full Text Available The habit of smoking white cigarettes and clove cigarettes may affect the gustatory function, that is, it will cause damage to taste buds, resulting in an increase in gustatory threshold. This research used the descriptive comparative method and had the purpose of obtaining an illustration of gustatory threshold and compare gustatory threshold in white cigarette smokers and clove cigarette smokers in young, male adults. For gustatory threshold evaluation, the Murphy method was used to obtain a value for perception threshold and taste identification threshold using sucrose solution of 0.0006 M-0.06 M concentration. Research results indicate that the perception threshold and identification threshold of young, male adult smokers are 0.0119 M and 0.0292 M. Young, male adult clove cigarette smokers have a perception threshold and identification threshold of 0.0151 M and 0.0348 M. The conclusion of this research is that the perception threshold of young, male adult white cigarette smokers and clove cigarette smokers are the same, whereas the identification threshold of young, male adult white cigarette smokers and clove cigarette smokers are different, that is, the identification threshold of clove cigarette smokers is higher than that of white cigarette smokers.

  1. BAG3 regulates ECM accumulation in renal proximal tubular cells induced by TGF-β1.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Du, Feng; Li, Si; Wang, Tian; Zhang, Hai-Yan; Li, De-Tian; Du, Zhen-Xian; Wang, Hua-Qin; Wang, Yan-Qiu

    2015-01-01

    Previously we have demonstrated that Bcl-2-associated athanogene 3 (BAG3) is increased in renal fibrosis using a rat unilateral ureteral obstruction model. The current study investigated the role of BAG3 in renal fibrosis using transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1-treated human proximal tubular epithelial (HK-2) cells. An upregulation of BAG3 in vitro models was observed, which correlated with the increased synthesis of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins and expression of tissue-type plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI)-1. Blockade of BAG3 induction by shorting hairpin RNA suppressed the expression of ECM proteins but had no effect on PAI-1 expression induced by TGF-β1. Forced overexpression of BAG3 selectively increased collagens. TGF-β1-induced BAG3 expression in HK-2 cells was attenuated by ERK1/2 and JNK MAPK inhibitors. In addition, forced BAG3 overexpression blocked attenuation of collagens expression by ERK1/2 and JNK inhibitors. These data suggest that ERK1/2 and JNK signaling events are involved in modulating the expression of BAG3, which would ultimately contribute to renal fibrosis by enhancing the synthesis and deposition of ECM proteins.

  2. DETERMINAN PERTUMBUHAN KREDIT MODAL KERJA PERBANKAN DI INDONESIA: Pendekatan Error Correction Model (ECM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sasanti Widyawati

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available AbstractBank loans has an important role in financing the national economy and driving force of economic growth.Therefore, credit growth must be balanced. However, the condition show that commercial bank credit growthslowed back.Using the method of Error Correction Model (ECM Domowitz - El Badawi, the study analyze theimpact of short-term and long-term independent variables to determine the credit growth in Indonesia financialsector. The results show that, in the short term only non performing loans are significant negative effect onthe working capital loans growth. For long-term, working capital loan interest rates have a significant negativeeffect, third party funds growth have a significant positive effect and inflation have a significant negativeeffect.

  3. Methods for the visualization and analysis of extracellular matrix protein structure and degradation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leonard, Annemarie K; Loughran, Elizabeth A; Klymenko, Yuliya; Liu, Yueying; Kim, Oleg; Asem, Marwa; McAbee, Kevin; Ravosa, Matthew J; Stack, M Sharon

    2018-01-01

    This chapter highlights methods for visualization and analysis of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, with particular emphasis on collagen type I, the most abundant protein in mammals. Protocols described range from advanced imaging of complex in vivo matrices to simple biochemical analysis of individual ECM proteins. The first section of this chapter describes common methods to image ECM components and includes protocols for second harmonic generation, scanning electron microscopy, and several histological methods of ECM localization and degradation analysis, including immunohistochemistry, Trichrome staining, and in situ zymography. The second section of this chapter details both a common transwell invasion assay and a novel live imaging method to investigate cellular behavior with respect to collagen and other ECM proteins of interest. The final section consists of common electrophoresis-based biochemical methods that are used in analysis of ECM proteins. Use of the methods described herein will enable researchers to gain a greater understanding of the role of ECM structure and degradation in development and matrix-related diseases such as cancer and connective tissue disorders. © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. A novel EMD selecting thresholding method based on multiple iteration for denoising LIDAR signal

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Meng; Jiang, Li-hui; Xiong, Xing-long

    2015-06-01

    Empirical mode decomposition (EMD) approach has been believed to be potentially useful for processing the nonlinear and non-stationary LIDAR signals. To shed further light on its performance, we proposed the EMD selecting thresholding method based on multiple iteration, which essentially acts as a development of EMD interval thresholding (EMD-IT), and randomly alters the samples of noisy parts of all the corrupted intrinsic mode functions to generate a better effect of iteration. Simulations on both synthetic signals and LIDAR signals from real world support this method.

  5. Ventilatory thresholds determined from HRV: comparison of 2 methods in obese adolescents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Quinart, S; Mourot, L; Nègre, V; Simon-Rigaud, M-L; Nicolet-Guénat, M; Bertrand, A-M; Meneveau, N; Mougin, F

    2014-03-01

    The development of personalised training programmes is crucial in the management of obesity. We evaluated the ability of 2 heart rate variability analyses to determine ventilatory thresholds (VT) in obese adolescents. 20 adolescents (mean age 14.3±1.6 years and body mass index z-score 4.2±0.1) performed an incremental test to exhaustion before and after a 9-month multidisciplinary management programme. The first (VT1) and second (VT2) ventilatory thresholds were identified by the reference method (gas exchanges). We recorded RR intervals to estimate VT1 and VT2 from heart rate variability using time-domain analysis and time-varying spectral-domain analysis. The coefficient correlations between thresholds were higher with spectral-domain analysis compared to time-domain analysis: Heart rate at VT1: r=0.91 vs. =0.66 and VT2: r=0.91 vs. =0.66; power at VT1: r=0.91 vs. =0.74 and VT2: r=0.93 vs. =0.78; spectral-domain vs. time-domain analysis respectively). No systematic bias in heart rate at VT1 and VT2 with standard deviations <6 bpm were found, confirming that spectral-domain analysis could replace the reference method for the detection of ventilatory thresholds. Furthermore, this technique is sensitive to rehabilitation and re-training, which underlines its utility in clinical practice. This inexpensive and non-invasive tool is promising for prescribing physical activity programs in obese adolescents. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  6. YAP/TAZ-Dependent Reprogramming of Colonic Epithelium Links ECM Remodeling to Tissue Regeneration

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Yui, Shiro; Azzolin, Luca; Maimets, Martti

    2018-01-01

    by remodeling the extracellular matrix (ECM), increased FAK/Src signaling, and ultimately YAP/TAZ activation. In a defined cell culture system recapitulating the extracellular matrix remodeling observed in vivo, we show that a collagen 3D matrix supplemented with Wnt ligands is sufficient to sustain endogenous...

  7. Bob McEwen Treatment Plant Data (support ECM) and Water Quality Translation Data (support PDL)

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — Worksheet titled Data for ECM: Data set used to estimate the error correction model to understand how turbidity and other variables affect drinking water treatment...

  8. Design and performance verification of advanced multistage depressed collectors. [traveling wave tubes for ECM

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kosmahl, H.; Ramins, P.

    1975-01-01

    Design and performance of a small size, 4-stage depressed collector are discussed. The collector and a spent beam refocusing section preceding it are intended for efficiency enhancement of octave bandwidth, high CW power traveling wave tubes for use in ECM.

  9. Neural ECM in laminar organization and connectivity development in healthy and diseased human brain

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Jovanov Milošević, Nataša; Judaš, Miloš; Aronica, Eleonora; Kostovic, Ivica

    2014-01-01

    The neural extracellular matrix (ECM) provides a supportive framework for differentiating cells and their processes and regulates morphogenetic events by spatially and temporally relevant localization of signaling molecules and by direct signaling via receptor and/or coreceptor-mediated action. The

  10. Human mesenchymal stem cell osteoblast differentiation, ECM deposition, and biomineralization on PAH/PAA polyelectrolyte multilayers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pattabhi, Sudhakara Rao; Lehaf, Ali M; Schlenoff, Joseph B; Keller, Thomas C S

    2015-05-01

    Polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEMU) coatings built layer by layer with alternating pairs of polyelectrolytes can be tuned to improve cell interactions with surfaces and may be useful as biocompatible coatings to improve fixation between implants and tissues. Here, we show that human mesenchymal stromal cells (hMSCs) induced with bone differentiation medium (BDM) to become osteoblasts biomineralize crosslinked PEMUs built with the polycation poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) and the polyanion poly(acrylic acid) (PAA). Degrees of hMSC osteoblast differentiation and surface biomineralization on the smooth PAH-terminated PEMUs (PAH-PEMUs) and microstructured PAA-terminated PEMUs (PAA-PEMUs) reflect differences in cell-deposited extracellular matrix (ECM). BDM-induced hMSCs expressed higher levels of the early osteoblast differentiation marker alkaline phosphatase and collagen 1 (COL1) sooner on PAA-PEMUs than on PAH-PEMUs. Cells on both types of PEMUs proceeded to express the later stage osteoblast differentiation marker bone sialoprotein (BSP), but the BDM-induced cells organized a more amorphous Collagen I and denser BSP localization on PAA-PEMUs than on PAH-PEMUs. These ECM properties correlated with greater biomineralization on the PAA-PEMUs than on PAH-PEMUs. Together, these results confirm the suitability of PAH/PAA PEMUs as a substrate for hMSC osteogenesis and highlight the importance of substrate effects on ECM organization and BSP presentation on biomineralization. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  11. Estimating extremes in climate change simulations using the peaks-over-threshold method with a non-stationary threshold

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Kyselý, Jan; Picek, J.; Beranová, Romana

    2010-01-01

    Roč. 72, 1-2 (2010), s. 55-68 ISSN 0921-8181 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA205/06/1535; GA ČR GAP209/10/2045 Grant - others:GA MŠk(CZ) LC06024 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z30420517 Keywords : climate change * extreme value analysis * global climate models * peaks-over-threshold method * peaks-over-quantile regression * quantile regression * Poisson process * extreme temperatures Subject RIV: DG - Athmosphere Sciences, Meteorology Impact factor: 3.351, year: 2010

  12. Circuit and method for controlling the threshold voltage of transistors.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    2008-01-01

    A control unit, for controlling a threshold voltage of a circuit unit having transistor devices, includes a reference circuit and a measuring unit. The measuring unit is configured to measure a threshold voltage of at least one sensing transistor of the circuit unit, and to measure a threshold

  13. Methods of scaling threshold color difference using printed samples

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Min; Cui, Guihua; Liu, Haoxue; Luo, M. Ronnier

    2012-01-01

    A series of printed samples on substrate of semi-gloss paper and with the magnitude of threshold color difference were prepared for scaling the visual color difference and to evaluate the performance of different method. The probabilities of perceptibly was used to normalized to Z-score and different color differences were scaled to the Z-score. The visual color difference was got, and checked with the STRESS factor. The results indicated that only the scales have been changed but the relative scales between pairs in the data are preserved.

  14. Compact modeling of CRS devices based on ECM cells for memory, logic and neuromorphic applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Linn, E; Ferch, S; Waser, R; Menzel, S

    2013-01-01

    Dynamic physics-based models of resistive switching devices are of great interest for the realization of complex circuits required for memory, logic and neuromorphic applications. Here, we apply such a model of an electrochemical metallization (ECM) cell to complementary resistive switches (CRSs), which are favorable devices to realize ultra-dense passive crossbar arrays. Since a CRS consists of two resistive switching devices, it is straightforward to apply the dynamic ECM model for CRS simulation with MATLAB and SPICE, enabling study of the device behavior in terms of sweep rate and series resistance variations. Furthermore, typical memory access operations as well as basic implication logic operations can be analyzed, revealing requirements for proper spike and level read operations. This basic understanding facilitates applications of massively parallel computing paradigms required for neuromorphic applications. (paper)

  15. Critical review and hydrologic application of threshold detection methods for the generalized Pareto (GP) distribution

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mamalakis, Antonios; Langousis, Andreas; Deidda, Roberto

    2016-04-01

    Estimation of extreme rainfall from data constitutes one of the most important issues in statistical hydrology, as it is associated with the design of hydraulic structures and flood water management. To that extent, based on asymptotic arguments from Extreme Excess (EE) theory, several studies have focused on developing new, or improving existing methods to fit a generalized Pareto (GP) distribution model to rainfall excesses above a properly selected threshold u. The latter is generally determined using various approaches, such as non-parametric methods that are intended to locate the changing point between extreme and non-extreme regions of the data, graphical methods where one studies the dependence of GP distribution parameters (or related metrics) on the threshold level u, and Goodness of Fit (GoF) metrics that, for a certain level of significance, locate the lowest threshold u that a GP distribution model is applicable. In this work, we review representative methods for GP threshold detection, discuss fundamental differences in their theoretical bases, and apply them to 1714 daily rainfall records from the NOAA-NCDC open-access database, with more than 110 years of data. We find that non-parametric methods that are intended to locate the changing point between extreme and non-extreme regions of the data are generally not reliable, while methods that are based on asymptotic properties of the upper distribution tail lead to unrealistically high threshold and shape parameter estimates. The latter is justified by theoretical arguments, and it is especially the case in rainfall applications, where the shape parameter of the GP distribution is low; i.e. on the order of 0.1 ÷ 0.2. Better performance is demonstrated by graphical methods and GoF metrics that rely on pre-asymptotic properties of the GP distribution. For daily rainfall, we find that GP threshold estimates range between 2÷12 mm/d with a mean value of 6.5 mm/d, while the existence of quantization in the

  16. An NMR log echo data de-noising method based on the wavelet packet threshold algorithm

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Meng, Xiangning; Xie, Ranhong; Li, Changxi; Hu, Falong; Li, Chaoliu; Zhou, Cancan

    2015-01-01

    To improve the de-noising effects of low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) log echo data, this paper applies the wavelet packet threshold algorithm to the data. The principle of the algorithm is elaborated in detail. By comparing the properties of a series of wavelet packet bases and the relevance between them and the NMR log echo train signal, ‘sym7’ is found to be the optimal wavelet packet basis of the wavelet packet threshold algorithm to de-noise the NMR log echo train signal. A new method is presented to determine the optimal wavelet packet decomposition scale; this is within the scope of its maximum, using the modulus maxima and the Shannon entropy minimum standards to determine the global and local optimal wavelet packet decomposition scales, respectively. The results of applying the method to the simulated and actual NMR log echo data indicate that compared with the wavelet threshold algorithm, the wavelet packet threshold algorithm, which shows higher decomposition accuracy and better de-noising effect, is much more suitable for de-noising low SNR–NMR log echo data. (paper)

  17. [A cloud detection algorithm for MODIS images combining Kmeans clustering and multi-spectral threshold method].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Wei; Song, Wei-Guo; Liu, Shi-Xing; Zhang, Yong-Ming; Zheng, Hong-Yang; Tian, Wei

    2011-04-01

    An improved method for detecting cloud combining Kmeans clustering and the multi-spectral threshold approach is described. On the basis of landmark spectrum analysis, MODIS data is categorized into two major types initially by Kmeans method. The first class includes clouds, smoke and snow, and the second class includes vegetation, water and land. Then a multi-spectral threshold detection is applied to eliminate interference such as smoke and snow for the first class. The method is tested with MODIS data at different time under different underlying surface conditions. By visual method to test the performance of the algorithm, it was found that the algorithm can effectively detect smaller area of cloud pixels and exclude the interference of underlying surface, which provides a good foundation for the next fire detection approach.

  18. Post-analysis methods for lactate threshold depend on training intensity and aerobic capacity in runners. An experimental laboratory study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tiago Lazzaretti Fernandes

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate different mathematical post-analysis methods of determining lactate threshold in highly and lowly trained endurance runners. DESIGN AND SETTING: Experimental laboratory study, in a tertiary-level public university hospital. METHOD: Twenty-seven male endurance runners were divided into two training load groups: lowly trained (frequency < 4 times per week, < 6 consecutive months, training velocity ≥ 5.0 min/km and highly trained (frequency ≥ 4 times per week, ≥ 6 consecutive months, training velocity < 5.0 min/km. The subjects performed an incremental treadmill protocol, with 1 km/h increases at each subsequent 4-minute stage. Fingerprint blood-lactate analysis was performed at the end of each stage. The lactate threshold (i.e. the running velocity at which blood lactate levels began to exponentially increase was measured using three different methods: increase in blood lactate of 1 mmol/l at stages (DT1, absolute 4 mmol/l blood lactate concentration (4 mmol, and the semi-log method (semi-log. ANOVA was used to compare different lactate threshold methods and training groups. RESULTS: Highly trained athletes showed significantly greater lactate thresholds than lowly trained runners, regardless of the calculation method used. When all the subject data were combined, DT1 and semi-log were not different, while 4 mmol was significantly lower than the other two methods. These same trends were observed when comparing lactate threshold methods in the lowly trained group. However, 4 mmol was only significantly lower than DT1 in the highly trained group. CONCLUSION: The 4 mmol protocol did not show lactate threshold measurements comparable with DT1 and semi-log protocols among lowly trained athletes.

  19. Inhibiting Vimentin or beta 1-integrin Reverts Prostate Tumor Cells in IrECM and Reduces Tumor Growth

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, Xueping; Fournier, Marcia V.; Ware, Joy L.; Bissell, Mina J.; Zehner, Zendra E.

    2009-07-27

    Prostate epithelial cells grown embedded in laminin-rich extracellular matrix (lrECM) undergo morphological changes that closely resemble their architecture in vivo. In this study, growth characteristics of three human prostate epithelial sublines derived from the same cellular lineage, but displaying different tumorigenic and metastatic properties in vivo, were assessed in three-dimensional (3D) lrECM gels. M12, a highly tumorigenic and metastatic subline, was derived from the parental prostate epithelial P69 cell line by selection in nude mice and found to contain a deletion of 19p-q13.1. The stable reintroduction of an intact human chromosome 19 into M12 resulted in a poorly tumorigenic subline, designated F6. When embedded in lrECM gels, the nontumorigenic P69 line produced acini with clearly defined lumena. Immunostaining with antibodies to {beta}-catenin, E-cadherin or {alpha}6-, {beta}4- and {beta}1-integrins showed polarization typical of glandular epithelium. In contrast, the metastatic M12 subline produced highly disorganized cells with no evidence of polarization. The F6 subline reverted to acini-like structures exhibiting basal polarity marked with integrins. Reducing either vimentin levels via siRNA interference or {beta}1-integrin expression by the addition of the blocking antibody, AIIB2, reorganized the M12 subline into forming polarized acini. The loss of vimentin significantly reduced M12-Vim tumor growth when assessed by subcutaneous injection in athymic mice. Thus, tumorigenicity in vivo correlated with disorganized growth in 3D lrECM gels. These studies suggest that the levels of vimentin and {beta}1-integrin play a key role in the homeostasis of the normal acini in prostate and that their dysregulation may lead to tumorigenesis.

  20. Shrinkage-thresholding enhanced born iterative method for solving 2D inverse electromagnetic scattering problem

    KAUST Repository

    Desmal, Abdulla; Bagci, Hakan

    2014-01-01

    A numerical framework that incorporates recently developed iterative shrinkage thresholding (IST) algorithms within the Born iterative method (BIM) is proposed for solving the two-dimensional inverse electromagnetic scattering problem. IST

  1. Focused Screening of ECM-Selective Adhesion Peptides on Cellulose-Bound Peptide Microarrays.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kanie, Kei; Kondo, Yuto; Owaki, Junki; Ikeda, Yurika; Narita, Yuji; Kato, Ryuji; Honda, Hiroyuki

    2016-11-19

    The coating of surfaces with bio-functional proteins is a promising strategy for the creation of highly biocompatible medical implants. Bio-functional proteins from the extracellular matrix (ECM) provide effective surface functions for controlling cellular behavior. We have previously screened bio-functional tripeptides for feasibility of mass production with the aim of identifying those that are medically useful, such as cell-selective peptides. In this work, we focused on the screening of tripeptides that selectively accumulate collagen type IV (Col IV), an ECM protein that accelerates the re-endothelialization of medical implants. A SPOT peptide microarray was selected for screening owing to its unique cellulose membrane platform, which can mimic fibrous scaffolds used in regenerative medicine. However, since the library size on the SPOT microarray was limited, physicochemical clustering was used to provide broader variation than that of random peptide selection. Using the custom focused microarray of 500 selected peptides, we assayed the relative binding rates of tripeptides to Col IV, collagen type I (Col I), and albumin. We discovered a cluster of Col IV-selective adhesion peptides that exhibit bio-safety with endothelial cells. The results from this study can be used to improve the screening of regeneration-enhancing peptides.

  2. Focused Screening of ECM-Selective Adhesion Peptides on Cellulose-Bound Peptide Microarrays

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kei Kanie

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available The coating of surfaces with bio-functional proteins is a promising strategy for the creation of highly biocompatible medical implants. Bio-functional proteins from the extracellular matrix (ECM provide effective surface functions for controlling cellular behavior. We have previously screened bio-functional tripeptides for feasibility of mass production with the aim of identifying those that are medically useful, such as cell-selective peptides. In this work, we focused on the screening of tripeptides that selectively accumulate collagen type IV (Col IV, an ECM protein that accelerates the re-endothelialization of medical implants. A SPOT peptide microarray was selected for screening owing to its unique cellulose membrane platform, which can mimic fibrous scaffolds used in regenerative medicine. However, since the library size on the SPOT microarray was limited, physicochemical clustering was used to provide broader variation than that of random peptide selection. Using the custom focused microarray of 500 selected peptides, we assayed the relative binding rates of tripeptides to Col IV, collagen type I (Col I, and albumin. We discovered a cluster of Col IV-selective adhesion peptides that exhibit bio-safety with endothelial cells. The results from this study can be used to improve the screening of regeneration-enhancing peptides.

  3. Sub-Volumetric Classification and Visualization of Emphysema Using a Multi-Threshold Method and Neural Network

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tan, Kok Liang; Tanaka, Toshiyuki; Nakamura, Hidetoshi; Shirahata, Toru; Sugiura, Hiroaki

    Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease is a disease in which the airways and tiny air sacs (alveoli) inside the lung are partially obstructed or destroyed. Emphysema is what occurs as more and more of the walls between air sacs get destroyed. The goal of this paper is to produce a more practical emphysema-quantification algorithm that has higher correlation with the parameters of pulmonary function tests compared to classical methods. The use of the threshold range from approximately -900 Hounsfield Unit to -990 Hounsfield Unit for extracting emphysema from CT has been reported in many papers. From our experiments, we realize that a threshold which is optimal for a particular CT data set might not be optimal for other CT data sets due to the subtle radiographic variations in the CT images. Consequently, we propose a multi-threshold method that utilizes ten thresholds between and including -900 Hounsfield Unit and -990 Hounsfield Unit for identifying the different potential emphysematous regions in the lung. Subsequently, we divide the lung into eight sub-volumes. From each sub-volume, we calculate the ratio of the voxels with the intensity below a certain threshold. The respective ratios of the voxels below the ten thresholds are employed as the features for classifying the sub-volumes into four emphysema severity classes. Neural network is used as the classifier. The neural network is trained using 80 training sub-volumes. The performance of the classifier is assessed by classifying 248 test sub-volumes of the lung obtained from 31 subjects. Actual diagnoses of the sub-volumes are hand-annotated and consensus-classified by radiologists. The four-class classification accuracy of the proposed method is 89.82%. The sub-volumetric classification results produced in this study encompass not only the information of emphysema severity but also the distribution of emphysema severity from the top to the bottom of the lung. We hypothesize that besides emphysema severity, the

  4. Threshold Signature Schemes Application

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anastasiya Victorovna Beresneva

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available This work is devoted to an investigation of threshold signature schemes. The systematization of the threshold signature schemes was done, cryptographic constructions based on interpolation Lagrange polynomial, elliptic curves and bilinear pairings were examined. Different methods of generation and verification of threshold signatures were explored, the availability of practical usage of threshold schemes in mobile agents, Internet banking and e-currency was shown. The topics of further investigation were given and it could reduce a level of counterfeit electronic documents signed by a group of users.

  5. Nck adaptor proteins link Tks5 to invadopodia actin regulation and ECM degradation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stylli, Stanley S; Stacey, T T I; Verhagen, Anne M; Xu, San San; Pass, Ian; Courtneidge, Sara A; Lock, Peter

    2009-08-01

    Invadopodia are actin-based projections enriched with proteases, which invasive cancer cells use to degrade the extracellular matrix (ECM). The Phox homology (PX)-Src homology (SH)3 domain adaptor protein Tks5 (also known as SH3PXD2A) cooperates with Src tyrosine kinase to promote invadopodia formation but the underlying pathway is not clear. Here we show that Src phosphorylates Tks5 at Y557, inducing it to associate directly with the SH3-SH2 domain adaptor proteins Nck1 and Nck2 in invadopodia. Tks5 mutants unable to bind Nck show reduced matrix degradation-promoting activity and recruit actin to invadopodia inefficiently. Conversely, Src- and Tks5-driven matrix proteolysis and actin assembly in invadopodia are enhanced by Nck1 or Nck2 overexpression and inhibited by Nck1 depletion. We show that clustering at the plasma membrane of the Tks5 inter-SH3 region containing Y557 triggers phosphorylation at this site, facilitating Nck recruitment and F-actin assembly. These results identify a Src-Tks5-Nck pathway in ECM-degrading invadopodia that shows parallels with pathways linking several mammalian and pathogen-derived proteins to local actin regulation.

  6. A method of camera calibration with adaptive thresholding

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Lei; Yan, Shu-hua; Wang, Guo-chao; Zhou, Chun-lei

    2009-07-01

    In order to calculate the parameters of the camera correctly, we must figure out the accurate coordinates of the certain points in the image plane. Corners are the important features in the 2D images. Generally speaking, they are the points that have high curvature and lie in the junction of different brightness regions of images. So corners detection has already widely used in many fields. In this paper we use the pinhole camera model and SUSAN corner detection algorithm to calibrate the camera. When using the SUSAN corner detection algorithm, we propose an approach to retrieve the gray difference threshold, adaptively. That makes it possible to pick up the right chessboard inner comers in all kinds of gray contrast. The experiment result based on this method was proved to be feasible.

  7. Comparison of Threshold Detection Methods for the Generalized Pareto Distribution (GPD): Application to the NOAA-NCDC Daily Rainfall Dataset

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deidda, Roberto; Mamalakis, Antonis; Langousis, Andreas

    2015-04-01

    One of the most crucial issues in statistical hydrology is the estimation of extreme rainfall from data. To that extent, based on asymptotic arguments from Extreme Excess (EE) theory, several studies have focused on developing new, or improving existing methods to fit a Generalized Pareto Distribution (GPD) model to rainfall excesses above a properly selected threshold u. The latter is generally determined using various approaches that can be grouped into three basic classes: a) non-parametric methods that locate the changing point between extreme and non-extreme regions of the data, b) graphical methods where one studies the dependence of the GPD parameters (or related metrics) to the threshold level u, and c) Goodness of Fit (GoF) metrics that, for a certain level of significance, locate the lowest threshold u that a GPD model is applicable. In this work, we review representative methods for GPD threshold detection, discuss fundamental differences in their theoretical bases, and apply them to daily rainfall records from the NOAA-NCDC open-access database (http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/ghcn-daily/). We find that non-parametric methods that locate the changing point between extreme and non-extreme regions of the data are generally not reliable, while graphical methods and GoF metrics that rely on limiting arguments for the upper distribution tail lead to unrealistically high thresholds u. The latter is expected, since one checks the validity of the limiting arguments rather than the applicability of a GPD distribution model. Better performance is demonstrated by graphical methods and GoF metrics that rely on GPD properties. Finally, we discuss the effects of data quantization (common in hydrologic applications) on the estimated thresholds. Acknowledgments: The research project is implemented within the framework of the Action «Supporting Postdoctoral Researchers» of the Operational Program "Education and Lifelong Learning" (Action's Beneficiary: General

  8. Thresholding magnetic resonance images of human brain

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Qing-mao HU; Wieslaw L NOWINSKI

    2005-01-01

    In this paper, methods are proposed and validated to determine low and high thresholds to segment out gray matter and white matter for MR images of different pulse sequences of human brain. First, a two-dimensional reference image is determined to represent the intensity characteristics of the original three-dimensional data. Then a region of interest of the reference image is determined where brain tissues are present. The non-supervised fuzzy c-means clustering is employed to determine: the threshold for obtaining head mask, the low threshold for T2-weighted and PD-weighted images, and the high threshold for T1-weighted, SPGR and FLAIR images. Supervised range-constrained thresholding is employed to determine the low threshold for T1-weighted, SPGR and FLAIR images. Thresholding based on pairs of boundary pixels is proposed to determine the high threshold for T2- and PD-weighted images. Quantification against public data sets with various noise and inhomogeneity levels shows that the proposed methods can yield segmentation robust to noise and intensity inhomogeneity. Qualitatively the proposed methods work well with real clinical data.

  9. An n -material thresholding method for improving integerness of solutions in topology optimization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Watts, Seth; Engineering); Tortorelli, Daniel A.; Engineering)

    2016-01-01

    It is common in solving topology optimization problems to replace an integer-valued characteristic function design field with the material volume fraction field, a real-valued approximation of the design field that permits "fictitious" mixtures of materials during intermediate iterations in the optimization process. This is reasonable so long as one can interpolate properties for such materials and so long as the final design is integer valued. For this purpose, we present a method for smoothly thresholding the volume fractions of an arbitrary number of material phases which specify the design. This method is trivial for two-material design problems, for example, the canonical topology design problem of specifying the presence or absence of a single material within a domain, but it becomes more complex when three or more materials are used, as often occurs in material design problems. We take advantage of the similarity in properties between the volume fractions and the barycentric coordinates on a simplex to derive a thresholding, method which is applicable to an arbitrary number of materials. As we show in a sensitivity analysis, this method has smooth derivatives, allowing it to be used in gradient-based optimization algorithms. Finally, we present results, which show synergistic effects when used with Solid Isotropic Material with Penalty and Rational Approximation of Material Properties material interpolation functions, popular methods of ensuring integerness of solutions.

  10. Noninvasive method to estimate anaerobic threshold in individuals with type 2 diabetes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sales Marcelo M

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background While several studies have identified the anaerobic threshold (AT through the responses of blood lactate, ventilation and blood glucose others have suggested the response of the heart rate variability (HRV as a method to identify the AT in young healthy individuals. However, the validity of HRV in estimating the lactate threshold (LT and ventilatory threshold (VT for individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D has not been investigated yet. Aim To analyze the possibility of identifying the heart rate variability threshold (HRVT by considering the responses of parasympathetic indicators during incremental exercise test in type 2 diabetics subjects (T2D and non diabetics individuals (ND. Methods Nine T2D (55.6 ± 5.7 years, 83.4 ± 26.6 kg, 30.9 ± 5.2 kg.m2(-1 and ten ND (50.8 ± 5.1 years, 76.2 ± 14.3 kg, 26.5 ± 3.8 kg.m2(-1 underwent to an incremental exercise test (IT on a cycle ergometer. Heart rate (HR, rate of perceived exertion (RPE, blood lactate and expired gas concentrations were measured at the end of each stage. HRVT was identified through the responses of root mean square successive difference between adjacent R-R intervals (RMSSD and standard deviation of instantaneous beat-to-beat R-R interval variability (SD1 by considering the last 60 s of each incremental stage, and were known as HRVT by RMSSD and SD1 (HRVT-RMSSD and HRVT-SD1, respectively. Results No differences were observed within groups for the exercise intensities corresponding to LT, VT, HRVT-RMSSD and HHVT-SD1. Furthermore, a strong relationship were verified among the studied parameters both for T2D (r = 0.68 to 0.87 and ND (r = 0.91 to 0.98 and the Bland & Altman technique confirmed the agreement among them. Conclusion The HRVT identification by the proposed autonomic indicators (SD1 and RMSSD were demonstrated to be valid to estimate the LT and VT for both T2D and ND.

  11. Near threshold fatigue testing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Freeman, D. C.; Strum, M. J.

    1993-01-01

    Measurement of the near-threshold fatigue crack growth rate (FCGR) behavior provides a basis for the design and evaluation of components subjected to high cycle fatigue. Typically, the near-threshold fatigue regime describes crack growth rates below approximately 10(exp -5) mm/cycle (4 x 10(exp -7) inch/cycle). One such evaluation was recently performed for the binary alloy U-6Nb. The procedures developed for this evaluation are described in detail to provide a general test method for near-threshold FCGR testing. In particular, techniques for high-resolution measurements of crack length performed in-situ through a direct current, potential drop (DCPD) apparatus, and a method which eliminates crack closure effects through the use of loading cycles with constant maximum stress intensity are described.

  12. ECM-dependent HIF induction directs trophoblast stem cell fate via LIMK1-mediated cytoskeletal rearrangement.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hwa J Choi

    Full Text Available The Hypoxia-inducible Factor (HIF family of transcriptional regulators coordinates the expression of dozens of genes in response to oxygen deprivation. Mammalian development occurs in a hypoxic environment and HIF-null mice therefore die in utero due to multiple embryonic and placental defects. Mouse embryonic stem cells do not differentiate into placental cells; therefore, trophoblast stem cells (TSCs are used to study mouse placental development. Consistent with a requirement for HIF activity during placental development in utero, TSCs derived from HIF-null mice exhibit severe differentiation defects and fail to form trophoblast giant cells (TGCs in vitro. Interestingly, differentiating TSCs induce HIF activity independent of oxygen tension via unclear mechanisms. Here, we show that altering the extracellular matrix (ECM composition upon which TSCs are cultured changes their differentiation potential from TGCs to multinucleated syncytiotropholasts (SynTs and blocks oxygen-independent HIF induction. We further find that modulation of Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase Kinase-1/2 (MAP2K1/2, MEK-1/2 signaling by ECM composition is responsible for this effect. In the absence of ECM-dependent cues, hypoxia-signaling pathways activate this MAPK cascade to drive HIF induction and redirect TSC fate along the TGC lineage. In addition, we show that integrity of the microtubule and actin cytoskeleton is critical for TGC fate determination. HIF-2α ensures TSC cytoskeletal integrity and promotes invasive TGC formation by interacting with c-MYC to induce non-canonical expression of Lim domain kinase 1-an enzyme that regulates microtubule and actin stability, as well as cell invasion. Thus, we find that HIF can integrate positional and metabolic cues from within the TSC niche to regulate placental development by modulating the cellular cytoskeleton via non-canonical gene expression.

  13. Dynamic-thresholding level set: a novel computer-aided volumetry method for liver tumors in hepatic CT images

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cai, Wenli; Yoshida, Hiroyuki; Harris, Gordon J.

    2007-03-01

    Measurement of the volume of focal liver tumors, called liver tumor volumetry, is indispensable for assessing the growth of tumors and for monitoring the response of tumors to oncology treatments. Traditional edge models, such as the maximum gradient and zero-crossing methods, often fail to detect the accurate boundary of a fuzzy object such as a liver tumor. As a result, the computerized volumetry based on these edge models tends to differ from manual segmentation results performed by physicians. In this study, we developed a novel computerized volumetry method for fuzzy objects, called dynamic-thresholding level set (DT level set). An optimal threshold value computed from a histogram tends to shift, relative to the theoretical threshold value obtained from a normal distribution model, toward a smaller region in the histogram. We thus designed a mobile shell structure, called a propagating shell, which is a thick region encompassing the level set front. The optimal threshold calculated from the histogram of the shell drives the level set front toward the boundary of a liver tumor. When the volume ratio between the object and the background in the shell approaches one, the optimal threshold value best fits the theoretical threshold value and the shell stops propagating. Application of the DT level set to 26 hepatic CT cases with 63 biopsy-confirmed hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) and metastases showed that the computer measured volumes were highly correlated with those of tumors measured manually by physicians. Our preliminary results showed that DT level set was effective and accurate in estimating the volumes of liver tumors detected in hepatic CT images.

  14. Music effect on pain threshold evaluated with current perception threshold

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    2001-01-01

    AIM: Music relieves anxiety and psychotic tension. This effect of music is applied to surgical operation in the hospital and dental office. It is still unclear whether this music effect is only limited to the psychological aspect but not to the physical aspect or whether its music effect is influenced by the mood or emotion of audience. To elucidate these issues, we evaluated the music effect on pain threshold by current perception threshold (CPT) and profile of mood states (POMC) test. METHODS: Healthy 30 subjects (12 men, 18 women, 25-49 years old, mean age 34.9) were tested. (1)After POMC test, all subjects were evaluated pain threshold with CPT by Neurometer (Radionics, USA) under 6 conditions, silence, listening to the slow tempo classic music, nursery music, hard rock music, classic paino music and relaxation music with 30 seconds interval. (2)After Stroop color word test as the stresser, pain threshold was evaluated with CPT under 2 conditions, silence and listening to the slow tempo classic music. RESULTS: Under litening to the music, CPT sores increased, especially 2 000 Hz level related with compression, warm and pain sensation. Type of music, preference of music and stress also affected CPT score. CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrated that the concentration on the music raise the pain threshold and that stress and mood influence the music effect on pain threshold.

  15. Comparison of an adaptive local thresholding method on CBCT and µCT endodontic images

    Science.gov (United States)

    Michetti, Jérôme; Basarab, Adrian; Diemer, Franck; Kouame, Denis

    2018-01-01

    Root canal segmentation on cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images is difficult because of the noise level, resolution limitations, beam hardening and dental morphological variations. An image processing framework, based on an adaptive local threshold method, was evaluated on CBCT images acquired on extracted teeth. A comparison with high quality segmented endodontic images on micro computed tomography (µCT) images acquired from the same teeth was carried out using a dedicated registration process. Each segmented tooth was evaluated according to volume and root canal sections through the area and the Feret’s diameter. The proposed method is shown to overcome the limitations of CBCT and to provide an automated and adaptive complete endodontic segmentation. Despite a slight underestimation (-4, 08%), the local threshold segmentation method based on edge-detection was shown to be fast and accurate. Strong correlations between CBCT and µCT segmentations were found both for the root canal area and diameter (respectively 0.98 and 0.88). Our findings suggest that combining CBCT imaging with this image processing framework may benefit experimental endodontology, teaching and could represent a first development step towards the clinical use of endodontic CBCT segmentation during pulp cavity treatment.

  16. Data-Driven Jump Detection Thresholds for Application in Jump Regressions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robert Davies

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available This paper develops a method to select the threshold in threshold-based jump detection methods. The method is motivated by an analysis of threshold-based jump detection methods in the context of jump-diffusion models. We show that over the range of sampling frequencies a researcher is most likely to encounter that the usual in-fill asymptotics provide a poor guide for selecting the jump threshold. Because of this we develop a sample-based method. Our method estimates the number of jumps over a grid of thresholds and selects the optimal threshold at what we term the ‘take-off’ point in the estimated number of jumps. We show that this method consistently estimates the jumps and their indices as the sampling interval goes to zero. In several Monte Carlo studies we evaluate the performance of our method based on its ability to accurately locate jumps and its ability to distinguish between true jumps and large diffusive moves. In one of these Monte Carlo studies we evaluate the performance of our method in a jump regression context. Finally, we apply our method in two empirical studies. In one we estimate the number of jumps and report the jump threshold our method selects for three commonly used market indices. In the other empirical application we perform a series of jump regressions using our method to select the jump threshold.

  17. Inhibition of COX1/2 alters the host response and reduces ECM scaffold mediated constructive tissue remodeling in a rodent model of skeletal muscle injury.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dearth, Christopher L; Slivka, Peter F; Stewart, Scott A; Keane, Timothy J; Tay, Justin K; Londono, Ricardo; Goh, Qingnian; Pizza, Francis X; Badylak, Stephen F

    2016-02-01

    Extracellular matrix (ECM) has been used as a biologic scaffold material to both reinforce the surgical repair of soft tissue and serve as an inductive template to promote a constructive tissue remodeling response. Success of such an approach is dependent on macrophage-mediated degradation and remodeling of the biologic scaffold. Macrophage phenotype during these processes is a predictive factor of the eventual remodeling outcome. ECM scaffolds have been shown to promote an anti-inflammatory or M2-like macrophage phenotype in vitro that includes secretion of downstream products of cycolooxygenases 1 and 2 (COX1/2). The present study investigated the effect of a common COX1/2 inhibitor (Aspirin) on macrophage phenotype and tissue remodeling in a rodent model of ECM scaffold treated skeletal muscle injury. Inhibition of COX1/2 reduced the constructive remodeling response by hindering myogenesis and collagen deposition in the defect area. The inhibited response was correlated with a reduction in M2-like macrophages in the defect area. The effects of Aspirin on macrophage phenotype were corroborated using an established in vitro macrophage model which showed a reduction in both ECM induced prostaglandin secretion and expression of a marker of M2-like macrophages (CD206). These results raise questions regarding the common peri-surgical administration of COX1/2 inhibitors when biologic scaffold materials are used to facilitate muscle repair/regeneration. COX1/2 inhibitors such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are routinely administered post-surgically for analgesic purposes. While COX1/2 inhibitors are important in pain management, they have also been shown to delay or diminish the healing process, which calls to question their clinical use for treating musculotendinous injuries. The present study aimed to investigate the influence of a common NSAID, Aspirin, on the constructive remodeling response mediated by an ECM scaffold (UBM) in a rat skeletal

  18. Resonances, cusp effects and a virtual state in e/sup -/-He scattering near the n = 3 thresholds. [Variational methods, resonance, threshold structures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nesbet, R K [International Business Machines Corp., San Jose, Calif. (USA). Research Lab.

    1978-01-14

    Variational calculations locate and identify resonances and new threshold structures in electron impact excitation of He metastable states, in the region of the 3/sup 3/S and 3/sup 1/S excitation thresholds. A virtual state is found at the 3/sup 3/S threshold.

  19. Segment and fit thresholding: a new method for image analysis applied to microarray and immunofluorescence data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ensink, Elliot; Sinha, Jessica; Sinha, Arkadeep; Tang, Huiyuan; Calderone, Heather M; Hostetter, Galen; Winter, Jordan; Cherba, David; Brand, Randall E; Allen, Peter J; Sempere, Lorenzo F; Haab, Brian B

    2015-10-06

    Experiments involving the high-throughput quantification of image data require algorithms for automation. A challenge in the development of such algorithms is to properly interpret signals over a broad range of image characteristics, without the need for manual adjustment of parameters. Here we present a new approach for locating signals in image data, called Segment and Fit Thresholding (SFT). The method assesses statistical characteristics of small segments of the image and determines the best-fit trends between the statistics. Based on the relationships, SFT identifies segments belonging to background regions; analyzes the background to determine optimal thresholds; and analyzes all segments to identify signal pixels. We optimized the initial settings for locating background and signal in antibody microarray and immunofluorescence data and found that SFT performed well over multiple, diverse image characteristics without readjustment of settings. When used for the automated analysis of multicolor, tissue-microarray images, SFT correctly found the overlap of markers with known subcellular localization, and it performed better than a fixed threshold and Otsu's method for selected images. SFT promises to advance the goal of full automation in image analysis.

  20. Stress-induced ECM alteration modulates cellular microRNAs that feedback to readjust the extracellular environment and cell behaviour

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Halyna R Shcherbata

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available The extracellular environment is a complex entity comprising of the extracellular matrix (ECM and regulatory molecules. It is highly dynamic and under cell-extrinsic stress, transmits the stressed organism’s state to each individual ECM-connected cell. microRNAs (miRNAs are regulatory molecules involved in virtually all the processes in the cell, especially under stress. In this review, we analyse how microRNA expression is regulated downstream of various signal transduction pathways induced by changes in the extracellular environment. In particular, we focus on the muscular dystrophy-associated cell adhesion molecule dystroglycan capable of signal transduction. Then we show how exactly the same miRNAs feedback to regulate the extracellular environment. The ultimate goal of this bi-directional signal transduction process is to change cell behaviour under cell-extrinsic stress in order to respond to it accordingly.

  1. Effects of tubing length and coupling method on hearing threshold and real-ear to coupler difference measures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gustafson, Samantha; Pittman, Andrea; Fanning, Robert

    2013-06-01

    This tutorial demonstrates the effects of tubing length and coupling type (i.e., foam tip or personal earmold) on hearing threshold and real-ear-to-coupler difference (RECD) measures. Hearing thresholds from 0.25 kHz through 8 kHz are reported at various tubing lengths for 28 normal-hearing adults between the ages of 22 and 31 years. RECD values are reported for 14 of the adults. All measures were made with an insert earphone coupled to a standard foam tip and with an insert earphone coupled to each participant's personal earmold. Threshold and RECD measures obtained with a personal earmold were significantly different from those obtained with a foam tip on repeated measures analyses of variance. One-sample t tests showed these differences to vary systematically with increasing tubing length, with the largest average differences (7-8 dB) occurring at 4 kHz. This systematic examination demonstrates the equal and opposite effects of tubing length on threshold and acoustic measures. Specifically, as tubing length increased, sound pressure level in the ear canal decreased, affecting both hearing thresholds and the real-ear portion of the RECDs. This demonstration shows that when the same coupling method is used to obtain the hearing thresholds and RECD, equal and accurate estimates of real-ear sound pressure level are obtained.

  2. Studies of QCD in $e^{+}e^{-}\\to$ hadrons at E$_{cm}$ = 130 and 136 GeV

    CERN Document Server

    Buskulic, Damir; Décamp, D; Ghez, P; Goy, C; Lees, J P; Lucotte, A; Minard, M N; Odier, P; Pietrzyk, B; Casado, M P; Chmeissani, M; Crespo, J M; Delfino, M C; Efthymiopoulos, I; Fernández, E; Fernández-Bosman, M; Juste, A; Martínez, M; Orteu, S; Pacheco, A; Padilla, C; Pascual, A; Perlas, J A; Riu, I; Sánchez, F; Teubert, F; Colaleo, A; Creanza, D; De Palma, M; Gelao, G; Girone, M; Iaselli, Giuseppe; Maggi, G; Maggi, M; Marinelli, N; Nuzzo, S; Ranieri, A; Raso, G; Ruggieri, F; Selvaggi, G; Silvestris, L; Tempesta, P; Zito, G; Huang, X; Lin, J; Ouyang, Q; Wang, T; Xie, Y; Xu, R; Xue, S; Zhang, J; Zhang, L; Zhao, W; Alemany, R; Bazarko, A O; Cattaneo, M; Comas, P; Coyle, P; Drevermann, H; Forty, Roger W; Frank, M; Hagelberg, R; Harvey, J; Janot, P; Jost, B; Kneringer, E; Knobloch, J; Lehraus, Ivan; Lutters, G; Martin, E B; Mato, P; Minten, Adolf G; Miquel, R; Mir, L M; Moneta, L; Oest, T; Pusztaszeri, J F; Ranjard, F; Rensing, P E; Rolandi, Luigi; Schlatter, W D; Schmelling, M; Schneider, O; Tejessy, W; Tomalin, I R; Venturi, A; Wachsmuth, H W; Wagner, A; Ajaltouni, Ziad J; Barrès, A; Boyer, C; Falvard, A; Gay, P; Guicheney, C; Henrard, P; Jousset, J; Michel, B; Monteil, S; Montret, J C; Pallin, D; Perret, P; Podlyski, F; Proriol, J; Rossignol, J M; Fearnley, Tom; Hansen, J B; Hansen, J D; Hansen, J R; Hansen, P H; Nilsson, B S; Wäänänen, A; Kyriakis, A; Markou, C; Simopoulou, Errietta; Siotis, I; Vayaki, Anna; Zachariadou, K; Blondel, A; Brient, J C; Rougé, A; Rumpf, M; Valassi, Andrea; Videau, H L; Focardi, E; Parrini, G; Corden, M; Georgiopoulos, C H; Jaffe, D E; Antonelli, A; Bencivenni, G; Bologna, G; Bossi, F; Campana, P; Capon, G; Casper, David William; Chiarella, V; Felici, G; Laurelli, P; Mannocchi, G; Murtas, F; Murtas, G P; Passalacqua, L; Pepé-Altarelli, M; Curtis, L; Dorris, S J; Halley, A W; Knowles, I G; Lynch, J G; O'Shea, V; Raine, C; Reeves, P; Scarr, J M; Smith, K; Thompson, A S; Thomson, F; Thorn, S; Turnbull, R M; Becker, U; Geweniger, C; Graefe, G; Hanke, P; Hansper, G; Hepp, V; Kluge, E E; Putzer, A; Rensch, B; Schmidt, M; Sommer, J; Stenzel, H; Tittel, K; Werner, S; Wunsch, M; Abbaneo, D; Beuselinck, R; Binnie, David M; Cameron, W; Dornan, Peter J; Moutoussi, A; Nash, J; Sedgbeer, J K; Stacey, A M; Williams, M D; Dissertori, G; Girtler, P; Kuhn, D; Rudolph, G; Betteridge, A P; Bowdery, C K; Colrain, P; Crawford, G; Finch, A J; Foster, F; Hughes, G; Sloan, Terence; Whelan, E P; Williams, M I; Galla, A; Greene, A M; Hoffmann, C; Kleinknecht, K; Quast, G; Renk, B; Rohne, E; Sander, H G; Van Gemmeren, P; Zeitnitz, C; Aubert, Jean-Jacques; Bencheikh, A M; Benchouk, C; Bonissent, A; Bujosa, G; Calvet, D; Carr, J; Diaconu, C A; Konstantinidis, N P; Payre, P; Rousseau, D; Talby, M; Sadouki, A; Thulasidas, M; Tilquin, A; Trabelsi, K; Aleppo, M; Ragusa, F; Abt, I; Assmann, R W; Bauer, C; Blum, Walter; Dietl, H; Dydak, Friedrich; Ganis, G; Gotzhein, C; Jakobs, K; Kroha, H; Lütjens, G; Lutz, Gerhard; Männer, W; Moser, H G; Richter, R H; Rosado-Schlosser, A; Schael, S; Settles, Ronald; Seywerd, H C J; Saint-Denis, R; Wiedenmann, W; Wolf, G; Boucrot, J; Callot, O; Cordier, A; Davier, M; Duflot, L; Grivaz, J F; Heusse, P; Höcker, A; Jacquet, M; Kim, D W; Le Diberder, F R; Lefrançois, J; Lutz, A M; Nikolic, I A; Park, H J; Park, I C; Schune, M H; Simion, S; Veillet, J J; Videau, I; Zerwas, D; Azzurri, P; Bagliesi, G; Batignani, G; Bettarini, S; Bozzi, C; Calderini, G; Carpinelli, M; Ciocci, M A; Ciulli, V; Dell'Orso, R; Fantechi, R; Ferrante, I; Giassi, A; Gregorio, A; Ligabue, F; Lusiani, A; Marrocchesi, P S; Messineo, A; Palla, Fabrizio; Rizzo, G; Sanguinetti, G; Sciabà, A; Spagnolo, P; Steinberger, Jack; Tenchini, Roberto; Tonelli, G; Vannini, C; Verdini, P G; Walsh, J; Blair, G A; Bryant, L M; Cerutti, F; Chambers, J T; Gao, Y; Green, M G; Medcalf, T; Perrodo, P; Strong, J A; Von Wimmersperg-Töller, J H; Botterill, David R; Clifft, R W; Edgecock, T R; Haywood, S; Maley, P; Norton, P R; Thompson, J C; Wright, A E; Bloch-Devaux, B; Colas, P; Emery, S; Kozanecki, Witold; Lançon, E; Lemaire, M C; Locci, E; Marx, B; Pérez, P; Rander, J; Renardy, J F; Roussarie, A; Schuller, J P; Schwindling, J; Trabelsi, A; Vallage, B; Black, S N; Dann, J H; Johnson, R P; Kim, H Y; Litke, A M; McNeil, M A; Taylor, G; Booth, C N; Boswell, R; Brew, C A J; Cartwright, S L; Combley, F; Köksal, A; Lehto, M H; Newton, W M; Reeve, J; Thompson, L F; Böhrer, A; Brandt, S; Büscher, V; Cowan, G D; Grupen, Claus; Saraiva, P; Smolik, L; Stephan, F; Apollonio, M; Bosisio, L; Della Marina, R; Giannini, G; Gobbo, B; Musolino, G; Pütz, J; Rothberg, J E; Wasserbaech, S R; Williams, R W; Armstrong, S R; Bellantoni, L; Elmer, P; Feng, Z; Ferguson, D P S; Gao, Y S; González, S; Grahl, J; Greening, T C; Harton, J L; Hayes, O J; Hu, H; McNamara, P A; Nachtman, J M; Orejudos, W; Pan, Y B; Saadi, Y; Schmitt, M; Scott, I J; Sharma, V; Walsh, A M; Wu Sau Lan; Wu, X; Yamartino, J M; Zheng, M; Zobernig, G

    1997-01-01

    Studies of QCD in $\\mbox{e}^+\\mbox{e}^- \\rightarrow$ Hadrons at $E_{cm} = $} 130 and 136 GeV The ALEPH Collaboration An analysis of the properties of hadronic final states produced in electron-positron annihilation at centre-of-mass energies of 130 and 136 GeV is presented. The measurements are based on a data sample of 5.7 $\\mbox{pb}^{-1}$ collected in November 1995 with the \\Aleph detector at LEP. Inclusive charged particle distributions, jet rates and event-shape distributions are measured and the results are compared with the predictions of QCD-based models. From the measured distributions quantities are determined for which the dependence on the centre-of-mass energy can be predicted by QCD, including the mean multiplicity of charged particles, the peak position of the inclusive distribution of $\\xi = -\\ln x_p$ ($x_p = p / p_{beam}$), and the strong coupling constant $\\alpha_s$. The QCD predictions are tested by comparing with corresponding measurements at $E_{cm} = 91.2$ GeV and at lower energies.

  3. Finding Solvable Units of Variables in Nonlinear ODEs of ECM Degradation Pathway Network

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shuji Kawasaki

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available We consider ordinary differential equation (ODE model for a pathway network that arises in extracellular matrix (ECM degradation. For solving the ODEs, we propose applying the mass conservation law (MCL, together with a stoichiometry called doubling rule, to them. Then it leads to extracting new units of variables in the ODEs that can be solved explicitly, at least in principle. The simulation results for the ODE solutions show that the numerical solutions are indeed in good accord with theoretical solutions and satisfy the MALs.

  4. Finding Solvable Units of Variables in Nonlinear ODEs of ECM Degradation Pathway Network.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kawasaki, Shuji; Minerva, Dhisa; Itano, Keiko; Suzuki, Takashi

    2017-01-01

    We consider ordinary differential equation (ODE) model for a pathway network that arises in extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation. For solving the ODEs, we propose applying the mass conservation law (MCL), together with a stoichiometry called doubling rule , to them. Then it leads to extracting new units of variables in the ODEs that can be solved explicitly, at least in principle. The simulation results for the ODE solutions show that the numerical solutions are indeed in good accord with theoretical solutions and satisfy the MALs.

  5. Adaptive Wavelet Threshold Denoising Method for Machinery Sound Based on Improved Fruit Fly Optimization Algorithm

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jing Xu

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available As the sound signal of a machine contains abundant information and is easy to measure, acoustic-based monitoring or diagnosis systems exhibit obvious superiority, especially in some extreme conditions. However, the sound directly collected from industrial field is always polluted. In order to eliminate noise components from machinery sound, a wavelet threshold denoising method optimized by an improved fruit fly optimization algorithm (WTD-IFOA is proposed in this paper. The sound is firstly decomposed by wavelet transform (WT to obtain coefficients of each level. As the wavelet threshold functions proposed by Donoho were discontinuous, many modified functions with continuous first and second order derivative were presented to realize adaptively denoising. However, the function-based denoising process is time-consuming and it is difficult to find optimal thresholds. To overcome these problems, fruit fly optimization algorithm (FOA was introduced to the process. Moreover, to avoid falling into local extremes, an improved fly distance range obeying normal distribution was proposed on the basis of original FOA. Then, sound signal of a motor was recorded in a soundproof laboratory, and Gauss white noise was added into the signal. The simulation results illustrated the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed approach by a comprehensive comparison among five typical methods. Finally, an industrial application on a shearer in coal mining working face was performed to demonstrate the practical effect.

  6. [Soil propagule bank of ectomycorrhizal fungi in natural forest of Pinus bungeana].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Nan Xing; Han, Qi Sheng; Huang, Jian

    2017-12-01

    To conserve and restore the forest of Pinu bungeana, we investigated the soil propagule bank of ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi in a severely disturbed natural forest of P. bungeana in Shaanxi Province, China. We used a seedling-bioassay method to bait the ECM fungal propagules in the soils collected from the forest site. ECM was identified by combining morph typing with ITS-PCR-sequencing. We obtained 73 unique sequences from the ECM associated with P. bungeana seedlings, and assigned them into 12 ECM fungal OTUs at the threshold of 97% based on the sequence similarity. Rarefaction curve displayed almost all ECM fungi in the propagule bank were detected. The most frequent OTU (80%) showed poor similarity (75%) with existing sequences in the online database, which suggested it might be a new species. Cenococcum geophilum, Tomentella sp., Tuber sp. were common species in the propagule bank. Although C. geophilum and Tomentella sp. were frequently detected in other soil propagule banks of pine forest, the most frequent OTU was not assigned to known genus or family, which indicated the host-specif of ECM propagule banks associa-ted with P. bungeana. This result confirmed the importance of the special ECM propagule banks associated with P. bungeana for natural forest restoration.

  7. Method of Anti-Virus Protection Based on (n, t Threshold Proxy Signature with an Arbitrator

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. A. Tolyupa

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The article suggests the method of anti-virus protection of mobile devices based on the usage of proxy digital signatures and an (n;t-threshold proxy signature scheme with an arbitrator. The unique feature of the suggested method is in the absence of necessity to install anti-virus software in a mobile device. It will be enough only to have the software verifying digital signatures and the Internet. The method is used on the base of public keys infrastructure /PKI/, thus minimizing implementation expenses.

  8. En la búsqueda de características en eyecciones coronales de masa que discriminen entre dos paradigmas físicos en modelos de ECMs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paissan, G.; Stenborg, G.; Rovira, M.

    Se conocen tres diferentes fenómenos de gran escala que ocurren en la atmósfera solar, denominados eyecciones coronales de masa (ECMs), protuberancias eruptivas y grandes fulguraciones de dos bandas. Estos fenómenos están estrechamente relacionados y podrían ser distintas manifestaciones de un único proceso físico. Las ECMs son definidas como eyecciones de gran escala de masa y flujo magnético desde la baja corona al espacio interplanetario. Desde su descubrimiento en los '70, muchos modelos han sido propuestos para explicar su origen y evolución. La explicación física de las ECMs es un tema de debate intenso. No obstante, los modelos pueden sintetizarse en dos grandes grupos: 1) los modelos de inyección de flujo y 2) los modelos de almacenamiento y liberación. En este trabajo, se presentan los estudios realizados con una serie de eventos observados con el coronógrafo MICA (Mirror Coronograph for Argentina), el telescopio en H-alfa HASTA (H-alpha Solar Telescope for Argentina) y los coronógrafos C2 y C3 de la sonda SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory). Los eventos que pudieron ser identificados como ECMs son contrastados dentro del esquema de los dos paradigmas teóricos propuestos.

  9. Chapter 15: Commercial New Construction Evaluation Protocol. The Uniform Methods Project: Methods for Determining Energy Efficiency Savings for Specific Measures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kurnik, Charles W. [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Keates, Steven [ADM Associates, Inc., Atlanta, GA (United States)

    2017-10-09

    This protocol is intended to describe the recommended method when evaluating the whole-building performance of new construction projects in the commercial sector. The protocol focuses on energy conservation measures (ECMs) or packages of measures where evaluators can analyze impacts using building simulation. These ECMs typically require the use of calibrated building simulations under Option D of the International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol (IPMVP).

  10. Thresholds in chemical respiratory sensitisation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cochrane, Stella A; Arts, Josje H E; Ehnes, Colin; Hindle, Stuart; Hollnagel, Heli M; Poole, Alan; Suto, Hidenori; Kimber, Ian

    2015-07-03

    There is a continuing interest in determining whether it is possible to identify thresholds for chemical allergy. Here allergic sensitisation of the respiratory tract by chemicals is considered in this context. This is an important occupational health problem, being associated with rhinitis and asthma, and in addition provides toxicologists and risk assessors with a number of challenges. In common with all forms of allergic disease chemical respiratory allergy develops in two phases. In the first (induction) phase exposure to a chemical allergen (by an appropriate route of exposure) causes immunological priming and sensitisation of the respiratory tract. The second (elicitation) phase is triggered if a sensitised subject is exposed subsequently to the same chemical allergen via inhalation. A secondary immune response will be provoked in the respiratory tract resulting in inflammation and the signs and symptoms of a respiratory hypersensitivity reaction. In this article attention has focused on the identification of threshold values during the acquisition of sensitisation. Current mechanistic understanding of allergy is such that it can be assumed that the development of sensitisation (and also the elicitation of an allergic reaction) is a threshold phenomenon; there will be levels of exposure below which sensitisation will not be acquired. That is, all immune responses, including allergic sensitisation, have threshold requirement for the availability of antigen/allergen, below which a response will fail to develop. The issue addressed here is whether there are methods available or clinical/epidemiological data that permit the identification of such thresholds. This document reviews briefly relevant human studies of occupational asthma, and experimental models that have been developed (or are being developed) for the identification and characterisation of chemical respiratory allergens. The main conclusion drawn is that although there is evidence that the

  11. Detection thresholds of macaque otolith afferents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Xiong-Jie; Dickman, J David; Angelaki, Dora E

    2012-06-13

    The vestibular system is our sixth sense and is important for spatial perception functions, yet the sensory detection and discrimination properties of vestibular neurons remain relatively unexplored. Here we have used signal detection theory to measure detection thresholds of otolith afferents using 1 Hz linear accelerations delivered along three cardinal axes. Direction detection thresholds were measured by comparing mean firing rates centered on response peak and trough (full-cycle thresholds) or by comparing peak/trough firing rates with spontaneous activity (half-cycle thresholds). Thresholds were similar for utricular and saccular afferents, as well as for lateral, fore/aft, and vertical motion directions. When computed along the preferred direction, full-cycle direction detection thresholds were 7.54 and 3.01 cm/s(2) for regular and irregular firing otolith afferents, respectively. Half-cycle thresholds were approximately double, with excitatory thresholds being half as large as inhibitory thresholds. The variability in threshold among afferents was directly related to neuronal gain and did not depend on spike count variance. The exact threshold values depended on both the time window used for spike count analysis and the filtering method used to calculate mean firing rate, although differences between regular and irregular afferent thresholds were independent of analysis parameters. The fact that minimum thresholds measured in macaque otolith afferents are of the same order of magnitude as human behavioral thresholds suggests that the vestibular periphery might determine the limit on our ability to detect or discriminate small differences in head movement, with little noise added during downstream processing.

  12. Adaptive thresholding and dynamic windowing method for automatic centroid detection of digital Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yin Xiaoming; Li Xiang; Zhao Liping; Fang Zhongping

    2009-01-01

    A Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor (SWHS) splits the incident wavefront into many subsections and transfers the distorted wavefront detection into the centroid measurement. The accuracy of the centroid measurement determines the accuracy of the SWHS. Many methods have been presented to improve the accuracy of the wavefront centroid measurement. However, most of these methods are discussed from the point of view of optics, based on the assumption that the spot intensity of the SHWS has a Gaussian distribution, which is not applicable to the digital SHWS. In this paper, we present a centroid measurement algorithm based on the adaptive thresholding and dynamic windowing method by utilizing image processing techniques for practical application of the digital SHWS in surface profile measurement. The method can detect the centroid of each focal spot precisely and robustly by eliminating the influence of various noises, such as diffraction of the digital SHWS, unevenness and instability of the light source, as well as deviation between the centroid of the focal spot and the center of the detection area. The experimental results demonstrate that the algorithm has better precision, repeatability, and stability compared with other commonly used centroid methods, such as the statistical averaging, thresholding, and windowing algorithms.

  13. Simple and high yielding method for preparing tissue specific extracellular matrix coatings for cell culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    DeQuach, Jessica A; Mezzano, Valeria; Miglani, Amar; Lange, Stephan; Keller, Gordon M; Sheikh, Farah; Christman, Karen L

    2010-09-27

    The native extracellular matrix (ECM) consists of a highly complex, tissue-specific network of proteins and polysaccharides, which help regulate many cellular functions. Despite the complex nature of the ECM, in vitro cell-based studies traditionally assess cell behavior on single ECM component substrates, which do not adequately mimic the in vivo extracellular milieu. We present a simple approach for developing naturally derived ECM coatings for cell culture that provide important tissue-specific cues unlike traditional cell culture coatings, thereby enabling the maturation of committed C2C12 skeletal myoblast progenitors and human embryonic stem cells differentiated into cardiomyocytes. Here we show that natural muscle-specific coatings can (i) be derived from decellularized, solubilized adult porcine muscle, (ii) contain a complex mixture of ECM components including polysaccharides, (iii) adsorb onto tissue culture plastic and (iv) promote cell maturation of committed muscle progenitor and stem cells. This versatile method can create tissue-specific ECM coatings, which offer a promising platform for cell culture to more closely mimic the mature in vivo ECM microenvironment.

  14. Entropy-Based Method of Choosing the Decomposition Level in Wavelet Threshold De-noising

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yan-Fang Sang

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, the energy distributions of various noises following normal, log-normal and Pearson-III distributions are first described quantitatively using the wavelet energy entropy (WEE, and the results are compared and discussed. Then, on the basis of these analytic results, a method for use in choosing the decomposition level (DL in wavelet threshold de-noising (WTD is put forward. Finally, the performance of the proposed method is verified by analysis of both synthetic and observed series. Analytic results indicate that the proposed method is easy to operate and suitable for various signals. Moreover, contrary to traditional white noise testing which depends on “autocorrelations”, the proposed method uses energy distributions to distinguish real signals and noise in noisy series, therefore the chosen DL is reliable, and the WTD results of time series can be improved.

  15. Comparison between intensity- duration thresholds and cumulative rainfall thresholds for the forecasting of landslide

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lagomarsino, Daniela; Rosi, Ascanio; Rossi, Guglielmo; Segoni, Samuele; Catani, Filippo

    2014-05-01

    This work makes a quantitative comparison between the results of landslide forecasting obtained using two different rainfall threshold models, one using intensity-duration thresholds and the other based on cumulative rainfall thresholds in an area of northern Tuscany of 116 km2. The first methodology identifies rainfall intensity-duration thresholds by means a software called MaCumBA (Massive CUMulative Brisk Analyzer) that analyzes rain-gauge records, extracts the intensities (I) and durations (D) of the rainstorms associated with the initiation of landslides, plots these values on a diagram, and identifies thresholds that define the lower bounds of the I-D values. A back analysis using data from past events can be used to identify the threshold conditions associated with the least amount of false alarms. The second method (SIGMA) is based on the hypothesis that anomalous or extreme values of rainfall are responsible for landslide triggering: the statistical distribution of the rainfall series is analyzed, and multiples of the standard deviation (σ) are used as thresholds to discriminate between ordinary and extraordinary rainfall events. The name of the model, SIGMA, reflects the central role of the standard deviations in the proposed methodology. The definition of intensity-duration rainfall thresholds requires the combined use of rainfall measurements and an inventory of dated landslides, whereas SIGMA model can be implemented using only rainfall data. These two methodologies were applied in an area of 116 km2 where a database of 1200 landslides was available for the period 2000-2012. The results obtained are compared and discussed. Although several examples of visual comparisons between different intensity-duration rainfall thresholds are reported in the international literature, a quantitative comparison between thresholds obtained in the same area using different techniques and approaches is a relatively undebated research topic.

  16. Automatic Multi-Level Thresholding Segmentation Based on Multi-Objective Optimization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L. DJEROU,

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, we present a new multi-level image thresholding technique, called Automatic Threshold based on Multi-objective Optimization "ATMO" that combines the flexibility of multi-objective fitness functions with the power of a Binary Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm "BPSO", for searching the "optimum" number of the thresholds and simultaneously the optimal thresholds of three criteria: the between-class variances criterion, the minimum error criterion and the entropy criterion. Some examples of test images are presented to compare our segmentation method, based on the multi-objective optimization approach with Otsu’s, Kapur’s and Kittler’s methods. Our experimental results show that the thresholding method based on multi-objective optimization is more efficient than the classical Otsu’s, Kapur’s and Kittler’s methods.

  17. A Robust Threshold for Iterative Channel Estimation in OFDM Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Kalaycioglu

    2010-04-01

    Full Text Available A novel threshold computation method for pilot symbol assisted iterative channel estimation in OFDM systems is considered. As the bits are transmitted in packets, the proposed technique is based on calculating a particular threshold for each data packet in order to select the reliable decoder output symbols to improve the channel estimation performance. Iteratively, additional pilot symbols are established according to the threshold and the channel is re-estimated with the new pilots inserted to the known channel estimation pilot set. The proposed threshold calculation method for selecting additional pilots performs better than non-iterative channel estimation, no threshold and fixed threshold techniques in poor HF channel simulations.

  18. Threshold-adaptive canny operator based on cross-zero points

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Boqi; Zhang, Xiuhua; Hong, Hanyu

    2018-03-01

    Canny edge detection[1] is a technique to extract useful structural information from different vision objects and dramatically reduce the amount of data to be processed. It has been widely applied in various computer vision systems. There are two thresholds have to be settled before the edge is segregated from background. Usually, by the experience of developers, two static values are set as the thresholds[2]. In this paper, a novel automatic thresholding method is proposed. The relation between the thresholds and Cross-zero Points is analyzed, and an interpolation function is deduced to determine the thresholds. Comprehensive experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of proposed method and advantageous for stable edge detection at changing illumination.

  19. A new iterative triclass thresholding technique in image segmentation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cai, Hongmin; Yang, Zhong; Cao, Xinhua; Xia, Weiming; Xu, Xiaoyin

    2014-03-01

    We present a new method in image segmentation that is based on Otsu's method but iteratively searches for subregions of the image for segmentation, instead of treating the full image as a whole region for processing. The iterative method starts with Otsu's threshold and computes the mean values of the two classes as separated by the threshold. Based on the Otsu's threshold and the two mean values, the method separates the image into three classes instead of two as the standard Otsu's method does. The first two classes are determined as the foreground and background and they will not be processed further. The third class is denoted as a to-be-determined (TBD) region that is processed at next iteration. At the succeeding iteration, Otsu's method is applied on the TBD region to calculate a new threshold and two class means and the TBD region is again separated into three classes, namely, foreground, background, and a new TBD region, which by definition is smaller than the previous TBD regions. Then, the new TBD region is processed in the similar manner. The process stops when the Otsu's thresholds calculated between two iterations is less than a preset threshold. Then, all the intermediate foreground and background regions are, respectively, combined to create the final segmentation result. Tests on synthetic and real images showed that the new iterative method can achieve better performance than the standard Otsu's method in many challenging cases, such as identifying weak objects and revealing fine structures of complex objects while the added computational cost is minimal.

  20. Identifying Threshold Concepts for Information Literacy: A Delphi Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lori Townsend

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available This study used the Delphi method to engage expert practitioners on the topic of threshold concepts for information literacy. A panel of experts considered two questions. First, is the threshold concept approach useful for information literacy instruction? The panel unanimously agreed that the threshold concept approach holds potential for information literacy instruction. Second, what are the threshold concepts for information literacy instruction? The panel proposed and discussed over fifty potential threshold concepts, finally settling on six information literacy threshold concepts.

  1. New method to evaluate the 7Li(p, n)7Be reaction near threshold

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Herrera, María S.; Moreno, Gustavo A.; Kreiner, Andrés J.

    2015-01-01

    In this work a complete description of the 7 Li(p, n) 7 Be reaction near threshold is given using center-of-mass and relative coordinates. It is shown that this standard approach, not used before in this context, leads to a simple mathematical representation which gives easy access to all relevant quantities in the reaction and allows a precise numerical implementation. It also allows in a simple way to include proton beam-energy spread affects. The method, implemented as a C++ code, was validated both with numerical and experimental data finding a good agreement. This tool is also used here to analyze scattered published measurements such as (p, n) cross sections, differential and total neutron yields for thick targets. Using these data we derive a consistent set of parameters to evaluate neutron production near threshold. Sensitivity of the results to data uncertainty and the possibility of incorporating new measurements are also discussed

  2. A non-parametric framework for estimating threshold limit values

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ulm Kurt

    2005-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background To estimate a threshold limit value for a compound known to have harmful health effects, an 'elbow' threshold model is usually applied. We are interested on non-parametric flexible alternatives. Methods We describe how a step function model fitted by isotonic regression can be used to estimate threshold limit values. This method returns a set of candidate locations, and we discuss two algorithms to select the threshold among them: the reduced isotonic regression and an algorithm considering the closed family of hypotheses. We assess the performance of these two alternative approaches under different scenarios in a simulation study. We illustrate the framework by analysing the data from a study conducted by the German Research Foundation aiming to set a threshold limit value in the exposure to total dust at workplace, as a causal agent for developing chronic bronchitis. Results In the paper we demonstrate the use and the properties of the proposed methodology along with the results from an application. The method appears to detect the threshold with satisfactory success. However, its performance can be compromised by the low power to reject the constant risk assumption when the true dose-response relationship is weak. Conclusion The estimation of thresholds based on isotonic framework is conceptually simple and sufficiently powerful. Given that in threshold value estimation context there is not a gold standard method, the proposed model provides a useful non-parametric alternative to the standard approaches and can corroborate or challenge their findings.

  3. Color image Segmentation using automatic thresholding techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Harrabi, R.; Ben Braiek, E.

    2011-01-01

    In this paper, entropy and between-class variance based thresholding methods for color images segmentation are studied. The maximization of the between-class variance (MVI) and the entropy (ME) have been used as a criterion functions to determine an optimal threshold to segment images into nearly homogenous regions. Segmentation results from the two methods are validated and the segmentation sensitivity for the test data available is evaluated, and a comparative study between these methods in different color spaces is presented. The experimental results demonstrate the superiority of the MVI method for color image segmentation.

  4. Optimization of SDS exposure on preservation of ECM characteristics in whole organ decellularization of rat kidneys.

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, M; Callanan, A; Lagaras, K; Steele, J A M; Stevens, M M

    2017-08-01

    Renal transplantation is well established as the optimal form of renal replacement therapy but is restricted by the limited pool of organs available for transplantation. The whole organ decellularisation approach is leading the way for a regenerative medicine solution towards bioengineered organ replacements. However, systematic preoptimization of both decellularization and recellularization parameters is essential prior to any potential clinical application and should be the next stage in the evolution of whole organ decellularization as a potential strategy for bioengineered organ replacements. Here we have systematically assessed two fundamental parameters (concentration and duration of perfusion) with regards to the effects of differing exposure to the most commonly used single decellularizing agent (sodium dodecyl sulphate/SDS) in the perfusion decellularization process for whole rat kidney ECM bioscaffolds, with findings showing improved preservation of both structural and functional components of the whole kidney ECM bioscaffold. Whole kidney bioscaffolds based on our enhanced protocol were successfully recellularized with rat primary renal cells and mesenchymal stromal cells. These findings should be widely applicable to decellularized whole organ bioscaffolds and their optimization in the development of regenerated organ replacements for transplantation. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 105B: 1352-1360, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  5. Fusion of Thresholding Rules During Wavelet-Based Noisy Image Compression

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bekhtin Yury

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The new method for combining semisoft thresholding rules during wavelet-based data compression of images with multiplicative noise is suggested. The method chooses the best thresholding rule and the threshold value using the proposed criteria which provide the best nonlinear approximations and take into consideration errors of quantization. The results of computer modeling have shown that the suggested method provides relatively good image quality after restoration in the sense of some criteria such as PSNR, SSIM, etc.

  6. Methods for the estimation of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence cost-effectiveness threshold.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Claxton, Karl; Martin, Steve; Soares, Marta; Rice, Nigel; Spackman, Eldon; Hinde, Sebastian; Devlin, Nancy; Smith, Peter C; Sculpher, Mark

    2015-02-01

    when PCTs are under more financial pressure and are more likely to be disinvesting than investing. This indicates that the central estimate of the threshold is likely to be an overestimate for all technologies which impose net costs on the NHS and the appropriate threshold to apply should be lower for technologies which have a greater impact on NHS costs. The central estimate is based on identifying a preferred analysis at each stage based on the analysis that made the best use of available information, whether or not the assumptions required appeared more reasonable than the other alternatives available, and which provided a more complete picture of the likely health effects of a change in expenditure. However, the limitation of currently available data means that there is substantial uncertainty associated with the estimate of the overall threshold. The methods go some way to providing an empirical estimate of the scale of opportunity costs the NHS faces when considering whether or not the health benefits associated with new technologies are greater than the health that is likely to be lost elsewhere in the NHS. Priorities for future research include estimating the threshold for subsequent waves of expenditure and outcome data, for example by utilising expenditure and outcomes available at the level of Clinical Commissioning Groups as well as additional data collected on QoL and updated estimates of incidence (by age and gender) and duration of disease. Nonetheless, the study also starts to make the other NHS patients, who ultimately bear the opportunity costs of such decisions, less abstract and more 'known' in social decisions. The National Institute for Health Research-Medical Research Council Methodology Research Programme.

  7. Identifying Threshold Concepts for Information Literacy: A Delphi Study

    OpenAIRE

    Lori Townsend; Amy R. Hofer; Silvia Lin Hanick; Korey Brunetti

    2016-01-01

    This study used the Delphi method to engage expert practitioners on the topic of threshold concepts for information literacy. A panel of experts considered two questions. First, is the threshold concept approach useful for information literacy instruction? The panel unanimously agreed that the threshold concept approach holds potential for information literacy instruction. Second, what are the threshold concepts for information literacy instruction? The panel proposed and discussed over fift...

  8. A comparison of performance of automatic cloud coverage assessment algorithm for Formosat-2 image using clustering-based and spatial thresholding methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hsu, Kuo-Hsien

    2012-11-01

    Formosat-2 image is a kind of high-spatial-resolution (2 meters GSD) remote sensing satellite data, which includes one panchromatic band and four multispectral bands (Blue, Green, Red, near-infrared). An essential sector in the daily processing of received Formosat-2 image is to estimate the cloud statistic of image using Automatic Cloud Coverage Assessment (ACCA) algorithm. The information of cloud statistic of image is subsequently recorded as an important metadata for image product catalog. In this paper, we propose an ACCA method with two consecutive stages: preprocessing and post-processing analysis. For pre-processing analysis, the un-supervised K-means classification, Sobel's method, thresholding method, non-cloudy pixels reexamination, and cross-band filter method are implemented in sequence for cloud statistic determination. For post-processing analysis, Box-Counting fractal method is implemented. In other words, the cloud statistic is firstly determined via pre-processing analysis, the correctness of cloud statistic of image of different spectral band is eventually cross-examined qualitatively and quantitatively via post-processing analysis. The selection of an appropriate thresholding method is very critical to the result of ACCA method. Therefore, in this work, We firstly conduct a series of experiments of the clustering-based and spatial thresholding methods that include Otsu's, Local Entropy(LE), Joint Entropy(JE), Global Entropy(GE), and Global Relative Entropy(GRE) method, for performance comparison. The result shows that Otsu's and GE methods both perform better than others for Formosat-2 image. Additionally, our proposed ACCA method by selecting Otsu's method as the threshoding method has successfully extracted the cloudy pixels of Formosat-2 image for accurate cloud statistic estimation.

  9. Rainfall thresholds for the possible occurrence of landslides in Italy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. T. Brunetti

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available In Italy, rainfall is the primary trigger of landslides that frequently cause fatalities and large economic damage. Using a variety of information sources, we have compiled a catalogue listing 753 rainfall events that have resulted in landslides in Italy. For each event in the catalogue, the exact or approximate location of the landslide and the time or period of initiation of the slope failure is known, together with information on the rainfall duration D, and the rainfall mean intensity I, that have resulted in the slope failure. The catalogue represents the single largest collection of information on rainfall-induced landslides in Italy, and was exploited to determine the minimum rainfall conditions necessary for landslide occurrence in Italy, and in the Abruzzo Region, central Italy. For the purpose, new national rainfall thresholds for Italy and new regional rainfall thresholds for the Abruzzo Region were established, using two independent statistical methods, including a Bayesian inference method and a new Frequentist approach. The two methods proved complementary, with the Bayesian method more suited to analyze small data sets, and the Frequentist method performing better when applied to large data sets. The new regional thresholds for the Abruzzo Region are lower than the new national thresholds for Italy, and lower than the regional thresholds proposed in the literature for the Piedmont and Lombardy Regions in northern Italy, and for the Campania Region in southern Italy. This is important, because it shows that landslides in Italy can be triggered by less severe rainfall conditions than previously recognized. The Frequentist method experimented in this work allows for the definition of multiple minimum rainfall thresholds, each based on a different exceedance probability level. This makes the thresholds suited for the design of probabilistic schemes for the prediction of rainfall-induced landslides. A scheme based on four

  10. Model Threshold untuk Pembelajaran Memproduksi Pantun Kelas XI

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fitri Nura Murti

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract: The learning pantun method in schools provided less opportunity to develop the students’ creativity in producing pantun. This situation was supported by the result of the observation conducted on eleventh graders at SMAN 2 Bondowoso. It showed that the students tend to plagiarize their pantun. The general objective of this research and development is to develop Threshold Pantun model for learning to produce pantun for elevent graders. The product was presented in guidance book for teachers entitled “Pembelajaran Memproduksi Pantun Menggunakan Model Threshold Pantun untuk Kelas XI”. This study adapted design method of Borg-Gall’s R&D procedure. The result of this study showed that Threshold Pantun model was appropriate to be implemented for learning to produce pantun. Key Words: Threshold Pantun model, produce pantun Abstrak: Pembelajaran pantun di sekolah selama ini kurang mengembangkan kreativitas siswa dalam memproduksi pantun. Hal tersebut dikuatkan oleh hasil observasi siswa kelas XI SMAN 2 Bondowoso yang menunjukkan adanya kecenderungan produk siswa bersifat plagiat. Tujuan penelitian dan pengembangan ini secara umum adalah mengembangkan model Threshold Pantun untuk pembelajaran memproduksi pantun kelas XI..Produk disajikan dalam bentuk buku panduan bagi guru dengan judul “Pembelajaran Memproduksi Pantun Menggunakan Model Threshold Pantun untuk Kelas XI”. Penelitian ini menggunakan rancangan penelitian yang diadaptasi dari prosedur penelitian dan pengembangan Borg dan Gall. Berdasarkan hasil validasi model Threshold Pantun untuk pembelajaran memproduksi pantun layak diimplementasikan. Kata kunci: model Threshold Pantun, memproduksi pantun

  11. A NEW MULTI-SPECTRAL THRESHOLD NORMALIZED DIFFERENCE WATER INDEX (MST-NDWI WATER EXTRACTION METHOD – A CASE STUDY IN YANHE WATERSHED

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Y. Zhou

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Accurate remote sensing water extraction is one of the primary tasks of watershed ecological environment study. Since the Yanhe water system has typical characteristics of a small water volume and narrow river channel, which leads to the difficulty for conventional water extraction methods such as Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI. A new Multi-Spectral Threshold segmentation of the NDWI (MST-NDWI water extraction method is proposed to achieve the accurate water extraction in Yanhe watershed. In the MST-NDWI method, the spectral characteristics of water bodies and typical backgrounds on the Landsat/TM images have been evaluated in Yanhe watershed. The multi-spectral thresholds (TM1, TM4, TM5 based on maximum-likelihood have been utilized before NDWI water extraction to realize segmentation for a division of built-up lands and small linear rivers. With the proposed method, a water map is extracted from the Landsat/TM images in 2010 in China. An accuracy assessment is conducted to compare the proposed method with the conventional water indexes such as NDWI, Modified NDWI (MNDWI, Enhanced Water Index (EWI, and Automated Water Extraction Index (AWEI. The result shows that the MST-NDWI method generates better water extraction accuracy in Yanhe watershed and can effectively diminish the confusing background objects compared to the conventional water indexes. The MST-NDWI method integrates NDWI and Multi-Spectral Threshold segmentation algorithms, with richer valuable information and remarkable results in accurate water extraction in Yanhe watershed.

  12. Regional rainfall thresholds for landslide occurrence using a centenary database

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vaz, Teresa; Luís Zêzere, José; Pereira, Susana; Cruz Oliveira, Sérgio; Garcia, Ricardo A. C.; Quaresma, Ivânia

    2018-04-01

    This work proposes a comprehensive method to assess rainfall thresholds for landslide initiation using a centenary landslide database associated with a single centenary daily rainfall data set. The method is applied to the Lisbon region and includes the rainfall return period analysis that was used to identify the critical rainfall combination (cumulated rainfall duration) related to each landslide event. The spatial representativeness of the reference rain gauge is evaluated and the rainfall thresholds are assessed and calibrated using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) metrics. Results show that landslide events located up to 10 km from the rain gauge can be used to calculate the rainfall thresholds in the study area; however, these thresholds may be used with acceptable confidence up to 50 km from the rain gauge. The rainfall thresholds obtained using linear and potential regression perform well in ROC metrics. However, the intermediate thresholds based on the probability of landslide events established in the zone between the lower-limit threshold and the upper-limit threshold are much more informative as they indicate the probability of landslide event occurrence given rainfall exceeding the threshold. This information can be easily included in landslide early warning systems, especially when combined with the probability of rainfall above each threshold.

  13. A Novel Compressed Sensing Method for Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Exponential Wavelet Iterative Shrinkage-Thresholding Algorithm with Random Shift

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yudong Zhang

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Aim. It can help improve the hospital throughput to accelerate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI scanning. Patients will benefit from less waiting time. Task. In the last decade, various rapid MRI techniques on the basis of compressed sensing (CS were proposed. However, both computation time and reconstruction quality of traditional CS-MRI did not meet the requirement of clinical use. Method. In this study, a novel method was proposed with the name of exponential wavelet iterative shrinkage-thresholding algorithm with random shift (abbreviated as EWISTARS. It is composed of three successful components: (i exponential wavelet transform, (ii iterative shrinkage-thresholding algorithm, and (iii random shift. Results. Experimental results validated that, compared to state-of-the-art approaches, EWISTARS obtained the least mean absolute error, the least mean-squared error, and the highest peak signal-to-noise ratio. Conclusion. EWISTARS is superior to state-of-the-art approaches.

  14. A Novel Compressed Sensing Method for Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Exponential Wavelet Iterative Shrinkage-Thresholding Algorithm with Random Shift

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yudong; Yang, Jiquan; Yang, Jianfei; Liu, Aijun; Sun, Ping

    2016-01-01

    Aim. It can help improve the hospital throughput to accelerate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanning. Patients will benefit from less waiting time. Task. In the last decade, various rapid MRI techniques on the basis of compressed sensing (CS) were proposed. However, both computation time and reconstruction quality of traditional CS-MRI did not meet the requirement of clinical use. Method. In this study, a novel method was proposed with the name of exponential wavelet iterative shrinkage-thresholding algorithm with random shift (abbreviated as EWISTARS). It is composed of three successful components: (i) exponential wavelet transform, (ii) iterative shrinkage-thresholding algorithm, and (iii) random shift. Results. Experimental results validated that, compared to state-of-the-art approaches, EWISTARS obtained the least mean absolute error, the least mean-squared error, and the highest peak signal-to-noise ratio. Conclusion. EWISTARS is superior to state-of-the-art approaches. PMID:27066068

  15. Extracellular Matrix (ECM) Multilayer Membrane as a Sustained Releasing Growth Factor Delivery System for rhTGF-β3 in Articular Cartilage Repair

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Sang-Hyug; Kim, Moon Suk; Kim, Young Jick; Choi, Byung Hyune; Lee, Chun Tek; Park, So Ra; Min, Byoung-Hyun

    2016-01-01

    Recombinant human transforming growth factor beta-3 (rhTGF-β3) is a key regulator of chondrogenesis in stem cells and cartilage formation. We have developed a novel drug delivery system that continuously releases rhTGF-β3 using a multilayered extracellular matrix (ECM) membrane. We hypothesize that the sustained release of rhTGF-β3 could activate stem cells and result in enhanced repair of cartilage defects. The properties and efficacy of the ECM multilayer-based delivery system (EMLDS) are investigated using rhTGF-β3 as a candidate drug. The bioactivity of the released rhTGF-ß3 was evaluated through chondrogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) using western blot and circular dichroism (CD) analyses in vitro. The cartilage reparability was evaluated through implanting EMLDS with endogenous and exogenous MSC in both in vivo and ex vivo models, respectively. In the results, the sustained release of rhTGF-ß3 was clearly observed over a prolonged period of time in vitro and the released rhTGF-β3 maintained its structural stability and biological activity. Successful cartilage repair was also demonstrated when rabbit MSCs were treated with rhTGF-β3-loaded EMLDS ((+) rhTGF-β3 EMLDS) in an in vivo model and when rabbit chondrocytes and MSCs were treated in ex vivo models. Therefore, the multilayer ECM membrane could be a useful drug delivery system for cartilage repair. PMID:27258120

  16. Extracellular Matrix (ECM Multilayer Membrane as a Sustained Releasing Growth Factor Delivery System for rhTGF-β3 in Articular Cartilage Repair.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Soon Sim Yang

    Full Text Available Recombinant human transforming growth factor beta-3 (rhTGF-β3 is a key regulator of chondrogenesis in stem cells and cartilage formation. We have developed a novel drug delivery system that continuously releases rhTGF-β3 using a multilayered extracellular matrix (ECM membrane. We hypothesize that the sustained release of rhTGF-β3 could activate stem cells and result in enhanced repair of cartilage defects. The properties and efficacy of the ECM multilayer-based delivery system (EMLDS are investigated using rhTGF-β3 as a candidate drug. The bioactivity of the released rhTGF-ß3 was evaluated through chondrogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs using western blot and circular dichroism (CD analyses in vitro. The cartilage reparability was evaluated through implanting EMLDS with endogenous and exogenous MSC in both in vivo and ex vivo models, respectively. In the results, the sustained release of rhTGF-ß3 was clearly observed over a prolonged period of time in vitro and the released rhTGF-β3 maintained its structural stability and biological activity. Successful cartilage repair was also demonstrated when rabbit MSCs were treated with rhTGF-β3-loaded EMLDS ((+ rhTGF-β3 EMLDS in an in vivo model and when rabbit chondrocytes and MSCs were treated in ex vivo models. Therefore, the multilayer ECM membrane could be a useful drug delivery system for cartilage repair.

  17. Threshold quantum cryptography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tokunaga, Yuuki; Okamoto, Tatsuaki; Imoto, Nobuyuki

    2005-01-01

    We present the concept of threshold collaborative unitary transformation or threshold quantum cryptography, which is a kind of quantum version of threshold cryptography. Threshold quantum cryptography states that classical shared secrets are distributed to several parties and a subset of them, whose number is greater than a threshold, collaborates to compute a quantum cryptographic function, while keeping each share secretly inside each party. The shared secrets are reusable if no cheating is detected. As a concrete example of this concept, we show a distributed protocol (with threshold) of conjugate coding

  18. MEthods of ASsessing blood pressUre: identifying thReshold and target valuEs (MeasureBP): a review & study protocol.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blom, Kimberly C; Farina, Sasha; Gomez, Yessica-Haydee; Campbell, Norm R C; Hemmelgarn, Brenda R; Cloutier, Lyne; McKay, Donald W; Dawes, Martin; Tobe, Sheldon W; Bolli, Peter; Gelfer, Mark; McLean, Donna; Bartlett, Gillian; Joseph, Lawrence; Featherstone, Robin; Schiffrin, Ernesto L; Daskalopoulou, Stella S

    2015-04-01

    Despite progress in automated blood pressure measurement (BPM) technology, there is limited research linking hard outcomes to automated office BPM (OBPM) treatment targets and thresholds. Equivalences for automated BPM devices have been estimated from approximations of standardized manual measurements of 140/90 mmHg. Until outcome-driven targets and thresholds become available for automated measurement methods, deriving evidence-based equivalences between automated methods and standardized manual OBPM is the next best solution. The MeasureBP study group was initiated by the Canadian Hypertension Education Program to close this critical knowledge gap. MeasureBP aims to define evidence-based equivalent values between standardized manual OBPM and automated BPM methods by synthesizing available evidence using a systematic review and individual subject-level data meta-analyses. This manuscript provides a review of the literature and MeasureBP study protocol. These results will lay the evidenced-based foundation to resolve uncertainties within blood pressure guidelines which, in turn, will improve the management of hypertension.

  19. Calculation of left ventricular volume and ejection fraction from ECG-gated myocardial SPECT. Automatic detection of endocardial borders by threshold method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fukushi, Shoji; Teraoka, Satomi.

    1997-01-01

    A new method which calculate end-diastolic volume (EDV), end-systolic volume (ESV) and ejection fraction (LVEF) of the left ventricle from myocardial short axis images of ECG-gated SPECT using 99m Tc myocardial perfusion tracer has been designed. Eight frames per cardiac cycle ECG-gated 180 degrees SPECT was performed. Threshold method was used to detect myocardial borders automatically. The optimal threshold was 45% by myocardial SPECT phantom. To determine if EDV, ESV and LVEF can also be calculated by this method, 12 patients were correlated ventriculography (LVG) for 10 days each. The correlation coefficient with LVG was 0.918 (EDV), 0.935 (ESV) and 0.900 (LVEF). This method is excellent at objectivity and reproductivity because of the automatic detection of myocardial borders. It also provides useful information on heart function in addition to myocardial perfusion. (author)

  20. The dynamic time-over-threshold method for multi-channel APD based gamma-ray detectors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Orita, T., E-mail: orita.tadashi@jaea.go.jp [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Fukushima (Japan); Shimazoe, K.; Takahashi, H. [Department of Nuclear Management and Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyō (Japan)

    2015-03-01

    t– Recent advances in manufacturing technology have enabled the use of multi-channel pixelated detectors in gamma-ray imaging applications. When obtaining gamma-ray measurements, it is important to obtain pulse height information in order to avoid unnecessary events such as scattering. However, as the number of channels increases, more electronics are needed to process each channel's signal, and the corresponding increases in circuit size and power consumption can result in practical problems. The time-over-threshold (ToT) method, which has recently become popular in the medical field, is a signal processing technique that can effectively avoid such problems. However, ToT suffers from poor linearity and its dynamic range is limited. We therefore propose a new ToT technique called the dynamic time-over-threshold (dToT) method [4]. A new signal processing system using dToT and CR-RC shaping demonstrated much better linearity than that of a conventional ToT. Using a test circuit with a new Gd{sub 3}Al{sub 2}Ga{sub 3}O{sub 12} (GAGG) scintillator and an avalanche photodiode, the pulse height spectra of {sup 137}Cs and {sup 22}Na sources were measured with high linearity. Based on these results, we designed a new application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) for this multi-channel dToT system, measured the spectra of a {sup 22}Na source, and investigated the linearity of the system.

  1. THRESHOLD PARAMETER OF THE EXPECTED LOSSES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Josip Arnerić

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available The objective of extreme value analysis is to quantify the probabilistic behavior of unusually large losses using only extreme values above some high threshold rather than using all of the data which gives better fit to tail distribution in comparison to traditional methods with assumption of normality. In our case we estimate market risk using daily returns of the CROBEX index at the Zagreb Stock Exchange. Therefore, it’s necessary to define the excess distribution above some threshold, i.e. Generalized Pareto Distribution (GPD is used as much more reliable than the normal distribution due to the fact that gives the accent on the extreme values. Parameters of GPD distribution will be estimated using maximum likelihood method (MLE. The contribution of this paper is to specify threshold which is large enough so that GPD approximation valid but low enough so that a sufficient number of observations are available for a precise fit.

  2. From Lipid Homeostasis to Differentiation: Old and New Functions of the Zinc Cluster Proteins Ecm22, Upc2, Sut1 and Sut2

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ifeoluwapo Matthew Joshua

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Zinc cluster proteins are a large family of transcriptional regulators with a wide range of biological functions. The zinc cluster proteins Ecm22, Upc2, Sut1 and Sut2 have initially been identified as regulators of sterol import in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. These proteins also control adaptations to anaerobic growth, sterol biosynthesis as well as filamentation and mating. Orthologs of these zinc cluster proteins have been identified in several species of Candida. Upc2 plays a critical role in antifungal resistance in these important human fungal pathogens. Upc2 is therefore an interesting potential target for novel antifungals. In this review we discuss the functions, mode of actions and regulation of Ecm22, Upc2, Sut1 and Sut2 in budding yeast and Candida.

  3. Rejection thresholds in solid chocolate-flavored compound coating.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harwood, Meriel L; Ziegler, Gregory R; Hayes, John E

    2012-10-01

    Classical detection thresholds do not predict liking, as they focus on the presence or absence of a sensation. Recently however, Prescott and colleagues described a new method, the rejection threshold, where a series of forced choice preference tasks are used to generate a dose-response function to determine hedonically acceptable concentrations. That is, how much is too much? To date, this approach has been used exclusively in liquid foods. Here, we determined group rejection thresholds in solid chocolate-flavored compound coating for bitterness. The influences of self-identified preferences for milk or dark chocolate, as well as eating style (chewers compared to melters) on rejection thresholds were investigated. Stimuli included milk chocolate-flavored compound coating spiked with increasing amounts of sucrose octaacetate, a bitter and generally recognized as safe additive. Paired preference tests (blank compared to spike) were used to determine the proportion of the group that preferred the blank. Across pairs, spiked samples were presented in ascending concentration. We were able to quantify and compare differences between 2 self-identified market segments. The rejection threshold for the dark chocolate preferring group was significantly higher than the milk chocolate preferring group (P= 0.01). Conversely, eating style did not affect group rejection thresholds (P= 0.14), although this may reflect the amount of chocolate given to participants. Additionally, there was no association between chocolate preference and eating style (P= 0.36). Present work supports the contention that this method can be used to examine preferences within specific market segments and potentially individual differences as they relate to ingestive behavior. This work makes use of the rejection threshold method to study market segmentation, extending its use to solid foods. We believe this method has broad applicability to the sensory specialist and product developer by providing a

  4. EbayesThresh: R Programs for Empirical Bayes Thresholding

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Iain Johnstone

    2005-04-01

    Full Text Available Suppose that a sequence of unknown parameters is observed sub ject to independent Gaussian noise. The EbayesThresh package in the S language implements a class of Empirical Bayes thresholding methods that can take advantage of possible sparsity in the sequence, to improve the quality of estimation. The prior for each parameter in the sequence is a mixture of an atom of probability at zero and a heavy-tailed density. Within the package, this can be either a Laplace (double exponential density or else a mixture of normal distributions with tail behavior similar to the Cauchy distribution. The mixing weight, or sparsity parameter, is chosen automatically by marginal maximum likelihood. If estimation is carried out using the posterior median, this is a random thresholding procedure; the estimation can also be carried out using other thresholding rules with the same threshold, and the package provides the posterior mean, and hard and soft thresholding, as additional options. This paper reviews the method, and gives details (far beyond those previously published of the calculations needed for implementing the procedures. It explains and motivates both the general methodology, and the use of the EbayesThresh package, through simulated and real data examples. When estimating the wavelet transform of an unknown function, it is appropriate to apply the method level by level to the transform of the observed data. The package can carry out these calculations for wavelet transforms obtained using various packages in R and S-PLUS. Details, including a motivating example, are presented, and the application of the method to image estimation is also explored. The final topic considered is the estimation of a single sequence that may become progressively sparser along the sequence. An iterated least squares isotone regression method allows for the choice of a threshold that depends monotonically on the order in which the observations are made. An alternative

  5. Optimal threshold functions for fault detection and isolation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Stoustrup, J.; Niemann, Hans Henrik; Cour-Harbo, A. la

    2003-01-01

    Fault diagnosis systems usually comprises two parts: a filtering part and a decision part, the latter typically based on threshold functions. In this paper, systematic ways to choose the threshold values are proposed. Two different test functions for the filtered signals are discussed and a method...

  6. Identifying thresholds for ecosystem-based management.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jameal F Samhouri

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: One of the greatest obstacles to moving ecosystem-based management (EBM from concept to practice is the lack of a systematic approach to defining ecosystem-level decision criteria, or reference points that trigger management action. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: To assist resource managers and policymakers in developing EBM decision criteria, we introduce a quantitative, transferable method for identifying utility thresholds. A utility threshold is the level of human-induced pressure (e.g., pollution at which small changes produce substantial improvements toward the EBM goal of protecting an ecosystem's structural (e.g., diversity and functional (e.g., resilience attributes. The analytical approach is based on the detection of nonlinearities in relationships between ecosystem attributes and pressures. We illustrate the method with a hypothetical case study of (1 fishing and (2 nearshore habitat pressure using an empirically-validated marine ecosystem model for British Columbia, Canada, and derive numerical threshold values in terms of the density of two empirically-tractable indicator groups, sablefish and jellyfish. We also describe how to incorporate uncertainty into the estimation of utility thresholds and highlight their value in the context of understanding EBM trade-offs. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: For any policy scenario, an understanding of utility thresholds provides insight into the amount and type of management intervention required to make significant progress toward improved ecosystem structure and function. The approach outlined in this paper can be applied in the context of single or multiple human-induced pressures, to any marine, freshwater, or terrestrial ecosystem, and should facilitate more effective management.

  7. Multilevel Thresholding Method Based on Electromagnetism for Accurate Brain MRI Segmentation to Detect White Matter, Gray Matter, and CSF

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. Sandhya

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available This work explains an advanced and accurate brain MRI segmentation method. MR brain image segmentation is to know the anatomical structure, to identify the abnormalities, and to detect various tissues which help in treatment planning prior to radiation therapy. This proposed technique is a Multilevel Thresholding (MT method based on the phenomenon of Electromagnetism and it segments the image into three tissues such as White Matter (WM, Gray Matter (GM, and CSF. The approach incorporates skull stripping and filtering using anisotropic diffusion filter in the preprocessing stage. This thresholding method uses the force of attraction-repulsion between the charged particles to increase the population. It is the combination of Electromagnetism-Like optimization algorithm with the Otsu and Kapur objective functions. The results obtained by using the proposed method are compared with the ground-truth images and have given best values for the measures sensitivity, specificity, and segmentation accuracy. The results using 10 MR brain images proved that the proposed method has accurately segmented the three brain tissues compared to the existing segmentation methods such as K-means, fuzzy C-means, OTSU MT, Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO, Bacterial Foraging Algorithm (BFA, Genetic Algorithm (GA, and Fuzzy Local Gaussian Mixture Model (FLGMM.

  8. Cool, warm, and heat-pain detection thresholds: testing methods and inferences about anatomic distribution of receptors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dyck, P J; Zimmerman, I; Gillen, D A; Johnson, D; Karnes, J L; O'Brien, P C

    1993-08-01

    We recently found that vibratory detection threshold is greatly influenced by the algorithm of testing. Here, we study the influence of stimulus characteristics and algorithm of testing and estimating threshold on cool (CDT), warm (WDT), and heat-pain (HPDT) detection thresholds. We show that continuously decreasing (for CDT) or increasing (for WDT) thermode temperature to the point at which cooling or warming is perceived and signaled by depressing a response key ("appearance" threshold) overestimates threshold with rapid rates of thermal change. The mean of the appearance and disappearance thresholds also does not perform well for insensitive sites and patients. Pyramidal (or flat-topped pyramidal) stimuli ranging in magnitude, in 25 steps, from near skin temperature to 9 degrees C for 10 seconds (for CDT), from near skin temperature to 45 degrees C for 10 seconds (for WDT), and from near skin temperature to 49 degrees C for 10 seconds (for HPDT) provide ideal stimuli for use in several algorithms of testing and estimating threshold. Near threshold, only the initial direction of thermal change from skin temperature is perceived, and not its return to baseline. Use of steps of stimulus intensity allows the subject or patient to take the needed time to decide whether the stimulus was felt or not (in 4, 2, and 1 stepping algorithms), or whether it occurred in stimulus interval 1 or 2 (in two-alternative forced-choice testing). Thermal thresholds were generally significantly lower with a large (10 cm2) than with a small (2.7 cm2) thermode.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

  9. Approach to DOE threshold guidance limits

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shuman, R.D.; Wickham, L.E.

    1984-01-01

    The need for less restrictive criteria governing disposal of extremely low-level radioactive waste has long been recognized. The Low-Level Waste Management Program has been directed by the Department of Energy (DOE) to aid in the development of a threshold guidance limit for DOE low-level waste facilities. Project objectives are concernd with the definition of a threshold limit dose and pathway analysis of radionuclide transport within selected exposure scenarios at DOE sites. Results of the pathway analysis will be used to determine waste radionuclide concentration guidelines that meet the defined threshold limit dose. Methods of measurement and verification of concentration limits round out the project's goals. Work on defining a threshold limit dose is nearing completion. Pathway analysis of sanitary landfill operations at the Savannah River Plant and the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory is in progress using the DOSTOMAN computer code. Concentration limit calculations and determination of implementation procedures shall follow completion of the pathways work. 4 references

  10. Application of Improved Wavelet Thresholding Function in Image Denoising Processing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hong Qi Zhang

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Wavelet analysis is a time – frequency analysis method, time-frequency localization problems are well solved, this paper analyzes the basic principles of the wavelet transform and the relationship between the signal singularity Lipschitz exponent and the local maxima of the wavelet transform coefficients mold, the principles of wavelet transform in image denoising are analyzed, the disadvantages of traditional wavelet thresholding function are studied, wavelet threshold function, the discontinuity of hard threshold and constant deviation of soft threshold are improved, image is denoised through using the improved threshold function.

  11. Bilevel thresholding of sliced image of sludge floc.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chu, C P; Lee, D J

    2004-02-15

    This work examined the feasibility of employing various thresholding algorithms to determining the optimal bilevel thresholding value for estimating the geometric parameters of sludge flocs from the microtome sliced images and from the confocal laser scanning microscope images. Morphological information extracted from images depends on the bilevel thresholding value. According to the evaluation on the luminescence-inverted images and fractal curves (quadric Koch curve and Sierpinski carpet), Otsu's method yields more stable performance than other histogram-based algorithms and is chosen to obtain the porosity. The maximum convex perimeter method, however, can probe the shapes and spatial distribution of the pores among the biomass granules in real sludge flocs. A combined algorithm is recommended for probing the sludge floc structure.

  12. Threshold Assessment of Gear Diagnostic Tools on Flight and Test Rig Data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dempsey, Paula J.; Mosher, Marianne; Huff, Edward M.

    2003-01-01

    A method for defining thresholds for vibration-based algorithms that provides the minimum number of false alarms while maintaining sensitivity to gear damage was developed. This analysis focused on two vibration based gear damage detection algorithms, FM4 and MSA. This method was developed using vibration data collected during surface fatigue tests performed in a spur gearbox rig. The thresholds were defined based on damage progression during tests with damage. The thresholds false alarm rates were then evaluated on spur gear tests without damage. Next, the same thresholds were applied to flight data from an OH-58 helicopter transmission. Results showed that thresholds defined in test rigs can be used to define thresholds in flight to correctly classify the transmission operation as normal.

  13. Extracellular matrix (ECM)-integrin receptors predict invasive/metastatic propensities in cervical neoplasms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Landau-Levin, Mary; Chao, Clifford K.S.

    1996-01-01

    Background: In 15-30% of early stage cervical cancers undergoing radical surgery, pathology might show deep cervical stromal invasion, lymphovascular space involvement (LVS) or lymph node metastasis (LNM). These histological features ominously dictate the outcome through increasing pelvic failure and distant metastasis. Often, post-operative RT will be given. As the result, patients will receive duplicated local treatments (surgery and RT) which result in no better survival but higher complication rate, and it optimally increases health care costs. In the era of managed care, the medical community is mandated to choose the most appropriate local treatment modality for each individual patient to provide the best and the most efficient care. The results of the expression of biological markers on tumor cells for predicting invasive/metastatic propensity have been investigated in an attempt to select patients more suitable for treatment with radiation therapy alone, but the results have not been reproducible due to tumor heterogeneity. Based on the 'seed and soil' concept, we hypothesize that the cascade of invasion/metastasis involves aberrant adhesion characteristics in the tumor cell to the ECM, and integrin family as the receptors of ECM ligands are crucial in tumor cell for invasion and metastasis. The expression of αv and β4 integrin domains, which have shown to be related with biological aggressiveness of melanoma cell line and endometrial cancer, may be predictive for the aggressiveness of in vivo human cervical cancer. To examine this hypothesis, the following experiments were conducted. Materials and Methods: We examined the expression of αv and β4 integrin domains in 33 specimens, including 6 normal cervix; 6 squamous cell carcinoma, ≤2cm but with LVS; 7 squamous cell carcinoma, >2cm but without LVS or LNM; 14 squamous cell carcinoma, >2cm and with LVS or LNM. Anti-Human Integrin αv and β4 monoclonal antibodies that react to vitronectin and basement

  14. New method to evaluate the {sup 7}Li(p, n){sup 7}Be reaction near threshold

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Herrera, María S., E-mail: herrera@tandar.cnea.gov.ar [Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica, Av. Gral. Paz 1499, Buenos Aires B1650KNA (Argentina); Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Av. Rivadavia 1917, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires C1033AAJ (Argentina); Escuela de Ciencia y Tecnología, UNSAM, 25 de Mayo y Francia, Buenos Aires B1650KNA (Argentina); Moreno, Gustavo A. [YPF Tecnología, Baradero S/N, Buenos Aires 1925 (Argentina); Departamento de Física J. J. Giambiagi, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, UBA, Ciudad Universitaria, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires 1428 (Argentina); Kreiner, Andrés J. [Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica, Av. Gral. Paz 1499, Buenos Aires B1650KNA (Argentina); Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Av. Rivadavia 1917, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires C1033AAJ (Argentina); Escuela de Ciencia y Tecnología, UNSAM, 25 de Mayo y Francia, Buenos Aires B1650KNA (Argentina)

    2015-04-15

    In this work a complete description of the {sup 7}Li(p, n){sup 7}Be reaction near threshold is given using center-of-mass and relative coordinates. It is shown that this standard approach, not used before in this context, leads to a simple mathematical representation which gives easy access to all relevant quantities in the reaction and allows a precise numerical implementation. It also allows in a simple way to include proton beam-energy spread affects. The method, implemented as a C++ code, was validated both with numerical and experimental data finding a good agreement. This tool is also used here to analyze scattered published measurements such as (p, n) cross sections, differential and total neutron yields for thick targets. Using these data we derive a consistent set of parameters to evaluate neutron production near threshold. Sensitivity of the results to data uncertainty and the possibility of incorporating new measurements are also discussed.

  15. CARA Risk Assessment Thresholds

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hejduk, M. D.

    2016-01-01

    Warning remediation threshold (Red threshold): Pc level at which warnings are issued, and active remediation considered and usually executed. Analysis threshold (Green to Yellow threshold): Pc level at which analysis of event is indicated, including seeking additional information if warranted. Post-remediation threshold: Pc level to which remediation maneuvers are sized in order to achieve event remediation and obviate any need for immediate follow-up maneuvers. Maneuver screening threshold: Pc compliance level for routine maneuver screenings (more demanding than regular Red threshold due to additional maneuver uncertainty).

  16. Thresholds for statistical and clinical significance in systematic reviews with meta-analytic methods

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jakobsen, Janus Christian; Wetterslev, Jorn; Winkel, Per

    2014-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Thresholds for statistical significance when assessing meta-analysis results are being insufficiently demonstrated by traditional 95% confidence intervals and P-values. Assessment of intervention effects in systematic reviews with meta-analysis deserves greater rigour. METHODS......: Methodologies for assessing statistical and clinical significance of intervention effects in systematic reviews were considered. Balancing simplicity and comprehensiveness, an operational procedure was developed, based mainly on The Cochrane Collaboration methodology and the Grading of Recommendations...... Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) guidelines. RESULTS: We propose an eight-step procedure for better validation of meta-analytic results in systematic reviews (1) Obtain the 95% confidence intervals and the P-values from both fixed-effect and random-effects meta-analyses and report the most...

  17. The Pediatric Home Care/Expenditure Classification Model (P/ECM): A Home Care Case-Mix Model for Children Facing Special Health Care Challenges

    Science.gov (United States)

    Phillips, Charles D.

    2015-01-01

    Case-mix classification and payment systems help assure that persons with similar needs receive similar amounts of care resources, which is a major equity concern for consumers, providers, and programs. Although health service programs for adults regularly use case-mix payment systems, programs providing health services to children and youth rarely use such models. This research utilized Medicaid home care expenditures and assessment data on 2,578 children receiving home care in one large state in the USA. Using classification and regression tree analyses, a case-mix model for long-term pediatric home care was developed. The Pediatric Home Care/Expenditure Classification Model (P/ECM) grouped children and youth in the study sample into 24 groups, explaining 41% of the variance in annual home care expenditures. The P/ECM creates the possibility of a more equitable, and potentially more effective, allocation of home care resources among children and youth facing serious health care challenges. PMID:26740744

  18. The Pediatric Home Care/Expenditure Classification Model (P/ECM): A Home Care Case-Mix Model for Children Facing Special Health Care Challenges.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Phillips, Charles D

    2015-01-01

    Case-mix classification and payment systems help assure that persons with similar needs receive similar amounts of care resources, which is a major equity concern for consumers, providers, and programs. Although health service programs for adults regularly use case-mix payment systems, programs providing health services to children and youth rarely use such models. This research utilized Medicaid home care expenditures and assessment data on 2,578 children receiving home care in one large state in the USA. Using classification and regression tree analyses, a case-mix model for long-term pediatric home care was developed. The Pediatric Home Care/Expenditure Classification Model (P/ECM) grouped children and youth in the study sample into 24 groups, explaining 41% of the variance in annual home care expenditures. The P/ECM creates the possibility of a more equitable, and potentially more effective, allocation of home care resources among children and youth facing serious health care challenges.

  19. The Pediatric Home Care/Expenditure Classification Model (P/ECM: A Home Care Case-Mix Model for Children Facing Special Health Care Challenges

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Charles D. Phillips

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Case-mix classification and payment systems help assure that persons with similar needs receive similar amounts of care resources, which is a major equity concern for consumers, providers, and programs. Although health service programs for adults regularly use case-mix payment systems, programs providing health services to children and youth rarely use such models. This research utilized Medicaid home care expenditures and assessment data on 2,578 children receiving home care in one large state in the USA. Using classification and regression tree analyses, a case-mix model for long-term pediatric home care was developed. The Pediatric Home Care/Expenditure Classification Model (P/ECM grouped children and youth in the study sample into 24 groups, explaining 41% of the variance in annual home care expenditures. The P/ECM creates the possibility of a more equitable, and potentially more effective, allocation of home care resources among children and youth facing serious health care challenges.

  20. Levels of alarm thresholds of meningitis outbreaks in Hamadan Province, west of Iran.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Faryadres, Mohammad; Karami, Manoochehr; Moghimbeigi, Abbas; Esmailnasab, Nader; Pazhouhi, Khabat

    2015-01-01

    Few studies have focused on syndromic data to determine levels of alarm thresholds to detection of meningitis outbreaks. The purpose of this study was to determine threshold levels of meningitis outbreak in Hamadan Province, west of Iran. Data on both confirmed and suspected cases of meningitis (fever and neurological symptom) form 21 March 2010 to 20 March 2012 were used in Hamadan Province, Iran. Alarm threshold levels of meningitis outbreak were determined using four different methods including absolute values or standard method, relative increase, statistical cutoff points and upper control limit of exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) algorithm. Among 723 reported cases, 41 were diagnosed to have meningitis. Standard level of alarm thresholds for meningitis outbreak was determined as incidence of 5/100000 persons. Increasing 1.5 to two times in reported cases of suspected meningitis per week was known as the threshold levels according to relative increase method. An occurrence four cases of suspected meningitis per week that equals to 90th percentile was chosen as alarm thresholds by statistical cut off point method. The corresponding value according to EWMA algorithm was 2.57 i.e. three cases. Policy makers and staff of syndromic surveillance systems are highly recommended to apply the above different methods to determine the levels of alarm threshold.

  1. Structural performance evaluation on aging underground reinforced concrete structures. Part 6. An estimation method of threshold value in performance verification taking reinforcing steel corrosion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matsuo, Toyofumi; Matsumura, Takuro; Miyagawa, Yoshinori

    2009-01-01

    This paper discusses applicability of material degradation model due to reinforcing steel corrosion for RC box-culverts with corroded reinforcement and an estimation method for threshold value in performance verification reflecting reinforcing steel corrosion. First, in FEM analyses, loss of reinforcement section area and initial tension strain arising from reinforcing steel corrosion, and deteriorated bond characteristics between reinforcement and concrete were considered. The full-scale loading tests using corroded RC box-culverts were numerically analyzed. As a result, the analyzed crack patterns and load-strain relationships were in close agreement with the experimental results within the maximum corrosion ratio 15% of primary reinforcement. Then, we showed that this modeling could estimate the load carrying capacity of corroded RC box-culverts. Second, a parametric study was carried out for corroded RC box culverts with various sizes, reinforcement ratios and levels of steel corrosion, etc. Furthermore, as an application of analytical results and various experimental investigations, we suggested allowable degradation ratios for a modification of the threshold value, which corresponds to the chloride induced deterioration progress that is widely accepted in maintenance practice for civil engineering reinforced concrete structures. Finally, based on these findings, we developed two estimation methods for threshold value in performance verification: 1) a structural analysis method using nonlinear FEM included modeling of material degradation, 2) a practical method using a threshold value, which is determined by structural analyses of RC box-culverts in sound condition, is multiplied by the allowable degradation ratio. (author)

  2. Rapid Estimation of Gustatory Sensitivity Thresholds with SIAM and QUEST

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Richard Höchenberger

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Adaptive methods provide quick and reliable estimates of sensory sensitivity. Yet, these procedures are typically developed for and applied to the non-chemical senses only, i.e., to vision, audition, and somatosensation. The relatively long inter-stimulus-intervals in gustatory studies, which are required to minimize adaptation and habituation, call for time-efficient threshold estimations. We therefore tested the suitability of two adaptive yes-no methods based on SIAM and QUEST for rapid estimation of taste sensitivity by comparing test-retest reliability for sucrose, citric acid, sodium chloride, and quinine hydrochloride thresholds. We show that taste thresholds can be obtained in a time efficient manner with both methods (within only 6.5 min on average using QUEST and ~9.5 min using SIAM. QUEST yielded higher test-retest correlations than SIAM in three of the four tastants. Either method allows for taste threshold estimation with low strain on participants, rendering them particularly advantageous for use in subjects with limited attentional or mnemonic capacities, and for time-constrained applications during cohort studies or in the testing of patients and children.

  3. The Cell Wall Protein Ecm33 of Candida albicans is Involved in Chronological Life Span, Morphogenesis, Cell Wall Regeneration, Stress Tolerance, and Host-Cell Interaction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gil-Bona, Ana; Reales-Calderon, Jose A; Parra-Giraldo, Claudia M; Martinez-Lopez, Raquel; Monteoliva, Lucia; Gil, Concha

    2016-01-01

    Ecm33 is a glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored protein in the human pathogen Candida albicans. This protein is known to be involved in fungal cell wall integrity (CWI) and is also critical for normal virulence in the mouse model of hematogenously disseminated candidiasis, but its function remains unknown. In this work, several phenotypic analyses of the C. albicans ecm33/ecm33 mutant (RML2U) were performed. We observed that RML2U displays the inability of protoplast to regenerate the cell wall, activation of the CWI pathway, hypersensitivity to temperature, osmotic and oxidative stresses and a shortened chronological lifespan. During the exponential and stationary culture phases, nuclear and actin staining revealed the possible arrest of the cell cycle in RML2U cells. Interestingly, a "veil growth," never previously described in C. albicans, was serendipitously observed under static stationary cells. The cells that formed this structure were also observed in cornmeal liquid cultures. These cells are giant, round cells, without DNA, and contain large vacuoles, similar to autophagic cells observed in other fungi. Furthermore, RML2U was phagocytozed more than the wild-type strain by macrophages at earlier time points, but the damage caused to the mouse cells was less than with the wild-type strain. Additionally, the percentage of RML2U apoptotic cells after interaction with macrophages was fewer than in the wild-type strain.

  4. Fatigue crack growth thresholds measurements in structural materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lindstroem, R.; Lidar, P.; Rosborg, B.

    1999-05-01

    Fatigue crack growth thresholds and da/dN-data at low Δk I -values ( 1/2 ) have been determined for type 304 stainless steel, nickel-base weld metal Alloy 182, nickel-base metal Alloy 600, and low-alloy steel in air at ambient temperature and in high-temperature water and steam. The stainless alloys have been tested in water with 0.2 ppm O 2 at 288 deg C and the low-alloy steel in steam at 286 deg C. The fatigue crack growth threshold was defined as the ΔK I -value resulting in a crack growth rate of 10 -7 mm per cycle. The measured fatigue crack growth thresholds (at frequencies from 0.5 to 20 Hz) are quite similar independent of the material and the environment. A relatively inexpensive and time-saving method for measuring fatigue crack growth thresholds, and fatigue crack growth rates at low ΔK I -values, has been used in the tests. The method is a ΔK I -decreasing test with constant K I Max

  5. Threshold-driven optimization for reference-based auto-planning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Long, Troy; Chen, Mingli; Jiang, Steve; Lu, Weiguo

    2018-02-01

    We study threshold-driven optimization methodology for automatically generating a treatment plan that is motivated by a reference DVH for IMRT treatment planning. We present a framework for threshold-driven optimization for reference-based auto-planning (TORA). Commonly used voxel-based quadratic penalties have two components for penalizing under- and over-dosing of voxels: a reference dose threshold and associated penalty weight. Conventional manual- and auto-planning using such a function involves iteratively updating the preference weights while keeping the thresholds constant, an unintuitive and often inconsistent method for planning toward some reference DVH. However, driving a dose distribution by threshold values instead of preference weights can achieve similar plans with less computational effort. The proposed methodology spatially assigns reference DVH information to threshold values, and iteratively improves the quality of that assignment. The methodology effectively handles both sub-optimal and infeasible DVHs. TORA was applied to a prostate case and a liver case as a proof-of-concept. Reference DVHs were generated using a conventional voxel-based objective, then altered to be either infeasible or easy-to-achieve. TORA was able to closely recreate reference DVHs in 5-15 iterations of solving a simple convex sub-problem. TORA has the potential to be effective for auto-planning based on reference DVHs. As dose prediction and knowledge-based planning becomes more prevalent in the clinical setting, incorporating such data into the treatment planning model in a clear, efficient way will be crucial for automated planning. A threshold-focused objective tuning should be explored over conventional methods of updating preference weights for DVH-guided treatment planning.

  6. Electronic countermeasures (ECM) and acoustic countermeasures (ACM) supported protection for merchant ships against SSM/ASM missiles and mines

    OpenAIRE

    Wallander, Bo L.

    1989-01-01

    Approved for public release; distribution unlimited The necessity for merchant ship self protection has become more and more obvious during recent years. This thesis will investigate the threat (missiles and mines) and associated counter-measures that might be installed to provide a reasonable degree of protection. The results indicate that it is possible to get protection against a sea-skimming missile with a combination of ECM and ESM deployed aboard the ship. For protection against the ...

  7. Electrocardiogram signal denoising based on a new improved wavelet thresholding

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Guoqiang; Xu, Zhijun

    2016-08-01

    Good quality electrocardiogram (ECG) is utilized by physicians for the interpretation and identification of physiological and pathological phenomena. In general, ECG signals may mix various noises such as baseline wander, power line interference, and electromagnetic interference in gathering and recording process. As ECG signals are non-stationary physiological signals, wavelet transform is investigated to be an effective tool to discard noises from corrupted signals. A new compromising threshold function called sigmoid function-based thresholding scheme is adopted in processing ECG signals. Compared with other methods such as hard/soft thresholding or other existing thresholding functions, the new algorithm has many advantages in the noise reduction of ECG signals. It perfectly overcomes the discontinuity at ±T of hard thresholding and reduces the fixed deviation of soft thresholding. The improved wavelet thresholding denoising can be proved to be more efficient than existing algorithms in ECG signal denoising. The signal to noise ratio, mean square error, and percent root mean square difference are calculated to verify the denoising performance as quantitative tools. The experimental results reveal that the waves including P, Q, R, and S waves of ECG signals after denoising coincide with the original ECG signals by employing the new proposed method.

  8. HERITABILITY AND BREEDING VALUE OF SHEEP FERTILITY ESTIMATED BY MEANS OF THE GIBBS SAMPLING METHOD USING THE LINEAR AND THRESHOLD MODELS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    DARIUSZ Piwczynski

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available The research was carried out on 4,030 Polish Merino ewes born in the years 1991- 2001, kept in 15 flocks from the Pomorze and Kujawy region. Fertility of ewes in subsequent reproduction seasons was analysed with the use of multiple logistic regression. The research showed that there is a statistical influence of the flock, year of birth, age of dam, flock year interaction of birth on the ewes fertility. In order to estimate the genetic parameters, the Gibbs sampling method was applied, using the univariate animal models, both linear as well as threshold. Estimates of fertility depending on the model equalled 0.067 to 0.104, whereas the estimates of repeatability equalled respectively: 0.076 and 0.139. The obtained genetic parameters were then used to estimate the breeding values of the animals in terms of controlled trait (Best Linear Unbiased Prediction method using linear and threshold models. The obtained animal breeding values rankings in respect of the same trait with the use of linear and threshold models were strongly correlated with each other (rs = 0.972. Negative genetic trends of fertility (0.01-0.08% per year were found.

  9. Defect Detection of Steel Surfaces with Global Adaptive Percentile Thresholding of Gradient Image

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neogi, Nirbhar; Mohanta, Dusmanta K.; Dutta, Pranab K.

    2017-12-01

    Steel strips are used extensively for white goods, auto bodies and other purposes where surface defects are not acceptable. On-line surface inspection systems can effectively detect and classify defects and help in taking corrective actions. For detection of defects use of gradients is very popular in highlighting and subsequently segmenting areas of interest in a surface inspection system. Most of the time, segmentation by a fixed value threshold leads to unsatisfactory results. As defects can be both very small and large in size, segmentation of a gradient image based on percentile thresholding can lead to inadequate or excessive segmentation of defective regions. A global adaptive percentile thresholding of gradient image has been formulated for blister defect and water-deposit (a pseudo defect) in steel strips. The developed method adaptively changes the percentile value used for thresholding depending on the number of pixels above some specific values of gray level of the gradient image. The method is able to segment defective regions selectively preserving the characteristics of defects irrespective of the size of the defects. The developed method performs better than Otsu method of thresholding and an adaptive thresholding method based on local properties.

  10. Theory of threshold phenomena

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hategan, Cornel

    2002-01-01

    Theory of Threshold Phenomena in Quantum Scattering is developed in terms of Reduced Scattering Matrix. Relationships of different types of threshold anomalies both to nuclear reaction mechanisms and to nuclear reaction models are established. Magnitude of threshold effect is related to spectroscopic factor of zero-energy neutron state. The Theory of Threshold Phenomena, based on Reduced Scattering Matrix, does establish relationships between different types of threshold effects and nuclear reaction mechanisms: the cusp and non-resonant potential scattering, s-wave threshold anomaly and compound nucleus resonant scattering, p-wave anomaly and quasi-resonant scattering. A threshold anomaly related to resonant or quasi resonant scattering is enhanced provided the neutron threshold state has large spectroscopic amplitude. The Theory contains, as limit cases, Cusp Theories and also results of different nuclear reactions models as Charge Exchange, Weak Coupling, Bohr and Hauser-Feshbach models. (author)

  11. Effects of threshold on the topology of gene co-expression networks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Couto, Cynthia Martins Villar; Comin, César Henrique; Costa, Luciano da Fontoura

    2017-09-26

    Several developments regarding the analysis of gene co-expression profiles using complex network theory have been reported recently. Such approaches usually start with the construction of an unweighted gene co-expression network, therefore requiring the selection of a suitable threshold defining which pairs of vertices will be connected. We aimed at addressing such an important problem by suggesting and comparing five different approaches for threshold selection. Each of the methods considers a respective biologically-motivated criterion for electing a potentially suitable threshold. A set of 21 microarray experiments from different biological groups was used to investigate the effect of applying the five proposed criteria to several biological situations. For each experiment, we used the Pearson correlation coefficient to measure the relationship between each gene pair, and the resulting weight matrices were thresholded considering several values, generating respective adjacency matrices (co-expression networks). Each of the five proposed criteria was then applied in order to select the respective threshold value. The effects of these thresholding approaches on the topology of the resulting networks were compared by using several measurements, and we verified that, depending on the database, the impact on the topological properties can be large. However, a group of databases was verified to be similarly affected by most of the considered criteria. Based on such results, it can be suggested that when the generated networks present similar measurements, the thresholding method can be chosen with greater freedom. If the generated networks are markedly different, the thresholding method that better suits the interests of each specific research study represents a reasonable choice.

  12. Particles near threshold

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bhattacharya, T.; Willenbrock, S.

    1993-01-01

    We propose returning to the definition of the width of a particle in terms of the pole in the particle's propagator. Away from thresholds, this definition of width is equivalent to the standard perturbative definition, up to next-to-leading order; however, near a threshold, the two definitions differ significantly. The width as defined by the pole position provides more information in the threshold region than the standard perturbative definition and, in contrast with the perturbative definition, does not vanish when a two-particle s-wave threshold is approached from below

  13. Optimizing Perfusion-Decellularization Methods of Porcine Livers for Clinical-Scale Whole-Organ Bioengineering

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qiong Wu

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Aim. To refine the decellularization protocol of whole porcine liver, which holds great promise for liver tissue engineering. Methods. Three decellularization methods for porcine livers (1% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS, 1% Triton X-100 + 1% sodium dodecyl sulfate, and 1% sodium deoxycholate + 1% sodium dodecyl sulfate were studied. The obtained liver scaffolds were processed for histology, residual cellular content analysis, and extracellular matrix (ECM components evaluation to investigate decellularization efficiency and ECM preservation. Rat primary hepatocytes were seeded into three kinds of scaffold to detect the biocompatibility. Results. The whole liver decellularization was successfully achieved following all three kinds of treatment. SDS combined with Triton had a high efficacy of cellular removal and caused minimal disruption of essential ECM components; it was also the most biocompatible procedure for primary hepatocytes. Conclusion. We have refined a novel, standardized, time-efficient, and reproducible protocol for the decellularization of whole liver which can be further adapted to liver tissue engineering.

  14. Non-invasive imaging of transplanted human neural stem cells and ECM scaffold remodeling in the stroke-damaged rat brain by 19F- and diffusion-MRI

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bible, Ellen; Dell’Acqua, Flavio; Solanky, Bhavana; Balducci, Anthony; Crapo, Peter; Badylak, Stephen F.; Ahrens, Eric T.; Modo, Michel

    2012-01-01

    Transplantation of human neural stem cells (hNSCs) is emerging as a viable treatment for stroke related brain injury. However, intraparenchymal grafts do not regenerate lost tissue, but rather integrate into the host parenchyma without significantly affecting the lesion cavity. Providing a structural support for the delivered cells appears important for cell based therapeutic approaches. The non-invasive monitoring of therapeutic methods would provide valuable information regarding therapeutic strategies but remains a challenge. Labeling transplanted cells with metal-based 1H-magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents affects the visualization of the lesion cavity. Herein, we demonstrate that a 19F-MRI contrast agent can adequately monitor the distribution of transplanted cells, whilst allowing an evaluation of the lesion cavity and the formation of new tissue on 1H-MRI scans. Twenty percent of cells labeled with the 19F-agent were of host origin, potentially reflecting the re-uptake of label from dead transplanted cells. Both T2- and diffusion-weighted MRI scans indicated that transplantation of hNSCs suspended in a gel form of a xenogeneic extracellular matrix (ECM) bioscaffold resulted in uniformly distributed cells throughout the lesion cavity. However, diffusion MRI indicated that the injected materials did not yet establish diffusion barriers (i.e. cellular network, fiber tracts) normally found within striatal tissue. The ECM bioscaffold therefore provides an important support to hNSCs for the creation of de novo tissue and multi-nuclei MRI represents an adept method for the visualization of some aspects of this process. However, significant developments of both the transplantation paradigm, as well as regenerative imaging, are required to successfully create new tissue in the lesion cavity and to monitor this process non-invasively. PMID:22244696

  15. Non-invasive imaging of transplanted human neural stem cells and ECM scaffold remodeling in the stroke-damaged rat brain by (19)F- and diffusion-MRI.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bible, Ellen; Dell'Acqua, Flavio; Solanky, Bhavana; Balducci, Anthony; Crapo, Peter M; Badylak, Stephen F; Ahrens, Eric T; Modo, Michel

    2012-04-01

    Transplantation of human neural stem cells (hNSCs) is emerging as a viable treatment for stroke related brain injury. However, intraparenchymal grafts do not regenerate lost tissue, but rather integrate into the host parenchyma without significantly affecting the lesion cavity. Providing a structural support for the delivered cells appears important for cell based therapeutic approaches. The non-invasive monitoring of therapeutic methods would provide valuable information regarding therapeutic strategies but remains a challenge. Labeling transplanted cells with metal-based (1)H-magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents affects the visualization of the lesion cavity. Herein, we demonstrate that a (19)F-MRI contrast agent can adequately monitor the distribution of transplanted cells, whilst allowing an evaluation of the lesion cavity and the formation of new tissue on (1)H-MRI scans. Twenty percent of cells labeled with the (19)F agent were of host origin, potentially reflecting the re-uptake of label from dead transplanted cells. Both T(2)- and diffusion-weighted MRI scans indicated that transplantation of hNSCs suspended in a gel form of a xenogeneic extracellular matrix (ECM) bioscaffold resulted in uniformly distributed cells throughout the lesion cavity. However, diffusion MRI indicated that the injected materials did not yet establish diffusion barriers (i.e. cellular network, fiber tracts) normally found within striatal tissue. The ECM bioscaffold therefore provides an important support to hNSCs for the creation of de novo tissue and multi-nuclei MRI represents an adept method for the visualization of some aspects of this process. However, significant developments of both the transplantation paradigm, as well as regenerative imaging, are required to successfully create new tissue in the lesion cavity and to monitor this process non-invasively. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Night Vision Image De-Noising of Apple Harvesting Robots Based on the Wavelet Fuzzy Threshold

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chengzhi Ruan

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, the de-noising problem of night vision images is studied for apple harvesting robots working at night. The wavelet threshold method is applied to the de-noising of night vision images. Due to the fact that the choice of wavelet threshold function restricts the effect of the wavelet threshold method, the fuzzy theory is introduced to construct the fuzzy threshold function. We then propose the de-noising algorithm based on the wavelet fuzzy threshold. This new method can reduce image noise interferences, which is conducive to further image segmentation and recognition. To demonstrate the performance of the proposed method, we conducted simulation experiments and compared the median filtering and the wavelet soft threshold de-noising methods. It is shown that this new method can achieve the highest relative PSNR. Compared with the original images, the median filtering de-noising method and the classical wavelet threshold de-noising method, the relative PSNR increases 24.86%, 13.95%, and 11.38% respectively. We carry out comparisons from various aspects, such as intuitive visual evaluation, objective data evaluation, edge evaluation and artificial light evaluation. The experimental results show that the proposed method has unique advantages for the de-noising of night vision images, which lay the foundation for apple harvesting robots working at night.

  17. Adaptive local thresholding for robust nucleus segmentation utilizing shape priors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xiuzhong; Srinivas, Chukka

    2016-03-01

    This paper describes a novel local thresholding method for foreground detection. First, a Canny edge detection method is used for initial edge detection. Then, tensor voting is applied on the initial edge pixels, using a nonsymmetric tensor field tailored to encode prior information about nucleus size, shape, and intensity spatial distribution. Tensor analysis is then performed to generate the saliency image and, based on that, the refined edge. Next, the image domain is divided into blocks. In each block, at least one foreground and one background pixel are sampled for each refined edge pixel. The saliency weighted foreground histogram and background histogram are then created. These two histograms are used to calculate a threshold by minimizing the background and foreground pixel classification error. The block-wise thresholds are then used to generate the threshold for each pixel via interpolation. Finally, the foreground is obtained by comparing the original image with the threshold image. The effective use of prior information, combined with robust techniques, results in far more reliable foreground detection, which leads to robust nucleus segmentation.

  18. The Cell Wall Protein Ecm33 of Candida albicans is Involved in Chronological Life Span, Morphogenesis, Cell Wall Regeneration, Stress Tolerance, and Host–Cell Interaction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gil-Bona, Ana; Reales-Calderon, Jose A.; Parra-Giraldo, Claudia M.; Martinez-Lopez, Raquel; Monteoliva, Lucia; Gil, Concha

    2016-01-01

    Ecm33 is a glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored protein in the human pathogen Candida albicans. This protein is known to be involved in fungal cell wall integrity (CWI) and is also critical for normal virulence in the mouse model of hematogenously disseminated candidiasis, but its function remains unknown. In this work, several phenotypic analyses of the C. albicans ecm33/ecm33 mutant (RML2U) were performed. We observed that RML2U displays the inability of protoplast to regenerate the cell wall, activation of the CWI pathway, hypersensitivity to temperature, osmotic and oxidative stresses and a shortened chronological lifespan. During the exponential and stationary culture phases, nuclear and actin staining revealed the possible arrest of the cell cycle in RML2U cells. Interestingly, a “veil growth,” never previously described in C. albicans, was serendipitously observed under static stationary cells. The cells that formed this structure were also observed in cornmeal liquid cultures. These cells are giant, round cells, without DNA, and contain large vacuoles, similar to autophagic cells observed in other fungi. Furthermore, RML2U was phagocytozed more than the wild-type strain by macrophages at earlier time points, but the damage caused to the mouse cells was less than with the wild-type strain. Additionally, the percentage of RML2U apoptotic cells after interaction with macrophages was fewer than in the wild-type strain. PMID:26870022

  19. The cell wall protein Ecm33 of Candida albicans is involved in chronological life span, morphogenesis, cell wall regeneration, stress tolerance and host-cell interaction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana eGil-Bona

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Ecm33 is a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI-anchored protein in the human pathogen Candida albicans. This protein is known to be involved in fungal cell wall integrity and is also critical for normal virulence in the mouse model of hematogenously disseminated candidiasis, but its function remains unknown. In this work, several phenotypic analyses of the C. albicans ecm33/ecm33 mutant (RML2U were performed. We observed that RML2U displays the inability of protoplast to regenerate the cell wall, activation of the cell wall integrity pathway, hypersensitivity to temperature, osmotic and oxidative stresses and a shortened chronological lifespan. During the exponential and stationary culture phases, nuclear and actin staining revealed the possible arrest of the cell cycle in RML2U cells. Interestingly, a veil growth, never previously described in C. albicans, was serendipitously observed under static stationary cells. The cells that formed this structure were also observed in cornmeal liquid cultures. These cells are giant, round cells, without DNA, and contain large vacuoles, similar to autophagic cells observed in other fungi. Furthermore, RML2U was phagocytozed more than the wild-type strain by macrophages at earlier time points, but the damage caused to the mouse cells was less than with the wild-type strain. Additionally, the percentage of RML2U apoptotic cells after interaction with macrophages was fewer than in the wild-type strain.

  20. The relationship of VOI threshold, volume and B/S on DISA images

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Song Liejing; Wang Mingming; Si Hongwei; Li Fei

    2011-01-01

    Objective: To explore the relationship of VOI threshold, Volume and B/S on DISA phantom images. Methods: Ten hollow spheres were placed in cylinder phantom. According to the B/S of 1 : 7, 1 : 5 and 1 : 4, 99m TcO 4- and 18 F-FDG was filled into the container and spheres simultaneously and separately. Images were acquired by DISA and SIDA protocol. Volume of interest (VOI) for each sphere was analyzed by threshold method and to fit expression individually for validating of the relationship. Results: The equation for the estimation of optimal threshold was as following Tm = d + c × Bm/(e + f × Vm) + b/Vm. In majority of data, the calculated threshold was in the 1% interval that optimal thresholds were really in. Those who were not in were at the lower or upper intervals. Conclusions: Both DISA and SIDA images, based o the relationship of VOI thresh- old. Volume and B/S and real volume, this method could accurately calculate optimal threshold with an error less than 1% for spheres whose volumes ranged from 3.3 to 30.8 ml. (authors)

  1. A threshold auto-adjustment algorithm of feature points extraction based on grid

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yao, Zili; Li, Jun; Dong, Gaojie

    2018-02-01

    When dealing with high-resolution digital images, detection of feature points is usually the very first important step. Valid feature points depend on the threshold. If the threshold is too low, plenty of feature points will be detected, and they may be aggregated in the rich texture regions, which consequently not only affects the speed of feature description, but also aggravates the burden of following processing; if the threshold is set high, the feature points in poor texture area will lack. To solve these problems, this paper proposes a threshold auto-adjustment method of feature extraction based on grid. By dividing the image into numbers of grid, threshold is set in every local grid for extracting the feature points. When the number of feature points does not meet the threshold requirement, the threshold will be adjusted automatically to change the final number of feature points The experimental results show that feature points produced by our method is more uniform and representative, which avoids the aggregation of feature points and greatly reduces the complexity of following work.

  2. Is heart rate variability a feasible method to determine anaerobic threshold in progressive resistance exercise in coronary artery disease?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sperling, Milena P R; Simões, Rodrigo P; Caruso, Flávia C R; Mendes, Renata G; Arena, Ross; Borghi-Silva, Audrey

    2016-01-01

    Recent studies have shown that the magnitude of the metabolic and autonomic responses during progressive resistance exercise (PRE) is associated with the determination of the anaerobic threshold (AT). AT is an important parameter to determine intensity in dynamic exercise. To investigate the metabolic and cardiac autonomic responses during dynamic resistance exercise in patients with Coronary Artery Disease (CAD). Twenty men (age = 63±7 years) with CAD [Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction (LVEF) = 60±10%] underwent a PRE protocol on a leg press until maximal exertion. The protocol began at 10% of One Repetition Maximum Test (1-RM), with subsequent increases of 10% until maximal exhaustion. Heart Rate Variability (HRV) indices from Poincaré plots (SD1, SD2, SD1/SD2) and time domain (rMSSD and RMSM), and blood lactate were determined at rest and during PRE. Significant alterations in HRV and blood lactate were observed starting at 30% of 1-RM (p<0.05). Bland-Altman plots revealed a consistent agreement between blood lactate threshold (LT) and rMSSD threshold (rMSSDT) and between LT and SD1 threshold (SD1T). Relative values of 1-RM in all LT, rMSSDT and SD1T did not differ (29%±5 vs 28%±5 vs 29%±5 Kg, respectively). HRV during PRE could be a feasible noninvasive method of determining AT in CAD patients to plan intensities during cardiac rehabilitation.

  3. Review and Analysis of Cryptographic Schemes Implementing Threshold Signature

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anastasiya Victorovna Beresneva

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available This work is devoted to the study of threshold signature schemes. The systematization of the threshold signature schemes was done, cryptographic constructions based on interpolation Lagrange polynomial, ellipt ic curves and bilinear pairings were investigated. Different methods of generation and verification of threshold signatures were explored, e.g. used in a mobile agents, Internet banking and e-currency. The significance of the work is determined by the reduction of the level of counterfeit electronic documents, signed by certain group of users.

  4. Detecting wood surface defects with fusion algorithm of visual saliency and local threshold segmentation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xuejuan; Wu, Shuhang; Liu, Yunpeng

    2018-04-01

    This paper presents a new method for wood defect detection. It can solve the over-segmentation problem existing in local threshold segmentation methods. This method effectively takes advantages of visual saliency and local threshold segmentation. Firstly, defect areas are coarsely located by using spectral residual method to calculate global visual saliency of them. Then, the threshold segmentation of maximum inter-class variance method is adopted for positioning and segmenting the wood surface defects precisely around the coarse located areas. Lastly, we use mathematical morphology to process the binary images after segmentation, which reduces the noise and small false objects. Experiments on test images of insect hole, dead knot and sound knot show that the method we proposed obtains ideal segmentation results and is superior to the existing segmentation methods based on edge detection, OSTU and threshold segmentation.

  5. Ultrafuzziness Optimization Based on Type II Fuzzy Sets for Image Thresholding

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hudan Studiawan

    2010-11-01

    Full Text Available Image thresholding is one of the processing techniques to provide high quality preprocessed image. Image vagueness and bad illumination are common obstacles yielding in a poor image thresholding output. By assuming image as fuzzy sets, several different fuzzy thresholding techniques have been proposed to remove these obstacles during threshold selection. In this paper, we proposed an algorithm for thresholding image using ultrafuzziness optimization to decrease uncertainty in fuzzy system by common fuzzy sets like type II fuzzy sets. Optimization was conducted by involving ultrafuzziness measurement for background and object fuzzy sets separately. Experimental results demonstrated that the proposed image thresholding method had good performances for images with high vagueness, low level contrast, and grayscale ambiguity.

  6. DETERMINANTS OF AGRICULTURAL LAND EXPANSION IN NIGERIA: APPLICATION OF ERROR CORRECTION MODELING (ECM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A Oyekale

    2007-12-01

    Full Text Available This study used an ECM to analyze the determinants of agricultural land expansion in Nigeria. Results show that at first differencing, Augmented Dickey Fuller test indicated stationarity for all the variables (p< 0.05 and there were 7 cointegrating vectors using Johansen test. The dynamic unrestricted short-run parameters of permanent cropland growth rates (68.62, agricultural production index (10.23, livestock population (0.003, human population (-0.145, other land (-0.265 and cereal cropland growth rate (0.621 have significant impact on agricultural land expansion (p< 0.05. The study recommended that appropriate policies to address the problem of expansion of agricultural land and agricultural production must focus on development of cereal and permanent crop hybrids that are high yielding and resistant to environmental stress, human population control and guided use of land for industrial and urban development, among others.

  7. Trunk muscle activation during golf swing: Baseline and threshold.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silva, Luís; Marta, Sérgio; Vaz, João; Fernandes, Orlando; Castro, Maria António; Pezarat-Correia, Pedro

    2013-10-01

    There is a lack of studies regarding EMG temporal analysis during dynamic and complex motor tasks, such as golf swing. The aim of this study is to analyze the EMG onset during the golf swing, by comparing two different threshold methods. Method A threshold was determined using the baseline activity recorded between two maximum voluntary contraction (MVC). Method B threshold was calculated using the mean EMG activity for 1000ms before the 500ms prior to the start of the Backswing. Two different clubs were also studied. Three-way repeated measures ANOVA was used to compare methods, muscles and clubs. Two-way mixed Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) with absolute agreement was used to determine the methods reliability. Club type usage showed no influence in onset detection. Rectus abdominis (RA) showed the higher agreement between methods. Erector spinae (ES), on the other hand, showed a very low agreement, that might be related to postural activity before the swing. External oblique (EO) is the first being activated, at 1295ms prior impact. There is a similar activation time between right and left muscles sides, although the right EO showed better agreement between methods than left side. Therefore, the algorithms usage is task- and muscle-dependent. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Threshold secret sharing scheme based on phase-shifting interferometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deng, Xiaopeng; Shi, Zhengang; Wen, Wei

    2016-11-01

    We propose a new method for secret image sharing with the (3,N) threshold scheme based on phase-shifting interferometry. The secret image, which is multiplied with an encryption key in advance, is first encrypted by using Fourier transformation. Then, the encoded image is shared into N shadow images based on the recording principle of phase-shifting interferometry. Based on the reconstruction principle of phase-shifting interferometry, any three or more shadow images can retrieve the secret image, while any two or fewer shadow images cannot obtain any information of the secret image. Thus, a (3,N) threshold secret sharing scheme can be implemented. Compared with our previously reported method, the algorithm of this paper is suited for not only a binary image but also a gray-scale image. Moreover, the proposed algorithm can obtain a larger threshold value t. Simulation results are presented to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed method.

  9. What Temperature of Coffee Exceeds the Pain Threshold? Pilot Study of a Sensory Analysis Method as Basis for Cancer Risk Assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dirler, Julia; Winkler, Gertrud; Lachenmeier, Dirk W

    2018-06-01

    The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) evaluates "very hot (>65 °C) beverages" as probably carcinogenic to humans. However, there is a lack of research regarding what temperatures consumers actually perceive as "very hot" or as "too hot". A method for sensory analysis of such threshold temperatures was developed. The participants were asked to mix a very hot coffee step by step into a cooler coffee. Because of that, the coffee to be tasted was incrementally increased in temperature during the test. The participants took a sip at every addition, until they perceive the beverage as too hot for consumption. The protocol was evaluated in the form of a pilot study using 87 participants. Interestingly, the average pain threshold of the test group (67 °C) and the preferred drinking temperature (63 °C) iterated around the IARC threshold for carcinogenicity. The developed methodology was found as fit for the purpose and may be applied in larger studies.

  10. What Temperature of Coffee Exceeds the Pain Threshold? Pilot Study of a Sensory Analysis Method as Basis for Cancer Risk Assessment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julia Dirler

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC evaluates “very hot (>65 °C beverages” as probably carcinogenic to humans. However, there is a lack of research regarding what temperatures consumers actually perceive as “very hot” or as “too hot”. A method for sensory analysis of such threshold temperatures was developed. The participants were asked to mix a very hot coffee step by step into a cooler coffee. Because of that, the coffee to be tasted was incrementally increased in temperature during the test. The participants took a sip at every addition, until they perceive the beverage as too hot for consumption. The protocol was evaluated in the form of a pilot study using 87 participants. Interestingly, the average pain threshold of the test group (67 °C and the preferred drinking temperature (63 °C iterated around the IARC threshold for carcinogenicity. The developed methodology was found as fit for the purpose and may be applied in larger studies.

  11. Comparison of anaerobic threshold determined by visual and mathematical methods in healthy women.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Higa, M N; Silva, E; Neves, V F C; Catai, A M; Gallo, L; Silva de Sá, M F

    2007-04-01

    Several methods are used to estimate anaerobic threshold (AT) during exercise. The aim of the present study was to compare AT obtained by a graphic visual method for the estimate of ventilatory and metabolic variables (gold standard), to a bi-segmental linear regression mathematical model of Hinkley's algorithm applied to heart rate (HR) and carbon dioxide output (VCO2) data. Thirteen young (24 +/- 2.63 years old) and 16 postmenopausal (57 +/- 4.79 years old) healthy and sedentary women were submitted to a continuous ergospirometric incremental test on an electromagnetic braking cycloergometer with 10 to 20 W/min increases until physical exhaustion. The ventilatory variables were recorded breath-to-breath and HR was obtained beat-to-beat over real time. Data were analyzed by the nonparametric Friedman test and Spearman correlation test with the level of significance set at 5%. Power output (W), HR (bpm), oxygen uptake (VO2; mL kg(-1) min(-1)), VO2 (mL/min), VCO2 (mL/min), and minute ventilation (VE; L/min) data observed at the AT level were similar for both methods and groups studied (P > 0.05). The VO2 (mL kg(-1) min(-1)) data showed significant correlation (P automatic, non-invasive and objective AT measurement.

  12. Design and Validation of Real-Time Optimal Control with ECMS to Minimize Energy Consumption for Parallel Hybrid Electric Vehicles

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aiyun Gao

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available A real-time optimal control of parallel hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs with the equivalent consumption minimization strategy (ECMS is presented in this paper, whose purpose is to achieve the total equivalent fuel consumption minimization and to maintain the battery state of charge (SOC within its operation range at all times simultaneously. Vehicle and assembly models of PHEVs are established, which provide the foundation for the following calculations. The ECMS is described in detail, in which an instantaneous cost function including the fuel energy and the electrical energy is proposed, whose emphasis is the computation of the equivalent factor. The real-time optimal control strategy is designed through regarding the minimum of the total equivalent fuel consumption as the control objective and the torque split factor as the control variable. The validation of the control strategy proposed is demonstrated both in the MATLAB/Simulink/Advisor environment and under actual transportation conditions by comparing the fuel economy, the charge sustainability, and parts performance with other three control strategies under different driving cycles including standard, actual, and real-time road conditions. Through numerical simulations and real vehicle tests, the accuracy of the approach used for the evaluation of the equivalent factor is confirmed, and the potential of the proposed control strategy in terms of fuel economy and keeping the deviations of SOC at a low level is illustrated.

  13. Comparison of memory thresholds for planar qudit geometries

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marks, Jacob; Jochym-O'Connor, Tomas; Gheorghiu, Vlad

    2017-11-01

    We introduce and analyze a new type of decoding algorithm called general color clustering, based on renormalization group methods, to be used in qudit color codes. The performance of this decoder is analyzed under a generalized bit-flip error model, and is used to obtain the first memory threshold estimates for qudit 6-6-6 color codes. The proposed decoder is compared with similar decoding schemes for qudit surface codes as well as the current leading qubit decoders for both sets of codes. We find that, as with surface codes, clustering performs sub-optimally for qubit color codes, giving a threshold of 5.6 % compared to the 8.0 % obtained through surface projection decoding methods. However, the threshold rate increases by up to 112% for large qudit dimensions, plateauing around 11.9 % . All the analysis is performed using QTop, a new open-source software for simulating and visualizing topological quantum error correcting codes.

  14. Perioperative transfusion threshold and ambulation after hip revision surgery

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Kamilla; Johansson, Pär I; Dahl, Benny

    2014-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Transfusion with red blood cells (RBC) may be needed during hip revision surgery but the appropriate haemoglobin concentration (Hb) threshold for transfusion has not been well established. We hypothesized that a higher transfusion threshold would improve ambulation after hip revision...... surgery. METHODS: The trial was registered at Clinicaltrials.gov ( NCT00906295). Sixty-six patients aged 18 years or older undergoing hip revision surgery were randomized to receive RBC at a Hb threshold of either 7.3 g/dL (restrictive group) or 8.9 g/dL (liberal group). Postoperative ambulation...... received RBC. CONCLUSIONS: A Hb transfusion threshold of 8.9 g/dL was associated with a statistically significantly faster TUG after hip revision surgery compared to a threshold of 7.3 g/dL but the clinical importance is questionable and the groups did not differ in Hb at the time of testing....

  15. Design and Evaluation of Energy Management using Map-Based ECMS for the PHEV Benchmark

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sivertsson Martin

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV provide a promising way of achieving the benefits of the electric vehicle without being limited by the electric range, but they increase the importance of the supervisory control to fully utilize the potential of the powertrain. The winning contribution in the PHEV Benchmark organized by IFP Energies nouvelles is described and evaluated. The control is an adaptive strategy based on a map-based Equivalent Consumption Minimization Strategy (ECMS approach, developed and implemented in the simulator provided for the PHEV Benchmark. The implemented control strives to be as blended as possible, whilst still ensuring that all electric energy is used in the driving mission. The controller is adaptive to reduce the importance of correct initial values, but since the initial values affect the consumption, a method is developed to estimate the optimal initial value for the controller based on driving cycle information. This works well for most driving cycles with promising consumption results. The controller performs well in the benchmark; however, the driving cycles used show potential for improvement. A robustness built into the controller affects the consumption more than necessary, and in the case of altitude variations the control does not make use of all the energy available. The control is therefore extended to also make use of topography information that could be provided by a GPS which shows a potential further decrease in fuel consumption.

  16. A New Integrated Threshold Selection Methodology for Spatial Forecast Verification of Extreme Events

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kholodovsky, V.

    2017-12-01

    Extreme weather and climate events such as heavy precipitation, heat waves and strong winds can cause extensive damage to the society in terms of human lives and financial losses. As climate changes, it is important to understand how extreme weather events may change as a result. Climate and statistical models are often independently used to model those phenomena. To better assess performance of the climate models, a variety of spatial forecast verification methods have been developed. However, spatial verification metrics that are widely used in comparing mean states, in most cases, do not have an adequate theoretical justification to benchmark extreme weather events. We proposed a new integrated threshold selection methodology for spatial forecast verification of extreme events that couples existing pattern recognition indices with high threshold choices. This integrated approach has three main steps: 1) dimension reduction; 2) geometric domain mapping; and 3) thresholds clustering. We apply this approach to an observed precipitation dataset over CONUS. The results are evaluated by displaying threshold distribution seasonally, monthly and annually. The method offers user the flexibility of selecting a high threshold that is linked to desired geometrical properties. The proposed high threshold methodology could either complement existing spatial verification methods, where threshold selection is arbitrary, or be directly applicable in extreme value theory.

  17. A Headset Method for Measuring the Visual Temporal Discrimination Threshold in Cervical Dystonia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anna Molloy

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Background: The visual temporal discrimination threshold (TDT is the shortest time interval at which one can determine two stimuli to be asynchronous and meets criteria for a valid endophenotype in adult‐onset idiopathic focal dystonia, a poorly penetrant disorder. Temporal discrimination is assessed in the hospital laboratory; in unaffected relatives of multiplex adult‐onset dystonia patients distance from the hospital is a barrier to data acquisition. We devised a portable headset method for visual temporal discrimination determination and our aim was to validate this portable tool against the traditional laboratory‐based method in a group of patients and in a large cohort of healthy controls. Methods: Visual TDTs were examined in two groups 1 in 96 healthy control participants divided by age and gender, and 2 in 33 cervical dystonia patients, using two methods of data acquisition, the traditional table‐top laboratory‐based system, and the novel portable headset method. The order of assessment was randomized in the control group. The results obtained by each technique were compared. Results: Visual temporal discrimination in healthy control participants demonstrated similar age and gender effects by the headset method as found by the table‐top examination. There were no significant differences between visual TDTs obtained using the two methods, both for the control participants and for the cervical dystonia patients. Bland–Altman testing showed good concordance between the two methods in both patients and in controls.Discussion: The portable headset device is a reliable and accurate method for visual temporal discrimination testing for use outside the laboratory, and will facilitate increased TDT data collection outside of the hospital setting. This is of particular importance in multiplex families where data collection in all available members of the pedigree is important for exome sequencing studies.

  18. Effects of pulse duration on magnetostimulation thresholds

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Saritas, Emine U., E-mail: saritas@ee.bilkent.edu.tr [Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720-1762 (United States); Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Bilkent University, Bilkent, Ankara 06800 (Turkey); National Magnetic Resonance Research Center (UMRAM), Bilkent University, Bilkent, Ankara 06800 (Turkey); Goodwill, Patrick W. [Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720-1762 (United States); Conolly, Steven M. [Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720-1762 (United States); Department of EECS, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720-1762 (United States)

    2015-06-15

    Purpose: Medical imaging techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic particle imaging (MPI) utilize time-varying magnetic fields that are subject to magnetostimulation limits, which often limit the speed of the imaging process. Various human-subject experiments have studied the amplitude and frequency dependence of these thresholds for gradient or homogeneous magnetic fields. Another contributing factor was shown to be number of cycles in a magnetic pulse, where the thresholds decreased with longer pulses. The latter result was demonstrated on two subjects only, at a single frequency of 1.27 kHz. Hence, whether the observed effect was due to the number of cycles or due to the pulse duration was not specified. In addition, a gradient-type field was utilized; hence, whether the same phenomenon applies to homogeneous magnetic fields remained unknown. Here, the authors investigate the pulse duration dependence of magnetostimulation limits for a 20-fold range of frequencies using homogeneous magnetic fields, such as the ones used for the drive field in MPI. Methods: Magnetostimulation thresholds were measured in the arms of six healthy subjects (age: 27 ± 5 yr). Each experiment comprised testing the thresholds at eight different pulse durations between 2 and 125 ms at a single frequency, which took approximately 30–40 min/subject. A total of 34 experiments were performed at three different frequencies: 1.2, 5.7, and 25.5 kHz. A solenoid coil providing homogeneous magnetic field was used to induce stimulation, and the field amplitude was measured in real time. A pre-emphasis based pulse shaping method was employed to accurately control the pulse durations. Subjects reported stimulation via a mouse click whenever they felt a twitching/tingling sensation. A sigmoid function was fitted to the subject responses to find the threshold at a specific frequency and duration, and the whole procedure was repeated at all relevant frequencies and pulse durations

  19. Effects of pulse duration on magnetostimulation thresholds

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saritas, Emine U.; Goodwill, Patrick W.; Conolly, Steven M.

    2015-01-01

    Purpose: Medical imaging techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic particle imaging (MPI) utilize time-varying magnetic fields that are subject to magnetostimulation limits, which often limit the speed of the imaging process. Various human-subject experiments have studied the amplitude and frequency dependence of these thresholds for gradient or homogeneous magnetic fields. Another contributing factor was shown to be number of cycles in a magnetic pulse, where the thresholds decreased with longer pulses. The latter result was demonstrated on two subjects only, at a single frequency of 1.27 kHz. Hence, whether the observed effect was due to the number of cycles or due to the pulse duration was not specified. In addition, a gradient-type field was utilized; hence, whether the same phenomenon applies to homogeneous magnetic fields remained unknown. Here, the authors investigate the pulse duration dependence of magnetostimulation limits for a 20-fold range of frequencies using homogeneous magnetic fields, such as the ones used for the drive field in MPI. Methods: Magnetostimulation thresholds were measured in the arms of six healthy subjects (age: 27 ± 5 yr). Each experiment comprised testing the thresholds at eight different pulse durations between 2 and 125 ms at a single frequency, which took approximately 30–40 min/subject. A total of 34 experiments were performed at three different frequencies: 1.2, 5.7, and 25.5 kHz. A solenoid coil providing homogeneous magnetic field was used to induce stimulation, and the field amplitude was measured in real time. A pre-emphasis based pulse shaping method was employed to accurately control the pulse durations. Subjects reported stimulation via a mouse click whenever they felt a twitching/tingling sensation. A sigmoid function was fitted to the subject responses to find the threshold at a specific frequency and duration, and the whole procedure was repeated at all relevant frequencies and pulse durations

  20. Image Segmentation using a Refined Comprehensive Learning Particle Swarm Optimizer for Maximum Tsallis Entropy Thresholding

    OpenAIRE

    L. Jubair Ahmed; A. Ebenezer Jeyakumar

    2013-01-01

    Thresholding is one of the most important techniques for performing image segmentation. In this paper to compute optimum thresholds for Maximum Tsallis entropy thresholding (MTET) model, a new hybrid algorithm is proposed by integrating the Comprehensive Learning Particle Swarm Optimizer (CPSO) with the Powell’s Conjugate Gradient (PCG) method. Here the CPSO will act as the main optimizer for searching the near-optimal thresholds while the PCG method will be used to fine tune the best solutio...

  1. Hydrogel–fibre composites with independent control over cell adhesion to gel and fibres as an integral approach towards a biomimetic artificial ECM

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schulte, Vera A; Dhanasingh, Anandhan; Hahn, Kathrin; Heffels, Karl-Heinz; Groll, Jürgen

    2014-01-01

    In the body, cells are surrounded by an interconnected mesh of insoluble, bioactive protein fibres to which they adhere in a well-controlled manner, embedded in a hydrogel-like highly hydrated matrix. True morphological and biochemical mimicry of this so-called extracellular matrix (ECM) remains a challenge but appears decisive for a successful design of biomimetic three-dimensional in vitro cell culture systems. Herein, an approach is presented which describes the fabrication and in vitro assessment of an artificial ECM which contains two major components, i.e. specifically biofunctionalized fibres and a semi-synthetic hyaluronic acid-based hydrogel, which allows control over cell adhesion towards both components. As proof of principle for the control of cell adhesion, RGD as well-known cell adhesive cue and the control sequence RGE are immobilized in the system. In vitro studies with primary human dermal fibroblasts were conducted to evaluate the specificity of cell adhesion and the potential of the composite system to support cell growth. Finally, one possible application example for guided cell growth is shown by the use of oriented fibres in a hydrogel matrix. (paper)

  2. Psychophysical thresholds of face visibility during infancy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gelskov, Sofie; Kouider, Sid

    2010-01-01

    The ability to detect and focus on faces is a fundamental prerequisite for developing social skills. But how well can infants detect faces? Here, we address this question by studying the minimum duration at which faces must appear to trigger a behavioral response in infants. We used a preferential...... looking method in conjunction with masking and brief presentations (300 ms and below) to establish the temporal thresholds of visibility at different stages of development. We found that 5 and 10 month-old infants have remarkably similar visibility thresholds about three times higher than those of adults....... By contrast, 15 month-olds not only revealed adult-like thresholds, but also improved their performance through memory-based strategies. Our results imply that the development of face visibility follows a non-linear course and is determined by a radical improvement occurring between 10 and 15 months....

  3. Grid - a fast threshold tracking procedure

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fereczkowski, Michal; Dau, Torsten; MacDonald, Ewen

    2016-01-01

    A new procedure, called “grid”, is evaluated that allows rapid acquisition of threshold curves for psychophysics and, in particular, psychoacoustic, experiments. In this method, the parameterresponse space is sampled in two dimensions within a single run. This allows the procedure to focus more e...

  4. Standard test method for determining a threshold stress intensity factor for environment-assisted cracking of metallic materials

    CERN Document Server

    American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia

    2003-01-01

    1.1 This test method covers the determination of the environment-assisted cracking threshold stress intensity factor parameters, KIEAC and KEAC, for metallic materials from constant-force testing of fatigue precracked beam or compact fracture specimens and from constant-displacement testing of fatigue precracked bolt-load compact fracture specimens. 1.2 This test method is applicable to environment-assisted cracking in aqueous or other aggressive environments. 1.3 Materials that can be tested by this test method are not limited by thickness or by strength as long as specimens are of sufficient thickness and planar size to meet the size requirements of this test method. 1.4 A range of specimen sizes with proportional planar dimensions is provided, but size may be variable and adjusted for yield strength and applied force. Specimen thickness is a variable independent of planar size. 1.5 Specimen configurations other than those contained in this test method may be used, provided that well-established stress ...

  5. Realistic Realizations Of Threshold Circuits

    Science.gov (United States)

    Razavi, Hassan M.

    1987-08-01

    Threshold logic, in which each input is weighted, has many theoretical advantages over the standard gate realization, such as reducing the number of gates, interconnections, and power dissipation. However, because of the difficult synthesis procedure and complicated circuit implementation, their use in the design of digital systems is almost nonexistant. In this study, three methods of NMOS realizations are discussed, and their advantages and shortcomings are explored. Also, the possibility of using the methods to realize multi-valued logic is examined.

  6. An Automatic Multilevel Image Thresholding Using Relative Entropy and Meta-Heuristic Algorithms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Josue R. Cuevas

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available Multilevel thresholding has been long considered as one of the most popular techniques for image segmentation. Multilevel thresholding outputs a gray scale image in which more details from the original picture can be kept, while binary thresholding can only analyze the image in two colors, usually black and white. However, two major existing problems with the multilevel thresholding technique are: it is a time consuming approach, i.e., finding appropriate threshold values could take an exceptionally long computation time; and defining a proper number of thresholds or levels that will keep most of the relevant details from the original image is a difficult task. In this study a new evaluation function based on the Kullback-Leibler information distance, also known as relative entropy, is proposed. The property of this new function can help determine the number of thresholds automatically. To offset the expensive computational effort by traditional exhaustive search methods, this study establishes a procedure that combines the relative entropy and meta-heuristics. From the experiments performed in this study, the proposed procedure not only provides good segmentation results when compared with a well known technique such as Otsu’s method, but also constitutes a very efficient approach.

  7. Pressure Systems Stored-Energy Threshold Risk Analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Paulsen, Samuel S.

    2009-08-25

    Federal Regulation 10 CFR 851, which became effective February 2007, brought to light potential weaknesses regarding the Pressure Safety Program at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). The definition of a pressure system in 10 CFR 851 does not contain a limit based upon pressure or any other criteria. Therefore, the need for a method to determine an appropriate risk-based hazard level for pressure safety was identified. The Laboratory has historically used a stored energy of 1000 lbf-ft to define a pressure hazard; however, an analytical basis for this value had not been documented. This document establishes the technical basis by evaluating the use of stored energy as an appropriate criterion to establish a pressure hazard, exploring a suitable risk threshold for pressure hazards, and reviewing the methods used to determine stored energy. The literature review and technical analysis concludes the use of stored energy as a method for determining a potential risk, the 1000 lbf-ft threshold, and the methods used by PNNL to calculate stored energy are all appropriate. Recommendations for further program improvements are also discussed

  8. Thresholds in radiobiology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Katz, R.; Hofmann, W.

    1982-01-01

    Interpretations of biological radiation effects frequently use the word 'threshold'. The meaning of this word is explored together with its relationship to the fundamental character of radiation effects and to the question of perception. It is emphasised that although the existence of either a dose or an LET threshold can never be settled by experimental radiobiological investigations, it may be argued on fundamental statistical grounds that for all statistical processes, and especially where the number of observed events is small, the concept of a threshold is logically invalid. (U.K.)

  9. Shrinkage-thresholding enhanced born iterative method for solving 2D inverse electromagnetic scattering problem

    KAUST Repository

    Desmal, Abdulla

    2014-07-01

    A numerical framework that incorporates recently developed iterative shrinkage thresholding (IST) algorithms within the Born iterative method (BIM) is proposed for solving the two-dimensional inverse electromagnetic scattering problem. IST algorithms minimize a cost function weighted between measurement-data misfit and a zeroth/first-norm penalty term and therefore promote "sharpness" in the solution. Consequently, when applied to domains with sharp variations, discontinuities, or sparse content, the proposed framework is more efficient and accurate than the "classical" BIM that minimizes a cost function with a second-norm penalty term. Indeed, numerical results demonstrate the superiority of the IST-BIM over the classical BIM when they are applied to sparse domains: Permittivity and conductivity profiles recovered using the IST-BIM are sharper and more accurate and converge faster. © 1963-2012 IEEE.

  10. Discriminating the precipitation phase based on different temperature thresholds in the Songhua River Basin, China

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhong, Keyuan; Zheng, Fenli; Xu, Ximeng; Qin, Chao

    2018-06-01

    Different precipitation phases (rain, snow or sleet) differ greatly in their hydrological and erosional processes. Therefore, accurate discrimination of the precipitation phase is highly important when researching hydrologic processes and climate change at high latitudes and mountainous regions. The objective of this study was to identify suitable temperature thresholds for discriminating the precipitation phase in the Songhua River Basin (SRB) based on 20-year daily precipitation collected from 60 meteorological stations located in and around the basin. Two methods, the air temperature method (AT method) and the wet bulb temperature method (WBT method), were used to discriminate the precipitation phase. Thirteen temperature thresholds were used to discriminate snowfall in the SRB. These thresholds included air temperatures from 0 to 5.5 °C at intervals of 0.5 °C and the wet bulb temperature (WBT). Three evaluation indices, the error percentage of discriminated snowfall days (Ep), the relative error of discriminated snowfall (Re) and the determination coefficient (R2), were applied to assess the discrimination accuracy. The results showed that 2.5 °C was the optimum threshold temperature for discriminating snowfall at the scale of the entire basin. Due to differences in the landscape conditions at the different stations, the optimum threshold varied by station. The optimal threshold ranged 1.5-4.0 °C, and 19 stations, 17 stations and 18 stations had optimal thresholds of 2.5 °C, 3.0 °C, and 3.5 °C respectively, occupying 90% of all stations. Compared with using a single suitable temperature threshold to discriminate snowfall throughout the basin, it was more accurate to use the optimum threshold at each station to estimate snowfall in the basin. In addition, snowfall was underestimated when the temperature threshold was the WBT and when the temperature threshold was below 2.5 °C, whereas snowfall was overestimated when the temperature threshold exceeded 4

  11. Ear surgery techniques results on hearing threshold improvement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Farhad Mokhtarinejad

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Bone conduction (BC threshold depression is not always by means of sensory neural hearing loss and sometimes it is an artifact caused by middle ear pathologies and ossicular chain problems. In this research, the influences of ear surgeries on bone conduction were evaluated. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted as a clinical trial study. The ear surgery performed on 83 patients classified in four categories: Stapedectomy, tympanomastoid surgery and ossicular reconstruction partially or totally; Partial Ossicular Replacement Prosthesis (PORP and Total Ossicular Replacement Prosthesis (TORP. Bone conduction thresholds assessed in frequencies of 250, 500, 1000, 2000 and 4000 Hz pre and post the surgery. Results: In stapedectomy group, the average of BC threshold in all frequencies improved approximately 6 dB in frequency of 2000 Hz. In tympanomastoid group, BC threshold in the frequency of 500, 1000 and 2000 Hz changed 4 dB (P-value < 0.05. Moreover, In the PORP group, 5 dB enhancement was seen in 1000 and 2000 Hz. In TORP group, the results confirmed that BC threshold improved in all frequencies especially at 4000 Hz about 6.5 dB. Conclusion: In according to results of this study, BC threshold shift was seen after several ear surgeries such as stapedectomy, tympanoplasty, PORP and TORP. The average of BC improvement was approximately 5 dB. It must be considered that BC depression might happen because of ossicular chain problems. Therefore; by resolving middle ear pathologies, the better BC threshold was obtained, the less hearing problems would be faced.

  12. [Relationship between Occlusal Discomfort Syndrome and Occlusal Threshold].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Munakata, Motohiro; Ono, Yumie; Hayama, Rika; Kataoka, Kanako; Ikuta, Ryuhei; Tamaki, Katsushi

    2016-03-01

    Occlusal dysesthesia has been defined as persistent uncomfortable feelings of intercuspal position continuing for more than 6 months without evidence of physical occlusal discrepancy. The problem often occurs after occlusal intervention by dental care. Although various dental treatments (e. g. occlusal adjustment, orthodontic treatment and prosthetic reconstruction) are attempted to solve occlusal dysesthesia, they rarely reach a satisfactory result, neither for patients nor dentists. In Japan, these symptoms are defined by the term "Occlusal discomfort syndrome" (ODS). The aim of this study was to investigate the characteristics of ODS with the simple occlusal sensory perceptive and discriminative test. Twenty-one female dental patients with ODS (mean age 55.8 ± 19.2 years) and 21 age- and gender-matched dental patients without ODS (mean age 53.1 ± 16.8 years) participated in the study. Upon grinding occlusal registration foils that were stacked to different thicknesses, participants reported the thicknesses at which they recognized the foils (recognition threshold) and felt discomfort (discomfort threshold). Although there was no significant difference in occlusal recognition thresholds between the two patient groups, the discomfort threshold was significantly smaller in the patients with ODS than in those without ODS. Moreover, the recognition threshold showed an age-dependent increase in patients without ODS, whereas it remained comparable between the younger (patient subgroups with ODS. These results suggest that occlusal discomfort threshold rather than recognition threshold is an issue in ODS. The foil grinding procedure is a simple and useful method to evaluate occlusal perceptive and discriminative abilities in patients with ODS.

  13. A novel method for identification of lithium-ion battery equivalent circuit model parameters considering electrochemical properties

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Xi; Lu, Jinling; Yuan, Shifei; Yang, Jun; Zhou, Xuan

    2017-03-01

    This paper proposes a novel parameter identification method for the lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery equivalent circuit model (ECM) considering the electrochemical properties. An improved pseudo two-dimension (P2D) model is established on basis of partial differential equations (PDEs), since the electrolyte potential is simplified from the nonlinear to linear expression while terminal voltage can be divided into the electrolyte potential, open circuit voltage (OCV), overpotential of electrodes, internal resistance drop, and so on. The model order reduction process is implemented by the simplification of the PDEs using the Laplace transform, inverse Laplace transform, Pade approximation, etc. A unified second order transfer function between cell voltage and current is obtained for the comparability with that of ECM. The final objective is to obtain the relationship between the ECM resistances/capacitances and electrochemical parameters such that in various conditions, ECM precision could be improved regarding integration of battery interior properties for further applications, e.g., SOC estimation. Finally simulation and experimental results prove the correctness and validity of the proposed methodology.

  14. Shifts in the relationship between motor unit recruitment thresholds versus derecruitment thresholds during fatigue.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stock, Matt S; Mota, Jacob A

    2017-12-01

    Muscle fatigue is associated with diminished twitch force amplitude. We examined changes in the motor unit recruitment versus derecruitment threshold relationship during fatigue. Nine men (mean age = 26 years) performed repeated isometric contractions at 50% maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) knee extensor force until exhaustion. Surface electromyographic signals were detected from the vastus lateralis, and were decomposed into their constituent motor unit action potential trains. Motor unit recruitment and derecruitment thresholds and firing rates at recruitment and derecruitment were evaluated at the beginning, middle, and end of the protocol. On average, 15 motor units were studied per contraction. For the initial contraction, three subjects showed greater recruitment thresholds than derecruitment thresholds for all motor units. Five subjects showed greater recruitment thresholds than derecruitment thresholds for only low-threshold motor units at the beginning, with a mean cross-over of 31.6% MVC. As the muscle fatigued, many motor units were derecruited at progressively higher forces. In turn, decreased slopes and increased y-intercepts were observed. These shifts were complemented by increased firing rates at derecruitment relative to recruitment. As the vastus lateralis fatigued, the central nervous system's compensatory adjustments resulted in a shift of the regression line of the recruitment versus derecruitment threshold relationship. Copyright © 2017 IPEM. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Overview of Methods Able to Overcome Impediments to tumor Drug Delivery with Special Attention to Tumor Interstitial Fluid.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gianfranco eBaronzio

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Every drug used to treat cancer (chemotherapeutics, immunologic, monoclonal antibodies, nanoparticles, radionuclides must reach the targeted cells through the tumor environment at adequate concentrations, in order to exert their cell-killing effects. For any of these agents to reach the goal cells they must overcome a number of impediments created by the tumor microenvironment, beginning with tumor interstitial fluid pressure (TIFP and a multifactorial increase in composition of the extracellular matrix (ECM. A primary modifier of tumor microenvironment is hypoxia, which increases the production of growth factors such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF. These growth factors released by both tumor cells and bone marrow recruited myeloid cells (MDS, form abnormal vasculature characterized by vessels that are tortuous and more permeable. Increased leakiness combined with increased inflammatory byproducts accumulates fluid within the tumor mass [tumor interstitial fluid (TIF], ultimately creating an increased pressure (TIFP. Fibroblasts are also up-regulated by the tumor microenvironment, and deposit fibers that further augment the density of the extracellular matrix (ECM, thus, further worsening the TIFP. Increased TIFP with the ECM are the major obstacles to adequate drug delivery. By decreasing TIFP and decreasing ECM density, we can expect an associated rise in drug concentration within the tumor itself. In this overview we will describe all the methods (drugs, nutraceuticals, physical methods of treatment able to lower TIFP and to modify ECM that can be used for increasing drug concentration within the tumor tissue.

  16. Computer simulation of threshold radiation damage in rutile, TiO2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Richardson, D.D.

    1983-01-01

    Computer simulation methods have been used to study threshold radiation damage structures in rutile. It was found Ti ions have threshold energies much larger than O ions. Basal plane displacements for oxygen were shown to be complex, and focuson behaviour was only found at energies several times the threshold energy. Oxygen ions do not have simple interstitials or vacancies, but rather a three-ion crowdion and divacancy-interstitial combination were found, respectively. Threshold energies were found to be highly dependent on crystallographic direction, being as low as 10 eV in one instance, but often much higher. Oxygen ions were seen to defocus along the c-axis. (author)

  17. Salicylate-induced changes in auditory thresholds of adolescent and adult rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brennan, J F; Brown, C A; Jastreboff, P J

    1996-01-01

    Shifts in auditory intensity thresholds after salicylate administration were examined in postweanling and adult pigmented rats at frequencies ranging from 1 to 35 kHz. A total of 132 subjects from both age levels were tested under two-way active avoidance or one-way active avoidance paradigms. Estimated thresholds were inferred from behavioral responses to presentations of descending and ascending series of intensities for each test frequency value. Reliable threshold estimates were found under both avoidance conditioning methods, and compared to controls, subjects at both age levels showed threshold shifts at selective higher frequency values after salicylate injection, and the extent of shifts was related to salicylate dose level.

  18. Differential equation models for sharp threshold dynamics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schramm, Harrison C; Dimitrov, Nedialko B

    2014-01-01

    We develop an extension to differential equation models of dynamical systems to allow us to analyze probabilistic threshold dynamics that fundamentally and globally change system behavior. We apply our novel modeling approach to two cases of interest: a model of infectious disease modified for malware where a detection event drastically changes dynamics by introducing a new class in competition with the original infection; and the Lanchester model of armed conflict, where the loss of a key capability drastically changes the effectiveness of one of the sides. We derive and demonstrate a step-by-step, repeatable method for applying our novel modeling approach to an arbitrary system, and we compare the resulting differential equations to simulations of the system's random progression. Our work leads to a simple and easily implemented method for analyzing probabilistic threshold dynamics using differential equations. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  19. Energy performance contracting - energy saving potential of selected energy conservation measures (ECM)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Johansson, M. (Dansk Energi Analyse A/S, Frederiksberg (Denmark)); Langkilde, G.; Olesen, Bjarne W. (Technical Univ. of Denmark, ICIEE, Kgs. Lyngby (Denmark)); Moerck, O. (Cenergia Energy Consultants, Herlev (Denmark)); Sundman, O. (DONG Energy, Copenhagen (Denmark)); Engelund Thomsen, K. (Aalborg Univ., SBi, Hoersholm (Denmark))

    2008-09-15

    This report has been developed under the research project 'Etablering af grundlag for energitjenester i Danmark' (project number: ENS-33031-0185) under the Danish research programme - EFP. The objective of this project has been to contribute to the utilisation of the large potential for energy conservations in the building sector within the public, industry and service sectors through the development of a better basis for decision making for both the Energy Service Companies (ESCOes) and the building owners. The EU directive on Energy Service Contracting points at the buildings as the area where the biggest potential market for energy services and energy efficiency improvements are. The EFP-project has two parts: (1) A Danish part and (2) participation in the international cooperation project 'Holistic Assesment Tool-Kit on Energy Efficient Retrofit Measures for Government Buildings (EnERGo)', Annex 46 under the IEA R and D program 'Energy Conservation In Buildings And Community Systems' (ECBCS). This report describes the Danish contributions to the IEA projects subtask B, which has a primary objective to develop a database of energy conservation measures (ECM) with descriptions and performance characteristics of these. (au)

  20. Energy performance contracting - energy saving potential of selected energy conservation measures (ECM)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Johansson, M [Dansk Energi Analyse A/S, Frederiksberg (Denmark); Langkilde, G; Olesen, Bjarne W [Technical Univ. of Denmark, ICIEE, Kgs. Lyngby (Denmark); Moerck, O [Cenergia Energy Consultants, Herlev (Denmark); Sundman, O [DONG Energy, Copenhagen (Denmark); Engelund Thomsen, K [Aalborg Univ., SBi, Hoersholm (Denmark)

    2008-09-15

    This report has been developed under the research project 'Etablering af grundlag for energitjenester i Danmark' (project number: ENS-33031-0185) under the Danish research programme - EFP. The objective of this project has been to contribute to the utilisation of the large potential for energy conservations in the building sector within the public, industry and service sectors through the development of a better basis for decision making for both the Energy Service Companies (ESCOes) and the building owners. The EU directive on Energy Service Contracting points at the buildings as the area where the biggest potential market for energy services and energy efficiency improvements are. The EFP-project has two parts: (1) A Danish part and (2) participation in the international cooperation project 'Holistic Assesment Tool-Kit on Energy Efficient Retrofit Measures for Government Buildings (EnERGo)', Annex 46 under the IEA R and D program 'Energy Conservation In Buildings And Community Systems' (ECBCS). This report describes the Danish contributions to the IEA projects subtask B, which has a primary objective to develop a database of energy conservation measures (ECM) with descriptions and performance characteristics of these. (au)

  1. A Framework for Optimizing Phytosanitary Thresholds in Seed Systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choudhury, Robin Alan; Garrett, Karen A; Klosterman, Steven J; Subbarao, Krishna V; McRoberts, Neil

    2017-10-01

    Seedborne pathogens and pests limit production in many agricultural systems. Quarantine programs help prevent the introduction of exotic pathogens into a country, but few regulations directly apply to reducing the reintroduction and spread of endemic pathogens. Use of phytosanitary thresholds helps limit the movement of pathogen inoculum through seed, but the costs associated with rejected seed lots can be prohibitive for voluntary implementation of phytosanitary thresholds. In this paper, we outline a framework to optimize thresholds for seedborne pathogens, balancing the cost of rejected seed lots and benefit of reduced inoculum levels. The method requires relatively small amounts of data, and the accuracy and robustness of the analysis improves over time as data accumulate from seed testing. We demonstrate the method first and illustrate it with a case study of seedborne oospores of Peronospora effusa, the causal agent of spinach downy mildew. A seed lot threshold of 0.23 oospores per seed could reduce the overall number of oospores entering the production system by 90% while removing 8% of seed lots destined for distribution. Alternative mitigation strategies may result in lower economic losses to seed producers, but have uncertain efficacy. We discuss future challenges and prospects for implementing this approach.

  2. The distribution choice for the threshold of solid state relay

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sun Beiyun; Zhou Hui; Cheng Xiangyue; Mao Congguang

    2009-01-01

    Either normal distribution or Weibull distribution can be accepted as sample distribution of the threshold of solid state relay. By goodness-of-fit method, bootstrap method and Bayesian method, the Weibull distribution is chosen later. (authors)

  3. Preparation and Characterization of Nano-structured Ceramic Powders Synthesized by Emulsion Combustion Method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Takatori, Kazumasa; Tani, Takao; Watanabe, Naoyoshi; Kamiya, Nobuo

    1999-01-01

    The emulsion combustion method (ECM), a novel powder production process, was originally developed to synthesize nano-structured metal-oxide powders. Metal ions in the aqueous droplets were rapidly oxidized by the combustion of the surrounding flammable liquid. The ECM achieved a small reaction field and a short reaction period to fabricate the submicron-sized hollow ceramic particles with extremely thin wall and chemically homogeneous ceramic powder. Alumina, zirconia, zirconia-ceria solid solutions and barium titanate were synthesized by the ECM process. Alumina and zirconia powders were characterized to be metastable in crystalline phase and hollow structure. The wall thickness of alumina was about 10 nm. The zirconia-ceria powders were found to be single-phase solid solutions for a wide composition range. These powders were characterized as equiaxed-shape, submicron-sized chemically homogeneous materials. The powder formation mechanism was investigated through the synthesis of barium titanate powder with different metal sources

  4. Modeling, Simulation, and Analysis of Novel Threshold Voltage Definition for Nano-MOSFET

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yashu Swami

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Threshold voltage (VTH is the indispensable vital parameter in MOSFET designing, modeling, and operation. Diverse expounds and extraction methods exist to model the on-off transition characteristics of the device. The governing gauge for efficient threshold voltage definition and extraction method can be itemized as clarity, simplicity, precision, and stability throughout the operating conditions and technology node. The outcomes of extraction methods diverge from the exact values due to various short-channel effects (SCEs and nonidealities present in the device. A new approach to define and extract the real value of VTH of MOSFET is proposed in the manuscript. The subsequent novel enhanced SCE-independent VTH extraction method named “hybrid extrapolation VTH extraction method” (HEEM is elaborated, modeled, and compared with few prevalent MOSFET threshold voltage extraction methods for validation of the results. All the results are verified by extensive 2D TCAD simulation and confirmed analytically at various technology nodes.

  5. Quantification of fibronectin as a method to assess ex vivo extracellular matrix remodeling

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bager, Cecilie Liv; Gudmann, N.; Willumsen, N.

    2016-01-01

    Altered architecture, composition and quality of the extracellular matrix (ECM) are pathological hallmarks of several inflammatory and fibro-proliferative pathological processes such as osteoarthritis (OA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), fibrosis and cancer. One of the most important components...... of the ECM is fibronectin. Fibronectin serves as an adhesion molecule anchoring cells to the underlying basement membrane through direct interaction with integrin receptors. Fibronectin hereby modulates the properties of the ECM and affects cellular processes. Quantification of fibronectin remodeling could...... therefore be used to assess the changes in the ECM that occur during progression of fibro-proliferative pathologies. Ex vivo models are becoming state-of-the-art tools to study ECM remodeling as the cellular composition and the organization of the ECM are preserved. Ex vivo models may therefore...

  6. Threshold factorization redux

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chay, Junegone; Kim, Chul

    2018-05-01

    We reanalyze the factorization theorems for the Drell-Yan process and for deep inelastic scattering near threshold, as constructed in the framework of the soft-collinear effective theory (SCET), from a new, consistent perspective. In order to formulate the factorization near threshold in SCET, we should include an additional degree of freedom with small energy, collinear to the beam direction. The corresponding collinear-soft mode is included to describe the parton distribution function (PDF) near threshold. The soft function is modified by subtracting the contribution of the collinear-soft modes in order to avoid double counting on the overlap region. As a result, the proper soft function becomes infrared finite, and all the factorized parts are free of rapidity divergence. Furthermore, the separation of the relevant scales in each factorized part becomes manifest. We apply the same idea to the dihadron production in e+e- annihilation near threshold, and show that the resultant soft function is also free of infrared and rapidity divergences.

  7. Barrier heights of plutonium isotopes from (n,n'f)-thresholds

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Knitter, H.-H.; Budtz-Joergensen, C.

    1983-01-01

    The neutron induced second chance fission cross section for the isotopes 238 Pu, 239 Pu, 240 Pu, 241 Pu, 242 Pu and 244 Pu are studied in the region of the threshold using a simple model. Numerical values are obtained for the inner fission barrier heights of the mentioned isotopes and of the nuclear temperatures governing the neutron evaporation process at incident neutron energies around the second chance fission threshold. The comparisons of the present parameters with those obtained by other methods give hints to possible insufficiencies of experimental cross section data in the region of the second chance fission threshold. (Auth.)

  8. Establishing seasonal and alert influenza thresholds in Cambodia using the WHO method: implications for effective utilization of influenza surveillance in the tropics and subtropics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ly, Sovann; Arashiro, Takeshi; Ieng, Vanra; Tsuyuoka, Reiko; Parry, Amy; Horwood, Paul; Heng, Seng; Hamid, Sarah; Vandemaele, Katelijn; Chin, Savuth; Sar, Borann; Arima, Yuzo

    2017-01-01

    To establish seasonal and alert thresholds and transmission intensity categories for influenza to provide timely triggers for preventive measures or upscaling control measures in Cambodia. Using Cambodia's influenza-like illness (ILI) and laboratory-confirmed influenza surveillance data from 2009 to 2015, three parameters were assessed to monitor influenza activity: the proportion of ILI patients among all outpatients, proportion of ILI samples positive for influenza and the product of the two. With these parameters, four threshold levels (seasonal, moderate, high and alert) were established and transmission intensity was categorized based on a World Health Organization alignment method. Parameters were compared against their respective thresholds. Distinct seasonality was observed using the two parameters that incorporated laboratory data. Thresholds established using the composite parameter, combining syndromic and laboratory data, had the least number of false alarms in declaring season onset and were most useful in monitoring intensity. Unlike in temperate regions, the syndromic parameter was less useful in monitoring influenza activity or for setting thresholds. Influenza thresholds based on appropriate parameters have the potential to provide timely triggers for public health measures in a tropical country where monitoring and assessing influenza activity has been challenging. Based on these findings, the Ministry of Health plans to raise general awareness regarding influenza among the medical community and the general public. Our findings have important implications for countries in the tropics/subtropics and in resource-limited settings, and categorized transmission intensity can be used to assess severity of potential pandemic influenza as well as seasonal influenza.

  9. Identification of a Threshold Value for the DEMATEL Method: Using the Maximum Mean De-Entropy Algorithm

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chung-Wei, Li; Gwo-Hshiung, Tzeng

    To deal with complex problems, structuring them through graphical representations and analyzing causal influences can aid in illuminating complex issues, systems, or concepts. The DEMATEL method is a methodology which can be used for researching and solving complicated and intertwined problem groups. The end product of the DEMATEL process is a visual representation—the impact-relations map—by which respondents organize their own actions in the world. The applicability of the DEMATEL method is widespread, ranging from analyzing world problematique decision making to industrial planning. The most important property of the DEMATEL method used in the multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) field is to construct interrelations between criteria. In order to obtain a suitable impact-relations map, an appropriate threshold value is needed to obtain adequate information for further analysis and decision-making. In this paper, we propose a method based on the entropy approach, the maximum mean de-entropy algorithm, to achieve this purpose. Using real cases to find the interrelationships between the criteria for evaluating effects in E-learning programs as an examples, we will compare the results obtained from the respondents and from our method, and discuss that the different impact-relations maps from these two methods.

  10. Sparse electromagnetic imaging using nonlinear iterative shrinkage thresholding

    KAUST Repository

    Desmal, Abdulla; Bagci, Hakan

    2015-01-01

    A sparse nonlinear electromagnetic imaging scheme is proposed for reconstructing dielectric contrast of investigation domains from measured fields. The proposed approach constructs the optimization problem by introducing the sparsity constraint to the data misfit between the scattered fields expressed as a nonlinear function of the contrast and the measured fields and solves it using the nonlinear iterative shrinkage thresholding algorithm. The thresholding is applied to the result of every nonlinear Landweber iteration to enforce the sparsity constraint. Numerical results demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed method in reconstructing sparse dielectric profiles.

  11. Sparse electromagnetic imaging using nonlinear iterative shrinkage thresholding

    KAUST Repository

    Desmal, Abdulla

    2015-04-13

    A sparse nonlinear electromagnetic imaging scheme is proposed for reconstructing dielectric contrast of investigation domains from measured fields. The proposed approach constructs the optimization problem by introducing the sparsity constraint to the data misfit between the scattered fields expressed as a nonlinear function of the contrast and the measured fields and solves it using the nonlinear iterative shrinkage thresholding algorithm. The thresholding is applied to the result of every nonlinear Landweber iteration to enforce the sparsity constraint. Numerical results demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed method in reconstructing sparse dielectric profiles.

  12. Threshold guidance update

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wickham, L.E.

    1986-01-01

    The Department of Energy (DOE) is developing the concept of threshold quantities for use in determining which waste materials must be handled as radioactive waste and which may be disposed of as nonradioactive waste at its sites. Waste above this concentration level would be managed as radioactive or mixed waste (if hazardous chemicals are present); waste below this level would be handled as sanitary waste. Last years' activities (1984) included the development of a threshold guidance dose, the development of threshold concentrations corresponding to the guidance dose, the development of supporting documentation, review by a technical peer review committee, and review by the DOE community. As a result of the comments, areas have been identified for more extensive analysis, including an alternative basis for selection of the guidance dose and the development of quality assurance guidelines. Development of quality assurance guidelines will provide a reasonable basis for determining that a given waste stream qualifies as a threshold waste stream and can then be the basis for a more extensive cost-benefit analysis. The threshold guidance and supporting documentation will be revised, based on the comments received. The revised documents will be provided to DOE by early November. DOE-HQ has indicated that the revised documents will be available for review by DOE field offices and their contractors

  13. The CXC chemokine cCAF stimulates precocious deposition of ECM molecules by wound fibroblasts, accelerating development of granulation tissue

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Li Qi-Jing

    2002-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background During wound repair, fibroblasts orchestrate replacement of the provisional matrix formed during clotting with tenascin, cellular fibronectin and collagen III. These, in turn, are critical for migration of endothelial cells, keratinocytes and additional fibroblasts into the wound site. Fibroblasts are also important in the deposition of collagen I during scar formation. The CXC chemokine chicken Chemotactic and Angiogenic Factor (cCAF, is highly expressed by fibroblasts after wounding and during development of the granulation tissue, especially in areas where extracellular matrix (ECM is abundant. We hypothesized that cCAF stimulates fibroblasts to produce these matrix molecules. Results Here we show that this chemokine can stimulate precocious deposition of tenascin, fibronectin and collagen I, but not collagen III. Studies in culture and in vivo show that tenascin stimulation can also be achieved by the N-terminal 15 aas of the protein and occurs at the level of gene expression. In contrast, stimulation of fibronectin and collagen I both require the entire molecule and do not involve changes in gene expression. Fibronectin accumulation appears to be linked to tenascin production, and collagen I to decreased MMP-1 levels. In addition, cCAF is chemotactic for fibroblasts and accelerates their migration. Conclusions These previously unknown functions for chemokines suggest that cCAF, the chicken orthologue of human IL-8, enhances healing by rapidly chemoattracting fibroblasts into the wound site and stimulating them to produce ECM molecules, leading to precocious development of granulation tissue. This acceleration of the repair process may have important application to healing of impaired wounds.

  14. Using ecological thresholds to inform resource management: current options and future possibilities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Melissa M Foley

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available In the face of growing human impacts on ecosystems, scientists and managers recognize the need to better understand thresholds and nonlinear dynamics in ecological systems to help set management targets. However, our understanding of the factors that drive threshold dynamics, and when and how rapidly thresholds will be crossed is currently limited in many systems. In spite of these limitations, there are approaches available to practitioners today—including ecosystem monitoring, statistical methods to identify thresholds and indicators, and threshold-based adaptive management—that can be used to help avoid ecological thresholds or restore systems that have crossed them. We briefly review the current state of knowledge and then use real-world examples to demonstrate how resource managers can use available approaches to avoid crossing ecological thresholds. We also highlight new tools and indicators being developed that have the potential to enhance our ability to detect change, predict when a system is approaching an ecological threshold, or restore systems that have already crossed a tipping point.

  15. Comparison of anaerobic threshold determined by visual and mathematical methods in healthy women

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M.N. Higa

    2007-04-01

    Full Text Available Several methods are used to estimate anaerobic threshold (AT during exercise. The aim of the present study was to compare AT obtained by a graphic visual method for the estimate of ventilatory and metabolic variables (gold standard, to a bi-segmental linear regression mathematical model of Hinkley's algorithm applied to heart rate (HR and carbon dioxide output (VCO2 data. Thirteen young (24 ± 2.63 years old and 16 postmenopausal (57 ± 4.79 years old healthy and sedentary women were submitted to a continuous ergospirometric incremental test on an electromagnetic braking cycloergometer with 10 to 20 W/min increases until physical exhaustion. The ventilatory variables were recorded breath-to-breath and HR was obtained beat-to-beat over real time. Data were analyzed by the nonparametric Friedman test and Spearman correlation test with the level of significance set at 5%. Power output (W, HR (bpm, oxygen uptake (VO2; mL kg-1 min-1, VO2 (mL/min, VCO2 (mL/min, and minute ventilation (VE; L/min data observed at the AT level were similar for both methods and groups studied (P > 0.05. The VO2 (mL kg-1 min-1 data showed significant correlation (P < 0.05 between the gold standard method and the mathematical model when applied to HR (r s = 0.75 and VCO2 (r s = 0.78 data for the subjects as a whole (N = 29. The proposed mathematical method for the detection of changes in response patterns of VCO2 and HR was adequate and promising for AT detection in young and middle-aged women, representing a semi-automatic, non-invasive and objective AT measurement.

  16. Cloud cover over the equatorial eastern Pacific derived from July 1983 International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project data using a hybrid bispectral threshold method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Minnis, Patrick; Harrison, Edwin F.; Gibson, Gary G.

    1987-01-01

    A set of visible and IR data obtained with GOES from July 17-31, 1983 is analyzed using a modified version of the hybrid bispectral threshold method developed by Minnis and Harrison (1984). This methodology can be divided into a set of procedures or optional techniques to determine the proper contaminate clear-sky temperature or IR threshold. The various optional techniques are described; the options are: standard, low-temperature limit, high-reflectance limit, low-reflectance limit, coldest pixel and thermal adjustment limit, IR-only low-cloud temperature limit, IR clear-sky limit, and IR overcast limit. Variations in the cloud parameters and the characteristics and diurnal cycles of trade cumulus and stratocumulus clouds over the eastern equatorial Pacific are examined. It is noted that the new method produces substantial changes in about one third of the cloud amount retrieval; and low cloud retrievals are affected most by the new constraints.

  17. Seizure threshold and the half-age method in bilateral electroconvulsive therapy in Japanese patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yasuda, Kazuyuki; Kobayashi, Kaoru; Yamaguchi, Masayasu; Tanaka, Koichi; Fujii, Tomokazu; Kitahara, Yuichi; Tamaoki, Toshio; Matsushita, Yutaka; Nunomura, Akihiko; Motohashi, Nobutaka

    2015-01-01

    Seizure threshold (ST) in electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has not been reported previously in Japanese patients. We investigated ST in bilateral ECT in Japanese patients using the dose-titration method. The associations between demographic and clinical characteristics and ST were analyzed to identify the predictors of ST. Finally, the validity of the half-age method for the stimulus dose was evaluated. Fifty-four Japanese patients with mood disorder, schizophrenia, and other psychotic disorders received an acute course of bilateral ECT using a brief-pulse device. ST was determined at the first session using a fixed titration schedule. ST was correlated with age, sex, body mass index, history of previous ECT, and psychotropic drugs on multiple regression analysis. Furthermore, the rate of accomplished seizures was calculated using the half-age method. Mean ST was 136 mC. ST was influenced by age, sex, history of previous ECT, and medication with benzodiazepines. The accomplished seizure rate using the half-age method was 72%, which was significantly lower in men and subjects on benzodiazepines. ST in Japanese patients was equal to or slightly higher than that previously reported in other ethnic groups, which might be attributable, at least in part, to high prevalence of and large-dose benzodiazepine prescription. Higher age, male gender, no history of ECT, and benzodiazepines were related to higher ST. The half-age method was especially useful in female patients and subjects without benzodiazepine medication. © 2014 The Authors. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences © 2014 Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology.

  18. An experimental test of the linear no-threshold theory of radiation carcinogenesis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cohen, B.L.

    1990-01-01

    There is a substantial body of quantitative information on radiation-induced cancer at high dose, but there are no data at low dose. The usual method for estimating effects of low-level radiation is to assume a linear no-threshold dependence. if this linear no-threshold assumption were not used, essentially all fears about radiation would disappear. Since these fears are costing tens of billions of dollars, it is most important that the linear no-threshold theory be tested at low dose. An opportunity for possibly testing the linear no-threshold concept is now available at low dose due to radon in homes. The purpose of this paper is to attempt to use this data to test the linear no-threshold theory

  19. Beef Quality Identification Using Thresholding Method and Decision Tree Classification Based on Android Smartphone

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kusworo Adi

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Beef is one of the animal food products that have high nutrition because it contains carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals. Therefore, the quality of beef should be maintained so that consumers get good beef quality. Determination of beef quality is commonly conducted visually by comparing the actual beef and reference pictures of each beef class. This process presents weaknesses, as it is subjective in nature and takes a considerable amount of time. Therefore, an automated system based on image processing that is capable of determining beef quality is required. This research aims to develop an image segmentation method by processing digital images. The system designed consists of image acquisition processes with varied distance, resolution, and angle. Image segmentation is done to separate the images of fat and meat using the Otsu thresholding method. Classification was carried out using the decision tree algorithm and the best accuracies were obtained at 90% for training and 84% for testing. Once developed, this system is then embedded into the android programming. Results show that the image processing technique is capable of proper marbling score identification.

  20. Treatment of threshold retinopathy of prematurity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Deshpande Dhanashree

    1998-01-01

    Full Text Available This report deals with our experience in the management of threshold retinopathy of prematurity (ROP. A total of 45 eyes of 23 infants were subjected to treatment of threshold ROP. 26.1% of these infants had a birth weight of >l,500 gm. The preferred modality of treatment was laser indirect photocoagulation, which was facilitated by scleral depression. Cryopexy was done in cases with nondilating pupils or medial haze and was always under general anaesthesia. Retreatment with either modality was needed in 42.2% eyes; in this the skip areas were covered. Total regression of diseases was achieved in 91.1% eyes with no sequelae. All the 4 eyes that progressed to stage 5 despite treatment had zone 1 disease. Major treatment-induced complications did not occur in this series. This study underscores the importance of routine screening of infants upto 2,000 gm birth weight for ROP and the excellent response that is achieved with laser photocoagulation in inducing regression of threshold ROP. Laser is the preferred method of treatment in view of the absence of treatment-related morbidity to the premature infants.

  1. Lower versus Higher Hemoglobin Threshold for Transfusion in Septic Shock

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Holst, Lars B; Haase, Nicolai; Wetterslev, Jørn

    2014-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Blood transfusions are frequently given to patients with septic shock. However, the benefits and harms of different hemoglobin thresholds for transfusion have not been established. METHODS: In this multicenter, parallel-group trial, we randomly assigned patients in the intensive care...... unit (ICU) who had septic shock and a hemoglobin concentration of 9 g per deciliter or less to receive 1 unit of leukoreduced red cells when the hemoglobin level was 7 g per deciliter or less (lower threshold) or when the level was 9 g per deciliter or less (higher threshold) during the ICU stay...... were similar in the two intervention groups. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with septic shock, mortality at 90 days and rates of ischemic events and use of life support were similar among those assigned to blood transfusion at a higher hemoglobin threshold and those assigned to blood transfusion...

  2. Comparisons of adaptive TIN modelling filtering method and threshold segmentation filtering method of LiDAR point cloud

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, Lin; Fan, Xiangtao; Du, Xiaoping

    2014-01-01

    Point cloud filtering is the basic and key step in LiDAR data processing. Adaptive Triangle Irregular Network Modelling (ATINM) algorithm and Threshold Segmentation on Elevation Statistics (TSES) algorithm are among the mature algorithms. However, few researches concentrate on the parameter selections of ATINM and the iteration condition of TSES, which can greatly affect the filtering results. First the paper presents these two key problems under two different terrain environments. For a flat area, small height parameter and angle parameter perform well and for areas with complex feature changes, large height parameter and angle parameter perform well. One-time segmentation is enough for flat areas, and repeated segmentations are essential for complex areas. Then the paper makes comparisons and analyses of the results by these two methods. ATINM has a larger I error in both two data sets as it sometimes removes excessive points. TSES has a larger II error in both two data sets as it ignores topological relations between points. ATINM performs well even with a large region and a dramatic topology while TSES is more suitable for small region with flat topology. Different parameters and iterations can cause relative large filtering differences

  3. Analyzing Sub-Threshold Bitcell Topologies and the Effects of Assist Methods on SRAM VMIN

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    James Boley

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available The need for ultra low power circuits has forced circuit designers to scale voltage supplies into the sub-threshold region where energy per operation is minimized [1]. The problem with this is that the traditional 6T SRAM bitcell, used for data storage, becomes unreliable at voltages below about 700 mV due to process variations and decreased device drive strength [2]. In order to achieve reliable operation, new bitcell topologies and assist methods have been proposed. This paper provides a comparison of four different bitcell topologies using read and write VMIN as the metrics for evaluation. In addition, read and write assist methods were tested using the periphery voltage scaling techniques discussed in [4–13]. Measurements taken from a 180 nm test chip show read functionality (without assist methods down to 500 mV and write functionality down to 600 mV. Using assist methods can reduce both read and write VMIN by 100 mV over the unassisted test case.

  4. Intermediate structure and threshold phenomena

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hategan, Cornel

    2004-01-01

    The Intermediate Structure, evidenced through microstructures of the neutron strength function, is reflected in open reaction channels as fluctuations in excitation function of nuclear threshold effects. The intermediate state supporting both neutron strength function and nuclear threshold effect is a micro-giant neutron threshold state. (author)

  5. Estimating resting motor thresholds in transcranial magnetic stimulation research and practice: a computer simulation evaluation of best methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borckardt, Jeffrey J; Nahas, Ziad; Koola, Jejo; George, Mark S

    2006-09-01

    Resting motor threshold is the basic unit of dosing in transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) research and practice. There is little consensus on how best to estimate resting motor threshold with TMS, and only a few tools and resources are readily available to TMS researchers. The current study investigates the accuracy and efficiency of 5 different approaches to motor threshold assessment for TMS research and practice applications. Computer simulation models are used to test the efficiency and accuracy of 5 different adaptive parameter estimation by sequential testing (PEST) procedures. For each approach, data are presented with respect to the mean number of TMS trials necessary to reach the motor threshold estimate as well as the mean accuracy of the estimates. A simple nonparametric PEST procedure appears to provide the most accurate motor threshold estimates, but takes slightly longer (on average, 3.48 trials) to complete than a popular parametric alternative (maximum likelihood PEST). Recommendations are made for the best starting values for each of the approaches to maximize both efficiency and accuracy. In light of the computer simulation data provided in this article, the authors review and suggest which techniques might best fit different TMS research and clinical situations. Lastly, a free user-friendly software package is described and made available on the world wide web that allows users to run all of the motor threshold estimation procedures discussed in this article for clinical and research applications.

  6. Nuclear threshold effects and neutron strength function

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hategan, Cornel; Comisel, Horia

    2003-01-01

    One proves that a Nuclear Threshold Effect is dependent, via Neutron Strength Function, on Spectroscopy of Ancestral Neutron Threshold State. The magnitude of the Nuclear Threshold Effect is proportional to the Neutron Strength Function. Evidence for relation of Nuclear Threshold Effects to Neutron Strength Functions is obtained from Isotopic Threshold Effect and Deuteron Stripping Threshold Anomaly. The empirical and computational analysis of the Isotopic Threshold Effect and of the Deuteron Stripping Threshold Anomaly demonstrate their close relationship to Neutron Strength Functions. It was established that the Nuclear Threshold Effects depend, in addition to genuine Nuclear Reaction Mechanisms, on Spectroscopy of (Ancestral) Neutron Threshold State. The magnitude of the effect is proportional to the Neutron Strength Function, in their dependence on mass number. This result constitutes also a proof that the origins of these threshold effects are Neutron Single Particle States at zero energy. (author)

  7. Stochastic generation of explicit pore structures by thresholding Gaussian random fields

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hyman, Jeffrey D., E-mail: jhyman@lanl.gov [Program in Applied Mathematics, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721-0089 (United States); Computational Earth Science, Earth and Environmental Sciences (EES-16), and Center for Nonlinear Studies, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87544 (United States); Winter, C. Larrabee, E-mail: winter@email.arizona.edu [Program in Applied Mathematics, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721-0089 (United States); Department of Hydrology and Water Resources, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721-0011 (United States)

    2014-11-15

    We provide a description and computational investigation of an efficient method to stochastically generate realistic pore structures. Smolarkiewicz and Winter introduced this specific method in pores resolving simulation of Darcy flows (Smolarkiewicz and Winter, 2010 [1]) without giving a complete formal description or analysis of the method, or indicating how to control the parameterization of the ensemble. We address both issues in this paper. The method consists of two steps. First, a realization of a correlated Gaussian field, or topography, is produced by convolving a prescribed kernel with an initial field of independent, identically distributed random variables. The intrinsic length scales of the kernel determine the correlation structure of the topography. Next, a sample pore space is generated by applying a level threshold to the Gaussian field realization: points are assigned to the void phase or the solid phase depending on whether the topography over them is above or below the threshold. Hence, the topology and geometry of the pore space depend on the form of the kernel and the level threshold. Manipulating these two user prescribed quantities allows good control of pore space observables, in particular the Minkowski functionals. Extensions of the method to generate media with multiple pore structures and preferential flow directions are also discussed. To demonstrate its usefulness, the method is used to generate a pore space with physical and hydrological properties similar to a sample of Berea sandstone. -- Graphical abstract: -- Highlights: •An efficient method to stochastically generate realistic pore structures is provided. •Samples are generated by applying a level threshold to a Gaussian field realization. •Two user prescribed quantities determine the topology and geometry of the pore space. •Multiple pore structures and preferential flow directions can be produced. •A pore space based on Berea sandstone is generated.

  8. Modeling DPOAE input/output function compression: comparisons with hearing thresholds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhagat, Shaum P

    2014-09-01

    Basilar membrane input/output (I/O) functions in mammalian animal models are characterized by linear and compressed segments when measured near the location corresponding to the characteristic frequency. A method of studying basilar membrane compression indirectly in humans involves measuring distortion-product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) I/O functions. Previous research has linked compression estimates from behavioral growth-of-masking functions to hearing thresholds. The aim of this study was to compare compression estimates from DPOAE I/O functions and hearing thresholds at 1 and 2 kHz. A prospective correlational research design was performed. The relationship between DPOAE I/O function compression estimates and hearing thresholds was evaluated with Pearson product-moment correlations. Normal-hearing adults (n = 16) aged 22-42 yr were recruited. DPOAE I/O functions (L₂ = 45-70 dB SPL) and two-interval forced-choice hearing thresholds were measured in normal-hearing adults. A three-segment linear regression model applied to DPOAE I/O functions supplied estimates of compression thresholds, defined as breakpoints between linear and compressed segments and the slopes of the compressed segments. Pearson product-moment correlations between DPOAE compression estimates and hearing thresholds were evaluated. A high correlation between DPOAE compression thresholds and hearing thresholds was observed at 2 kHz, but not at 1 kHz. Compression slopes also correlated highly with hearing thresholds only at 2 kHz. The derivation of cochlear compression estimates from DPOAE I/O functions provides a means to characterize basilar membrane mechanics in humans and elucidates the role of compression in tone detection in the 1-2 kHz frequency range. American Academy of Audiology.

  9. Directional Histogram Ratio at Random Probes: A Local Thresholding Criterion for Capillary Images

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Na; Silva, Jharon; Gu, Yu; Gerber, Scott; Wu, Hulin; Gelbard, Harris; Dewhurst, Stephen; Miao, Hongyu

    2013-01-01

    With the development of micron-scale imaging techniques, capillaries can be conveniently visualized using methods such as two-photon and whole mount microscopy. However, the presence of background staining, leaky vessels and the diffusion of small fluorescent molecules can lead to significant complexity in image analysis and loss of information necessary to accurately quantify vascular metrics. One solution to this problem is the development of accurate thresholding algorithms that reliably distinguish blood vessels from surrounding tissue. Although various thresholding algorithms have been proposed, our results suggest that without appropriate pre- or post-processing, the existing approaches may fail to obtain satisfactory results for capillary images that include areas of contamination. In this study, we propose a novel local thresholding algorithm, called directional histogram ratio at random probes (DHR-RP). This method explicitly considers the geometric features of tube-like objects in conducting image binarization, and has a reliable performance in distinguishing small vessels from either clean or contaminated background. Experimental and simulation studies suggest that our DHR-RP algorithm is superior over existing thresholding methods. PMID:23525856

  10. Thresher: an improved algorithm for peak height thresholding of microbial community profiles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Starke, Verena; Steele, Andrew

    2014-11-15

    This article presents Thresher, an improved technique for finding peak height thresholds for automated rRNA intergenic spacer analysis (ARISA) profiles. We argue that thresholds must be sample dependent, taking community richness into account. In most previous fragment analyses, a common threshold is applied to all samples simultaneously, ignoring richness variations among samples and thereby compromising cross-sample comparison. Our technique solves this problem, and at the same time provides a robust method for outlier rejection, selecting for removal any replicate pairs that are not valid replicates. Thresholds are calculated individually for each replicate in a pair, and separately for each sample. The thresholds are selected to be the ones that minimize the dissimilarity between the replicates after thresholding. If a choice of threshold results in the two replicates in a pair failing a quantitative test of similarity, either that threshold or that sample must be rejected. We compare thresholded ARISA results with sequencing results, and demonstrate that the Thresher algorithm outperforms conventional thresholding techniques. The software is implemented in R, and the code is available at http://verenastarke.wordpress.com or by contacting the author. vstarke@ciw.edu or http://verenastarke.wordpress.com Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  11. Omega-optimized portfolios: applying stochastic dominance criterion for the selection of the threshold return

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Renaldas Vilkancas

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Purpose of the article: While using asymmetric risk-return measures an important role is played by selection of the investor‘s required or threshold rate of return. The scientific literature usually states that every investor should define this rate according to their degree of risk aversion. In this paper, it is attempted to look at the problem from a different perspective – empirical research is aimed at determining the influence of the threshold rate of return on the portfolio characteristics. Methodology/methods: In order to determine the threshold rate of return a stochastic dominance criterion was used. The results are verified using the commonly applied method of backtesting. Scientific aim: The aim of this paper is to propose a method allowing selecting the threshold rate of return reliably and objectively. Findings: Empirical research confirms that stochastic dominance criteria can be successfully applied to determine the rate of return preferred by the investor. Conclusions: A risk-free investment rate or simply a zero rate of return commonly used in practice is often justified neither by theoretical nor empirical studies. This work suggests determining the threshold rate of return by applying the stochastic dominance criterion

  12. Reversible audiometric threshold changes in children with uncomplicated malaria

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Adjei, George O; Goka, Bamenla Q; Kitcher, Emmanuel

    2013-01-01

    Background. Plasmodium falciparum malaria, as well as certain antimalarial drugs, is associated with hearing impairment in adults. There is little information, however, on the extent, if any, of this effect in children, and the evidence linking artemisinin combination therapies (ACTs) with hearing...... is inconclusive. Methods. Audiometry was conducted in children with uncomplicated malaria treated with artesunate-amodiaquine (n = 37), artemether-lumefantrine (n = 35), or amodiaquine (n = 8) in Accra, Ghana. Audiometry was repeated 3, 7, and 28 days later and after 9 months. Audiometric thresholds were compared...... evident between treated children and controls after 9 months. The hearing thresholds of children treated with the two ACT regimens were comparable but lower than those of amodiaquine-treated children during acute illness. Interpretation. Malaria is the likely cause of the elevated hearing threshold levels...

  13. A New Wavelet Threshold Function and Denoising Application

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lu Jing-yi

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available In order to improve the effects of denoising, this paper introduces the basic principles of wavelet threshold denoising and traditional structures threshold functions. Meanwhile, it proposes wavelet threshold function and fixed threshold formula which are both improved here. First, this paper studies the problems existing in the traditional wavelet threshold functions and introduces the adjustment factors to construct the new threshold function basis on soft threshold function. Then, it studies the fixed threshold and introduces the logarithmic function of layer number of wavelet decomposition to design the new fixed threshold formula. Finally, this paper uses hard threshold, soft threshold, Garrote threshold, and improved threshold function to denoise different signals. And the paper also calculates signal-to-noise (SNR and mean square errors (MSE of the hard threshold functions, soft thresholding functions, Garrote threshold functions, and the improved threshold function after denoising. Theoretical analysis and experimental results showed that the proposed approach could improve soft threshold functions with constant deviation and hard threshold with discontinuous function problems. The proposed approach could improve the different decomposition scales that adopt the same threshold value to deal with the noise problems, also effectively filter the noise in the signals, and improve the SNR and reduce the MSE of output signals.

  14. CVTresh: R Package for Level-Dependent Cross-Validation Thresholding

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Donghoh Kim

    2006-04-01

    Full Text Available The core of the wavelet approach to nonparametric regression is thresholding of wavelet coefficients. This paper reviews a cross-validation method for the selection of the thresholding value in wavelet shrinkage of Oh, Kim, and Lee (2006, and introduces the R package CVThresh implementing details of the calculations for the procedures. This procedure is implemented by coupling a conventional cross-validation with a fast imputation method, so that it overcomes a limitation of data length, a power of 2. It can be easily applied to the classical leave-one-out cross-validation and K-fold cross-validation. Since the procedure is computationally fast, a level-dependent cross-validation can be developed for wavelet shrinkage of data with various sparseness according to levels.

  15. CVTresh: R Package for Level-Dependent Cross-Validation Thresholding

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Donghoh Kim

    2006-04-01

    Full Text Available The core of the wavelet approach to nonparametric regression is thresholding of wavelet coefficients. This paper reviews a cross-validation method for the selection of the thresholding value in wavelet shrinkage of Oh, Kim, and Lee (2006, and introduces the R package CVThresh implementing details of the calculations for the procedures.This procedure is implemented by coupling a conventional cross-validation with a fast imputation method, so that it overcomes a limitation of data length, a power of 2. It can be easily applied to the classical leave-one-out cross-validation and K-fold cross-validation. Since the procedure is computationally fast, a level-dependent cross-validation can be developed for wavelet shrinkage of data with various sparseness according to levels.

  16. Consolidation by Prefabricated Vertical Drains with a Threshold Gradient

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiao Guo

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper shows the development of an approximate analytical solution of radial consolidation by prefabricated vertical drains with a threshold gradient. To understand the effect of the threshold gradient on consolidation, a parametric analysis was performed using the present solution. The applicability of the present solution was demonstrated in two cases, wherein the comparisons with Hansbo’s results and observed data were conducted. It was found that (1 the flow with the threshold gradient would not occur instantaneously throughout the whole unit cell. Rather, it gradually occurs from the vertical drain to the outside; (2 the moving boundary would never reach the outer radius of influence if R+1threshold gradient is, the greater the long-term excess pore pressure will be; and (5 the present solution could predict the consolidation behavior in soft clay better than previous methods.

  17. Automated segmentation of tumors on bone scans using anatomy-specific thresholding

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chu, Gregory H.; Lo, Pechin; Kim, Hyun J.; Lu, Peiyun; Ramakrishna, Bharath; Gjertson, David; Poon, Cheryce; Auerbach, Martin; Goldin, Jonathan; Brown, Matthew S.

    2012-03-01

    Quantification of overall tumor area on bone scans may be a potential biomarker for treatment response assessment and has, to date, not been investigated. Segmentation of bone metastases on bone scans is a fundamental step for this response marker. In this paper, we propose a fully automated computerized method for the segmentation of bone metastases on bone scans, taking into account characteristics of different anatomic regions. A scan is first segmented into anatomic regions via an atlas-based segmentation procedure, which involves non-rigidly registering a labeled atlas scan to the patient scan. Next, an intensity normalization method is applied to account for varying levels of radiotracer dosing levels and scan timing. Lastly, lesions are segmented via anatomic regionspecific intensity thresholding. Thresholds are chosen by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis against manual contouring by board certified nuclear medicine physicians. A leave-one-out cross validation of our method on a set of 39 bone scans with metastases marked by 2 board-certified nuclear medicine physicians yielded a median sensitivity of 95.5%, and specificity of 93.9%. Our method was compared with a global intensity thresholding method. The results show a comparable sensitivity and significantly improved overall specificity, with a p-value of 0.0069.

  18. Hearing threshold evaluation of dentistsin Babol (North of Iran

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maryam Ehsani

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Introduction:Noise in dental offices is one of the risk factors in the workplace. One of the major effects of noise is hearing loss. This study aimed to determine the effects of noise on hearing thresholds of dentists of Babol city. Methods:This descriptive analytical cross-sectional study was performed on 40 dentists in Babol City (as case group and 40 office workers (as control group. Hearing thresholdswere measured from all the subjects. The mean hearing threshold was calculated at different frequencies in each group and compared with the number 15 db. The data were analyzed by statistical software SPSS17and p≤0.05was considered significant. Results:The mean and standard deviation of hearing thresholds for the right ear of dentists and the control group without considering the different frequencies were 13.6156±9.14210db and10.0156±5.4488db (P=0.036,respectively and for the left ear were12.5115± 8.7609db and 10.059 ± 5.9254db respectively. Hearing threshold of right and left ear of young and middle age dentists was not significant. The hearing thresholds of the dentists with work experience of 15 years or less were not significant for the right and left ear. Auditory thresholds were significant between male and female only for the left ear (P=0.02. Conclusion:There was a change in hearing thresholds at all frequencies. A clear difference was in the left ear of men and women and hearing loss was higher in men. Also, age and working experience were not among the contributing factors to the incidence of noise-induced hearing loss.

  19. Assessment of radioactive contaminations of the ground in Hanover-List with scales and methods of the German Federal Ordinance on Soil Protection and Contaminated Sites (BBodSchV). Pt. 2. Application of test thresholds and determination of need for actions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gellermann, Rainer; Guenther, Petra; Evers, Burkhard

    2010-01-01

    In Part 1 of this paper test thresholds for radionuclides in soil have been derived on the basis of methods and scales of the German Ordinance on Soil Protection (BBodSchV). In this paper, these test thresholds are checked with regard to their plausibility. Materials, methods, results are described in Part 1 of this paper. This contribution demonstrates that the test thresholds derived in Part 1 are plausible and feasible according to the requirements of the established methods. The epidemiological basis for the treatment of ionizing radiation is well founded. Risks can be quantified via the knowledge of cancer risks due to radiation. As a reference value the overall fatal risk coefficient of 5 % per Sv recommended by ICRP is used. The test thresholds obtained are sufficiently far from background levels in soils of northern Germany. Consequently, the test thresholds are applicable without any background corrections. Exposures by external radiation outdoors and exposures by inhalation of radon in cellar rooms result in calculated test thresholds in the order of background levels. Nevertheless, feasible results are obtained because in the case of toxic substances without threshold levels the additional exposures are considered for determination of test thresholds. The approach of test thresholds for radioactive soil contamination presented in Part 1 of this paper complies with the criteria of the German methods for calculation of test thresholds in soil protection regarding plausibility and feasibility. It enables the soil protection authorities to assess radioactive contaminations of the ground according to the established rules in the field of soil protection and to make decisions according to Articles 9 and 10 of the German Soil Protection Act. Part 3 of this paper discusses the application of the test thresholds and the possibilities of determining the need for remediation actions. (orig.)

  20. Improved Bat Algorithm Applied to Multilevel Image Thresholding

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adis Alihodzic

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Multilevel image thresholding is a very important image processing technique that is used as a basis for image segmentation and further higher level processing. However, the required computational time for exhaustive search grows exponentially with the number of desired thresholds. Swarm intelligence metaheuristics are well known as successful and efficient optimization methods for intractable problems. In this paper, we adjusted one of the latest swarm intelligence algorithms, the bat algorithm, for the multilevel image thresholding problem. The results of testing on standard benchmark images show that the bat algorithm is comparable with other state-of-the-art algorithms. We improved standard bat algorithm, where our modifications add some elements from the differential evolution and from the artificial bee colony algorithm. Our new proposed improved bat algorithm proved to be better than five other state-of-the-art algorithms, improving quality of results in all cases and significantly improving convergence speed.

  1. Multi-peak pattern in Multi-gap RPC time-over-threshold distributions and an offline calibration method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, R.X.; Li, C.; Sun, Y.J.; Liu, Z.; Wang, X.Z.; Heng, Y.K.; Sun, S.S.; Dai, H.L.; Wu, Z.; An, F.F.

    2017-01-01

    The Beijing Spectrometer (BESIII) has just updated its end-cap Time-of-Flight (ETOF) system, using the Multi-gap Resistive Plate Chamber (MRPC) to replace the current scintillator detectors. These MRPCs shows multi-peak phenomena in their time-over-threshold (TOT) distribution, which was also observed in the Long-strip MRPC built for the RHIC-STAR Muon Telescope Detector (MTD). After carefully investigated the correlation between the multi-peak distribution and incident hit positions along the strips, we find out that it can be semi-quantitatively explained by the signal reflections on the ends of the readout strips. Therefore a new offline calibration method was implemented on the MRPC ETOF data in BESIII, making T-TOT correlation significantly improved to evaluate the time resolution.

  2. Threshold behavior in electron-atom scattering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sadeghpour, H.R.; Greene, C.H.

    1996-01-01

    Ever since the classic work of Wannier in 1953, the process of treating two threshold electrons in the continuum of a positively charged ion has been an active field of study. The authors have developed a treatment motivated by the physics below the double ionization threshold. By modeling the double ionization as a series of Landau-Zener transitions, they obtain an analytical formulation of the absolute threshold probability which has a leading power law behavior, akin to Wannier's law. Some of the noteworthy aspects of this derivation are that the derivation can be conveniently continued below threshold giving rise to a open-quotes cuspclose quotes at threshold, and that on both sides of the threshold, absolute values of the cross sections are obtained

  3. High-Damage-Threshold Pinhole for Glass Fusion Laser Applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kumit, N.A.; Letzring, S.A.; Johnson, R.P.

    1998-01-01

    We are investigating methods to fabricate high-damage-threshold spatial-filter pinholes that might not be susceptible to plasma closure for relatively high energies and long pulses. These are based on the observation that grazing-incidence reflection from glass can withstand in excess of 5 kJ/cm 2 (normal to the beam) without plasma formation. The high damage threshold results from both the cos q spreading of the energy across the surface and the reflection of a large fraction of the energy from the surface, thereby greatly reducing the field strength within the medium

  4. Comparison of Thresholds for Pulmonary Capillary Hemorrhage Induced by Pulsed-wave and B-mode Ultrasound

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, Douglas L.; Dou, Chunyan; Raghavendran, Krishnan

    Pulsed ultrasound was found to induce pulmonary capillary hemorrhage (PCH) in mice about 25 years ago but remains a poorly understood risk factor for pulmonary diagnostic ultrasound. In early research using laboratory fixed beam ultrasound, thresholds for PCH had frequency variation from 1-4 MHz similar to the Mechanical Index. In recent research, thresholds for B mode diagnostic ultrasound from 1.5-12 MHz had little dependence on frequency. To compare the diagnostic ultrasound method to laboratory pulsed exposure, thresholds for fixed beam ultrasound were determined using comparable methods at 1.5 and 7.5 MHz. PCH thresholds were lower for simple fixed-beam pulse modes than for B mode and in approximate agreement with early research. However, for comparable timing parameters, PCH thresholds had little dependence on ultrasonic frequency. These findings suggest that the MI may not be directly useful as a dosimetric parameter for safety guidance in pulmonary ultrasound.

  5. The effects of loading history on fatigue crack growth threshold

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ogawa, Takeshi; Tokaji, Keiro; Ochi, Satoshi; Kobayashi, Hideo.

    1987-01-01

    The effects of loading history on threshold stress intensity range (ΔK th ) were investigated in a low alloy steel SFVQ1A (A508 - 3) and a low carbon steel S10C. A single overload and multiple overloads were chosen as loading history. Crack growth and crack closure following the loading histories were measured at load ratios of 0.05 and 0.70. Threshold values were determined as a fatigue limit of preloaded specimens. The ΔK th values increased with increasing overload stress intensity factor (K h ). For a given K h value, multiple overloads produced much larger increase in ΔK th than a single overload and threshold values expressed by maximum stress intensity factor (K max,th ) were almost constant, independent of stress ratio. The results obtained were discussed in terms of crack closure behaviour, and a method was proposed to evaluate the threshold value based on plasticity-induced crack closure. (author)

  6. Double Photoionization Near Threshold

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wehlitz, Ralf

    2007-01-01

    The threshold region of the double-photoionization cross section is of particular interest because both ejected electrons move slowly in the Coulomb field of the residual ion. Near threshold both electrons have time to interact with each other and with the residual ion. Also, different theoretical models compete to describe the double-photoionization cross section in the threshold region. We have investigated that cross section for lithium and beryllium and have analyzed our data with respect to the latest results in the Coulomb-dipole theory. We find that our data support the idea of a Coulomb-dipole interaction.

  7. Computational gestalts and perception thresholds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Desolneux, Agnès; Moisan, Lionel; Morel, Jean-Michel

    2003-01-01

    In 1923, Max Wertheimer proposed a research programme and method in visual perception. He conjectured the existence of a small set of geometric grouping laws governing the perceptual synthesis of phenomenal objects, or "gestalt" from the atomic retina input. In this paper, we review this set of geometric grouping laws, using the works of Metzger, Kanizsa and their schools. In continuation, we explain why the Gestalt theory research programme can be translated into a Computer Vision programme. This translation is not straightforward, since Gestalt theory never addressed two fundamental matters: image sampling and image information measurements. Using these advances, we shall show that gestalt grouping laws can be translated into quantitative laws allowing the automatic computation of gestalts in digital images. From the psychophysical viewpoint, a main issue is raised: the computer vision gestalt detection methods deliver predictable perception thresholds. Thus, we are set in a position where we can build artificial images and check whether some kind of agreement can be found between the computationally predicted thresholds and the psychophysical ones. We describe and discuss two preliminary sets of experiments, where we compared the gestalt detection performance of several subjects with the predictable detection curve. In our opinion, the results of this experimental comparison support the idea of a much more systematic interaction between computational predictions in Computer Vision and psychophysical experiments.

  8. Justifying threshold voltage definition for undoped body transistors through 'crossover point' concept

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baruah, Ratul Kumar; Mahapatra, Santanu

    2009-01-01

    Two different definitions, one is potential based and the other is charge based, are used in the literatures to define the threshold voltage of undoped body symmetric double gate transistors. This paper, by introducing a novel concept of crossover point, proves that the charge based definition is more accurate than the potential based definition. It is shown that for a given channel length the potential based definition predicts anomalous change in threshold voltage with body thickness variation while the charge based definition results in monotonous change. The threshold voltage is then extracted from drain current versus gate voltage characteristics using linear extrapolation, transconductance and match-point methods. In all the three cases it is found that trend of threshold voltage variation support the charge based definition.

  9. Cytogenetic method of determining effect of threshold values of anthropogenic factors on the plant and animal genome

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arkhipchuk, V.V.; Romanenko, V.D.; Arkhipchuk, M.V.; Kipnis, L.S.

    1993-01-01

    The use of nucleolar characteristics to access the action of physical and chemical factors on living objects is a promising trend in the creation of new and highly sensitive biological tests. The advantages of this process are that the effect of the threshold values of the anthropogenic factors is recorded as a change in functional activity of the cell genome and not as the restructuring of the karyotype. The aim of this research was to test a cytogenetic method of determining the modifying action of various factors on the plant and animal genome, based on analysis of quantitative characteristics of the nucleoli and to extend its use to different groups of organisms

  10. MMP2-A2M interaction increases ECM accumulation in aged rat kidney and its modulation by calorie restriction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Kyung Mok; Chung, Ki Wung; Jeong, Hyeong Oh; Lee, Bonggi; Kim, Dae Hyun; Park, June Whoun; Kim, Seong Min; Yu, Byung Pal; Chung, Hae Young

    2018-01-01

    Age-associated renal fibrosis is related with renal function decline during aging. Imbalance between accumulation and degradation of extracellular matrix is key feature of fibrosis. In this study, RNA-sequencing (RNA-Seq) results based on next-generation sequencing (NGS) data were analyzed to identify key proteins that change during aging and calorie restriction (CR). Among the changed genes, A2M and MMP2, which are known to interact, exhibited the highest between centrality (BC) and degree values when analyzed by protein–protein interaction (PPI). Both mRNA and protein levels of MMP2 and A2M were increased during aging. Furthermore, the interaction between MMP2 and A2M was verified by immunoprecipitation and immunohistochemistry. MMP2 activity was further measured under the presence or absence of A2M-MMP2 interaction. MMP2 activity, which was increased under the absence of A2M-MMP2 interaction, was significantly decreased under the presence of interactions in aged kidney. We further hypothesized that the interaction between A2M-MMP2 played a role in the inactivation of MMP2 leading to accumulation of ECM including collagen type I and IV. Aged kidney showed highly accumulated MMP2 substrate proteins despite of increased MMP2 protein expression and CR blunted these accumulation. Additional in vivo analysis revealed that the signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) 3 transcriptional factor was significantly increased thus increasing A2M expression during aging. STAT3 activating cytokines were also highly increased in aged kidney. In conclusion, the results of the present study indicate that A2M-MMP2 interaction has a role in age-associated renal ECM accumulation and in the suppression such fibrosis by CR. PMID:29464020

  11. Small-threshold behaviour of two-loop self-energy diagrams: two-particle thresholds

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Berends, F.A.; Davydychev, A.I.; Moskovskij Gosudarstvennyj Univ., Moscow; Smirnov, V.A.; Moskovskij Gosudarstvennyj Univ., Moscow

    1996-01-01

    The behaviour of two-loop two-point diagrams at non-zero thresholds corresponding to two-particle cuts is analyzed. The masses involved in a cut and the external momentum are assumed to be small as compared to some of the other masses of the diagram. By employing general formulae of asymptotic expansions of Feynman diagrams in momenta and masses, we construct an algorithm to derive analytic approximations to the diagrams. In such a way, we calculate several first coefficients of the expansion. Since no conditions on relative values of the small masses and the external momentum are imposed, the threshold irregularities are described analytically. Numerical examples, using diagrams occurring in the standard model, illustrate the convergence of the expansion below the first large threshold. (orig.)

  12. Threshold network of a financial market using the P-value of correlation coefficients

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ha, Gyeong-Gyun; Lee, Jae Woo; Nobi, Ashadun

    2015-06-01

    Threshold methods in financial networks are important tools for obtaining important information about the financial state of a market. Previously, absolute thresholds of correlation coefficients have been used; however, they have no relation to the length of time. We assign a threshold value depending on the size of the time window by using the P-value concept of statistics. We construct a threshold network (TN) at the same threshold value for two different time window sizes in the Korean Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI). We measure network properties, such as the edge density, clustering coefficient, assortativity coefficient, and modularity. We determine that a significant difference exists between the network properties of the two time windows at the same threshold, especially during crises. This implies that the market information depends on the length of the time window when constructing the TN. We apply the same technique to Standard and Poor's 500 (S&P500) and observe similar results.

  13. Compressively sampled MR image reconstruction using generalized thresholding iterative algorithm

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elahi, Sana; kaleem, Muhammad; Omer, Hammad

    2018-01-01

    Compressed sensing (CS) is an emerging area of interest in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). CS is used for the reconstruction of the images from a very limited number of samples in k-space. This significantly reduces the MRI data acquisition time. One important requirement for signal recovery in CS is the use of an appropriate non-linear reconstruction algorithm. It is a challenging task to choose a reconstruction algorithm that would accurately reconstruct the MR images from the under-sampled k-space data. Various algorithms have been used to solve the system of non-linear equations for better image quality and reconstruction speed in CS. In the recent past, iterative soft thresholding algorithm (ISTA) has been introduced in CS-MRI. This algorithm directly cancels the incoherent artifacts produced because of the undersampling in k -space. This paper introduces an improved iterative algorithm based on p -thresholding technique for CS-MRI image reconstruction. The use of p -thresholding function promotes sparsity in the image which is a key factor for CS based image reconstruction. The p -thresholding based iterative algorithm is a modification of ISTA, and minimizes non-convex functions. It has been shown that the proposed p -thresholding iterative algorithm can be used effectively to recover fully sampled image from the under-sampled data in MRI. The performance of the proposed method is verified using simulated and actual MRI data taken at St. Mary's Hospital, London. The quality of the reconstructed images is measured in terms of peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), artifact power (AP), and structural similarity index measure (SSIM). The proposed approach shows improved performance when compared to other iterative algorithms based on log thresholding, soft thresholding and hard thresholding techniques at different reduction factors.

  14. Standard Test Method for Measurement of Hydrogen Embrittlement Threshold in Steel by the Incremental Step Loading Technique

    CERN Document Server

    American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia

    2009-01-01

    1.1 This test method establishes a procedure to measure the susceptibility of steel to a time-delayed failure such as that caused by hydrogen. It does so by measuring the threshold for the onset of subcritical crack growth using standard fracture mechanics specimens, irregular-shaped specimens such as notched round bars, or actual product such as fasteners (2) (threaded or unthreaded) springs or components as identified in SAE J78, J81, and J1237. 1.2 This test method is used to evaluate quantitatively: 1.2.1 The relative susceptibility of steels of different composition or a steel with different heat treatments; 1.2.2 The effect of residual hydrogen in the steel as a result of processing, such as melting, thermal mechanical working, surface treatments, coatings, and electroplating; 1.2.3 The effect of hydrogen introduced into the steel caused by external environmental sources of hydrogen, such as fluids and cleaners maintenance chemicals, petrochemical products, and galvanic coupling in an aqueous enviro...

  15. Investigation of excimer laser ablation threshold of polymers using a microphone

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Krueger, Joerg; Niino, Hiroyuki; Yabe, Akira

    2002-09-30

    KrF excimer laser ablation of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyimide (PI) and polycarbonate (PC) in air was studied by an in situ monitoring technique using a microphone. The microphone signal generated by a short acoustic pulse represented the etch rate of laser ablation depending on the laser fluence, i.e., the ablation 'strength'. From a linear relationship between the microphone output voltage and the laser fluence, the single-pulse ablation thresholds were found to be 30 mJ cm{sup -2} for PET, 37 mJ cm{sup -2} for PI and 51 mJ cm{sup -2} for PC (20-pulses threshold). The ablation thresholds of PET and PI were not influenced by the number of pulses per spot, while PC showed an incubation phenomenon. A microphone technique provides a simple method to determine the excimer laser ablation threshold of polymer films.

  16. Hyper-arousal decreases human visual thresholds.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adam J Woods

    Full Text Available Arousal has long been known to influence behavior and serves as an underlying component of cognition and consciousness. However, the consequences of hyper-arousal for visual perception remain unclear. The present study evaluates the impact of hyper-arousal on two aspects of visual sensitivity: visual stereoacuity and contrast thresholds. Sixty-eight participants participated in two experiments. Thirty-four participants were randomly divided into two groups in each experiment: Arousal Stimulation or Sham Control. The Arousal Stimulation group underwent a 50-second cold pressor stimulation (immersing the foot in 0-2° C water, a technique known to increase arousal. In contrast, the Sham Control group immersed their foot in room temperature water. Stereoacuity thresholds (Experiment 1 and contrast thresholds (Experiment 2 were measured before and after stimulation. The Arousal Stimulation groups demonstrated significantly lower stereoacuity and contrast thresholds following cold pressor stimulation, whereas the Sham Control groups showed no difference in thresholds. These results provide the first evidence that hyper-arousal from sensory stimulation can lower visual thresholds. Hyper-arousal's ability to decrease visual thresholds has important implications for survival, sports, and everyday life.

  17. Near threshold absolute TDCS: First results

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roesel, T.; Schlemmer, P.; Roeder, J.; Frost, L.; Jung, K.; Ehrhardt, H.

    1992-01-01

    A new method, and first results for an impact energy 2 eV above the threshold of ionisation of helium, are presented for the measurement of absolute triple differential cross sections (TDCS) in a crossed beam experiment. The method is based upon measurement of beam/target overlap densities using known absolute total ionisation cross sections and of detection efficiencies using known absolute double differential cross sections (DDCS). For the present work the necessary absolute DDCS for 1 eV electrons had also to be measured. Results are presented for several different coplanar kinematics and are compared with recent DWBA calculations. (orig.)

  18. Dual photon excitation microscopy and image threshold segmentation in live cell imaging during compression testing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moo, Eng Kuan; Abusara, Ziad; Abu Osman, Noor Azuan; Pingguan-Murphy, Belinda; Herzog, Walter

    2013-08-09

    Morphological studies of live connective tissue cells are imperative to helping understand cellular responses to mechanical stimuli. However, photobleaching is a constant problem to accurate and reliable live cell fluorescent imaging, and various image thresholding methods have been adopted to account for photobleaching effects. Previous studies showed that dual photon excitation (DPE) techniques are superior over conventional one photon excitation (OPE) confocal techniques in minimizing photobleaching. In this study, we investigated the effects of photobleaching resulting from OPE and DPE on morphology of in situ articular cartilage chondrocytes across repeat laser exposures. Additionally, we compared the effectiveness of three commonly-used image thresholding methods in accounting for photobleaching effects, with and without tissue loading through compression. In general, photobleaching leads to an apparent volume reduction for subsequent image scans. Performing seven consecutive scans of chondrocytes in unloaded cartilage, we found that the apparent cell volume loss caused by DPE microscopy is much smaller than that observed using OPE microscopy. Applying scan-specific image thresholds did not prevent the photobleaching-induced volume loss, and volume reductions were non-uniform over the seven repeat scans. During cartilage loading through compression, cell fluorescence increased and, depending on the thresholding method used, led to different volume changes. Therefore, different conclusions on cell volume changes may be drawn during tissue compression, depending on the image thresholding methods used. In conclusion, our findings confirm that photobleaching directly affects cell morphology measurements, and that DPE causes less photobleaching artifacts than OPE for uncompressed cells. When cells are compressed during tissue loading, a complicated interplay between photobleaching effects and compression-induced fluorescence increase may lead to interpretations in

  19. The Comparison Study of Quadratic Infinite Beam Program on Optimization Instensity Modulated Radiation Therapy Treatment Planning (IMRTP) between Threshold and Exponential Scatter Method with CERR® In The Case of Lung Cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hardiyanti, Y; Haekal, M; Waris, A; Haryanto, F

    2016-01-01

    This research compares the quadratic optimization program on Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy Treatment Planning (IMRTP) with the Computational Environment for Radiotherapy Research (CERR) software. We assumed that the number of beams used for the treatment planner was about 9 and 13 beams. The case used the energy of 6 MV with Source Skin Distance (SSD) of 100 cm from target volume. Dose calculation used Quadratic Infinite beam (QIB) from CERR. CERR was used in the comparison study between Gauss Primary threshold method and Gauss Primary exponential method. In the case of lung cancer, the threshold variation of 0.01, and 0.004 was used. The output of the dose was distributed using an analysis in the form of DVH from CERR. The maximum dose distributions obtained were on the target volume (PTV) Planning Target Volume, (CTV) Clinical Target Volume, (GTV) Gross Tumor Volume, liver, and skin. It was obtained that if the dose calculation method used exponential and the number of beam 9. When the dose calculation method used the threshold and the number of beam 13, the maximum dose distributions obtained were on the target volume PTV, GTV, heart, and skin. (paper)

  20. Rainfall threshold calculation for debris flow early warning in areas with scarcity of data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pan, Hua-Li; Jiang, Yuan-Jun; Wang, Jun; Ou, Guo-Qiang

    2018-05-01

    Debris flows are natural disasters that frequently occur in mountainous areas, usually accompanied by serious loss of lives and properties. One of the most commonly used approaches to mitigate the risk associated with debris flows is the implementation of early warning systems based on well-calibrated rainfall thresholds. However, many mountainous areas have little data regarding rainfall and hazards, especially in debris-flow-forming regions. Therefore, the traditional statistical analysis method that determines the empirical relationship between rainstorms and debris flow events cannot be effectively used to calculate reliable rainfall thresholds in these areas. After the severe Wenchuan earthquake, there were plenty of deposits deposited in the gullies, which resulted in several debris flow events. The triggering rainfall threshold has decreased obviously. To get a reliable and accurate rainfall threshold and improve the accuracy of debris flow early warning, this paper developed a quantitative method, which is suitable for debris flow triggering mechanisms in meizoseismal areas, to identify rainfall threshold for debris flow early warning in areas with a scarcity of data based on the initiation mechanism of hydraulic-driven debris flow. First, we studied the characteristics of the study area, including meteorology, hydrology, topography and physical characteristics of the loose solid materials. Then, the rainfall threshold was calculated by the initiation mechanism of the hydraulic debris flow. The comparison with other models and with alternate configurations demonstrates that the proposed rainfall threshold curve is a function of the antecedent precipitation index (API) and 1 h rainfall. To test the proposed method, we selected the Guojuanyan gully, a typical debris flow valley that during the 2008-2013 period experienced several debris flow events, located in the meizoseismal areas of the Wenchuan earthquake, as a case study. The comparison with other

  1. Effects of visual erotic stimulation on vibrotactile detection thresholds in men.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiao, Chuanshu; Knight, Peter K; Weerakoon, Patricia; Turman, A Bulent

    2007-12-01

    This study examined the effects of sexual arousal on vibration detection thresholds in the right index finger of 30 healthy, heterosexual males who reported no sexual dysfunction. Vibrotactile detection thresholds at frequencies of 30, 60, and 100 Hz were assessed before and after watching erotic and control videos using a forced-choice, staircase method. A mechanical stimulator was used to produce the vibratory stimulus. Results were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance. After watching the erotic video, the vibrotactile detection thresholds at 30, 60, and 100 Hz were significantly reduced (p erotic stimulus. The results show that sexual arousal resulted in an increase in vibrotactile sensitivity to low frequency stimuli in the index finger of sexually functional men.

  2. Influence of regression model and initial intensity of an incremental test on the relationship between the lactate threshold estimated by the maximal-deviation method and running performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Santos-Concejero, Jordan; Tucker, Ross; Granados, Cristina; Irazusta, Jon; Bidaurrazaga-Letona, Iraia; Zabala-Lili, Jon; Gil, Susana María

    2014-01-01

    This study investigated the influence of the regression model and initial intensity during an incremental test on the relationship between the lactate threshold estimated by the maximal-deviation method and performance in elite-standard runners. Twenty-three well-trained runners completed a discontinuous incremental running test on a treadmill. Speed started at 9 km · h(-1) and increased by 1.5 km · h(-1) every 4 min until exhaustion, with a minute of recovery for blood collection. Lactate-speed data were fitted by exponential and polynomial models. The lactate threshold was determined for both models, using all the co-ordinates, excluding the first and excluding the first and second points. The exponential lactate threshold was greater than the polynomial equivalent in any co-ordinate condition (P performance and is independent of the initial intensity of the test.

  3. A numerical study of threshold states

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ata, M.S.; Grama, C.; Grama, N.; Hategan, C.

    1979-01-01

    There are some experimental evidences of charged particle threshold states. On the statistical background of levels, some simple structures were observed in excitation spectrum. They occur near the coulombian threshold and have a large reduced width for the decay in the threshold channel. These states were identified as charged cluster threshold states. Such threshold states were observed in sup(15,16,17,18)O, sup(18,19)F, sup(19,20)Ne, sup(24)Mg, sup(32)S. The types of clusters involved were d, t, 3 He, α and even 12 C. They were observed in heavy-ions transfer reactions in the residual nucleus as strong excited levels. The charged particle threshold states occur as simple structures at high excitation energy. They could be interesting both from nuclear structure as well as nuclear reaction mechanism point of view. They could be excited as simple structures both in compound and residual nucleus. (author)

  4. Hearing Threshold Level Inworkers of Meybod Tile Factory

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    F Nourani

    2008-04-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Occupational exposure to excessive noise is commonly encountered in a large number of industries in Iran. This study evaluated the hearing threshold and hearing loss in Meybod tile factory workers. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 371 tile factoryworkers during summer and autumn of 2005. Current noise exposure was estimated using sound level meter .A specially formatted questionnaire was used. Totoscophc examination and conductive air audiometery were used to assess the hearing loss in each subject .Finally data was analyzed using SPSS version 11.5. Results: Occupational noise increased mean of hearing threshold at all frequencies which was significant at 3, 4 KHz in both ears (p<0.05.Prevalence of hearing impairment at high and low frequencies were 39.2% and 46.5%.Prevalence of occupational NIHL was 12.9% and the odds of NIHL significantly increased with noise exposure of more than 10 years. The hearing threshold was worse in both ears of workers with tinnitus. Conclusion: High prevalence of hearing loss and NIHL emphasizes on the necessity of hearing conservational programs in tile factory workers.

  5. Conceptions of nuclear threshold status

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Quester, G.H.

    1991-01-01

    This paper reviews some alternative definitions of nuclear threshold status. Each of them is important, and major analytical confusions would result if one sense of the term is mistaken for another. The motives for nations entering into such threshold status are a blend of civilian and military gains, and of national interests versus parochial or bureaucratic interests. A portion of the rationale for threshold status emerges inevitably from the pursuit of economic goals, and another portion is made more attraction by the derives of the domestic political process. Yet the impact on international security cannot be dismissed, especially where conflicts among the states remain real. Among the military or national security motives are basic deterrence, psychological warfare, war-fighting and, more generally, national prestige. In the end, as the threshold phenomenon is assayed for lessons concerning the role of nuclear weapons more generally in international relations and security, one might conclude that threshold status and outright proliferation coverage to a degree in the motives for all of the states involved and in the advantages attained. As this paper has illustrated, nuclear threshold status is more subtle and more ambiguous than outright proliferation, and it takes considerable time to sort out the complexities. Yet the world has now had a substantial amount of time to deal with this ambiguous status, and this may tempt more states to exploit it

  6. Histogram-based automatic thresholding for bruise detection of apples by structured-illumination reflectance imaging

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thresholding is an important step in the segmentation of image features, and the existing methods are not all effective when the image histogram exhibits a unimodal pattern, which is common in defect detection of fruit. This study was aimed at developing a general automatic thresholding methodology ...

  7. Corneal Mechanical Thresholds Negatively Associate With Dry Eye and Ocular Pain Symptoms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spierer, Oriel; Felix, Elizabeth R.; McClellan, Allison L.; Parel, Jean Marie; Gonzalez, Alex; Feuer, William J.; Sarantopoulos, Constantine D.; Levitt, Roy C.; Ehrmann, Klaus; Galor, Anat

    2016-01-01

    Purpose To examine associations between corneal mechanical thresholds and metrics of dry eye. Methods This was a cross-sectional study of individuals seen in the Miami Veterans Affairs eye clinic. The evaluation consisted of questionnaires regarding dry eye symptoms and ocular pain, corneal mechanical detection and pain thresholds, and a comprehensive ocular surface examination. The main outcome measures were correlations between corneal thresholds and signs and symptoms of dry eye and ocular pain. Results A total of 129 subjects participated in the study (mean age 64 ± 10 years). Mechanical detection and pain thresholds on the cornea correlated with age (Spearman's ρ = 0.26, 0.23, respectively; both P Dry eye symptom severity scores and Neuropathic Pain Symptom Inventory (modified for the eye) scores negatively correlated with corneal detection and pain thresholds (range, r = −0.13 to −0.27, P eye pain (pain to wind, light, temperature) and explained approximately 32% of measurement variability (R = 0.57). Conclusions Mechanical detection and pain thresholds measured on the cornea are correlated with dry eye symptoms and ocular pain. This suggests hypersensitivity within the corneal somatosensory pathways in patients with greater dry eye and ocular pain complaints. PMID:26886896

  8. Using Johnson Distribution for Automatic Threshold Setting in Wind Turbine Condition Monitoring System

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Marhadi, Kun Saptohartyadi; Skrimpas, Georgios Alexandros

    2014-01-01

    not rep- resent the whole operating conditions of a turbine, which re- sults in uncertainty in the parameters of the fitted probabil- ity distribution and the thresholds calculated. In this study Johnson distribution is used to identify shape, location, and scale parameters of distribution that can best...... fit vibration data. This study shows that using Johnson distribution can elim- inate testing or fitting various distributions to the data, and have more direct approach to obtain optimal thresholds. To quantify uncertainty in the thresholds due to limited data, im- plementations with bootstrap method...

  9. Threshold Concepts in Finance: Student Perspectives

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoadley, Susan; Kyng, Tim; Tickle, Leonie; Wood, Leigh N.

    2015-01-01

    Finance threshold concepts are the essential conceptual knowledge that underpin well-developed financial capabilities and are central to the mastery of finance. In this paper we investigate threshold concepts in finance from the point of view of students, by establishing the extent to which students are aware of threshold concepts identified by…

  10. (e,2e) investigation of atomic hydrogen and helium close to threshold

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schlemmer, P.; Rosel, T.; Jung, K.; Ehrhardt, H.

    1989-01-01

    For the first time triple differential cross sections of the electron impact ionization of atomic hydrogen close to threshold have been measured. The angular correlation of the outgoing electrons have been determined at 4 eV excess energy and are compared with results obtained with helium. A method is proposed allowing to measure the range of the threshold law. The data are analyzed using a partial-wave method. Although the asymptotic states of the two processes are the same---the charge of the ion is Z=1 in both cases---the triple differential cross sections are drastically different

  11. Robust optimization of the laser induced damage threshold of dielectric mirrors for high power lasers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chorel, Marine; Lanternier, Thomas; Lavastre, Éric; Bonod, Nicolas; Bousquet, Bruno; Néauport, Jérôme

    2018-04-30

    We report on a numerical optimization of the laser induced damage threshold of multi-dielectric high reflection mirrors in the sub-picosecond regime. We highlight the interplay between the electric field distribution, refractive index and intrinsic laser induced damage threshold of the materials on the overall laser induced damage threshold (LIDT) of the multilayer. We describe an optimization method of the multilayer that minimizes the field enhancement in high refractive index materials while preserving a near perfect reflectivity. This method yields a significant improvement of the damage resistance since a maximum increase of 40% can be achieved on the overall LIDT of the multilayer.

  12. Disruption of the ECM33 Gene in Candida albicans Prevents Biofilm Formation, Engineered Human Oral Mucosa Tissue Damage and Gingival Cell Necrosis/Apoptosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mahmoud Rouabhia

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available In this study we demonstrated that ΔCaecm33 double mutant showed reduced biofilm formation and causes less damage to gingival mucosa tissues. This was confirmed by the reduced level of necrotic cells and Bax/Bcl2 gene expression as apoptotic markers. In contrast, parental and Caecm33 mutant strains decreased basement membrane protein production (laminin 5 and type IV collagen. We thus propose that ECM33 gene/protein represents a novel target for the prevention and treatment of infections caused by Candida.

  13. Influence of regression model and incremental test protocol on the relationship between lactate threshold using the maximal-deviation method and performance in female runners.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Machado, Fabiana Andrade; Nakamura, Fábio Yuzo; Moraes, Solange Marta Franzói De

    2012-01-01

    This study examined the influence of the regression model and initial intensity of an incremental test on the relationship between the lactate threshold estimated by the maximal-deviation method and the endurance performance. Sixteen non-competitive, recreational female runners performed a discontinuous incremental treadmill test. The initial speed was set at 7 km · h⁻¹, and increased every 3 min by 1 km · h⁻¹ with a 30-s rest between the stages used for earlobe capillary blood sample collection. Lactate-speed data were fitted by an exponential-plus-constant and a third-order polynomial equation. The lactate threshold was determined for both regression equations, using all the coordinates, excluding the first and excluding the first and second initial points. Mean speed of a 10-km road race was the performance index (3.04 ± 0.22 m · s⁻¹). The exponentially-derived lactate threshold had a higher correlation (0.98 ≤ r ≤ 0.99) and smaller standard error of estimate (SEE) (0.04 ≤ SEE ≤ 0.05 m · s⁻¹) with performance than the polynomially-derived equivalent (0.83 ≤ r ≤ 0.89; 0.10 ≤ SEE ≤ 0.13 m · s⁻¹). The exponential lactate threshold was greater than the polynomial equivalent (P performance index that is independent of the initial intensity of the incremental test and better than the polynomial equivalent.

  14. Establishing a rainfall threshold for flash flood warnings based on the DFFG method in Yunnan province, China

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, M.; Wang, H.; Chen, Y.; Tang, G.; Hong, Z.; Zhang, K.; Hong, Y.

    2017-12-01

    Flash floods, one of the deadliest natural hazards worldwide due to their multidisciplinary nature, rank highly in terms of heavy damage and casualties. Such as in the United States, flash flood is the No.1 cause of death and the No. 2 most deadly weather-related hazard among all storm-related hazards, with approximately 100 lives lost each year. According to China Floods and Droughts Disasters Bullet in 2015 (http://www.mwr.gov.cn/zwzc/hygb/zgshzhgb), about 935 deaths per year on average were caused by flash floods from 2000 to 2015, accounting for 73 % of the fatalities due to floods. Therefore, significant efforts have been made toward understanding flash flood processes as well as modeling and forecasting them, it still remains challenging because of their short response time and limited monitoring capacity. This study advances the use of high-resolution Global Precipitation Measurement forecasts (GPMs), disaster data obtained from the government officials in 2011 and 2016, and the improved Distributed Flash Flood Guidance (DFFG) method combining the Distributed Hydrologic Model and Soil Conservation Service Curve Numbers. The objectives of this paper are (1) to examines changes in flash flood occurrence, (2) to estimate the effect of the rainfall spatial variability ,(2) to improve the lead time in flash floods warning and get the rainfall threshold, (3) to assess the DFFG method applicability in Dongchuan catchments, and (4) to yield the probabilistic information about the forecast hydrologic response that accounts for the locational uncertainties of the GPMs. Results indicate: (1) flash flood occurrence increased in the study region, (2) the occurrence of predicted flash floods show high sensitivity to total infiltration and soil water content, (3) the DFFG method is generally capable of making accurate predictions of flash flood events in terms of their locations and time of occurrence, and (4) the accumulative rainfall over a certain time span is an

  15. Automated Analysis of Human Sperm Number and Concentration (Oligospermia) Using Otsu Threshold Method and Labelling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Susrama, I. G.; Purnama, K. E.; Purnomo, M. H.

    2016-01-01

    Oligospermia is a male fertility issue defined as a low sperm concentration in the ejaculate. Normally the sperm concentration is 20-120 million/ml, while Oligospermia patients has sperm concentration less than 20 million/ml. Sperm test done in the fertility laboratory to determine oligospermia by checking fresh sperm according to WHO standards in 2010 [9]. The sperm seen in a microscope using a Neubauer improved counting chamber and manually count the number of sperm. In order to be counted automatically, this research made an automation system to analyse and count the sperm concentration called Automated Analysis of Sperm Concentration Counters (A2SC2) using Otsu threshold segmentation process and morphology. Data sperm used is the fresh sperm directly in the analysis in the laboratory from 10 people. The test results using A2SC2 method obtained an accuracy of 91%. Thus in this study, A2SC2 can be used to calculate the amount and concentration of sperm automatically

  16. A study of the high-frequency hearing thresholds of dentistry professionals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lopes, Andréa Cintra

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: In the dentistry practice, dentists are exposed to harmful effects caused by several factors, such as the noise produced by their work instruments. In 1959, the American Dental Association recommended periodical hearing assessments and the use of ear protectors. Aquiring more information regarding dentists', dental nurses', and prosthodontists' hearing abilities is necessary to propose prevention measures and early treatment strategies. Objective: To investigate the auditory thresholds of dentists, dental nurses, and prosthodontists. Method: In this clinical and experimental study, 44 dentists (Group I; GI, 36 dental nurses (Group II; GII, and 28 prosthodontists (Group III; GIII were included, , with a total of 108 professionals. The procedures that were performed included a specific interview, ear canal inspection, conventional and high-frequency threshold audiometry, a speech reception threshold test, and an acoustic impedance test. Results: In the 3 groups that were tested, the comparison between the mean hearing thresholds provided evidence of worsened hearing ability relative to the increase in frequency. For the tritonal mean at 500 to 2,000 Hz and 3,000 to 6,000 Hz, GIII presented the worst thresholds. For the mean of the high frequencies (9,000 and 16,000 Hz, GII presented the worst thresholds. Conclusion: The conventional hearing threshold evaluation did not demonstrate alterations in the 3 groups that were tested; however, the complementary tests such as high-frequency audiometry provided greater efficacy in the early detection of hearing problems, since this population's hearing loss impaired hearing ability at frequencies that are not tested by the conventional tests. Therefore, we emphasize the need of utilizing high-frequency threshold audiometry in the hearing assessment routine in combination with other audiological tests.

  17. Influence of process parameters on threshold voltage and leakage current in 18nm NMOS device

    Science.gov (United States)

    Atan, Norani Binti; Ahmad, Ibrahim Bin; Majlis, Burhanuddin Bin Yeop; Fauzi, Izzati Binti Ahmad

    2015-04-01

    The process parameters are very crucial factor in the development of transistors. There are many process parameters that influenced in the development of the transistors. In this research, we investigate the effects of the process parameters variation on response characteristics such as threshold voltage (VTH) and sub-threshold leakage current (IOFF) in 18nm NMOS device. The technique to identify semiconductor process parameters whose variability would impact most on the device characteristic is realized through the process by using Taguchi robust design method. This paper presents the process parameters that influenced in threshold voltage (VTH) and sub-threshold leakage current (IOFF) which includes the Halo Implantation, Compensation Implantation, Adjustment Threshold voltage Implantation and Source/Drain Implantation. The design, fabrication and characterization of 18nm HfO2/TiSi2 NMOS device is simulated and performed via a tool called Virtual Wafer Fabrication (VWF) Silvaco TCAD Tool known as ATHENA and ATLAS simulators. These two simulators were combined with Taguchi L9 Orthogonal method to aid in the design and the optimization of the process parameters to achieve the optimum average of threshold voltage (VTH) and sub-threshold leakage current, (IOFF) in 18nm device. Results from this research were obtained; where Halo Implantation dose was identified as one of the process parameter that has the strongest effect on the response characteristics. Whereby the Compensation Implantation dose was identified as an adjustment factor to get the nominal values of threshold voltage VTH, and sub-threshold leakage current, IOFF for 18nm NMOS devices equal to 0.302849 volts and 1.9123×10-16 A/μm respectively. The design values are referred to ITRS 2011 prediction.

  18. Pollutant threshold concentration determination in marine ecosystems using an ecological interaction endpoint

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Changyou; Liang, Shengkang; Guo, Wenting; Yu, Hua; Xing, Wenhui

    2015-01-01

    The threshold concentrations of pollutants are determined by extrapolating single-species effect data to community-level effects. This assumes the most sensitive endpoint of the life cycle of individuals and the species sensitivity distribution from single-species toxic effect tests, thus, ignoring the ecological interactions. The uncertainties due to this extrapolation can be partially overcome using the equilibrium point of a customized ecosystem. This method incorporates ecological interactions and integrates the effects on growth, survival, and ingestion into a single effect measure, the equilibrium point excursion in the customized ecosystem, in order to describe the toxic effects on plankton. A case study showed that the threshold concentration of copper calculated with the endpoint of the equilibrium point was 10 μg L −1 , which is significantly different from the threshold calculated with a single-species endpoint. The endpoint calculated using this method provides a more relevant measure of the ecological impact than any single individual-level endpoint. - Highlights: • Ecotoxicological effect of exposure to copper was tested on a customized ecosystem. • Equilibrium point of biomasses in the customized ecosystem was used as an endpoint. • Exposure–response relationship in a community level was built on equilibrium point. • A threshold concentration incorporating ecological interactions was derived. - The equilibrium biomass incorporating ecological interactions in a customized ecosystem was used as an endpoint to calculate the threshold concentration at a community level

  19. Rainfall thresholds as a landslide indicator for engineered slopes on the Irish Rail network

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martinović, Karlo; Gavin, Kenneth; Reale, Cormac; Mangan, Cathal

    2018-04-01

    Rainfall thresholds express the minimum levels of rainfall that need to be reached or exceeded in order for landslides to occur in a particular area. They are a common tool in expressing the temporal portion of landslide hazard analysis. Numerous rainfall thresholds have been developed for different areas worldwide, however none of these are focused on landslides occurring on the engineered slopes on transport infrastructure networks. This paper uses empirical method to develop the rainfall thresholds for landslides on the Irish Rail network earthworks. For comparison, rainfall thresholds are also developed for natural terrain in Ireland. The results show that particular thresholds involving relatively low rainfall intensities are applicable for Ireland, owing to the specific climate. Furthermore, the comparison shows that rainfall thresholds for engineered slopes are lower than those for landslides occurring on the natural terrain. This has severe implications as it indicates that there is a significant risk involved when using generic weather alerts (developed largely for natural terrain) for infrastructure management, and showcases the need for developing railway and road specific rainfall thresholds for landslides.

  20. At-Risk-of-Poverty Threshold

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Táňa Dvornáková

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available European Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC is a survey on households’ living conditions. The main aim of the survey is to get long-term comparable data on social and economic situation of households. Data collected in the survey are used mainly in connection with the evaluation of income poverty and determinationof at-risk-of-poverty rate. This article deals with the calculation of the at risk-of-poverty threshold based on data from EU-SILC 2009. The main task is to compare two approaches to the computation of at riskof-poverty threshold. The first approach is based on the calculation of the threshold for each country separately,while the second one is based on the calculation of the threshold for all states together. The introduction summarizes common attributes in the calculation of the at-risk-of-poverty threshold, such as disposable household income, equivalised household income. Further, different approaches to both calculations are introduced andadvantages and disadvantages of these approaches are stated. Finally, the at-risk-of-poverty rate calculation is described and comparison of the at-risk-of-poverty rates based on these two different approaches is made.

  1. Determination of Cost-Effectiveness Threshold for Health Care Interventions in Malaysia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lim, Yen Wei; Shafie, Asrul Akmal; Chua, Gin Nie; Ahmad Hassali, Mohammed Azmi

    2017-09-01

    One major challenge in prioritizing health care using cost-effectiveness (CE) information is when alternatives are more expensive but more effective than existing technology. In such a situation, an external criterion in the form of a CE threshold that reflects the willingness to pay (WTP) per quality-adjusted life-year is necessary. To determine a CE threshold for health care interventions in Malaysia. A cross-sectional, contingent valuation study was conducted using a stratified multistage cluster random sampling technique in four states in Malaysia. One thousand thirteen respondents were interviewed in person for their socioeconomic background, quality of life, and WTP for a hypothetical scenario. The CE thresholds established using the nonparametric Turnbull method ranged from MYR12,810 to MYR22,840 (~US $4,000-US $7,000), whereas those estimated with the parametric interval regression model were between MYR19,929 and MYR28,470 (~US $6,200-US $8,900). Key factors that affected the CE thresholds were education level, estimated monthly household income, and the description of health state scenarios. These findings suggest that there is no single WTP value for a quality-adjusted life-year. The CE threshold estimated for Malaysia was found to be lower than the threshold value recommended by the World Health Organization. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Nonclassicality threshold for the three-qubit Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger state

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vertesi, Tamas; Pal, Karoly F.

    2011-01-01

    The nonclassical properties of the noisy three-qubit Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) states, ρ v =v|GHZ> v is nonclassical for the parameter range 1/2< v≤1. It has been posed whether additional settings would allow to lower the threshold visibility. Here we report on Bell inequalities giving a threshold value smaller than v=1/2. This rules out the possibility of a local hidden variable model in the limit of v=1/2. In particular, the lowest threshold visibility we found is v=0.496 057, attainable with 5x5x5 settings, whereas the most economical one in number of settings corresponds to 3x3x4 settings. The method which enabled us to obtain these results, and in particular the about 10 000 tight Bell inequalities giving v<1/2, are also discussed in detail.

  3. An accelerated threshold-based back-projection algorithm for Compton camera image reconstruction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mundy, Daniel W.; Herman, Michael G.

    2011-01-01

    Purpose: Compton camera imaging (CCI) systems are currently under investigation for radiotherapy dose reconstruction and verification. The ability of such a system to provide real-time images during dose delivery will be limited by the computational speed of the image reconstruction algorithm. In this work, the authors present a fast and simple method by which to generate an initial back-projected image from acquired CCI data, suitable for use in a filtered back-projection algorithm or as a starting point for iterative reconstruction algorithms, and compare its performance to the current state of the art. Methods: Each detector event in a CCI system describes a conical surface that includes the true point of origin of the detected photon. Numerical image reconstruction algorithms require, as a first step, the back-projection of each of these conical surfaces into an image space. The algorithm presented here first generates a solution matrix for each slice of the image space by solving the intersection of the conical surface with the image plane. Each element of the solution matrix is proportional to the distance of the corresponding voxel from the true intersection curve. A threshold function was developed to extract those pixels sufficiently close to the true intersection to generate a binary intersection curve. This process is repeated for each image plane for each CCI detector event, resulting in a three-dimensional back-projection image. The performance of this algorithm was tested against a marching algorithm known for speed and accuracy. Results: The threshold-based algorithm was found to be approximately four times faster than the current state of the art with minimal deficit to image quality, arising from the fact that a generically applicable threshold function cannot provide perfect results in all situations. The algorithm fails to extract a complete intersection curve in image slices near the detector surface for detector event cones having axes nearly

  4. A Comparison of the Cluster-Span Threshold and the Union of Shortest Paths as Objective Thresholds of EEG Functional Connectivity Networks from Beta Activity in Alzhaimer’s Disease

    OpenAIRE

    Smith, K; Abasolo, Daniel Emilio; Escudero, J

    2016-01-01

    The Cluster-Span Threshold (CST) is a recently introduced unbiased threshold for functional connectivity networks. This binarisation technique offers a natural trade-off of sparsity and density of information by balancing the ratio of closed to open triples in the network topology. Here we present findings comparing it with the Union of Shortest Paths (USP), another recently proposed objective method. We analyse standard network metrics of binarised networks for sensitivity to clinical Alzhei...

  5. Summary of DOE threshold limits efforts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wickham, L.E.; Smith, C.F.; Cohen, J.J.

    1987-01-01

    The Department of Energy (DOE) has been developing the concept of threshold quantities for use in determining which waste materials may be disposed of as nonradioactive waste in DOE sanitary landfills. Waste above a threshold level could be managed as radioactive or mixed waste (if hazardous chemicals are present); waste below this level would be handled as sanitary waste. After extensive review of a draft threshold guidance document in 1985, a second draft threshold background document was produced in March 1986. The second draft included a preliminary cost-benefit analysis and quality assurance considerations. The review of the second draft has been completed. Final changes to be incorporated include an in-depth cost-benefit analysis of two example sites and recommendations of how to further pursue (i.e. employ) the concept of threshold quantities within the DOE. 3 references

  6. Pollutant threshold concentration determination in marine ecosystems using an ecological interaction endpoint.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Changyou; Liang, Shengkang; Guo, Wenting; Yu, Hua; Xing, Wenhui

    2015-09-01

    The threshold concentrations of pollutants are determined by extrapolating single-species effect data to community-level effects. This assumes the most sensitive endpoint of the life cycle of individuals and the species sensitivity distribution from single-species toxic effect tests, thus, ignoring the ecological interactions. The uncertainties due to this extrapolation can be partially overcome using the equilibrium point of a customized ecosystem. This method incorporates ecological interactions and integrates the effects on growth, survival, and ingestion into a single effect measure, the equilibrium point excursion in the customized ecosystem, in order to describe the toxic effects on plankton. A case study showed that the threshold concentration of copper calculated with the endpoint of the equilibrium point was 10 μg L(-1), which is significantly different from the threshold calculated with a single-species endpoint. The endpoint calculated using this method provides a more relevant measure of the ecological impact than any single individual-level endpoint. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Comparison of skin sensory thresholds using pre-programmed or single-frequency transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kang, Jong Ho

    2015-12-01

    [Purpose] The purpose of the present study was to compare the sensory thresholds of healthy subjects using pre-programmed or single-frequency transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation. [Subjects] Ninety healthy adult subjects were randomly assigned to pre-programmed or single-frequency stimulation groups, each consisting of 45 participants. [Methods] Sensory thresholds were measured in the participants' forearms using von Frey filaments before and after pre-programmed or single-frequency transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, and the result in values were analyzed. [Results] Significant increases in sensory threshold after stimulation were observed in both groups. However, there were no significant differences between the two groups in sensory thresholds after stimulation or in the magnitude of threshold increases following stimulation. [Conclusion] Our results show that there are no differences between sensory threshold increases induced by pre-programmed and single-frequency transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation.

  8. ECG signal performance de-noising assessment based on threshold tuning of dual-tree wavelet transform.

    Science.gov (United States)

    El B'charri, Oussama; Latif, Rachid; Elmansouri, Khalifa; Abenaou, Abdenbi; Jenkal, Wissam

    2017-02-07

    Since the electrocardiogram (ECG) signal has a low frequency and a weak amplitude, it is sensitive to miscellaneous mixed noises, which may reduce the diagnostic accuracy and hinder the physician's correct decision on patients. The dual tree wavelet transform (DT-WT) is one of the most recent enhanced versions of discrete wavelet transform. However, threshold tuning on this method for noise removal from ECG signal has not been investigated yet. In this work, we shall provide a comprehensive study on the impact of the choice of threshold algorithm, threshold value, and the appropriate wavelet decomposition level to evaluate the ECG signal de-noising performance. A set of simulations is performed on both synthetic and real ECG signals to achieve the promised results. First, the synthetic ECG signal is used to observe the algorithm response. The evaluation results of synthetic ECG signal corrupted by various types of noise has showed that the modified unified threshold and wavelet hyperbolic threshold de-noising method is better in realistic and colored noises. The tuned threshold is then used on real ECG signals from the MIT-BIH database. The results has shown that the proposed method achieves higher performance than the ordinary dual tree wavelet transform into all kinds of noise removal from ECG signal. The simulation results indicate that the algorithm is robust for all kinds of noises with varying degrees of input noise, providing a high quality clean signal. Moreover, the algorithm is quite simple and can be used in real time ECG monitoring.

  9. Doctoral conceptual thresholds in cellular and molecular biology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feldon, David F.; Rates, Christopher; Sun, Chongning

    2017-12-01

    In the biological sciences, very little is known about the mechanisms by which doctoral students acquire the skills they need to become independent scientists. In the postsecondary biology education literature, identification of specific skills and effective methods for helping students to acquire them are limited to undergraduate education. To establish a foundation from which to investigate the developmental trajectory of biologists' research skills, it is necessary to identify those skills which are integral to doctoral study and distinct from skills acquired earlier in students' educational pathways. In this context, the current study engages the framework of threshold concepts to identify candidate skills that are both obstacles and significant opportunities for developing proficiency in conducting research. Such threshold concepts are typically characterised as transformative, integrative, irreversible, and challenging. The results from interviews and focus groups with current and former doctoral students in cellular and molecular biology suggest two such threshold concepts relevant to their subfield: the first is an ability to effectively engage primary research literature from the biological sciences in a way that is critical without dismissing the value of its contributions. The second is the ability to conceptualise appropriate control conditions necessary to design and interpret the results of experiments in an efficient and effective manner for research in the biological sciences as a discipline. Implications for prioritising and sequencing graduate training experiences are discussed on the basis of the identified thresholds.

  10. Passive Sonar Target Detection Using Statistical Classifier and Adaptive Threshold

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hamed Komari Alaie

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents the results of an experimental investigation about target detecting with passive sonar in Persian Gulf. Detecting propagated sounds in the water is one of the basic challenges of the researchers in sonar field. This challenge will be complex in shallow water (like Persian Gulf and noise less vessels. Generally, in passive sonar, the targets are detected by sonar equation (with constant threshold that increases the detection error in shallow water. The purpose of this study is proposed a new method for detecting targets in passive sonars using adaptive threshold. In this method, target signal (sound is processed in time and frequency domain. For classifying, Bayesian classification is used and posterior distribution is estimated by Maximum Likelihood Estimation algorithm. Finally, target was detected by combining the detection points in both domains using Least Mean Square (LMS adaptive filter. Results of this paper has showed that the proposed method has improved true detection rate by about 24% when compared other the best detection method.

  11. Four-body calculation above four-body break-up threshold

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Uzu, E.; Kamada, H.; Koike, Y.

    2005-01-01

    The complex energy method [Prog. Theor. Phys. 109, 869L (2003)] is applied to the four body Faddeev-Yakubovsky equations in the four nucleon system. We obtain a well converged solution in all energy regions below and above the four nucleon break-up threshold

  12. Parton distributions with threshold resummation

    CERN Document Server

    Bonvini, Marco; Rojo, Juan; Rottoli, Luca; Ubiali, Maria; Ball, Richard D.; Bertone, Valerio; Carrazza, Stefano; Hartland, Nathan P.

    2015-01-01

    We construct a set of parton distribution functions (PDFs) in which fixed-order NLO and NNLO calculations are supplemented with soft-gluon (threshold) resummation up to NLL and NNLL accuracy respectively, suitable for use in conjunction with any QCD calculation in which threshold resummation is included at the level of partonic cross sections. These resummed PDF sets, based on the NNPDF3.0 analysis, are extracted from deep-inelastic scattering, Drell-Yan, and top quark pair production data, for which resummed calculations can be consistently used. We find that, close to threshold, the inclusion of resummed PDFs can partially compensate the enhancement in resummed matrix elements, leading to resummed hadronic cross-sections closer to the fixed-order calculation. On the other hand, far from threshold, resummed PDFs reduce to their fixed-order counterparts. Our results demonstrate the need for a consistent use of resummed PDFs in resummed calculations.

  13. Effect of threshold quantization in opportunistic splitting algorithm

    KAUST Repository

    Nam, Haewoon

    2011-12-01

    This paper discusses algorithms to find the optimal threshold and also investigates the impact of threshold quantization on the scheduling outage performance of the opportunistic splitting scheduling algorithm. Since this algorithm aims at finding the user with the highest channel quality within the minimal number of mini-slots by adjusting the threshold every mini-slot, optimizing the threshold is of paramount importance. Hence, in this paper we first discuss how to compute the optimal threshold along with two tight approximations for the optimal threshold. Closed-form expressions are provided for those approximations for simple calculations. Then, we consider linear quantization of the threshold to take the limited number of bits for signaling messages in practical systems into consideration. Due to the limited granularity for the quantized threshold value, an irreducible scheduling outage floor is observed. The numerical results show that the two approximations offer lower scheduling outage probability floors compared to the conventional algorithm when the threshold is quantized. © 2006 IEEE.

  14. Functionalized hybrid nanofibers to mimic native ECM for tissue engineering applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Karuppuswamy, Priyadharsini; Venugopal, Jayarama Reddy; Navaneethan, Balchandar; Laiva, Ashang Luwang; Sridhar, Sreepathy; Ramakrishna, Seeram

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Functionalized hybrid polymer mats fabricated for tissue engineering. • Hybrid polymer mats showed high surface area, high porosity and good wettability. • Incorporation of natural polymers modified the properties of nanofiber mats more biologically favorable for biomedical applications. - Abstract: Nanotechnology being one of the most promising technologies today shows an extremely huge potential in the field of tissue engineering to mimic the porous topography of natural extracellular matrix (ECM). Natural polymers are incorporated into the synthetic polymers to fabricate functionalized hybrid nanofibrous scaffolds, which improve cell and tissue compatibility. The present study identified the biopolymers – aloe vera, silk fibroin and curcumin incorporated into polycaprolactone (PCL) as suitable substrates for tissue engineering. Different combinations of PCL with natural polymers – PCL/aloe vera, PCL/silk fibroin, PCL/aloe vera/silk fibroin, PCL/aloe vera/silk fibroin/curcumin were electrospun into nanofibrous scaffolds. The fabricated two dimensional nanofibrous scaffolds showed high surface area, appropriate mechanical properties, hydrophilicity and porosity, required for the regeneration of diseased tissues. The nanofibrous scaffolds were characterized by Scanning electron microscope (SEM), porometry, Instron tensile tester, VCA optima contact angle measurement and FTIR to analyze the fiber diameter and morphology, porosity and pore size distribution, mechanical strength, wettability, chemical bonds and functional groups, respectively. The average fiber diameter of obtained fibers ranged from 250 nm to 350 nm and the tensile strength of PCL scaffolds at 4.49 MPa increased upto 8.3 MPa for PCL/silk fibroin scaffolds. Hydrophobicity of PCL decreased with the incorporation of natural polymers, especially for PCL/aloe vera scaffolds. The properties of as-spun nanofiber scaffolds showed their potential as promising scaffold materials in

  15. Functionalized hybrid nanofibers to mimic native ECM for tissue engineering applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Karuppuswamy, Priyadharsini [Center for Nanofibers and Nanotechnology, Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Initiative, Faculty of Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore (Singapore); Department Physics and Nanotechnology, SRM University, Kattankulathur, Chennai (India); Department of Engineering and System Science, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan (China); Venugopal, Jayarama Reddy, E-mail: nnijrv@nus.edu.sg [Center for Nanofibers and Nanotechnology, Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Initiative, Faculty of Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore (Singapore); Navaneethan, Balchandar [Center for Nanofibers and Nanotechnology, Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Initiative, Faculty of Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore (Singapore); Department Physics and Nanotechnology, SRM University, Kattankulathur, Chennai (India); Laiva, Ashang Luwang; Sridhar, Sreepathy; Ramakrishna, Seeram [Center for Nanofibers and Nanotechnology, Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Initiative, Faculty of Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore (Singapore)

    2014-12-15

    Highlights: • Functionalized hybrid polymer mats fabricated for tissue engineering. • Hybrid polymer mats showed high surface area, high porosity and good wettability. • Incorporation of natural polymers modified the properties of nanofiber mats more biologically favorable for biomedical applications. - Abstract: Nanotechnology being one of the most promising technologies today shows an extremely huge potential in the field of tissue engineering to mimic the porous topography of natural extracellular matrix (ECM). Natural polymers are incorporated into the synthetic polymers to fabricate functionalized hybrid nanofibrous scaffolds, which improve cell and tissue compatibility. The present study identified the biopolymers – aloe vera, silk fibroin and curcumin incorporated into polycaprolactone (PCL) as suitable substrates for tissue engineering. Different combinations of PCL with natural polymers – PCL/aloe vera, PCL/silk fibroin, PCL/aloe vera/silk fibroin, PCL/aloe vera/silk fibroin/curcumin were electrospun into nanofibrous scaffolds. The fabricated two dimensional nanofibrous scaffolds showed high surface area, appropriate mechanical properties, hydrophilicity and porosity, required for the regeneration of diseased tissues. The nanofibrous scaffolds were characterized by Scanning electron microscope (SEM), porometry, Instron tensile tester, VCA optima contact angle measurement and FTIR to analyze the fiber diameter and morphology, porosity and pore size distribution, mechanical strength, wettability, chemical bonds and functional groups, respectively. The average fiber diameter of obtained fibers ranged from 250 nm to 350 nm and the tensile strength of PCL scaffolds at 4.49 MPa increased upto 8.3 MPa for PCL/silk fibroin scaffolds. Hydrophobicity of PCL decreased with the incorporation of natural polymers, especially for PCL/aloe vera scaffolds. The properties of as-spun nanofiber scaffolds showed their potential as promising scaffold materials in

  16. Threshold couplings of phase-conjugate mirrors with two interaction regions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beli, M; Petrovi, M; Sandfuchs, O; Kaiser, F

    1998-03-01

    Using the grating-action method, we determine the threshold coupling strengths of three generic examples of phase-conjugate mirrors with two interaction regions: the cat conjugator, the mutually incoherent beam coupler, and the interconnected ring mirror.

  17. Identification of ecological thresholds from variations in phytoplankton communities among lakes: contribution to the definition of environmental standards.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roubeix, Vincent; Danis, Pierre-Alain; Feret, Thibaut; Baudoin, Jean-Marc

    2016-04-01

    In aquatic ecosystems, the identification of ecological thresholds may be useful for managers as it can help to diagnose ecosystem health and to identify key levers to enable the success of preservation and restoration measures. A recent statistical method, gradient forest, based on random forests, was used to detect thresholds of phytoplankton community change in lakes along different environmental gradients. It performs exploratory analyses of multivariate biological and environmental data to estimate the location and importance of community thresholds along gradients. The method was applied to a data set of 224 French lakes which were characterized by 29 environmental variables and the mean abundances of 196 phytoplankton species. Results showed the high importance of geographic variables for the prediction of species abundances at the scale of the study. A second analysis was performed on a subset of lakes defined by geographic thresholds and presenting a higher biological homogeneity. Community thresholds were identified for the most important physico-chemical variables including water transparency, total phosphorus, ammonia, nitrates, and dissolved organic carbon. Gradient forest appeared as a powerful method at a first exploratory step, to detect ecological thresholds at large spatial scale. The thresholds that were identified here must be reinforced by the separate analysis of other aquatic communities and may be used then to set protective environmental standards after consideration of natural variability among lakes.

  18. Large Covariance Estimation by Thresholding Principal Orthogonal Complements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fan, Jianqing; Liao, Yuan; Mincheva, Martina

    2013-09-01

    This paper deals with the estimation of a high-dimensional covariance with a conditional sparsity structure and fast-diverging eigenvalues. By assuming sparse error covariance matrix in an approximate factor model, we allow for the presence of some cross-sectional correlation even after taking out common but unobservable factors. We introduce the Principal Orthogonal complEment Thresholding (POET) method to explore such an approximate factor structure with sparsity. The POET estimator includes the sample covariance matrix, the factor-based covariance matrix (Fan, Fan, and Lv, 2008), the thresholding estimator (Bickel and Levina, 2008) and the adaptive thresholding estimator (Cai and Liu, 2011) as specific examples. We provide mathematical insights when the factor analysis is approximately the same as the principal component analysis for high-dimensional data. The rates of convergence of the sparse residual covariance matrix and the conditional sparse covariance matrix are studied under various norms. It is shown that the impact of estimating the unknown factors vanishes as the dimensionality increases. The uniform rates of convergence for the unobserved factors and their factor loadings are derived. The asymptotic results are also verified by extensive simulation studies. Finally, a real data application on portfolio allocation is presented.

  19. Log canonical thresholds of smooth Fano threefolds

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cheltsov, Ivan A; Shramov, Konstantin A

    2008-01-01

    The complex singularity exponent is a local invariant of a holomorphic function determined by the integrability of fractional powers of the function. The log canonical thresholds of effective Q-divisors on normal algebraic varieties are algebraic counterparts of complex singularity exponents. For a Fano variety, these invariants have global analogues. In the former case, it is the so-called α-invariant of Tian; in the latter case, it is the global log canonical threshold of the Fano variety, which is the infimum of log canonical thresholds of all effective Q-divisors numerically equivalent to the anticanonical divisor. An appendix to this paper contains a proof that the global log canonical threshold of a smooth Fano variety coincides with its α-invariant of Tian. The purpose of the paper is to compute the global log canonical thresholds of smooth Fano threefolds (altogether, there are 105 deformation families of such threefolds). The global log canonical thresholds are computed for every smooth threefold in 64 deformation families, and the global log canonical thresholds are computed for a general threefold in 20 deformation families. Some bounds for the global log canonical thresholds are computed for 14 deformation families. Appendix A is due to J.-P. Demailly.

  20. An Algorithm of Auto-Update Threshold for Singularity Analysis of Pipeline Pressure

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jinhai Liu

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available A precise auto-update threshold algorithm (AUTA which imitates the short-term memory of human brain is proposed to search singularities in pipeline pressure signal. According to the characteristics of the pressure signal, the pressure can be divided into two states known as nonsteady state and steady state. The AUTA can distinguish these two states and then choose corresponding method to calculate the dynamic thresholds of pressure variation in real time. Then, the parameters of AUTA are analyzed to determine their values or ranges. Finally, in the simulations to the actual pressure signal from oil pipelines, we verified the effectiveness of AUTA in estimating the dynamic threshold value of pressure.

  1. Comparison of different approaches to determine the bursting threshold at ANKA

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schoenfeldt, Patrik; Hiller, Nicole; Judin, Vitali; Mueller, Anke-Susanne [Karlsruher Institut fuer Technologie (KIT), Karlsruhe (Germany)

    2013-07-01

    The synchrotron light source ANKA at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology provides a dedicated low-α-optics. In this mode bursting of Coherent Synchrotron Radiation (CSR) is observed for bunch charges above a threshold that depends on beam parameters. This threshold can be determined by several approaches, e.g. bunch lengthening or changes in the THz radiation spectra. This talk compares different methods and their implementation at the ANKA storage ring outlining their advantages, disadvantages and limitations, including reliability and possibility of real time analysis.

  2. Calculating the dim light melatonin onset: the impact of threshold and sampling rate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Molina, Thomas A; Burgess, Helen J

    2011-10-01

    The dim light melatonin onset (DLMO) is the most reliable circadian phase marker in humans, but the cost of assaying samples is relatively high. Therefore, the authors examined differences between DLMOs calculated from hourly versus half-hourly sampling and differences between DLMOs calculated with two recommended thresholds (a fixed threshold of 3 pg/mL and a variable "3k" threshold equal to the mean plus two standard deviations of the first three low daytime points). The authors calculated these DLMOs from salivary dim light melatonin profiles collected from 122 individuals (64 women) at baseline. DLMOs derived from hourly sampling occurred on average only 6-8 min earlier than the DLMOs derived from half-hourly saliva sampling, and they were highly correlated with each other (r ≥ 0.89, p 30 min from the DLMO derived from half-hourly sampling. The 3 pg/mL threshold produced significantly less variable DLMOs than the 3k threshold. However, the 3k threshold was significantly lower than the 3 pg/mL threshold (p < .001). The DLMOs calculated with the 3k method were significantly earlier (by 22-24 min) than the DLMOs calculated with the 3 pg/mL threshold, regardless of sampling rate. These results suggest that in large research studies and clinical settings, the more affordable and practical option of hourly sampling is adequate for a reasonable estimate of circadian phase. Although the 3 pg/mL fixed threshold is less variable than the 3k threshold, it produces estimates of the DLMO that are further from the initial rise of melatonin.

  3. Dating currency crises with ad hoc and extreme value-based thresholds : East Asia 1970-2002 [dating currency crises

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Lestano, L; Jacobs, Jan P. A. M.

    2007-01-01

    Generally a currency crisis is defined to occur if an index of currency pressure exceeds a threshold. This paper compares currency crisis dating methods. For two definitions of currency pressure we contrast ad hoc and extreme value-based thresholds. We illustrate the methods with data of six East

  4. Dynamics of the helium atom close to the full fragmentation threshold: Ionization excitation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bouri, C.; Selles, P.; Malegat, L.; Teuler, J.M.; Njock, M. Kwato; Kazansky, A.K.

    2005-01-01

    The hyperspherical R-matrix method with semiclassical outgoing waves, designed to provide accurate double-ionization cross sections, is extended to allow for the computation of ionization-excitation data of comparable quality. Accordingly, it appears now as a complete method for treating the correlated dynamics of two-electron atoms, in particular above their full fragmentation threshold. Cross sections σ n and asymmetry parameters β n are obtained for single photoionization of helium with excitation of the residual ion up to as high a level as n=50 at 0.1 eV above the double-ionization threshold. These data are extrapolated to infinite values of n in order to check widespread assumptions regarding this limit. Our data are found consistent with the assumed n -3 dependence of the partial ionization cross sections. However, the β ∞ =-0.636 obtained still lies far from the -1 value expected at the double-ionization threshold

  5. Rate modulation detection thresholds for cochlear implant users.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brochier, Tim; McKay, Colette; McDermott, Hugh

    2018-02-01

    The perception of temporal amplitude modulations is critical for speech understanding by cochlear implant (CI) users. The present study compared the ability of CI users to detect sinusoidal modulations of the electrical stimulation rate and current level, at different presentation levels (80% and 40% of the dynamic range) and modulation frequencies (10 and 100 Hz). Rate modulation detection thresholds (RMDTs) and amplitude modulation detection thresholds (AMDTs) were measured and compared to assess whether there was a perceptual advantage to either modulation method. Both RMDTs and AMDTs improved with increasing presentation level and decreasing modulation frequency. RMDTs and AMDTs were correlated, indicating that a common processing mechanism may underlie the perception of rate modulation and amplitude modulation, or that some subject-dependent factors affect both types of modulation detection.

  6. Threshold Concepts and Information Literacy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Townsend, Lori; Brunetti, Korey; Hofer, Amy R.

    2011-01-01

    What do we teach when we teach information literacy in higher education? This paper describes a pedagogical approach to information literacy that helps instructors focus content around transformative learning thresholds. The threshold concept framework holds promise for librarians because it grounds the instructor in the big ideas and underlying…

  7. Fluorescently labeled bevacizumab in human breast cancer: defining the classification threshold

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koch, Maximilian; de Jong, Johannes S.; Glatz, Jürgen; Symvoulidis, Panagiotis; Lamberts, Laetitia E.; Adams, Arthur L. L.; Kranendonk, Mariëtte E. G.; Terwisscha van Scheltinga, Anton G. T.; Aichler, Michaela; Jansen, Liesbeth; de Vries, Jakob; Lub-de Hooge, Marjolijn N.; Schröder, Carolien P.; Jorritsma-Smit, Annelies; Linssen, Matthijs D.; de Boer, Esther; van der Vegt, Bert; Nagengast, Wouter B.; Elias, Sjoerd G.; Oliveira, Sabrina; Witkamp, Arjen J.; Mali, Willem P. Th. M.; Van der Wall, Elsken; Garcia-Allende, P. Beatriz; van Diest, Paul J.; de Vries, Elisabeth G. E.; Walch, Axel; van Dam, Gooitzen M.; Ntziachristos, Vasilis

    2017-07-01

    In-vivo fluorescently labelled drug (bevacizumab) breast cancer specimen where obtained from patients. We propose a new structured method to determine the optimal classification threshold in targeted fluorescence intra-operative imaging.

  8. A Threshold Continuum for Aeolian Sand Transport

    Science.gov (United States)

    Swann, C.; Ewing, R. C.; Sherman, D. J.

    2015-12-01

    The threshold of motion for aeolian sand transport marks the initial entrainment of sand particles by the force of the wind. This is typically defined and modeled as a singular wind speed for a given grain size and is based on field and laboratory experimental data. However, the definition of threshold varies significantly between these empirical models, largely because the definition is based on visual-observations of initial grain movement. For example, in his seminal experiments, Bagnold defined threshold of motion when he observed that 100% of the bed was in motion. Others have used 50% and lesser values. Differences in threshold models, in turn, result is large errors in predicting the fluxes associated with sand and dust transport. Here we use a wind tunnel and novel sediment trap to capture the fractions of sand in creep, reptation and saltation at Earth and Mars pressures and show that the threshold of motion for aeolian sand transport is best defined as a continuum in which grains progress through stages defined by the proportion of grains in creep and saltation. We propose the use of scale dependent thresholds modeled by distinct probability distribution functions that differentiate the threshold based on micro to macro scale applications. For example, a geologic timescale application corresponds to a threshold when 100% of the bed in motion whereas a sub-second application corresponds to a threshold when a single particle is set in motion. We provide quantitative measurements (number and mode of particle movement) corresponding to visual observations, percent of bed in motion and degrees of transport intermittency for Earth and Mars. Understanding transport as a continuum provides a basis for revaluating sand transport thresholds on Earth, Mars and Titan.

  9. New multispectral MRI data fusion technique for white matter lesion segmentation: method and comparison with thresholding in FLAIR images

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Del C Valdes Hernandez, Maria; Ferguson, Karen J.; Chappell, Francesca M.; Wardlaw, Joanna M.

    2010-01-01

    Brain tissue segmentation by conventional threshold-based techniques may have limited accuracy and repeatability in older subjects. We present a new multispectral magnetic resonance (MR) image analysis approach for segmenting normal and abnormal brain tissue, including white matter lesions (WMLs). We modulated two 1.5T MR sequences in the red/green colour space and calculated the tissue volumes using minimum variance quantisation. We tested it on 14 subjects, mean age 73.3 ± 10 years, representing the full range of WMLs and atrophy. We compared the results of WML segmentation with those using FLAIR-derived thresholds, examined the effect of sampling location, WML amount and field inhomogeneities, and tested observer reliability and accuracy. FLAIR-derived thresholds were significantly affected by the location used to derive the threshold (P = 0.0004) and by WML volume (P = 0.0003), and had higher intra-rater variability than the multispectral technique (mean difference ± SD: 759 ± 733 versus 69 ± 326 voxels respectively). The multispectral technique misclassified 16 times fewer WMLs. Initial testing suggests that the multispectral technique is highly reproducible and accurate with the potential to be applied to routinely collected clinical MRI data. (orig.)

  10. Iran: the next nuclear threshold state?

    OpenAIRE

    Maurer, Christopher L.

    2014-01-01

    Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited A nuclear threshold state is one that could quickly operationalize its peaceful nuclear program into one capable of producing a nuclear weapon. This thesis compares two known threshold states, Japan and Brazil, with Iran to determine if the Islamic Republic could also be labeled a threshold state. Furthermore, it highlights the implications such a status could have on U.S. nonproliferation policy. Although Iran's nuclear program is mir...

  11. Time over threshold readout method of SiPM based small animal PET detector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Valastyan, I.; Gal, J.; Hegyesi, G.; Kalinka, G.; Nagy, F.; Kiraly, B.; Imrek, J.; Molnar, J.

    2012-01-01

    Complete text of publication follows. The aim of the work was to design a readout concept for silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) sensor array used in small animal PET scanner. The detector module consist of LYSO 35x35 scintillation crystals, 324 SiPM sensors (arranged in 2x2 blocks and those quads in a 9x9 configuration) and FPGA based readout electronics. The dimensions of the SiPM matrix are area: 48x48 mm 2 and the size of one SiPM sensor is 1.95x2.2 mm 2 . Due to the high dark current of the SiPM, conventional Anger based readout method does not provide sufficient crystal position maps. Digitizing the 324 SiPM channels is a straightforward way to obtain proper crystal position maps. However handling hundreds of analogue input channels and the required DSP resources cause large racks of data acquisition electronics. Therefore coding of the readout channels is required. Proposed readout method: The coding of the 324 SiPMs consists two steps: Step 1) Reduction of the channels from 324 to 36: Row column readout, SiPMs are connected to each other in column by column and row-by row, thus the required channels are 36. The dark current of 18 connected SiPMs is small in off for identifying pulses coming from scintillating events. Step 2) Reduction of the 18 rows and columns to 4 channels: Comparators were connected to each rows and columns, and the level was set above the level of dark noise. Therefore only few comparators are active when scintillation light enters in the tile. The output of the comparator rows and columns are divided to two parts using resistor chains. Then the outputs of the resistor chains are digitized by a 4 channel ADC. However instead of the Anger method, time over threshold (ToT) was used. Figure 1 shows the readout concept of the SiPM matrix. In order to validate the new method and optimize the front-end electronics of the detector, the analogue signals were digitized before the comparators using a CAEN DT5740 32 channel digitizer, then the

  12. The influence of gender and bruxism on human minimum interdental threshold ability

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Patrícia dos Santos Calderon

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the influence of gender and bruxism on the ability to discriminate minimum interdental threshold. MATERIAL AND METHODS: One hundred and fifteen individuals, representing both genders, bruxers and non-bruxers, with a mean age of 23.64 years, were selected for this study. For group allocation, every individual was subjected to a specific physical examination to detect bruxism (performed by three different examiners. Evaluation of the ability to discriminate minimum interdental threshold was performed using industrialized 0.010 mm-, 0.024 mm-, 0.030 mm-, 0.050 mm-, 0.080 mm- and 0.094 mm-thick aluminum foils that were placed between upper and lower premolars. Data were analyzed statistically by multiple linear regression analysis at 5% significance level. RESULTS: Neither gender nor bruxism influenced the ability to discriminate minimum interdental threshold (p>0.05. CONCLUSIONS: Gender and the presence of bruxism do not play a role in the minimum interdental threshold.

  13. Hydrometeorological threshold conditions for debris flow initiation in Norway

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N. K. Meyer

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available Debris flows, triggered by extreme precipitation events and rapid snow melt, cause considerable damage to the Norwegian infrastructure every year. To define intensity-duration (ID thresholds for debris flow initiation critical water supply conditions arising from intensive rainfall or snow melt were assessed on the basis of daily hydro-meteorological information for 502 documented debris flow events. Two threshold types were computed: one based on absolute ID relationships and one using ID relationships normalized by the local precipitation day normal (PDN. For each threshold type, minimum, medium and maximum threshold values were defined by fitting power law curves along the 10th, 50th and 90th percentiles of the data population. Depending on the duration of the event, the absolute threshold intensities needed for debris flow initiation vary between 15 and 107 mm day−1. Since the PDN changes locally, the normalized thresholds show spatial variations. Depending on location, duration and threshold level, the normalized threshold intensities vary between 6 and 250 mm day−1. The thresholds obtained were used for a frequency analysis of over-threshold events giving an estimation of the exceedance probability and thus potential for debris flow events in different parts of Norway. The absolute thresholds are most often exceeded along the west coast, while the normalized thresholds are most frequently exceeded on the west-facing slopes of the Norwegian mountain ranges. The minimum thresholds derived in this study are in the range of other thresholds obtained for regions with a climate comparable to Norway. Statistics reveal that the normalized threshold is more reliable than the absolute threshold as the former shows no spatial clustering of debris flows related to water supply events captured by the threshold.

  14. 11 CFR 9036.1 - Threshold submission.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... credit or debit card, including one made over the Internet, the candidate shall provide sufficient... section shall not count toward the threshold amount. (c) Threshold certification by Commission. (1) After...

  15. Differences in two-point discrimination and sensory threshold in the blind between braille and text reading: a pilot study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Noh, Ji-Woong; Park, Byoung-Sun; Kim, Mee-Young; Lee, Lim-Kyu; Yang, Seung-Min; Lee, Won-Deok; Shin, Yong-Sub; Kang, Ji-Hye; Kim, Ju-Hyun; Lee, Jeong-Uk; Kwak, Taek-Yong; Lee, Tae-Hyun; Kim, Ju-Young; Kim, Junghwan

    2015-06-01

    [Purpose] This study investigated two-point discrimination (TPD) and the electrical sensory threshold of the blind to define the effect of using Braille on the tactile and electrical senses. [Subjects and Methods] Twenty-eight blind participants were divided equally into a text-reading and a Braille-reading group. We measured tactile sensory and electrical thresholds using the TPD method and a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulator. [Results] The left palm TPD values were significantly different between the groups. The values of the electrical sensory threshold in the left hand, the electrical pain threshold in the left hand, and the electrical pain threshold in the right hand were significantly lower in the Braille group than in the text group. [Conclusion] These findings make it difficult to explain the difference in tactility between groups, excluding both palms. However, our data show that using Braille can enhance development of the sensory median nerve in the blind, particularly in terms of the electrical sensory and pain thresholds.

  16. Stability thresholds of a disk-shaped Migma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wong, H.V.; Rosenbluth, M.N.; Berk, H.L.

    1988-08-01

    The stability of a Migma disc is re-examined to determined the threshold to the interchange instability. It is shown that a previous calculation which assumes a rigid mode eigenfunction, is inaccurate at the predicted particle number for marginal stability. As a result the integral equation for the system must be solved. A variational method of solution is developed and is shown to give good agreement with a direct numerical solution is developed and is shown to give good agreement with a direct numerical solution. The threshold for instability is found to be sensitive to the details of the distribution function. For highly focused system, where all ions pass close to the axis, the threshold particle number (N/sup u1/) for instability is substantially below that predicted by rigid mode theory (N/sup rigid/)(by a factor /approximately/8ε 2 where ε = r 1 /r/sub L/, r 1 the spread in the distance of closest approach to the axis and r/sub L/ the ion Larmor radius). At a higher density a second band of stability appears that again destabilizes at yet higher article number (N/sub u2/). If ε /much lt/ 1, N/sub u2/ is substantially below the rigid mode prediction, while for 0.2 < ε < 0.3, N/sub u2/ is comparable to the rigid mode prediction. At moderate values of ε(ε ∼ 0.3 /minus/ 0.4) the second stability band disappears and the instability particle number threshold varies from about .4ε, when ε = 0.4, to .7ε when ε is about unity. The stability criteria wound be consistent with the observed particle storage number obtained in experimental configurations if the spread in ε is sufficiently large. 11 refs., 6 figs., 6 tabs

  17. THRESHOLD DETERMINATION FOR LOCAL INSTANTANEOUS SEA SURFACE HEIGHT DERIVATION WITH ICEBRIDGE DATA IN BEAUFORT SEA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. Zhu

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available The NASA Operation IceBridge (OIB mission is the largest program in the Earth’s polar remote sensing science observation project currently, initiated in 2009, which collects airborne remote sensing measurements to bridge the gap between NASA’s ICESat and the upcoming ICESat-2 mission. This paper develop an improved method that optimizing the selection method of Digital Mapping System (DMS image and using the optimal threshold obtained by experiments in Beaufort Sea to calculate the local instantaneous sea surface height in this area. The optimal threshold determined by comparing manual selection with the lowest (Airborne Topographic Mapper ATM L1B elevation threshold of 2 %, 1 %, 0.5 %, 0.2 %, 0.1 % and 0.05 % in A, B, C sections, the mean of mean difference are 0.166 m, 0.124 m, 0.083 m, 0.018 m, 0.002 m and −0.034 m. Our study shows the lowest L1B data of 0.1 % is the optimal threshold. The optimal threshold and manual selections are also used to calculate the instantaneous sea surface height over images with leads, we find that improved methods has closer agreement with those from L1B manual selections. For these images without leads, the local instantaneous sea surface height estimated by using the linear equations between distance and sea surface height calculated over images with leads.

  18. Estimating population extinction thresholds with categorical classification trees for Louisiana black bears.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laufenberg, Jared S; Clark, Joseph D; Chandler, Richard B

    2018-01-01

    Monitoring vulnerable species is critical for their conservation. Thresholds or tipping points are commonly used to indicate when populations become vulnerable to extinction and to trigger changes in conservation actions. However, quantitative methods to determine such thresholds have not been well explored. The Louisiana black bear (Ursus americanus luteolus) was removed from the list of threatened and endangered species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act in 2016 and our objectives were to determine the most appropriate parameters and thresholds for monitoring and management action. Capture mark recapture (CMR) data from 2006 to 2012 were used to estimate population parameters and variances. We used stochastic population simulations and conditional classification trees to identify demographic rates for monitoring that would be most indicative of heighted extinction risk. We then identified thresholds that would be reliable predictors of population viability. Conditional classification trees indicated that annual apparent survival rates for adult females averaged over 5 years ([Formula: see text]) was the best predictor of population persistence. Specifically, population persistence was estimated to be ≥95% over 100 years when [Formula: see text], suggesting that this statistic can be used as threshold to trigger management intervention. Our evaluation produced monitoring protocols that reliably predicted population persistence and was cost-effective. We conclude that population projections and conditional classification trees can be valuable tools for identifying extinction thresholds used in monitoring programs.

  19. Estimating population extinction thresholds with categorical classification trees for Louisiana black bears.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jared S Laufenberg

    Full Text Available Monitoring vulnerable species is critical for their conservation. Thresholds or tipping points are commonly used to indicate when populations become vulnerable to extinction and to trigger changes in conservation actions. However, quantitative methods to determine such thresholds have not been well explored. The Louisiana black bear (Ursus americanus luteolus was removed from the list of threatened and endangered species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act in 2016 and our objectives were to determine the most appropriate parameters and thresholds for monitoring and management action. Capture mark recapture (CMR data from 2006 to 2012 were used to estimate population parameters and variances. We used stochastic population simulations and conditional classification trees to identify demographic rates for monitoring that would be most indicative of heighted extinction risk. We then identified thresholds that would be reliable predictors of population viability. Conditional classification trees indicated that annual apparent survival rates for adult females averaged over 5 years ([Formula: see text] was the best predictor of population persistence. Specifically, population persistence was estimated to be ≥95% over 100 years when [Formula: see text], suggesting that this statistic can be used as threshold to trigger management intervention. Our evaluation produced monitoring protocols that reliably predicted population persistence and was cost-effective. We conclude that population projections and conditional classification trees can be valuable tools for identifying extinction thresholds used in monitoring programs.

  20. Estimating population extinction thresholds with categorical classification trees for Louisiana black bears

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laufenberg, Jared S.; Clark, Joseph D.; Chandler, Richard B.

    2018-01-01

    Monitoring vulnerable species is critical for their conservation. Thresholds or tipping points are commonly used to indicate when populations become vulnerable to extinction and to trigger changes in conservation actions. However, quantitative methods to determine such thresholds have not been well explored. The Louisiana black bear (Ursus americanus luteolus) was removed from the list of threatened and endangered species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act in 2016 and our objectives were to determine the most appropriate parameters and thresholds for monitoring and management action. Capture mark recapture (CMR) data from 2006 to 2012 were used to estimate population parameters and variances. We used stochastic population simulations and conditional classification trees to identify demographic rates for monitoring that would be most indicative of heighted extinction risk. We then identified thresholds that would be reliable predictors of population viability. Conditional classification trees indicated that annual apparent survival rates for adult females averaged over 5 years () was the best predictor of population persistence. Specifically, population persistence was estimated to be ≥95% over 100 years when , suggesting that this statistic can be used as threshold to trigger management intervention. Our evaluation produced monitoring protocols that reliably predicted population persistence and was cost-effective. We conclude that population projections and conditional classification trees can be valuable tools for identifying extinction thresholds used in monitoring programs.

  1. Physico-chemical thresholds in the distribution of fish species among French lakes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roubeix Vincent

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The management of lakes requires the definition of physico-chemical thresholds to be used for ecosystem preservation or restoration. According to the European Water Framework Directive, the limits between physico-chemical quality classes must be set consistently with biological quality elements. One way to do this consists in analyzing the response of aquatic communities to environmental gradients across monitoring sites and in identifying ecological community thresholds, i.e. zones in the gradients where the species turnover is the highest. In this study, fish data from 196 lakes in France were considered to derive ecological thresholds using the multivariate method of gradient forest. The analysis was performed on 25 species and 36 environmental parameters. The results revealed the highest importance of maximal water temperature in the distribution of fish species. Other important parameters included geographical factors, dissolved organic carbon concentration and water transparency, while nutrients appeared to have low influence. In spite of the diversity of species responses to the gradients, community thresholds were detected in the gradients of the most important physico-chemical parameters and of total phosphorus and nitrate concentrations as well. The thresholds identified in such macroecological study may highlight new patterns of species natural distribution and improve niche characterization. Moreover, when factors that may be influenced by human activities are involved, the thresholds could be used to set environmental standards for lake preservation.

  2. Superstring threshold corrections to Yukawa couplings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Antoniadis, I.; Taylor, T.R.

    1992-12-01

    A general method of computing string corrections to the Kaehler metric and Yukawa couplings is developed at the one-loop level for a general compactification of the heterotic superstring theory. It also provides a direct determination of the so-called Green-Schwarz term. The matter metric has an infrared divergent part which reproduces the field-theoretical anomalous dimensions, and a moduli-dependent part which gives rise to threshold corrections in the physical Yukawa couplings. Explicit expressions are derived for symmetric orbifold compactifications. (author). 20 refs

  3. Fitting psychometric functions using a fixed-slope parameter: an advanced alternative for estimating odor thresholds with data generated by ASTM E679.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peng, Mei; Jaeger, Sara R; Hautus, Michael J

    2014-03-01

    Psychometric functions are predominately used for estimating detection thresholds in vision and audition. However, the requirement of large data quantities for fitting psychometric functions (>30 replications) reduces their suitability in olfactory studies because olfactory response data are often limited (ASTM) E679. The slope parameter of the individual-judge psychometric function is fixed to be the same as that of the group function; the same-shaped symmetrical sigmoid function is fitted only using the intercept. This study evaluated the proposed method by comparing it with 2 available methods. Comparison to conventional psychometric functions (fitted slope and intercept) indicated that the assumption of a fixed slope did not compromise precision of the threshold estimates. No systematic difference was obtained between the proposed method and the ASTM method in terms of group threshold estimates or threshold distributions, but there were changes in the rank, by threshold, of judges in the group. Overall, the fixed-slope psychometric function is recommended for obtaining relatively reliable individual threshold estimates when the quantity of data is limited.

  4. High-frequency (8 to 16 kHz) reference thresholds and intrasubject threshold variability relative to ototoxicity criteria using a Sennheiser HDA 200 earphone.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frank, T

    2001-04-01

    The first purpose of this study was to determine high-frequency (8 to 16 kHz) thresholds for standardizing reference equivalent threshold sound pressure levels (RETSPLs) for a Sennheiser HDA 200 earphone. The second and perhaps more important purpose of this study was to determine whether repeated high-frequency thresholds using a Sennheiser HDA 200 earphone had a lower intrasubject threshold variability than the ASHA 1994 significant threshold shift criteria for ototoxicity. High-frequency thresholds (8 to 16 kHz) were obtained for 100 (50 male, 50 female) normally hearing (0.25 to 8 kHz) young adults (mean age of 21.2 yr) in four separate test sessions using a Sennheiser HDA 200 earphone. The mean and median high-frequency thresholds were similar for each test session and increased as frequency increased. At each frequency, the high-frequency thresholds were not significantly (p > 0.05) different for gender, test ear, or test session. The median thresholds at each frequency were similar to the 1998 interim ISO RETSPLs; however, large standard deviations and wide threshold distributions indicated very high intersubject threshold variability, especially at 14 and 16 kHz. Threshold repeatability was determined by finding the threshold differences between each possible test session comparison (N = 6). About 98% of all of the threshold differences were within a clinically acceptable range of +/-10 dB from 8 to 14 kHz. The threshold differences between each subject's second, third, and fourth minus their first test session were also found to determine whether intrasubject threshold variability was less than the ASHA 1994 criteria for determining a significant threshold shift due to ototoxicity. The results indicated a false-positive rate of 0% for a threshold shift > or = 20 dB at any frequency and a false-positive rate of 2% for a threshold shift >10 dB at two consecutive frequencies. This study verified that the output of high-frequency audiometers at 0 dB HL using

  5. Stepwise threshold clustering: a new method for genotyping MHC loci using next-generation sequencing technology.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    William E Stutz

    Full Text Available Genes of the vertebrate major histocompatibility complex (MHC are of great interest to biologists because of their important role in immunity and disease, and their extremely high levels of genetic diversity. Next generation sequencing (NGS technologies are quickly becoming the method of choice for high-throughput genotyping of multi-locus templates like MHC in non-model organisms. Previous approaches to genotyping MHC genes using NGS technologies suffer from two problems:1 a "gray zone" where low frequency alleles and high frequency artifacts can be difficult to disentangle and 2 a similar sequence problem, where very similar alleles can be difficult to distinguish as two distinct alleles. Here were present a new method for genotyping MHC loci--Stepwise Threshold Clustering (STC--that addresses these problems by taking full advantage of the increase in sequence data provided by NGS technologies. Unlike previous approaches for genotyping MHC with NGS data that attempt to classify individual sequences as alleles or artifacts, STC uses a quasi-Dirichlet clustering algorithm to cluster similar sequences at increasing levels of sequence similarity. By applying frequency and similarity based criteria to clusters rather than individual sequences, STC is able to successfully identify clusters of sequences that correspond to individual or similar alleles present in the genomes of individual samples. Furthermore, STC does not require duplicate runs of all samples, increasing the number of samples that can be genotyped in a given project. We show how the STC method works using a single sample library. We then apply STC to 295 threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus samples from four populations and show that neighboring populations differ significantly in MHC allele pools. We show that STC is a reliable, accurate, efficient, and flexible method for genotyping MHC that will be of use to biologists interested in a variety of downstream applications.

  6. Why GHQ threshold varies from one place to another

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Goldberg, DP; Oldehinkel, T; Ormel, J

    Background. No convincing explanation has been forthcoming for the variation in best threshold to adopt for the GHQ in different settings. Methods. Data dealing with the GHQ and the CIDI in 15 cities from a recent WHO study was subjected to further analysis. Results. The mean number of CIDI symptoms

  7. Thermotactile perception thresholds measurement conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maeda, Setsuo; Sakakibara, Hisataka

    2002-10-01

    The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of posture, push force and rate of temperature change on thermotactile thresholds and to clarify suitable measuring conditions for Japanese people. Thermotactile (warm and cold) thresholds on the right middle finger were measured with an HVLab thermal aesthesiometer. Subjects were eight healthy male Japanese students. The effects of posture in measurement were examined in the posture of a straight hand and forearm placed on a support, the same posture without a support, and the fingers and hand flexed at the wrist with the elbow placed on a desk. The finger push force applied to the applicator of the thermal aesthesiometer was controlled at a 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 N. The applicator temperature was changed to 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5 degrees C/s. After each measurement, subjects were asked about comfort under the measuring conditions. Three series of experiments were conducted on different days to evaluate repeatability. Repeated measures ANOVA showed that warm thresholds were affected by the push force and the rate of temperature change and that cold thresholds were influenced by posture and push force. The comfort assessment indicated that the measurement posture of a straight hand and forearm laid on a support was the most comfortable for the subjects. Relatively high repeatability was obtained under measurement conditions of a 1 degrees C/s temperature change rate and a 0.5 N push force. Measurement posture, push force and rate of temperature change can affect the thermal threshold. Judging from the repeatability, a push force of 0.5 N and a temperature change of 1.0 degrees C/s in the posture with the straight hand and forearm laid on a support are recommended for warm and cold threshold measurements.

  8. DOE approach to threshold quantities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wickham, L.E.; Kluk, A.F.; Department of Energy, Washington, DC)

    1985-01-01

    The Department of Energy (DOE) is developing the concept of threshold quantities for use in determining which waste materials must be handled as radioactive waste and which may be disposed of as nonradioactive waste at its sites. Waste above this concentration level would be managed as radioactive or mixed waste (if hazardous chemicals are present); waste below this level would be handled as sanitary waste. Ideally, the threshold must be set high enough to significantly reduce the amount of waste requiring special handling. It must also be low enough so that waste at the threshold quantity poses a very small health risk and multiple exposures to such waste would still constitute a small health risk. It should also be practical to segregate waste above or below the threshold quantity using available instrumentation. Guidance is being prepared to aid DOE sites in establishing threshold quantity values based on pathways analysis using site-specific parameters (waste stream characteristics, maximum exposed individual, population considerations, and site specific parameters such as rainfall, etc.). A guidance dose of between 0.001 to 1.0 mSv/y (0.1 to 100 mrem/y) was recommended with 0.3 mSv/y (30 mrem/y) selected as the guidance dose upon which to base calculations. Several tasks were identified, beginning with the selection of a suitable pathway model for relating dose to the concentration of radioactivity in the waste. Threshold concentrations corresponding to the guidance dose were determined for waste disposal sites at a selected humid and arid site. Finally, cost-benefit considerations at the example sites were addressed. The results of the various tasks are summarized and the relationship of this effort with related developments at other agencies discussed

  9. The impact of pre-selected variance inflation factor thresholds on the ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    It is basically an index that measures how much the variance of an estimated ... the literature were not considered, such as penalised regularisation methods like the Lasso ... Y = 1 if a customer has defaulted, otherwise Y = 0). ..... method- ology is applied, but different VIF-thresholds have to be satisfied during the collinearity.

  10. Doubler system quench detection threshold

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuepke, K.; Kuchnir, M.; Martin, P.

    1983-01-01

    The experimental study leading to the determination of the sensitivity needed for protecting the Fermilab Doubler from damage during quenches is presented. The quench voltage thresholds involved were obtained from measurements made on Doubler cable of resistance x temperature and voltage x time during quenches under several currents and from data collected during operation of the Doubler Quench Protection System as implemented in the B-12 string of 20 magnets. At 4kA, a quench voltage threshold in excess of 5.OV will limit the peak Doubler cable temperature to 452K for quenches originating in the magnet coils whereas a threshold of 0.5V is required for quenches originating outside of coils

  11. A hybrid flower pollination algorithm based modified randomized location for multi-threshold medical image segmentation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Rui; Zhou, Yongquan; Zhao, Chengyan; Wu, Haizhou

    2015-01-01

    Multi-threshold image segmentation is a powerful image processing technique that is used for the preprocessing of pattern recognition and computer vision. However, traditional multilevel thresholding methods are computationally expensive because they involve exhaustively searching the optimal thresholds to optimize the objective functions. To overcome this drawback, this paper proposes a flower pollination algorithm with a randomized location modification. The proposed algorithm is used to find optimal threshold values for maximizing Otsu's objective functions with regard to eight medical grayscale images. When benchmarked against other state-of-the-art evolutionary algorithms, the new algorithm proves itself to be robust and effective through numerical experimental results including Otsu's objective values and standard deviations.

  12. Reaction thresholds in doubly special relativity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Heyman, Daniel; Major, Seth; Hinteleitner, Franz

    2004-01-01

    Two theories of special relativity with an additional invariant scale, 'doubly special relativity', are tested with calculations of particle process kinematics. Using the Judes-Visser modified conservation laws, thresholds are studied in both theories. In contrast with some linear approximations, which allow for particle processes forbidden in special relativity, both the Amelino-Camelia and Magueijo-Smolin frameworks allow no additional processes. To first order, the Amelino-Camelia framework thresholds are lowered and the Magueijo-Smolin framework thresholds may be raised or lowered

  13. Stress lowers the detection threshold for foul-smelling 2-mercaptoethanol.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pacharra, Marlene; Schäper, Michael; Kleinbeck, Stefan; Blaszkewicz, Meinolf; Wolf, Oliver T; van Thriel, Christoph

    2016-01-01

    Previous studies have reported enhanced vigilance for threat-related information in response to acute stress. While it is known that acute stress modulates sensory systems in humans, its impact on olfaction and the olfactory detection of potential threats is less clear. Two psychophysical experiments examined, if acute stress lowers the detection threshold for foul-smelling 2-mercaptoethanol. Participants in Experiment 1 (N = 30) and Experiment 2 (N = 32) were randomly allocated to a control group or a stress group. Participants in the stress group underwent a purely psychosocial stressor (public mental arithmetic) in Experiment 1 and a stressor that combined a physically demanding task with social-evaluative threat in Experiment 2 (socially evaluated cold-pressor test). In both experiments, olfactory detection thresholds were repeatedly assessed by means of dynamic dilution olfactometry. Each threshold measurement consisted of three trials conducted using an ascending method of limits. Participants in the stress groups showed the expected changes in heart rate, salivary cortisol, and mood measures in response to stress. About 20 min after the stressor, participants in the stress groups could detect 2-mercaptoethanol at a lower concentration than participants in the corresponding control groups. Our results show that acute stress lowers the detection threshold for a malodor.

  14. Variation in the Hearing Threshold in Women during the Menstrual Cycle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Souza, Dayse da Silva; Luckwu, Brunna; Andrade, Wagner Teobaldo Lopes de; Pessoa, Luciane Spinelli de Figueiredo; Nascimento, João Agnaldo do; Rosa, Marine Raquel Diniz da

    2017-10-01

    Introduction  The hormonal changes that occur during the menstrual cycle and their relationship with hearing problems have been studied. However, they have not been well explained. Objective  The objective of our study is to investigate the variation in hearing thresholds in women during the menstrual cycle. Method  We conducted a cohort and longitudinal study. It was composed of 30 volunteers, aged 18-39 years old, of which 20 were women during the phases of the menstrual cycle and 10 were men (control group) who underwent audiometry and impedance exams, to correlate the possible audiological changes in each phase of the menstrual cycle. Results  There were significant changes in hearing thresholds observed during the menstrual cycle phases in the group of women who used hormonal contraceptives and the group who did not use such contraceptives. Improved hearing thresholds were observed in the late follicular phase in the group who did not use hormonal contraceptives and the hearing thresholds at high frequencies were better. Throughout the menstrual cycle phases, the mean variation was 3.6 db HL between weeks in the group who used hormonal contraceptives and 4.09 db HL in the group who did not use them. Conclusions  The present study found that there may be a relationship between hearing changes and hormonal fluctuations during the menstrual cycle based on changes in the hearing thresholds of women. In addition, this study suggests that estrogen has an otoprotective effect on hearing, since the best hearing thresholds were found when estrogen was at its maximum peak.

  15. VALIDITY OF THE MODIFIED CONCONI TEST FOR DETERMINING VENTILATORY THRESHOLD DURING ON-WATER ROWING

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jorge Villamil Cabo

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available The objectives of this study were to design a field test based on the Conconi protocol to determine the ventilatory threshold of rowers and to test its reliability and validity. A group of sixteen oarsmen completed a modified Conconi test for on-water rowing. The reliability of the detection of the heart rate threshold was evaluated using heart rate breaking point in the Conconi test and retest. Heart rate threshold was detected in 88.8% of cases in the test-retest. The validity of the modified Conconi test was evaluated by comparing the heart rate threshold data acquired with that obtained in a ventilatory threshold test (VT2. No significant differences were found for the values of different intensity parameters i.e. heart rate (HR, oxygen consumption (VO2, stroke rate (SR and speed (S between the heart rate threshold and the ventilatory threshold, (170.9 ± 6.8 vs. 169.3 ± 6.4 beats·min-1; 42.0 ± 8.6 vs. 43.5 ± 8.3 ml·kg-1·min-1; 25.8 ± 3.3 vs. 27.0 ± 3.2 strokes·min-1 and 14.4 ± 0.8 vs. 14.6 ± 0.8 km·h-1. The differences in averages obtained in the Conconi test-retest were small with a low standard error of the mean. The reliability data between the Conconi test-retest showed low coefficients of variations (CV and high intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC. The total errors for the Conconi test-retest are low for the measured variables (1.31 HR, 0.87 VO2, 0.65 SR, and 0.1 S. The Bland- Altman's method for analysis validity showed a strong concordance according to the analyzed variables. We conclude that the modified Conconi test for on-water rowing is a valid and reliable method for the determination of the second ventilatory threshold (VT2.

  16. Development of Thresholds and Exceedance Probabilities for Influent Water Quality to Meet Drinking Water Regulations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reeves, K. L.; Samson, C.; Summers, R. S.; Balaji, R.

    2017-12-01

    Drinking water treatment utilities (DWTU) are tasked with the challenge of meeting disinfection and disinfection byproduct (DBP) regulations to provide safe, reliable drinking water under changing climate and land surface characteristics. DBPs form in drinking water when disinfectants, commonly chlorine, react with organic matter as measured by total organic carbon (TOC), and physical removal of pathogen microorganisms are achieved by filtration and monitored by turbidity removal. Turbidity and TOC in influent waters to DWTUs are expected to increase due to variable climate and more frequent fires and droughts. Traditional methods for forecasting turbidity and TOC require catchment specific data (i.e. streamflow) and have difficulties predicting them under non-stationary climate. A modelling framework was developed to assist DWTUs with assessing their risk for future compliance with disinfection and DBP regulations under changing climate. A local polynomial method was developed to predict surface water TOC using climate data collected from NOAA, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data from the IRI Data Library, and historical TOC data from three DWTUs in diverse geographic locations. Characteristics from the DWTUs were used in the EPA Water Treatment Plant model to determine thresholds for influent TOC that resulted in DBP concentrations within compliance. Lastly, extreme value theory was used to predict probabilities of threshold exceedances under the current climate. Results from the utilities were used to produce a generalized TOC threshold approach that only requires water temperature and bromide concentration. The threshold exceedance model will be used to estimate probabilities of exceedances under projected climate scenarios. Initial results show that TOC can be forecasted using widely available data via statistical methods, where temperature, precipitation, Palmer Drought Severity Index, and NDVI with various lags were shown to be important

  17. Large Covariance Estimation by Thresholding Principal Orthogonal Complements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fan, Jianqing; Liao, Yuan; Mincheva, Martina

    2012-01-01

    This paper deals with the estimation of a high-dimensional covariance with a conditional sparsity structure and fast-diverging eigenvalues. By assuming sparse error covariance matrix in an approximate factor model, we allow for the presence of some cross-sectional correlation even after taking out common but unobservable factors. We introduce the Principal Orthogonal complEment Thresholding (POET) method to explore such an approximate factor structure with sparsity. The POET estimator includes the sample covariance matrix, the factor-based covariance matrix (Fan, Fan, and Lv, 2008), the thresholding estimator (Bickel and Levina, 2008) and the adaptive thresholding estimator (Cai and Liu, 2011) as specific examples. We provide mathematical insights when the factor analysis is approximately the same as the principal component analysis for high-dimensional data. The rates of convergence of the sparse residual covariance matrix and the conditional sparse covariance matrix are studied under various norms. It is shown that the impact of estimating the unknown factors vanishes as the dimensionality increases. The uniform rates of convergence for the unobserved factors and their factor loadings are derived. The asymptotic results are also verified by extensive simulation studies. Finally, a real data application on portfolio allocation is presented. PMID:24348088

  18. Laser modes and threshold condition i N-mirror resonator

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pedersen, Christian; Skettrup, Torben

    1996-01-01

    Two formal methods for finding laser modes and threshold conditions in laser resonators containing as many as N mirrors are presented. The first method is based on an analysis determining the reflectivity and the transmittivity of an N-mirror system with gain. This is an extension of the classical...... 2 × 2 matrix method. The second method is based on self-consistency equations for the system and directly yields the circulating fields of the individual resonators. A set of rules has been proved to allow these fields to be calculated directly by means of inspection. The laser oscillation condition...

  19. Ecological thresholds: The key to successful enviromental management or an important concept with no practical application?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Groffman, P.M.; Baron, Jill S.; Blett, T.; Gold, A.J.; Goodman, I.; Gunderson, L.H.; Levinson, B.M.; Palmer, Margaret A.; Paerl, H.W.; Peterson, G.D.; Poff, N.L.; Rejeski, D.W.; Reynolds, J.F.; Turner, M.G.; Weathers, K.C.; Wiens, J.

    2006-01-01

    An ecological threshold is the point at which there is an abrupt change in an ecosystem quality, property or phenomenon, or where small changes in an environmental driver produce large responses in the ecosystem. Analysis of thresholds is complicated by nonlinear dynamics and by multiple factor controls that operate at diverse spatial and temporal scales. These complexities have challenged the use and utility of threshold concepts in environmental management despite great concern about preventing dramatic state changes in valued ecosystems, the need for determining critical pollutant loads and the ubiquity of other threshold-based environmental problems. In this paper we define the scope of the thresholds concept in ecological science and discuss methods for identifying and investigating thresholds using a variety of examples from terrestrial and aquatic environments, at ecosystem, landscape and regional scales. We end with a discussion of key research needs in this area.

  20. Using Johnson Distribution for Automatic Threshold Setting in Wind Turbine Condition Monitoring System

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-12-23

    work, the moment matching method is used with implementation based on (Hill, Hill, & Holder, 1976) due to its simplicity in Scilab (Enterprises, 2012... Scilab CASCI library, see (Enterprises, 2012). threshold = F−1(1− pf). (6) Setting an alarm threshold involves collecting vibration data over a period...distributions. In Proceed- ings of the 20th conference on winter simulation (pp. 165–179). Enterprises, S. (2012). Scilab : Free and open source software

  1. Mode of recording and modulation frequency effects of auditory steady state response thresholds

    OpenAIRE

    Jalaei, Bahram; Shaabani, Moslem; Zakaria, Mohd Normani

    2017-01-01

    Abstract Introduction The performance of auditory steady state response (ASSR) in threshold testing when recorded ipsilaterally and contralaterally, as well as at low and high modulation frequencies (MFs), has not been systematically studied. Objective To verify the influences of mode of recording (ipsilateral vs. contralateral) and modulation frequency (40 Hz vs. 90 Hz) on ASSR thresholds. Methods Fifteen female and 14 male subjects (aged 18–30 years) with normal hearing bilaterally were ...

  2. Compositional threshold for Nuclear Waste Glass Durability

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kruger, Albert A.; Farooqi, Rahmatullah; Hrma, Pavel R.

    2013-01-01

    Within the composition space of glasses, a distinct threshold appears to exist that separates 'good' glasses, i.e., those which are sufficiently durable, from 'bad' glasses of a low durability. The objective of our research is to clarify the origin of this threshold by exploring the relationship between glass composition, glass structure and chemical durability around the threshold region

  3. Comparison of different threshold 18FDG PET with computer tomography for defining gross tumor volume in non-small cell lung carcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen Shaoqing; Yu Jinming; Xing Ligang; Gong Heyi; Fu Zheng; Yang Guoren

    2006-01-01

    Objective: Under different standard uptake value(SUV), to assess gross tumor volume (GTV) definition for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with 18-fluoro-deoxy-glueose positron emission tomography( 18 FDG PET) both under definite threshold (42 percent threshold) and various relative threshold (threshold SUV/maximum SUV) derived from the linear regressive function, threshold SUV=0.307 x (mean target SUV) + 0.588, with computer tomography(CT). Methods: Of 20 patients with non-small cell lung cancer, the CT GTV (GTV CT ), PET GTV with 42 percents threshold (GTV 42% ) and PET GTV with relative threshold (GTV relate ) were obtained and compared. Results: The mean GTV 42% , mean GTV relate and mean GTV CT was (13 812.5±13 841.4), (24 325.3±22 454.7) and (28350.9± 26 079.8) mm 3 , respectively, with the difference in mean GTV among these three methods significant (F =. 10, P 42% was smaller than the GTV relate and the GTV CT (P relate and GTV CT (P = 0.125 ). Conclusion: The relative threshold is more suitable to define the gross tumor volume than the definite threshold. (authors)

  4. Consumption of vitamin a rich foods and dark adaptation threshold ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    BACKGROUND: More than 7.2 million pregnant women in developing countries suffer from vitamin A deficiency. The objective of this study was to assess dark adaptation threshold of pregnant women and related socio-demographic factors in Damot Sore District, Wolayita Zone, Southern Ethiopia. METHODS: A ...

  5. Optimizing Systems of Threshold Detection Sensors

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Banschbach, David C

    2008-01-01

    .... Below the threshold all signals are ignored. We develop a mathematical model for setting individual sensor thresholds to obtain optimal probability of detecting a significant event, given a limit on the total number of false positives allowed...

  6. Multiuser switched diversity scheduling systems with per-user threshold

    KAUST Repository

    Nam, Haewoon

    2010-05-01

    A multiuser switched diversity scheduling scheme with per-user feedback threshold is proposed and analyzed in this paper. The conventional multiuser switched diversity scheduling scheme uses a single feedback threshold for every user, where the threshold is a function of the average signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) of the users as well as the number of users involved in the scheduling process. The proposed scheme, however, constructs a sequence of feedback thresholds instead of a single feedback threshold such that each user compares its channel quality with the corresponding feedback threshold in the sequence. Numerical and simulation results show that thanks to the flexibility of threshold selection, where a potentially different threshold can be used for each user, the proposed scheme provides a higher system capacity than that for the conventional scheme. © 2006 IEEE.

  7. A method for measurements of neutral fragments kinetic energies released to a specific dissociation threshold: optical translational spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roney, A.; Frigon, C.; Larzilliere, M.

    1999-01-01

    The optical translational spectroscopy technique, based on the principles of fast ion beam laser spectroscopy (FIBLAS) and translational spectroscopy, allows the kinetic energies study of neutral fragments released through free dissociation of a neutral molecule. This method presents interesting features such as near-threshold energy measurements and selection of a specific dissociation limit. The fragments resulting from free dissociation (not induced) of neutral molecules, produced by charge exchange processes with a fast ion beam, are probed by laser radiation. Monitoring of the laser-induced fluorescence allows high-resolution spectra due to the kinematic compression of the velocity spread. Measurements of kinetic energies released to the second limit of dissociation H(1s) + H(2l) of H 2 are put forth and compared with those obtained by means of off-axis translational spectroscopy

  8. Pain thresholds, supra-threshold pain and lidocaine sensitivity in patients with erythromelalgia, including the I848Tmutation in NaV 1.7.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Helås, T; Sagafos, D; Kleggetveit, I P; Quiding, H; Jönsson, B; Segerdahl, M; Zhang, Z; Salter, H; Schmelz, M; Jørum, E

    2017-09-01

    Nociceptive thresholds and supra-threshold pain ratings as well as their reduction upon local injection with lidocaine were compared between healthy subjects and patients with erythromelalgia (EM). Lidocaine (0.25, 0.50, 1.0 or 10 mg/mL) or placebo (saline) was injected intradermally in non-painful areas of the lower arm, in a randomized, double-blind manner, to test the effect on dynamic and static mechanical sensitivity, mechanical pain sensitivity, thermal thresholds and supra-threshold heat pain sensitivity. Heat pain thresholds and pain ratings to supra-threshold heat stimulation did not differ between EM-patients (n = 27) and controls (n = 25), neither did the dose-response curves for lidocaine. Only the subgroup of EM-patients with mutations in sodium channel subunits Na V 1.7, 1.8 or 1.9 (n = 8) had increased lidocaine sensitivity for supra-threshold heat stimuli, contrasting lower sensitivity to strong mechanical stimuli. This pattern was particularly clear in the two patients carrying the Na V 1.7 I848T mutations in whom lidocaine's hyperalgesic effect on mechanical pain sensitivity contrasted more effective heat analgesia. Heat pain thresholds are not sensitized in EM patients, even in those with gain-of-function mutations in Na V 1.7. Differential lidocaine sensitivity was overt only for noxious stimuli in the supra-threshold range suggesting that sensitized supra-threshold encoding is important for the clinical pain phenotype in EM in addition to lower activation threshold. Intracutaneous lidocaine dose-dependently blocked nociceptive sensations, but we did not identify EM patients with particular high lidocaine sensitivity that could have provided valuable therapeutic guidance. Acute pain thresholds and supra-threshold heat pain in controls and patients with erythromelalgia do not differ and have the same lidocaine sensitivity. Acute heat pain thresholds even in EM patients with the Na V 1.7 I848T mutation are normal and only nociceptor

  9. When do price thresholds matter in retail categories?

    OpenAIRE

    Pauwels, Koen; Srinivasan, Shuba; Franses, Philip Hans

    2007-01-01

    textabstractMarketing literature has long recognized that brand price elasticity need not be monotonic and symmetric, but has yet to provide generalizable market-level insights on threshold-based price elasticity, asymmetric thresholds, and the sign and magnitude of elasticity transitions. This paper introduces smooth transition regression models to study threshold-based price elasticity of the top 4 brands across 20 fast-moving consumer good categories. Threshold-based price elasticity is fo...

  10. High-order above-threshold dissociation of molecules

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Peifen; Wang, Junping; Li, Hui; Lin, Kang; Gong, Xiaochun; Song, Qiying; Ji, Qinying; Zhang, Wenbin; Ma, Junyang; Li, Hanxiao; Zeng, Heping; He, Feng; Wu, Jian

    2018-03-01

    Electrons bound to atoms or molecules can simultaneously absorb multiple photons via the above-threshold ionization featured with discrete peaks in the photoelectron spectrum on account of the quantized nature of the light energy. Analogously, the above-threshold dissociation of molecules has been proposed to address the multiple-photon energy deposition in the nuclei of molecules. In this case, nuclear energy spectra consisting of photon-energy spaced peaks exceeding the binding energy of the molecular bond are predicted. Although the observation of such phenomena is difficult, this scenario is nevertheless logical and is based on the fundamental laws. Here, we report conclusive experimental observation of high-order above-threshold dissociation of H2 in strong laser fields where the tunneling-ionized electron transfers the absorbed multiphoton energy, which is above the ionization threshold to the nuclei via the field-driven inelastic rescattering. Our results provide an unambiguous evidence that the electron and nuclei of a molecule as a whole absorb multiple photons, and thus above-threshold ionization and above-threshold dissociation must appear simultaneously, which is the cornerstone of the nowadays strong-field molecular physics.

  11. Thresholds in Xeric Hydrology and Biogeochemistry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meixner, T.; Brooks, P. D.; Simpson, S. C.; Soto, C. D.; Yuan, F.; Turner, D.; Richter, H.

    2011-12-01

    Due to water limitation, thresholds in hydrologic and biogeochemical processes are common in arid and semi-arid systems. Some of these thresholds such as those focused on rainfall runoff relationships have been well studied. However to gain a full picture of the role that thresholds play in driving the hydrology and biogeochemistry of xeric systems a full view of the entire array of processes at work is needed. Here a walk through the landscape of xeric systems will be conducted illustrating the powerful role of hydrologic thresholds on xeric system biogeochemistry. To understand xeric hydro-biogeochemistry two key ideas need to be focused on. First, it is important to start from a framework of reaction and transport. Second an understanding of the temporal and spatial components of thresholds that have a large impact on hydrologic and biogeochemical fluxes needs to be offered. In the uplands themselves episodic rewetting and drying of soils permits accelerated biogeochemical processing but also more gradual drainage of water through the subsurface than expected in simple conceptions of biogeochemical processes. Hydrologic thresholds (water content above hygroscopic) results in a stop start nutrient spiral of material across the landscape since runoff connecting uplands to xeric perennial riparian is episodic and often only transports materials a short distance (100's of m). This episodic movement results in important and counter-intuitive nutrient inputs to riparian zones but also significant processing and uptake of nutrients. The floods that transport these biogeochemicals also result in significant input to riparian groundwater and may be key to sustaining these critical ecosystems. Importantly the flood driven recharge process itself is a threshold process dependent on flood characteristics (floods greater than 100 cubic meters per second) and antecedent conditions (losing to near neutral gradients). Floods also appear to influence where arid and semi

  12. Continuous adjustment of threshold voltage in carbon nanotube field-effect transistors through gate engineering

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhong, Donglai; Zhao, Chenyi; Liu, Lijun; Zhang, Zhiyong; Peng, Lian-Mao

    2018-04-01

    In this letter, we report a gate engineering method to adjust threshold voltage of carbon nanotube (CNT) based field-effect transistors (FETs) continuously in a wide range, which makes the application of CNT FETs especially in digital integrated circuits (ICs) easier. Top-gated FETs are fabricated using solution-processed CNT network films with stacking Pd and Sc films as gate electrodes. By decreasing the thickness of the lower layer metal (Pd) from 20 nm to zero, the effective work function of the gate decreases, thus tuning the threshold voltage (Vt) of CNT FETs from -1.0 V to 0.2 V. The continuous adjustment of threshold voltage through gate engineering lays a solid foundation for multi-threshold technology in CNT based ICs, which then can simultaneously provide high performance and low power circuit modules on one chip.

  13. Higher defibrillation threshold in methamphetamine cardiomyopathy patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillator

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rakesh Malhotra

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Identification of patients with an increased risk of high defibrillation thresholds (DFTs is important in planning implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD procedures. Clinical observations have suggested that patients with methamphetamine cardiomyopathy (MACMP have significantly elevated defibrillation thresholds. We hypothesized that MACMP patients would have higher DFT thresholds than controls and would require procedural changes during ICD implantation to accommodate higher thresholds. Methods: We identified consecutive patients with MACMP undergoing ICD implantation at the academic center from 2003 to 2007. We then compared DFTs against age-and sex-matched controls. Results: The MACMP (n = 10 group showed significantly increased DFT thresholds (23.7 ± 6.7 J compared with age and sex-matched controls (14.5 ± 4.6 J, p < 0.005. Additionally, patients with MACMP had evidence of more severe congestive heart failure, with increased B-type natrieutic protein (BNP levels (1173 ± 784 vs 260 ± 349, p = 0.02 and decreased left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF (17.8 ± 9.4 vs 35.9 ± 15.2, p = 0.02. MACMP patients required high output devices than controls (50% versus 0%, p = 0.03. Differences between groups remained significant despite adjusting for LVEF. Conclusions: Planning for ICD implantation should take into consideration a history of methamphetamine abuse, mandating DFT testing and empiric consideration of high output devices for such patients. Keywords: Methamphetamine cardiomyopathy, Implantable cardioverter-defibrillatior, Defibrillation threshold testing, B-type natriuretic peptide, Ejection fraction

  14. Determinants of Change in the Cost-effectiveness Threshold.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paulden, Mike; O'Mahony, James; McCabe, Christopher

    2017-02-01

    The cost-effectiveness threshold in health care systems with a constrained budget should be determined by the cost-effectiveness of displacing health care services to fund new interventions. Using comparative statics, we review some potential determinants of the threshold, including the budget for health care, the demand for existing health care interventions, the technical efficiency of existing interventions, and the development of new health technologies. We consider the anticipated direction of impact that would affect the threshold following a change in each of these determinants. Where the health care system is technically efficient, an increase in the health care budget unambiguously raises the threshold, whereas an increase in the demand for existing, non-marginal health interventions unambiguously lowers the threshold. Improvements in the technical efficiency of existing interventions may raise or lower the threshold, depending on the cause of the improvement in efficiency, whether the intervention is already funded, and, if so, whether it is marginal. New technologies may also raise or lower the threshold, depending on whether the new technology is a substitute for an existing technology and, again, whether the existing technology is marginal. Our analysis permits health economists and decision makers to assess if and in what direction the threshold may change over time. This matters, as threshold changes impact the cost-effectiveness of interventions that require decisions now but have costs and effects that fall in future periods.

  15. Low heat pain thresholds in migraineurs between attacks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schwedt, Todd J; Zuniga, Leslie; Chong, Catherine D

    2015-06-01

    Between attacks, migraine is associated with hypersensitivities to sensory stimuli. The objective of this study was to investigate hypersensitivity to pain in migraineurs between attacks. Cutaneous heat pain thresholds were measured in 112 migraineurs, migraine free for ≥ 48 hours, and 75 healthy controls. Pain thresholds at the head and at the arm were compared between migraineurs and controls using two-tailed t-tests. Among migraineurs, correlations between heat pain thresholds and headache frequency, allodynia symptom severity, and time interval until next headache were calculated. Migraineurs had lower pain thresholds than controls at the head (43.9 ℃ ± 3.2 ℃ vs. 45.1 ℃ ± 3.0 ℃, p = 0.015) and arm (43.2 ℃ ± 3.4 ℃ vs. 44.8 ℃ ± 3.3 ℃, p pain thresholds and headache frequency or allodynia symptom severity. For the 41 migraineurs for whom time to next headache was known, there were positive correlations between time to next headache and pain thresholds at the head (r = 0.352, p = 0.024) and arm (r = 0.312, p = 0.047). This study provides evidence that migraineurs have low heat pain thresholds between migraine attacks. Mechanisms underlying these lower pain thresholds could also predispose migraineurs to their next migraine attack, a hypothesis supported by finding positive correlations between pain thresholds and time to next migraine attack. © International Headache Society 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

  16. Identifying Threshold Concepts for Information Literacy: A Delphi Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Townsend, Lori; Hofer, Amy R.; Hanick, Silvia Lin; Brunetti, Korey

    2016-01-01

    This study used the Delphi method to engage expert practitioners on the topic of threshold concepts--core ideas and processes in a discipline that students need to grasp in order to progress in their learning, but that are often unspoken or unrecognized by expert practitioners--for information literacy. A panel of experts considered two questions:…

  17. Sub-threshold Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in the WHO World Mental Health Surveys

    Science.gov (United States)

    McLaughlin, Katie A.; Koenen, Karestan C.; Friedman, Matthew J.; Ruscio, Ayelet Meron; Karam, Elie G.; Shahly, Victoria; Stein, Dan J.; Hill, Eric D.; Petukhova, Maria; Alonso, Jordi; Andrade, Laura Helena; Angermeyer, Matthias C.; Borges, Guilherme; de Girolamo, Giovanni; de Graaf, Ron; Demyttenaere, Koen; Florescu, Silvia E.; Mladenova, Maya; Posada-Villa, Jose; Scott, Kate M.; Takeshima, Tadashi; Kessler, Ronald C.

    2014-01-01

    Background Although only a minority of people exposed to a traumatic event (TE) develops PTSD, symptoms not meeting full PTSD criteria are common and often clinically significant. Individuals with these symptoms have sometimes been characterized as having sub-threshold PTSD, but no consensus exists on the optimal definition of this term. Data from a large cross-national epidemiological survey are used to provide a principled basis for such a definition. Methods The WHO World Mental Health (WMH) Surveys administered fully-structured psychiatric diagnostic interviews to community samples in 13 countries containing assessments of PTSD associated with randomly selected TEs. Focusing on the 23,936 respondents reporting lifetime TE exposure, associations of approximated DSM-5 PTSD symptom profiles with six outcomes (distress-impairment, suicidality, comorbid fear-distress disorders, PTSD symptom duration) were examined to investigate implications of different sub-threshold definitions. Results Although consistently highest distress-impairment, suicidality, comorbidity, and symptom duration were observed among the 3.0% of respondents with DSM-5 PTSD than other symptom profiles, the additional 3.6% of respondents meeting two or three of DSM-5 Criteria BE also had significantly elevated scores for most outcomes. The proportion of cases with threshold versus sub-threshold PTSD varied depending on TE type, with threshold PTSD more common following interpersonal violence and sub-threshold PTSD more common following events happening to loved ones. Conclusions Sub-threshold DSM-5 PTSD is most usefully defined as meeting two or three of the DSM-5 Criteria B-E. Use of a consistent definition is critical to advance understanding of the prevalence, predictors, and clinical significance of sub-threshold PTSD. PMID:24842116

  18. Computational analysis of thresholds for magnetophosphenes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Laakso, Ilkka; Hirata, Akimasa

    2012-01-01

    In international guidelines, basic restriction limits on the exposure of humans to low-frequency magnetic and electric fields are set with the objective of preventing the generation of phosphenes, visual sensations of flashing light not caused by light. Measured data on magnetophosphenes, i.e. phosphenes caused by a magnetically induced electric field on the retina, are available from volunteer studies. However, there is no simple way for determining the retinal threshold electric field or current density from the measured threshold magnetic flux density. In this study, the experimental field configuration of a previous study, in which phosphenes were generated in volunteers by exposing their heads to a magnetic field between the poles of an electromagnet, is computationally reproduced. The finite-element method is used for determining the induced electric field and current in five different MRI-based anatomical models of the head. The direction of the induced current density on the retina is dominantly radial to the eyeball, and the maximum induced current density is observed at the superior and inferior sides of the retina, which agrees with literature data on the location of magnetophosphenes at the periphery of the visual field. On the basis of computed data, the macroscopic retinal threshold current density for phosphenes at 20 Hz can be estimated as 10 mA m −2 (−20% to  + 30%, depending on the anatomical model); this current density corresponds to an induced eddy current of 14 μA (−20% to  + 10%), and about 20% of this eddy current flows through each eye. The ICNIRP basic restriction limit for the induced electric field in the case of occupational exposure is not exceeded until the magnetic flux density is about two to three times the measured threshold for magnetophosphenes, so the basic restriction limit does not seem to be conservative. However, the reasons for the non-conservativeness are purely technical: removal of the highest 1% of

  19. Some considerations regarding the creep crack growth threshold

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thouless, M.D.; Evans, A.G.

    1984-01-01

    The preceding analysis reveals that the existence of a threshold determined by the sintering stress does not influence the post threshold crack velocity. Considerations of the sintering stress can thus be conveniently excluded from analysis of the post threshold crack velocity. The presence of a crack growth threshold has been predicted, based on the existence of cavity nucleation controlled crack growth. A preliminary analysis of cavity nucleation rates within the damage zone reveals that this threshold is relatively abrupt, in accord with experimental observations. Consequently, at stress intensities below K /SUB th/ growth becomes nucleation limited and crack blunting occurs in preference to crack growth

  20. Polymer Percolation Threshold in Multi-Component HPMC Matrices Tablets

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maryam Maghsoodi

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: The percolation theory studies the critical points or percolation thresholds of the system, where onecomponent of the system undergoes a geometrical phase transition, starting to connect the whole system. The application of this theory to study the release rate of hydrophilic matrices allows toexplain the changes in release kinetics of swellable matrix type system and results in a clear improvement of the design of controlled release dosage forms. Methods: In this study, the percolation theory has been applied to multi-component hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC hydrophilic matrices. Matrix tablets have been prepared using phenobarbital as drug,magnesium stearate as a lubricant employing different amount of lactose and HPMC K4M as a fillerandmatrix forming material, respectively. Ethylcelullose (EC as a polymeric excipient was also examined. Dissolution studies were carried out using the paddle method. In order to estimate the percolation threshold, the behaviour of the kinetic parameters with respect to the volumetric fraction of HPMC at time zero, was studied. Results: In both HPMC/lactose and HPMC/EC/lactose matrices, from the point of view of the percolation theory, the optimum concentration for HPMC, to obtain a hydrophilic matrix system for the controlled release of phenobarbital is higher than 18.1% (v/v HPMC. Above 18.1% (v/v HPMC, an infinite cluster of HPMC would be formed maintaining integrity of the system and controlling the drug release from the matrices. According to results, EC had no significant influence on the HPMC percolation threshold. Conclusion: This may be related to broad functionality of the swelling hydrophilic matrices.

  1. When Do Price Thresholds Matter in Retail Categories?

    OpenAIRE

    Koen Pauwels; Shuba Srinivasan; Philip Hans Franses

    2007-01-01

    Marketing literature has long recognized that brand price elasticity need not be monotonic and symmetric, but has yet to provide generalizable market-level insights on threshold-based price elasticity, asymmetric thresholds, and the sign and magnitude of elasticity transitions. This paper introduces smooth transition regression models to study threshold-based price elasticity of the top 4 brands across 20 fast-moving consumer good categories. Threshold-based price elasticity is found for 76% ...

  2. Estimating the Threshold Level of Inflation for Thailand

    OpenAIRE

    Jiranyakul, Komain

    2017-01-01

    Abstract. This paper analyzes the relationship between inflation and economic growth in Thailand using annual dataset during 1990 and 2015. The threshold model is estimated for different levels of threshold inflation rate. The results suggest that the threshold level of inflation above which inflation significantly slow growth is estimated at 3 percent. The negative relationship between inflation and growth is apparent above this threshold level of inflation. In other words, the inflation rat...

  3. Hierarchical Threshold Adaptive for Point Cloud Filter Algorithm of Moving Surface Fitting

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    ZHU Xiaoxiao

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available In order to improve the accuracy,efficiency and adaptability of point cloud filtering algorithm,a hierarchical threshold adaptive for point cloud filter algorithm of moving surface fitting was proposed.Firstly,the noisy points are removed by using a statistic histogram method.Secondly,the grid index is established by grid segmentation,and the surface equation is set up through the lowest point among the neighborhood grids.The real height and fit are calculated.The difference between the elevation and the threshold can be determined.Finally,in order to improve the filtering accuracy,hierarchical filtering is used to change the grid size and automatically set the neighborhood size and threshold until the filtering result reaches the accuracy requirement.The test data provided by the International Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing Society (ISPRS is used to verify the algorithm.The first and second error and the total error are 7.33%,10.64% and 6.34% respectively.The algorithm is compared with the eight classical filtering algorithms published by ISPRS.The experiment results show that the method has well-adapted and it has high accurate filtering result.

  4. Nonclassicality threshold for the three-qubit Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger state

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vertesi, Tamas; Pal, Karoly F. [Institute of Nuclear Research of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 51, H-4001 Debrecen (Hungary)

    2011-10-15

    The nonclassical properties of the noisy three-qubit Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) states, {rho}{sub v}=v|GHZ>threshold visibility. Here we report on Bell inequalities giving a threshold value smaller than v=1/2. This rules out the possibility of a local hidden variable model in the limit of v=1/2. In particular, the lowest threshold visibility we found is v=0.496 057, attainable with 5x5x5 settings, whereas the most economical one in number of settings corresponds to 3x3x4 settings. The method which enabled us to obtain these results, and in particular the about 10 000 tight Bell inequalities giving v<1/2, are also discussed in detail.

  5. A light-powered sub-threshold microprocessor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liu Ming; Chen Hong; Zhang Chun; Li Changmeng; Wang Zhihua, E-mail: lium02@mails.tsinghua.edu.cn [Institute of Microelectronics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China)

    2010-11-15

    This paper presents an 8-bit sub-threshold microprocessor which can be powered by an integrated photosensitive diode. With a custom designed sub-threshold standard cell library and 1 kbit sub-threshold SRAM design, the leakage power of 58 nW, dynamic power of 385 nW - 165 kHz, EDP 13 pJ/inst and the operating voltage of 350 mV are achieved. Under a light of about 150 kLux, the microprocessor can run at a rate of up to 500 kHz. The microprocessor can be used for wireless-sensor-network nodes.

  6. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), the main extracellular matrix (ECM) enzymes in collagen degradation, as a target for anticancer drugs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jabłońska-Trypuć, Agata; Matejczyk, Marzena; Rosochacki, Stanisław

    2016-01-01

    The main group of enzymes responsible for the collagen and other protein degradation in extracellular matrix (ECM) are matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). Collagen is the main structural component of connective tissue and its degradation is a very important process in the development, morphogenesis, tissue remodeling, and repair. Typical structure of MMPs consists of several distinct domains. MMP family can be divided into six groups: collagenases, gelatinases, stromelysins, matrilysins, membrane-type MMPs, and other non-classified MMPs. MMPs and their inhibitors have multiple biological functions in all stages of cancer development: from initiation to outgrowth of clinically relevant metastases and likewise in apoptosis and angiogenesis. MMPs and their inhibitors are extensively examined as potential anticancer drugs. MMP inhibitors can be divided into two main groups: synthetic and natural inhibitors. Selected synthetic inhibitors are in clinical trials on humans, e.g. synthetic peptides, non-peptidic molecules, chemically modified tetracyclines, and bisphosphonates. Natural MMP inhibitors are mainly isoflavonoids and shark cartilage.

  7. Threshold concepts in finance: student perspectives

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoadley, Susan; Kyng, Tim; Tickle, Leonie; Wood, Leigh N.

    2015-10-01

    Finance threshold concepts are the essential conceptual knowledge that underpin well-developed financial capabilities and are central to the mastery of finance. In this paper we investigate threshold concepts in finance from the point of view of students, by establishing the extent to which students are aware of threshold concepts identified by finance academics. In addition, we investigate the potential of a framework of different types of knowledge to differentiate the delivery of the finance curriculum and the role of modelling in finance. Our purpose is to identify ways to improve curriculum design and delivery, leading to better student outcomes. Whilst we find that there is significant overlap between what students identify as important in finance and the threshold concepts identified by academics, much of this overlap is expressed by indirect reference to the concepts. Further, whilst different types of knowledge are apparent in the student data, there is evidence that students do not necessarily distinguish conceptual from other types of knowledge. As well as investigating the finance curriculum, the research demonstrates the use of threshold concepts to compare and contrast student and academic perceptions of a discipline and, as such, is of interest to researchers in education and other disciplines.

  8. An iterative two-threshold analysis for single-subject functional MRI of the human brain

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Auer, Tibor; Schweizer, Renate; Frahm, Jens [Biomedizinische NMR Forschungs GmbH am Max-Planck-Institut fuer Biophysikalische Chemie, Goettingen (Germany)

    2011-11-15

    Current thresholding strategies for the analysis of functional MRI (fMRI) datasets may suffer from specific limitations (e.g. with respect to the required smoothness) or lead to reduced performance for a low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Although a previously proposed two-threshold (TT) method offers a promising solution to these problems, the use of preset settings limits its performance. This work presents an optimised TT approach that estimates the required parameters in an iterative manner. The iterative TT (iTT) method is compared with the original TT method, as well as other established voxel-based and cluster-based thresholding approaches and spatial mixture modelling (SMM) for both simulated data and fMRI of a hometown walking task at different experimental settings (spatial resolution, filtering and SNR). In general, the iTT method presents with remarkable sensitivity and good specificity that outperforms all conventional approaches tested except for SMM in a few cases. This also holds true for challenging conditions such as high spatial resolution, the absence of filtering, high noise level, or a low number of task repetitions. Thus, iTT emerges as a good candidate for both scientific fMRI studies at high spatial resolution and more routine applications for clinical purposes. (orig.)

  9. Bedding material affects mechanical thresholds, heat thresholds and texture preference

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moehring, Francie; O’Hara, Crystal L.; Stucky, Cheryl L.

    2015-01-01

    It has long been known that the bedding type animals are housed on can affect breeding behavior and cage environment. Yet little is known about its effects on evoked behavior responses or non-reflexive behaviors. C57BL/6 mice were housed for two weeks on one of five bedding types: Aspen Sani Chips® (standard bedding for our institute), ALPHA-Dri®, Cellu-Dri™, Pure-o’Cel™ or TEK-Fresh. Mice housed on Aspen exhibited the lowest (most sensitive) mechanical thresholds while those on TEK-Fresh exhibited 3-fold higher thresholds. While bedding type had no effect on responses to punctate or dynamic light touch stimuli, TEK-Fresh housed animals exhibited greater responsiveness in a noxious needle assay, than those housed on the other bedding types. Heat sensitivity was also affected by bedding as animals housed on Aspen exhibited the shortest (most sensitive) latencies to withdrawal whereas those housed on TEK-Fresh had the longest (least sensitive) latencies to response. Slight differences between bedding types were also seen in a moderate cold temperature preference assay. A modified tactile conditioned place preference chamber assay revealed that animals preferred TEK-Fresh to Aspen bedding. Bedding type had no effect in a non-reflexive wheel running assay. In both acute (two day) and chronic (5 week) inflammation induced by injection of Complete Freund’s Adjuvant in the hindpaw, mechanical thresholds were reduced in all groups regardless of bedding type, but TEK-Fresh and Pure-o’Cel™ groups exhibited a greater dynamic range between controls and inflamed cohorts than Aspen housed mice. PMID:26456764

  10. 40 CFR 68.115 - Threshold determination.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... (CONTINUED) CHEMICAL ACCIDENT PREVENTION PROVISIONS Regulated Substances for Accidental Release Prevention... process exceeds the threshold. (b) For the purposes of determining whether more than a threshold quantity... portion of the process is less than 10 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg), the amount of the substance in the...

  11. Revisiting the 7Li(p,n)7Be reaction near threshold

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Herrera, María S.; Moreno, Gustavo A.; Kreiner, Andrés J.

    2014-01-01

    In this work we review all the available experimental neutron data for the 7 Li(p,n) reaction near threshold which is necessary to obtain an accurate source model for Monte Carlo simulations in Boron Neutron Capture Therapy. Scattered published experimental results such as cross sections, differential neutron yields and total yields were collected and analyzed, exploring the sensitivity of the fitting parameters to the different possible variables and deriving a consistent working set of parameters to evaluate the neutron source near threshold. - Highlights: • We review neutron experimental data for the 7 Li(p,n) reaction near threshold. • A new computational method was used to study all the available published data. • A consistent description of the neutron source was derived fitting the available data. • We found that the neutron yield at 0° studied by Kononov is the most sensitive curve. • A consistent set of parameters to parametrize the Breit–Wigner formula is presented

  12. Automatic video shot boundary detection using k-means clustering and improved adaptive dual threshold comparison

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sa, Qila; Wang, Zhihui

    2018-03-01

    At present, content-based video retrieval (CBVR) is the most mainstream video retrieval method, using the video features of its own to perform automatic identification and retrieval. This method involves a key technology, i.e. shot segmentation. In this paper, the method of automatic video shot boundary detection with K-means clustering and improved adaptive dual threshold comparison is proposed. First, extract the visual features of every frame and divide them into two categories using K-means clustering algorithm, namely, one with significant change and one with no significant change. Then, as to the classification results, utilize the improved adaptive dual threshold comparison method to determine the abrupt as well as gradual shot boundaries.Finally, achieve automatic video shot boundary detection system.

  13. Towards a unifying basis of auditory thresholds: binaural summation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heil, Peter

    2014-04-01

    Absolute auditory threshold decreases with increasing sound duration, a phenomenon explainable by the assumptions that the sound evokes neural events whose probabilities of occurrence are proportional to the sound's amplitude raised to an exponent of about 3 and that a constant number of events are required for threshold (Heil and Neubauer, Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 100:6151-6156, 2003). Based on this probabilistic model and on the assumption of perfect binaural summation, an equation is derived here that provides an explicit expression of the binaural threshold as a function of the two monaural thresholds, irrespective of whether they are equal or unequal, and of the exponent in the model. For exponents >0, the predicted binaural advantage is largest when the two monaural thresholds are equal and decreases towards zero as the monaural threshold difference increases. This equation is tested and the exponent derived by comparing binaural thresholds with those predicted on the basis of the two monaural thresholds for different values of the exponent. The thresholds, measured in a large sample of human subjects with equal and unequal monaural thresholds and for stimuli with different temporal envelopes, are compatible only with an exponent close to 3. An exponent of 3 predicts a binaural advantage of 2 dB when the two ears are equally sensitive. Thus, listening with two (equally sensitive) ears rather than one has the same effect on absolute threshold as doubling duration. The data suggest that perfect binaural summation occurs at threshold and that peripheral neural signals are governed by an exponent close to 3. They might also shed new light on mechanisms underlying binaural summation of loudness.

  14. Assessment of radioactive contaminations of the ground in Hanover-List with scales and methods of the German Federal Ordinance on Soil Protection and Contaminated Sites (BBodSchV). Pt. 1. Derivation of test thresholds

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gellermann, Rainer; Guenther, Petra; Evers, Burkhard

    2010-01-01

    Background, aim, and scope: In the district List of Hanover (Lower Saxony) radioactive contaminations of the ground were detected at a site of a former chemical plant. Due to the lack of an ordinance regarding intervention regulations in the case of radioactive contaminations in Germany this situation had to be assessed on the basis of scales and methods of the German regulations concerning soil protection and contaminated sites. In particular it was necessary to develop methods and levels for the assessment of radioactive contaminations. Materials and methods: Because radioactivity can be considered as a carcinogenic substance the methodical approaches of the BBodSchV for this group of substances were used in order to derive test thresholds for radioactive contaminations at children's play areas, residential areas as well as parks and recreation facilities. Results: For the assessment of radioactive soil contaminations with naturally occurring radionuclides at children's play areas and residential areas the ingestion of soil is the decisive pathway of exposure. For children's play areas a threshold level of 0.2 Bq/g for the sum U-238,max + Th-232,max was obtained. At areas with only impacts of ambient radiation from the contaminated ground test thresholds of 0.5 μSv/h are recommended. A special pathway is the migration of radon from the contaminated soil into basement floors of buildings. Taking into account the natural background levels of radon a concentration of 260 Bq/m 3 is suggested as a test threshold in the framework of soil protection benchmarks. Discussion and conclusions will be described in Part 2 of the paper.

  15. Spike-threshold adaptation predicted by membrane potential dynamics in vivo.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bertrand Fontaine

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available Neurons encode information in sequences of spikes, which are triggered when their membrane potential crosses a threshold. In vivo, the spiking threshold displays large variability suggesting that threshold dynamics have a profound influence on how the combined input of a neuron is encoded in the spiking. Threshold variability could be explained by adaptation to the membrane potential. However, it could also be the case that most threshold variability reflects noise and processes other than threshold adaptation. Here, we investigated threshold variation in auditory neurons responses recorded in vivo in barn owls. We found that spike threshold is quantitatively predicted by a model in which the threshold adapts, tracking the membrane potential at a short timescale. As a result, in these neurons, slow voltage fluctuations do not contribute to spiking because they are filtered by threshold adaptation. More importantly, these neurons can only respond to input spikes arriving together on a millisecond timescale. These results demonstrate that fast adaptation to the membrane potential captures spike threshold variability in vivo.

  16. Statistical Algorithm for the Adaptation of Detection Thresholds

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Stotsky, Alexander A.

    2008-01-01

    Many event detection mechanisms in spark ignition automotive engines are based on the comparison of the engine signals to the detection threshold values. Different signal qualities for new and aged engines necessitate the development of an adaptation algorithm for the detection thresholds...... remains constant regardless of engine age and changing detection threshold values. This, in turn, guarantees the same event detection performance for new and aged engines/sensors. Adaptation of the engine knock detection threshold is given as an example. Udgivelsesdato: 2008...

  17. Perspective: Uses and misuses of thresholds in diagnostic decision making.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Warner, Jeremy L; Najarian, Robert M; Tierney, Lawrence M

    2010-03-01

    The concept of thresholds plays a vital role in decisions involving the initiation, continuation, and completion of diagnostic testing. Much research has focused on the development of explicit thresholds, in the form of practice guidelines and decision analyses. However, these tools are used infrequently; most medical decisions are made at the bedside, using implicit thresholds. Study of these thresholds can lead to a deeper understanding of clinical decision making. The authors examine some factors constituting individual clinicians' implicit thresholds. They propose a model for static thresholds using the concept of situational gravity to explain why some thresholds are high, and some low. Next, they consider the hypothetical effects of incorrect placement of thresholds (miscalibration) and changes to thresholds during diagnosis (manipulation). They demonstrate these concepts using common clinical scenarios. Through analysis of miscalibration of thresholds, the authors demonstrate some common maladaptive clinical behaviors, which are nevertheless internally consistent. They then explain how manipulation of thresholds gives rise to common cognitive heuristics including premature closure and anchoring. They also discuss the case where no threshold has been exceeded despite exhaustive collection of data, which commonly leads to application of the availability or representativeness heuristics. Awareness of implicit thresholds allows for a more effective understanding of the processes of medical decision making and, possibly, to the avoidance of detrimental heuristics and their associated medical errors. Research toward accurately defining these thresholds for individual physicians and toward determining their dynamic properties during the diagnostic process may yield valuable insights.

  18. Is action potential threshold lowest in the axon?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kole, Maarten H. P.; Stuart, Greg J.

    2008-01-01

    Action potential threshold is thought to be lowest in the axon, but when measured using conventional techniques, we found that action potential voltage threshold of rat cortical pyramidal neurons was higher in the axon than at other neuronal locations. In contrast, both current threshold and voltage

  19. Threshold intensity factors as lower boundaries for crack propagation in ceramics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Walter Per-Ole

    2004-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Slow crack growth can be described in a v (crack velocity versus KI (stress intensity factor diagram. Slow crack growth in ceramics is attributed to corrosion assisted stress at the crack tip or at any pre-existing defect in the ceramic. The combined effect of high stresses at the crack tip and the presence of water or body fluid molecules (reducing surface energy at the crack tip induces crack propagation, which eventually may result in fatigue. The presence of a threshold in the stress intensity factor, below which no crack propagation occurs, has been the subject of important research in the last years. The higher this threshold, the higher the reliability of the ceramic, and consequently the longer its lifetime. Methods We utilize the Irwin K-field displacement relation to deduce crack tip stress intensity factors from the near crack tip profile. Cracks are initiated by indentation impressions. The threshold stress intensity factor is determined as the time limit of the tip stress intensity when the residual stresses have (nearly disappeared. Results We determined the threshold stress intensity factors for most of the all ceramic materials presently important for dental restorations in Europe. Of special significance is the finding that alumina ceramic has a threshold limit nearly identical with that of zirconia. Conclusion The intention of the present paper is to stress the point that the threshold stress intensity factor represents a more intrinsic property for a given ceramic material than the widely used toughness (bend strength or fracture toughness, which refers only to fast crack growth. Considering two ceramics with identical threshold limits, although with different critical stress intensity limits, means that both ceramics have identical starting points for slow crack growth. Fast catastrophic crack growth leading to spontaneous fatigue, however, is different. This growth starts later in those ceramic materials

  20. Effect of low-frequency deep brain stimulation on sensory thresholds in Parkinson's disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Belasen, Abigail; Rizvi, Khizer; Gee, Lucy E; Yeung, Philip; Prusik, Julia; Ramirez-Zamora, Adolfo; Hanspal, Era; Paiva, Priscilla; Durphy, Jennifer; Argoff, Charles E; Pilitsis, Julie G

    2017-02-01

    OBJECTIVE Chronic pain is a major distressing symptom of Parkinson's disease (PD) that is often undertreated. Subthalamic nucleus (STN) deep brain stimulation (DBS) delivers high-frequency stimulation (HFS) to patients with PD and has been effective in pain relief in a subset of these patients. However, up to 74% of patients develop new pain concerns while receiving STN DBS. Here the authors explore whether altering the frequency of STN DBS changes pain perception as measured through quantitative sensory testing (QST). METHODS Using QST, the authors measured thermal and mechanical detection and pain thresholds in 19 patients undergoing DBS via HFS, low-frequency stimulation (LFS), and off conditions in a randomized order. Testing was performed in the region of the body with the most pain and in the lower back in patients without chronic pain. RESULTS In the patients with chronic pain, LFS significantly reduced heat detection thresholds as compared with thresholds following HFS (p = 0.029) and in the off state (p = 0.010). Moreover, LFS resulted in increased detection thresholds for mechanical pressure (p = 0.020) and vibration (p = 0.040) compared with these thresholds following HFS. Neither LFS nor HFS led to changes in other mechanical thresholds. In patients without chronic pain, LFS significantly increased mechanical pain thresholds in response to the 40-g pinprick compared with thresholds following HFS (p = 0.032). CONCLUSIONS Recent literature has suggested that STN LFS can be useful in treating nonmotor symptoms of PD. Here the authors demonstrated that LFS modulates thermal and mechanical detection to a greater extent than HFS. Low-frequency stimulation is an innovative means of modulating chronic pain in PD patients receiving STN DBS. The authors suggest that STN LFS may be a future option to consider when treating Parkinson's patients in whom pain remains the predominant complaint.

  1. Damage threshold of lithium niobate crystal under single and multiple femtosecond laser pulses: theoretical and experimental study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Meng, Qinglong; Zhang, Bin; Zhong, Sencheng; Zhu, Liguo

    2016-01-01

    The damage threshold of lithium niobate crystal under single and multiple femtosecond laser pulses has been studied theoretically and experimentally. Firstly, the model for the damage threshold prediction of crystal materials based on the improved rate equation has been proposed. Then, the experimental measure method of the damage threshold of crystal materials has been given in detail. On the basis, the variation of the damage threshold of lithium niobate crystal with the pulse duration has also been analyzed quantitatively. Finally, the damage threshold of lithium niobate crystal under multiple laser pulses has been measured and compared to the theoretical results. The results show that the transmittance of lithium niobate crystal is almost a constant when the laser pulse fluence is relative low, whereas it decreases linearly with the increase in the laser pulse fluence below the damage threshold. The damage threshold of lithium niobate crystal increases with the increase in the duration of the femtosecond laser pulse. And the damage threshold of lithium niobate crystal under multiple laser pulses is obviously lower than that irradiated by a single laser pulse. The theoretical data fall in good agreement with the experimental results. (orig.)

  2. Fast Image Edge Detection based on Faber Schauder Wavelet and Otsu Threshold

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Assma Azeroual

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Edge detection is a critical stage in many computer vision systems, such as image segmentation and object detection. As it is difficult to detect image edges with precision and with low complexity, it is appropriate to find new methods for edge detection. In this paper, we take advantage of Faber Schauder Wavelet (FSW and Otsu threshold to detect edges in a multi-scale way with low complexity, since the extrema coefficients of this wavelet are located on edge points and contain only arithmetic operations. First, the image is smoothed using bilateral filter depending on noise estimation. Second, the FSW extrema coefficients are selected based on Otsu threshold. Finally, the edge points are linked using a predictive edge linking algorithm to get the image edges. The effectiveness of the proposed method is supported by the experimental results which prove that our method is faster than many competing state-of-the-art approaches and can be used in real-time applications.

  3. Correlations of stock price fluctuations under multi-scale and multi-threshold scenarios

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sui, Guo; Li, Huajiao; Feng, Sida; Liu, Xueyong; Jiang, Meihui

    2018-01-01

    The multi-scale method is widely used in analyzing time series of financial markets and it can provide market information for different economic entities who focus on different periods. Through constructing multi-scale networks of price fluctuation correlation in the stock market, we can detect the topological relationship between each time series. Previous research has not addressed the problem that the original fluctuation correlation networks are fully connected networks and more information exists within these networks that is currently being utilized. Here we use listed coal companies as a case study. First, we decompose the original stock price fluctuation series into different time scales. Second, we construct the stock price fluctuation correlation networks at different time scales. Third, we delete the edges of the network based on thresholds and analyze the network indicators. Through combining the multi-scale method with the multi-threshold method, we bring to light the implicit information of fully connected networks.

  4. Applying Threshold Concepts to Finance Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoadley, Susan; Wood, Leigh N.; Tickle, Leonie; Kyng, Tim

    2016-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate and identify threshold concepts that are the essential conceptual content of finance programmes. Design/Methodology/Approach: Conducted in three stages with finance academics and students, the study uses threshold concepts as both a theoretical framework and a research methodology. Findings: The…

  5. The asymmetry of U.S. monetary policy: Evidence from a threshold Taylor rule with time-varying threshold values

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Yanli; Chen, Haiqiang

    2017-05-01

    In this paper, we revisit the issue whether U.S. monetary policy is asymmetric by estimating a forward-looking threshold Taylor rule with quarterly data from 1955 to 2015. In order to capture the potential heterogeneity for regime shift mechanism under different economic conditions, we modify the threshold model by assuming the threshold value as a latent variable following an autoregressive (AR) dynamic process. We use the unemployment rate as the threshold variable and separate the sample into two periods: expansion periods and recession periods. Our findings support that the U.S. monetary policy operations are asymmetric in these two regimes. More precisely, the monetary authority tends to implement an active Taylor rule with a weaker response to the inflation gap (the deviation of inflation from its target) and a stronger response to the output gap (the deviation of output from its potential level) in recession periods. The threshold value, interpreted as the targeted unemployment rate of monetary authorities, exhibits significant time-varying properties, confirming the conjecture that policy makers may adjust their reference point for the unemployment rate accordingly to reflect their attitude on the health of general economy.

  6. The H-mode power threshold in JET

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Start, D F.H.; Bhatnagar, V P; Campbell, D J; Cordey, J G; Esch, H P.L. de; Gormezano, C; Hawkes, N; Horton, L; Jones, T T.C.; Lomas, P J; Lowry, C; Righi, E; Rimini, F G; Saibene, G; Sartori, R; Sips, G; Stork, D; Thomas, P; Thomsen, K; Tubbing, B J.D.; Von Hellermann, M; Ward, D J [Commission of the European Communities, Abingdon (United Kingdom). JET Joint Undertaking

    1994-07-01

    New H-mode threshold data over a range of toroidal field and density values have been obtained from the present campaign. The scaling with n{sub e} B{sub t} is almost identical with that of the 91/92 period for the same discharge conditions. The scaling with toroidal field alone gives somewhat higher thresholds than the older data. The 1991/2 database shows a scaling of P{sub th} (power threshold) with n{sub e} B{sub t} which is approximately linear and agrees well with that observed on other tokamaks. For NBI and carbon target tiles the threshold power is a factor of two higher with the ion {Nu}B drift away from the target compared with the value found with the drift towards the target. The combination of ICRH and beryllium tiles appears to be beneficial for reducing P{sub th}. The power threshold is largely insensitive to plasma current, X-point height and distance between the last closed flux surface and the limiter, at least for values greater than 2 cm. (authors). 3 refs., 6 figs.

  7. QRS Detection Based on Improved Adaptive Threshold

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xuanyu Lu

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Cardiovascular disease is the first cause of death around the world. In accomplishing quick and accurate diagnosis, automatic electrocardiogram (ECG analysis algorithm plays an important role, whose first step is QRS detection. The threshold algorithm of QRS complex detection is known for its high-speed computation and minimized memory storage. In this mobile era, threshold algorithm can be easily transported into portable, wearable, and wireless ECG systems. However, the detection rate of the threshold algorithm still calls for improvement. An improved adaptive threshold algorithm for QRS detection is reported in this paper. The main steps of this algorithm are preprocessing, peak finding, and adaptive threshold QRS detecting. The detection rate is 99.41%, the sensitivity (Se is 99.72%, and the specificity (Sp is 99.69% on the MIT-BIH Arrhythmia database. A comparison is also made with two other algorithms, to prove our superiority. The suspicious abnormal area is shown at the end of the algorithm and RR-Lorenz plot drawn for doctors and cardiologists to use as aid for diagnosis.

  8. Turbidity threshold sampling: Methods and instrumentation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rand Eads; Jack Lewis

    2001-01-01

    Traditional methods for determining the frequency of suspended sediment sample collection often rely on measurements, such as water discharge, that are not well correlated to sediment concentration. Stream power is generally not a good predictor of sediment concentration for rivers that transport the bulk of their load as fines, due to the highly variable routing of...

  9. Comparison of Parametrization Techniques for an Electrical Circuit Model of Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Knap, Vaclav; Stroe, Daniel Loan; Teodorescu, Remus

    2015-01-01

    on the comparison of different parametrization methods of electrical circuit models (ECMs) for Li-S batteries. These methods are used to parametrize an ECM based on laboratory measurements performed on a Li-S pouch cell. Simulation results of ECMs are presented and compared against measurement values...

  10. A low threshold nanocavity in a two-dimensional 12-fold photonic quasicrystal

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ren, Jie; Sun, XiaoHong; Wang, Shuai

    2018-05-01

    In this article, a low threshold nanocavity is built and investigated in a two-dimensional 12-fold holographic photonic quasicrystal (PQC). The cavity is formed by using the method of multi-beam common-path interference. By finely adjusting the structure parameters of the cavity, the Q factor and the mode volume are optimized, which are two keys to low-threshold on the basis of Purcell effect. Finally, an optimal cavity is obtained with Q value of 6023 and mode volume of 1.24 ×10-12cm3 . On the other hand, by Fourier Transformation of the electric field components in the cavity, the in-plane wave vectors are calculated and fitted to evaluate the cavity performance. The performance analysis of the cavity further proves the effectiveness of the optimization process. This has a guiding significance for the research of low threshold nano-laser.

  11. Threshold enhancement of diphoton resonances

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aoife Bharucha

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available We revisit a mechanism to enhance the decay width of (pseudo-scalar resonances to photon pairs when the process is mediated by loops of charged fermions produced near threshold. Motivated by the recent LHC data, indicating the presence of an excess in the diphoton spectrum at approximately 750 GeV, we illustrate this threshold enhancement mechanism in the case of a 750 GeV pseudoscalar boson A with a two-photon decay mediated by a charged and uncolored fermion having a mass at the 12MA threshold and a small decay width, <1 MeV. The implications of such a threshold enhancement are discussed in two explicit scenarios: i the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model in which the A state is produced via the top quark mediated gluon fusion process and decays into photons predominantly through loops of charginos with masses close to 12MA and ii a two Higgs doublet model in which A is again produced by gluon fusion but decays into photons through loops of vector-like charged heavy leptons. In both these scenarios, while the mass of the charged fermion has to be adjusted to be extremely close to half of the A resonance mass, the small total widths are naturally obtained if only suppressed three-body decay channels occur. Finally, the implications of some of these scenarios for dark matter are discussed.

  12. Methods for Assessing Item, Step, and Threshold Invariance in Polytomous Items Following the Partial Credit Model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Penfield, Randall D.; Myers, Nicholas D.; Wolfe, Edward W.

    2008-01-01

    Measurement invariance in the partial credit model (PCM) can be conceptualized in several different but compatible ways. In this article the authors distinguish between three forms of measurement invariance in the PCM: step invariance, item invariance, and threshold invariance. Approaches for modeling these three forms of invariance are proposed,…

  13. Trapping volumetric measurement by multidetector CT in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Effect of CT threshold

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Xiaohua; Yuan, Huishu [Department of Radiology, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing 100191 (China); Duan, Jianghui [Medical School, Peking University, Beijing 100191 (China); Du, Yipeng; Shen, Ning; He, Bei [Department of Respiration Internal Medicine, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing 100191 (China)

    2013-08-15

    Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of various computed tomography (CT) thresholds on trapping volumetric measurements by multidetector CT in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).Methods: Twenty-three COPD patients were scanned with a 64-slice CT scanner in both the inspiratory and expiratory phase. CT thresholds of −950 Hu in inspiration and −950 to −890 Hu in expiration were used, after which trapping volumetric measurements were made using computer software. Trapping volume percentage (Vtrap%) under the different CT thresholds in the expiratory phase and below −950 Hu in the inspiratory phase was compared and correlated with lung function.Results: Mean Vtrap% was similar under −930 Hu in the expiratory phase and below −950 Hu in the inspiratory phase, being 13.18 ± 9.66 and 13.95 ± 6.72 (both lungs), respectively; this difference was not significant (P= 0.240). Vtrap% under −950 Hu in the inspiratory phase and below the −950 to −890 Hu threshold in the expiratory phase was moderately negatively correlated with the ratio of forced expiratory volume in one second to forced vital capacity and the measured value of forced expiratory volume in one second as a percentage of the predicted value.Conclusions: Trapping volumetric measurement with multidetector CT is a promising method for the quantification of COPD. It is important to know the effect of various CT thresholds on trapping volumetric measurements.

  14. ENTRIA workshop. Determine threshold values in radiation protection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Diener, Lisa

    2015-01-01

    Threshold values affect our daily lives. Whether it concerns traffic or noise regulations, we all experience thresholds on a regular basis. But how are such values generated? The conference ''Determine Thres-hold Values in Radiation Protection'', taking place on January 27th 2015 in Braunschweig, focused on this question. The conference was undertaken in the context of the BMBF-funded interdisciplinary research project ''ENTRIA - Disposal Options for Radioactive Residues''. It aimed to stimulate a cross-disciplinary discussion. Spea-kers from different disciplinary backgrounds talked about topics like procedures of setting threshold values, standards for evaluating dosages, and public participation in the standardization of threshold values. Two major theses emerged: First, setting threshold values always requires considering contexts and protection targets. Second, existing uncertainties must be communicated in and with the public. Altogether, the conference offered lots of input and issues for discussion. In addition, it raised interesting and important questions for further and ongoing work in the research project ENTRIA.

  15. Thresholds of ion turbulence in tokamaks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Garbet, X.; Laurent, L.; Mourgues, F.; Roubin, J.P.; Samain, A.; Zou, X.L.

    1991-01-01

    The linear thresholds of ionic turbulence are numerically calculated for the Tokamaks JET and TORE SUPRA. It is proved that the stability domain at η i >0 is determined by trapped ion modes and is characterized by η i ≥1 and a threshold L Ti /R of order (0.2/0.3)/(1+T i /T e ). The latter value is significantly smaller than what has been previously predicted. Experimental temperature profiles in heated discharges are usually marginal with respect to this criterium. It is also shown that the eigenmodes are low frequency, low wavenumber ballooned modes, which may produce a very large transport once the threshold ion temperature gradient is reached

  16. Effect of dissipation on dynamical fusion thresholds

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sierk, A.J.

    1986-01-01

    The existence of dynamical thresholds to fusion in heavy nuclei (A greater than or equal to 200) due to the nature of the potential-energy surface is shown. These thresholds exist even in the absence of dissipative forces, due to the coupling between the various collective deformation degrees of freedom. Using a macroscopic model of nuclear shape dynamics, It is shown how three different suggested dissipation mechanisms increase by varying amounts the excitation energy over the one-dimensional barrier required to cause compound-nucleus formation. The recently introduced surface-plus-window dissipation may give a reasonable representation of experimental data on fusion thresholds, in addition to properly describing fission-fragment kinetic energies and isoscalar giant multipole widths. Scaling of threshold results to asymmetric systems is discussed. 48 refs., 10 figs

  17. Impact of PET reconstruction algorithm and threshold on dose painting of non-small cell lung cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Knudtsen, Ingerid Skjei; Elmpt, Wouter van; Öllers, Michel; Malinen, Eirik

    2014-01-01

    Purpose: In the current work, we investigate the impact of PET reconstruction methods (RMs) and threshold on two types of dose painting (DP) prescription strategies for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Materials and methods: Sixteen patients with NSCLC underwent an 18F-FDG-PET/CT examination prior to radiotherapy. Six different RMs were used. For both a dose painting by contours (DPBC) and a dose painting by numbers (DPBN) strategy, the prescribed radiation dose within the gross tumor volume (GTV) was mapped according to the spatial distribution of standardized uptake values (SUVs). SUV max and SUV peak were used for volume thresholding in DPBC and a linear SUV-dose scaling approach was used for DPBN. Deviations from the dose prescription as determined by the standard RM was scored by a quality factor (QF). Results: For DPBC, the mean difference in thresholded boost volume between RMs was typically within 10%. The difference in dose prescription was systematically lower for thresholding based on SUV peak (largest mean QF 2.8 ± 2.0%) compared to SUV max (largest mean QF 3.6 ± 3.0%). For DPBN, the resulting dose prescriptions were less dependent on RM and threshold; the largest mean QFs were 1.3 ± 0.3% both for SUV max and SUV peak . Conclusions: PET reconstruction algorithms will both influence DPBC and DPBN, although the impact is smaller for DPBN. For some patients, the resulting variations in dose prescriptions may result in clinically different dose distributions. SUV peak is a more robust thresholding parameter than SUV max

  18. Smartphone threshold audiometry in underserved primary health-care contexts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sandström, Josefin; Swanepoel, De Wet; Carel Myburgh, Hermanus; Laurent, Claude

    2016-01-01

    To validate a calibrated smartphone-based hearing test in a sound booth environment and in primary health-care clinics. A repeated-measure within-subject study design was employed whereby air-conduction hearing thresholds determined by smartphone-based audiometry was compared to conventional audiometry in a sound booth and a primary health-care clinic environment. A total of 94 subjects (mean age 41 years ± 17.6 SD and range 18-88; 64% female) were assessed of whom 64 were tested in the sound booth and 30 within primary health-care clinics without a booth. In the sound booth 63.4% of conventional and smartphone thresholds indicated normal hearing (≤15 dBHL). Conventional thresholds exceeding 15 dB HL corresponded to smartphone thresholds within ≤10 dB in 80.6% of cases with an average threshold difference of -1.6 dB ± 9.9 SD. In primary health-care clinics 13.7% of conventional and smartphone thresholds indicated normal hearing (≤15 dBHL). Conventional thresholds exceeding 15 dBHL corresponded to smartphone thresholds within ≤10 dB in 92.9% of cases with an average threshold difference of -1.0 dB ± 7.1 SD. Accurate air-conduction audiometry can be conducted in a sound booth and without a sound booth in an underserved community health-care clinic using a smartphone.

  19. Is the diagnostic threshold for bulimia nervosa clinically meaningful?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chapa, Danielle A N; Bohrer, Brittany K; Forbush, Kelsie T

    2018-01-01

    The DSM-5 differentiates full- and sub-threshold bulimia nervosa (BN) according to average weekly frequencies of binge eating and inappropriate compensatory behaviors. This study was the first to evaluate the modified frequency criterion for BN published in the DSM-5. The purpose of this study was to test whether community-recruited adults (N=125; 83.2% women) with current full-threshold (n=77) or sub-threshold BN (n=48) differed in comorbid psychopathology and eating disorder (ED) illness duration, symptom severity, and clinical impairment. Participants completed the Clinical Impairment Assessment and participated in semi-structured clinical interviews of ED- and non-ED psychopathology. Differences between the sub- and full-threshold BN groups were assessed using MANOVA and Chi-square analyses. ED illness duration, age-of-onset, body mass index (BMI), alcohol and drug misuse, and the presence of current and lifetime mood or anxiety disorders did not differ between participants with sub- and full-threshold BN. Participants with full-threshold BN had higher levels of clinical impairment and weight concern than those with sub-threshold BN. However, minimal clinically important difference analyses suggested that statistically significant differences between participants with sub- and full-threshold BN on clinical impairment and weight concern were not clinically significant. In conclusion, sub-threshold BN did not differ from full-threshold BN in clinically meaningful ways. Future studies are needed to identify an improved frequency criterion for BN that better distinguishes individuals in ways that will more validly inform prognosis and effective treatment planning for BN. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. A proposed method of measuring the electric-dipole moment of the neutron by ultracold neutron interferometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Freedman, M.S.; Peshkin, M.; Ringo, G.R.; Dombeck, T.W.

    1989-08-01

    The use of an ultracold neutron interferometer incorporating an electrostatic accelerator having a strong electric field gradient to accelerate neutrons by their possible electric dipole moment is proposed as a method of measuring the neutron electric dipole moment. The method appears to have the possibility of extending the sensitivity of the measurement by several orders of magnitude, perhaps to 10 -30 e-cm. 9 refs., 3 figs

  1. NEUTRON SPECTRUM MEASUREMENTS USING MULTIPLE THRESHOLD DETECTORS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gerken, William W.; Duffey, Dick

    1963-11-15

    From American Nuclear Society Meeting, New York, Nov. 1963. The use of threshold detectors, which simultaneously undergo reactions with thermal neutrons and two or more fast neutron threshold reactions, was applied to measurements of the neutron spectrum in a reactor. A number of different materials were irradiated to determine the most practical ones for use as multiple threshold detectors. These results, as well as counting techniques and corrections, are presented. Some materials used include aluminum, alloys of Al -Ni, aluminum-- nickel oxides, and magesium orthophosphates. (auth)

  2. Multi-time-over-threshold technique for photomultiplier signal processing: Description and characterization of the SCOTT ASIC

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ferry, S.; Guilloux, F.; Anvar, S.; Chateau, F.; Delagnes, E.; Gautard, V.; Louis, F.; Monmarthe, E.; Le Provost, H.; Russo, S.; Schuller, J.-P.; Stolarczyk, Th.; Vallage, B.; Zonca, E.

    2012-01-01

    KM3NeT aims to build a cubic-kilometer scale neutrino telescope in the Mediterranean Sea based on a 3D array of photomultiplier tubes. A dedicated ASIC, named SCOTT, has been developed for the readout electronics of the PMTs: it uses up to 16 adjustable thresholds to digitize the signals with the multi-time-over-threshold technique. Digital outputs of discriminators feed a circular sampling memory and a “first in first out” digital memory for derandomization. At the end of the data processing, the ASIC produces a digital waveform sampled at 800 MHz. A specific study was carried out to process PMT data and has showed that five specifically chosen thresholds are suited to reach the required timing precision. A dedicated method based on the duration of the signal over a given threshold allows an equivalent timing precision at any charge. A charge estimator using the information from the thresholds allows a charge determination within less than 20% up to 60 pe.

  3. Multi-time-over-threshold technique for photomultiplier signal processing: Description and characterization of the SCOTT ASIC

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferry, S.; Guilloux, F.; Anvar, S.; Chateau, F.; Delagnes, E.; Gautard, V.; Louis, F.; Monmarthe, E.; Le Provost, H.; Russo, S.; Schuller, J.-P.; Stolarczyk, Th.; Vallage, B.; Zonca, E.; Representing the KM3NeT Consortium

    2012-12-01

    KM3NeT aims to build a cubic-kilometer scale neutrino telescope in the Mediterranean Sea based on a 3D array of photomultiplier tubes. A dedicated ASIC, named SCOTT, has been developed for the readout electronics of the PMTs: it uses up to 16 adjustable thresholds to digitize the signals with the multi-time-over-threshold technique. Digital outputs of discriminators feed a circular sampling memory and a “first in first out” digital memory for derandomization. At the end of the data processing, the ASIC produces a digital waveform sampled at 800 MHz. A specific study was carried out to process PMT data and has showed that five specifically chosen thresholds are suited to reach the required timing precision. A dedicated method based on the duration of the signal over a given threshold allows an equivalent timing precision at any charge. A charge estimator using the information from the thresholds allows a charge determination within less than 20% up to 60 pe.

  4. Threshold Estimation of Generalized Pareto Distribution Based on Akaike Information Criterion for Accurate Reliability Analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kang, Seunghoon; Lim, Woochul; Cho, Su-gil; Park, Sanghyun; Lee, Tae Hee [Hanyang University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Minuk; Choi, Jong-su; Hong, Sup [Korea Research Insitute of Ships and Ocean Engineering, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-02-15

    In order to perform estimations with high reliability, it is necessary to deal with the tail part of the cumulative distribution function (CDF) in greater detail compared to an overall CDF. The use of a generalized Pareto distribution (GPD) to model the tail part of a CDF is receiving more research attention with the goal of performing estimations with high reliability. Current studies on GPDs focus on ways to determine the appropriate number of sample points and their parameters. However, even if a proper estimation is made, it can be inaccurate as a result of an incorrect threshold value. Therefore, in this paper, a GPD based on the Akaike information criterion (AIC) is proposed to improve the accuracy of the tail model. The proposed method determines an accurate threshold value using the AIC with the overall samples before estimating the GPD over the threshold. To validate the accuracy of the method, its reliability is compared with that obtained using a general GPD model with an empirical CDF.

  5. Threshold Estimation of Generalized Pareto Distribution Based on Akaike Information Criterion for Accurate Reliability Analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kang, Seunghoon; Lim, Woochul; Cho, Su-gil; Park, Sanghyun; Lee, Tae Hee; Lee, Minuk; Choi, Jong-su; Hong, Sup

    2015-01-01

    In order to perform estimations with high reliability, it is necessary to deal with the tail part of the cumulative distribution function (CDF) in greater detail compared to an overall CDF. The use of a generalized Pareto distribution (GPD) to model the tail part of a CDF is receiving more research attention with the goal of performing estimations with high reliability. Current studies on GPDs focus on ways to determine the appropriate number of sample points and their parameters. However, even if a proper estimation is made, it can be inaccurate as a result of an incorrect threshold value. Therefore, in this paper, a GPD based on the Akaike information criterion (AIC) is proposed to improve the accuracy of the tail model. The proposed method determines an accurate threshold value using the AIC with the overall samples before estimating the GPD over the threshold. To validate the accuracy of the method, its reliability is compared with that obtained using a general GPD model with an empirical CDF

  6. Cost-effectiveness thresholds: pros and cons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bertram, Melanie Y; Lauer, Jeremy A; De Joncheere, Kees; Edejer, Tessa; Hutubessy, Raymond; Kieny, Marie-Paule; Hill, Suzanne R

    2016-12-01

    Cost-effectiveness analysis is used to compare the costs and outcomes of alternative policy options. Each resulting cost-effectiveness ratio represents the magnitude of additional health gained per additional unit of resources spent. Cost-effectiveness thresholds allow cost-effectiveness ratios that represent good or very good value for money to be identified. In 2001, the World Health Organization's Commission on Macroeconomics in Health suggested cost-effectiveness thresholds based on multiples of a country's per-capita gross domestic product (GDP). In some contexts, in choosing which health interventions to fund and which not to fund, these thresholds have been used as decision rules. However, experience with the use of such GDP-based thresholds in decision-making processes at country level shows them to lack country specificity and this - in addition to uncertainty in the modelled cost-effectiveness ratios - can lead to the wrong decision on how to spend health-care resources. Cost-effectiveness information should be used alongside other considerations - e.g. budget impact and feasibility considerations - in a transparent decision-making process, rather than in isolation based on a single threshold value. Although cost-effectiveness ratios are undoubtedly informative in assessing value for money, countries should be encouraged to develop a context-specific process for decision-making that is supported by legislation, has stakeholder buy-in, for example the involvement of civil society organizations and patient groups, and is transparent, consistent and fair.

  7. Cost–effectiveness thresholds: pros and cons

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lauer, Jeremy A; De Joncheere, Kees; Edejer, Tessa; Hutubessy, Raymond; Kieny, Marie-Paule; Hill, Suzanne R

    2016-01-01

    Abstract Cost–effectiveness analysis is used to compare the costs and outcomes of alternative policy options. Each resulting cost–effectiveness ratio represents the magnitude of additional health gained per additional unit of resources spent. Cost–effectiveness thresholds allow cost–effectiveness ratios that represent good or very good value for money to be identified. In 2001, the World Health Organization’s Commission on Macroeconomics in Health suggested cost–effectiveness thresholds based on multiples of a country’s per-capita gross domestic product (GDP). In some contexts, in choosing which health interventions to fund and which not to fund, these thresholds have been used as decision rules. However, experience with the use of such GDP-based thresholds in decision-making processes at country level shows them to lack country specificity and this – in addition to uncertainty in the modelled cost–effectiveness ratios – can lead to the wrong decision on how to spend health-care resources. Cost–effectiveness information should be used alongside other considerations – e.g. budget impact and feasibility considerations – in a transparent decision-making process, rather than in isolation based on a single threshold value. Although cost–effectiveness ratios are undoubtedly informative in assessing value for money, countries should be encouraged to develop a context-specific process for decision-making that is supported by legislation, has stakeholder buy-in, for example the involvement of civil society organizations and patient groups, and is transparent, consistent and fair. PMID:27994285

  8. Thresholding using two-dimensional histogram and watershed algorithm in the luggage inspection system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen Jingyun; Cong Peng; Song Qi

    2006-01-01

    The authors present a new DR image segmentation method based on two-dimensional histogram and watershed algorithm. The authors use watershed algorithm to locate threshold on the vertical projection plane of two-dimensional histogram. This method is applied to the segmentation of DR images produced by luggage inspection system with DR-CT. The advantage of this method is also analyzed. (authors)

  9. Identifying the Threshold of Dominant Controls on Fire Spread in a Boreal Forest Landscape of Northeast China

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Zhihua; Yang, Jian; He, Hong S.

    2013-01-01

    The relative importance of fuel, topography, and weather on fire spread varies at different spatial scales, but how the relative importance of these controls respond to changing spatial scales is poorly understood. We designed a “moving window” resampling technique that allowed us to quantify the relative importance of controls on fire spread at continuous spatial scales using boosted regression trees methods. This quantification allowed us to identify the threshold value for fire size at which the dominant control switches from fuel at small sizes to weather at large sizes. Topography had a fluctuating effect on fire spread across the spatial scales, explaining 20–30% of relative importance. With increasing fire size, the dominant control switched from bottom-up controls (fuel and topography) to top-down controls (weather). Our analysis suggested that there is a threshold for fire size, above which fires are driven primarily by weather and more likely lead to larger fire size. We suggest that this threshold, which may be ecosystem-specific, can be identified using our “moving window” resampling technique. Although the threshold derived from this analytical method may rely heavily on the sampling technique, our study introduced an easily implemented approach to identify scale thresholds in wildfire regimes. PMID:23383247

  10. Dynamic multiple thresholding breast boundary detection algorithm for mammograms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, Yi-Ta; Zhou Chuan; Chan, Heang-Ping; Paramagul, Chintana; Hadjiiski, Lubomir M.; Daly, Caroline Plowden; Douglas, Julie A.; Zhang Yiheng; Sahiner, Berkman; Shi Jiazheng; Wei Jun

    2010-01-01

    Purpose: Automated detection of breast boundary is one of the fundamental steps for computer-aided analysis of mammograms. In this study, the authors developed a new dynamic multiple thresholding based breast boundary (MTBB) detection method for digitized mammograms. Methods: A large data set of 716 screen-film mammograms (442 CC view and 274 MLO view) obtained from consecutive cases of an Institutional Review Board approved project were used. An experienced breast radiologist manually traced the breast boundary on each digitized image using a graphical interface to provide a reference standard. The initial breast boundary (MTBB-Initial) was obtained by dynamically adapting the threshold to the gray level range in local regions of the breast periphery. The initial breast boundary was then refined by using gradient information from horizontal and vertical Sobel filtering to obtain the final breast boundary (MTBB-Final). The accuracy of the breast boundary detection algorithm was evaluated by comparison with the reference standard using three performance metrics: The Hausdorff distance (HDist), the average minimum Euclidean distance (AMinDist), and the area overlap measure (AOM). Results: In comparison with the authors' previously developed gradient-based breast boundary (GBB) algorithm, it was found that 68%, 85%, and 94% of images had HDist errors less than 6 pixels (4.8 mm) for GBB, MTBB-Initial, and MTBB-Final, respectively. 89%, 90%, and 96% of images had AMinDist errors less than 1.5 pixels (1.2 mm) for GBB, MTBB-Initial, and MTBB-Final, respectively. 96%, 98%, and 99% of images had AOM values larger than 0.9 for GBB, MTBB-Initial, and MTBB-Final, respectively. The improvement by the MTBB-Final method was statistically significant for all the evaluation measures by the Wilcoxon signed rank test (p<0.0001). Conclusions: The MTBB approach that combined dynamic multiple thresholding and gradient information provided better performance than the breast boundary

  11. Multilevel Thresholding Segmentation Based on Harmony Search Optimization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Diego Oliva

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, a multilevel thresholding (MT algorithm based on the harmony search algorithm (HSA is introduced. HSA is an evolutionary method which is inspired in musicians improvising new harmonies while playing. Different to other evolutionary algorithms, HSA exhibits interesting search capabilities still keeping a low computational overhead. The proposed algorithm encodes random samples from a feasible search space inside the image histogram as candidate solutions, whereas their quality is evaluated considering the objective functions that are employed by the Otsu’s or Kapur’s methods. Guided by these objective values, the set of candidate solutions are evolved through the HSA operators until an optimal solution is found. Experimental results demonstrate the high performance of the proposed method for the segmentation of digital images.

  12. Headphone listening habits and hearing thresholds in swedish adolescents

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stephen E Widen

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: The aim of this study was to investigate self-reported hearing and portable music listening habits, measured hearing function and music exposure levels in Swedish adolescents. The study was divided into two parts. Materials and Methods: The first part included 280 adolescents, who were 17 years of age and focused on self-reported data on subjective hearing problems and listening habits regarding portable music players. From this group, 50 adolescents volunteered to participate in Part II of the study, which focused on audiological measurements and measured listening volume. Results: The results indicated that longer lifetime exposure in years and increased listening frequency were associated with poorer hearing thresholds and more self-reported hearing problems. A tendency was found for listening to louder volumes and poorer hearing thresholds. Women reported more subjective hearing problems compared with men but exhibited better hearing thresholds. In contrast, men reported more use of personal music devices, and they listen at higher volumes. Discussion: Additionally, the study shows that adolescents listening for ≥3 h at every occasion more likely had tinnitus. Those listening at ≥85 dB LAeq, FF and listening every day exhibited poorer mean hearing thresholds, reported more subjective hearing problems and listened more frequently in school and while sleeping. Conclusion: Although the vast majority listened at moderate sound levels and for shorter periods of time, the study also indicates that there is a subgroup (10% that listens between 90 and 100 dB for longer periods of time, even during sleep. This group might be at risk for developing future noise-induced hearing impairments.

  13. Automatic luminous reflections detector using global threshold with increased luminosity contrast in images

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silva, Ricardo Petri; Naozuka, Gustavo Taiji; Mastelini, Saulo Martiello; Felinto, Alan Salvany

    2018-01-01

    The incidence of luminous reflections (LR) in captured images can interfere with the color of the affected regions. These regions tend to oversaturate, becoming whitish and, consequently, losing the original color information of the scene. Decision processes that employ images acquired from digital cameras can be impaired by the LR incidence. Such applications include real-time video surgeries, facial, and ocular recognition. This work proposes an algorithm called contrast enhancement of potential LR regions, which is a preprocessing to increase the contrast of potential LR regions, in order to improve the performance of automatic LR detectors. In addition, three automatic detectors were compared with and without the employment of our preprocessing method. The first one is a technique already consolidated in the literature called the Chang-Tseng threshold. We propose two automatic detectors called adapted histogram peak and global threshold. We employed four performance metrics to evaluate the detectors, namely, accuracy, precision, exactitude, and root mean square error. The exactitude metric is developed by this work. Thus, a manually defined reference model was created. The global threshold detector combined with our preprocessing method presented the best results, with an average exactitude rate of 82.47%.

  14. Summary report of a workshop on establishing cumulative effects thresholds : a suggested approach for establishing cumulative effects thresholds in a Yukon context

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2003-01-01

    Increasingly, thresholds are being used as a land and cumulative effects assessment and management tool. To assist in the management of wildlife species such as woodland caribou, the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs (DIAND) Environment Directorate, Yukon sponsored a workshop to develop and use cumulative thresholds in the Yukon. The approximately 30 participants reviewed recent initiatives in the Yukon and other jurisdictions. The workshop is expected to help formulate a strategic vision for implementing cumulative effects thresholds in the Yukon. The key to success resides in building relationships with Umbrella Final Agreement (UFA) Boards, the Development Assessment Process (DAP), and the Yukon Environmental and Socio-Economic Assessment Act (YESAA). Broad support is required within an integrated resource management framework. The workshop featured discussions on current science and theory of cumulative effects thresholds. Potential data and implementation issues were also discussed. It was concluded that thresholds are useful and scientifically defensible. The threshold research results obtained in Alberta, British Columbia and the Northwest Territories are applicable to the Yukon. One of the best tools for establishing and tracking thresholds is habitat effectiveness. Effects must be monitored and tracked. Biologists must share their information with decision makers. Interagency coordination and assistance should be facilitated through the establishment of working groups. Regional land use plans should include thresholds. 7 refs.

  15. Soil preparation methods promoting ectomycorrhizal colonization and American chestnut Castanea dentata establishment in coal mine restoration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jenise M. Bauman; Carolyn H. Keiffer; Shiv Hiremath; Brian C. McCarthy

    2013-01-01

    The objective of this research was to evaluate soil subsurface methods that may aid in seedling establishment and encourage root colonization from a diverse group of ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi during restoration projects. American chestnut Castanea dentata Marsh. Borkh. and backcrossed chestnuts seedlings were planted on a reclaimed coal mine site...

  16. Calibration of the neutron scintillation counter threshold

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Noga, V.I.; Ranyuk, Yu.N.; Telegin, Yu.N.

    1978-01-01

    A method for calibrating the threshold of a neutron counter in the form of a 10x10x40 cm plastic scintillator is described. The method is based on the evaluation of the Compton boundary of γ-spectrum from the discrimination curve of counter loading. The results of calibration using 60 Co and 24 Na γ-sources are given. In order to eValuate the Compton edge rapidly, linear extrapolation of the linear part of the discrimination curve towards its intersection with the X axis is recommended. Special measurements have shown that the calibration results do not practically depend on the distance between the cathode of a photomultiplier and the place where collimated γ-radiation of the calibration source reaches the scintillator

  17. Melanin microcavitation threshold in the near infrared

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schmidt, Morgan S.; Kennedy, Paul K.; Vincelette, Rebecca L.; Schuster, Kurt J.; Noojin, Gary D.; Wharmby, Andrew W.; Thomas, Robert J.; Rockwell, Benjamin A.

    2014-02-01

    Thresholds for microcavitation of isolated bovine and porcine melanosomes were determined using single nanosecond (ns) laser pulses in the NIR (1000 - 1319 nm) wavelength regime. Average fluence thresholds for microcavitation increased non-linearly with increasing wavelength. Average fluence thresholds were also measured for 10-ns pulses at 532 nm, and found to be comparable to visible ns pulse values published in previous reports. Fluence thresholds were used to calculate melanosome absorption coefficients, which decreased with increasing wavelength. This trend was found to be comparable to the decrease in retinal pigmented epithelial (RPE) layer absorption coefficients reported over the same wavelength region. Estimated corneal total intraocular energy (TIE) values were determined and compared to the current and proposed maximum permissible exposure (MPE) safe exposure levels. Results from this study support the proposed changes to the MPE levels.

  18. Factors affecting perception thresholds of vertical whole-body vibration in recumbent subjects: Gender and age of subjects, and vibration duration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matsumoto, Y.; Maeda, S.; Iwane, Y.; Iwata, Y.

    2011-04-01

    Some factors that may affect human perception thresholds of the vertical whole-body vibrations were investigated in two laboratory experiments with recumbent subjects. In the first experiment, the effects of gender and age of subjects on perception were investigated with three groups of 12 subjects, i.e., young males, young females and old males. For continuous sinusoidal vibrations at 2, 4, 8, 16, 31.5 and 63 Hz, there were no significant differences in the perception thresholds between male and female subjects, while the thresholds of young subjects tended to be significantly lower than the thresholds of old subjects. In the second experiment, the effect of vibration duration was investigated by using sinusoidal vibrations, at the same frequencies as above, modulated by the Hanning windows with different lengths (i.e., 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 and 4.0 s) for 12 subjects. It was found that the peak acceleration at the threshold tended to decrease with increasing duration of vibration. The perception thresholds were also evaluated by the running root-mean-square (rms) acceleration and the fourth power acceleration method defined in the current standards. The differences in the threshold of the transient vibrations for different durations were less with the fourth power acceleration method. Additionally, the effect of the integration time on the threshold was investigated for the running rms acceleration and the fourth power acceleration. It was found that the integration time that yielded less differences in the threshold of vibrations for different durations depended on the frequency of vibration.

  19. Noise reduction in Lidar signal using correlation-based EMD combined with soft thresholding and roughness penalty

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chang, Jianhua; Zhu, Lingyan; Li, Hongxu; Xu, Fan; Liu, Binggang; Yang, Zhenbo

    2018-01-01

    Empirical mode decomposition (EMD) is widely used to analyze the non-linear and non-stationary signals for noise reduction. In this study, a novel EMD-based denoising method, referred to as EMD with soft thresholding and roughness penalty (EMD-STRP), is proposed for the Lidar signal denoising. With the proposed method, the relevant and irrelevant intrinsic mode functions are first distinguished via a correlation coefficient. Then, the soft thresholding technique is applied to the irrelevant modes, and the roughness penalty technique is applied to the relevant modes to extract as much information as possible. The effectiveness of the proposed method was evaluated using three typical signals contaminated by white Gaussian noise. The denoising performance was then compared to the denoising capabilities of other techniques, such as correlation-based EMD partial reconstruction, correlation-based EMD hard thresholding, and wavelet transform. The use of EMD-STRP on the measured Lidar signal resulted in the noise being efficiently suppressed, with an improved signal to noise ratio of 22.25 dB and an extended detection range of 11 km.

  20. Effect of transient occlusal loading on the threshold of tooth tactile sensation perception for tapping like the impulsive stimulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morimoto, Yuta; Oki, Kazuhiro; Iida, Sachiyo; Shirahige, Chieko; Maeda, Naoto; Kawakami, Shigehisa; Matsunaga, Tadashi; Minagi, Shogo

    2013-07-01

    The objectives of this study were (1) to establish a reliable method for detecting the force threshold of the tooth tactile sensation while avoiding experimenter bias and (2) to examine the effect of occlusal force loading on the threshold for impulsive force stimulation in subjects with normal dentition. Twenty volunteers participated in this study (10 males and 10 females; mean age, 26.6 ± 2.9 years). To simulate the bite force during occlusal tapping, a force-loading device was designed to exert impulsive force to the occlusal surface in the direction parallel to the tooth axis. The impulsive force detection threshold of the periodontal sensation was measured before and after loading 98 N of occlusal force on the left upper first molar for 1 min. Transient mechanical loading of the upper first molar caused an increase in the absolute threshold for impulsive force. This increase did not vanish immediately, and the increment of the threshold was maintained during the remainder of the experiment. A computer-controlled method for the evaluation of tooth tactile sensation using impulsive stimulation was established. Transient occlusal force loading parallel to the tooth axis increases the threshold of periodontal sensation for mechanical impulsive stimulation.

  1. Phosphatase activity tunes two-component system sensor detection threshold.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Landry, Brian P; Palanki, Rohan; Dyulgyarov, Nikola; Hartsough, Lucas A; Tabor, Jeffrey J

    2018-04-12

    Two-component systems (TCSs) are the largest family of multi-step signal transduction pathways in biology, and a major source of sensors for biotechnology. However, the input concentrations to which biosensors respond are often mismatched with application requirements. Here, we utilize a mathematical model to show that TCS detection thresholds increase with the phosphatase activity of the sensor histidine kinase. We experimentally validate this result in engineered Bacillus subtilis nitrate and E. coli aspartate TCS sensors by tuning their detection threshold up to two orders of magnitude. We go on to apply our TCS tuning method to recently described tetrathionate and thiosulfate sensors by mutating a widely conserved residue previously shown to impact phosphatase activity. Finally, we apply TCS tuning to engineer B. subtilis to sense and report a wide range of fertilizer concentrations in soil. This work will enable the engineering of tailor-made biosensors for diverse synthetic biology applications.

  2. Development of a new pressure dependent threshold superheated drop detector for neutrons

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rezaeian, Peiman [Radiation Applications Research School, Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute, AEOI, PO Box 11365-3486, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Raisali, Gholamreza, E-mail: graisali@aeoi.org.ir [Radiation Applications Research School, Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute, AEOI, PO Box 11365-3486, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Akhavan, Azam [Radiation Applications Research School, Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute, AEOI, PO Box 11365-3486, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Ghods, Hossein [Physics and Accelerators Research School, Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute, AEOI, PO Box 11365-3486, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Hajizadeh, Bardia [Radiation Protection Division, AEOI, PO Box 14155-1339, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

    2015-03-11

    In this paper, a set of superheated drop detectors operated at different pressures is developed and fabricated by adding an appropriate amount of Freon-12 liquid on the free surface of the detector. The fabricated detectors have been used for determination of the threshold pressure for 2.89 MeV neutrons of a neutron generator in order to estimate the thermodynamic efficiency. Finally, knowing the thermodynamic efficiency of the detector and in a similar manner, the threshold pressure for {sup 241}Am–Be neutrons is determined and accordingly, the maximum neutron energy of the source spectrum is estimated. The maximum neutron energy of the {sup 241}Am–Be is estimated as 10.97±2.11 MeV. The agreement between this measured maximum energy and the reported value of the {sup 241}Am–Be neutron source shows that the method developed to apply pressure on the superheated drop detectors can be used to control the energy threshold of these detectors.

  3. Development of a new pressure dependent threshold superheated drop detector for neutrons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rezaeian, Peiman; Raisali, Gholamreza; Akhavan, Azam; Ghods, Hossein; Hajizadeh, Bardia

    2015-01-01

    In this paper, a set of superheated drop detectors operated at different pressures is developed and fabricated by adding an appropriate amount of Freon-12 liquid on the free surface of the detector. The fabricated detectors have been used for determination of the threshold pressure for 2.89 MeV neutrons of a neutron generator in order to estimate the thermodynamic efficiency. Finally, knowing the thermodynamic efficiency of the detector and in a similar manner, the threshold pressure for 241 Am–Be neutrons is determined and accordingly, the maximum neutron energy of the source spectrum is estimated. The maximum neutron energy of the 241 Am–Be is estimated as 10.97±2.11 MeV. The agreement between this measured maximum energy and the reported value of the 241 Am–Be neutron source shows that the method developed to apply pressure on the superheated drop detectors can be used to control the energy threshold of these detectors

  4. Speeding up Coarse Point Cloud Registration by Threshold-Independent Baysac Match Selection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kang, Z.; Lindenbergh, R.; Pu, S.

    2016-06-01

    This paper presents an algorithm for the automatic registration of terrestrial point clouds by match selection using an efficiently conditional sampling method -- threshold-independent BaySAC (BAYes SAmpling Consensus) and employs the error metric of average point-to-surface residual to reduce the random measurement error and then approach the real registration error. BaySAC and other basic sampling algorithms usually need to artificially determine a threshold by which inlier points are identified, which leads to a threshold-dependent verification process. Therefore, we applied the LMedS method to construct the cost function that is used to determine the optimum model to reduce the influence of human factors and improve the robustness of the model estimate. Point-to-point and point-to-surface error metrics are most commonly used. However, point-to-point error in general consists of at least two components, random measurement error and systematic error as a result of a remaining error in the found rigid body transformation. Thus we employ the measure of the average point-to-surface residual to evaluate the registration accuracy. The proposed approaches, together with a traditional RANSAC approach, are tested on four data sets acquired by three different scanners in terms of their computational efficiency and quality of the final registration. The registration results show the st.dev of the average point-to-surface residuals is reduced from 1.4 cm (plain RANSAC) to 0.5 cm (threshold-independent BaySAC). The results also show that, compared to the performance of RANSAC, our BaySAC strategies lead to less iterations and cheaper computational cost when the hypothesis set is contaminated with more outliers.

  5. The gradual nature of threshold switching

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wimmer, M; Salinga, M

    2014-01-01

    The recent commercialization of electronic memories based on phase change materials proved the usability of this peculiar family of materials for application purposes. More advanced data storage and computing concepts, however, demand a deeper understanding especially of the electrical properties of the amorphous phase and the switching behaviour. In this work, we investigate the temporal evolution of the current through the amorphous state of the prototypical phase change material, Ge 2 Sb 2 Te 5 , under constant voltage. A custom-made electrical tester allows the measurement of delay times over five orders of magnitude, as well as the transient states of electrical excitation prior to the actual threshold switching. We recognize a continuous current increase over time prior to the actual threshold-switching event to be a good measure for the electrical excitation. A clear correlation between a significant rise in pre-switching-current and the later occurrence of threshold switching can be observed. This way, we found experimental evidence for the existence of an absolute minimum for the threshold voltage (or electric field respectively) holding also for time scales far beyond the measurement range. (paper)

  6. Time-over-threshold readout to enhance the high flux capabilities of single-photon-counting detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bergamaschi, Anna; Dinapoli, Roberto; Greiffenberg, Dominic; Henrich, Beat; Johnson, Ian; Mozzanica, Aldo; Radicci, Valeria; Schmitt, Bernd; Shi, Xintian; Stoppani, Laura

    2011-01-01

    The MYTHEN photon-counting ASIC operated in time-over-threshold mode shows an innovative approach towards the development of a detector operating with very high photon intensities while maintaining the single-photon sensitivity for synchrotron radiation experiments. The MYTHEN single-photon-counting (SPC) detector has been characterized using the time-over-threshold (ToT) readout method, i.e. measuring the time that the signal produced by the detected X-rays remains above the comparator threshold. In the following it is shown that the ToT readout preserves the sensitivity, dynamic range and capability of background suppression of the SPC mode, while enhancing the count-rate capability, which is the main limitation of state-of-the-art SPC systems

  7. Time-over-threshold readout to enhance the high flux capabilities of single-photon-counting detectors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bergamaschi, Anna, E-mail: anna.bergamaschi@psi.ch; Dinapoli, Roberto; Greiffenberg, Dominic; Henrich, Beat; Johnson, Ian; Mozzanica, Aldo; Radicci, Valeria; Schmitt, Bernd; Shi, Xintian; Stoppani, Laura [Paul Scherrer Institut, CH-5232 Villigen (Switzerland)

    2011-11-01

    The MYTHEN photon-counting ASIC operated in time-over-threshold mode shows an innovative approach towards the development of a detector operating with very high photon intensities while maintaining the single-photon sensitivity for synchrotron radiation experiments. The MYTHEN single-photon-counting (SPC) detector has been characterized using the time-over-threshold (ToT) readout method, i.e. measuring the time that the signal produced by the detected X-rays remains above the comparator threshold. In the following it is shown that the ToT readout preserves the sensitivity, dynamic range and capability of background suppression of the SPC mode, while enhancing the count-rate capability, which is the main limitation of state-of-the-art SPC systems.

  8. Optimization Problems on Threshold Graphs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elena Nechita

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available During the last three decades, different types of decompositions have been processed in the field of graph theory. Among these we mention: decompositions based on the additivity of some characteristics of the graph, decompositions where the adjacency law between the subsets of the partition is known, decompositions where the subgraph induced by every subset of the partition must have predeterminate properties, as well as combinations of such decompositions. In this paper we characterize threshold graphs using the weakly decomposition, determine: density and stability number, Wiener index and Wiener polynomial for threshold graphs.

  9. Quantifying the need for enhanced case management for TB patients as part of TB cohort audit in the North West of England: a descriptive study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Angela Tucker

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Patients with TB have diverse and often challenging clinical and social needs that may hamper successful treatment outcomes. Understanding the need for additional support during treatment (enhanced case management, or ECM is important for workforce capacity planning. North West England TB Cohort Audit (TBCA has introduced a 4-level ECM classification system (ECM 0–3 to quantify the need for ECM in the region. This study describes the data from the first 2 years of ECM classification. Methods Data collected between April 2013 and July 2015 were used to analyse the proportions of patients allocated to each ECM level and the prevalence of social and clinical factors indicating need for ECM. Single variable and multivariable logistic regression models were constructed to examine the association between ECM level and treatment outcome. Results Of 1714 notified cases 99.8% were assigned an ECM level: 31% ECM1, 19% ECM2 and 14% ECM3. The most common factors indicating need for ECM were language barriers (20.3% and clinical complexity (16.9%. 1342/1493 (89.9% of drug-sensitive, non-CNS cases completed treatment within 12 months. Patients in ECM2 and 3 were less likely to complete treatment at 12 months than patients in ECM0 (adjusted OR 0.47 [95% CI 0.27–0.84] and 0.23 [0.13–0.41] respectively. Conclusions Use of TBCA to quantify different levels of need for ECM is feasible and has demonstrated that social and clinical complexity is common in the region. Results will inform regional workforce planning and assist development of innovative methods to improve treatment outcomes in these vulnerable groups.

  10. Robust Adaptive Thresholder For Document Scanning Applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hsing, To R.

    1982-12-01

    In document scanning applications, thresholding is used to obtain binary data from a scanner. However, due to: (1) a wide range of different color backgrounds; (2) density variations of printed text information; and (3) the shading effect caused by the optical systems, the use of adaptive thresholding to enhance the useful information is highly desired. This paper describes a new robust adaptive thresholder for obtaining valid binary images. It is basically a memory type algorithm which can dynamically update the black and white reference level to optimize a local adaptive threshold function. The results of high image quality from different types of simulate test patterns can be obtained by this algorithm. The software algorithm is described and experiment results are present to describe the procedures. Results also show that the techniques described here can be used for real-time signal processing in the varied applications.

  11. Single event upset threshold estimation based on local laser irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chumakov, A.I.; Egorov, A.N.; Mavritsky, O.B.; Yanenko, A.V.

    1999-01-01

    An approach for estimation of ion-induced SEU threshold based on local laser irradiation is presented. Comparative experiment and software simulation research were performed at various pulse duration and spot size. Correlation of single event threshold LET to upset threshold laser energy under local irradiation was found. The computer analysis of local laser irradiation of IC structures was developed for SEU threshold LET estimation. The correlation of local laser threshold energy with SEU threshold LET was shown. Two estimation techniques were suggested. The first one is based on the determination of local laser threshold dose taking into account the relation of sensitive area to local irradiated area. The second technique uses the photocurrent peak value instead of this relation. The agreement between the predicted and experimental results demonstrates the applicability of this approach. (authors)

  12. Image quality, threshold contrast and mean glandular dose in CR mammography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jakubiak, R R; Gamba, H R; Neves, E B; Peixoto, J E

    2013-01-01

    In many countries, computed radiography (CR) systems represent the majority of equipment used in digital mammography. This study presents a method for optimizing image quality and dose in CR mammography of patients with breast thicknesses between 45 and 75 mm. Initially, clinical images of 67 patients (group 1) were analyzed by three experienced radiologists, reporting about anatomical structures, noise and contrast in low and high pixel value areas, and image sharpness and contrast. Exposure parameters (kV, mAs and target/filter combination) used in the examinations of these patients were reproduced to determine the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and mean glandular dose (MGD). The parameters were also used to radiograph a CDMAM (version 3.4) phantom (Artinis Medical Systems, The Netherlands) for image threshold contrast evaluation. After that, different breast thicknesses were simulated with polymethylmethacrylate layers and various sets of exposure parameters were used in order to determine optimal radiographic parameters. For each simulated breast thickness, optimal beam quality was defined as giving a target CNR to reach the threshold contrast of CDMAM images for acceptable MGD. These results were used for adjustments in the automatic exposure control (AEC) by the maintenance team. Using optimized exposure parameters, clinical images of 63 patients (group 2) were evaluated as described above. Threshold contrast, CNR and MGD for such exposure parameters were also determined. Results showed that the proposed optimization method was effective for all breast thicknesses studied in phantoms. The best result was found for breasts of 75 mm. While in group 1 there was no detection of the 0.1 mm critical diameter detail with threshold contrast below 23%, after the optimization, detection occurred in 47.6% of the images. There was also an average MGD reduction of 7.5%. The clinical image quality criteria were attended in 91.7% for all breast thicknesses evaluated in both

  13. Crack Growth Behavior in the Threshold Region for High Cycle Fatigue Loading

    Science.gov (United States)

    Forman, R. G.; Zanganeh, M.

    2014-01-01

    This paper describes the results of a research program conducted to improve the understanding of fatigue crack growth rate behavior in the threshold growth rate region and to answer a question on the validity of threshold region test data. The validity question relates to the view held by some experimentalists that using the ASTM load shedding test method does not produce valid threshold test results and material properties. The question involves the fanning behavior observed in threshold region of da/dN plots for some materials in which the low R-ratio data fans out from the high R-ratio data. This fanning behavior or elevation of threshold values in the low R-ratio tests is generally assumed to be caused by an increase in crack closure in the low R-ratio tests. Also, the increase in crack closure is assumed by some experimentalists to result from using the ASTM load shedding test procedure. The belief is that this procedure induces load history effects which cause remote closure from plasticity and/or roughness changes in the surface morphology. However, experimental studies performed by the authors have shown that the increase in crack closure is a result of extensive crack tip bifurcations that can occur in some materials, particularly in aluminum alloys, when the crack tip cyclic yield zone size becomes less than the grain size of the alloy. This behavior is related to the high stacking fault energy (SFE) property of aluminum alloys which results in easier slip characteristics. Therefore, the fanning behavior which occurs in aluminum alloys is a function of intrinsic dislocation property of the alloy, and therefore, the fanned data does represent the true threshold properties of the material. However, for the corrosion sensitive steel alloys tested in laboratory air, the occurrence of fanning results from fretting corrosion at the crack tips, and these results should not be considered to be representative of valid threshold properties because the fanning is

  14. Climate change, population immunity, and hyperendemicity in the transmission threshold of dengue.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mika Oki

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: It has been suggested that the probability of dengue epidemics could increase because of climate change. The probability of epidemics is most commonly evaluated by the basic reproductive number (R(0, and in mosquito-borne diseases, mosquito density (the number of female mosquitoes per person [MPP] is the critical determinant of the R(0 value. In dengue-endemic areas, 4 different serotypes of dengue virus coexist-a state known as hyperendemicity-and a certain proportion of the population is immune to one or more of these serotypes. Nevertheless, these factors are not included in the calculation of R(0. We aimed to investigate the effects of temperature change, population immunity, and hyperendemicity on the threshold MPP that triggers an epidemic. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We designed a mathematical model of dengue transmission dynamics. An epidemic was defined as a 10% increase in seroprevalence in a year, and the MPP that triggered an epidemic was defined as the threshold MPP. Simulations were conducted in Singapore based on the recorded temperatures from 1980 to 2009 The threshold MPP was estimated with the effect of (1 temperature only; (2 temperature and fluctuation of population immunity; and (3 temperature, fluctuation of immunity, and hyperendemicity. When only the effect of temperature was considered, the threshold MPP was estimated to be 0.53 in the 1980s and 0.46 in the 2000s, a decrease of 13.2%. When the fluctuation of population immunity and hyperendemicity were considered in the model, the threshold MPP decreased by 38.7%, from 0.93 to 0.57, from the 1980s to the 2000s. CONCLUSIONS: The threshold MPP was underestimated if population immunity was not considered and overestimated if hyperendemicity was not included in the simulations. In addition to temperature, these factors are particularly important when quantifying the threshold MPP for the purpose of setting goals for vector control in dengue-endemic areas.

  15. Speeding up coarse point cloud registration by threshold-independent baysac match selection

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kang, Z.; Lindenbergh, R.C.; Pu, S

    2016-01-01

    This paper presents an algorithm for the automatic registration of terrestrial point clouds by match selection using an efficiently conditional sampling method - Threshold-independent BaySAC (BAYes SAmpling Consensus) and employs the error metric of average point- To-surface residual to reduce

  16. Estimation of Signal Coherence Threshold and Concealed Spectral Lines Applied to Detection of Turbofan Engine Combustion Noise

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miles, Jeffrey Hilton

    2010-01-01

    Combustion noise from turbofan engines has become important, as the noise from sources like the fan and jet are reduced. An aligned and un-aligned coherence technique has been developed to determine a threshold level for the coherence and thereby help to separate the coherent combustion noise source from other noise sources measured with far-field microphones. This method is compared with a statistics based coherence threshold estimation method. In addition, the un-aligned coherence procedure at the same time also reveals periodicities, spectral lines, and undamped sinusoids hidden by broadband turbofan engine noise. In calculating the coherence threshold using a statistical method, one may use either the number of independent records or a larger number corresponding to the number of overlapped records used to create the average. Using data from a turbofan engine and a simulation this paper shows that applying the Fisher z-transform to the un-aligned coherence can aid in making the proper selection of samples and produce a reasonable statistics based coherence threshold. Examples are presented showing that the underlying tonal and coherent broad band structure which is buried under random broadband noise and jet noise can be determined. The method also shows the possible presence of indirect combustion noise. Copyright 2011 Acoustical Society of America. This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and the Acoustical Society of America.

  17. Quantile-based permutation thresholds for quantitative trait loci hotspots.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neto, Elias Chaibub; Keller, Mark P; Broman, Andrew F; Attie, Alan D; Jansen, Ritsert C; Broman, Karl W; Yandell, Brian S

    2012-08-01

    Quantitative trait loci (QTL) hotspots (genomic locations affecting many traits) are a common feature in genetical genomics studies and are biologically interesting since they may harbor critical regulators. Therefore, statistical procedures to assess the significance of hotspots are of key importance. One approach, randomly allocating observed QTL across the genomic locations separately by trait, implicitly assumes all traits are uncorrelated. Recently, an empirical test for QTL hotspots was proposed on the basis of the number of traits that exceed a predetermined LOD value, such as the standard permutation LOD threshold. The permutation null distribution of the maximum number of traits across all genomic locations preserves the correlation structure among the phenotypes, avoiding the detection of spurious hotspots due to nongenetic correlation induced by uncontrolled environmental factors and unmeasured variables. However, by considering only the number of traits above a threshold, without accounting for the magnitude of the LOD scores, relevant information is lost. In particular, biologically interesting hotspots composed of a moderate to small number of traits with strong LOD scores may be neglected as nonsignificant. In this article we propose a quantile-based permutation approach that simultaneously accounts for the number and the LOD scores of traits within the hotspots. By considering a sliding scale of mapping thresholds, our method can assess the statistical significance of both small and large hotspots. Although the proposed approach can be applied to any type of heritable high-volume "omic" data set, we restrict our attention to expression (e)QTL analysis. We assess and compare the performances of these three methods in simulations and we illustrate how our approach can effectively assess the significance of moderate and small hotspots with strong LOD scores in a yeast expression data set.

  18. Image thresholding in the high resolution target movement monitor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moss, Randy H.; Watkins, Steve E.; Jones, Tristan H.; Apel, Derek B.; Bairineni, Deepti

    2009-03-01

    Image thresholding in the High Resolution Target Movement Monitor (HRTMM) is examined. The HRTMM was developed at the Missouri University of Science and Technology to detect and measure wall movements in underground mines to help reduce fatality and injury rates. The system detects the movement of a target with sub-millimeter accuracy based on the images of one or more laser dots projected on the target and viewed by a high-resolution camera. The relative position of the centroid of the laser dot (determined by software using thresholding concepts) in the images is the key factor in detecting the target movement. Prior versions of the HRTMM set the image threshold based on a manual, visual examination of the images. This work systematically examines the effect of varying threshold on the calculated centroid position and describes an algorithm for determining a threshold setting. First, the thresholding effects on the centroid position are determined for a stationary target. Plots of the centroid positions as a function of varying thresholds are obtained to identify clusters of thresholds for which the centroid position does not change for stationary targets. Second, the target is moved away from the camera in sub-millimeter increments and several images are obtained at each position and analyzed as a function of centroid position, target movement and varying threshold values. With this approach, the HRTMM can accommodate images in batch mode without the need for manual intervention. The capability for the HRTMM to provide automated, continuous monitoring of wall movement is enhanced.

  19. Comparison of Classical and Robust Estimates of Threshold Auto-regression Parameters

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    V. B. Goryainov

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The study object is the first-order threshold auto-regression model with a single zero-located threshold. The model describes a stochastic temporal series with discrete time by means of a piecewise linear equation consisting of two linear classical first-order autoregressive equations. One of these equations is used to calculate a running value of the temporal series. A control variable that determines the choice between these two equations is the sign of the previous value of the same series.The first-order threshold autoregressive model with a single threshold depends on two real parameters that coincide with the coefficients of the piecewise linear threshold equation. These parameters are assumed to be unknown. The paper studies an estimate of the least squares, an estimate the least modules, and the M-estimates of these parameters. The aim of the paper is a comparative study of the accuracy of these estimates for the main probabilistic distributions of the updating process of the threshold autoregressive equation. These probability distributions were normal, contaminated normal, logistic, double-exponential distributions, a Student's distribution with different number of degrees of freedom, and a Cauchy distribution.As a measure of the accuracy of each estimate, was chosen its variance to measure the scattering of the estimate around the estimated parameter. An estimate with smaller variance made from the two estimates was considered to be the best. The variance was estimated by computer simulation. To estimate the smallest modules an iterative weighted least-squares method was used and the M-estimates were done by the method of a deformable polyhedron (the Nelder-Mead method. To calculate the least squares estimate, an explicit analytic expression was used.It turned out that the estimation of least squares is best only with the normal distribution of the updating process. For the logistic distribution and the Student's distribution with the

  20. Music students: conventional hearing thresholds and at high frequencies

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    Débora Lüders

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available INTRODUCTION: Research has shown that hearing loss in musicians may cause difficulty in timbre recognition and tuning of instruments. AIM: To analyze the hearing thresholds from 250 Hz to 16,000 Hz in a group of music students and compare them to a non-musician group in order to determine whether high-frequency audiometry is a useful tool in the early detection of hearing impairment. METHODS: Study design was a retrospective observational cohort. Conventional and high-frequency audiometry was performed in 42 music students (Madsen Itera II audiometer and TDH39P headphones for conventional audiometry, and HDA 200 headphones for high-frequency audiometry. RESULTS: Of the 42 students, 38.1% were female students and 61.9% were male students, with a mean age of 26 years. At conventional audiometry, 92.85% had hearing thresholds within normal limits; but even within the normal limits, the worst results were observed in the left ear for all frequencies, except for 4000 Hz; compared to the non-musician group, the worst results occurred at 500 Hz in the left ear, and at 250 Hz, 6000 Hz, 9000 Hz, 10,000 Hz, and 11,200 Hz in both the ears. CONCLUSION: The periodic evaluation of high-frequency thresholds may be useful in the early detection of hearing loss in musicians.