Word-based Morphology: Some Problems from a Polysynthetic Language.

Science.gov (United States)

Axelrod, Melissa

Some of the problems inherent in a word-based hypothesis asserting that the word/stem is taken as the minimal sign not only for syntax but also for morphology are examined in an analysis of a polysynthetic language, Koyukon, an Athabaskan language of Alaska. Data from the Central dialect is considered in the analysis. A brief sketch of the verbal…

Morphology Dependent Flow Stress in Nickel-Based Superalloys in the Multi-Scale Crystal Plasticity Framework

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Shahriyar Keshavarz

2017-11-01

Full Text Available This paper develops a framework to obtain the flow stress of nickel-based superalloys as a function of γ-γ’ morphology. The yield strength is a major factor in the design of these alloys. This work provides additional effects of γ’ morphology in the design scope that has been adopted for the model developed by authors. In general, the two-phase γ-γ’ morphology in nickel-based superalloys can be divided into three variables including γ’ shape, γ’ volume fraction and γ’ size in the sub-grain microstructure. In order to obtain the flow stress, non-Schmid crystal plasticity constitutive models at two length scales are employed and bridged through a homogenized multi-scale framework. The multi-scale framework includes two sub-grain and homogenized grain scales. For the sub-grain scale, a size-dependent, dislocation-density-based finite element model (FEM of the representative volume element (RVE with explicit depiction of the γ-γ’ morphology is developed as a building block for the homogenization. For the next scale, an activation-energy-based crystal plasticity model is developed for the homogenized single crystal of Ni-based superalloys. The constitutive models address the thermo-mechanical behavior of nickel-based superalloys for a large temperature range and include orientation dependencies and tension-compression asymmetry. This homogenized model is used to obtain the morphology dependence on the flow stress in nickel-based superalloys and can significantly expedite crystal plasticity FE simulations in polycrystalline microstructures, as well as higher scale FE models in order to cast and design superalloys.

Polycystic ovary morphology: age-based ultrasound criteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Hyun-Jun; Adams, Judith M; Gudmundsson, Jens A; Arason, Gudmundur; Pau, Cindy T; Welt, Corrine K

2017-09-01

To determine age-based criteria for polycystic ovary morphology. Cross-sectional, case-control design. Outpatient setting. Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) defined by hyperandrogenism and irregular menses (n = 544) and controls with regular menses and no evidence of hyperandrogenism (n = 666) participated. Parameters were tested in a second cohort of women with PCOS (n = 105) and controls (n = 32) meeting the same criteria. Subjects underwent a pelvic ultrasound documenting ovarian volume and maximum follicle number in a single plane. A receiver operating characteristic curve was constructed to determine the ovarian volume and follicle number with the best sensitivity and specificity to define PCOS for age groups at approximately 5-year intervals from age 18 to >44 years. The best sensitivity and specificity were obtained using a threshold volume of 12 mL and 13 follicles for ages ≤24 years, 10 mL and 14 follicles for ages 25-29 years, 9 mL and 10 follicles for ages 30-34 years, 8 mL and 10 follicles for ages 35-39 years, 10 mL and 9 follicles for ages 40-44 years, and 6 mL and 7 follicles for ages >44 years. Data from a second cohort confirmed the need to decrease volume and follicle number with increasing age to diagnose PCOS. Polycystic ovary morphology was most accurate at predicting the PCOS diagnosis for women ages 30-39 years. The ovarian volume and follicle number threshold to define polycystic ovary morphology should be lowered starting at age 30. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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

Science.gov (United States)

Balzeau, Antoine; Grimaud-Hervé, Dominique

2006-10-01

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

Morphological operation based dense houses extraction from DSM

OpenAIRE

Li, Y.; Zhu, L.; Tachibana, K.; Shimamura, H.

2014-01-01

This paper presents a method of reshaping and extraction of markers and masks of the dense houses from the DSM based on mathematical morphology (MM). Houses in a digital surface model (DSM) are almost joined together in high-density housing areas, and most segmentation methods cannot completely separate them. We propose to label the markers of the buildings firstly and segment them into masks by watershed then. To avoid detecting more than one marker for a house or no marker at all d...

Design and Realization of an Arabic Morphological Automaton-New Approach for Arabic Morphological Analysis and Generation

OpenAIRE

Mourad Gridach; Noureddine Chenfour

2011-01-01

Arabic morphological analysis is one of the essential stages in Arabic Natural Language Processing. In this paper we present an approach for Arabic morphological analysis. This approach is based on Arabic morphological automaton (AMAUT). The proposed technique uses a morphological database realized using XMODEL language. Arabic morphology represents a special type of morphological systems because it is based on the concept of scheme to represent Arabic words. We use this concept to develop th...

Image de-noising based on mathematical morphology and multi-objective particle swarm optimization

Science.gov (United States)

Dou, Liyun; Xu, Dan; Chen, Hao; Liu, Yicheng

2017-07-01

To overcome the problem of image de-noising, an efficient image de-noising approach based on mathematical morphology and multi-objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO) is proposed in this paper. Firstly, constructing a series and parallel compound morphology filter based on open-close (OC) operation and selecting a structural element with different sizes try best to eliminate all noise in a series link. Then, combining multi-objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO) to solve the parameters setting of multiple structural element. Simulation result shows that our algorithm can achieve a superior performance compared with some traditional de-noising algorithm.

Filler segmentation of SEM paper images based on mathematical morphology.

Science.gov (United States)

Ait Kbir, M; Benslimane, Rachid; Princi, Elisabetta; Vicini, Silvia; Pedemonte, Enrico

2007-07-01

Recent developments in microscopy and image processing have made digital measurements on high-resolution images of fibrous materials possible. This helps to gain a better understanding of the structure and other properties of the material at micro level. In this paper SEM image segmentation based on mathematical morphology is proposed. In fact, paper models images (Whatman, Murillo, Watercolor, Newsprint paper) selected in the context of the Euro Mediterranean PaperTech Project have different distributions of fibers and fillers, caused by the presence of SiAl and CaCO3 particles. It is a microscopy challenge to make filler particles in the sheet distinguishable from the other components of the paper surface. This objectif is reached here by using switable strutural elements and mathematical morphology operators.

Origin and evolution of Petrocosmea (Gesneriaceae) inferred from both DNA sequence and novel findings in morphology with a test of morphology-based hypotheses.

Science.gov (United States)

Qiu, Zhi-Jing; Lu, Yuan-Xue; Li, Chao-Qun; Dong, Yang; Smith, James F; Wang, Yin-Zheng

2015-07-03

Petrocosmea Oliver (Gesneriaceae) currently comprises 38 species with four non-nominate varieties, nearly all of which have been described solely from herbarium specimens. However, the dried specimens have obscured the full range of extremely diverse morphological variation that exists in the genus and has resulted in a poor subgeneric classification system that does not reflect the evolutionary history of this group. It is important to develop innovative methods to find new morphological traits and reexamine and reevaluate the traditionally used morphological data based on new hypothesis. In addition, Petrocosmea is a mid-sized genus but exhibits extreme diverse floral variants. This makes the genus of particular interest in addressing the question whether there are any key factors that is specifically associated with their evolution and diversification. Here we present the first phylogenetic analyses of the genus based on dense taxonomic sampling and multiple genes combined with a comprehensive morphological investigation. Maximum-parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses of molecular data from two nuclear DNA and six cpDNA regions support the monophyly of Petrocosmea and recover five major clades within the genus, which is strongly corroborated by the reconstruction of ancestral states for twelve new morphological characters directly observed from living material. Ancestral area reconstruction shows that its most common ancestor was likely located east and southeast of the Himalaya-Tibetan plateau. The origin of Petrocosmea from a potentially Raphiocarpus-like ancestor might have involved a series of morphological modifications from caulescent to acaulescent habit as well as from a tetrandrous flower with a long corolla-tube to a diandrous flower with a short corolla-tube, also evident in the vestigial caulescent habit and transitional floral form in clade A that is sister to the remainder of the genus. Among the five clades in Petrocosmea, the

Morphological and physical analysis of natural phospholipids-based biomembranes.

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Adrien Jacquot

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Liposomes are currently an important part of biological, pharmaceutical, medical and nutritional research, as they are considered to be among the most effective carriers for the introduction of various types of bioactive agents into target cells. SCOPE OF REVIEW: In this work, we study the lipid organization and mechanical properties of biomembranes made of marine and plant phospholipids. Membranes based on phospholipids extracted from rapeseed and salmon are studied in the form of liposome and as supported lipid bilayer. Dioleylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC and dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC are used as references to determine the lipid organization of marine and plant phospholipid based membranes. Atomic force microscopy (AFM imaging and force spectroscopy measurements are performed to investigate the membranes' topography at the micrometer scale and to determine their mechanical properties. MAJOR CONCLUSIONS: The mechanical properties of the membranes are correlated to the fatty acid composition, the morphology, the electrophoretic mobility and the membrane fluidity. Thus, soft and homogeneous mechanical properties are evidenced for salmon phospholipids membrane containing various polyunsaturated fatty acids. Besides, phase segregation in rapeseed membrane and more important mechanical properties were emphasized for this type of membranes by contrast to the marine phospholipids based membranes. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE: This paper provides new information on the nanomechanical and morphological properties of membrane in form of liposome by AFM. The originality of this work is to characterize the physico-chemical properties of the nanoliposome from the natural sources containing various fatty acids and polar head.

Delimiting species of Protaphorura (Collembola: Onychiuridae): integrative evidence based on morphology, DNA sequences and geography.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Xin; Zhang, Feng; Ding, Yinhuan; Davies, Thomas W; Li, Yu; Wu, Donghui

2017-08-15

Species delimitation remains a significant challenge when the diagnostic morphological characters are limited. Integrative taxonomy was applied to the genus Protaphorura (Collembola: Onychiuridae), which is one of most difficult soil animals to distinguish taxonomically. Three delimitation approaches (morphology, molecular markers and geography) were applied providing rigorous species validation criteria with an acceptably low error rate. Multiple molecular approaches, including distance- and evolutionary model-based methods, were used to determine species boundaries based on 144 standard barcode sequences. Twenty-two molecular putative species were consistently recovered across molecular and geographical analyses. Geographic criteria were was proved to be an efficient delimitation method for onychiurids. Further morphological examination, based on the combination of the number of pseudocelli, parapseudocelli and ventral mesothoracic chaetae, confirmed 18 taxa of 22 molecular units, with six of them described as new species. These characters were found to be of high taxonomical value. This study highlights the potential benefits of integrative taxonomy, particularly simultaneous use of molecular/geographical tools, as a powerful way of ascertaining the true diversity of the Onychiuridae. Our study also highlights that discovering new morphological characters remains central to achieving a full understanding of collembolan taxonomy.

Structure directing agents induced morphology evolution and phase transition from indium-based rho- to sod-ZMOF

KAUST Repository

Shi, Yanshu; Cairns, Amy; Liu, Yunling; Belmabkhout, Youssef; Cai, Xuechao; Pang, Maolin; Eddaoudi, Mohamed

2017-01-01

In this report, indium-based rho-and sod-ZMOFs with different morphologies and sizes were prepared. Simultaneous morphology evolution and phase transformation from porous rho-to nonporous sod-ZMOFs were reported for the first time by simply varying the concentration of structure directing agents (SDAs).

Structure directing agents induced morphology evolution and phase transition from indium-based rho- to sod-ZMOF

KAUST Repository

Shi, Yanshu

2017-06-23

In this report, indium-based rho-and sod-ZMOFs with different morphologies and sizes were prepared. Simultaneous morphology evolution and phase transformation from porous rho-to nonporous sod-ZMOFs were reported for the first time by simply varying the concentration of structure directing agents (SDAs).

Morphology-based prediction of osteogenic differentiation potential of human mesenchymal stem cells.

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Fumiko Matsuoka

Full Text Available Human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs are widely used cell source for clinical bone regeneration. Achieving the greatest therapeutic effect is dependent on the osteogenic differentiation potential of the stem cells to be implanted. However, there are still no practical methods to characterize such potential non-invasively or previously. Monitoring cellular morphology is a practical and non-invasive approach for evaluating osteogenic potential. Unfortunately, such image-based approaches had been historically qualitative and requiring experienced interpretation. By combining the non-invasive attributes of microscopy with the latest technology allowing higher throughput and quantitative imaging metrics, we studied the applicability of morphometric features to quantitatively predict cellular osteogenic potential. We applied computational machine learning, combining cell morphology features with their corresponding biochemical osteogenic assay results, to develop prediction model of osteogenic differentiation. Using a dataset of 9,990 images automatically acquired by BioStation CT during osteogenic differentiation culture of hBMSCs, 666 morphometric features were extracted as parameters. Two commonly used osteogenic markers, alkaline phosphatase (ALP activity and calcium deposition were measured experimentally, and used as the true biological differentiation status to validate the prediction accuracy. Using time-course morphological features throughout differentiation culture, the prediction results highly correlated with the experimentally defined differentiation marker values (R>0.89 for both marker predictions. The clinical applicability of our morphology-based prediction was further examined with two scenarios: one using only historical cell images and the other using both historical images together with the patient's own cell images to predict a new patient's cellular potential. The prediction accuracy was found to be greatly enhanced

Morphologies of precise polyethylene-based acid copolymers and ionomers

Science.gov (United States)

Buitrago, C. Francisco

Acid copolymers and ionomers are polymers that contain a small fraction of covalently bound acidic or ionic groups, respectively. For the specific case of polyethylene (PE), acid and ionic pendants enhance many of the physical properties such as toughness, adhesion and rheological properties. These improved properties result from microphase separated aggregates of the polar pendants in the non-polar PE matrix. Despite the widespread industrial use of these materials, rigorous chemical structure---morphology---property relationships remain elusive due to the inevitable structural heterogeneities in the historically-available acid copolymers and ionomers. Recently, precise acid copolymers and ionomers were successfully synthesized by acyclic diene metathesis (ADMET) polymerization. These precise materials are linear, high molecular weight PEs with pendant acid or ionic functional groups separated by a precisely controlled number of carbon atoms. The morphologies of nine precise acid copolymers and eleven precise ionomers were investigated by X-ray scattering, solid-state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). For comparison, the morphologies of linear PEs with pseudo-random placement of the pendant groups were also studied. Previous studies of precise copolymers with acrylic acid (AA) found that the microstructural precision produces a new morphology in which PE crystals drive the acid aggregates into layers perpendicular to the chain axes and presumably at the interface between crystalline and amorphous phases. In this dissertation, a second new morphology for acid copolymers is identified in which the aggregates arrange on cubic lattices. The fist report of a cubic morphology was observed at room and elevated temperatures for a copolymer functionalized with two phosphonic acid (PA) groups on every 21st carbon atom. The cubic lattice has been identified as face-centered cubic (FCC). Overall, three morphology types have been

Controlled synthesis of multi-morphology Te crystals by a convenient Lewis acid/base-assisted solvothermal method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu Xiaoping; Yuan Lin; Zhou Shaomin; Lou Shiyun; Wang Yongqiang; Gao Tao; Liu YuBiao; Shi Xiaojing

2012-01-01

This paper reports on the controlled growth of multi-morphology Te crystals by a convenient Lewis acid/base-assisted solvothermal method for the first time. The morphological transformation from one-dimension (1D) nanostructures to 2D hierarchical flowerlike microarchitecture has been observed. The nanorods and nanowires with a well-defined crystallographical structure and the hierarchical flowers microarchitecture were obtained by changing the Lewis acids/bases. Lewis acids/bases were found to be crucial for the formation of the products by not only acting as the pH regulator but also as the shape controller, owing to their hydrolysis in the solvent to in situ form H + /OH − and hydrates. The results suggest that this should be an effective approach to the control the growth of t-Te crystals with interesting multiple morphologies, which are of interest for both theoretical investigations and practical applications.

Extraction of multi-scale landslide morphological features based on local Gi* using airborne LiDAR-derived DEM

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Wenzhong; Deng, Susu; Xu, Wenbing

2018-02-01

For automatic landslide detection, landslide morphological features should be quantitatively expressed and extracted. High-resolution Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) derived from airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data allow fine-scale morphological features to be extracted, but noise in DEMs influences morphological feature extraction, and the multi-scale nature of landslide features should be considered. This paper proposes a method to extract landslide morphological features characterized by homogeneous spatial patterns. Both profile and tangential curvature are utilized to quantify land surface morphology, and a local Gi* statistic is calculated for each cell to identify significant patterns of clustering of similar morphometric values. The method was tested on both synthetic surfaces simulating natural terrain and airborne LiDAR data acquired over an area dominated by shallow debris slides and flows. The test results of the synthetic data indicate that the concave and convex morphologies of the simulated terrain features at different scales and distinctness could be recognized using the proposed method, even when random noise was added to the synthetic data. In the test area, cells with large local Gi* values were extracted at a specified significance level from the profile and the tangential curvature image generated from the LiDAR-derived 1-m DEM. The morphologies of landslide main scarps, source areas and trails were clearly indicated, and the morphological features were represented by clusters of extracted cells. A comparison with the morphological feature extraction method based on curvature thresholds proved the proposed method's robustness to DEM noise. When verified against a landslide inventory, the morphological features of almost all recent (historical (> 10 years) landslides were extracted. This finding indicates that the proposed method can facilitate landslide detection, although the cell clusters extracted from curvature images should

Characterization of white grub (Melolonthidae; Coleoptera in salak plantation based on morphology and protein banding pattern

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

SUGIYARTO

2009-07-01

Full Text Available Maryati KT, Sugiyarto. 2010. Characterization of white grub (Melolonthidae; Coleoptera in salak plantation based on morphology and protein banding pattern. Nusantara Bioscience 1: 72-77. This research aims to find out the white grub (Melolonthidae; Coleoptera variability based on the morphological characteristic and protein banding pattern found in ”salak pondoh” farm in Regencies of Sleman, Yogyakarta and Magelang, Central Java. Each area has five sampling points. Morphological analysis on white grub was conducted using descriptive method and analysis on protein banding pattern was conducted using qualitative analysis based on the presence or absent of band pattern on the gel, and qualitatively based on the relative mobility value (Rf of protein. The result indicated that the white grub in Sleman and Magelang, based on morphology characteristic is only one species, namely Holothricia sp. Based on the protein banding pattern, the white grub sample have differences of protein band number and protein molecular weight. Key words: Salacca zalacca, white grub, morphology, protein banding pattern.Abstrak. Maryati KT, Sugiyarto. 2010. Karakterisasi lundi putih (Melolonthidae: Coleoptera pada pertanaman salak berdasarkan ciri morfologi dan pola pita protein. Nusantara Bioscience 1: 72-77. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui keanekaragaman lundi putih (Melolonthidae; Coleoptera berdasarkan ciri morfologi dan pola pita protein yang ditemukan di lahan pertanaman salak pondoh di Kabupaten Sleman, Yogyakarta dan Kabupaten Magelang, Jawa Tengah. Pada masing-masing wilayah diambil lima titik sampling. Analisis morfologi lundi putih digunakan metode deskriptif, dan analisis pola pita protein digunakan analisis kualitatif berdasarkan muncul tidaknya pola pita pada gel, dan secara kuantitatif berdasarkan nilai mobilitas relatif protein (RF. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa sampel lundi putih di Kabupaten Sleman dan Magelang, berdasar karakter

Recent Approaches to Controlling the Nanoscale Morphology of Polymer-Based Bulk-Heterojunction Solar Cells

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Abdulra'uf Lukman Bola

2013-11-01

Full Text Available The need for clean, inexpensive and renewable energy has increasingly turned research attention towards polymer photovoltaic cells. However, the performance efficiency of these devices is still low in comparison with silicon-based devices. The recent introduction of new materials and processing techniques has resulted in a remarkable increase in power-conversion efficiency, with a value above 10%. Controlling the interpenetrating network morphology is a key factor in obtaining devices with improved performance. This review focuses on the influence of controlled nanoscale morphology on the overall performance of bulk-heterojunction (BHJ photovoltaic cells. Strategies such as the use of solvents, solvent annealing, polymer nanowires (NWs, and donor–acceptor (D–A blend ratios employed to control the active-layer morphologies are all discussed.

Parametric based morphological transformation for contrast ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

rithm is illustrated through the processing of gray scale images and color images with different backgrounds. Keywords. Histogram equalization; image background; mathematical morphology; Weber's ratio. 1. Introduction. Contrast enhancement has a crucial role in image processing applications, such as digital.

Morphology and transport in biodegradable polymer compositions based on poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) and polyamide 54C

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhul' kina, A. L.; Ivantsova, E. L.; Filatova, A. G.; Kosenko, R. Yu.; Gumargalieva, K. Z.; Iordanskii, A. L., E-mail: iordan@chph.ras.ru [Russian Academy of Sciences, Semenov Institute of Chemical Physics (Russian Federation)

2009-05-15

Complex investigation of the equilibrium sorption of water, diffusive transport of antiseptic, and morphology of mixed compositions based on polyoxybutirate and polyamide resin 54C has been performed to develop and analyze new biodegradable polymer compositions for controlled release of medicinal substances. Samples of mixtures were prepared by two methods: pressing under pressure and solvent evaporation from a polymer solution. The samples were compared and their morphology was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. It is shown that the component ratio in the obtained mixtures affects their morphological, transport, and sorption characteristics.

Morphology and transport in biodegradable polymer compositions based on poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) and polyamide 54C

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhul'kina, A. L.; Ivantsova, E. L.; Filatova, A. G.; Kosenko, R. Yu.; Gumargalieva, K. Z.; Iordanskii, A. L.

2009-01-01

Complex investigation of the equilibrium sorption of water, diffusive transport of antiseptic, and morphology of mixed compositions based on polyoxybutirate and polyamide resin 54C has been performed to develop and analyze new biodegradable polymer compositions for controlled release of medicinal substances. Samples of mixtures were prepared by two methods: pressing under pressure and solvent evaporation from a polymer solution. The samples were compared and their morphology was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. It is shown that the component ratio in the obtained mixtures affects their morphological, transport, and sorption characteristics.

Phylogenetic reconstruction of Syntermitinae (Isoptera, Termitidae based on morphological and molecular data.

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Mauricio M Rocha

Full Text Available The subfamily Syntermitinae comprises a group of Neotropical termites with 18 genera and 101 species described. It has been considered a natural group, but relationships among the genera within the subfamily remain uncertain, and some genera appear to be non-monophyletic. Here, we provide a comprehensive phylogeny including six Neotropical species of Termitinae as outgroup, 42 Syntermitinae species as ingroup, 92 morphological characters (from external and internal anatomy of soldier and worker castes and 117 molecular sequences (109 obtained for this study and 8 from GenBank of 4 gene regions (41 and 22 from Cytochrome Oxidase I and II respectively, 19 from Cytochrome b, and 35 from 16S rDNA. Morphological and molecular data were analyzed in combination, with the Bayesian inference method, and the important aspects of termite biology, defense and feeding habits are discussed based on the resulting tree. Although useful for providing diagnostic characters, the morphology of the soldier caste reveals several cases of convergence; whereas the feeding habit shows indications of evolutionary significance.

Phylogenetic reconstruction of Syntermitinae (Isoptera, Termitidae) based on morphological and molecular data.

Science.gov (United States)

Rocha, Mauricio M; Morales-Corrêa E Castro, Adriana C; Cuezzo, Carolina; Cancello, Eliana M

2017-01-01

The subfamily Syntermitinae comprises a group of Neotropical termites with 18 genera and 101 species described. It has been considered a natural group, but relationships among the genera within the subfamily remain uncertain, and some genera appear to be non-monophyletic. Here, we provide a comprehensive phylogeny including six Neotropical species of Termitinae as outgroup, 42 Syntermitinae species as ingroup, 92 morphological characters (from external and internal anatomy of soldier and worker castes) and 117 molecular sequences (109 obtained for this study and 8 from GenBank) of 4 gene regions (41 and 22 from Cytochrome Oxidase I and II respectively, 19 from Cytochrome b, and 35 from 16S rDNA). Morphological and molecular data were analyzed in combination, with the Bayesian inference method, and the important aspects of termite biology, defense and feeding habits are discussed based on the resulting tree. Although useful for providing diagnostic characters, the morphology of the soldier caste reveals several cases of convergence; whereas the feeding habit shows indications of evolutionary significance.

A comparison of morphological and molecular-based surveys to estimate the species richness of Chaetoceros and Thalassiosira (bacillariophyta, in the Bay of Fundy.

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Sarah E Hamsher

Full Text Available The goal of this study was to compare the ability of morphology and molecular-based surveys to estimate species richness for two species-rich diatom genera, Chaetoceros Ehrenb. and Thalassiosira Cleve, in the Bay of Fundy. Phytoplankton tows were collected from two sites at intervals over two years and subsampled for morphology-based surveys (2010, 2011, a culture-based DNA reference library (DRL; 2010, and a molecular-based survey (2011. The DRL and molecular-based survey utilized the 3' end of the RUBISCO large subunit (rbcL-3P to identify genetic species groups (based on 0.1% divergence in rbcL-3P, which were subsequently identified morphologically to allow comparisons to the morphology-based survey. Comparisons were compiled for the year (2011 by site (n = 2 and by season (n = 3. Of the 34 taxa included in the comparisons, 50% of taxa were common to both methods, 35% were unique to the molecular-based survey, and 12% were unique to the morphology-based survey, while the remaining 3% of taxa were unidentified genetic species groups. The morphology-based survey excelled at identifying rare taxa in individual tow subsamples, which were occasionally missed with the molecular approach used here, while the molecular methods (the DRL and molecular-based survey, uncovered nine cryptic species pairs and four previously overlooked species. The last mentioned were typically difficult to identify and were generically assigned to Thalassiosira spp. during the morphology-based survey. Therefore, for now we suggest a combined approach encompassing routine morphology-based surveys accompanied by periodic molecular-based surveys to monitor for cryptic and difficult to identify taxa. As sequencing technologies improve, molecular-based surveys should become routine, leading to a more accurate representation of species composition and richness in monitoring programs.

Feature and Contrast Enhancement of Mammographic Image Based on Multiscale Analysis and Morphology

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Shibin Wu

2013-01-01

Full Text Available A new algorithm for feature and contrast enhancement of mammographic images is proposed in this paper. The approach bases on multiscale transform and mathematical morphology. First of all, the Laplacian Gaussian pyramid operator is applied to transform the mammography into different scale subband images. In addition, the detail or high frequency subimages are equalized by contrast limited adaptive histogram equalization (CLAHE and low-pass subimages are processed by mathematical morphology. Finally, the enhanced image of feature and contrast is reconstructed from the Laplacian Gaussian pyramid coefficients modified at one or more levels by contrast limited adaptive histogram equalization and mathematical morphology, respectively. The enhanced image is processed by global nonlinear operator. The experimental results show that the presented algorithm is effective for feature and contrast enhancement of mammogram. The performance evaluation of the proposed algorithm is measured by contrast evaluation criterion for image, signal-noise-ratio (SNR, and contrast improvement index (CII.

Intergeneric Classification of Genus Bulbophyllum from Peninsular Malaysia Based on Combined Morphological and RBCL Sequence Data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hosseini, S.; Dadkhah, K.

2016-01-01

Bulbophyllum Thou. is largest genus in Orchidaceae family and a well-known plant of tropical area. The present study provides a comparative morphological study of 38 Bulbophyllum spp. as well as molecular sequence analysis of large subunit of rubisco (rbcL), to infer the intergeneric classification for studied taxa of genus Bulbophyllum. Thirty morphological characters were coded in a data matrix, and used in phenetic analysis. Morphological result was strongly consistent with earlier classification, with exception of B. auratum, B. gracillimum, B. mutabile and B. limbatum status. Furthermore Molecular data analysis of rbcL was congruent with morphological data in some aspects. Species interrelationships specified using combination of rbcL sequence data with morphological data. The results revealed close affiliation in 11 sections of Bulbophyllum from Peninsular Malaysia. Consequently, based on this study generic status of sections Cirrhopetalum and Epicrianthes cannot longer be supported, as they are deeply embedded within the genus Bulbophyllum. (author)

Morphology control between microspheres and nanofibers by solvent-induced approach based on crosslinked phosphazene-containing materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu Yan; Huang Xiaobin; Fu Jianwei; Wang Gang; Tang Xiaozhen

2008-01-01

Multi-morphology control between monodisperse microspheres and uniform nanofibers was successfully achieved by adjusting the ratio of solvent composition. Through the condensation polymerization between hexachlorocyclotriphosphazene and 4,4'-sulfonyldiphenol, the corresponding hybrid inorganic-organic materials appeared. The morphology of both microspheres and nanofibers contained excellent size and shape: the monodisperse microspheres with 0.7-0.9 μm in diameter and the uniform nanofibers with 60 nm in outer diameter. We applied the concept of three-dimensional Hansen solubility parameters for the initial explanation. The activity of the primary colloid particles and the solubility of triethylamine-hydrogen chloride crystal were considered as two factors for the mechanism explanation. This interesting research shows that the nano- and micro-materials with high crosslinked molecule structure and prepared by condensation polymerization can also achieve the morphology transition. It fills the blank in nano-morphology transition research and will provide great information for the research about the control of different morphology preparations based on polymer nanomaterials

A burnout prediction model based around char morphology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

T. Wu; E. Lester; M. Cloke [University of Nottingham, Nottingham (United Kingdom). Nottingham Energy and Fuel Centre

2005-07-01

Poor burnout in a coal-fired power plant has marked penalties in the form of reduced energy efficiency and elevated waste material that can not be utilized. The prediction of coal combustion behaviour in a furnace is of great significance in providing valuable information not only for process optimization but also for coal buyers in the international market. Coal combustion models have been developed that can make predictions about burnout behaviour and burnout potential. Most of these kinetic models require standard parameters such as volatile content, particle size and assumed char porosity in order to make a burnout prediction. This paper presents a new model called the Char Burnout Model (ChB) that also uses detailed information about char morphology in its prediction. The model can use data input from one of two sources. Both sources are derived from image analysis techniques. The first from individual analysis and characterization of real char types using an automated program. The second from predicted char types based on data collected during the automated image analysis of coal particles. Modelling results were compared with a different carbon burnout kinetic model and burnout data from re-firing the chars in a drop tube furnace operating at 1300{sup o}C, 5% oxygen across several residence times. An improved agreement between ChB model and DTF experimental data proved that the inclusion of char morphology in combustion models can improve model predictions. 27 refs., 4 figs., 4 tabs.

Parametric based morphological transformation for contrast ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

for contrast enhancement of color images in poor-lighting ... high and low mean brightness value, there is a significant change in the view of the enhanced ... The two most fundamental morphological operations dilation and erosion are defined by ..... Menotti David 2007 Multi-histogram equalization methods for contrast ...

Morphological demosaicking

Science.gov (United States)

Quan, Shuxue

2009-02-01

Bayer patterns, in which a single value of red, green or blue is available for each pixel, are widely used in digital color cameras. The reconstruction of the full color image is often referred to as demosaicking. This paper introduced a new approach - morphological demosaicking. The approach is based on strong edge directionality selection and interpolation, followed by morphological operations to refine edge directionality selection and reduce color aliasing. Finally performance evaluation and examples of color artifacts reduction are shown.

Influence of Heat Treatment on the Morphologies of Copper Nanoparticles Based Films by a Spin Coating Method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wei Liu

2017-01-01

Full Text Available We have investigated the influence of heat treatment on the morphologies of copper nanoparticles based films on glass slides by a spin coating method. The experiments show that heat treatment can modify the sizes and morphologies of copper nanoparticles based films on glass slides. We suggest that through changing the parameters of heat treatment process may be helpful to vary the scattering and absorbing intensity of copper nanoparticles when used in energy harvesting/conversion and optical devices.

Shape-based hand recognition approach using the morphological pattern spectrum

Science.gov (United States)

Ramirez-Cortes, Juan Manuel; Gomez-Gil, Pilar; Sanchez-Perez, Gabriel; Prieto-Castro, Cesar

2009-01-01

We propose the use of the morphological pattern spectrum, or pecstrum, as the base of a biometric shape-based hand recognition system. The system receives an image of the right hand of a subject in an unconstrained pose, which is captured with a commercial flatbed scanner. According to pecstrum property of invariance to translation and rotation, the system does not require the use of pegs for a fixed hand position, which simplifies the image acquisition process. This novel feature-extraction method is tested using a Euclidean distance classifier for identification and verification cases, obtaining 97% correct identification, and an equal error rate (EER) of 0.0285 (2.85%) for the verification mode. The obtained results indicate that the pattern spectrum represents a good feature-extraction alternative for low- and medium-level hand-shape-based biometric applications.

Morphological observation and analysis using automated image cytometry for the comparison of trypan blue and fluorescence-based viability detection method.

Science.gov (United States)

Chan, Leo Li-Ying; Kuksin, Dmitry; Laverty, Daniel J; Saldi, Stephanie; Qiu, Jean

2015-05-01

The ability to accurately determine cell viability is essential to performing a well-controlled biological experiment. Typical experiments range from standard cell culturing to advanced cell-based assays that may require cell viability measurement for downstream experiments. The traditional cell viability measurement method has been the trypan blue (TB) exclusion assay. However, since the introduction of fluorescence-based dyes for cell viability measurement using flow or image-based cytometry systems, there have been numerous publications comparing the two detection methods. Although previous studies have shown discrepancies between TB exclusion and fluorescence-based viability measurements, image-based morphological analysis was not performed in order to examine the viability discrepancies. In this work, we compared TB exclusion and fluorescence-based viability detection methods using image cytometry to observe morphological changes due to the effect of TB on dead cells. Imaging results showed that as the viability of a naturally-dying Jurkat cell sample decreased below 70 %, many TB-stained cells began to exhibit non-uniform morphological characteristics. Dead cells with these characteristics may be difficult to count under light microscopy, thus generating an artificially higher viability measurement compared to fluorescence-based method. These morphological observations can potentially explain the differences in viability measurement between the two methods.

Segmentation of DTI based on tensorial morphological gradient

Science.gov (United States)

Rittner, Leticia; de Alencar Lotufo, Roberto

2009-02-01

This paper presents a segmentation technique for diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). This technique is based on a tensorial morphological gradient (TMG), defined as the maximum dissimilarity over the neighborhood. Once this gradient is computed, the tensorial segmentation problem becomes an scalar one, which can be solved by conventional techniques, such as watershed transform and thresholding. Similarity functions, namely the dot product, the tensorial dot product, the J-divergence and the Frobenius norm, were compared, in order to understand their differences regarding the measurement of tensor dissimilarities. The study showed that the dot product and the tensorial dot product turned out to be inappropriate for computation of the TMG, while the Frobenius norm and the J-divergence were both capable of measuring tensor dissimilarities, despite the distortion of Frobenius norm, since it is not an affine invariant measure. In order to validate the TMG as a solution for DTI segmentation, its computation was performed using distinct similarity measures and structuring elements. TMG results were also compared to fractional anisotropy. Finally, synthetic and real DTI were used in the method validation. Experiments showed that the TMG enables the segmentation of DTI by watershed transform or by a simple choice of a threshold. The strength of the proposed segmentation method is its simplicity and robustness, consequences of TMG computation. It enables the use, not only of well-known algorithms and tools from the mathematical morphology, but also of any other segmentation method to segment DTI, since TMG computation transforms tensorial images in scalar ones.

DEMorphy, German Language Morphological Analyzer

OpenAIRE

Altinok, Duygu

2018-01-01

DEMorphy is a morphological analyzer for German. It is built onto large, compactified lexicons from German Morphological Dictionary. A guesser based on German declension suffixed is also provided. For German, we provided a state-of-art morphological analyzer. DEMorphy is implemented in Python with ease of usability and accompanying documentation. The package is suitable for both academic and commercial purposes wit a permissive licence.

A Morphological Hessian Based Approach for Retinal Blood Vessels Segmentation and Denoising Using Region Based Otsu Thresholding.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Khan BahadarKhan

Full Text Available Diabetic Retinopathy (DR harm retinal blood vessels in the eye causing visual deficiency. The appearance and structure of blood vessels in retinal images play an essential part in the diagnoses of an eye sicknesses. We proposed a less computational unsupervised automated technique with promising results for detection of retinal vasculature by using morphological hessian based approach and region based Otsu thresholding. Contrast Limited Adaptive Histogram Equalization (CLAHE and morphological filters have been used for enhancement and to remove low frequency noise or geometrical objects, respectively. The hessian matrix and eigenvalues approach used has been in a modified form at two different scales to extract wide and thin vessel enhanced images separately. Otsu thresholding has been further applied in a novel way to classify vessel and non-vessel pixels from both enhanced images. Finally, postprocessing steps has been used to eliminate the unwanted region/segment, non-vessel pixels, disease abnormalities and noise, to obtain a final segmented image. The proposed technique has been analyzed on the openly accessible DRIVE (Digital Retinal Images for Vessel Extraction and STARE (STructured Analysis of the REtina databases along with the ground truth data that has been precisely marked by the experts.

Sea cucumber species identification of family Caudinidae from Surabaya based on morphological and mitochondrial DNA evidence

Science.gov (United States)

Amin, Muhammad Hilman Fu'adil; Pidada, Ida Bagus Rai; Sugiharto, Widyatmoko, Johan Nuari; Irawan, Bambang

2016-03-01

Species identification and taxonomy of sea cucumber remains a challenge problem in some taxa. Caudinidae family of sea cucumber was comerciallized in Surabaya, and it was used as sea cucumber chips. Members of Caudinid sea cucumber have similiar morphology, so it is hard to identify this sea cucumber only from morphological appearance. DNA barcoding is useful method to overcome this problem. The aim of this study was to determine Caudinid specimen of sea cucumber in East Java by morphological and molecular approach. Sample was collected from east coast of Surabaya, then preserved in absolute ethanol. After DNA isolation, Cytochrome Oxydase I (COI) gene amplification was performed using Echinoderm universal primer and PCR product was sequenced. Sequencing result was analyzed and identified in NCBI database using BLAST. Results showed that Caudinid specimen in have closely related to Acaudina molpadioides sequence in GenBank with 86% identity. Morphological data, especially based on ossicle, also showed that the specimen is Acaudina molpadioides.

Morphologically controlled ZnO nanostructures as electron transport materials in polymer-based organic solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Kyu-Chae; Lee, Eun-Jin; Baek, Youn-Kyoung; Lim, Dong-Chan; Kang, Yong-Cheol; Kim, Yang-Do; Kim, Ki Hyun; Kim, Jae Pil; Kim, Young-Kuk

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Enhanced efficiency of solar cells using ZnO nanocrystals for charge transport. • Morphology of the charge transport layer is controlled. • Mixture of nanoparticles and nanorods are advantageous for cell efficiency. - ABSTRACT: The morphology of ZnO electron transport layers based on ZnO nanoparticles were modified with incorporation of ZnO nanorods via their co-deposition from mixed colloidal solution of nanoparticles and nanorods. In particular, the short circuit current density and the fill factor of the constructed photovoltaic device were simultaneously improved by applying mixture of ZnO nanoparticles and nanorods. As a result, a large improvement of power conversion efficiency up to 9% for the inverted organic solar cells having a blend of low band gap polymers and fullerene derivative as an active layer was demonstrated with the morphologically controlled ZnO electron transport layer.

Evaluation of the Morphology and Osteogenic Potential of Titania-Based Electrospun Nanofibers

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Xiaokun Wang

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Submicron-scale titania-based ceramic fibers with various compositions have been prepared by electrospinning. The as-prepared nanofibers were heat-treated at 700°C for 3 h to obtain pure inorganic fiber meshes. The results show that the diameter and morphology of the nanofibers are affected by starting polymer concentration and sol-gel composition. The titania and titania-silica nanofibers had the average diameter about 100–300 nm. The crystal phase varied from high-crystallized rutile-anatase mixed crystal to low-crystallized anatase with adding the silica addition. The morphology and crystal phase were evaluated by SEM and XRD. Bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells were seeded on titania-silica 50/50 fiber meshes. Cell number and early differentiation marker expressions were analyzed, and the results indicated osteogenic potential of the titania-silica 50/50 fiber meshes.

Organic Based Solar Cells with Morphology Control

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Thomas Rieks

The field of organic solar cells has in the last years gone through an impressive development with efficiencies reported up to 12 %. For organic solar cells to take the leap from primarily being a laboratory scale technology to being utilized as renewable energy source, several issues need...... Microscopy and as solar cells in a blend with PCBM. It was concluded that these particles did not show a potential large enough for continuous work due to a high material loss and low efficiency when applied in solar cells. The second method to achieve was preparation of pre-arranged morphology organic...... nanoparticles consisting of a blend of donor and acceptor in an aqueous dispersion, thereby addressing two of the issues remaining in the field of organic solar cells. This approach was used on six different polymers, which all had the ability to prepare aqueous nanoparticle inks. The morphology...

The evolution of cranial base and face in Cercopithecoidea and Hominoidea: Modularity and morphological integration.

Science.gov (United States)

Profico, Antonio; Piras, Paolo; Buzi, Costantino; Di Vincenzo, Fabio; Lattarini, Flavio; Melchionna, Marina; Veneziano, Alessio; Raia, Pasquale; Manzi, Giorgio

2017-12-01

The evolutionary relationship between the base and face of the cranium is a major topic of interest in primatology. Such areas of the skull possibly respond to different selective pressures. Yet, they are often said to be tightly integrated. In this paper, we analyzed shape variability in the cranial base and the facial complex in Cercopithecoidea and Hominoidea. We used a landmark-based approach to single out the effects of size (evolutionary allometry), morphological integration, modularity, and phylogeny (under Brownian motion) on skull shape variability. Our results demonstrate that the cranial base and the facial complex exhibit different responses to different factors, which produces a little degree of morphological integration between them. Facial shape variation appears primarily influenced by body size and sexual dimorphism, whereas the cranial base is mostly influenced by functional factors. The different adaptations affecting the two modules suggest they are best studied as separate and independent units, and that-at least when dealing with Catarrhines-caution must be posed with the notion of strong cranial integration that is commonly invoked for the evolution of their skull shape. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Developing a New Approach for Arabic Morphological Analysis and Generation

OpenAIRE

Gridach, Mourad; Chenfour, Noureddine

2011-01-01

Arabic morphological analysis is one of the essential stages in Arabic Natural Language Processing. In this paper we present an approach for Arabic morphological analysis. This approach is based on Arabic morphological automaton (AMAUT). The proposed technique uses a morphological database realized using XMODEL language. Arabic morphology represents a special type of morphological systems because it is based on the concept of scheme to represent Arabic words. We use this concept to develop th...

Phylogeny of the Acanthocephala based on morphological characters.

Science.gov (United States)

Monks, S

2001-02-01

Only four previous studies of relationships among acanthocephalans have included cladistic analyses, and knowledge of the phylogeny of the group has not kept pace with that of other taxa. The purpose of this study is to provide a more comprehensive analysis of the phylogenetic relationships among members of the phylum Acanthocephala using morphological characters. The most appropriate outgroups are those that share a common early cell-cleavage pattern (polar placement of centrioles), such as the Rotifera, rather than the Priapulida (meridional placement of centrioles) to provide character polarity based on common ancestry rather than a general similarity likely due to convergence of body shapes. The phylogeny of 22 species of the Acanthocephala was evaluated based on 138 binary and multistate characters derived from comparative morphological and ontogenetic studies. Three assumptions of cement gland structure were tested: (i) the plesiomorphic type of cement glands in the Rotifera, as the sister group, is undetermined; (ii) non-syncytial cement glands are plesiomorphic; and (iii) syncytial cement glands are plesiomorphic. The results were used to test an early move of Tegorhynchus pectinarius to Koronacantha and to evaluate the relationship between Tegorhynchus and Illiosentis. Analysis of the data-set for each of these assumptions of cement gland structure produced the same single most parsimonious tree topology. Using Assumptions i and ii for the cement glands, the trees were the same length (length = 404 steps, CI = 0.545, CIX = 0.517, HI = 0.455, HIX = 0.483, RI = 0.670, RC = 0.365). Using Assumption iii, the tree was three steps longer (length = 408 steps, CI = 0.539, CIX = 0.512, HI = 0.461, HIX = 0.488, RI = 0.665, RC = 0.359). The tree indicates that the Palaeacanthocephala and Eoacanthocephala both are monophyletic and are sister taxa. The members of the Archiacanthocephala are basal to the other two clades, but do not themselves form a clade. The results

Genetic diversity assessment in brassica germplasm based on morphological attributes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ali, I.; Ali, N.; Ali, S.; Hussain, I.; Khan, S. A.; Tahira, R.

2015-01-01

Genetic diversity of 28 Brassica genotypes was studied using different morphological attributes. Data were recorded on days to maturity (DM), plant height (PH), primary branches plant (PBPP), pod length (PL), seed pod (SP), 1000 - seed weight (1000 - SW), yield plant (YPP) and oil (percentage). Three checks (Pakola, CM and TA), were used to check the performance of collected materials with already available brassica varieties. significant statistical differences were observed among the tested genotypes based on the studied morphological traits. Among the tested genotypes, genotype keelboat proved to be superior as compared to other studied genotypes due to maximum level of studied traits like pod length (7.03 cm), seed pod (32.33), 1000 - seed weight (5.38 g), seed yield plant (110.8 g) and oil content (52.9 percentage. The highest level of performance recorded by kalabat in terms of branches plant, pod length (cm), number of seed pod, seed yield plant (g), 1000 - seed weight (g) and oil content (percentage), indicates that this genotype is genetically different and superior than the other studied genotype. Therefore, genotype kalabat can be either used as variety after adaptability trials over a larger area or included in Brassica breeding programmes as a good source of genetic variation. (author)

A phylogenetic analysis of the genus Psathyrostachys (Poaceae) based on one nuclear gene, three plastid genes, and morphology

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Gitte; Seberg, Ole; Baden, Claus

2004-01-01

A phylogenetic analysis of the small, Central Asian genus Psathyrostachys Nevski is presented. The analysis is based on morphological characters and nucleotide sequence data from one nuclear gene, DMC1, and three plastid genes, rbcL, rpoA, and rpoC2. Separate analyses of the three data partitions...... (morphology, nuclear sequences, and plastid sequences) result in mostly congruent trees. The plastid and nuclear sequences produce completely congruent trees, and only the trees based on plastid sequences and morphological characters are incongruent. Combined analysis of all data results in a fairly well......-resolved strict consensus tree: Ps. rupestris is the sister to the remaining species, which are divided into two clades: one including Ps. fragilis and Ps. caduca, the other including Ps. juncea, Ps. huashanica, Ps. lanuginosa, Ps. stoloniformis, and Ps. kronenburgii. Pubescent culms and more than 20 mm long...

Antibacterial performance of ZnO-based fillers with mesoscale structured morphology in model medical PVC composites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Machovsky, Michal; Kuritka, Ivo, E-mail: ivo@kuritka.net; Bazant, Pavel; Vesela, Daniela; Saha, Petr

2014-08-01

Three different ZnO-based antibacterial fillers having different morphologies in microscale region were prepared by the use of the microwave assisted synthesis protocol created in our laboratory with additional annealing in one case. Further, PVC composites containing 0.5–5 wt.% of ZnO based antibacterial fillers were prepared by melt mixing and characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffractometry (XRD). Mechanical testing showed no adverse effect on the working of polymer composites due to either of the fillers used or the applied processing conditions in comparison with the neat medical grade PVC. The surface antibacterial activity of the compounded PVC composites was assessed against Escherichia coli ATCC 8739 and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538P according to ISO 22196: 2007 (E). All materials at almost all filler loading levels were efficient against both species of bacteria. The material with the most expanding morphology assuring the largest contact between filler and matrix achieved an excellent level of more than 99.9999% reduction of viable cells of E. coli in comparison to untreated PVC and performed very well against S. aureus, too. A correlation between the morphology and efficacy of the filler was observed and, as a result, a general rule was formulated which links the proneness of the microparticles to perform well against bacteria to their shape and morphology. - Highlights: • ZnO-based nanostructured microparticles were prepared by microwave synthesis. • Prepared ZnO imparts excellent antibacterial activity to PVC composites. • The microparticulate character of filler makes it processable as common powders. • The inevitable disadvantages of nanoparticles are circumvented. • General rule of proneness of microparticles for antibacterial composites.

Antibacterial performance of ZnO-based fillers with mesoscale structured morphology in model medical PVC composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Machovsky, Michal; Kuritka, Ivo; Bazant, Pavel; Vesela, Daniela; Saha, Petr

2014-01-01

Three different ZnO-based antibacterial fillers having different morphologies in microscale region were prepared by the use of the microwave assisted synthesis protocol created in our laboratory with additional annealing in one case. Further, PVC composites containing 0.5–5 wt.% of ZnO based antibacterial fillers were prepared by melt mixing and characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffractometry (XRD). Mechanical testing showed no adverse effect on the working of polymer composites due to either of the fillers used or the applied processing conditions in comparison with the neat medical grade PVC. The surface antibacterial activity of the compounded PVC composites was assessed against Escherichia coli ATCC 8739 and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538P according to ISO 22196: 2007 (E). All materials at almost all filler loading levels were efficient against both species of bacteria. The material with the most expanding morphology assuring the largest contact between filler and matrix achieved an excellent level of more than 99.9999% reduction of viable cells of E. coli in comparison to untreated PVC and performed very well against S. aureus, too. A correlation between the morphology and efficacy of the filler was observed and, as a result, a general rule was formulated which links the proneness of the microparticles to perform well against bacteria to their shape and morphology. - Highlights: • ZnO-based nanostructured microparticles were prepared by microwave synthesis. • Prepared ZnO imparts excellent antibacterial activity to PVC composites. • The microparticulate character of filler makes it processable as common powders. • The inevitable disadvantages of nanoparticles are circumvented. • General rule of proneness of microparticles for antibacterial composites

Plaque Tissue Morphology-Based Stroke Risk Stratification Using Carotid Ultrasound: A Polling-Based PCA Learning Paradigm.

Science.gov (United States)

Saba, Luca; Jain, Pankaj K; Suri, Harman S; Ikeda, Nobutaka; Araki, Tadashi; Singh, Bikesh K; Nicolaides, Andrew; Shafique, Shoaib; Gupta, Ajay; Laird, John R; Suri, Jasjit S

2017-06-01

Severe atherosclerosis disease in carotid arteries causes stenosis which in turn leads to stroke. Machine learning systems have been previously developed for plaque wall risk assessment using morphology-based characterization. The fundamental assumption in such systems is the extraction of the grayscale features of the plaque region. Even though these systems have the ability to perform risk stratification, they lack the ability to achieve higher performance due their inability to select and retain dominant features. This paper introduces a polling-based principal component analysis (PCA) strategy embedded in the machine learning framework to select and retain dominant features, resulting in superior performance. This leads to more stability and reliability. The automated system uses offline image data along with the ground truth labels to generate the parameters, which are then used to transform the online grayscale features to predict the risk of stroke. A set of sixteen grayscale plaque features is computed. Utilizing the cross-validation protocol (K = 10), and the PCA cutoff of 0.995, the machine learning system is able to achieve an accuracy of 98.55 and 98.83%corresponding to the carotidfar wall and near wall plaques, respectively. The corresponding reliability of the system was 94.56 and 95.63%, respectively. The automated system was validated against the manual risk assessment system and the precision of merit for same cross-validation settings and PCA cutoffs are 98.28 and 93.92%for the far and the near wall, respectively.PCA-embedded morphology-based plaque characterization shows a powerful strategy for risk assessment and can be adapted in clinical settings.

Classification of the long-QT syndrome based on discriminant analysis of T-wave morphology

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Struijk, Johannes J.; Kanters, Jørgen K.; Andersen, M P

2006-01-01

The long QT syndrome (LQTS) is a genetic disorder, typically characterized by a prolonged QT interval in the ECG due to abnormal cardiac repolarization. LQTS may lead to syncopal episodes and sudden cardiac death. Various parameters based on T-wave morphology, as well as the QT interval itself ha...

Exploring Cellular Targets of Vanillin Based on Morphological Changes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

OpenAIRE

Suga, Yohei

2011-01-01

Vanillin is one of the major phenolic compounds degraded from lignin. It is considered as a problematic byproduct of bioethanol production from lignocelluloses since it inhibits yeast growth and fermentation. However, detailed inhibitory mechanisms of vanillin are still unknown. In this study, I investigated intercellular targets of vanillin based on the image profiling method to infer the drug targets developed recently (Ohnuki et al., 2010). Using this method, I revealed that the morphology...

Systematic studies of Australian stipoid grasses (Austrostipa based on micro-morphological and molecular characteristics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

BETTY MAULIYA BUSTAM

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Bustam BM (2010 Systematic studies of Australian stipoid grasses (Austrostipa based on micro-morphological and molecular characteristics. Biodiversitas 11: 9-14. This research is one of many studies on stipoid grasses organized by the International Stipeae Working Group (ISWG. This research tested the subgeneric classification of Austrostipa proposed by Jacobs and Everett (1996 and tested how informative the micro morphological characters used. Data were collected from herbarium specimens of 36 species (33 species of Austrostipa, two species of Hesperostipa and one species of Anemanthele at Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney. Twenty eight micro morphological characters were used. The data were collected from both adaxial and abaxial surfaces of leaves, and from the lemma epidermis using a scanning electron microscope (SEM. ISWG provided the molecular data. Parsimony analysis and a distance method (Unweighteic Pair Group with Arithmatic Mean: UPGMA were used to analyze mico morphological and molecular data separately. Only UPGMA analysis was used to analyze the combined data. The results support the monophyly of Austrostipa. However, there is a little support for the subgeneric classification of Austrostipa proposed by Jacobs and Everett (1996, other than for the consistent recognition of Falcatae. The characters for comparisons between genera are too homoplasious at this level and do not contain enough information for analyses at subgeneric level, a problem apparently shared with the DNA sequences.

Homoplastic evolution and host association of Eriophyoidea (Acari, Prostigmata) conflict with the morphological-based taxonomic system.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Hao-Sen; Xue, Xiao-Feng; Hong, Xiao-Yue

2014-09-01

The superfamily Eriophyoidea is exceptionally diverse and its members are highly host-specific. Currently, the taxonomy of this group is based on morphology only. However, phylogenetic relationships in this group could be incorrect if the diagnostic morphological characters are homoplastic. Therefore, the phylogeny of 112 representative taxa of Eriophyoidea from China was determined using 18S, 28S D2-5 and D9-10 rRNA. Phylogenetic relationships were inferred through Bayesian, maximum likelihood and maximum parsimony methods, and then a number of clades or major clades were defined according to robust phylogenetic topologies combined with morphological comparison. Tests of monophyly showed that two of three families of Eriophyoidea as well as one subfamily and four tribes were not monophyletic. Ancestral character state reconstruction (ACSR) showed that five diagnostic morphological characters evolved several times, confounding the current taxonomy. Additionally, reconstruction of the history of host plant colonization suggested host switching occurred in a limited range of host plants. The host association data made it possible to determine taxonomic relationships more accurately. These results show that by integrating morphological and molecular information and host plant choice, it is possible to obtain a more accurate taxonomy and a deeper phylogenetic understanding of Eriophyoidea. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The relationship between pharyngeal morphology measured with cone-beam computed tomography and maxillary morphology measured by lateral cephalogram

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamaguchi, Fumie; Yamaguchi, Tetsutaro; Miyamoto, Asami; Maki, Koutaro

2007-01-01

This study examined the relationship between pharyngeal morphology measured with cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) and maxillary morphology measured from lateral cephalograms. The subjects comprised 45 women, with a mean age of 27.9 years (range, 16-50 years), who attended the Department of Orthodontics at Showa University. The evaluation of pharyngeal morphology was based on 9 variables measured by CBCT: pharyngeal space volume, pharyngeal vertical length, pharyngeal sagittal length, pharyngeal coronal length, epiglottis length, epiglottis width, the distance from the genion to the hyoidale, the distance from the hyoidale to the aditus larynges base, and the distance from the aditus larynges base to the genion. Maxillary morphology was evaluated from 5 measured sites: SNA, S'-Ptm', A'-Ptm', the occiusal plane angle, and the palatal plane angle. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to detect associations between pharyngeal and maxillary morphological variables. There were significant correlations between pharyngeal coronal length and SNA, the distance from the genion to the hyoidale and the occlusal plane angle, pharyngeal coronal length and A'-Ptm', pharyngeal vertical length and the palatal plane angle, as well as the aditus larynges base to the genion and the occlusal plane. This information has potential clinical value for better understanding obstructive sleep apnea in adult patients, and for structurally based treatments such as surgical orthodontics. (author)

Morphology of leukaemias

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

W. Ladines-Castro

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Acute leukaemias are characterised by uncontrolled proliferation of immature blood cells with lymphoid or myeloid lineage. Morphological classification is based on the identification of the leukaemia cell line and its stage of differentiation. The first microscopic descriptions dating from the 1930s pointed to 2 different types of leukaemia cells: lymphoid and myeloid. In 1976, the consensus that led to the French-American-British (FAB classification was achieved. This includes criteria for identifying myeloid and lymphoid leukaemias, and gives a list of morphological subtypes, describing how these affect the patient's prognosis. Today, despite new classifications based on sophisticated studies, FAB classification is widely used by experts due to its technical simplicity, good diagnostic reliability and cost-effectiveness.

Relationship between newborn Acid-Base status and umbilical cord morphology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marssosi V

2001-06-01

Full Text Available ess the relationship between umbilical cord blood gases at birth and morphology of umbilical cord, in a prospective study of 200 consecutive term delivery, we investigated the relationship between umbilical cord morphology characteristics (umbilical crd length, number of vascular coil, coiling index and color of amniotic fluid and umbilical vessel blood gases. Statistically significant linear correlation was found between umblicial venous PH and the umbilical cord length (r=0.39, 95% CI 0.25, 0.53, P<0.03, umber of vascular coils (r=0.45 95% CI 0.31-0.59 P<0.012, and coiling index (r=0.34, 95% CI 0.12-0.48, P<0.04, and also negative linear correlation was found between umbilical venous partial pressure of carbon dioxide & of coli (r=0.3, 95% CI –0.44, -0.16 P<0.03. No relation was found between umbilical cord indices and meconium staining of amniotic fluid.Placental weight also correlated with umbilical cord length (r=0.17, 95% CI 0.03-0.31, P<0.03, but not with umbilical cord coils or coiling index.Umbilical venous pH is related to umbilical cord morphology but umbilical venous PCO2 was only related to the number of coils and umbilicat artery pH wa only related to the number of coils and not related to length or coiling index of umbilical cord morphology. The morphology of umbilical cord can affect maternal-fetal gas exchange

Investigation of the surface morphology of biocompatible chitosan-based hydrogels and xerogels

Science.gov (United States)

Zhuravleva, Yulia Yu.; Malinkina, Olga N.; Shipovskaya, Anna B.

2018-04-01

Our biocompatible hydrogel systems obtained by the sol-gel technqiue and based on chitosan and silicon polyolates are promising for medical and biological applications. The surface microrelief of these sol-gel materials (hydrogels and xerogels) based on chitosan and silicon tetraglycerolate was explored by AFM and SEM. A significant influence of the component ratio in the mixed system on the morphology and surface profile of the hydrogels and xerogels prepared therefrom was established. An increased content of the structure-forming component (chitosan) in the system was shown to increase the roughness scale of the hydrogel surface and to promote the porosity of the xerogel structure.

Combination of Morphological Operations with Structure based Partitioning and grouping for Text String detection from Natural Scenes

OpenAIRE

Vyankatesh V. Rampurkar; Gyankamal J. Chhajed

2014-01-01

Text information in natural scene images serves as important clues for many image-based applications such as scene perceptive, content-based image retrieval, assistive direction-finding and automatic geocoding. Now days different approaches like countours based, Image binarization and enhancement based, Gradient based and colour reduction based techniques can be used for the text detection from natural scenes. In this paper the combination of morphological operations with structure based part...

A morphological perceptron with gradient-based learning for Brazilian stock market forecasting.

Science.gov (United States)

Araújo, Ricardo de A

2012-04-01

Several linear and non-linear techniques have been proposed to solve the stock market forecasting problem. However, a limitation arises from all these techniques and is known as the random walk dilemma (RWD). In this scenario, forecasts generated by arbitrary models have a characteristic one step ahead delay with respect to the time series values, so that, there is a time phase distortion in stock market phenomena reconstruction. In this paper, we propose a suitable model inspired by concepts in mathematical morphology (MM) and lattice theory (LT). This model is generically called the increasing morphological perceptron (IMP). Also, we present a gradient steepest descent method to design the proposed IMP based on ideas from the back-propagation (BP) algorithm and using a systematic approach to overcome the problem of non-differentiability of morphological operations. Into the learning process we have included a procedure to overcome the RWD, which is an automatic correction step that is geared toward eliminating time phase distortions that occur in stock market phenomena. Furthermore, an experimental analysis is conducted with the IMP using four complex non-linear problems of time series forecasting from the Brazilian stock market. Additionally, two natural phenomena time series are used to assess forecasting performance of the proposed IMP with other non financial time series. At the end, the obtained results are discussed and compared to results found using models recently proposed in the literature. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fin Ray Stiffness and Fin Morphology Control Ribbon-Fin-Based Propulsion.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Hanlin; Taylor, Bevan; Curet, Oscar M

2017-06-01

Ribbon-fin-based propulsion has rich locomotor capabilities that can enhance the mobility and performance of underwater vehicles navigating in complex environments. Bony fishes using this type of propulsion send one or multiple traveling waves along an elongated fin with the actuation of highly flexible rays that are interconnected by an elastic membrane. In this work, we study how the use of flexible rays and different morphology can affect the performance of ribbon-fin propulsion. We developed a physical model composed of 15 rays that are interconnected with an elastic membrane. We tested four different ray flexural stiffness and four aspect ratios. The robotic model was tested in a low-turbulence flume under two flow conditions ([Formula: see text] wavelength/s). In two experimental sets, we measured fin kinematics, net surge forces, and power consumption. Using these data, we perform a thrust and power analysis of the undulating fin. We present the thrust coefficient, power coefficient, and propulsive efficiency. We find that the thrust generation was linear with the enclosed area swept by the fin, and square of the relative velocity between the incoming flow and traveling wave. The thrust coefficient levels off around 0.5. In addition, for our parameter range, we find that the power consumption scales by the cube of the effective tangential velocity of the rays [Formula: see text] (A is the amplitude of the ray oscillating motion, and [Formula: see text] is the angular velocity). We show that a decay in stiffness decreases both thrust production and power consumption. However, for rays with high flexural stiffness, the difference in thrust compared with rigid rays is minimal. Moreover, our results show that flexible rays can improve the propulsive efficiency compared with a rigid counterpart. Finally, we find that the morphology of ribbon fin affects its propulsive efficiency. For the aspect ratio considered in our experiments, [Formula: see text] was the most

Differentiation of Alternaria infectoria and Alternaria alternata based on morphology, metabolite profiles, and cultural characteristics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Birgitte; Thrane, Ulf

1996-01-01

Some small-spored species belonging to the genus Alternaria Nees have been studied according to their chemical, morphological, and cultural characteristics. A data matrix was constructed based on a combination of characters. Cluster analysis of the combined data set showed good resolution of two...

Review of the Eulamprotes wilkella species-group based on morphology and DNA barcodes, with descriptions of new taxa (Lepidoptera, Gelechiidae)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Huemer, Peter; Elsner, Gustav; Karsholt, Ole

2013-01-01

The Eulamprotes wilkella species-group is revised based on morphological characters and on DNA barcodes of the mtCOI (Cytochrome c Oxidase 1) gene. Adult morphology combined with sequence information for 9 species supports the existence of 12 species, 7 of which are described as new to science: E...

Spatially variant morphological restoration and skeleton representation.

Science.gov (United States)

Bouaynaya, Nidhal; Charif-Chefchaouni, Mohammed; Schonfeld, Dan

2006-11-01

The theory of spatially variant (SV) mathematical morphology is used to extend and analyze two important image processing applications: morphological image restoration and skeleton representation of binary images. For morphological image restoration, we propose the SV alternating sequential filters and SV median filters. We establish the relation of SV median filters to the basic SV morphological operators (i.e., SV erosions and SV dilations). For skeleton representation, we present a general framework for the SV morphological skeleton representation of binary images. We study the properties of the SV morphological skeleton representation and derive conditions for its invertibility. We also develop an algorithm for the implementation of the SV morphological skeleton representation of binary images. The latter algorithm is based on the optimal construction of the SV structuring element mapping designed to minimize the cardinality of the SV morphological skeleton representation. Experimental results show the dramatic improvement in the performance of the SV morphological restoration and SV morphological skeleton representation algorithms in comparison to their translation-invariant counterparts.

Identification of Neoceratitis asiatica (Becker) (Diptera: Tephritidae) based on morphological characteristics and DNA barcode.

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Shaokun; He, Jia; Zhao, Zihua; Liu, Lijun; Gao, Liyuan; Wei, Shuhua; Guo, Xiaoyu; Zhang, Rong; Li, Zhihong

2017-12-12

Neoceratitis asiatica (Becker), which especially infests wolfberry (Lycium barbarum L.), could cause serious economic losses every year in China, especially to organic wolfberry production. In some important wolfberry plantings, it is difficult and time-consuming to rear the larvae or pupae to adults for morphological identification. Molecular identification based on DNA barcode is a solution to the problem. In this study, 15 samples were collected from Ningxia, China. Among them, five adults were identified according to their morphological characteristics. The utility of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene sequence as DNA barcode in distinguishing N. asiatica was evaluated by analysing Kimura 2-parameter distances and phylogenetic trees. There were significant differences between intra-specific and inter-specific genetic distances according to the barcoding gap analysis. The uncertain larval and pupal samples were within the same cluster as N. asiatica adults and formed sister cluster to N. cyanescens. A combination of morphological and molecular methods enabled accurate identification of N. asiatica. This is the first study using DNA barcode to identify N. asiatica and the obtained DNA sequences will be added to the DNA barcode database.

Low genetic differentiation among morphologically distinct ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Labeobarbus altianalis and L. bynni bynni are hexaploid cyprinid fishes in the genus Labeobarbus. In the Great Lakes region of Africa, these two large-bodied barbs exhibit considerable morphological variations. Their intraspecific classification, currently based on geographical distribution and morphological variation, is of ...

Multi-morphological growth of nano-structured In{sub 2}Se{sub 3} by ambient pressure triethylene glycol based solution syntheses

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Tongfei; Wang, Jian; Lai, Junyun; Zheng, Xuerong; Liu, Weiyan; Ji, Junna [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Key Laboratory for Advanced Ceramics and Machining Technology of Ministry of Education, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072 (China); Liu, Hui [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300401 (China); Jin, Zhengguo, E-mail: zhgjin@tju.edu.cn [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Key Laboratory for Advanced Ceramics and Machining Technology of Ministry of Education, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072 (China)

2015-10-15

In{sub 2}Se{sub 3} nanoparticles, flower-like shaped and sheet-shaped nanocrystals were synthesized by a new, facile, ambient pressure triethylene glycol based solution chemical route using indium(III) chloride and selenium powder as precursors. The growing morphology, crystallization, chemical stoichiometry and light absorption property of the In{sub 2}Se{sub 3} products synthesized were characterized by TEM, HRTEM, FESEM, XRD, EDX and UV–vis–NIR measurements. Multi-morphological growth of the nano-structured In{sub 2}Se{sub 3} in triethylene glycol based solution syntheses with changed assisting agents and reaction styles was demonstrated. - Highlights: • Multimorphological growth of In{sub 2}Se{sub 3} was demonstrated based on solution chemistry. • A new, facile, low cost and fast air pressure TEG based solution process was used. • Nanoparticles, flower-like shaped and sheet-shaped nanocrystals were synthesized. • Morphology, crystallization, stoichiometry and light absorption was characterized. • Solution growth of β-In{sub 2}Se{sub 3} nanosheets was firstly reported by this submission.

A Signal Based Triangular Structuring Element for Mathematical Morphological Analysis and Its Application in Rolling Element Bearing Fault Diagnosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhaowen Chen

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Mathematical morphology (MM is an efficient nonlinear signal processing tool. It can be adopted to extract fault information from bearing signal according to a structuring element (SE. Since the bearing signal features differ for every unique cause of failure, the SEs should be well tailored to extract the fault feature from a particular signal. In the following, a signal based triangular SE according to the statistics of the magnitude of a vibration signal is proposed, together with associated methodology, which processes the bearing signal by MM analysis based on proposed SE to get the morphology spectrum of a signal. A correlation analysis on morphology spectrum is then employed to obtain the final classification of bearing faults. The classification performance of the proposed method is evaluated by a set of bearing vibration signals with inner race, ball, and outer race faults, respectively. Results show that all faults can be detected clearly and correctly. Compared with a commonly used flat SE, the correlation analysis on morphology spectrum with proposed SE gives better performance at fault diagnosis of bearing, especially the identification of the location of outer race fault and the level of fault severity.

Cell Painting, a high-content image-based assay for morphological profiling using multiplexed fluorescent dyes

Science.gov (United States)

Bray, Mark-Anthony; Singh, Shantanu; Han, Han; Davis, Chadwick T.; Borgeson, Blake; Hartland, Cathy; Kost-Alimova, Maria; Gustafsdottir, Sigrun M.; Gibson, Christopher C.; Carpenter, Anne E.

2016-01-01

In morphological profiling, quantitative data are extracted from microscopy images of cells to identify biologically relevant similarities and differences among samples based on these profiles. This protocol describes the design and execution of experiments using Cell Painting, a morphological profiling assay multiplexing six fluorescent dyes imaged in five channels, to reveal eight broadly relevant cellular components or organelles. Cells are plated in multi-well plates, perturbed with the treatments to be tested, stained, fixed, and imaged on a high-throughput microscope. Then, automated image analysis software identifies individual cells and measures ~1,500 morphological features (various measures of size, shape, texture, intensity, etc.) to produce a rich profile suitable for detecting subtle phenotypes. Profiles of cell populations treated with different experimental perturbations can be compared to suit many goals, such as identifying the phenotypic impact of chemical or genetic perturbations, grouping compounds and/or genes into functional pathways, and identifying signatures of disease. Cell culture and image acquisition takes two weeks; feature extraction and data analysis take an additional 1-2 weeks. PMID:27560178

Arthropod phylogeny based on eight molecular loci and morphology

Science.gov (United States)

Giribet, G.; Edgecombe, G. D.; Wheeler, W. C.

2001-01-01

The interrelationships of major clades within the Arthropoda remain one of the most contentious issues in systematics, which has traditionally been the domain of morphologists. A growing body of DNA sequences and other types of molecular data has revitalized study of arthropod phylogeny and has inspired new considerations of character evolution. Novel hypotheses such as a crustacean-hexapod affinity were based on analyses of single or few genes and limited taxon sampling, but have received recent support from mitochondrial gene order, and eye and brain ultrastructure and neurogenesis. Here we assess relationships within Arthropoda based on a synthesis of all well sampled molecular loci together with a comprehensive data set of morphological, developmental, ultrastructural and gene-order characters. The molecular data include sequences of three nuclear ribosomal genes, three nuclear protein-coding genes, and two mitochondrial genes (one protein coding, one ribosomal). We devised new optimization procedures and constructed a parallel computer cluster with 256 central processing units to analyse molecular data on a scale not previously possible. The optimal 'total evidence' cladogram supports the crustacean-hexapod clade, recognizes pycnogonids as sister to other euarthropods, and indicates monophyly of Myriapoda and Mandibulata.

Differential morphology and image processing.

Science.gov (United States)

Maragos, P

1996-01-01

Image processing via mathematical morphology has traditionally used geometry to intuitively understand morphological signal operators and set or lattice algebra to analyze them in the space domain. We provide a unified view and analytic tools for morphological image processing that is based on ideas from differential calculus and dynamical systems. This includes ideas on using partial differential or difference equations (PDEs) to model distance propagation or nonlinear multiscale processes in images. We briefly review some nonlinear difference equations that implement discrete distance transforms and relate them to numerical solutions of the eikonal equation of optics. We also review some nonlinear PDEs that model the evolution of multiscale morphological operators and use morphological derivatives. Among the new ideas presented, we develop some general 2-D max/min-sum difference equations that model the space dynamics of 2-D morphological systems (including the distance computations) and some nonlinear signal transforms, called slope transforms, that can analyze these systems in a transform domain in ways conceptually similar to the application of Fourier transforms to linear systems. Thus, distance transforms are shown to be bandpass slope filters. We view the analysis of the multiscale morphological PDEs and of the eikonal PDE solved via weighted distance transforms as a unified area in nonlinear image processing, which we call differential morphology, and briefly discuss its potential applications to image processing and computer vision.

Large-scale Reconstructions and Independent, Unbiased Clustering Based on Morphological Metrics to Classify Neurons in Selective Populations.

Science.gov (United States)

Bragg, Elise M; Briggs, Farran

2017-02-15

This protocol outlines large-scale reconstructions of neurons combined with the use of independent and unbiased clustering analyses to create a comprehensive survey of the morphological characteristics observed among a selective neuronal population. Combination of these techniques constitutes a novel approach for the collection and analysis of neuroanatomical data. Together, these techniques enable large-scale, and therefore more comprehensive, sampling of selective neuronal populations and establish unbiased quantitative methods for describing morphologically unique neuronal classes within a population. The protocol outlines the use of modified rabies virus to selectively label neurons. G-deleted rabies virus acts like a retrograde tracer following stereotaxic injection into a target brain structure of interest and serves as a vehicle for the delivery and expression of EGFP in neurons. Large numbers of neurons are infected using this technique and express GFP throughout their dendrites, producing "Golgi-like" complete fills of individual neurons. Accordingly, the virus-mediated retrograde tracing method improves upon traditional dye-based retrograde tracing techniques by producing complete intracellular fills. Individual well-isolated neurons spanning all regions of the brain area under study are selected for reconstruction in order to obtain a representative sample of neurons. The protocol outlines procedures to reconstruct cell bodies and complete dendritic arborization patterns of labeled neurons spanning multiple tissue sections. Morphological data, including positions of each neuron within the brain structure, are extracted for further analysis. Standard programming functions were utilized to perform independent cluster analyses and cluster evaluations based on morphological metrics. To verify the utility of these analyses, statistical evaluation of a cluster analysis performed on 160 neurons reconstructed in the thalamic reticular nucleus of the thalamus

'Ogura'-based 'CMS' lines with different nuclear backgrounds of cabbage revealed substantial diversity at morphological and molecular levels.

Science.gov (United States)

Parkash, Chander; Kumar, Sandeep; Singh, Rajender; Kumar, Ajay; Kumar, Satish; Dey, Shyam Sundar; Bhatia, Reeta; Kumar, Raj

2018-01-01

A comprehensive study on characterization and genetic diversity analysis was carried out in 16 'Ogura'-based 'CMS' lines of cabbage using 14 agro-morphological traits and 29 SSR markers. Agro-morphological characterization depicted considerable variations for different horticultural traits studied. The genotype, ZHA-2, performed better for most of the economically important quantitative traits. Further, gross head weight (0.76), head length (0.60) and head width (0.83) revealed significant positive correlation with net head weight. Dendrogram based on 10 quantitative traits exhibited considerable diversity among different CMS lines and principle component analysis (PCA) indicated that net and gross head weight, and head length and width are the main components of divergence between 16 CMS lines of cabbage. In molecular study, a total of 58 alleles were amplified by 29 SSR primers, averaging to 2.0 alleles in each locus. High mean values of Shannon's Information index (0.62), expected (0.45) and observed (0.32) heterozygosity and polymorphic information content (0.35) depicted substantial polymorphism. Dendrogram based on Jaccard's similarity coefficient constructed two major groups and eight sub-groups, which revealed substantial diversity among different CMS lines. In overall, based on agro-morphological and molecular studies genotype RRMA, ZHA-2 and RCA were found most divergent. Hence, they have immense potential in future breeding programs for the high-yielding hybrid development in cabbage.

Modelling the cybersecurity environment using morphological ontology design engineering

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Jansen van Vuuren, JC

2015-03-01

Full Text Available ). This methodology is based on the combination of three different research methods, i.e. design science, general morphological analysis, and ontology based representation. General morphological analysis offers a solution for extracting meaningful information from...

Wing pattern morphology of three closely related Melitaea (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae) species reveals highly inaccurate external morphology-based species identification

OpenAIRE

Jugovic,Jure; Koren,Toni

2014-01-01

Wing morphology of the three closely related species of Melitaea – M. athalia (Rottemburg, 1775), M. aurelia (Nickerl, 1850) and M. britomartis Assmann, 1847 – co-occurring in the Balkans (SE Europe) was investigated in detail through visual inspection, morphometric analysis and multivariate statistical analysis. Results are compared to recent phylogenetic studies, searching for concordant patterns and discrepancies between the two approaches. The morphology of the genitalic structures is als...

SSR and morphological trait based population structure analysis of 130 diverse flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) accessions.

Science.gov (United States)

Choudhary, Shashi Bhushan; Sharma, Hariom Kumar; Kumar, Arroju Anil; Maruthi, Rangappa Thimmaiah; Mitra, Jiban; Chowdhury, Isholeena; Singh, Binay Kumar; Karmakar, Pran Gobinda

2017-02-01

A total of 130 flax accessions of diverse morphotypes and worldwide origin were assessed for genetic diversity and population structure using 11 morphological traits and microsatellite markers (15 gSSRs and 7 EST-SSRs). Analysis performed after classifying these accessions on the basis of plant height, branching pattern, seed size, Indian/foreign origin into six categories called sub-populations viz. fibre type exotic, fibre type indigenous, intermediate type exotic, intermediate type indigenous, linseed type exotic and linseed type indigenous. The study assessed different diversity indices, AMOVA, population structure and included a principal coordinate analysis based on different marker systems. The highest diversity was exhibited by gSSR markers (SI=0.46; He=0.31; P=85.11). AMOVA based on all markers explained significant difference among fibre type, intermediate type and linseed type populations of flax. In terms of variation explained by different markers, EST-SSR markers (12%) better differentiated flax populations compared to morphological (9%) and gSSR (6%) markers at P=0.01. The maximum Nei's unbiased genetic distance (D=0.11) was observed between fibre type and linseed type exotic sub-populations based on EST-SSR markers. The combined structure analysis by using all markers grouped Indian fibre type accessions (63.4%) in a separate cluster along with the Indian intermediate type (48.7%), whereas Indian accessions (82.16%) of linseed type constituted an independent cluster. These findings were supported by the results of the principal coordinate analysis. Morphological markers employed in the study found complementary with microsatellite based markers in deciphering genetic diversity and population structure of the flax germplasm. Copyright © 2016 Académie des sciences. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Structural and morphological TEM characterization of GaAs based nanowires

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Soda, Marcello

2012-02-03

The question of a structural and morphological characterization of GaAs based nanowires is the research interest of this thesis. For this purpose standard and analytical transmission electron microscopy techniques were employed. New investigation methodologies are introduced in order to obtain a reliable interpretation of the results. The principal motivation on developing a new investigation method is the necessity to relate the results of crystal structure and morphology characterizations to microscopic and NW-specific parameters and not to macroscopic and general growth parameters. This allows a reliable comparison of NW characteristics and enhances the comprehension of their growth mechanism.The analysis of the results on crystal structure investigations, assuming this new perspective, delivers the fundamental finding that the axial growth of Au-assisted GaAs NWs can change in a pseudo Ga-assisted growth due to a non steady-state regime of the Ga accumulation process in the liquid droplet. The attempt to associate the observed crystal structures to one of these two growth modes reveals that zinc blende segments are most probably generated when a pseudo Ga-assisted growth occurs. This experimental evidence is in accordance with investigations developed by Glas et al. and Spirkoska et al. and with the current understanding of the NW growth mechanism and unifies the interpretation of catalytic growth of GaAs NWs. A Mn doped GaAs shell deposited at low temperature on core GaAs NWs is characterized for the first time. The growth is found to be epitaxial and to confer the quality of the core crystal to the shell crystal. As a consequence a high stacking fault density of the core NW limits the temperature of the shell growth due to the formation of clusters. Cross sections of (Ga,Mn)As shells are investigated. Simple kinetic and thermodynamical considerations lead to the conclusion of morphological instability of the low temperature radial growth. Analytical

Relations of morphological characteristics and maximal oxygen consumption of fourth grade pupils based on gender

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jakovljević Vladimir

2014-01-01

Full Text Available On a sample of 71 respondents, 37 boys and 34 girls, age of fourth grade elementary school, accordingly 9 years +/- 6 months, it is assessed correlation and prediction of maximal oxygen consumption based measures of morphological range. Maximum oxygen consumption was measured by indirect method, using a field test of maximal multiple load of feedback running at 20 meters. Range of morphology was analyzed based on 5 measures of longitudinal dimensionality, 4 measures of volume and body mass and 3 measures of transversal dimensionality. Results of correlation analysis showed that in both sexes there was no statistically significant correlation between results of maximal oxygen consumption and measures of longitudinal dimensionality, while regression analysis confirmed that there was no statistically significant prediction of maximum oxygen consumption based on measures of longitudinal dimensionality. While the correlation analysis deduced that part of volume measures and body mass and transversal dimensionality have statistically significant correlation only with female respondents with results of maximal oxygen consumption. Regression analysis showed statistically significant prediction of maximal oxygen consumption based on part of volume measures and body mass and transversal dimensionality. It is determined that female respondents with larger volumes of the thigh and lower leg, accordingly with smaller diameters of knee joint and ankle joint most likely will achieve better results in applied test, and therefore higher maximal oxygen consumption.

Morphology of a Wetland Stream

Science.gov (United States)

Jurmu; Andrle

1997-11-01

/ Little attention has been paid to wetland stream morphology in the geomorphological and environmental literature, and in the recently expanding wetland reconstruction field, stream design has been based primarily on stream morphologies typical of nonwetland alluvial environments. Field investigation of a wetland reach of Roaring Brook, Stafford, Connecticut, USA, revealed several significant differences between the morphology of this stream and the typical morphology of nonwetland alluvial streams. Six morphological features of the study reach were examined: bankfull flow, meanders, pools and riffles, thalweg location, straight reaches, and cross-sectional shape. It was found that bankfull flow definitions originating from streams in nonwetland environments did not apply. Unusual features observed in the wetland reach include tight bends and a large axial wavelength to width ratio. A lengthy straight reach exists that exceeds what is typically found in nonwetland alluvial streams. The lack of convex bank point bars in the bends, a greater channel width at riffle locations, an unusual thalweg location, and small form ratios (a deep and narrow channel) were also differences identified. Further study is needed on wetland streams of various regions to determine if differences in morphology between alluvial and wetland environments can be applied in order to improve future designs of wetland channels.KEY WORDS: Stream morphology; Wetland restoration; Wetland creation; Bankfull; Pools and riffles; Meanders; Thalweg

A Voxel-Based Method for Automated Identification and Morphological Parameters Estimation of Individual Street Trees from Mobile Laser Scanning Data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hongxing Liu

2013-01-01

Full Text Available As an important component of urban vegetation, street trees play an important role in maintenance of environmental quality, aesthetic beauty of urban landscape, and social service for inhabitants. Acquiring accurate and up-to-date inventory information for street trees is required for urban horticultural planning, and municipal urban forest management. This paper presents a new Voxel-based Marked Neighborhood Searching (VMNS method for efficiently identifying street trees and deriving their morphological parameters from Mobile Laser Scanning (MLS point cloud data. The VMNS method consists of six technical components: voxelization, calculating values of voxels, searching and marking neighborhoods, extracting potential trees, deriving morphological parameters, and eliminating pole-like objects other than trees. The method is validated and evaluated through two case studies. The evaluation results show that the completeness and correctness of our method for street tree detection are over 98%. The derived morphological parameters, including tree height, crown diameter, diameter at breast height (DBH, and crown base height (CBH, are in a good agreement with the field measurements. Our method provides an effective tool for extracting various morphological parameters for individual street trees from MLS point cloud data.

Sponge budding is a spatiotemporal morphological patterning process: Insights from synchrotron radiation-based x-ray microtomography into the asexual reproduction of Tethya wilhelma

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nickel Michael

2009-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Primary agametic-asexual reproduction mechanisms such as budding and fission are present in all non-bilaterian and many bilaterian animal taxa and are likely to be metazoan ground pattern characters. Cnidarians display highly organized and regulated budding processes. In contrast, budding in poriferans was thought to be less specific and related to the general ability of this group to reorganize their tissues. Here we test the hypothesis of morphological pattern formation during sponge budding. Results We investigated the budding process in Tethya wilhelma (Demospongiae by applying 3D morphometrics to high resolution synchrotron radiation-based x-ray microtomography (SR-μCT image data. We followed the morphogenesis of characteristic body structures and identified distinct morphological states which indeed reveal characteristic spatiotemporal morphological patterns in sponge bud development. We discovered the distribution of skeletal elements, canal system and sponge tissue to be based on a sequential series of distinct morphological states. Based on morphometric data we defined four typical bud stages. Once they have reached the final stage buds are released as fully functional juvenile sponges which are morphologically and functionally equivalent to adult specimens. Conclusion Our results demonstrate that budding in demosponges is considerably more highly organized and regulated than previously assumed. Morphological pattern formation in asexual reproduction with underlying genetic regulation seems to have evolved early in metazoans and was likely part of the developmental program of the last common ancestor of all Metazoa (LCAM.

Sponge budding is a spatiotemporal morphological patterning process: Insights from synchrotron radiation-based x-ray microtomography into the asexual reproduction of Tethya wilhelma.

Science.gov (United States)

Hammel, Jörg U; Herzen, Julia; Beckmann, Felix; Nickel, Michael

2009-09-08

Primary agametic-asexual reproduction mechanisms such as budding and fission are present in all non-bilaterian and many bilaterian animal taxa and are likely to be metazoan ground pattern characters. Cnidarians display highly organized and regulated budding processes. In contrast, budding in poriferans was thought to be less specific and related to the general ability of this group to reorganize their tissues. Here we test the hypothesis of morphological pattern formation during sponge budding. We investigated the budding process in Tethya wilhelma (Demospongiae) by applying 3D morphometrics to high resolution synchrotron radiation-based x-ray microtomography (SR-muCT) image data. We followed the morphogenesis of characteristic body structures and identified distinct morphological states which indeed reveal characteristic spatiotemporal morphological patterns in sponge bud development. We discovered the distribution of skeletal elements, canal system and sponge tissue to be based on a sequential series of distinct morphological states. Based on morphometric data we defined four typical bud stages. Once they have reached the final stage buds are released as fully functional juvenile sponges which are morphologically and functionally equivalent to adult specimens. Our results demonstrate that budding in demosponges is considerably more highly organized and regulated than previously assumed. Morphological pattern formation in asexual reproduction with underlying genetic regulation seems to have evolved early in metazoans and was likely part of the developmental program of the last common ancestor of all Metazoa (LCAM).

Relationship of species Piper based on morphological and leaf essential oils characters in Yogyakarta

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

PURNOMO

2005-01-01

Full Text Available Some of Piper species were used for traditional medicines and condiments. The leaf essential oil (terpenoid of those Piper species usually were used as a main component in traditional medicine. The taxonomycal study was aimed to determined Piper species relationships based on morphological and leaf essential oils characters. The plants were obtained by exploring this province, and samples were collected for identification and leaf essential oils isolation purposes. Species identification were carried out based on identification key (Backer and Bakhuizen v.d. Brink, 1965; Heyne, 1987; Shaorong, 1982. The isolation of leaf essential oils was carried out using Stahl destillation method, and their composition were interpreted with liquid gas chromatography, using caryophyllene and -pinene as a standard of essential oils component. Dendrogram, which showed phenetic relationships among those species, were obtained by hierarchical cluster analysis method. Results of the research showed that there were 8 species found as cultivated plants in Yogyakarta, which were P. miniatum Bl., P. betle L., P. recurvum Bl., P. aduncum L., P. nigrum L., P. cubeba L.f., P. retrofractum Vahl., and P. sarmentosum Roxb. Ex Hunter. Relationship between species of Piper based on morphological character showed that P. aduncum and P. sarmentosum at the same cluster on 69.2% similarity level, and 40.4% similarity level to the other clusters. Relationsips between species of Piper based on leaf essential oils character resulted the difference cluster among the species, P. retrofractum separated from the other species at 45.5% similarity level, P. aduncum and P. cubeba indicated the higest similarity level (81.5%.

Image edge detection based tool condition monitoring with morphological component analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Xiaolong; Lin, Xin; Dai, Yiquan; Zhu, Kunpeng

2017-07-01

The measurement and monitoring of tool condition are keys to the product precision in the automated manufacturing. To meet the need, this study proposes a novel tool wear monitoring approach based on the monitored image edge detection. Image edge detection has been a fundamental tool to obtain features of images. This approach extracts the tool edge with morphological component analysis. Through the decomposition of original tool wear image, the approach reduces the influence of texture and noise for edge measurement. Based on the target image sparse representation and edge detection, the approach could accurately extract the tool wear edge with continuous and complete contour, and is convenient in charactering tool conditions. Compared to the celebrated algorithms developed in the literature, this approach improves the integrity and connectivity of edges, and the results have shown that it achieves better geometry accuracy and lower error rate in the estimation of tool conditions. Copyright © 2017 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Morphologic Subtypes of Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Torbenson, Michael S

2017-06-01

Hepatocellular carcinomas can be further divided into distinct subtypes that provide important clinical information and biological insights. These subtypes are distinct from growth patterns and are on based on morphologic and molecular findings. There are 12 reasonably well-defined subtypes as well as 6 provisional subtypes, together making up 35% of all hepatocellular carcinomas. These subtypes are discussed, with an emphasis on their definitions and the key morphologic findings. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Wetting morphologies on randomly oriented fibers.

Science.gov (United States)

Sauret, Alban; Boulogne, François; Soh, Beatrice; Dressaire, Emilie; Stone, Howard A

2015-06-01

We characterize the different morphologies adopted by a drop of liquid placed on two randomly oriented fibers, which is a first step toward understanding the wetting of fibrous networks. The present work reviews previous modeling for parallel and touching crossed fibers and extends it to an arbitrary orientation of the fibers characterized by the tilting angle and the minimum spacing distance. Depending on the volume of liquid, the spacing distance between fibers and the angle between the fibers, we highlight that the liquid can adopt three different equilibrium morphologies: 1) a column morphology in which the liquid spreads between the fibers, 2) a mixed morphology where a drop grows at one end of the column or 3) a single drop located at the node. We capture the different morphologies observed using an analytical model that predicts the equilibrium configuration of the liquid based on the geometry of the fibers and the volume of liquid.

Label-free morphology-based prediction of multiple differentiation potentials of human mesenchymal stem cells for early evaluation of intact cells.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hiroto Sasaki

Full Text Available Precise quantification of cellular potential of stem cells, such as human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs, is important for achieving stable and effective outcomes in clinical stem cell therapy. Here, we report a method for image-based prediction of the multiple differentiation potentials of hBMSCs. This method has four major advantages: (1 the cells used for potential prediction are fully intact, and therefore directly usable for clinical applications; (2 predictions of potentials are generated before differentiation cultures are initiated; (3 prediction of multiple potentials can be provided simultaneously for each sample; and (4 predictions of potentials yield quantitative values that correlate strongly with the experimental data. Our results show that the collapse of hBMSC differentiation potentials, triggered by in vitro expansion, can be quantitatively predicted far in advance by predicting multiple potentials, multi-lineage differentiation potentials (osteogenic, adipogenic, and chondrogenic and population doubling potential using morphological features apparent during the first 4 days of expansion culture. In order to understand how such morphological features can be effective for advance predictions, we measured gene-expression profiles of the same early undifferentiated cells. Both senescence-related genes (p16 and p21 and cytoskeleton-related genes (PTK2, CD146, and CD49 already correlated to the decrease of potentials at this stage. To objectively compare the performance of morphology and gene expression for such early prediction, we tested a range of models using various combinations of features. Such comparison of predictive performances revealed that morphological features performed better overall than gene-expression profiles, balancing the predictive accuracy with the effort required for model construction. This benchmark list of various prediction models not only identifies the best morphological feature

Rash Decisions: An Approach to Dangerous Rashes Based on Morphology.

Science.gov (United States)

Santistevan, Jamie; Long, Brit; Koyfman, Alex

2017-04-01

Rash is a common complaint in the emergency department. Many causes of rash are benign; however, some patients may have a life-threatening diagnosis. This review will present an algorithmic approach to rashes, focusing on life-threatening causes of rash in each category. Rash is common, with a wide range of etiologies. The differential is broad, consisting of many conditions that are self-resolving. However, several conditions associated with rash are life threatening. Several keys can be utilized to rapidly diagnose and manage these deadly rashes. Thorough history and physical examination, followed by consideration of red flags, are essential. This review focuses on four broad categories based on visual and tactile characteristic patterns of rashes: petechial/purpuric, erythematous, maculopapular, and vesiculobullous. Rashes in each morphologic group will be further categorized based on clinical features such as the presence or absence of fever and distribution of skin lesions. Rashes can be divided into petechial/purpuric, erythematous, maculopapular, and vesiculobullous. After this differentiation, the presence of fever and systemic signs of illness should be assessed. Through the breakdown of rashes into these classes, emergency providers can ensure deadly conditions are considered. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Clinical, biomechanical and morphological assessment of anterior cruciate ligament Kevlar®-based artificial prosthesis in rabbit model.

Science.gov (United States)

de la Garza-Castro, Santiago; González-Rivera, Carlos E; Vílchez-Cavazos, Félix; Morales-Avalos, Rodolfo; Barrera-Flores, Francisco J; Elizondo-Omaña, Rodrigo E; Soto-Dominguez, Adolfo; Acosta-Olivo, Carlos; Mendoza-Lemus, Oscar F

2017-07-27

The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical, biomechanical and morphological characteristics of a Kevlar®-based prosthetic ligament as a synthetic graft of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in an experimental animal model in rabbits. A total of 27 knees of rabbits randomly divided into 3 groups (control, ACL excision and ACL replacement with a Kevlar® prosthesis) were analyzed using clinical, biomechanical and morphological tests at 6, 12 and 18 weeks postprocedure. The mean displacement in mechanical testing was 0.73 ± 0.06 mm, 1.58 ± 0.19 mm and 0.94 ± 0.20 mm for the control, ACL excision and ACL replacement with synthetic prosthesis groups, respectively. The results showed an improvement in the stability of the knee with the use of the Kevlar® synthetic prosthesis in the biomechanical testing (p0.05), between the replacement group and the control group. The histological study revealed a good morphological adaptation of the synthetic material to the knee. This study proposes a new animal model for the placement and evaluation of Kevlar®-based synthetic ACL implants. The studied prosthesis showed promising behavior in the clinical and biomechanical tests and in the histological analysis. This study lays the foundation for further basic and clinical studies of artificial ACL prostheses using this material.

Thorium oxalate solubility and morphology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Monson, P.R. Jr.; Hall, R.

1981-10-01

Thorium was used as a stand-in for studying the solubility and precipitation of neptunium and plutonium oxalates. Thorium oxalate solubility was determined over a range of 0.001 to 10.0 in the concentration parameter [H 2 C 2 O 4 ]/[HNO 3 ] 2 . Morphology of thorium oxide made from the oxalate precipitates was characterized by scanning electron microscopy. The different morphologies found for oxalate-lean and oxalate-rich precipitations were in agreement with predictions based on precipitation theory

Fusion of MultiSpectral and Panchromatic Images Based on Morphological Operators.

Science.gov (United States)

Restaino, Rocco; Vivone, Gemine; Dalla Mura, Mauro; Chanussot, Jocelyn

2016-04-20

Nonlinear decomposition schemes constitute an alternative to classical approaches for facing the problem of data fusion. In this paper we discuss the application of this methodology to a popular remote sensing application called pansharpening, which consists in the fusion of a low resolution multispectral image and a high resolution panchromatic image. We design a complete pansharpening scheme based on the use of morphological half gradients operators and demonstrate the suitability of this algorithm through the comparison with state of the art approaches. Four datasets acquired by the Pleiades, Worldview-2, Ikonos and Geoeye-1 satellites are employed for the performance assessment, testifying the effectiveness of the proposed approach in producing top-class images with a setting independent of the specific sensor.

The parachute morphology as equilibrium morphology of vesicle-polymer hybrids?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jung, M.; Hubert, D.H.W.; Herk, van A.M.; German, A.L.

2000-01-01

Polymerisation in vesicles leads to novel polymer colloid morphologies. Two morphologies are currently reported: the triple-shell and the parachute morphology. The termodynamic analysis of these two morphologies, presented here, stresses the importance of considering interfacial energies between

A DNA-Based Assessment of the Phylogenetic Position of a Morphologically Distinct, Anchialine-Lake-Restricted Seahorse.

Science.gov (United States)

Rose, Emily; Masonjones, Heather D; Jones, Adam G

2016-11-01

Isolated populations provide special opportunities to study local adaptation and incipient speciation. In some cases, however, morphological evolution can obscure the taxonomic status of recently founded populations. Here, we use molecular markers to show that an anchialine-lake-restricted population of seahorses, originally identified as Hippocampus reidi, appears on the basis of DNA data to be Hippocampus erectus We collected seahorses from Sweetings Pond, on Eleuthera Island, Bahamas, during the summer of 2014. We measured morphological traits and sequenced 2 genes, cytochrome b and ribosomal protein S7, from 19 seahorses in our sample. On the basis of morphology, Sweetings Pond seahorses could not be assigned definitively to either of the 2 species of seahorse, H. reidi and H. erectus, that occur in marine waters surrounding the Bahamas. However, our DNA-based phylogenetic analysis showed that the Sweetings Pond fish were firmly nested within the H. erectus clade with a Bayesian posterior probability greater than 0.99. Thus, Sweetings Pond seahorses most recently shared a common ancestor with H. erectus populations from the Western Atlantic. Interestingly, the seahorses from Sweetings Pond differ morphologically from other marine populations of H. erectus in having a more even torso to tail length ratio. The substantial habitat differences between Sweetings Pond and the surrounding coastal habitat make Sweetings Pond seahorses particularly interesting from the perspectives of conservation, local adaptation, and incipient speciation. © The American Genetic Association 2016. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Improving the Computational Morphological Analysis of a Swahili ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

approach to the morphological analysis of Swahili. We particularly focus our discussion on its ability to retrieve lemmas for word forms and evaluate it as a tool for corpus-based dictionary compilation. Keywords: LEXICOGRAPHY, MORPHOLOGY, CORPUS ANNOTATION, LEMMATIZATION, MACHINE LEARNING, SWAHILI ...

Morphological studies of polymer dispersed liquid crystal materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han, Jin-Woo

2006-01-01

In this work, we have studied the morphologies of polymer dispersed liquid crystals (PDLCs) based on E7/NOA61. Scanning electron microscope studies show that the PDLC morphology is strongly affected by the LC concentration and the cure temperature. A typical PDLC morphology with isolated LC droplets dispersed in a polymer matrix is only observed at low LC compositions and at low cure temperatures. Increasing either the LC composition or the cure temperature results in a polymer ball morphology, in which LCs exist in irregularly shaped voids in the polymer network structure. It is shown that the transition between these two morphologies can be qualitatively explained using a pseudo-binary phase diagram.

Nanoscale Morphology Evolution Under Ion Irradiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aziz, Michael J. [President & Fellows of Harvard College, Cambridge, MA (United States)

2014-11-10

We showed that the half-century-old paradigm of morphological instability under irradiation due to the curvature-dependence of the sputter yield, can account neither for the phase diagram nor the amplification or decay rates that we measure in the simplest possible experimental system -- an elemental semiconductor with an amorphous surface under noble-gas ion irradiation; We showed that a model of pattern formation based on the impact-induced redistribution of atoms that do not get sputtered away explains our experimental observations; We developed a first-principles, parameter-free approach for predicting morphology evolution, starting with molecular dynamics simulations of single ion impacts, lasting picoseconds, and upscaling through a rigorous crater-function formalism to develop a partial differential equation that predicts morphology evolution on time scales more than twelve orders of magnitude longer than can be covered by the molecular dynamics; We performed the first quantitative comparison of the contributions to morphological instability from sputter removal and from impact-induced redistribution of atoms that are removed, and showed that the former is negligible compared to the latter; We established a new paradigm for impact-induced morphology evolution based on crater functions that incorporate both redistribution and sputter effects; and We developed a model of nanopore closure by irradiation-induced stress and irradiationenhanced fluidity, for the near-surface irradiation regime in which nuclear stopping predominates, and showed that it explains many aspects of pore closure kinetics that we measure experimentally.

Finite element based nonlinear normalization of human lumbar intervertebral disc stiffness to account for its morphology.

Science.gov (United States)

Maquer, Ghislain; Laurent, Marc; Brandejsky, Vaclav; Pretterklieber, Michael L; Zysset, Philippe K

2014-06-01

Disc degeneration, usually associated with low back pain and changes of intervertebral stiffness, represents a major health issue. As the intervertebral disc (IVD) morphology influences its stiffness, the link between mechanical properties and degenerative grade is partially lost without an efficient normalization of the stiffness with respect to the morphology. Moreover, although the behavior of soft tissues is highly nonlinear, only linear normalization protocols have been defined so far for the disc stiffness. Thus, the aim of this work is to propose a nonlinear normalization based on finite elements (FE) simulations and evaluate its impact on the stiffness of human anatomical specimens of lumbar IVD. First, a parameter study involving simulations of biomechanical tests (compression, flexion/extension, bilateral torsion and bending) on 20 FE models of IVDs with various dimensions was carried out to evaluate the effect of the disc's geometry on its compliance and establish stiffness/morphology relations necessary to the nonlinear normalization. The computed stiffness was then normalized by height (H), cross-sectional area (CSA), polar moment of inertia (J) or moments of inertia (Ixx, Iyy) to quantify the effect of both linear and nonlinear normalizations. In the second part of the study, T1-weighted MRI images were acquired to determine H, CSA, J, Ixx and Iyy of 14 human lumbar IVDs. Based on the measured morphology and pre-established relation with stiffness, linear and nonlinear normalization routines were then applied to the compliance of the specimens for each quasi-static biomechanical test. The variability of the stiffness prior to and after normalization was assessed via coefficient of variation (CV). The FE study confirmed that larger and thinner IVDs were stiffer while the normalization strongly attenuated the effect of the disc geometry on its stiffness. Yet, notwithstanding the results of the FE study, the experimental stiffness showed consistently

Subcortical Brain Morphology in Schizophrenia : Descriptive analysis based on MRI findings of subcortical brain volumes

OpenAIRE

Gunleiksrud, Sindre

2009-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate magnetic resonance images (MR) from patients with schizophrenia and healthy control subjects for difference in brain morphology with focus on subcortical brain volumes. Method: The study compared fourteen subcortical brain structure volumes of 96 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia (n=81) or schizoaffective disorder (n=15) with 106 healthy control subjects. Volume measures were obtained using voxel-based morphometry (FreeSurfer software suite) of ...

Comparative Visual Analysis of Structure-Performance Relations in Complex Bulk-Heterojunction Morphologies

KAUST Repository

Aboulhassan, A.

2017-07-04

The structure of Bulk-Heterojunction (BHJ) materials, the main component of organic photovoltaic solar cells, is very complex, and the relationship between structure and performance is still largely an open question. Overall, there is a wide spectrum of fabrication configurations resulting in different BHJ morphologies and correspondingly different performances. Current state-of-the-art methods for assessing the performance of BHJ morphologies are either based on global quantification of morphological features or simply on visual inspection of the morphology based on experimental imaging. This makes finding optimal BHJ structures very challenging. Moreover, finding the optimal fabrication parameters to get an optimal structure is still an open question. In this paper, we propose a visual analysis framework to help answer these questions through comparative visualization and parameter space exploration for local morphology features. With our approach, we enable scientists to explore multivariate correlations between local features and performance indicators of BHJ morphologies. Our framework is built on shape-based clustering of local cubical regions of the morphology that we call patches. This enables correlating the features of clusters with intuition-based performance indicators computed from geometrical and topological features of charge paths.

Comparative Visual Analysis of Structure-Performance Relations in Complex Bulk-Heterojunction Morphologies

KAUST Repository

Aboulhassan, A.; Sicat, R.; Baum, D.; Wodo, O.; Hadwiger, Markus

2017-01-01

The structure of Bulk-Heterojunction (BHJ) materials, the main component of organic photovoltaic solar cells, is very complex, and the relationship between structure and performance is still largely an open question. Overall, there is a wide spectrum of fabrication configurations resulting in different BHJ morphologies and correspondingly different performances. Current state-of-the-art methods for assessing the performance of BHJ morphologies are either based on global quantification of morphological features or simply on visual inspection of the morphology based on experimental imaging. This makes finding optimal BHJ structures very challenging. Moreover, finding the optimal fabrication parameters to get an optimal structure is still an open question. In this paper, we propose a visual analysis framework to help answer these questions through comparative visualization and parameter space exploration for local morphology features. With our approach, we enable scientists to explore multivariate correlations between local features and performance indicators of BHJ morphologies. Our framework is built on shape-based clustering of local cubical regions of the morphology that we call patches. This enables correlating the features of clusters with intuition-based performance indicators computed from geometrical and topological features of charge paths.

The relationships within the Chaitophorinae and Drepanosiphinae (Hemiptera, Aphididae) inferred from molecular-based phylogeny and comprehensive morphological data

Science.gov (United States)

Wieczorek, Karina; Lachowska-Cierlik, Dorota; Kajtoch, Łukasz; Kanturski, Mariusz

2017-01-01

The Chaitophorinae is a bionomically diverse Holarctic subfamily of Aphididae. The current classification includes two tribes: the Chaitophorini associated with deciduous trees and shrubs, and Siphini that feed on monocotyledonous plants. We present the first phylogenetic hypothesis for the subfamily, based on molecular and morphological datasets. Molecular analyses were based on the mitochondrial gene cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) and the nuclear gene elongation factor-1α (EF-1α). Phylogenetic inferences were obtained individually on each of genes and joined alignments using Bayesian inference (BI) and Maximum likelihood (ML). In phylogenetic trees reconstructed on the basis of nuclear and mitochondrial genes as well as a morphological dataset, the monophyly of Siphini and the genus Chaitophorus was supported. Periphyllus forms independent lineages from Chaitophorus and Siphini. Within this genus two clades comprising European and Asiatic species, respectively, were indicated. Concerning relationships within the subfamily, EF-1α and joined COI and EF-1α genes analysis strongly supports the hypothesis that Chaitophorini do not form a monophyletic clade. Periphyllus is a sister group to a clade containing Chaitophorus and Siphini. The Asiatic unit of Periphyllus also includes Trichaitophorus koyaensis. The analysis of morphological dataset under equally weighted parsimony also supports the view that Chaitophorini is an artificial taxon, as Lambersaphis pruinosae and Pseudopterocomma hughi, both traditionally included in the Chaitophorini, formed independent lineages. COI analyses support consistent groups within the subfamily, but relationships between groups are poorly resolved. These analyses were extended to include the species of closely related and phylogenetically unstudied subfamily Drepanosiphinae, which produced congruent results. Genera Drepanosiphum and Depanaphis are monophyletic and sister. The position of Yamatocallis tokyoensis differs in the

Eruptive viscosity and volcano morphology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Posin, S.B.; Greeley, R.

1988-01-01

Terrestrial central volcanoes formed predominantly from lava flows were classified as shields, stratovolcanoes, and domes. Shield volcanoes tend to be large in areal extent, have convex slopes, and are characterized by their resemblance to inverted hellenic war shields. Stratovolcanoes have concave slopes, whereas domes are smaller and have gentle convex slopes near the vent that increase near the perimeter. In addition to these differences in morphology, several other variations were observed. The most important is composition: shield volcanoes tend to be basaltic, stratovolcanoes tend to be andesitic, and domes tend to be dacitic. However, important exceptions include Fuji, Pico, Mayon, Izalco, and Fuego which have stratovolcano morphologies but are composed of basaltic lavas. Similarly, Ribkwo is a Kenyan shield volcano composed of trachyte and Suswa and Kilombe are shields composed of phonolite. These exceptions indicate that eruptive conditions, rather than composition, may be the primary factors that determine volcano morphology. The objective of this study is to determine the relationships, if any, between eruptive conditions (viscosity, erupted volume, and effusion rate) and effusive volcano morphology. Moreover, it is the goal of this study to incorporate these relationships into a model to predict the eruptive conditions of extraterrestrial (Martian) volcanoes based on their morphology

A helical perylene diimide-based acceptor for non-fullerene organic solar cells: synthesis, morphology and exciton dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Li; Wu, Mingliang; Shao, Guangwei; Hu, Jiahua; He, Guiying; Bu, Tongle; Yi, Jian-Peng; Xia, Jianlong

2018-05-01

Helical perylene diimide-based (hPDI) acceptors have been established as one of the most promising candidates for non-fullerene organic solar cells (OSCs). In this work, we report a novel hPDI-based molecule, hPDI2-CN2, as an electron acceptor for OSCs. Combining the hPDI2-CN2 with a low-bandgap polymeric donor (PTB7-Th), the blending film morphology exhibited high sensitivity to various treatments (such as thermal annealing and addition of solvent additives), as evidenced by atomic force microscope studies. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) was improved from 1.42% (as-cast device) to 2.76% after thermal annealing, and a PCE of 3.25% was achieved by further addition of 1,8-diiodooctane (DIO). Femtosecond transient absorption (TA) spectroscopy studies revealed that the improved thin-film morphology was highly beneficial for the charge carrier transport and collection. And a combination of fast exciton diffusion rate and the lowest recombination rate contributed to the best performance of the DIO-treated device. This result further suggests that the molecular conformation needs to be taken into account in the design of perylene diimide-based acceptors for OSCs.

Chronic Total Occlusion Crossing Approach Based on Plaque Cap Morphology: The CTOP Classification.

Science.gov (United States)

Saab, Fadi; Jaff, Michael R; Diaz-Sandoval, Larry J; Engen, Gwennan D; McGoff, Theresa N; Adams, George; Al-Dadah, Ashraf; Goodney, Philip P; Khawaja, Farhan; Mustapha, Jihad A

2018-02-01

To present the chronic total occlusion (CTO) crossing approach based on plaque cap morphology (CTOP) classification system and assess its ability to predict successful lesion crossing. A retrospective analysis was conducted of imaging and procedure data from 114 consecutive symptomatic patients (mean age 69±11 years; 84 men) with claudication (Rutherford category 3) or critical limb ischemia (Rutherford category 4-6) who underwent endovascular interventions for 142 CTOs. CTO cap morphology was determined from a review pf angiography and duplex ultrasonography and classified into 4 types (I, II, III, or IV) based on the concave or convex shape of the proximal and distal caps. Statistically significant differences among groups were found in patients with rest pain, lesion length, and severe calcification. CTOP type II CTOs were most common and type III lesions the least common. Type I CTOs were most likely to be crossed antegrade and had a lower incidence of severe calcification. Type IV lesions were more likely to be crossed retrograde from a tibiopedal approach. CTOP type IV was least likely to be crossed in an antegrade fashion. Access conversion, or need for an alternate access, was commonly seen in types II, III, and IV lesions. Distinctive predictors of access conversion were CTO types II and III, lesion length, and severe calcification. CTOP type I lesions were easiest to cross in antegrade fashion and type IV the most difficult. Lesion length >10 cm, severe calcification, and CTO types II, III, and IV benefited from the addition of retrograde tibiopedal access.

Identification Of Some Strains Of Dinoflagellates Based On Morphology And Molecular Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hikmah Thoha

2008-11-01

Full Text Available Dinoflagellates are the important primary producers in aquatic environments. In oceans, they play interesting role in ecological functions such as red tide forming organisms, symbiont of coral reef or sea anemone and DSP (Diarrhetic Shellfish Poisoning or PSP (Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning producing organisms. Morphology and molecular analysis of dinoflagellates were conducted on November 2002 to March 2003. The phylogenetic studies based on 18S rDNA analyses, sequence have begun to appear more frequently in the literature, as attention has turned to relationships within the major eukaryotic lineages, particular importance for the taxonomy of the armored and unarmored genera of dinoflagellates (Gyrodinium sp., Cachonina sp., Gymnodinium sp., Amphidinium sp., because many of the genera cause extensive plankton blooms, fish kills and other harmful events, were studied used to amplify 18S rDNA, present in the total DNA extracted from algal pellet. The amplify approximately 1400 bp of the nuclear-encoded LSU rDNA gene using terminal primeirs DIR, products were cheked by 1.0 % agarose gel electrophoresis, then cloning with TA cloning KIT. Sequencing were analyzed by the GENETIX Mac Software, Homology search by Blast and Phylogenetic analysis. Results of hylogenetic analysis of 18S rDNA are: Strain no. 10893 (un identified from the genera, it is belonging Gymnodinium or Polarella. Strain no. 10795 is closely related other species Cachonina hallii. We tentatively named strain no 11151 and 11160 similar to Gyrodinium or Gymnodinium based on morphology, but these strain indepently position in this tree and is not a real of Gymnodinium sensu stricto. It is possible, we can establish the new genera for strain no. 11151; 11160 because this not cluster any other unarmored species.

Counterbalancing of morphology and conductivity of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate based flexible devices.

Science.gov (United States)

Jang, Woongsik; Ahn, Sunyong; Park, Soyun; Park, Jong Hyeok; Wang, Dong Hwan

2016-12-01

The importance of conductive polymer electrodes with a balance between the morphology and electrical conductivity for flexible organic photovoltaic properties has been demonstrated. Highly transparent PEDOT:PSS anodes with controlled conductivity and surface properties were realized by insertion of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and a fluorosurfactant (Zonyl) as efficient additives and used for flexible organic photovoltaic cells (OPVs) which are based on a bulk-heterojunction of polythieno[3,4-b]-thiophene-co-benzodithiophene (PTB7):[6,6]phenyl-C 71 -butyric acid methyl ester (PC 71 BM). We investigated the correlation between the electrical properties of PEDOT:PSS electrodes and their influences on the surface morphology of the active materials (PTB7:PC 71 BM). When the device was prepared from the PEDOT:PSS layer functioning as an anode of OPV through an optimized ratio of 5 vol% of DMSO and 0.1 wt% of fluorosurfactant, the devices exhibited improved fill factor (FF) due to the enhanced coverage of PEDOT:PSS films. These results correlate with reduced photoluminescence and increased charge extraction as seen through Raman spectroscopy and electrical analysis, respectively. The conductive polymer electrode with the balance between the morphology and electrical conductivity can be a useful replacement for brittle electrodes such as those made of indium tin oxide (ITO) as they are more resistant to cracking and bending conditions, which will contribute to the long-term operation of flexible devices.

Description of three new species of Hepatozoon (Apicomplexa, Hepatozoidae) from Rattlesnakes (Crotalus durissus terrificus) based on molecular, morphometric and morphologic characters.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Dwyer, Lucia Helena; Moço, Tatiana Cristina; Paduan, Karina dos Santos; Spenassatto, Carine; da Silva, Reinaldo José; Ribolla, Paulo Eduardo Martins

2013-10-01

Hepatozoon spp. are commonly found infecting snakes. Since the latter are parasitized by diverse forms and data in the literature show divergence, we studied Hepatozoon spp. diversity on Crotalus durissus terrificus snakes using both molecular and morphological approaches. Naturally infected animals were employed. Blood was collected, blood smears were prepared and an aliquot was stored at -20°C for DNA extraction. Five specimens of C. durissus terrificus were selected, each of them infected with one gamont type. Morphological and morphometric analyses of the found gamonts led to their grouping into three populations. For molecular characterization, seven oligonucleotide pairs that amplify distinct regions of rDNA gene were tested by adopting the PCR technique. Only the oligonucleotide pairs HepF300/Hep900 and HEMO1/HEMO2 were efficient in amplifying and distinguishing different isolates of Hepatozoon spp. from snakes. The better results were obtained when both oligonucleotide pairs were used in association. Based on the molecular and morphologic differences, three new species were proposed: Hepatozoon cuestensis sp. nov.; Hepatozoon cevapii sp. nov. and Hepatozoon massardii sp. nov. This is the first description of new Hepatozoon species from snakes, based on molecular characterization and morphological data, in South America. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Automatic classification of thermal patterns in diabetic foot based on morphological pattern spectrum

Science.gov (United States)

Hernandez-Contreras, D.; Peregrina-Barreto, H.; Rangel-Magdaleno, J.; Ramirez-Cortes, J.; Renero-Carrillo, F.

2015-11-01

This paper presents a novel approach to characterize and identify patterns of temperature in thermographic images of the human foot plant in support of early diagnosis and follow-up of diabetic patients. Composed feature vectors based on 3D morphological pattern spectrum (pecstrum) and relative position, allow the system to quantitatively characterize and discriminate non-diabetic (control) and diabetic (DM) groups. Non-linear classification using neural networks is used for that purpose. A classification rate of 94.33% in average was obtained with the composed feature extraction process proposed in this paper. Performance evaluation and obtained results are presented.

Genetic dissimilarity among sweet potato genotypes using morphological and molecular descriptors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elisângela Knoblauch Viega de Andrade

2017-08-01

Full Text Available This study aimed to evaluate the genetic dissimilarity among sweet potato genotypes using morphological and molecular descriptors. The experiment was conducted in the Olericulture Sector at Federal University of Jequitinhonha and Mucuri Valleys (UFVJM and evaluated 60 sweet potato genotypes. For morphological characterization, 24 descriptors were used. For molecular characterization, 11 microsatellite primers specific for sweet potatoes were used, obtaining 210 polymorphic bands. Morphological and molecular diversity was obtained by dissimilarity matrices based on the coefficient of simple matching and the Jaccard index for morphological and molecular data, respectively. From these matrices, dendrograms were built. There is a large amount of genetic variability among sweet potato genotypes of the germplasm bank at UFVJM based on morphological and molecular characterizations. There was no duplicate suspicion or strong association between morphological and molecular analyses. Divergent accessions have been identified by molecular and morphological analyses, which can be used as parents in breeding programmes to produce progenies with high genetic variability.

Morphology and microstructure of composite materials

Science.gov (United States)

Tiwari, S. N.; Srinivansan, K.

1991-01-01

Lightweight continuous carbon fiber based polymeric composites are currently enjoying increasing acceptance as structural materials capable of replacing metals and alloys in load bearing applications. As with most new materials, these composites are undergoing trials with several competing processing techniques aimed at cost effectively producing void free consolidations with good mechanical properties. As metallic materials have been in use for several centuries, a considerable database exists on their morphology - microstructure; and the interrelationships between structure and properties have been well documented. Numerous studies on composites have established the crucial relationship between microstructure - morphology and properties. The various microstructural and morphological features of composite materials, particularly those accompanying different processing routes, are documented.

Appreciating the difference between design-based and model-based sampling strategies in quantitative morphology of the nervous system.

Science.gov (United States)

Geuna, S

2000-11-20

Quantitative morphology of the nervous system has undergone great developments over recent years, and several new technical procedures have been devised and applied successfully to neuromorphological research. However, a lively debate has arisen on some issues, and a great deal of confusion appears to exist that is definitely responsible for the slow spread of the new techniques among scientists. One such element of confusion is related to uncertainty about the meaning, implications, and advantages of the design-based sampling strategy that characterize the new techniques. In this article, to help remove this uncertainty, morphoquantitative methods are described and contrasted on the basis of the inferential paradigm of the sampling strategy: design-based vs model-based. Moreover, some recommendations are made to help scientists judge the appropriateness of a method used for a given study in relation to its specific goals. Finally, the use of the term stereology to label, more or less expressly, only some methods is critically discussed. Copyright 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Bat Species Comparisons Based on External Morphology: A Test of Traditional versus Geometric Morphometric Approaches.

Science.gov (United States)

Schmieder, Daniela A; Benítez, Hugo A; Borissov, Ivailo M; Fruciano, Carmelo

2015-01-01

External morphology is commonly used to identify bats as well as to investigate flight and foraging behavior, typically relying on simple length and area measures or ratios. However, geometric morphometrics is increasingly used in the biological sciences to analyse variation in shape and discriminate among species and populations. Here we compare the ability of traditional versus geometric morphometric methods in discriminating between closely related bat species--in this case European horseshoe bats (Rhinolophidae, Chiroptera)--based on morphology of the wing, body and tail. In addition to comparing morphometric methods, we used geometric morphometrics to detect interspecies differences as shape changes. Geometric morphometrics yielded improved species discrimination relative to traditional methods. The predicted shape for the variation along the between group principal components revealed that the largest differences between species lay in the extent to which the wing reaches in the direction of the head. This strong trend in interspecific shape variation is associated with size, which we interpret as an evolutionary allometry pattern.

Bat Species Comparisons Based on External Morphology: A Test of Traditional versus Geometric Morphometric Approaches.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniela A Schmieder

Full Text Available External morphology is commonly used to identify bats as well as to investigate flight and foraging behavior, typically relying on simple length and area measures or ratios. However, geometric morphometrics is increasingly used in the biological sciences to analyse variation in shape and discriminate among species and populations. Here we compare the ability of traditional versus geometric morphometric methods in discriminating between closely related bat species--in this case European horseshoe bats (Rhinolophidae, Chiroptera--based on morphology of the wing, body and tail. In addition to comparing morphometric methods, we used geometric morphometrics to detect interspecies differences as shape changes. Geometric morphometrics yielded improved species discrimination relative to traditional methods. The predicted shape for the variation along the between group principal components revealed that the largest differences between species lay in the extent to which the wing reaches in the direction of the head. This strong trend in interspecific shape variation is associated with size, which we interpret as an evolutionary allometry pattern.

An Automated Baseline Correction Method Based on Iterative Morphological Operations.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yunliang; Dai, Liankui

2018-05-01

Raman spectra usually suffer from baseline drift caused by fluorescence or other reasons. Therefore, baseline correction is a necessary and crucial step that must be performed before subsequent processing and analysis of Raman spectra. An automated baseline correction method based on iterative morphological operations is proposed in this work. The method can adaptively determine the structuring element first and then gradually remove the spectral peaks during iteration to get an estimated baseline. Experiments on simulated data and real-world Raman data show that the proposed method is accurate, fast, and flexible for handling different kinds of baselines in various practical situations. The comparison of the proposed method with some state-of-the-art baseline correction methods demonstrates its advantages over the existing methods in terms of accuracy, adaptability, and flexibility. Although only Raman spectra are investigated in this paper, the proposed method is hopefully to be used for the baseline correction of other analytical instrumental signals, such as IR spectra and chromatograms.

Structural and morphological study of Fe-doped Bi-based superconductor

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Yadunath; Kumar, Rohitash

2018-05-01

In the present work, we report the study of iron-doped Bi-based superconductor sample with stoichiometric composition of Bi2Sr2Can-1(Cu1-x Fex)3O2n+4 where n=3 and x = 0.7. This sample was prepared by grinding the precursor oxides in the Ball mill for 6 hours continuous at the rate of 400 rpm for a proper mixing and to obtain the required grain size. Then the solid-state reaction method was used to prepare the sample. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in combination with energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence analysis (EDX) were performed for determination of the crystal structure, surface morphology and trace the material elements of samples, respectively. The surface microscopy data were collected over a selected area of the surface of the material and a two-dimensional image generated that displays spatial variations in properties including chemical characterization and orientation of materials.

In vitro fertilisation when normal sperm morphology is less than ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The outcome of in vitro fertilisation and embryo transfer in 90 couples where the husband's normal sperm morphology was less than 15% were analysed. Based on the percentage of morphologically normal spermatozoa the patients were divided into three groups: group A - normal morphological features 0 - 5%; group B - 6 ...

Contributions to knowledge of the continental margin of Uruguay. Uruguayan continental margin: morphology, geology and identification of the base of the slope

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Preciozzi, F.

2014-01-01

This work is about the morphology, geology and the identification of the base of the slope in the The Uruguayan continental margin which corresponds to the the type of divergent, volcanic and segmented margins. Morphologically is constituted by a clearly defined continental shelf, as well as a continental slope that presents configuration changes from north to south and passes directly to the abyssal plain

Nanoscale Morphology of Doctor Bladed versus Spin-Coated Organic Photovoltaic Films

KAUST Repository

Pokuri, Balaji Sesha Sarath

2017-08-17

Recent advances in efficiency of organic photovoltaics are driven by judicious selection of processing conditions that result in a “desired” morphology. An important theme of morphology research is quantifying the effect of processing conditions on morphology and relating it to device efficiency. State-of-the-art morphology quantification methods provide film-averaged or 2D-projected features that only indirectly correlate with performance, making causal reasoning nontrivial. Accessing the 3D distribution of material, however, provides a means of directly mapping processing to performance. In this paper, two recently developed techniques are integrated—reconstruction of 3D morphology and subsequent conversion into intuitive morphology descriptors —to comprehensively image and quantify morphology. These techniques are applied on films generated by doctor blading and spin coating, additionally investigating the effect of thermal annealing. It is found that morphology of all samples exhibits very high connectivity to electrodes. Not surprisingly, thermal annealing consistently increases the average domain size in the samples, aiding exciton generation. Furthermore, annealing also improves the balance of interfaces, enhancing exciton dissociation. A comparison of morphology descriptors impacting each stage of photophysics (exciton generation, dissociation, and charge transport) reveals that spin-annealed sample exhibits superior morphology-based performance indicators. This suggests substantial room for improvement of blade-based methods (process optimization) for morphology tuning to enhance performance of large area devices.

Evaluation models of some morphological characteristics for talent scouting in sport.

Science.gov (United States)

Rogulj, Nenad; Papić, Vladan; Cavala, Marijana

2009-03-01

In this paper, for the purpose of expert system evaluation within the scientific project "Talent scouting in sport", two methodological approaches for recognizing an athlete's morphological compatibility for various sports has been presented, evaluated and compared. First approach is based on the fuzzy logic and expert opinion about compatibility of proposed hypothetical morphological models for 14 different sports which are part of the expert system. Second approach is based on determining the differences between morphological characteristics of a tested individual and top athlete's morphological characteristics for particular sport. Logical and mathematical bases of both methodological approaches have been explained in detail. High prognostic efficiency in recognition of individual's sport has been determined. Some improvements in further development of both methods have been proposed. Results of the research so far suggest that this or similar approaches can be successfully used for detection of individual's morphological compatibility for different sports. Also, it is expected to be useful in the selection of young talents for particular sport.

Morphological modelling of the response to a shipwreck - A case study at Cape Town

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kristensen, Sten Esbjørn; Fredsoe, Jørgen; Deigaard, Rolf

2012-01-01

A simulation of the morphological development and degrade of a salient behind a shipwreck located north of Cape Town, South Africa is presented. The morphological model is based on a hybrid morphological model concept which combines a 2D coastal model for calculating sediment transport with a sim......A simulation of the morphological development and degrade of a salient behind a shipwreck located north of Cape Town, South Africa is presented. The morphological model is based on a hybrid morphological model concept which combines a 2D coastal model for calculating sediment transport...

Effect of Palm Oil Bio-Based Plasticizer on the Morphological, Thermal and Mechanical Properties of Poly(Vinyl Chloride

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kar Min Lim

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Flexible poly(vinyl chloride (PVC was fabricated using a palm oil-based alkyd as a co-plasticizer to di-octyl phthalate (DOP and di-isononyl phthalate (DiNP. The effects of the incorporation of the palm oil-based alkyd on morphological, thermal and mechanical properties of PVC compounds were studied. Results showed the incorporation of the alkyd enhanced the mechanical and thermal properties of the PVC compounds. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR results showed that the polar –OH and –C=O groups of alkyd have good interaction with the –C–Cl group in PVC via polar interaction. The morphological results showed good incorporation of the plasticizers with PVC. Improved tensile strength, elastic modulus, and elongation at break were observed with increasing amount of the alkyd, presumably due to chain entanglement of the alkyd with the PVC molecules. Thermogravimetric analysis results confirmed that the alkyd has improved the thermostability of the PVC compounds.

The concepts on which a morphology of the vascular plants should be based

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bremekamp, C.E.B.

1956-01-01

It can hardly be denied that the expression “General Plant Morphology”, which is so often met with in botanical textbooks, has little or no meaning. A general morphology of the Plant Kingdom would have to occupy itself with those morphological features that are common to all groups of plants, which

Morphology targets: What do seedling morphological attributes tell us?

Science.gov (United States)

Jeremiah R. Pinto

2011-01-01

Morphology is classically defined as the form and structure of individual organisms, as distinct from their anatomy or physiology. We use morphological targets in the nursery because they are easy to measure, and because we can often quantitatively link seedling morphological traits with survival and growth performance in the field. In the 20 years since the Target...

Nematode taxonomy: from morphology to metabarcoding

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmed, M.; Sapp, M.; Prior, T.; Karssen, G.; Back, M.

2015-11-01

Nematodes represent a species rich and morphologically diverse group of metazoans inhabiting both aquatic and terrestrial environments. Their role as biological indicators and as key players in nutrient cycling has been well documented. Some groups of nematodes are also known to cause significant losses to crop production. In spite of this, knowledge of their diversity is still limited due to the difficulty in achieving species identification using morphological characters. Molecular methodology has provided very useful means of circumventing the numerous limitations associated with classical morphology based identification. We discuss herein the history and the progress made within the field of nematode systematics, the limitations of classical taxonomy and how the advent of high throughput sequencing is facilitating advanced ecological and molecular studies.

Why do morphological phylogenies vary in quality? An investigation based on the comparative history of lizard clades.

Science.gov (United States)

Arnold, E N

1990-05-22

Phylogenies based on morphology vary considerably in their quality: some are robust and explicit with little conflict in the data set, whereas others are far more tenuous, with much conflict and many possible alternatives. The main primary reasons for untrue or inexplicit morphological phylogenies are: not enough characters developed between branching points, uncertain character polarity, poorly differentiated character states, homoplasy caused by parallelism or reversal, and extinction, which may remove species entirely from consideration and can make originally conflicting data sets misleadingly compatible, increasing congruence at the expense of truth. Extinction differs from other confounding factors in not being apparent either in the data set or in subsequent analysis. One possibility is that variation in the quality of morphological phylogenies has resulted from exposure to different ecological situations. To investigate this, it is necessary to compare the histories of the clades concerned. In the case of explicit morphological phylogenies, ecological and behavioural data can be integrated with them and it may then be possible to decide whether morphological characters are likely to have been elicited by the environments through which the clade has passed. The credibility of such results depends not only on the phylogeny being robust but also on its detailed topology: a pectinate phylogeny will often allow more certain and more explicit statements to be made about historical events. In the case of poor phylogenies, it is not possible to produce detailed histories, but they can be compared with robust phylogenies in the range of ecological situations occupied, and whether they occupy novel situations in comparison with their outgroups. LeQuesne testing can give information about niche homoplasy, and it may also be possible to see if morphological features are functionally associated with ecological parameters, even if the direction of change is unknown

Marine and Coastal Morphology: medium term and long-term area modelling

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kristensen, Sten Esbjørn

This thesis documents development and application of a modelling concept developed in collaboration between DTU and DHI. The modelling concept is used in morphological modelling in coastal areas where the governing sediment transport processes are due to wave action. The modelling concept...... is defined: Hybrid morphological modelling and it is based on coupling calculated sediment transport fields from a traditional process based coastal area model with a parametrised morphological evolution model. The focus of this study is to explore possible parametric formulations of the morphological...... solution has a two dimensional nature. 1.5D shoreline model A so-called “1.5D” implementation which introduces redistribution of sediment within a coastal profile in response to horizontal 2D currents makes it possible to simulate the morphological development in areas where 2D evolution occurs...

Knowledge-based object recognition for different morphological classes of plants

Science.gov (United States)

Brendel, Thorsten; Schwanke, Joerg; Jensch, Peter F.; Megnet, Roland

1995-01-01

Micropropagation of plants is done by cutting juvenile plants and placing them into special container-boxes with nutrient-solution where the pieces can grow up and be cut again several times. To produce high amounts of biomass it is necessary to do plant micropropagation by a robotic syshoot. In this paper we describe parts of the vision syshoot that recognizes plants and their particular cutting points. Therefore, it is necessary to extract elements of the plants and relations between these elements (for example root, shoot, leaf). Different species vary in their morphological appearance, variation is also immanent in plants of the same species. Therefore, we introduce several morphological classes of plants from that we expect same recognition methods. As a result of our work we present rules which help users to create specific algorithms for object recognition of plant species.

Morphological analysis of Trichomycterus areolatus Valenciennes, 1846 from southern Chilean rivers using a truss-based system (Siluriformes, Trichomycteridae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nelson Colihueque

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Trichomycterus areolatus Valenciennes, 1846 is a small endemic catfish inhabiting the Andean river basins of Chile. In this study, the morphological variability of three T. areolatus populations, collected in two river basins from southern Chile, was assessed with multivariate analyses, including principal component analysis (PCA and discriminant function analysis (DFA. It is hypothesized that populations must segregate morphologically from each other based on the river basin that they were sampled from, since each basin presents relatively particular hydrological characteristics. Significant morphological differences among the three populations were found with PCA (ANOSIM test, r = 0.552, p < 0.0001 and DFA (Wilks’s λ = 0.036, p < 0.01. PCA accounted for a total variation of 56.16% by the first two principal components. The first Principal Component (PC1 and PC2 explained 34.72 and 21.44% of the total variation, respectively. The scatter-plot of the first two discriminant functions (DF1 on DF2 also validated the existence of three different populations. In group classification using DFA, 93.3% of the specimens were correctly-classified into their original populations. Of the total of 22 transformed truss measurements, 17 exhibited highly significant (p < 0.01 differences among populations. The data support the existence of T. areolatus morphological variation across different rivers in southern Chile, likely reflecting the geographic isolation underlying population structure of the species.

Phalangeal morphology of Shanghuang fossil primates.

Science.gov (United States)

Gebo, Daniel L; Dagosto, Marian; Ni, Xijun; Beard, K Christopher

2017-12-01

Here, we describe hundreds of isolated phalanges attributed to middle Eocene fossil primates from the Shanghuang fissure-fillings from southern Jiangsu Province, China. Extending knowledge based on previous descriptions of postcranial material from Shanghuang, this sample of primate finger and toe bones includes proximal phalanges, middle phalanges, and over three hundred nail-bearing distal phalanges. Most of the isolated proximal and middle phalanges fall within the range of small-bodied individuals, suggesting an allocation to the smaller haplorhine primates identified at Shanghuang, including eosimiids. In contrast to the proximal and middle phalanges from Shanghuang, there are a variety of shapes, sizes, and possible taxonomic allocations for the distal phalanges. Two distal phalangeal morphologies are numerically predominant at Shanghuang. The sample of larger bodied specimens is best allocated to the medium-sized adapiform Adapoides while the smaller ones are allocated to eosimiids on the basis of the commonality of dental and tarsal remains of these taxa at Shanghuang. The digit morphology of Adapoides is similar morphologically to that of notharctines and cercamoniines, while eosimiid digit morphology is unlike living anthropoids. Other primate distal phalangeal morphologies at Shanghuang include grooming "claws" as well as specimens attributable to tarsiids, tarsiiforms, the genus Macrotarsius, and a variety of adapiforms. One group of distal phalanges at Shanghuang is morphologically indistinguishable from those of living anthropoids. All of the phalanges suggest long fingers and toes for the fossil primates of Shanghaung, and their digit morphology implies arboreality with well-developed digital flexion and strong, grasping hands and feet. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Phenetic relationships of nine varieties of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) based on morphological characters

Science.gov (United States)

Hidayat, Topik; Barlian, Andri; Kusdianti, R.; Kirana, Rinda

2017-05-01

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.; Solanaceae) is an important commodity in Indonesia as one of the main crop after rice. Recently some new varieties have been released, but their relationship have not been studied yet. The purpose of this research was to determine the relationship among nine varieties of potatoes. Phenetic analysis was conducted using 27 morphological character states, which was derived from stems, leaves, and tubers. The character states observed were scored, and further analyzed based on Unweighted Pair Group Method with Arithmetic Mean (UPGMA) method. The results showed a high diversity of morphological character states, of which 20 states were significantly different across the varieties. Phenogram indicated that the nine varieties of potato were classified into three main groups. While the first group was consisted of varieties of Cipanas, Granola, Atlantic, and Repita, the second group was housed of Manohara and GM 05. The third group was composed of Margahayu, Mb 17, and Maglia. This pattern of relationships can be used as one of the basis in the process of crossbreeding to assemble the new varieties. The crossbreeding will be better if it is made between distantly related varieties.

Ultrastructure of spermatozoa of spider crabs, family Mithracidae (Crustacea, Decapoda, Brachyura): Integrative analyses based on morphological and molecular data.

Science.gov (United States)

Assugeni, Camila de O; Magalhães, Tatiana; Bolaños, Juan A; Tudge, Christopher C; Mantelatto, Fernando L; Zara, Fernando J

2017-12-01

Recent studies based on morphological and molecular data provide a new perspective concerning taxonomic aspects of the brachyuran family Mithracidae. These studies proposed a series of nominal changes and indicated that the family is actually represented by a different number and representatives of genera than previously thought. Here, we provide a comparative description of the ultrastructure of spermatozoa and spermatophores of some species of Mithracidae in a phylogenetic context. The ultrastructure of the spermatozoa and spermatophore was observed by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The most informative morphological characters analysed were thickness of the operculum, shape of the perforatorial chamber and shape and thickness of the inner acrosomal zone. As a framework, we used a topology based on a phylogenetic analysis using mitochondrial data obtained here and from previous studies. Our results indicate that closely related species share a series of morphological characteristics of the spermatozoa. A thick operculum, for example, is a feature observed in species of the genera Amphithrax, Teleophrys, and Omalacantha in contrast to the slender operculum observed in Mithraculus and Mithrax. Amphithrax and Teleophrys have a rhomboid perforatorial chamber, while Mithraculus, Mithrax, and Omalacantha show a wider, deltoid morphology. Furthermore, our results are in agreement with recently proposed taxonomic changes including the separation of the genera Mithrax (previously Damithrax), Amphithrax (previously Mithrax) and Mithraculus, and the synonymy of Mithrax caribbaeus with Mithrax hispidus. Overall, the spermiotaxonomy of these species of Mithracidae represent a novel set of data that corroborates the most recent taxonomic revision of the family and can be used in future taxonomic and phylogenetic studies within this family. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Self-referential forces are sufficient to explain different dendritic morphologies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Heraldo eMemelli

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Dendritic morphology constrains brain activity, as it determines first which neuronal circuits are possible and second which dendritic computations can be performed over a neuron's inputs. It is known that a range of chemical cues can influence the final shape of dendrites during development. Here, we investigate the extent to which self-referential influences, cues generated by the neuron itself, might influence morphology. To this end, we developed a phenomenological model and algorithm to generate virtual morphologies, which are then compared to experimentally reconstructed morphologies. In the model, branching probability follows a Galton-Watson process, while the geometry is determined by "homotypic forces" exerting influence on the direction of random growth in a constrained space. We model three such homotypic forces, namely an inertial force based on membrane stiffness, a soma-oriented tropism, and a force of self avoidance, as directional biases in the growth algorithm. With computer simulations we explored how each bias shapes neuronal morphologies. We show that based on these principles, we can generate realistic morphologies of several distinct neuronal types. We discuss the extent to which homotypic forces might influence real dendritic morphologies, and speculate about the influence of other environmental cues on neuronal shape and circuitry.

Self-referential forces are sufficient to explain different dendritic morphologies

Science.gov (United States)

Memelli, Heraldo; Torben-Nielsen, Benjamin; Kozloski, James

2013-01-01

Dendritic morphology constrains brain activity, as it determines first which neuronal circuits are possible and second which dendritic computations can be performed over a neuron's inputs. It is known that a range of chemical cues can influence the final shape of dendrites during development. Here, we investigate the extent to which self-referential influences, cues generated by the neuron itself, might influence morphology. To this end, we developed a phenomenological model and algorithm to generate virtual morphologies, which are then compared to experimentally reconstructed morphologies. In the model, branching probability follows a Galton–Watson process, while the geometry is determined by “homotypic forces” exerting influence on the direction of random growth in a constrained space. We model three such homotypic forces, namely an inertial force based on membrane stiffness, a soma-oriented tropism, and a force of self-avoidance, as directional biases in the growth algorithm. With computer simulations we explored how each bias shapes neuronal morphologies. We show that based on these principles, we can generate realistic morphologies of several distinct neuronal types. We discuss the extent to which homotypic forces might influence real dendritic morphologies, and speculate about the influence of other environmental cues on neuronal shape and circuitry. PMID:23386828

Phylogeny and systematics of the brake fern genus Pteris (Pteridaceae) based on molecular (plastid and nuclear) and morphological evidence.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Liang; Zhang, Li-Bing

2018-01-01

The brake fern genus Pteris belongs to Pteridaceae subfamily Pteridoideae. It is one of the largest fern genera and has been estimated to contain 200-250 species distributed on all continents except Antarctica. Previous studies were either based on plastid data only or based on both plastid and nuclear data but the sampling was small. In addition, an infrageneric classification of Pteris based on morphological and molecular evidence has not been available yet. In the present study, based on molecular data of eight plastid markers and one nuclear marker (gapCp) of 256 accessions representing ca. 178 species of Pteris, we reconstruct a global phylogeny of Pteris. The 15 major clades identified earlier are recovered here and we further identified a new major clade. Our nuclear phylogeny recovered 11 of these 16 major clades, seven of which are strongly supported. The inclusion of Schizostege in Pteris is confirmed for the first time. Based on the newly reconstructed phylogeny and evidence from morphology, distribution and/or ecology, we classify Pteris into three subgenera: P. subg. Pteris, P. subg. Campteria, and P. subg. Platyzoma. The former two are further divided into three and 12 sections, respectively. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ice-templated hydrogels based on chitosan with tailored porous morphology

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Dinu, M. V.; Přádný, Martin; Dragan, E. S.; Michálek, Jiří

2013-01-01

Roč. 94, č. 1 (2013), s. 170-178 ISSN 0144-8617 R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP108/12/1538 Institutional support: RVO:61389013 Keywords : chitosan * ice-templated hydrogels * morphology Subject RIV: CD - Macromolecular Chemistry Impact factor: 3.916, year: 2013

The phylogenetic relationships among infraorders and superfamilies of Diptera based on morphological evidence

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lambkin, Christine L.; Sinclair, Bradley J.; Pape, Thomas

2013-01-01

Members of the megadiverse insect order Diptera (flies) have successfully colonized all continents and nearly all habitats. There are more than 154 000 described fly species, representing 1012% of animal species. Elucidating the phylogenetic relationships of such a large component of global...... biodiversity is challenging, but significant advances have been made in the last few decades. Since Hennig first discussed the monophyly of major groupings, Diptera has attracted much study, but most researchers have used non-numerical qualitative methods to assess morphological data. More recently......, quantitative phylogenetic methods have been used on both morphological and molecular data. All previous quantitative morphological studies addressed narrower phylogenetic problems, often below the suborder or infraorder level. Here we present the first numerical analysis of phylogenetic relationships...

Mackenzie River Delta morphological change based on Landsat time series

Science.gov (United States)

Vesakoski, Jenni-Mari; Alho, Petteri; Gustafsson, David; Arheimer, Berit; Isberg, Kristina

2015-04-01

Arctic rivers are sensitive and yet quite unexplored river systems to which the climate change will impact on. Research has not focused in detail on the fluvial geomorphology of the Arctic rivers mainly due to the remoteness and wideness of the watersheds, problems with data availability and difficult accessibility. Nowadays wide collaborative spatial databases in hydrology as well as extensive remote sensing datasets over the Arctic are available and they enable improved investigation of the Arctic watersheds. Thereby, it is also important to develop and improve methods that enable detecting the fluvio-morphological processes based on the available data. Furthermore, it is essential to reconstruct and improve the understanding of the past fluvial processes in order to better understand prevailing and future fluvial processes. In this study we sum up the fluvial geomorphological change in the Mackenzie River Delta during the last ~30 years. The Mackenzie River Delta (~13 000 km2) is situated in the North Western Territories, Canada where the Mackenzie River enters to the Beaufort Sea, Arctic Ocean near the city of Inuvik. Mackenzie River Delta is lake-rich, productive ecosystem and ecologically sensitive environment. Research objective is achieved through two sub-objectives: 1) Interpretation of the deltaic river channel planform change by applying Landsat time series. 2) Definition of the variables that have impacted the most on detected changes by applying statistics and long hydrological time series derived from Arctic-HYPE model (HYdrologic Predictions for Environment) developed by Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute. According to our satellite interpretation, field observations and statistical analyses, notable spatio-temporal changes have occurred in the morphology of the river channel and delta during the past 30 years. For example, the channels have been developing in braiding and sinuosity. In addition, various linkages between the studied

Fast algorithm for Morphological Filters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lou Shan; Jiang Xiangqian; Scott, Paul J

2011-01-01

In surface metrology, morphological filters, which evolved from the envelope filtering system (E-system) work well for functional prediction of surface finish in the analysis of surfaces in contact. The naive algorithms are time consuming, especially for areal data, and not generally adopted in real practice. A fast algorithm is proposed based on the alpha shape. The hull obtained by rolling the alpha ball is equivalent to the morphological opening/closing in theory. The algorithm depends on Delaunay triangulation with time complexity O(nlogn). In comparison to the naive algorithms it generates the opening and closing envelope without combining dilation and erosion. Edge distortion is corrected by reflective padding for open profiles/surfaces. Spikes in the sample data are detected and points interpolated to prevent singularities. The proposed algorithm works well both for morphological profile and area filters. Examples are presented to demonstrate the validity and superiority on efficiency of this algorithm over the naive algorithm.

Morphology engineering of high performance binary oxide electrodes.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Kunfeng; Sun, Congting; Xue, Dongfeng

2015-01-14

Advances in materials have preceded almost every major technological leap since the beginning of civilization. On the nanoscale and microscale, mastery over the morphology, size, and structure of a material enables control of its properties and enhancement of its usefulness for a given application, such as energy storage. In this review paper, our aim is to present a review of morphology engineering of high performance oxide electrode materials for electrochemical energy storage. We begin with the chemical bonding theory of single crystal growth to direct the growth of morphology-controllable materials. We then focus on the growth of various morphologies of binary oxides and their electrochemical performances for lithium ion batteries and supercapacitors. The morphology-performance relationships are elaborated by selecting examples in which there is already reasonable understanding for this relationship. Based on these comprehensive analyses, we proposed colloidal supercapacitor systems beyond morphology control on the basis of system- and ion-level design. We conclude this article with personal perspectives on the directions toward which future research in this field might take.

Morphological and Stress Vulnerability Indices for Human Coronary Plaques and Their Correlations with Cap Thickness and Lipid Percent: An IVUS-Based Fluid-Structure Interaction Multi-patient Study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liang Wang

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Plaque vulnerability, defined as the likelihood that a plaque would rupture, is difficult to quantify due to lack of in vivo plaque rupture data. Morphological and stress-based plaque vulnerability indices were introduced as alternatives to obtain quantitative vulnerability assessment. Correlations between these indices and key plaque features were investigated. In vivo intravascular ultrasound (IVUS data were acquired from 14 patients and IVUS-based 3D fluid-structure interaction (FSI coronary plaque models with cyclic bending were constructed to obtain plaque wall stress/strain and flow shear stress for analysis. For the 617 slices from the 14 patients, lipid percentage, min cap thickness, critical plaque wall stress (CPWS, strain (CPWSn and flow shear stress (CFSS were recorded, and cap index, lipid index and morphological index were assigned to each slice using methods consistent with American Heart Association (AHA plaque classification schemes. A stress index was introduced based on CPWS. Linear Mixed-Effects (LME models were used to analyze the correlations between the mechanical and morphological indices and key morphological factors associated with plaque rupture. Our results indicated that for all 617 slices, CPWS correlated with min cap thickness, cap index, morphological index with r = -0.6414, 0.7852, and 0.7411 respectively (p<0.0001. The correlation between CPWS and lipid percentage, lipid index were weaker (r = 0.2445, r = 0.2338, p<0.0001. Stress index correlated with cap index, lipid index, morphological index positively with r = 0.8185, 0.3067, and 0.7715, respectively, all with p<0.0001. For all 617 slices, the stress index has 66.77% agreement with morphological index. Morphological and stress indices may serve as quantitative plaque vulnerability assessment supported by their strong correlations with morphological features associated with plaque rupture. Differences between the two indices may lead to better plaque

Software design of automatic counting system for nuclear track based on mathematical morphology algorithm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pan Yi; Mao Wanchong

2010-01-01

The parameter measurement of nuclear track occupies an important position in the field of nuclear technology. However, traditional artificial counting method has many limitations. In recent years, DSP and digital image processing technology have been applied in nuclear field more and more. For the sake of reducing errors of visual measurement in artificial counting method, an automatic counting system for nuclear track based on DM642 real-time image processing platform is introduced in this article, which is able to effectively remove interferences from the background and noise points, as well as automatically extract nuclear track-points by using mathematical morphology algorithm. (authors)

A computational model of modern standard arabic verbal morphology based on generation

OpenAIRE

González Martínez, Alicia

2013-01-01

Tesis doctoral inédita leída en la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, Departamento de Lingüística, Lenguas Modernas, Lógica y Fª de la Ciencia y Tª de la Literatura y Literataura Comparada. Fecha de lectura: 29-01-2013 The computational handling of non-concatenative morphologies is still a challenge in the field of natural language processing. Amongst the various areas of research, Arabic morphology stands out due to its highly complex structure. We propose a m...

InGaN/GaN LEDs optical output efficiency enhancement based on AFM surface morphology studies of the constituent layers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Florescu, D.I.; Ramer, J.C.; Merai, V.N.; Parekh, A.; Lu, D.; Lee, D.S.; Armour, E.A. [Veeco TurboDisc Operations, 394 Elizabeth Avenue, Somerset, NJ 08873 (United States)

2005-05-01

For GaN-based light emitting diodes (LEDs), the growth mechanism and interface roughness of the n-contact, active region, and p-contact layers are of vital importance for achieving superior optical and electrical characteristics of such devices. Nanoscale range surface morphology is one of the key parameters actively employed to developing high optical efficiency applications. In this study, we illustrate the use of atomic force microscopy to investigate and optimise the surface morphology of (a) sapphire substrates and (b) metalorganic chemical vapour deposition (MOCVD) grown InGaN/GaN LED constituent layers (i.e., n-GaN, InGaN active region, and p-GaN). Several optimal cases are presented and discussed, where based on the surface morphology findings an improved selection of (a) substrates and (b) MOCVD growth parameters was achieved leading to an overall enhancement (over 2 times) of the optical output efficiency of these devices. Applying the principles and observations reported, a thermally robust 465 nm multiple quantum well LED with an unpackaged chip-level power output in the 4.0-5.0 mW range and forward voltage <3.2 V at 20 mA was consistently achieved. (copyright 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Innovative Bayesian and Parsimony Phylogeny of Dung Beetles (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Scarabaeinae) Enhanced by Ontology-Based Partitioning of Morphological Characters

Science.gov (United States)

Tarasov, Sergei; Génier, François

2015-01-01

Scarabaeine dung beetles are the dominant dung feeding group of insects and are widely used as model organisms in conservation, ecology and developmental biology. Due to the conflicts among 13 recently published phylogenies dealing with the higher-level relationships of dung beetles, the phylogeny of this lineage remains largely unresolved. In this study, we conduct rigorous phylogenetic analyses of dung beetles, based on an unprecedented taxon sample (110 taxa) and detailed investigation of morphology (205 characters). We provide the description of morphology and thoroughly illustrate the used characters. Along with parsimony, traditionally used in the analysis of morphological data, we also apply the Bayesian method with a novel approach that uses anatomy ontology for matrix partitioning. This approach allows for heterogeneity in evolutionary rates among characters from different anatomical regions. Anatomy ontology generates a number of parameter-partition schemes which we compare using Bayes factor. We also test the effect of inclusion of autapomorphies in the morphological analysis, which hitherto has not been examined. Generally, schemes with more parameters were favored in the Bayesian comparison suggesting that characters located on different body regions evolve at different rates and that partitioning of the data matrix using anatomy ontology is reasonable; however, trees from the parsimony and all the Bayesian analyses were quite consistent. The hypothesized phylogeny reveals many novel clades and provides additional support for some clades recovered in previous analyses. Our results provide a solid basis for a new classification of dung beetles, in which the taxonomic limits of the tribes Dichotomiini, Deltochilini and Coprini are restricted and many new tribes must be described. Based on the consistency of the phylogeny with biogeography, we speculate that dung beetles may have originated in the Mesozoic contrary to the traditional view pointing to a

Highly monodisperse M III-based soc -MOFs (M = in and Ga) with cubic and truncated cubic morphologies

KAUST Repository

Pang, Maolin

2012-08-15

In this work, we carry out an investigation on shape-controlled growth of In III- and Ga III-based square-octahedral metal-organic frameworks (soc-MOFs). In particular, controllable crystal morphological evolution from simple cubes to complex octadecahedra has been achieved, and resultant highly uniform crystal building blocks promise new research opportunities for preparation of self-assembled MOF materials and related applications. © 2012 American Chemical Society.

Highly monodisperse M III-based soc -MOFs (M = in and Ga) with cubic and truncated cubic morphologies

KAUST Repository

Pang, Maolin; Cairns, Amy; Liu, Yunling; Belmabkhout, Youssef; Zeng, Huachun; Eddaoudi, Mohamed

2012-01-01

In this work, we carry out an investigation on shape-controlled growth of In III- and Ga III-based square-octahedral metal-organic frameworks (soc-MOFs). In particular, controllable crystal morphological evolution from simple cubes to complex octadecahedra has been achieved, and resultant highly uniform crystal building blocks promise new research opportunities for preparation of self-assembled MOF materials and related applications. © 2012 American Chemical Society.

External morphology of the adult of Dynamine postverta (Cramer (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae, Biblidinae and patterns of morphological similarity among species from eight tribes of Nymphalidae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luis Anderson Ribeiro Leite

2013-06-01

Full Text Available External morphology of the adult of Dynamine postverta (Cramer (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae, Biblidinae and patterns of morphological similarity among species from eight tribes of Nymphalidae. The external structure of the integument of Dynamine postverta postverta (Cramer, 1779 is based on detailed morphological drawings and scanning electron microscopy. The data are compared with other species belonging to eight tribes of Nymphalidae, to assist future studies on the taxonomy and systematics of Neotropical Biblidinae.

A novel murmur-based heart sound feature extraction technique using envelope-morphological analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Yao, Hao-Dong; Ma, Jia-Li; Fu, Bin-Bin; Wang, Hai-Yang; Dong, Ming-Chui

2015-07-01

Auscultation of heart sound (HS) signals serves as an important primary approach to diagnose cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) for centuries. Confronting the intrinsic drawbacks of traditional HS auscultation, computer-aided automatic HS auscultation based on feature extraction technique has witnessed explosive development. Yet, most existing HS feature extraction methods adopt acoustic or time-frequency features which exhibit poor relationship with diagnostic information, thus restricting the performance of further interpretation and analysis. Tackling such a bottleneck problem, this paper innovatively proposes a novel murmur-based HS feature extraction method since murmurs contain massive pathological information and are regarded as the first indications of pathological occurrences of heart valves. Adapting discrete wavelet transform (DWT) and Shannon envelope, the envelope-morphological characteristics of murmurs are obtained and three features are extracted accordingly. Validated by discriminating normal HS and 5 various abnormal HS signals with extracted features, the proposed method provides an attractive candidate in automatic HS auscultation.

Morphology parameters for intracranial aneurysm rupture risk assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

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

2008-08-01

The aim of this study is to identify image-based morphological parameters that correlate with human intracranial aneurysm (IA) rupture. For 45 patients with terminal or sidewall saccular IAs (25 unruptured, 20 ruptured), three-dimensional geometries were evaluated for a range of morphological parameters. In addition to five previously studied parameters (aspect ratio, aneurysm size, ellipticity index, nonsphericity index, and undulation index), we defined three novel parameters incorporating the parent vessel geometry (vessel angle, aneurysm [inclination] angle, and [aneurysm-to-vessel] size ratio) and explored their correlation with aneurysm rupture. Parameters were analyzed with a two-tailed independent Student's t test for significance; significant parameters (P 41; 95% confidence interval, 1.03-1.92) and undulation index (odds ratio, 1.51; 95% confidence interval, 1.08-2.11) had the strongest independent correlation with ruptured IA. From the receiver operating characteristic analysis, size ratio and aneurysm angle had the highest area under the curve values of 0.83 and 0.85, respectively. Size ratio and aneurysm angle are promising new morphological metrics for IA rupture risk assessment. Because these parameters account for vessel geometry, they may bridge the gap between morphological studies and more qualitative location-based studies.

Cervical column morphology and craniofacial profiles in monozygotic twins.

Science.gov (United States)

Sonnesen, Liselotte; Pallisgaard, Carsten; Kjaer, Inger

2008-02-01

Previous studies have described the relationships between cervical column morphology and craniofacial morphology. The aims of the present study were to describe cervical column morphology in 38 pairs of adult monozygotic (MZ) twins, and compare craniofacial morphology in twins with fusions with craniofacial morphology in twins without fusion. Visual assessment of cervical column morphology and cephalometric measurements of craniofacial morphology were performed on profile radiographs. In the cervical column, fusion between corpora of the second and third vertebrae was registered as fusion. In the twin group, 8 twin pairs had fusion of the cervical column in both individuals within the pair (sub-group A), 25 pairs had no fusions (subgroup B), and in 5 pairs, cervical column morphology was different within the pair (subgroup C), as one twin had fusion and the other did not. Comparison of craniofacial profiles showed a tendency to increased jaw retrognathia, larger cranial base angle, and larger mandibular inclination in subgroup A than in subgroup B. The same tendency was observed within subgroup C between the individual twins with fusion compared with those without fusion. These results confirm that cervical fusions and craniofacial morphology may be interrelated in twins when analysed on profile radiographs. The study also documents that differences in cervical column morphology can occur in individuals within a pair of MZ twins. It illustrates that differences in craniofacial morphology between individuals within a pair of MZ twins can be associated with cervical fusion.

A phylogenetic analysis of the monogenomic Triticeae (Poaceae) based on morphology

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Seberg, Ole; Frederiksen, Signe Elisabeth

2001-01-01

not traditionally included in Aegilops s.J. Most of the 33 characters used in the analysis are coded as binary. The only four multistate characters in the matrix are treated as unordered. Three diploid species of Bromus are used as outgroup. The number of equally parsimonious trees found is very large (approx....... 170000; length = 107, ci = 0.36, ri = 0.75) and the strict consensus tree has an expectedly low level of resolution. However, most of the equally parsimonious trees owe their existence to an unresolved Aegilops clade. If this clade is replaced by its hypothetical ancestor, the number of equally...... parsimonious trees drops dramatically (48; length = 78, ci = 0.45, ri = 0.76). When trees for which more highly resolved compatible trees exist are excluded, only two trees remain. Bremer support is used as a measure of branch support. The trees based on morphology and on molecular data are largely incongruent....

Gum ghatti based novel electrically conductive biomaterials: A study of conductivity and surface morphology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Kalia

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Gum ghatti-cl-poly(acrylamide-aniline interpenetrating network (IPN was synthesized by a two-step aqueous polymerization method, in which aniline monomer was absorbed into the network of gum ghatti-cl-poly(acrylamide and followed by a polymerization reaction between aniline monomers. Initially, semi-IPN based on acrylamide and gum ghatti was prepared by free-radical copolymerization in aqueous media with optimized process parameters, using N,N'-methylenebis-acrylamide, as cross-linker and ammonium persulfate, as an initiator system. Optimum reaction conditions affording maximum percentage swelling were: solvent [mL] =12, Acrylamide (AAm [mol•L–1] = 1.971, Ammonium peroxydisulfate (APS [mol•L–1] = 0.131•10–1, N,N'-methylene-bis-acrylamide (MBA [mol•L–1] = 0.162•10–1, reaction time [min] = 210, temperature [°C] = 100 and pH = 7.0. The resulting IPN was doped with different protonic acids. The effect of the doping has been investigated on the conductivity and surface morphology of the IPN hydrogel. The maximum conductivity was observed with 1.5N HClO4 concentration. The morphological, structural and electrical properties of the candidate polymers were studied using scanning electron micrscopy (SEM, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy FTIR and two-probe method, respectively.

Wet-Chemical Preparation of TiO2-Based Composites with Different Morphologies and Photocatalytic Properties

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Liqin Xiang

2017-10-01

Full Text Available TiO2-based composites have been paid significant attention in the photocatalysis field. The size, crystallinity and nanomorphology of TiO2 materials have an important effect on the photocatalytic efficiency. The synthesis and photocatalytic activity of TiO2-based materials have been widely investigated in past decades. Based on our group’s research works on TiO2 materials, this review introduces several methods for the fabrication of TiO2, rare-earth-doped TiO2 and noble-metal-decorated TiO2 particles with different morphologies. We focused on the preparation and the formation mechanism of TiO2-based materials with unique structures including spheres, hollow spheres, porous spheres, hollow porous spheres and urchin-like spheres. The photocatalytical activity of urchin-like TiO2, noble metal nanoparticle-decorated 3D (three-dimensional urchin-like TiO2 and bimetallic core/shell nanoparticle-decorated urchin-like hierarchical TiO2 are briefly discussed.

Synthesis, structural, optical and morphological characterization of hematite through the precipitation method: Effect of varying the nature of the base

Science.gov (United States)

Lassoued, Abdelmajid; Lassoued, Mohamed Saber; Dkhil, Brahim; Gadri, Abdellatif; Ammar, Salah

2017-08-01

Iron oxide (α-Fe2O3) nanoparticles were synthesized using the precipitation synthesis method focusing only on (FeCl3, 6H2O), NaOH, KOH and NH4OH as raw materials. The impact of varying the nature of the base on the crystalline phase, size and morphology of α-Fe2O3 products was explored. XRD spectra revealed that samples crystallize in the rhombohedral (hexagonal) system at 800 °C.The Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) were used to detect the morphology of synthesized nanoparticles and specify their sizes. However, the Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FT-IR) spectroscopy has permitted the observation of vibration band Fe-O. Raman spectroscopy was used not only to prove that we have synthesized hematite but also to identify their phonon modes. The Thermo Gravimetric Analysis (TGA) findings allow the thermal cycle determination of samples whereas Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA) findings allow the phase transition temperature identification. Besides, the optical investigation revealed that samples have an optical gap of about 2.1 eV. Findings highlight that the nature of the agent precipitant plays a significant role in the morphology of the products and the formation of the crystalline phase. Hematite synthesis with the base NH4OH brought about much stronger, sharper and wider diffraction peaks of α-Fe2O3. The morphology of samples are spherical with a size of about 61 nm while the size of the nanoparticles of hematite which we have synthesized with NaOH and KOH is respectively of the order of 82 and 79 nm.

Craniofacial morphology in Turner syndrome patients treated with growth hormone

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Jovana Julsoki

2015-05-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Introduction: In addition to well-established physical characteristics, Turner syndrome patients have distinct craniofacial morphology. Since short stature is the most typical characteristic, Turner syndrome patients are commonly treated with growth hormone in order to increase final height. At the same time, growth hormone treatment was found to influence craniofacial growth and morphology in various groups of treated patients. Whereas craniofacial characteristics of Turner syndrome patients are well documented, comparatively little is known of craniofacial morphology of those who are treated with growth hormone. Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate craniofacial morphology in Turner syndrome patients treated with growth hormone in comparison to healthy females. Materials and methods: The cephalometric evaluation was conducted on twenty lateral cephalograms of Turner syndrome patients (13.53 ± 4.04 years treated with growth hormone for at least one year (4.94 ± 1.92 years in average. As a control group, forty lateral cephalograms of healthy female controls, who matched Turner syndrome patients by chronological (11.80 ± 2.37 years and skeletal age, were used. Eleven angular, seven linear measurements and six dimensional ratios were measured to describe craniofacial morphology. Results: The results obtained for angular measurements, in cephalometric analyses for Turner syndrome patients treated with growth hormone, revealed bimaxillary retrognathism. The linear measurements indicated longer mandibular ramus, anterior cranial base and both anterior and posterior facial heights. However, posterior cranial base and maxilla were in proportion to the anterior cranial base, when comparing dimensional ratios. Anterior cranial base, maxilla and mandibular ramus were larger in proportion to mandibular body; as well as posterior facial height was when compared to anterior facial height. Turner syndrome patients treated with growth

A new class of morphological pyramids for multiresolution image analysis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Roerdink, Jos B.T.M.; Asano, T; Klette, R; Ronse, C

2003-01-01

We study nonlinear multiresolution signal decomposition based on morphological pyramids. Motivated by a problem arising in multiresolution volume visualization, we introduce a new class of morphological pyramids. In this class the pyramidal synthesis operator always has the same form, i.e. a

Evaluation of pancreatic exocrine insufficiency by cine-dynamic MRCP using spatially selective inversion-recovery (IR) pulse: Correlation with severity of chronic pancreatitis based on morphological changes of pancreatic duct.

Science.gov (United States)

Yasokawa, Kazuya; Ito, Katsuyoshi; Kanki, Akihiko; Yamamoto, Akira; Torigoe, Teruyuki; Sato, Tomohiro; Tamada, Tsutomu

2018-05-01

To evaluate the correlation between the pancreatic exocrine insufficiency estimated by cine-dynamic MRCP using spatially selective IR pulse and the severity stages (modified Cambridge classification) based on morphological changes of the pancreatic duct in patients with suspected chronic pancreatitis. Thirty-nine patients with suspected chronic pancreatitis underwent cine-dynamic MRCP with a spatially selective IR pulse. The secretion grading score (5-point scale) based on the moving distance of pancreatic juice inflow on cine-dynamic MRCP was assessed, and compared with the stage of the severity of chronic pancreatitis based on morphological changes of pancreatic duct. The stage of the severity of chronic pancreatitis based on morphological changes had significant negative correlations with the secretion grade (r=-0.698, P0.70 in 2 (33%) of 6 patients showing normal pancreatic exocrine function. It should be noted that the degree of morphological changes of pancreatic duct does not necessarily reflect the severity of pancreatic exocrine insufficiency at cine-dynamic MRCP in stage 2-3 chronic pancreatitis. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Do generalists and specialists agree on descriptive acne morphology?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Yazdanyar, S; Bryld, L E; Heidenheim, M

2013-01-01

BACKGROUND: Acne is a common skin disease, which is treated by many different specialities. Clinical guidelines for treatment are based on the recognition of acne morphology. The assessment of acne morphology is therefore an important element of the proper diagnosis and treatment of acne. OBJECTIVE......: To evaluate the level of congruence in the assessment of acne morphology in General Practitioners (GPs) and Dermatologists compared to the assessment of an expert. METHODS: The study was conducted during 2008-2009. Randomly selected GP and Dermatologists Practitioners, (DPs) from Denmark were invited...... in the distribution of answers. CONCLUSION: GPs described acne morphology recognized clinical hallmarks of severity in acne less well than dermatologists and were far less consistent....

[Neotropical plant morphology].

Science.gov (United States)

Pérez-García, Blanca; Mendoza, Aniceto

2002-01-01

An analysis on plant morphology and the sources that are important to the morphologic interpretations is done. An additional analysis is presented on all published papers in this subject by the Revista de Biología Tropical since its foundation, as well as its contribution to the plant morphology development in the neotropics.

Diketopyrrolopyrrole-based polymer:fullerene nanoparticle films with thermally stable morphology for organic photovoltaic applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Holmes, Natalie P. [Univ. of Newcastle, Callaghan NSW (Australia). Centre for Organic Electronics; Vaughan, Ben [Univ. of Newcastle, Callaghan NSW (Australia). Centre for Organic Electronics; CSIRO Energy Technology, Newcastle (Australia); Williams, Evan L. [Inst. of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR), Singapore (Singapore); Kroon, Renee [Univ. of South Australia, Mawson Lakes Campus, SA (Australia). Ian Wark Research Inst.; Chalmers Univ. of Technology, Goteborg (Sweden). Dept. of Chemical and Biological Engineering/Polymer Technology; Anderrson, Mats R. [Univ. of South Australia, Mawson Lakes Campus, SA (Australia). Ian Wark Research Inst.; Chalmers Univ. of Technology, Goteborg (Sweden). Dept. of Chemical and Biological Engineering/Polymer Technology; Kilcoyne, A. L. David [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Advanced Light Source (ALS); Sonar, Prashant [Inst. of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR), Singapore (Singapore); Queensland Univ. of Technology (QUT), Brisbane (Australia). School of Chemistry, Physics and Mechanical Engineering; Zhou, Xiaojing [Univ. of Newcastle, Callaghan NSW (Australia). Centre for Organic Electronics; Dastoor, Paul C. [Univ. of Newcastle, Callaghan NSW (Australia). Centre for Organic Electronics; Belcher, Warwick J. [Univ. of Newcastle, Callaghan NSW (Australia). Centre for Organic Electronics

2017-02-02

Polymer:fullerene nanoparticles (NPs) offer two key advantages over bulk heterojunction (BHJ) films for organic photovoltaics (OPVs), water-processability and potentially superior morphological control. Once an optimal active layer morphology is reached, maintaining this morphology at OPV operating temperatures is key to the lifetime of a device. Here in this paper we study the morphology of the PDPP-TNT (poly{3,6-dithiophene-2-yl-2,5-di(2-octyldodecyl)-pyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole-1,4-dione-alt-naphthalene}):PC₇₁BM ([6,6]-phenyl C₇₁ butyric acid methyl ester) NP system and then compare the thermal stability of NP and BHJ films to the common poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT): phenyl C₆₁ butyric acid methyl ester (PC₆₁BM) system. We find that material T_g plays a key role in the superior thermal stability of the PDPP-TNT:PC₇₁BM system; whereas for the P3HT:PC₆₁BM system, domain structure is critical.

AmAMorph: Finite State Morphological Analyzer for Amazighe

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Fatima Zahra Nejme

2016-03-01

Full Text Available This paper presents AmAMorph, a morphological analyzer for Amazighe language using a system based on the NooJ linguistic development environment. The paper begins with the development of Amazighe lexicons with large coverage formalization. The built electronic lexicons, named ‘NAmLex’, ‘VAmLex’ and ‘PAmLex’ which stand for ‘Noun Amazighe Lexicon’, ‘Verb Amazighe Lexicon’ and ‘Particles Amazighe Lexicon’, link inflectional, morphological, and syntacticsemantic information to the list of lemmas. Automated inflectional and derivational routines are applied to each lemma producing over inflected forms. To our knowledge,AmAMorph is the first morphological analyzer for Amazighe. It identifies the component morphemes of the forms using large coverage morphological grammars. Along with the description of how the analyzer is implemented, this paper gives an evaluation of the analyzer.

Impact of solvents and supercritical CO2 drying on the morphology and structure of polymer-based biofilms

Science.gov (United States)

Causa, Andrea; Salerno, Aurelio; Domingo, Concepción; Acierno, Domenico; Filippone, Giovanni

2014-05-01

In the present work, two-dimensional systems based on biodegradable polymers such as poly(ɛ-caprolactone) (PCL), poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and polylactic acid (PLA) are fabricated by means of a sustainable approach which consists in inducing phase separation in solutions of such polymers and "green" solvents, namely ethyl lactate (EL) and ethyl acetate (EA). The extraction of the solvent is promoted by a controlled drying process, which is performed in either air or supercritical CO2. The latter can indeed act as both an antisolvent, which favors the deposition of the polymer by forming a mixture with EL and EA, and a plasticizing agent, whose solvation and transport properties may considerably affect the microstructure and crystallinity of the polymer films. The morphological, topographical and crystalline properties of the films are tailored through a judicial selection of the materials and the processing conditions and assessed by means of thermal analyses, polarized optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and confocal interferometric microscopy. The results show that the morphological and crystalline properties of the films are strongly dependent on the choice of both the polymer/solvent system and the operating conditions during the drying step. In particular, the morphological, topographical and thermal properties of films prepared starting from highly crystalline polymers, namely PCL and PEO, are greatly affected by the crystallization of the material. Conversely, the less crystalline PLA forms almost completely amorphous films.

Genetic Determinism vs. Phenotypic Plasticity in Protist Morphology.

Science.gov (United States)

Mulot, Matthieu; Marcisz, Katarzyna; Grandgirard, Lara; Lara, Enrique; Kosakyan, Anush; Robroek, Bjorn J M; Lamentowicz, Mariusz; Payne, Richard J; Mitchell, Edward A D

2017-11-01

Untangling the relationships between morphology and phylogeny is key to building a reliable taxonomy, but is especially challenging for protists, where the existence of cryptic or pseudocryptic species makes finding relevant discriminant traits difficult. Here we use Hyalosphenia papilio (a testate amoeba) as a model species to investigate the contribution of phylogeny and phenotypic plasticity in its morphology. We study the response of H. papilio morphology (shape and pores number) to environmental variables in (i) a manipulative experiment with controlled conditions (water level), (ii) an observational study of a within-site natural ecological gradient (water level), and (iii) an observational study across 37 European peatlands (climate). We showed that H. papilio morphology is correlated to environmental conditions (climate and water depth) as well as geography, while no relationship between morphology and phylogeny was brought to light. The relative contribution of genetic inheritance and phenotypic plasticity in shaping morphology varies depending on the taxonomic group and the trait under consideration. Thus, our data call for a reassessment of taxonomy based on morphology alone. This clearly calls for a substantial increase in taxonomic research on these globally still under-studied organisms leading to a reassessment of estimates of global microbial eukaryotic diversity. © 2017 The Author(s) Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology © 2017 International Society of Protistologists.

Automated three-dimensional morphology-based clustering of human erythrocytes with regular shapes: stomatocytes, discocytes, and echinocytes

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmadzadeh, Ezat; Jaferzadeh, Keyvan; Lee, Jieun; Moon, Inkyu

2017-07-01

We present unsupervised clustering methods for automatic grouping of human red blood cells (RBCs) extracted from RBC quantitative phase images obtained by digital holographic microscopy into three RBC clusters with regular shapes, including biconcave, stomatocyte, and sphero-echinocyte. We select some good features related to the RBC profile and morphology, such as RBC average thickness, sphericity coefficient, and mean corpuscular volume, and clustering methods, including density-based spatial clustering applications with noise, k-medoids, and k-means, are applied to the set of morphological features. The clustering results of RBCs using a set of three-dimensional features are compared against a set of two-dimensional features. Our experimental results indicate that by utilizing the introduced set of features, two groups of biconcave RBCs and old RBCs (suffering from the sphero-echinocyte process) can be perfectly clustered. In addition, by increasing the number of clusters, the three RBC types can be effectively clustered in an automated unsupervised manner with high accuracy. The performance evaluation of the clustering techniques reveals that they can assist hematologists in further diagnosis.

Novel multiform morphologies of hydroxyapatite: Synthesis and growth mechanism

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mary, I. Reeta [Department of Nanoscience and Technology, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore 641046 (India); Department of Physics, Government Arts College, Coimbatore 641018 (India); Sonia, S.; Viji, S.; Mangalaraj, D.; Viswanathan, C. [Department of Nanoscience and Technology, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore 641046 (India); Ponpandian, N., E-mail: ponpandian@buc.edu.in [Department of Nanoscience and Technology, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore 641046 (India)

2016-01-15

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Novel multiform morphologies of hydroxyapatite from nanoscale building blocks. • Facile hydro/solvothermal method under mild reaction conditions without the necessity of post-annealing treatment. • Growth mechanism by Ostwald ripening and self-assembly processes. - Abstract: Morphological evolution of materials becomes a prodigious challenge due to their key role in defining their functional properties and desired applications. Herein, we report the synthesis of hydroxyapatite (HAp) microstructures with multiform morphologies, such as spheres, cubes, hexagonal rods and nested bundles constructed from their respective nanoscale building blocks via a simple cost effective hydro/solvothermal method. A possible formation mechanism of diverse morphologies of HAp has been presented. Structural analysis based on X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy confirms the purity of the HAp microstructures. The multiform morphologies of HAp were corroborated by using Field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM).

Phylogeny of Selaginellaceae: There is value in morphology after all!

Science.gov (United States)

Weststrand, Stina; Korall, Petra

2016-12-01

The cosmopolitan lycophyte family Selaginellaceae, dating back to the Late Devonian-Early Carboniferous, is notorious for its many species with a seemingly undifferentiated gross morphology. This morphological stasis has for a long time hampered our understanding of the evolutionary history of the single genus Selaginella. Here we present a large-scale phylogenetic analysis of Selaginella, and based on the resulting phylogeny, we discuss morphological evolution in the group. We sampled about one-third of the approximately 750 recognized Selaginella species. Evolutionary relationships were inferred from both chloroplast (rbcL) and single-copy nuclear gene data (pgiC and SQD1) using a Bayesian inference approach. The morphology of the group was studied and important features mapped onto the phylogeny. We present an overall well-supported phylogeny of Selaginella, and the phylogenetic positions of some previously problematic taxa (i.e., S. sinensis and allies) are now resolved with strong support. We show that even though the evolution of most morphological characters involves reversals and/or parallelisms, several characters are phylogenetically informative. Seven major clades are identified, which each can be uniquely diagnosed by a suite of morphological features. There is value in morphology after all! Our hypothesis of the evolutionary relationships of Selaginella is well founded based on DNA sequence data, as well as morphology, and is in line with previous findings. It will serve as a firm basis for further studies on Selaginella with respect to, e.g., the poorly known alpha taxonomy, as well as evolutionary questions such as historical biogeographic reconstructions. © 2016 Weststrand and Korall. Published by the Botanical Society of America. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY 4.0).

The Training of Morphological Decomposition in Word Processing and Its Effects on Literacy Skills

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Irit Bar-Kochva

2017-10-01

Full Text Available This study set out to examine the effects of a morpheme-based training on reading and spelling in fifth and sixth graders (N = 47, who present poor literacy skills and speak German as a second language. A computerized training, consisting of a visual lexical decision task (comprising 2,880 items, presented in 12 sessions, was designed to encourage fast morphological analysis in word processing. The children were divided between two groups: the one underwent a morpheme-based training, in which word-stems of inflections and derivations were presented for a limited duration, while their pre- and suffixes remained on screen until response. Another group received a control training consisting of the same task, except that the duration of presentation of a non-morphological unit was restricted. In a Word Disruption Task, participants read words under three conditions: morphological separation (with symbols separating between the words’ morphemes, non-morphological separation (with symbols separating between non-morphological units of words, and no-separation (with symbols presented at the beginning and end of each word. The group receiving the morpheme-based program improved more than the control group in terms of word reading fluency in the morphological condition. The former group also presented similar word reading fluency after training in the morphological condition and in the no-separation condition, thereby suggesting that the morpheme-based training contributed to the integration of morphological decomposition into the process of word recognition. At the same time, both groups similarly improved in other measures of word reading fluency. With regard to spelling, the morpheme-based training group showed a larger improvement than the control group in spelling of trained items, and a unique improvement in spelling of untrained items (untrained word-stems integrated into trained pre- and suffixes. The results further suggest some contribution of

A survey of hemoparasites and ectoparasites in Nasua nasua Linnaeus, 1766 with a redescription of Hepatozoon procyonis Richards, 1961 based on morphological and molecular data.

Science.gov (United States)

da Silva, Maria Regina Lucas; Fornazari, Felipe; Martins, Thiago Fernandes; Hippólito, Alícia Giolo; Rolim, Luna Scarpari; Bisca, Jacqueline Muniz; Teixeira, Carlos Roberto; O'Dwyer, Lucia Helena

2018-07-01

Hemoparasites are vector-borne parasites that infect wild carnivores worldwide. Since data on hemoparasite infections in Nasua nasua from Brazil are lacking, the aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of hemoparasites and ectoparasites in N. nasua from different areas of Brazil. Blood samples and ectoparasites from 83 N. nasua were collected in Botucatu, Palmital, and São Paulo municipalities. Samples were screened via microscopy and molecular methods to detect hemoparasites. Tissues from two N. nasua were obtained for histopathological and molecular analyses. All 83 samples were negative for piroplasms on morphological and molecular examination. Thin blood smears of nine animals were positive for Hepatozoon gamonts. The gamonts shared morphological characteristics of Hepatozoon procyonis. Meronts were detected in the liver and spleen tissue of one animal. Twenty-one blood samples and four tissue samples were PCR positive for Hepatozoon sp. The sequences obtained were 97% identical to those of Hepatozoon felis, Hepatozoon ursi, and Hepatozoon sp. Based on searches for similarity and morphology, we identified the sequences as belonging to H. procyonis. This study provides epidemiological data on hemoparasite infections and redescribe H. procyonis based on morphological, morphometrical, and molecular analyses.

Morphology of polymer solar cells

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Böttiger, Arvid P.L.

as a function of polymer, type of ink, annealing etc. Ptychography is a new state of the art X-ray imaging technique based on coherent scattering. Together with Scanning X-ray Transmission Microscopy (STXM) it has been used in this study to inspect the morphology of the active layer taken from working solar...

Fully-automated approach to hippocampus segmentation using a graph-cuts algorithm combined with atlas-based segmentation and morphological opening.

Science.gov (United States)

Kwak, Kichang; Yoon, Uicheul; Lee, Dong-Kyun; Kim, Geon Ha; Seo, Sang Won; Na, Duk L; Shim, Hack-Joon; Lee, Jong-Min

2013-09-01

The hippocampus has been known to be an important structure as a biomarker for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other neurological and psychiatric diseases. However, it requires accurate, robust and reproducible delineation of hippocampal structures. In this study, an automated hippocampal segmentation method based on a graph-cuts algorithm combined with atlas-based segmentation and morphological opening was proposed. First of all, the atlas-based segmentation was applied to define initial hippocampal region for a priori information on graph-cuts. The definition of initial seeds was further elaborated by incorporating estimation of partial volume probabilities at each voxel. Finally, morphological opening was applied to reduce false positive of the result processed by graph-cuts. In the experiments with twenty-seven healthy normal subjects, the proposed method showed more reliable results (similarity index=0.81±0.03) than the conventional atlas-based segmentation method (0.72±0.04). Also as for segmentation accuracy which is measured in terms of the ratios of false positive and false negative, the proposed method (precision=0.76±0.04, recall=0.86±0.05) produced lower ratios than the conventional methods (0.73±0.05, 0.72±0.06) demonstrating its plausibility for accurate, robust and reliable segmentation of hippocampus. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Fe-tannic acid complex dye as photo sensitizer for different morphological ZnO based DSSCs

Science.gov (United States)

Çakar, Soner; Özacar, Mahmut

2016-06-01

In this paper we have synthesized different morphological ZnO nanostructures via microwave hydrothermal methods at low temperature within a short time. We described different morphologies of ZnO at different Zn(NO3)2/KOH mole ratio. The ZnO nanostructures were characterized via X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and UV-vis spectrophotometry. All ZnO structures have hexagonal wurtzite type structures. The FESEM images showed various morphologies of ZnO such as plate, rod and nanoparticles. Dye sensitized solar cells have been assembled by these different morphological structures photo electrode and tannic acid or Fe-tannic acid complex dye as sensitizer. We have achieved at maximum efficiencies of photovoltaic cells prepared with ZnO plate in all dye systems. The conversion efficiencies of dye sensitized solar cells are 0.37% and 1.00% with tannic acid and Fe-tannic acid complex dye, respectively.

Seed morphology and its taxonomic significance in the family malvaceae

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abid, R.; Ather, A.

2016-01-01

The seed morphological studies of 75 taxa belonging to 6 sub-families of the family Malvaceae were carried out from Pakistan. In Pakistan the family Malvaceae is represented by 6 sub-families viz., Byttnerioideae, Dombeyoideae, Malvoideae, Bombacoideae, Helicteroideae and Sterculioideae. The seed macro and micro morphological characters are examined, using light (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Detailed seed morphological descriptions, micrographs and keys based on seed characters are also provided. A variety in various quantitative and qualitative seed characters was observed. The micro-morphological characters of seeds are quite significant to strengthen the taxonomic decisions within the family Malvaceae at various levels. The data obtained from the seed morphological characters were analyzed numerically to trace out the phylogenetic affinities for the taxa within the family Malvaceae from Pakistan. (author)

Object-based Morphological Building Index for Building Extraction from High Resolution Remote Sensing Imagery

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

LIN Xiangguo

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Building extraction from high resolution remote sensing images is a hot research topic in the field of photogrammetry and remote sensing. In this article, an object-based morphological building index (OBMBI is constructed based on both image segmentation and graph-based top-hat reconstruction, and OBMBI is used for building extraction from high resolution remote sensing images. First, bidirectional mapping relationship between pixels, objects and graph-nodes are constructed. Second, the OBMBI image is built based on both graph-based top-hat reconstruction and the above mapping relationship. Third, a binary thresholding is performed on the OBMBI image, and the binary image is converted into vector format to derive the building polygons. Finally, the post-processing is made to optimize the extracted building polygons. Two images, including an aerial image and a panchromatic satellite image, are used to test both the proposed method and classic PanTex method. The experimental results suggest that our proposed method has a higher accuracy in building extraction than the classic PanTex method. On average, the correctness, the completeness and the quality of our method are respectively 9.49%, 11.26% and 14.11% better than those of the PanTex.

Filtering Airborne LIDAR Data by AN Improved Morphological Method Based on Multi-Gradient Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Y.

2013-05-01

The technology of airborne Light Detection And Ranging (LIDAR) is capable of acquiring dense and accurate 3D geospatial data. Although many related efforts have been made by a lot of researchers in the last few years, LIDAR data filtering is still a challenging task, especially for area with high relief or hybrid geographic features. In order to address the bare-ground extraction from LIDAR point clouds of complex landscapes, a novel morphological filtering algorithm is proposed based on multi-gradient analysis in terms of the characteristic of LIDAR data distribution in this paper. Firstly, point clouds are organized by an index mesh. Then, the multigradient of each point is calculated using the morphological method. And, objects are removed gradually by choosing some points to carry on an improved opening operation constrained by multi-gradient iteratively. 15 sample data provided by ISPRS Working Group III/3 are employed to test the filtering algorithm proposed. These sample data include those environments that may lead to filtering difficulty. Experimental results show that filtering algorithm proposed by this paper is of high adaptability to various scenes including urban and rural areas. Omission error, commission error and total error can be simultaneously controlled in a relatively small interval. This algorithm can efficiently remove object points while preserves ground points to a great degree.

Morphological caracteristics of malocclusion class II

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Pavlović J.

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Class II malocclusion are complex anomalies of the skeletal and dental systems. The aim of this study is that the rengenkefalometrics analysis closer determine the morphological characteristics of this malocclusion. For this study were used 30 patients aged 18-30, previously clinically diagnosed class II, before the planned orthodontic treatment. The results analisis lateral cephalometric radiographs were compared with the 30 patients with class I malocclusion. Analyzed three linear and two angular cranial base dimensions and nine angular and four linear measures from the facial skeleton. The Results show: No statistically significant differensis in cranial base angle (SNBa and anterior cranial base length (S-N between class II and control Class I. Angle maxillar prognathism ( SNA is no signifikant different between class I and Class II but SNB angle were signifikant smaller. The length of maxillary base (A'-SnP is longer and the length of mandibule (Pg'-MT1/MT is signifficantly smaller. The gonial angle (ArGo-Me was smaller with open articular angle (GoArSN. Morphological characteristics of class II malocclusion are , retrognathic and smaller mandibular ligth, normognathic and longer maxilla, open articular angle with vertical tendency of the craniofacial growth pattern.

SEGMENTATION AND CLASSIFICATION OF CERVICAL CYTOLOGY IMAGES USING MORPHOLOGICAL AND STATISTICAL OPERATIONS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S Anantha Sivaprakasam

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Cervical cancer that is a disease, in which malignant (cancer cells form in the tissues of the cervix, is one of the fourth leading causes of cancer death in female community worldwide. The cervical cancer can be prevented and/or cured if it is diagnosed in the pre-cancerous lesion stage or earlier. A common physical examination technique widely used in the screening is called Papanicolaou test or Pap test which is used to detect the abnormality of the cell. Due to intricacy of the cell nature, automating of this procedure is still a herculean task for the pathologist. This paper addresses solution for the challenges in terms of a simple and novel method to segment and classify the cervical cell automatically. The primary step of this procedure is pre-processing in which de-nosing, de-correlation operation and segregation of colour components are carried out, Then, two new techniques called Morphological and Statistical Edge based segmentation and Morphological and Statistical Region Based segmentation Techniques- put forward in this paper, and that are applied on the each component of image to segment the nuclei from cervical image. Finally, all segmented colour components are combined together to make a final segmentation result. After extracting the nuclei, the morphological features are extracted from the nuclei. The performance of two techniques mentioned above outperformed than standard segmentation techniques. Besides, Morphological and Statistical Edge based segmentation is outperformed than Morphological and Statistical Region based Segmentation. Finally, the nuclei are classified based on the morphological value The segmentation accuracy is echoed in classification accuracy. The overall segmentation accuracy is 97%.

FPGA-Based Online PQD Detection and Classification through DWT, Mathematical Morphology and SVD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Misael Lopez-Ramirez

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Power quality disturbances (PQD in electric distribution systems can be produced by the utilization of non-linear loads or environmental circumstances, causing electrical equipment malfunction and reduction of its useful life. Detecting and classifying different PQDs implies great efforts in planning and structuring the monitoring system. The main disadvantage of most works in the literature is that they treat a limited number of electrical disturbances through personal computer (PC-based computation techniques, which makes it difficult to perform an online PQD classification. In this work, the novel contribution is a methodology for PQD recognition and classification through discrete wavelet transform, mathematical morphology, decomposition of singular values, and statistical analysis. Furthermore, the timely and reliable classification of different disturbances is necessary; hence, a field programmable gate array (FPGA-based integrated circuit is developed to offer a portable hardware processing unit to perform fast, online PQD classification. The obtained numerical and experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method guarantees high effectiveness during online PQD detection and classification of real voltage/current signals.

Morphological evaluation of complex congenital heart disease by magnetic resonance imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takahashi, Osahiro

1993-01-01

Ninety infants and children with complex congenital heart disease were examined with magnetic resonance imaging and the accuracy of morphological diagnoses by MRI was tested by comparison to the final diagnoses primarily based on angiocardiography. The sensitivity and specificity of MRI diagnoses were generally excellent in evaluating vena caval and atrial morphology, type of AV connection, ventricular morphology, type of VA connection and great vessel morphology. Although some difficulty with evaluating the detailed anatomy of the AV valve and its suspension system and fine vascular structures, MRI could demonstrate the entire cardiac structures clearly and provide the 3-dimensional information regarding the intracardiac structures, and it was extremely valuable in morphological assessment of complex congenital heart disease. (author)

Studies on Dasyaceae. 3. Towards a phylogeny of the Dasyaceae (Ceramiales, Rhodophyta), based on comparative rbcL gene sequences and morphology

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Jong, Y.S D M; van der Wurff, A.W G; Stam, W.T.; Olsen, J.L.

Phylogenetic analyses of the Dasyaceae based on sequence analysis of the large subunit of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (rbcL) and 42 morphological characters are presented. Comparative sequence analysis confirms the general view of the Ceramiaceae as a primitive, paraphyletic

On sub-modularization and morphological heterogeneity in modular robotics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lyder, A. H.; Stoy, K.; Garciá, R. F. M.

2012-01-01

Modular robots are a kind of robots built from mechatronic modules, which can be assembled in many different ways allowing the modular robot to assume a wide range of morphologies and functions. An important question in modular robotics is to which degree modules should be heterogeneous....... In this paper we introduce two contributing factors to heterogeneity namely morphological heterogeneity and sub-functional modularization. Respectively, the ideas are to create modules with significantly different morphologies and to spread sub-functionality across modules. Based on these principles we design...... and implement the Thor robot and evaluate it by participating in the ICRA Planetary Robotic Contingency Challenge. The Thor robot demonstrates that sub-functional modularity and morphological heterogeneity may increase the versatility of modular robots while reducing the complexity of individual modules, which...

URBAN MORPHOLOGY AND AIR QUALITY IN DENSE RESIDENTIAL ENVIRONMENTS: CORRELATIONS BETWEEN MORPHOLOGICAL PARAMETERS AND AIR POLLUTION AT STREET-LEVEL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

PRIYANTHA EDUSSURIYA

2014-02-01

Full Text Available This study is the second part of the series that identifies whether site-specific urban morphological parameters are correlated with air quality. This study aims to identify the most important urban morphological parameters that affects air quality at street level that affect air quality in metropolis like Hong Kong through field measurements and statistical analyses. The study considers 20 urban residential areas in five major districts of Hong Kong and real-time street level air pollutant and microclimatic data are collected from these areas. 21 morphological variables are identified and calculated based on the geometry of the urban fabric. Using principal component analyses, it is shown that out of the many urban morphological factors, only five morphological variables (plan area density, occlusivity, aerodynamic roughness height, mean built volume, compactness factor and four land development factors (aspect ratio, distance between building, mean building height and standard deviation of building height correlate with particulate matter. Besides mineralisation factor, contiguity and canyon ratio marginally correlate with particulate matter. On the other hand, nine variables (plan area density, compactness factor, occlusivity, aerodynamic roughness height, average size of building volume, aspect ratio, distance between buildings, mean building height and standard deviations of building heights correlate with NOx. All others play insignificant roles in street-level pollution effect. Moreover statistical analyses show little correlation between CO and ozone with urban morphological parameters. It is also established that the key microclimatic variables that connects PM and NOx with the urban morphological factors are northerly wind, relative humidity and temperature, which in turn translates to affecting the street-level air pollution.

Solution based approaches for the morphology control of BaTiO3 particulates

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Florentina Maxim

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Within the action COST 539 - ELENA our contribution was aimed at studying solution based approaches for the morphology control of BaTiO3 particulates. Initially, our kinetic analysis and systematic structural and morphological studies, demonstrated that during hydrothermal synthesis from layered titanate nanotubes (TiNTS, BaTiO3 forms via two mechanisms depending on the temperature and time. At low temperatures (90°C, “wild” type BaTiO3 dendritic particles with cubic structure were formed through a phase boundary topotactic reaction. At higher temperatures and/or for longer times time, the reaction is controlled by a dissolution precipitation mechanism and “seaweed” type BaTiO3 dendrites are formed. Our results unambiguously elucidated why TiNTs do not routinely act as templates for the formation of 1D BaTiO3.In our subsequent investigations, the effect of additives on the aqueous and hydrothermal synthesis of BaTiO3 was assessed. We reported that although the tested additives influenced the growth of BaTiO3, their behaviour varied; poly(acrylic acid (PAA adsorbed on specific crystallographic faces changing the growth kinetics and inducing the oriented attachment of the particles; poly(vinyl pyrrolidone (PVP, sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS and hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC act as growth inhibitors rather than crystal habit modifiers; and DFructose appeared to increase the activation energy for nucleation, resulting in small crystals (26 nm. Our work clearly indicates that the synthesis of 1D nanostructures of complex oxides by chemical methods is non trivial.

AmAMorph: Finite State Morphological Analyzer for Amazighe

OpenAIRE

Fatima Zahra Nejme; Siham Boulaknadel; Driss Aboutajdine

2016-01-01

This paper presents AmAMorph, a morphological analyzer for Amazighe language using a system based on the NooJ linguistic development environment. The paper begins with the development of Amazighe lexicons with large coverage formalization. The built electronic lexicons, named ‘NAmLex’, ‘VAmLex’ and ‘PAmLex’ which stand for ‘Noun Amazighe Lexicon’, ‘Verb Amazighe Lexicon’ and ‘Particles Amazighe Lexicon’, link inflectional, morphological, and syntacticsemantic information to the list of lemmas...

Delimiting Cladosporium from morphologically similar genera

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Crous, P.W.; Braun, U.; Schubert, K.; Groenewald, J.Z.

2007-01-01

The genus Cladosporium is restricted to dematiaceous hyphomycetes with a coronate scar type, and Davidiella teleomorphs. In the present study numerous cladosporium-like taxa are treated, and allocated to different genera based on their morphology and DNA phylogeny derived from the LSU nrRNA gene.

Impact of solvents and supercritical CO2 drying on the morphology and structure of polymer-based biofilms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Causa, Andrea; Acierno, Domenico; Filippone, Giovanni; Salerno, Aurelio; Domingo, Concepción

2014-01-01

In the present work, two-dimensional systems based on biodegradable polymers such as poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL), poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and polylactic acid (PLA) are fabricated by means of a sustainable approach which consists in inducing phase separation in solutions of such polymers and “green” solvents, namely ethyl lactate (EL) and ethyl acetate (EA). The extraction of the solvent is promoted by a controlled drying process, which is performed in either air or supercritical CO 2 . The latter can indeed act as both an antisolvent, which favors the deposition of the polymer by forming a mixture with EL and EA, and a plasticizing agent, whose solvation and transport properties may considerably affect the microstructure and crystallinity of the polymer films. The morphological, topographical and crystalline properties of the films are tailored through a judicial selection of the materials and the processing conditions and assessed by means of thermal analyses, polarized optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and confocal interferometric microscopy. The results show that the morphological and crystalline properties of the films are strongly dependent on the choice of both the polymer/solvent system and the operating conditions during the drying step. In particular, the morphological, topographical and thermal properties of films prepared starting from highly crystalline polymers, namely PCL and PEO, are greatly affected by the crystallization of the material. Conversely, the less crystalline PLA forms almost completely amorphous films

Automatic detection of micro-aneurysms in retinal images based on curvelet transform and morphological operations

Science.gov (United States)

Mohammad Alipour, Shirin Hajeb; Rabbani, Hossein

2013-09-01

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the major complications of diabetes that changes the blood vessels of the retina and distorts patient vision that finally in high stages can lead to blindness. Micro-aneurysms (MAs) are one of the first pathologies associated with DR. The number and the location of MAs are very important in grading of DR. Early diagnosis of micro-aneurysms (MAs) can reduce the incidence of blindness. As MAs are tiny area of blood protruding from vessels in the retina and their size is about 25 to 100 microns, automatic detection of these tiny lesions is still challenging. MAs occurring in the macula can lead to visual loss. Also the position of a lesion such as MAs relative to the macula is a useful feature for analysis and classification of different stages of DR. Because MAs are more distinguishable in fundus fluorescin angiography (FFA) compared to color fundus images, we introduce a new method based on curvelet transform and morphological operations for MAs detection in FFA images. As vessels and MAs are the bright parts of FFA image, firstly extracted vessels by curvelet transform are removed from image. Then morphological operations are applied on resulted image for detecting MAs.

McGET: A rapid image-based method to determine the morphological characteristics of gravels on the Gobi desert surface

Science.gov (United States)

Mu, Yue; Wang, Feng; Zheng, Bangyou; Guo, Wei; Feng, Yiming

2018-03-01

The relationship between morphological characteristics (e.g. gravel size, coverage, angularity and orientation) and local geomorphic features (e.g. slope gradient and aspect) of desert has been used to explore the evolution process of Gobi desert. Conventional quantification methods are time-consuming, inefficient and even prove impossible to determine the characteristics of large numbers of gravels. We propose a rapid image-based method to obtain the morphological characteristics of gravels on the Gobi desert surface, which is called the "morphological characteristics gained effectively technique" (McGET). The image of the Gobi desert surface was classified into gravel clusters and background by a machine-learning "classification and regression tree" (CART) algorithm. Then gravel clusters were segmented into individual gravel clasts by separating objects in images using a "watershed segmentation" algorithm. Thirdly, gravel coverage, diameter, aspect ratio and orientation were calculated based on the basic principles of 2D computer graphics. We validated this method with two independent datasets in which the gravel morphological characteristics were obtained from 2728 gravels measured in the field and 7422 gravels measured by manual digitization. Finally, we applied McGET to derive the spatial variation of gravel morphology on the Gobi desert along an alluvial-proluvial fan located in Hami, Xinjiang, China. The validated results show that the mean gravel diameter measured in the field agreed well with that calculated by McGET for large gravels (R2 = 0.89, P < 0.001). Compared to manual digitization, the McGET accuracies for gravel coverage, gravel diameter and aspect ratio were 97%, 83% and 96%, respectively. The orientation distributions calculated were consistent across two different methods. More importantly, McGET significantly shortens the time cost in obtaining gravel morphological characteristics in the field and laboratory. The spatial variation results

The interplay of morphology and carrier recombination in dendrimer-based organic photovoltaics.

Science.gov (United States)

Shaheen, Sean; Kopidakis, Nikos; Mitchell, William; Rance, William; van de Lagemaat, Jao; Rumbles, Garry

2007-03-01

Pi-conjugated dendrimers provide an alternative to polymers in organic photovoltaic devices that allow for systematic study of how the molecular structure affects the morphology of the donor and acceptor components and subsequently how the device operates. The degree of mixing and specific geometry of the donor-acceptor blend play a determining role in the rate of exciton dissociation as well as the efficacy of charge transport out of the active layer. We find that pi-conjugated dendrimers are more miscible with the fullerene-derivative acceptor than their polymeric counterparts, which leads to smaller domains than are commonly found in polymer-fullerene blends. Here we discuss how these differing morphologies affect exciton dissociation, carrier transport, and carrier recombination in the devices.

Morphological development of petals in Ranunculaceae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yi Ren

2016-04-01

Full Text Available The petals, or the honey-leaves, are of great divergence in morphology in Ranunculaceae, i. e., tubular, bilabial, cup-shaped, flat, concaved or scaled at the base, with or without spur or succate. The previous observations showed that although the petals differ in mature morphology, they showed great similarity in the early development stage. The petal primordia are all hemispherical, rounded and much smaller than the sepal primordia, a relatively long plastochron exists between the last sepal and the first petal and differentiate into a blade and a short stalk. Thus, we assumed that the different morphology of the mature petals might be due to the morphological repatterning of petals in the development. To prove the hypothesis, the morphological development of the petals from 22 species from 20 genera, recovering all ten petalous clades and the major morphological types, in Ranunculaceae was observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM. The young petal undergoes the following developmental stages to the mature petal after it differentiates into blade and stalk. In the first stage, a depression appears at the base of the blade and the nectary tissue will appear in the depression in the later development. In the second stage, two bulges appear at the base of the depression that makes the petal bilabial and the bulges will be the upper lip of the petal and thus the blade will be the lower lip. In the third stage, two bulges become larger and fuse with one another at first and then fuse with the margins of the blade in each side, or each of the bulges fuses with the margin of the blade at first and then fuses with one another, or the bulges stop further growth and the depression deepened to form the succate or the spur. In the fourth stage, the lips, the two fused sides and the stalk growth in different speed. The divergence of development of different petals happens mainly in the third and the fourth stages and less divergence in the second and

Prevalence of cam hip shape morphology: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Dickenson, E; Wall, P D H; Robinson, B; Fernandez, M; Parsons, H; Buchbinder, R; Griffin, D R

2016-06-01

Cam hip shape morphology is a recognised cause of femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) and is associated with hip osteoarthritis. Our aim was to systematically review the available epidemiological evidence assessing the prevalence of cam hip shape morphology in the general population and any studied subgroups including subjects with and without hip pain. All studies that reported the prevalence of cam morphology, measured by alpha angles, in subjects aged 18 and over, irrespective of study population or presence of hip symptoms were considered for inclusion. We searched AMED, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL and CENTRAL in October 2015. Two authors independently identified eligible studies and assessed risk of bias. We planned to pool data of studies considered clinically homogenous. Thirty studies met inclusion criteria. None of the included studies were truly population-based: three included non-representative subgroups of the general population, 19 included differing clinical populations, while eight included professional athletes. All studies were judged to be at high risk of bias. Due to substantial clinical heterogeneity meta analysis was not possible. Across all studies, the prevalence estimates of cam morphology ranged from 5 to 75% of participants affected. We were unable to demonstrate a higher prevalence in selected subgroups such as athletes or those with hip pain. There is currently insufficient high quality data to determine the true prevalence of cam morphology in the general population or selected subgroups. Well-designed population-based epidemiological studies that use homogenous case definitions are required to determine the prevalence of cam morphology and its relationship to hip pain. Copyright © 2016 Osteoarthritis Research Society International. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Relationship between Morphological Awareness and Morphological Decomposition among English Language Learners

Science.gov (United States)

Kraut, Rachel

2015-01-01

Morphological awareness facilitates many reading processes. For this reason, L1 and L2 learners of English are often directly taught to use their knowledge of English morphology as a useful reading strategy for determining parts of speech and meaning of novel words. Over time, use of morphological awareness skills while reading develops into an…

Morphological diversity in oleaginous watermelon ( Citrullus ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A hundred and seventy-one oleaginous watermelon accessions either collected from different countries or obtained from gene banks were evaluated and compared based on 11 quantitative morphological traits. Principal component analysis on 11 traits revealed 81.19% of the total variability and pointed out variations ...

Hybrid morphological modelling of shoreline response to a detached breakwater

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kristensen, Sten Esbjørn; Drønen, Nils; Deigaard, Rolf

2013-01-01

We present a new type of model for calculating morphological changes induced by the presence of breakwaters. The model combines a process based area model, used to calculate the sediment transport field in the two horizontal dimensions, with a simplified morphological updating scheme where the ev...... in more detail the evolving morphology behind coastal breakwaters. It is demonstrated how the model is able to calculate the evolution of either salient or tombolo planforms, and furthermore it is shown that the results are in reasonable agreement with existing rules....

Evaluation Models of Some Morphological Characteristcs for Talent Scouting in Sport

OpenAIRE

Rogulj, Nenad; Papić, Vladan; Čavala, Marijana

2009-01-01

In this paper, for the purpose of expert system evaluation within the scientific project »Talent scouting in sport«, two methodological approaches for recognizing an athlete’s morphological compatibility for various sports has been presented, evaluated and compared. First approach is based on the fuzzy logic and expert opinion about compatibility of proposed hypothetical morphological models for 14 different sports which are part of the expert system. Second approach is based on determining t...

Phylogenetic relationship of asam gelugur (Garcinia atroviridis Griff. ex T. Anders) based on morphological characters in Langkat and Serdang Berdagai, Sumatera Utara

Science.gov (United States)

Bayu, E. S.; Lestami, A.; Kardhinata, E. H.; Rosemary

2018-02-01

Garcinia atroviridis plant is a commodity that has the potential to become an export commodity in Sumatera Utara. Characterization is an activity in germplasm to determine the morphological properties that can be utilized in differentiating between accessions and assessing the magnitude of genetic diversity. The magnitude of genetic diversity based on morphological properties can support breeding programs. The research was conducted in several areas of G. atroviridis plant, i.e. Gebang, Bahorok, Padang Tualang, Pegajahan, Sei Rampah, Pantai Cermin, and Perbaungan sub-districts in September 2016 with direct observation method. The aim of this research is to explore and characterization between G. atroviridis plant in Langkat and Serdang Berdagai. Parameters morphology characters were observed based on IPGRI, and observation data were analyzed by using SPSS version 21 to obtain the dendogram. The dendogram results showed that there are four groups of kinship relationships on the scale of the spacing (euclidean distance scale) 17. The lowest unequal value (closest kinship) in accessions G3(Bahorok) and G7(Sei Rampah) is 16.328 while the highest value of inequality (farthest kinship) in G5( Padang Tualang) and G6 (Pegajahan) is equal to 54.187. It needs the conservation of G. atroviridis although must be done next observation.

Morphology-Controlled Synthesis of Organometal Halide Perovskite Inverse Opals.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Kun; Tüysüz, Harun

2015-11-09

The booming development of organometal halide perovskites in recent years has prompted the exploration of morphology-control strategies to improve their performance in photovoltaic, photonic, and optoelectronic applications. However, the preparation of organometal halide perovskites with high hierarchical architecture is still highly challenging and a general morphology-control method for various organometal halide perovskites has not been achieved. A mild and scalable method to prepare organometal halide perovskites in inverse opal morphology is presented that uses a polystyrene-based artificial opal as hard template. Our method is flexible and compatible with different halides and organic ammonium compositions. Thus, the perovskite inverse opal maintains the advantage of straightforward structure and band gap engineering. Furthermore, optoelectronic investigations reveal that morphology exerted influence on the conducting nature of organometal halide perovskites. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Diversity and population structure of a dominant deciduous tree based on morphological and genetic data

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Qin-di; Jia, Rui-Zhi; Meng, Chao; Ti, Chao-Wen; Wang, Yi-Ling

2015-01-01

Knowledge of the genetic diversity and structure of tree species across their geographic ranges is essential for sustainable use and management of forest ecosystems. Acer grosseri Pax., an economically and ecologically important maple species, is mainly distributed in North China. In this study, the genetic diversity and population differentiation of 24 natural populations of this species were evaluated using sequence-related amplified polymorphism markers and morphological characters. The results show that highly significant differences occurred in 32 morphological traits. The coefficient of variation of 34 characters was 18.19 %. Principal component analysis indicated that 18 of 34 traits explained 60.20 % of the total variance. The phenotypic differentiation coefficient (VST) was 36.06 % for all morphological traits. The Shannon–Wiener index of 34 morphological characters was 6.09, while at the population level, it was 1.77. The percentage of polymorphic bands of all studied A. grosseri populations was 82.14 %. Nei's gene diversity (He) and Shannon's information index (I) were 0.35 and 0.50, respectively. Less genetic differentiation was detected among the natural populations (GST = 0.20, ΦST = 0.10). Twenty-four populations of A. grosseri formed two main clusters, which is consistent with morphological cluster analysis. Principal coordinates analysis and STRUCTURE analysis supported the UPGMA-cluster dendrogram. There was no significant correlation between genetic and geographical distances among populations. Both molecular and morphological data suggested that A. grosseri is rich in genetic diversity. The high level of genetic variation within populations could be affected by the biological characters, mating system and lifespan of A. grosseri, whereas the lower genetic diversity among populations could be caused by effective gene exchange, selective pressure from environmental heterogeneity and the species' geographical range. PMID:26311734

Systematics of Spiny Predatory Katydids (Tettigoniidae: Listroscelidinae) from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest Based on Morphology and Molecular Data

Science.gov (United States)

Fialho, Verônica Saraiva; Chamorro-Rengifo, Juliana; Lopes-Andrade, Cristiano; Yotoko, Karla Suemy Clemente

2014-01-01

Listroscelidinae (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) are insectivorous Pantropical katydids whose taxonomy presents a long history of controversy, with several genera incertae sedis. This work focused on species occurring in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, one of the world's most threatened biomes. We examined material deposited in scientific collections and visited 15 conservation units from Rio de Janeiro to southern Bahia between November 2011 and January 2012, catching 104 specimens from 10 conservation units. Based on morphological and molecular data we redefined Listroscelidini, adding a new tribe, new genus and eight new species to the subfamily. Using morphological analysis, we redescribed and added new geographic records for six species, synonymized two species and built a provisional identification key for the Atlantic Forest Listroscelidinae. Molecular results suggest two new species and a new genus to be described, possibly by the fission of the genus Hamayulus. We also proposed a 500 bp region in the final portion of the COI to be used as a molecular barcode. Our data suggest that the Atlantic Forest Listroscelidinae are seriously endangered, because they occur in highly preserved forest remnants, show high rates of endemism and have a narrow geographic distribution. Based on our results, we suggest future collection efforts must take into account the molecular barcode data to accelerate species recognition. PMID:25118712

Morphological images analysis and chromosomic aberrations classification based on fuzzy logic

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Souza, Leonardo Peres

2011-01-01

This work has implemented a methodology for automation of images analysis of chromosomes of human cells irradiated at IEA-R1 nuclear reactor (located at IPEN, Sao Paulo, Brazil), and therefore subject to morphological aberrations. This methodology intends to be a tool for helping cytogeneticists on identification, characterization and classification of chromosomal metaphasic analysis. The methodology development has included the creation of a software application based on artificial intelligence techniques using Fuzzy Logic combined with image processing techniques. The developed application was named CHRIMAN and is composed of modules that contain the methodological steps which are important requirements in order to achieve an automated analysis. The first step is the standardization of the bi-dimensional digital image acquisition procedure through coupling a simple digital camera to the ocular of the conventional metaphasic analysis microscope. Second step is related to the image treatment achieved through digital filters application; storing and organization of information obtained both from image content itself, and from selected extracted features, for further use on pattern recognition algorithms. The third step consists on characterizing, counting and classification of stored digital images and extracted features information. The accuracy in the recognition of chromosome images is 93.9%. This classification is based on classical standards obtained at Buckton [1973], and enables support to geneticist on chromosomic analysis procedure, decreasing analysis time, and creating conditions to include this method on a broader evaluation system on human cell damage due to ionizing radiation exposure. (author)

System-morphological approach: Another look at morphology research and geomorphological mapping

Science.gov (United States)

Lastochkin, Alexander N.; Zhirov, Andrey I.; Boltramovich, Sergei F.

2018-02-01

A large number of studies require a clear and unambiguous morphological basis. For over thirty years, Russian scientists have been applying a system-morphological approach for the Arctic and Antarctic research, ocean floor investigation, for various infrastructure construction projects (oil and gas, sports, etc.), in landscape and environmental studies. This article is a review aimed to introduce this methodological approach to the international scientific community. The details of the methods and techniques can be found in a series of earlier papers published in the Russian language in 1987-2016. The proposed system-morphological approach includes: 1) partitioning of the Earth surface, i.e. precise identification of linear, point, and areal elements of topography considered as a two-dimensional surface without any geological substance; 2) further identification of larger formations: geomorphological systems and regions; 3) analysis of structural relations and symmetry of topography; and 4) various dynamic (litho- and glaciodynamic, tectonic, etc.) interpretations of the observed morphology. This method can be used to study the morphology of the surface topography as well as less accessible interfaces such as submarine and subglacial ones.

A new earthworm species within a controversial genus: Eiseniona gerardoi sp. n. (Annelida, Lumbricidae - description based on morphological and molecular data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dario Diaz Cosin

2014-04-01

Full Text Available The morphological and anatomical simplicity of soil dwelling animals, such as earthworms, has limited the establishment of a robust taxonomy making it sometimes subjective to authors’ criteria. Within this context, integrative approaches including molecular information are becoming more popular to solve the phylogenetic positioning of conflictive taxa. Here we present the description of a new lumbricid species from the region of Extremadura (Spain, Eiseniona gerardoi sp. n. The assignment to this genus is based on both a morphological and a phylogenetic study. The validity of the genus Eiseniona, one of the most controversial within Lumbricidae, is discussed. A synopsis of the differences between the type species and the west-European members of the genus is provided.

Morphological and molecular characterization of L-methioninase ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Six species of L-methioninase producing Aspergillus species, isolated from Egyptian soil, were selected for comprehensive morphotypic and molecular characterization. Based on morphological and physiological features, these isolates were identified as Aspergillus flavipes, Aspergillus carneus, Aspergillus flavus, ...

High impact polystyrene (HIPS). Predicting its molecular, morphological and mechanical properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luciani, C; Estenoz, D; Morales, G; Meira, G

2004-01-01

A mathematical model that is able to predict the molecular and morphological structure of high impact polystyrene (HIPS) and the Fluidity Index (MFI) is presented. The model is divided into two parts: a) the estimation of the material's molecular and morphological properties, simulating the polymerization process in discontinuous mass based on the recipe and the conditions of synthesis; and b) the prediction of rheological variables (viscosity at low deformation speeds and relaxation time), and of the MFI, based on average molecular and morphological variables. The model also combines with empirical correlations proposed in the literature [1] in order to estimate impact strength (IS). The predictions for a), b) and impact strength were co-validated by independent data and resulted in a good fit (CW)

Anatomical variants of lister's tubercle; A new morphological classification based on magnetic resonance imaging

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chan, Wan Ying; Chong, Le Roy [Dept. of Radiology, Changi General Hospital, Singapore (Singapore)

2017-11-15

Lister's tubercle is used as a standard anatomical landmark in hand surgery and arthroscopy procedures. In this study, we aimed to evaluate and propose a classification for anatomical variants of Lister's tubercle. Between September 2011 and July 2014, 360 MRI examinations for wrists performed using 1.5T scanners in a single institution were retrospectively evaluated. The prevalence of anatomical variants of Lister's tubercle based on the heights and morphology of its radial and ulnar peaks was assessed. These were classified into three distinct types: radial peak larger than ulnar peak (Type 1), similar radial and ulnar peaks (Type 2) and ulnar peak larger than radial peak (Type 3). Each type was further divided into 2 subtypes (A and B) based on the morphology of the peaks. The proportions of Type 1, Type 2, and Type 3 variants in the study population were 69.2, 21.4, and 9.5%, respectively. For the subtypes, the Type 1A variant was the most common (41.4%) and conformed to the classical appearance of Lister's tubercle; whereas, Type 3A and 3B variants were rare configurations (6.4% and 3.1%, respectively) wherein the extensor pollicis longus tendon coursed along the radial aspect of Lister's tubercle. Anatomical variations of Lister's tubercle have potential clinical implications for certain pathological conditions and pre-procedural planning. The proposed classification system facilitates a better understanding of these anatomical variations and easier identification of at-risk and rare variants.

Influence of the thermal history of a particle during atomization on the morphology of carbides in a hypereutectic iron based alloy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kusý, M.; Behúlová, M.; Grgač, P.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Identification of solidification microstructures in RS powder from iron based alloy. ► Microstructures affected and nonaffected during the post-recalescence period. ► Thermokinetic newtonian model of rapid solidification of a droplet in gas atomization. ► Droplet thermal history and conditions for the microstructure development. ► Parameters influencing development of different solidification microstructures. - Abstract: Basic principles and consequences of the rapid solidification processing of melts have been successfully exploited in several progressive technologies of material production. In the paper, the solidification microstructures developed in the hypereutectic iron based alloy with the chemical composition of 3% C–3% Cr–12% V (wt.%) prepared by nitrogen gas atomization are presented and analysed. Several main types of solidification microstructures were identified in the rapidly solidified powder particles. According to the morphological features of carbide phases and computed thermal history of rapidly solidified particles, the microstructures were divided into two groups – microstructures morphologically non-affected during the post-recalescence period of solidification, and microstructures with morphological transitions occurring during the quasi-isothermal period of structure development. Based on the thermokinetic newtonian model of rapid solidification of a spherical droplet in the process of atomization, the thermal history of droplets with diameter from 20 μm to 400 μm rapidly solidified from different nucleation temperatures was studied. The thermo-physical conditions necessary for the development of variable microstructures in single rapidly solidified powder particles are predicted and discussed. The nucleation temperature, recalescence temperature and duration of quasi-isothermal plateau are supposed to be the most important parameters influencing the microstructure development in the rapidly solidified

Variational Level Set Method for Two-Stage Image Segmentation Based on Morphological Gradients

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zemin Ren

2014-01-01

Full Text Available We use variational level set method and transition region extraction techniques to achieve image segmentation task. The proposed scheme is done by two steps. We first develop a novel algorithm to extract transition region based on the morphological gradient. After this, we integrate the transition region into a variational level set framework and develop a novel geometric active contour model, which include an external energy based on transition region and fractional order edge indicator function. The external energy is used to drive the zero level set toward the desired image features, such as object boundaries. Due to this external energy, the proposed model allows for more flexible initialization. The fractional order edge indicator function is incorporated into the length regularization term to diminish the influence of noise. Moreover, internal energy is added into the proposed model to penalize the deviation of the level set function from a signed distance function. The results evolution of the level set function is the gradient flow that minimizes the overall energy functional. The proposed model has been applied to both synthetic and real images with promising results.

Morphology and formation mechanism of ceria nanoparticles by spray pyrolysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shih, Shao-Ju; Wu, Ying-Ying; Chen, Chin-Yi; Yu, Chin-Yang

2012-01-01

Ceria-based materials are used in industrial applications such as catalyst supports, carbon monoxide reduction catalysts, and solid oxide fuel cell electrolytes. Various applications require different morphological particles. The ceria particles with various morphologies from the precursors of cerium(III) acetate hydrate, cerium(IV) nitrate hydrate, and cerium(IV) ammonium nitrate were prepared by spray pyrolysis (SP) because SP has the potential for simple and continuous process. The precursor behaviors and the particle morphologies were characterized by thermogravimetric analysis and by transmission electron microscopy. Four main morphologies of solid spherical, hollow spherical with a single pore, hollow concave, and hollow spherical with multiple pores were observed. The experimental results suggest that the morphological formation mechanism is highly correlated with the factors of precursor solubilities, solvent evaporation rates (droplet diameters), and precursor melting temperatures. In addition, total concentrations of cerium(III) in the ceria particles from various precursors were examined using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.

Three-dimensional Magnetohydrodynamical Simulations of the Morphology of Head–Tail Radio Galaxies Based on the Magnetic Tower Jet Model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gan, Zhaoming; Yuan, Feng [Key Laboratory for Research in Galaxies and Cosmology, Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 80 Nandan Road, Shanghai 200030 (China); Li, Hui; Li, Shengtai, E-mail: zmgan@shao.ac.cn, E-mail: fyuan@shao.ac.cn, E-mail: hli@lanl.gov, E-mail: sli@lanl.gov [Theoretical Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545 (United States)

2017-04-10

The distinctive morphology of head–tail radio galaxies reveals strong interactions between the radio jets and their intra-cluster environment, the general consensus on the morphology origin of head–tail sources is that radio jets are bent by violent intra-cluster weather. We demonstrate in this paper that such strong interactions provide a great opportunity to study the jet properties and also the dynamics of the intra-cluster medium (ICM). By three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamical simulations, we analyze the detailed bending process of a magnetically dominated jet, based on the magnetic tower jet model. We use stratified atmospheres modulated by wind/shock to mimic the violent intra-cluster weather. Core sloshing is found to be inevitable during the wind-cluster core interaction, which induces significant shear motion and could finally drive ICM turbulence around the jet, making it difficult for the jet to survive. We perform a detailed comparison between the behavior of pure hydrodynamical jets and the magnetic tower jet and find that the jet-lobe morphology could not survive against the violent disruption in all of our pure hydrodynamical jet models. On the other hand, the head–tail morphology is well reproduced by using a magnetic tower jet model bent by wind, in which hydrodynamical instabilities are naturally suppressed and the jet could always keep its integrity under the protection of its internal magnetic fields. Finally, we also check the possibility for jet bending by shock only. We find that shock could not bend the jet significantly, and thus could not be expected to explain the observed long tails in head–tail radio galaxies.

Morphology and thermodynamic characteristics of selenium-containing nanostructures based on polymethacrylic acid

Science.gov (United States)

Valueva, S. V.; Borovikova, L. N.; Vylegzhanina, M. E.; Sukhanova, T. E.

2010-09-01

The morphology and thermodynamic characteristics of nanostructures formed as a result of the reduction of the selenium ion in a selenite-ascorbate redox system in water solutions of polymethacrylic acid were studied by molecular optics and atomic-force microscopy. The dependence of the morphology of the selenium-containing nanostructures on the mass selenium-to-polymer ratio (ν) in solution was determined. It was established that a large number of macromolecules (up to 4300) is adsorbed on the selenium nanoparticles, leading to the formation of nanostructures with super-high molecular mass and an almost spherical form. It was shown that the density of the nanostructures, as calculated on the basis of the experimental data on the size and molecular mass of the nanocomposite, depends substantially on the selenium concentrations in the solution. The thermodynamic state of the solutions of nanostructures is described.

Morphological and molecular characterization of Fusarium spp pathogenic to pecan tree in Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

Lazarotto, M; Milanesi, P M; Muniz, M F B; Reiniger, L R S; Beltrame, R; Harakava, R; Blume, E

2014-11-11

The occurrence of Fusarium spp associated with pecan tree (Carya illinoinensis) diseases in Brazil has been observed in recent laboratory analyses in Rio Grande do Sul State. Thus, in this study, we i) obtained Fusarium isolates from plants with disease symptoms; ii) tested the pathogenicity of these Fusarium isolates to pecan; iii) characterized and grouped Fusarium isolates that were pathogenic to the pecan tree based on morphological characteristics; iv) identified Fusarium spp to the species complex level through TEF-1α sequencing; and v) compared the identification methods used in the study. Fifteen isolates collected from the inflorescences, roots, and seeds of symptomatic plants (leaf necrosis or root rot) were used for pathogenicity tests. Morphological characterization was conducted using only pathogenic isolates, for a total of 11 isolates, based on the mycelial growth rate, sporulation, colony pigmentation, and conidial length and width variables. Pathogenic isolates were grouped based on morphological characteristics, and molecular characterization was performed by sequencing TEF-1α genes. Pathogenic isolates belonging to the Fusarium chlamydosporum species complex, Fusarium graminearum species complex, Fusarium proliferatum, and Fusarium oxysporum were identified based on the TEF-1α region. Morphological characteristics were used to effectively differentiate isolates and group the isolates according to genetic similarity, particularly conidial width, which emerged as a key morphological descriptor in this study.

Morphological variation in the cosmopolitan fish parasite Neobenedenia girellae (Capsalidae: Monogenea).

Science.gov (United States)

Brazenor, Alexander K; Saunders, Richard J; Miller, Terrence L; Hutson, Kate S

2018-02-01

Intra-species morphological variation presents a considerable problem for species identification and can result in taxonomic confusion. This is particularly pertinent for species of Neobenedenia which are harmful agents in captive fish populations and have historically been identified almost entirely based on morphological characters. This study aimed to understand how the morphology of Neobenedenia girellae varies with host fish species and the environment. Standard morphological features of genetically indistinct parasites from various host fish species were measured under controlled temperatures and salinities. An initial field-based investigation found that parasite morphology significantly differed between genetically indistinct parasites infecting various host fish species. The majority of the morphological variation observed (60%) was attributed to features that assist in parasite attachment to the host (i.e. the posterior and anterior attachment organs and their accessory hooks) which are important characters in monogenean taxonomy. We then experimentally examined the effects of the interaction between host fish species and environmental factors (temperature and salinity) on the morphology of isogenic parasites derived from a single, isolated hermaphroditic N. girellae infecting barramundi, Lates calcarifer. Experimental infection of L. calcarifer and cobia, Rachycentron canadum, under controlled laboratory conditions did not confer host-mediated phenotypic plasticity in N. girellae, suggesting that measured morphological differences could be adaptive and only occur over multiple parasite generations. Subsequent experimental infection of a single host species, L. calcarifer, at various temperatures (22, 30 and 32 °C) and salinities (35 and 40‰) showed that in the cooler environments (22 °C) N. girellae body proportions were significantly smaller compared with warmer temperatures (30 and 32 °C; P < 0.0001), whereas salinity had no effect. This

The First Organ-Based Ontology for Arthropods (Ontology of Arthropod Circulatory Systems - OArCS) and its Integration into a Novel Formalization Scheme for Morphological Descriptions.

Science.gov (United States)

Wirkner, Christian S; Göpel, Torben; Runge, Jens; Keiler, Jonas; Klussmann-Fricke, Bastian-Jesper; Huckstorf, Katarina; Scholz, Stephan; Mikó, István; J Yoder, Matthew; Richter, Stefan

2017-09-01

Morphology, the oldest discipline in the biosciences, is currently experiencing a renaissance in the field of comparative phenomics. However, morphological/phenotypic research still suffers on various levels from a lack of standards. This shortcoming, first highlighted as the "linguistic problem of morphology", concerns the usage of terminology and also the need for formalization of morphological descriptions themselves, something of paramount importance not only to the field of morphology but also when it comes to the use of phenotypic data in systematics and evolutionary biology. We therefore argue, that for morphological descriptions, the basis of all systematic and evolutionary interpretations, ontologies need to be utilized which are based exclusively on structural qualities/properties and which in no case include statements about homology and/or function. Statements about homology and function constitute interpretations on a different or higher level. Based on these "anatomy ontologies", further ontological dimensions (e.g., referring to functional properties or homology) may be exerted for a broad use in evolutionary phenomics. To this end we present the first organ-based ontology for the most species-rich animal group, the Arthropoda. Our Ontology of Arthropod Circulatory Systems (OArCS) contains a comprehensive collection of 383 terms (i.e., labels) tied to 296 concepts (i.e., definitions) collected from the literature on phenotypic aspects of circulatory organ features in arthropods. All of the concepts used in OArCS are based exclusively on structural features, and in the context of the ontology are independent of homology and functional assumptions. We cannot rule out that in some cases, terms are used which in traditional usage and previous accounts might have implied homology and/or function (e.g. heart, sternal artery). Concepts are composed of descriptive elements that are used to classify observed instances into the organizational framework of the

The influence of coastal morphology on wind dynamics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Darius Jarmalavičius

2012-05-01

Full Text Available An analysis of the dynamics of wind velocity along the Baltic coast of Lithuania is presented, based on data collected during field experiments in the summer, fall and winter of 1999–2001 and 2007–2009 at several sites (Būtingė, Šaipiai, Smiltynė, Juodkrantė, Pervalka and Nida. The locations were chosen in order to encompass a wide spectrum of beach and dune ridge morphology. The relationship between wind velocity dynamics and coastal morphology was established, based on measurements of the slope angle, height and shape of the dune crest, as well as measurements of the morphology of the area behind the foredune ridge. On the basis of a comparison of near-surface wind velocity patterns, shear velocity (U* and surface roughness length (z0 were calculated. It was determined that U* decreases from the middle of the beach towards the foredune toe, then increases towards the crest of the foredune and decreases down the lee slope. A direct correlation exists between U* and the stoss slope inclination, and the relative height of the foredune. Surface roughness length also increases from the beach towards the foredune crest.

Mechanical and Morphological Effect of Plant Based Antimicrobial Solutions on Maxillofacial Silicone Elastomer.

Science.gov (United States)

Tetteh, Sophia; Bibb, Richard J; Martin, Simon J

2018-05-30

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of plant based antimicrobial solutions specifically tea tree and Manuka oil on facial silicone elastomers. The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate the effect of disinfection with plant extract solution on mechanical properties and morphology on the silicone elastomer. Test specimens were subjected to disinfection using tea tree oil, Manuka oil and the staphylococcus epidermidis bacteria. Furthermore, a procedure duration was used in the disinfection process to simulate up to one year of usage. Over 500 test specimens were fabricated for all tests performed namely hardness, elongation, tensile, tear strength tests, visual inspection and lastly surface characterization using SEM. A repeated measures ANOVA revealed that hardness and elongation at break varied significantly over the time period, whereas this was not observed in the tear and tensile strength parameters of the test samples.

Mechanical and Morphological Effect of Plant Based Antimicrobial Solutions on Maxillofacial Silicone Elastomer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sophia Tetteh

2018-05-01

Full Text Available The objective of this study was to determine the effect of plant based antimicrobial solutions specifically tea tree and Manuka oil on facial silicone elastomers. The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate the effect of disinfection with plant extract solution on mechanical properties and morphology on the silicone elastomer. Test specimens were subjected to disinfection using tea tree oil, Manuka oil and the staphylococcus epidermidis bacteria. Furthermore, a procedure duration was used in the disinfection process to simulate up to one year of usage. Over 500 test specimens were fabricated for all tests performed namely hardness, elongation, tensile, tear strength tests, visual inspection and lastly surface characterization using SEM. A repeated measures ANOVA revealed that hardness and elongation at break varied significantly over the time period, whereas this was not observed in the tear and tensile strength parameters of the test samples.

Widespread cortical morphologic changes in juvenile myoclonic epilepsy: evidence from structural MRI.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Ronan, Lisa

2012-04-01

Atypical morphology of the surface of the cerebral cortex may be related to abnormal cortical folding (gyrification) and therefore may indicate underlying malformations of cortical development (MCDs). Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based analysis, we examined cortical morphology in patients with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME).

Impact of solvents and supercritical CO{sub 2} drying on the morphology and structure of polymer-based biofilms

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Causa, Andrea; Acierno, Domenico; Filippone, Giovanni [Dipartimento di Ingegneria Chimica, dei Materiali e della Produzione Industriale, Università di Napoli Federico II, Piazzale V. Tecchio, 80, 80125 Napoli (Italy); Salerno, Aurelio; Domingo, Concepción [Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC), Campus de la UAB, 08193 Bellaterra (Spain)

2014-05-15

In the present work, two-dimensional systems based on biodegradable polymers such as poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL), poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and polylactic acid (PLA) are fabricated by means of a sustainable approach which consists in inducing phase separation in solutions of such polymers and “green” solvents, namely ethyl lactate (EL) and ethyl acetate (EA). The extraction of the solvent is promoted by a controlled drying process, which is performed in either air or supercritical CO{sub 2}. The latter can indeed act as both an antisolvent, which favors the deposition of the polymer by forming a mixture with EL and EA, and a plasticizing agent, whose solvation and transport properties may considerably affect the microstructure and crystallinity of the polymer films. The morphological, topographical and crystalline properties of the films are tailored through a judicial selection of the materials and the processing conditions and assessed by means of thermal analyses, polarized optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and confocal interferometric microscopy. The results show that the morphological and crystalline properties of the films are strongly dependent on the choice of both the polymer/solvent system and the operating conditions during the drying step. In particular, the morphological, topographical and thermal properties of films prepared starting from highly crystalline polymers, namely PCL and PEO, are greatly affected by the crystallization of the material. Conversely, the less crystalline PLA forms almost completely amorphous films.

Neurocranial morphology and growth in Williams syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Axelsson, Stefan; Kjaer, Inger; Heiberg, Arvid; Bjørnland, Tore; Storhaug, Kari

2005-02-01

Williams syndrome (WS) is a rare congenital neurodevelopmental disorder with distinctive facial features, cardiovascular abnormalities, short stature, mental retardation, and behaviour and cognitive characteristics. The aim of this study was to describe the neurocranial morphology and growth in a group of 62 individuals with WS. The neurocranium was analysed on lateral cephalograms and comparisons were made with neurocranial standards from longitudinal data derived from the Oslo University Craniofacial Growth Archive. The size and morphology of the neurocranium in WS subjects differed from controls. Females as a group showed greater differences than males. The posterior cranial base length was shorter in both WS males and females, and the anterior cranial base length was shorter in WS females whereas it was close to normal in the WS male group. The cranial base angle was, however, not different from the control groups. A flattening was seen in the superior aspect of the parietal bone in both WS males and females. In the posterior part of the neurocranium, the prominence of the occipital bone was larger than in the control groups, which was also reflected in a larger total length of the neurocranium. The thickness of the frontal and occipital bones was considerably greater than in the control group. The deviant size and morphology of the neurocranium in WS subjects was already established in the youngest age group and maintained throughout the observation period. The growth pattern of the neurocranium in WS subjects seemed to be similar to that of the control groups, except in a few individuals.

Blind source separation based on time-frequency morphological characteristics for rigid acoustic scattering by underwater objects

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Yang; Li, Xiukun

2016-06-01

Separation of the components of rigid acoustic scattering by underwater objects is essential in obtaining the structural characteristics of such objects. To overcome the problem of rigid structures appearing to have the same spectral structure in the time domain, time-frequency Blind Source Separation (BSS) can be used in combination with image morphology to separate the rigid scattering components of different objects. Based on a highlight model, the separation of the rigid scattering structure of objects with time-frequency distribution is deduced. Using a morphological filter, different characteristics in a Wigner-Ville Distribution (WVD) observed for single auto term and cross terms can be simplified to remove any cross-term interference. By selecting time and frequency points of the auto terms signal, the accuracy of BSS can be improved. An experimental simulation has been used, with changes in the pulse width of the transmitted signal, the relative amplitude and the time delay parameter, in order to analyzing the feasibility of this new method. Simulation results show that the new method is not only able to separate rigid scattering components, but can also separate the components when elastic scattering and rigid scattering exist at the same time. Experimental results confirm that the new method can be used in separating the rigid scattering structure of underwater objects.

Influence of sub-solvus solution heat treatment on γ′ morphological instability in a new Ni–Cr–Co-based powder metallurgy superalloy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, W.P.; Liu, G.Q.; Wu, K.; Hu, B.F.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • A special γ′ morphological instability in a new Ni–Cr–Co-based P/M superalloy was studied. • Three heat treatments were applied to the alloy and microstructures were observed. • Microstructure of the alloy was homogenized by sub-solvus solution heat treatment. • Sub-solvus solution heat treatment influences morphology of γ′ fan-type structures. • Sub-solvus solution heat treatment makes γ′ fan-type structures regular and stable. -- Abstract: The influence of the sub-solvus solution heat treatment on the microstructure, especially the γ′ morphology (γ′ fan-type structure), and microhardness of a new Ni–Cr–Co-based powder metallurgy superalloy was studied by means of field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and microhardness testing. The results show that sub-solvus solution heat treatment changes the microstructure of an as-forged alloy. It makes large primary γ′ phases at grain boundaries smaller and the distribution of secondary γ′ phases in the interior of the grains more homogeneous. Moreover, the grain boundaries widen because of the supplementary precipitate. The sub-solvus solution heat treatment before the super-solvus solution heat treatment does not change nucleation sites of the γ′ fan-type structures which precipitate during the super-solvus solution heat treatment. However, it influences the morphology of γ′ fan-type structures. Length distribution of the secondary γ′ dendrites in fan-type structures changes from a bimodal to a unimodal distribution, which means the lengths of the secondary γ′ dendrites become more uniform. Applying a sub-solvus solution heat treatment after the super-solvus solution heat treatment causes the secondary γ′ dendrites to be broken off in the fan-type structures and a refinement of the γ′ phases, and this improves stability of the γ′ phases

Naphtho[2,1-b:3,4-b']dithiophene-based bulk heterojunction solar cells: how molecular structure influences nanoscale morphology and photovoltaic properties.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Yu Jin; Cheon, Ye Rim; Back, Jang Yeol; Kim, Yun-Hi; Chung, Dae Sung; Park, Chan Eon

2014-11-10

Organic bulk heterojunction photovoltaic devices based on a series of three naphtho[2,1-b:3,4-b']dithiophene (NDT) derivatives blended with phenyl-C71-butyric acid methyl ester were studied. These three derivatives, which have NDT units with various thiophene-chain lengths, were employed as the donor polymers. The influence of their molecular structures on the correlation between their solar-cell performances and their degree of crystallization was assessed. The grazing-incidence angle X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy results showed that the three derivatives exhibit three distinct nanoscale morphologies. We correlated these morphologies with the device physics by determining the J-V characteristics and the hole and electron mobilities of the devices. On the basis of our results, we propose new rules for the design of future generations of NDT-based polymers for use in bulk heterojunction solar cells. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Deciphering morphological variation in the braincase of caecilian amphibians (Gymnophiona).

Science.gov (United States)

Maddin, Hillary C

2011-07-01

High levels of morphological homoplasy have hindered progress in understanding morphological evolution within gymnophione lissamphibians. Stemming from the hypothesis that the braincase has the potential to yield phylogenetic information, the braincases of 27 species (23 genera) of gymnophione amphibians were examined using high-resolution micro-computed tomography and histologically prepared specimens. Morphology of the brain and its relationship to features of the braincase is described, and it is shown that eight different patterns exist in the distribution of foramina in the antotic region. The distribution of variants is congruent with molecule-based phylogeny. Additionally, all variants are shown to correspond directly to stages along developmental continua, suggesting that the evolutionary truncation of development in the antotic region at various stages has driven the evolution of morphology in this region. Attempts to correlate the observed morphology with proxies of putative heterochronic events (including those attributable to burrowing, life history, and size) fail to explain the distribution of morphology if each proxy is considered separately. Thus, it is concluded that either currently unrecognized causes of heterochrony or combinations thereof have influenced morphology in different lineages independently. These data identify clades whose morphology can now be reconsidered in light of previously unrecognized heterochronic events, thereby providing a foundation for future analyses of the evolution of morphology within Gymnophiona as a whole. Most significantly, these data confirm, for the first time in a lissamphibian group, that the braincase can preserve important phylogenetic information that is otherwise obscured in regions of the skull that experience strong influences from functional constraints. Copyright © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Morphological neural networks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ritter, G.X.; Sussner, P. [Univ. of Florida, Gainesville, FL (United States)

1996-12-31

The theory of artificial neural networks has been successfully applied to a wide variety of pattern recognition problems. In this theory, the first step in computing the next state of a neuron or in performing the next layer neural network computation involves the linear operation of multiplying neural values by their synaptic strengths and adding the results. Thresholding usually follows the linear operation in order to provide for nonlinearity of the network. In this paper we introduce a novel class of neural networks, called morphological neural networks, in which the operations of multiplication and addition are replaced by addition and maximum (or minimum), respectively. By taking the maximum (or minimum) of sums instead of the sum of products, morphological network computation is nonlinear before thresholding. As a consequence, the properties of morphological neural networks are drastically different than those of traditional neural network models. In this paper we consider some of these differences and provide some particular examples of morphological neural network.

Extrinsic morphology of graphene

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Teng

2011-01-01

Graphene is intrinsically non-flat and corrugates randomly. Since the corrugating physics of atomically thin graphene is strongly tied to its electronics properties, randomly corrugating morphology of graphene poses a significant challenge to its application in nanoelectronic devices for which precise (digital) control is the key. Recent studies revealed that the morphology of substrate-supported graphene is regulated by the graphene–substrate interaction, thus is distinct from the random intrinsic morphology of freestanding graphene. The regulated extrinsic morphology of graphene sheds light on new pathways to fine tune the properties of graphene. To guide further research to explore these fertile opportunities, this paper reviews recent progress on modeling and experimental studies of the extrinsic morphology of graphene under a wide range of external regulation, including two-dimensional and one-dimensional substrate surface features and one-dimensional and zero-dimensional nanoscale scaffolds (e.g. nanowires and nanoparticles)

Probing polymer nanocomposite morphology by small angle ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Polyamide nanocomposite films were prepared from nanometer-sized silica particles having particle radius of gyration (g) of about 66 Å and trimesoyl chloride--phenylene diamine-based polyamides having macromolecular units of about 100-140 Å. The nanoscale morphology of the samples was characterized using ...

3-D brain image registration using optimal morphological processing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Loncaric, S.; Dhawan, A.P.

1994-01-01

The three-dimensional (3-D) registration of Magnetic Resonance (MR) and Positron Emission Tomographic (PET) images of the brain is important for analysis of the human brain and its diseases. A procedure for optimization of (3-D) morphological structuring elements, based on a genetic algorithm, is presented in the paper. The registration of the MR and PET images is done by means of a registration procedure in two major phases. In the first phase, the Iterative Principal Axis Transform (IPAR) is used for initial registration. In the second phase, the optimal shape description method based on the Morphological Signature Transform (MST) is used for final registration. The morphological processing is used to improve the accuracy of the basic IPAR method. The brain ventricle is used as a landmark for MST registration. A near-optimal structuring element obtained by means of a genetic algorithm is used in MST to describe the shape of the ventricle. The method has been tested on the set of brain images demonstrating the feasibility of approach. (author). 11 refs., 3 figs

Diatom species abundance and morphologically-based dissolution proxies in coastal Southern Ocean assemblages

Science.gov (United States)

Warnock, Jonathan P.; Scherer, Reed P.

2015-07-01

Taphonomic processes alter diatom assemblages in sediments, thus potentially negatively impacting paleoclimate records at various rates across space, time, and taxa. However, quantitative taphonomic data is rarely included in diatom-based paleoenvironmental reconstructions and no objective standard exists for comparing diatom dissolution in sediments recovered from marine depositional settings, including the Southern Ocean's opal belt. Furthermore, identifying changes to diatom dissolution through time can provide insight into the efficiency of both upper water column nutrient recycling and the biological pump. This is significant in that reactive metal proxies (e.g. Al, Ti) in the sediments only account for post-depositional dissolution, not the water column where the majority of dissolution occurs. In order to assess the range of variability of responses to dissolution in a typical Southern Ocean diatom community and provide a quantitative guideline for assessing taphonomic variability in diatoms recovered from core material, a sediment trap sample was subjected to controlled, serial dissolution. By evaluating dissolution-induced changes to diatom species' relative abundance, three preservational categories of diatoms have been identified: gracile, intermediate, and robust. The relative abundances of these categories can be used to establish a preservation grade for diatom assemblages. However, changes to the relative abundances of diatom species in sediment samples may reflect taphonomic or ecological factors. In order to address this complication, relative abundance changes have been tied to dissolution-induced morphological change to the areolae of Fragilariopsis curta, a significant sea-ice indicator in Southern Ocean sediments. This correlation allows differentiation between gracile species loss to dissolution versus ecological factors or sediment winnowing. These results mirror a similar morphological dissolution index from a parallel study utilizing

Improved progressive morphological filter for digital terrain model generation from airborne lidar data.

Science.gov (United States)

Hui, Zhenyang; Wu, Beiping; Hu, Youjian; Ziggah, Yao Yevenyo

2017-12-01

Obtaining high-precision filtering results from airborne lidar point clouds in complex environments has always been a hot topic. Mathematical morphology was widely used for filtering, owing to its simplicity and high efficiency. However, the morphology-based algorithms are deficient in preserving terrain details. In order to obtain a better filtering effect, this paper proposed an improved progressive morphological filter based on hierarchical radial basis function interpolation (PMHR) to refine the classical progressive morphological filter. PMHR involved two main improvements, namely, automatic setting of self-adaptive thresholds and terrain details preservation, respectively. The performance of PMHR was evaluated using datasets provided by the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Experimental results show that PMHR achieved good performance under variant terrain features with an average total error of 4.27% and average Kappa coefficient of 84.57%.

A reservoir morphology database for the conterminous United States

Science.gov (United States)

Rodgers, Kirk D.

2017-09-13

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Reservoir Fisheries Habitat Partnership, combined multiple national databases to create one comprehensive national reservoir database and to calculate new morphological metrics for 3,828 reservoirs. These new metrics include, but are not limited to, shoreline development index, index of basin permanence, development of volume, and other descriptive metrics based on established morphometric formulas. The new database also contains modeled chemical and physical metrics. Because of the nature of the existing databases used to compile the Reservoir Morphology Database and the inherent missing data, some metrics were not populated. One comprehensive database will assist water-resource managers in their understanding of local reservoir morphology and water chemistry characteristics throughout the continental United States.

BlastNeuron for Automated Comparison, Retrieval and Clustering of 3D Neuron Morphologies.

Science.gov (United States)

Wan, Yinan; Long, Fuhui; Qu, Lei; Xiao, Hang; Hawrylycz, Michael; Myers, Eugene W; Peng, Hanchuan

2015-10-01

Characterizing the identity and types of neurons in the brain, as well as their associated function, requires a means of quantifying and comparing 3D neuron morphology. Presently, neuron comparison methods are based on statistics from neuronal morphology such as size and number of branches, which are not fully suitable for detecting local similarities and differences in the detailed structure. We developed BlastNeuron to compare neurons in terms of their global appearance, detailed arborization patterns, and topological similarity. BlastNeuron first compares and clusters 3D neuron reconstructions based on global morphology features and moment invariants, independent of their orientations, sizes, level of reconstruction and other variations. Subsequently, BlastNeuron performs local alignment between any pair of retrieved neurons via a tree-topology driven dynamic programming method. A 3D correspondence map can thus be generated at the resolution of single reconstruction nodes. We applied BlastNeuron to three datasets: (1) 10,000+ neuron reconstructions from a public morphology database, (2) 681 newly and manually reconstructed neurons, and (3) neurons reconstructions produced using several independent reconstruction methods. Our approach was able to accurately and efficiently retrieve morphologically and functionally similar neuron structures from large morphology database, identify the local common structures, and find clusters of neurons that share similarities in both morphology and molecular profiles.

Main Road Extraction from ZY-3 Grayscale Imagery Based on Directional Mathematical Morphology and VGI Prior Knowledge in Urban Areas.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Bo; Wu, Huayi; Wang, Yandong; Liu, Wenming

2015-01-01

Main road features extracted from remotely sensed imagery play an important role in many civilian and military applications, such as updating Geographic Information System (GIS) databases, urban structure analysis, spatial data matching and road navigation. Current methods for road feature extraction from high-resolution imagery are typically based on threshold value segmentation. It is difficult however, to completely separate road features from the background. We present a new method for extracting main roads from high-resolution grayscale imagery based on directional mathematical morphology and prior knowledge obtained from the Volunteered Geographic Information found in the OpenStreetMap. The two salient steps in this strategy are: (1) using directional mathematical morphology to enhance the contrast between roads and non-roads; (2) using OpenStreetMap roads as prior knowledge to segment the remotely sensed imagery. Experiments were conducted on two ZiYuan-3 images and one QuickBird high-resolution grayscale image to compare our proposed method to other commonly used techniques for road feature extraction. The results demonstrated the validity and better performance of the proposed method for urban main road feature extraction.

Main Road Extraction from ZY-3 Grayscale Imagery Based on Directional Mathematical Morphology and VGI Prior Knowledge in Urban Areas.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bo Liu

Full Text Available Main road features extracted from remotely sensed imagery play an important role in many civilian and military applications, such as updating Geographic Information System (GIS databases, urban structure analysis, spatial data matching and road navigation. Current methods for road feature extraction from high-resolution imagery are typically based on threshold value segmentation. It is difficult however, to completely separate road features from the background. We present a new method for extracting main roads from high-resolution grayscale imagery based on directional mathematical morphology and prior knowledge obtained from the Volunteered Geographic Information found in the OpenStreetMap. The two salient steps in this strategy are: (1 using directional mathematical morphology to enhance the contrast between roads and non-roads; (2 using OpenStreetMap roads as prior knowledge to segment the remotely sensed imagery. Experiments were conducted on two ZiYuan-3 images and one QuickBird high-resolution grayscale image to compare our proposed method to other commonly used techniques for road feature extraction. The results demonstrated the validity and better performance of the proposed method for urban main road feature extraction.

Main Road Extraction from ZY-3 Grayscale Imagery Based on Directional Mathematical Morphology and VGI Prior Knowledge in Urban Areas

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Bo; Wu, Huayi; Wang, Yandong; Liu, Wenming

2015-01-01

Main road features extracted from remotely sensed imagery play an important role in many civilian and military applications, such as updating Geographic Information System (GIS) databases, urban structure analysis, spatial data matching and road navigation. Current methods for road feature extraction from high-resolution imagery are typically based on threshold value segmentation. It is difficult however, to completely separate road features from the background. We present a new method for extracting main roads from high-resolution grayscale imagery based on directional mathematical morphology and prior knowledge obtained from the Volunteered Geographic Information found in the OpenStreetMap. The two salient steps in this strategy are: (1) using directional mathematical morphology to enhance the contrast between roads and non-roads; (2) using OpenStreetMap roads as prior knowledge to segment the remotely sensed imagery. Experiments were conducted on two ZiYuan-3 images and one QuickBird high-resolution grayscale image to compare our proposed method to other commonly used techniques for road feature extraction. The results demonstrated the validity and better performance of the proposed method for urban main road feature extraction. PMID:26397832

A Freely Available Wide Coverage Morphological Analyzer for English

OpenAIRE

Karp, Daniel; Schabes, Yves; Zaidel, Martin; Egedi, Dania

1994-01-01

This paper presents a morphological lexicon for English that handles more than 317000 inflected forms derived from over 90000 stems. The lexicon is available in two formats. The first can be used by an implementation of a two-level processor for morphological analysis. The second, derived from the first one for efficiency reasons, consists of a disk-based database using a UNIX hash table facility. We also built an X Window tool to facilitate the maintenance and browsing of the lexicon. The pa...

A simple fracture energy prediction method for fiber network based on its morphological features extracted by X-ray tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang, Xiang; Wang, Qinghui; Zhou, Wei; Li, Jingrong

2013-01-01

The fracture behavior of a novel porous metal fiber sintered sheet (PMFSS) was predicted using a semi-empirical method combining the knowledge of its morphological characteristics and micro-mechanical responses. The morphological characteristics were systematically summarized based on the analysis of the topologically identical skeleton representation extracted from the X-ray tomography images. The analytical model firstly proposed by Tan et al. [1] was further modified according to the experimental observations from both tensile tests of single fibers and sintered fiber sheets, which built the coupling of single fiber segment and fiber network in terms of fracture energy using a simple prediction method. The efficacy of the prediction model was verified by comparing the predicted results to the experimental measurements. The prediction error that arose at high porosity was analyzed through fiber orientation distribution. Moreover, the tensile fracture process evolving from single fiber segments at micro-scale to the global mechanical performance was investigated

Morphological appearance manifolds for group-wise morphometric analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Lian, Nai-Xiang; Davatzikos, Christos

2011-12-01

Computational anatomy quantifies anatomical shape based on diffeomorphic transformations of a template. However, different templates warping algorithms, regularization parameters, or templates, lead to different representations of the same exact anatomy, raising a uniqueness issue: variations of these parameters are confounding factors as they give rise to non-unique representations. Recently, it has been shown that learning the equivalence class derived from the multitude of representations of a given anatomy can lead to improved and more stable morphological descriptors. Herein, we follow that approach, by approximating this equivalence class of morphological descriptors by a (nonlinear) morphological appearance manifold fitting to the data via a locally linear model. Our approach parallels work in the computer vision field, in which variations lighting, pose and other parameters lead to image appearance manifolds representing the exact same figure in different ways. The proposed framework is then used for group-wise registration and statistical analysis of biomedical images, by employing a minimum variance criterion to perform manifold-constrained optimization, i.e. to traverse each individual's morphological appearance manifold until group variance is minimal. The hypothesis is that this process is likely to reduce aforementioned confounding effects and potentially lead to morphological representations reflecting purely biological variations, instead of variations introduced by modeling assumptions and parameter settings. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Electrocardiogram ST-Segment Morphology Delineation Method Using Orthogonal Transformations.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miha Amon

Full Text Available Differentiation between ischaemic and non-ischaemic transient ST segment events of long term ambulatory electrocardiograms is a persisting weakness in present ischaemia detection systems. Traditional ST segment level measuring is not a sufficiently precise technique due to the single point of measurement and severe noise which is often present. We developed a robust noise resistant orthogonal-transformation based delineation method, which allows tracing the shape of transient ST segment morphology changes from the entire ST segment in terms of diagnostic and morphologic feature-vector time series, and also allows further analysis. For these purposes, we developed a new Legendre Polynomials based Transformation (LPT of ST segment. Its basis functions have similar shapes to typical transient changes of ST segment morphology categories during myocardial ischaemia (level, slope and scooping, thus providing direct insight into the types of time domain morphology changes through the LPT feature-vector space. We also generated new Karhunen and Lo ève Transformation (KLT ST segment basis functions using a robust covariance matrix constructed from the ST segment pattern vectors derived from the Long Term ST Database (LTST DB. As for the delineation of significant transient ischaemic and non-ischaemic ST segment episodes, we present a study on the representation of transient ST segment morphology categories, and an evaluation study on the classification power of the KLT- and LPT-based feature vectors to classify between ischaemic and non-ischaemic ST segment episodes of the LTST DB. Classification accuracy using the KLT and LPT feature vectors was 90% and 82%, respectively, when using the k-Nearest Neighbors (k = 3 classifier and 10-fold cross-validation. New sets of feature-vector time series for both transformations were derived for the records of the LTST DB which is freely available on the PhysioNet website and were contributed to the LTST DB. The

Evidence for Morphological Recomposition in Compound Words using MEG

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Teon Lamont Brooks

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Psycholinguistic and electrophysiological studies of lexical processing show convergent evidence for morpheme-based lexical access for morphologically complex words that involves early decomposition into their constituent morphemes followed by some combinatorial operation. Considering that both semantically transparent (e.g., sailboat and semantically opaque (e.g., bootleg compounds undergo morphological decomposition during the earlier stages of lexical processing, subsequent combinatorial operations should account for the difference in the contribution of the constituent morphemes to the meaning of these different word types. In this study we use magnetoencephalography (MEG to pinpoint the neural bases of this combinatorial stage in English compound word recognition. MEG data were acquired while participants performed a word naming task in which three word types, transparent compounds (e.g., roadside, opaque compounds (e.g., butterfly, and morphologically simple words (e.g., brothel were contrasted in a partial-repetition priming paradigm where the word of interest was primed by one of its constituent morphemes. Analysis of onset latency revealed shorter latencies to name compound words than simplex words when primed, further supporting a stage of morphological decomposition in lexical access. An analysis of the associated MEG activity uncovered a region of interest implicated in morphological composition, the Left Anterior Temporal Lobe (LATL. Only transparent compounds showed increased activity in this area from 250 to 470 ms. Previous studies using sentences and phrases have highlighted the role of LATL in performing computations for basic combinatorial operations. Results are in tune with decomposition models for morpheme accessibility early in processing and suggest that semantics play a role in combining the meanings of morphemes when their composition is transparent to the overall word meaning.

Fast morphological attribute operations using Tarjan's union-find algorithm

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wilkinson, Michael H.F.; Roerdink, Jos B.T.M.; Goutsias, J; Vincent, L; Bloomberg, DS

2000-01-01

Morphological attribute openings and closings and related operators are generalizations of the area opening and closing, and allow filtering of images based on a wide variety of shape or size based criteria. A fast union-find algorithm for the computation of these operators is presented in this

Genetic variability of a Brazilian Capsicum frutescens germplasm collection using morphological characteristics and SSR markers.

Science.gov (United States)

Carvalho, S I C; Bianchetti, L B; Ragassi, C F; Ribeiro, C S C; Reifschneider, F J B; Buso, G S C; Faleiro, F G

2017-07-06

Characterization studies provide essential information for the conservation and use of germplasm in plant breeding programs. In this study, 103 Capsicum frutescens L. accessions from the Active Germplasm Bank of Embrapa Hortaliças, representative of all five Brazilian geographic regions, were characterized based on morphological characteristics and microsatellite (or simple sequence repeat - SSR) molecular markers. Morphological characterization was carried out using 57 descriptors, and molecular characterization was based on 239 alleles from 24 microsatellite loci. From the estimates of genetic distances among accessions, based on molecular characterization, a cluster analysis was carried out, and a dendrogram was established. Correlations between morphological and molecular variables were also estimated. Twelve morphological descriptors were monomorphic for the set of C. frutescens accessions, and those with the highest degree of polymorphism were stem length (14.0 to 62.0 cm), stem diameter (1.0 to 4.2 cm), days to flowering (90 to 129), days to fruiting (100 to 140), fruit weight (0.1 to 1.4 g), fruit length (0.6 to 4.6 cm), and fruit wall thickness (0.25 to 1.5 mm). The polymorphism information content for the SSR loci varied from 0.36 (EPMS 417) to 0.75 (CA49), with an overall mean of 0.57. The correlation value between morphological and molecular characterization data was 0.6604, which was statistically significant. Fourteen accessions were described as belonging to the morphological type tabasco, 85 were described as malagueta, and four were malaguetinha, a morphological type confirmed in this study. The typical morphological pattern of malagueta was described. Six similarity groups were established for C. frutescens based on the dendrogram and are discussed individually. The genetic variability analyzed in the study highlights the importance of characterizing genetic resources available for the development of new C. frutescens cultivars with the potential

Modelling the morphology of migrating bacterial colonies

Science.gov (United States)

Nishiyama, A.; Tokihiro, T.; Badoual, M.; Grammaticos, B.

2010-08-01

We present a model which aims at describing the morphology of colonies of Proteus mirabilis and Bacillus subtilis. Our model is based on a cellular automaton which is obtained by the adequate discretisation of a diffusion-like equation, describing the migration of the bacteria, to which we have added rules simulating the consolidation process. Our basic assumption, following the findings of the group of Chuo University, is that the migration and consolidation processes are controlled by the local density of the bacteria. We show that it is possible within our model to reproduce the morphological diagrams of both bacteria species. Moreover, we model some detailed experiments done by the Chuo University group, obtaining a fine agreement.

Midbrain morphology reflects extent of brain damage in Krabbe disease

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zuccoli, Giulio; Narayanan, Srikala; Panigrahy, Ashok; Poe, Michele D.; Escolar, Maria L.

2015-01-01

To study the relationships between midbrain morphology, Loes score, gross motor function, and cognitive function in infantile Krabbe disease. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were evaluated by two neuroradiologists blinded to clinical status and neurodevelopmental function of children with early or late infantile Krabbe disease. A simplified qualitative 3-point scoring system based on midbrain morphology on midsagittal MRI was used. A score of 0 represented normal convex morphology of the midbrain, a score of 1 represented flattening of the midbrain, and a score of 3 represented concave morphology of the midbrain (hummingbird sign). Spearman correlations were estimated between this simplified MRI scoring system and the Loes score, gross motor score, and cognitive score. Forty-two MRIs of 27 subjects were reviewed. Analysis of the 42 scans showed normal midbrain morphology in 3 (7.1 %) scans, midbrain flattening in 11 (26.2 %) scans, and concave midbrain morphology (hummingbird sign) in 28 (66.7 %) scans. Midbrain morphology scores were positively correlated with the Loes score (r = 0.81, p < 0.001) and negatively correlated with both gross motor and cognitive scores (r = -.84, p < 0.001; r = -0.87, p < 0.001, respectively). The inter-rater reliability for the midbrain morphology scale was κ =.95 (95 % CI: 0.86-1.0), and the inter-rater reliability for the Loes scale was κ =.58 (95 % CI: 0.42-0.73). Midbrain morphology scores of midsagittal MRI images correlates with cognition and gross motor function in children with Krabbe disease. This MRI scoring system represents a simple but reliable method to assess disease progression in patients with infantile Krabbe disease. (orig.)

Midbrain morphology reflects extent of brain damage in Krabbe disease

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zuccoli, Giulio; Narayanan, Srikala; Panigrahy, Ashok [Children' s Hospital of Pittsburgh of University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Section of Neuroradiology, Pittsburgh, PA (United States); Poe, Michele D.; Escolar, Maria L. [University of Pittsburgh, Program for the Study of Neurodevelopment in Rare Disorders, Children' s Hospital of Pittsburgh of University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA (United States)

2015-07-15

To study the relationships between midbrain morphology, Loes score, gross motor function, and cognitive function in infantile Krabbe disease. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were evaluated by two neuroradiologists blinded to clinical status and neurodevelopmental function of children with early or late infantile Krabbe disease. A simplified qualitative 3-point scoring system based on midbrain morphology on midsagittal MRI was used. A score of 0 represented normal convex morphology of the midbrain, a score of 1 represented flattening of the midbrain, and a score of 3 represented concave morphology of the midbrain (hummingbird sign). Spearman correlations were estimated between this simplified MRI scoring system and the Loes score, gross motor score, and cognitive score. Forty-two MRIs of 27 subjects were reviewed. Analysis of the 42 scans showed normal midbrain morphology in 3 (7.1 %) scans, midbrain flattening in 11 (26.2 %) scans, and concave midbrain morphology (hummingbird sign) in 28 (66.7 %) scans. Midbrain morphology scores were positively correlated with the Loes score (r = 0.81, p < 0.001) and negatively correlated with both gross motor and cognitive scores (r = -.84, p < 0.001; r = -0.87, p < 0.001, respectively). The inter-rater reliability for the midbrain morphology scale was κ =.95 (95 % CI: 0.86-1.0), and the inter-rater reliability for the Loes scale was κ =.58 (95 % CI: 0.42-0.73). Midbrain morphology scores of midsagittal MRI images correlates with cognition and gross motor function in children with Krabbe disease. This MRI scoring system represents a simple but reliable method to assess disease progression in patients with infantile Krabbe disease. (orig.)

External marker-based fusion of functional and morphological images

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kremp, S.; Schaefer, A.; Alexander, C.; Kirsch, C.M.

1999-01-01

The fusion of image data resulting from methods oriented toward morphology like CT, MRI with functional information coming from nuclear medicine (SPECT, PET) is frequently applied to allow for a better association between functional findings and anatomical structures. A new software was developed to provide image fusion using PET, SPECT, MRI and CT data within a short processing periode for brain as well as whole body examinations in particular thorax and abdomen. The software utilizes external markers (brain) or anatomical landmarks (thorax) for correlation. The fusion requires a periode of approx. 15 min. The examples shown emphasize the high gain in diagnostic information by fusing image data of anatomical and functional methods. (orig.) [de

Automatic detection of optic disc based on PCA and mathematical morphology.

Science.gov (United States)

Morales, Sandra; Naranjo, Valery; Angulo, Us; Alcaniz, Mariano

2013-04-01

The algorithm proposed in this paper allows to automatically segment the optic disc from a fundus image. The goal is to facilitate the early detection of certain pathologies and to fully automate the process so as to avoid specialist intervention. The method proposed for the extraction of the optic disc contour is mainly based on mathematical morphology along with principal component analysis (PCA). It makes use of different operations such as generalized distance function (GDF), a variant of the watershed transformation, the stochastic watershed, and geodesic transformations. The input of the segmentation method is obtained through PCA. The purpose of using PCA is to achieve the grey-scale image that better represents the original RGB image. The implemented algorithm has been validated on five public databases obtaining promising results. The average values obtained (a Jaccard's and Dice's coefficients of 0.8200 and 0.8932, respectively, an accuracy of 0.9947, and a true positive and false positive fractions of 0.9275 and 0.0036) demonstrate that this method is a robust tool for the automatic segmentation of the optic disc. Moreover, it is fairly reliable since it works properly on databases with a large degree of variability and improves the results of other state-of-the-art methods.

Genetic diversity of Iranian rice germplasm based on morphological traits

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

nade ali bagheri

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Study of genetic diversity of rice is very important for rice breeders. In this study 64 genotypes for 14 agronomic traits were evaluated. Phenotypic variation coefficients of some of traits were high which showed essential variation in this traits. Principal component analysis detected 6 components which explained 74.66 percent of the total variations. The first component was related to generative traits such as number of spiklet per panicle, number of full grain per panicle, date of 50% flowering and length of panicle. In the third component, the date of complete maturity with -0.730 has negative effects on yield. Correlation analysis of morphological traits indicated a negative and significant relationship between early maturity and plant height, which showed early maturity cultivars had higher plant type. Results of stepwise regression analysis for early maturity, indicated that three traits such as date of 50% flowering, number of full grain per panicle and plant height showed higher variation and explained 54.3 percent of total early maturity variations. All traits were classified into 2 groups, by cluster analysis and traits belonged to early maturity classified as a sub-group. Genotypes were classified into 4 groups by using method of Ward,s minimum variance and squared Euclidean distance. Native cultivars from the view point of early maturity and yield components had useful information for rice breeding. Key words: Genetic diversity, rice, morphological traits.

Mapping spatial patterns with morphological image processing

Science.gov (United States)

Peter Vogt; Kurt H. Riitters; Christine Estreguil; Jacek Kozak; Timothy G. Wade; James D. Wickham

2006-01-01

We use morphological image processing for classifying spatial patterns at the pixel level on binary land-cover maps. Land-cover pattern is classified as 'perforated,' 'edge,' 'patch,' and 'core' with higher spatial precision and thematic accuracy compared to a previous approach based on image convolution, while retaining the...

Proboscis Morphology and Its Relationship to Feeding Habits in Noctuid Moths

Science.gov (United States)

Zenker, Maurício Moraes; Penz, Carla; de Paris, Michele; Specht, Alexandre

2011-01-01

This study describes proboscis morphology and identifies morphometric differences among five species of noctuid moths with different feeding habits (fruit versus nectar-feeding). Morphological and morphometric parameters were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy and light microscopy. Measurements included: galea height in ten sites from base to tip, total proboscis length, and length of the distal region that contains large sensilla styloconica and / or tearing hooks and erectible barbs. Both morphometric and morphological differences were identified among species within and between feeding guilds, and these results are discussed in light of the feeding habits of each species. PMID:21539419

Computational morphology of the lung and its virtual imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kitaoka, Hiroko

2002-01-01

The author proposes an entirely new approach called 'virtual imaging' of an organ based on 'computational morphology'. Computational morphology describes mathematically design as principles of an organ structure to generate the organ model via computer, which can be called virtual organ. Virtual imaging simulates image data using the virtual organ. The virtual organ is divided into cubic voxels, and the CT value or other intensity value for each voxel is calculated according to the tissue properties within the voxel. The validity of the model is examined by comparing virtual images with clinical images. Computational image analysis methods can be developed based on validated models. In this paper, computational anatomy of the lung and its virtual X-ray imaging are introduced

Study on effect of process parameters and mixing on morphology of ammonium diuranate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Subhankar Manna; Chandrabhanu Basak; Thakkar, U.R.; Shital Thakur; Roy, S.B.; Joshi, J.B.; Institute of Chemical Technology, Matunga, Mumbai

2016-01-01

Ammonium diuranate (ADU) is an important intermediate for the production of uranium base fuel. Controlling morphology of crystalline ADU powders is very important as it is retained by its subsequent products. Because of the high level of supersaturation, the involved mechanisms of precipitation like primary nucleation, crystal growth, aggregation and breakage occur simultaneously and they control the morphology. Effects of concentration of uranyl nitrate solution, temperature and the mixing intensity have been investigated on the morphology, crystal structure and the other physical properties of ADU. Effect of temperature is found to be more dominant for controlling morphology. (author)

Efficacy of evaluation of rooster sperm morphology using different staining methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Lukaszewicz, E; Jerysz, A; Partyka, A; Siudzińska, A

2008-12-01

This work focused on inexpensive methods of evaluation fowl sperm morphology, based on eosin-nigrosin smears, which can determine disorders in spermatogenesis and can be recommended for evaluating the fertilising potency and selecting males in flocks reproduced by artificial insemination. Four fowl breeds (Black Minorca, Italian Partridge, Forwerk and Greenleg Partridge) were used to determine the efficacy of sperm morphology evaluation using four eosin-nigrosin staining methods (according to Blom, Bakst and Cecil, Morisson, Jaśkowski) and three examiners of different experience (high, medium, novice). There were significant (P< or = 0.01) differences in sperm morphology between Blom's staining method and those of Bakst and Cecil, Morisson or Jaśkowski, irrespective of fowl breed and examiners experience. Blom stain caused sperm head swelling and showed a drastic reduction in the proportion of live spermatozoa with normal morphology. The staining method had a greater influence on sperm morphology evaluation than the experience of the examiners.

Sensor-based monitoring and inspection of surface morphology in ultraprecision manufacturing processes

Science.gov (United States)

Rao, Prahalad Krishna

This research proposes approaches for monitoring and inspection of surface morphology with respect to two ultraprecision/nanomanufacturing processes, namely, ultraprecision machining (UPM) and chemical mechanical planarization (CMP). The methods illustrated in this dissertation are motivated from the compelling need for in situ process monitoring in nanomanufacturing and invoke concepts from diverse scientific backgrounds, such as artificial neural networks, Bayesian learning, and algebraic graph theory. From an engineering perspective, this work has the following contributions: 1. A combined neural network and Bayesian learning approach for early detection of UPM process anomalies by integrating data from multiple heterogeneous in situ sensors (force, vibration, and acoustic emission) is developed. The approach captures process drifts in UPM of aluminum 6061 discs within 15 milliseconds of their inception and is therefore valuable for minimizing yield losses. 2. CMP process dynamics are mathematically represented using a deterministic multi-scale hierarchical nonlinear differential equation model. This process-machine inter-action (PMI) model is evocative of the various physio-mechanical aspects in CMP and closely emulates experimentally acquired vibration signal patterns, including complex nonlinear dynamics manifest in the process. By combining the PMI model predictions with features gathered from wirelessly acquired CMP vibration signal patterns, CMP process anomalies, such as pad wear, and drifts in polishing were identified in their nascent stage with high fidelity (R2 ~ 75%). 3. An algebraic graph theoretic approach for quantifying nano-surface morphology from optical micrograph images is developed. The approach enables a parsimonious representation of the topological relationships between heterogeneous nano-surface fea-tures, which are enshrined in graph theoretic entities, namely, the similarity, degree, and Laplacian matrices. Topological invariant

On the morphological instability of a bubble during inertia-controlled growth

Science.gov (United States)

Martyushev, L. M.; Birzina, A. I.; Soboleva, A. S.

2018-06-01

The morphological stability of a spherical bubble growing under inertia control is analyzed. Based on the comparison of entropy productions for a distorted and undistorted surface and using the maximum entropy production principle, the morphological instability of the bubble under arbitrary amplitude distortions is shown. This result allows explaining a number of experiments where the surface roughness of bubbles was observed during their explosive-type growth.

Radiation-induced morphological changes in the vagina

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kirchheiner, K.; Fidarova, E.; Schmid, M.P.; Sturdza, A.; Kranz, A.; Poetter, R.; Nout, R.A.; Wiebe, E.; Polterauer, S.; Doerr, W.; Medical Univ. of Vienna

2012-01-01

Background and purpose: Treatment-induced chronic vaginal changes after definitive radio(chemo)therapy for locally advanced cervical cancer patients are reported as one of the most distressing consequences of treatment, with major impact on quality of life. Although these vaginal changes are regularly documented during gynecological follow-up examinations, the classic radiation morbidity grading scales are not concise in their reporting. The aim of the study was therefore to identify and qualitatively describe, on the basis of vaginoscopies, morphological changes in the vagina after definitive radio(chemo)therapy and to establish a classification system for their detailed and reproducible documentation. Patients and methods: Vaginoscopy with photodocumentation was performed prospectively in 22 patients with locally advanced cervical cancer after definitive radio(chemo)therapy at 3-24 months after end of treatment. All patients were in complete remission and without severe grade 3/4 morbidity outside the vagina. Results: Five morphological parameters, which occurred consistently after treatment, were identified: mucosal pallor, telangiectasia, fragility of the vaginal wall, ulceration, and adhesions/occlusion. The symptoms in general were observed at different time points in individual patients; their quality was independent of the time of assessment. Based on the morphological findings, a comprehensive descriptive and semiquantitative scoring system was developed, which allows for classification of vaginal changes. A photographic atlas to illustrate the morphology of the alterations is presented. Conclusion: Vaginoscopy is an easily applicable, informative, and well-tolerated procedure for the objective assessment of morphological vaginal changes after radio(chemo)therapy and provides comprehensive and detailed information. This allows for precise classification of the severity of individual changes. (orig.)

Atmospheric aerosol load morphological classification and retrieved visibility based on lidar backscatter measurements

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Tesfaye, M

2010-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper, the tropospheric aerosol load morphological classification and its impact on temporal variation of visibility are investigated using a continuous 23-hour single channel CSIR-NLC mobile LIDAR backscatter measurement. The trajectory...

Phytochemical profile of morphologically selected yerba-mate progenies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alice Teresa Valduga

2016-02-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Yerba-mate (Ilex paraguariensis St. Hil is a native South American species. Plant progenies are populations that differ in terms of their productivity, morphology and phytochemical profile. This study aimed to determine the concentration of primary and secondary metabolites, such as antioxidants, in leaves, of yerba-mate progenies selected based on morphological characteristics. We evaluated the centesimal composition of secondary metabolites in the leaves of five yerba-mate plants. Methylxanthines and phenolic compounds were determined by UPLC-PDA, and antioxidant activity by measuring DPPH scavenging. Significant differences were found in centesimal composition and the contents of caffeine, theobromine, rutin and chlorogenic acid, as well as antioxidant activities, in selected progenies. The IC50 values were correlated with the chlorogenic acid levels (r2 = 0.5242 and soluble content (r2 = 0.7686. The morphological characteristics observed in yerba-mate leaves can be used as a tool for plant selection, to obtain matrices with different phytochemical profiles as a genetic material source.

Non-invasive assessment of culture media from goat cloned embryos associated with subjective morphology by gas chromatography - mass spectroscopy-based metabolomic analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yan-Li; Zhang, Guo-Min; Jia, Ruo-Xin; Wan, Yong-Jie; Yang, Hua; Sun, Ling-Wei; Han, Le; Wang, Feng

2018-01-01

Pre-implantation embryo metabolism demonstrates distinctive characteristics associated with the development potential of embryos. We aim to determine if metabolic differences correlate with embryo morphology. In this study, gas chromatography - mass spectroscopy (GC-MS)-based metabolomics was used to assess the culture media of goat cloned embryos collected from high-quality (HQ) and low-quality (LQ) groups based on morphology. Expression levels of amino acid transport genes were further examined by quantitative real-time PCR. Results showed that the HQ group presented higher percentages of blastocysts compared with the LQ counterparts (P culture media of the HQ group showed lower levels of valin, lysine, glutamine, mannose and acetol, and higher levels of glucose, phytosphingosine and phosphate than those of the LQ group. Additionally, expression levels of amino acid transport genes SLC1A5 and SLC3A2 were significantly lower in the HQ group than the LQ group (P culture media. The biochemical profiles may help to select the most in vitro viable embryos. © 2017 Japanese Society of Animal Science.

Gross morphology betrays phylogeny

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Alström, Per; Fjeldså, Jon; Fregin, Silke

2011-01-01

.). Superficial morphological similarity to cisticolid warblers has previously clouded the species true relationship. Detailed morphology, such as facial bristles and claw and footpad structure, also supports a closer relationship to Cettiidae and some other non-cisticolid warblers....

Predicting Raters’ Transparency Judgments of English and Chinese Morphological Constituents using Latent Semantic Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Hsueh-Cheng; Hsu, Li-Chuan; Tien, Yi-Min; Pomplun, Marc

2013-01-01

The morphological constituents of English compounds (e.g., “butter” and “fly” for “butterfly”) and two-character Chinese compounds may differ in meaning from the whole word. Subjective differences and ambiguity of transparency make the judgments difficult, and a computational alternative based on a general model may be a way to average across subjective differences. The current study proposes two approaches based on Latent Semantic Analysis (Landauer & Dumais, 1997): Model 1 compares the semantic similarity between a compound word and each of its constituents, and Model 2 derives the dominant meaning of a constituent based on a clustering analysis of morphological family members (e.g., “butterfingers” or “buttermilk” for “butter”). The proposed models successfully predicted participants’ transparency ratings, and we recommend that experimenters use Model 1 for English compounds and Model 2 for Chinese compounds, due to raters’ morphological processing in different writing systems. The dominance of lexical meaning, semantic transparency, and the average similarity between all pairs within a morphological family are provided, and practical applications for future studies are discussed. PMID:23784009

Morphological characteristics of waste polyethylene/polypropylene plastics during pyrolysis and representative morphological signal characterizing pyrolysis stages.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, H; Chen, D; Yuan, G; Ma, X; Dai, X

2013-02-01

In this work, the morphological characteristics of waste polyethylene (PE)/polypropylene (PP) plastics during their pyrolysis process were investigated, and based on their basic image changing patterns representative morphological signals describing the pyrolysis stages were obtained. PE and PP granules and films were used as typical plastics for testing, and influence of impurities was also investigated. During pyrolysis experiments, photographs of the testing samples were taken sequentially with a high-speed infrared camera, and the quantitative parameters that describe the morphological characteristics of these photographs were explored using the "Image Pro Plus (v6.3)" digital image processing software. The experimental results showed that plastics pyrolysis involved four stages: melting, two stages of decomposition which are characterized with bubble formation caused by volatile evaporating, and ash deposition; and each stage was characterized with its own phase changing behaviors and morphological features. Two stages of decomposition are the key step of pyrolysis since they took up half or more of the reaction time; melting step consumed another half of reaction time in experiments when raw materials were heated up from ambient temperatures; and coke-like deposition appeared as a result of decomposition completion. Two morphological signals defined from digital image processing, namely, pixel area of the interested reaction region and bubble ratio (BR) caused by volatile evaporating were found to change regularly with pyrolysis stages. In particular, for all experimental scenarios with plastics films and granules, the BR curves always exhibited a slowly drop as melting started and then a sharp increase followed by a deep decrease corresponding to the first stage of intense decomposition, afterwards a second increase - drop section corresponding to the second stage of decomposition appeared. As ash deposition happened, the BR dropped to zero or very low

Principal component analysis of tomato genotypes based on some morphological and biochemical quality indicators

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Glogovac Svetlana

2012-01-01

Full Text Available This study investigates variability of tomato genotypes based on morphological and biochemical fruit traits. Experimental material is a part of tomato genetic collection from Institute of Filed and Vegetable Crops in Novi Sad, Serbia. Genotypes were analyzed for fruit mass, locule number, index of fruit shape, fruit colour, dry matter content, total sugars, total acidity, lycopene and vitamin C. Minimum, maximum and average values and main indicators of variability (CV and σ were calculated. Principal component analysis was performed to determinate variability source structure. Four principal components, which contribute 93.75% of the total variability, were selected for analysis. The first principal component is defined by vitamin C, locule number and index of fruit shape. The second component is determined by dry matter content, and total acidity, the third by lycopene, fruit mass and fruit colour. Total sugars had the greatest part in the fourth component.

Morphology control in polymer blend fibers—a high throughput computing approach

Science.gov (United States)

Sesha Sarath Pokuri, Balaji; Ganapathysubramanian, Baskar

2016-08-01

Fibers made from polymer blends have conventionally enjoyed wide use, particularly in textiles. This wide applicability is primarily aided by the ease of manufacturing such fibers. More recently, the ability to tailor the internal morphology of polymer blend fibers by carefully designing processing conditions has enabled such fibers to be used in technologically relevant applications. Some examples include anisotropic insulating properties for heat and anisotropic wicking of moisture, coaxial morphologies for optical applications as well as fibers with high internal surface area for filtration and catalysis applications. However, identifying the appropriate processing conditions from the large space of possibilities using conventional trial-and-error approaches is a tedious and resource-intensive process. Here, we illustrate a high throughput computational approach to rapidly explore and characterize how processing conditions (specifically blend ratio and evaporation rates) affect the internal morphology of polymer blends during solvent based fabrication. We focus on a PS: PMMA system and identify two distinct classes of morphologies formed due to variations in the processing conditions. We subsequently map the processing conditions to the morphology class, thus constructing a ‘phase diagram’ that enables rapid identification of processing parameters for specific morphology class. We finally demonstrate the potential for time dependent processing conditions to get desired features of the morphology. This opens up the possibility of rational stage-wise design of processing pathways for tailored fiber morphology using high throughput computing.

Morphology, structure, aggregates of the particulates as generated by the ablation process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghaly, W.A.

2011-01-01

The morphology of the particulates. Aggregates and surface structures which generated by plasma ablation is investigated. Also the morphology terms for the particles, agglomerates, laser depths on solid surfaces which generated by nanosecond laser ablation are demonstrated.The morphology terms in the present work are described according to the visual appearance of micrographs which taken by the scanning electron microscope (SEM). The terms describe what the SEM image looks like but not necessarily what it actually might be or what the material type is . A suggested scientific method to describe the shape, morphology and structure of particulates which apply a surface plot of digital imaging processing (DIP) technique is introduced. The aim of the present work is to develop and extend the data -base of the particle morphology glossary of SEM for the central laboratory of elemental and isotopic analysis at Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority.

Novel method for edge detection of retinal vessels based on the model of the retinal vascular network and mathematical morphology

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Lei; Zheng, Xiaoxiang; Zhang, Hengyi; Yu, Yajun

1998-09-01

Accurate edge detection of retinal vessels is a prerequisite for quantitative analysis of subtle morphological changes of retinal vessels under different pathological conditions. A novel method for edge detection of retinal vessels is presented in this paper. Methods: (1) Wavelet-based image preprocessing. (2) The signed edge detection algorithm and mathematical morphological operation are applied to get the approximate regions that contain retinal vessels. (3) By convolving the preprocessed image with a LoG operator only on the detected approximate regions of retinal vessels, followed by edges refining, clear edge maps of the retinal vessels are fast obtained. Results: A detailed performance evaluation together with the existing techniques is given to demonstrate the strong features of our method. Conclusions: True edge locations of retinal vessels can be fast detected with continuous structures of retinal vessels, less non- vessel segments left and insensitivity to noise. The method is also suitable for other application fields such as road edge detection.

Morphology-dependent enhancement of the pseudocapacitance of template-guided tunable polyaniline nanostructures

KAUST Repository

Chen, Wei

2013-07-25

Polyaniline is one of the most investigated conducting polymers as supercapacitor material for energy storage applications. The preparation of nanostructured polyaniline with well-controlled morphology is crucial to obtaining good supercapacitor performance. We present here a facile chemical process to produce polyaniline nanostructures with three different morphologies (i.e., nanofibers, nanospheres, and nanotubes) by utilizing the corresponding tunable morphology of MnO2 reactive templates. A growth mechanism is proposed to explain the evolution of polyaniline morphology based on the reactive templates. The morphology-induced improvement in the electrochemical performance of polyaniline pseudocapacitors is as large as 51% due to the much enhanced surface area and the porous nature of the template-guided polyaniline nanostructures. In addition, and for the first time, a redox-active electrolyte is applied to the polyaniline pseudocapacitors to achieve significant enhancement of pseudocapacitance. Compared to the conventional electrolyte, the enhancement of pseudocapacitance in the redox-active electrolyte is 49%-78%, depending on the specific polyaniline morphology, reaching the highest reported capacitance of 896 F/g for polyaniline full cells so far. © 2013 American Chemical Society.

Morphology-dependent enhancement of the pseudocapacitance of template-guided tunable polyaniline nanostructures

KAUST Repository

Chen, Wei; Baby, Rakhi Raghavan; Alshareef, Husam N.

2013-01-01

Polyaniline is one of the most investigated conducting polymers as supercapacitor material for energy storage applications. The preparation of nanostructured polyaniline with well-controlled morphology is crucial to obtaining good supercapacitor performance. We present here a facile chemical process to produce polyaniline nanostructures with three different morphologies (i.e., nanofibers, nanospheres, and nanotubes) by utilizing the corresponding tunable morphology of MnO2 reactive templates. A growth mechanism is proposed to explain the evolution of polyaniline morphology based on the reactive templates. The morphology-induced improvement in the electrochemical performance of polyaniline pseudocapacitors is as large as 51% due to the much enhanced surface area and the porous nature of the template-guided polyaniline nanostructures. In addition, and for the first time, a redox-active electrolyte is applied to the polyaniline pseudocapacitors to achieve significant enhancement of pseudocapacitance. Compared to the conventional electrolyte, the enhancement of pseudocapacitance in the redox-active electrolyte is 49%-78%, depending on the specific polyaniline morphology, reaching the highest reported capacitance of 896 F/g for polyaniline full cells so far. © 2013 American Chemical Society.

Generalized Morphology using Sponges

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van de Gronde, Jasper J.; Roerdink, Jos B.T.M.

2016-01-01

Mathematical morphology has traditionally been grounded in lattice theory. For non-scalar data lattices often prove too restrictive, however. In this paper we present a more general alternative, sponges, that still allows useful definitions of various properties and concepts from morphological

Developmental Changes in Morphology of the Middle and Posterior External Cranial Base in Modern Homo sapiens.

Science.gov (United States)

Dalal, Deepal H; Smith, Heather F

2015-01-01

The basicranium has been described as phylogenetically informative, developmentally stable, and minimally affected by external factors and consequently plays an important role in cranial size and shape in subadult humans. Here basicranial variation of subadults from several modern human populations was investigated and the impact of genetic relatedness on basicranial morphological similarities was investigated. Three-dimensional landmark data were digitized from subadult basicrania from seven populations. Published molecular data on short tandem repeats were statistically compared to morphological data from three ontogenetic stages. Basicranial and temporal bone morphology both reflect genetic distances in childhood and adolescence (5-18 years), but not in infancy (<5 years). The occipital bone reflects genetic distances only in adolescence (13-18 years). The sphenoid bone does not reflect genetic distances at any ontogenetic stage but was the most diagnostic region evaluated, resulting in high rates of correct classification among populations. These results suggest that the ontogenetic processes driving basicranial development are complex and cannot be succinctly summarized across populations or basicranial regions. However, the fact that certain regions reflect genetic distances suggests that the morphology of these regions may be useful in reconstructing population history in specimens for which direct DNA evidence is unavailable, such as archaeological sites.

Developmental Changes in Morphology of the Middle and Posterior External Cranial Base in Modern Homo sapiens

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Deepal H. Dalal

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The basicranium has been described as phylogenetically informative, developmentally stable, and minimally affected by external factors and consequently plays an important role in cranial size and shape in subadult humans. Here basicranial variation of subadults from several modern human populations was investigated and the impact of genetic relatedness on basicranial morphological similarities was investigated. Three-dimensional landmark data were digitized from subadult basicrania from seven populations. Published molecular data on short tandem repeats were statistically compared to morphological data from three ontogenetic stages. Basicranial and temporal bone morphology both reflect genetic distances in childhood and adolescence (5–18 years, but not in infancy (<5 years. The occipital bone reflects genetic distances only in adolescence (13–18 years. The sphenoid bone does not reflect genetic distances at any ontogenetic stage but was the most diagnostic region evaluated, resulting in high rates of correct classification among populations. These results suggest that the ontogenetic processes driving basicranial development are complex and cannot be succinctly summarized across populations or basicranial regions. However, the fact that certain regions reflect genetic distances suggests that the morphology of these regions may be useful in reconstructing population history in specimens for which direct DNA evidence is unavailable, such as archaeological sites.

Morphological PLL for potential applications on renewable energy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rocha-Osorio, Carlos M.; Solís-Chaves, Juan S.; Golestan, Saeed

2018-01-01

This paper proposes a new Phase Locked Loop (PLL) structure using a positive sequence component extraction based on Recursive Least Squares, altogether with a morphological filter and a fuzzy-tuned proportional-integral (PI) controller when the power quality conditions are degraded. A high detect...

Can terrestrial diversity be predicted from soil morphology?

Science.gov (United States)

Fournier, Bertrand; Guenat, Claire; Mitchell, Edward

2010-05-01

Restoration ecology is a young discipline and, as a consequence, many concepts and methods are not yet mature. A good example of this is the case of floodplains which have been intensively embanked, dammed or otherwise engineered in industrialized countries, but are now increasingly being restored, often at high cost. There is however much confusion over the goals of floodplain restoration projects and the methods, criteria, and indicators to assess their success. Nature practitioners are interested in knowing how many and which variables are needed for an efficient monitoring and/or assessment. Although many restoration success assessment methods have been developed to meet this need, most indicators currently used are complicated and expensive or provide only spatially or temporally limited information on these complex systems. Perhaps as a result, no standard method has yet been defined and post-restoration monitoring is not systematically done. Optimizing indicators would help improve the credibility of restoration projects and would thus help to convince stakeholders and managers to support monitoring programs. As a result, defining the predictive power of restoration success indicators, as well as selecting the most pertinent variables among the ones currently used is of major importance for a sustainable and adaptive management of our river ecosystems. Soil characteristics determine key functions (e.g. decomposition) and ecosystem structure (e.g. vegetation) in terrestrial ecosystems. They therefore have a high potential information value that is, however, generally not considered in floodplain restoration assessment. In order to explore this potential, we recently developed a new synthetic indicator based on soil morphology for the evaluation of river restoration success. Following Hutchinson's ecological niche concept, we hypothesised that terrestrial biodiversity can be predicted based on soil characteristics, but that these characteristics do not perform

Patterns of morphological integration between parietal and temporal areas in the human skull.

Science.gov (United States)

Bruner, Emiliano; Pereira-Pedro, Ana Sofia; Bastir, Markus

2017-10-01

Modern humans have evolved bulging parietal areas and large, projecting temporal lobes. Both changes, largely due to a longitudinal expansion of these cranial and cerebral elements, were hypothesized to be the result of brain evolution and cognitive variations. Nonetheless, the independence of these two morphological characters has not been evaluated. Because of structural and functional integration among cranial elements, changes in the position of the temporal poles can be a secondary consequence of parietal bulging and reorientation of the head axis. In this study, we use geometric morphometrics to test the correlation between parietal shape and the morphology of the endocranial base in a sample of adult modern humans. Our results suggest that parietal proportions show no correlation with the relative position of the temporal poles within the spatial organization of the endocranial base. The vault and endocranial base are likely to be involved in distinct morphogenetic processes, with scarce or no integration between these two districts. Therefore, the current evidence rejects the hypothesis of reciprocal morphological influences between parietal and temporal morphology, suggesting that evolutionary spatial changes in these two areas may have been independent. However, parietal bulging exerts a visible effect on the rotation of the cranial base, influencing head position and orientation. This change can have had a major relevance in the reorganization of the head functional axis. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

PARALLEL IMPLEMENTATION OF MORPHOLOGICAL PROFILE BASED SPECTRAL-SPATIAL CLASSIFICATION SCHEME FOR HYPERSPECTRAL IMAGERY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

B. Kumar

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Extended morphological profile (EMP is a good technique for extracting spectral-spatial information from the images but large size of hyperspectral images is an important concern for creating EMPs. However, with the availability of modern multi-core processors and commodity parallel processing systems like graphics processing units (GPUs at desktop level, parallel computing provides a viable option to significantly accelerate execution of such computations. In this paper, parallel implementation of an EMP based spectralspatial classification method for hyperspectral imagery is presented. The parallel implementation is done both on multi-core CPU and GPU. The impact of parallelization on speed up and classification accuracy is analyzed. For GPU, the implementation is done in compute unified device architecture (CUDA C. The experiments are carried out on two well-known hyperspectral images. It is observed from the experimental results that GPU implementation provides a speed up of about 7 times, while parallel implementation on multi-core CPU resulted in speed up of about 3 times. It is also observed that parallel implementation has no adverse impact on the classification accuracy.

Water flow prediction for Membranes using 3D simulations with detailed morphology

KAUST Repository

Shi, Meixia

2015-04-01

The membrane morphology significantly influences membrane performance. For osmotically driven membrane processes, the morphology strongly affects the internal concentration polarization. Different membrane morphologies were generated by simulation and their influence on membrane performance was studied, using a 3D model. The simulation results were experimentally validated for two classical phase-inversion membrane morphologies: sponge- and finger-like structures. Membrane porosity and scanning electron microscopy image information were used as model input. The permeance results from the simulation fit well the experimentally measured permeances. Water permeances were predicted for different kinds of finger-like cavity membranes with different finger-like cavity lengths and various finger-like cavity sets, as well as for membranes with cylindrical cavities. The results provide realistic information on how to increase water permeance, and also illustrate that membrane’s complete morphology is important for the accurate water permeance evaluation. Evaluations only based on porosity might be misleading, and the new 3D simulation approach gives a more realistic representation.

Water flow prediction for Membranes using 3D simulations with detailed morphology

KAUST Repository

Shi, Meixia; Printsypar, Galina; Iliev, Oleg; Calo, Victor M.; Amy, Gary L.; Nunes, Suzana Pereira

2015-01-01

The membrane morphology significantly influences membrane performance. For osmotically driven membrane processes, the morphology strongly affects the internal concentration polarization. Different membrane morphologies were generated by simulation and their influence on membrane performance was studied, using a 3D model. The simulation results were experimentally validated for two classical phase-inversion membrane morphologies: sponge- and finger-like structures. Membrane porosity and scanning electron microscopy image information were used as model input. The permeance results from the simulation fit well the experimentally measured permeances. Water permeances were predicted for different kinds of finger-like cavity membranes with different finger-like cavity lengths and various finger-like cavity sets, as well as for membranes with cylindrical cavities. The results provide realistic information on how to increase water permeance, and also illustrate that membrane’s complete morphology is important for the accurate water permeance evaluation. Evaluations only based on porosity might be misleading, and the new 3D simulation approach gives a more realistic representation.

Trait-based diet selection: prey behaviour and morphology predict vulnerability to predation in reef fish communities.

Science.gov (United States)

Green, Stephanie J; Côté, Isabelle M

2014-11-01

Understanding how predators select their prey can provide important insights into community structure and dynamics. However, the suite of prey species available to a predator is often spatially and temporally variable. As a result, species-specific selectivity data are of limited use for predicting novel predator-prey interactions because they are assemblage specific. We present a method for predicting diet selection that is applicable across prey assemblages, based on identifying general morphological and behavioural traits of prey that confer vulnerability to predation independent of species identity. We apply this trait-based approach to examining prey selection by Indo-Pacific lionfish (Pterois volitans and Pterois miles), invasive predators that prey upon species-rich reef fish communities and are rapidly spreading across the western Atlantic. We first generate hypotheses about morphological and behavioural traits recurring across fish species that could facilitate or deter predation by lionfish. Constructing generalized linear mixed-effects models that account for relatedness among prey taxa, we test whether these traits predict patterns of diet selection by lionfish within two independent data sets collected at different spatial scales: (i) in situ visual observations of prey consumption and availability for individual lionfish and (ii) comparisons of prey abundance in lionfish stomach contents to availability on invaded reefs at large. Both analyses reveal that a number of traits predicted to affect vulnerability to predation, including body size, body shape, position in the water column and aggregation behaviour, are important determinants of diet selection by lionfish. Small, shallow-bodied, solitary fishes found resting on or just above reefs are the most vulnerable. Fishes that exhibit parasite cleaning behaviour experience a significantly lower risk of predation than non-cleaning fishes, and fishes that are nocturnally active are at significantly

Evaluation of colonic lesions and pitfalls in CT colonography: A systematic approach based on morphology, attenuation and mobility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mang, Thomas; Gryspeerdt, Stefaan; Schima, Wolfgang; Lefere, Philippe

2013-01-01

Computed tomographic colonography is a reliable technique for the detection and classification of neoplastic and non-neoplastic lesions of the colon. It is based on a thin-section CT dataset of the cleansed and air-distended colon, acquired in prone and supine position. Two-dimensional and 3D projections are used in combination for image interpretation. The evaluation of CT colonography datasets is based on two steps, lesion perception to detect a polyp candidate and image interpretation to correctly characterize colonic filling defects. A thorough knowledge of the morphologic and attenuation characteristics of common colonic lesions and artifacts facilitates characterization of the findings. The purpose of this review article is to give an overview of the key CT colonographic imaging criteria to correctly characterize common colorectal lesions and to identify typical pitfalls and pseudolesions

A multistage, semi-automated procedure for analyzing the morphology of nanoparticles

KAUST Repository

Park, Chiwoo

2012-07-01

This article presents a multistage, semi-automated procedure that can expedite the morphology analysis of nanoparticles. Material scientists have long conjectured that the morphology of nanoparticles has a profound impact on the properties of the hosting material, but a bottleneck is the lack of a reliable and automated morphology analysis of the particles based on their image measurements. This article attempts to fill in this critical void. One particular challenge in nanomorphology analysis is how to analyze the overlapped nanoparticles, a problem not well addressed by the existing methods but effectively tackled by the method proposed in this article. This method entails multiple stages of operations, executed sequentially, and is considered semi-automated due to the inclusion of a semi-supervised clustering step. The proposed method is applied to several images of nanoparticles, producing the needed statistical characterization of their morphology. © 2012 "IIE".

A multistage, semi-automated procedure for analyzing the morphology of nanoparticles

KAUST Repository

Park, Chiwoo; Huang, Jianhua Z.; Huitink, David; Kundu, Subrata; Mallick, Bani K.; Liang, Hong; Ding, Yu

2012-01-01

This article presents a multistage, semi-automated procedure that can expedite the morphology analysis of nanoparticles. Material scientists have long conjectured that the morphology of nanoparticles has a profound impact on the properties of the hosting material, but a bottleneck is the lack of a reliable and automated morphology analysis of the particles based on their image measurements. This article attempts to fill in this critical void. One particular challenge in nanomorphology analysis is how to analyze the overlapped nanoparticles, a problem not well addressed by the existing methods but effectively tackled by the method proposed in this article. This method entails multiple stages of operations, executed sequentially, and is considered semi-automated due to the inclusion of a semi-supervised clustering step. The proposed method is applied to several images of nanoparticles, producing the needed statistical characterization of their morphology. © 2012 "IIE".

Spatial structure of morphological and neutral genetic variation in Brook Trout

Science.gov (United States)

Kazyak, David C.; Hilderbrand, Robert H.; Keller, Stephen R.; Colaw, Mark C.; Holloway, Amanda E.; Morgan, Raymond P.; King, Timothy L.

2015-01-01

Brook Trout Salvelinus fontinalis exhibit exceptional levels of life history variation, remarkable genetic variability, and fine-scale population structure. In many cases, neighboring populations may be highly differentiated from one another to an extent that is comparable with species-level distinctions in other taxa. Although genetic samples have been collected from hundreds of populations and tens of thousands of individuals, little is known about whether differentiation at neutral markers reflects phenotypic differences among Brook Trout populations. We compared differentiation in morphology and neutral molecular markers among populations from four geographically proximate locations (all within 24 km) to examine how genetic diversity covaries with morphology. We found significant differences among and/or within streams for all three morphological axes examined and identified the source stream of many individuals based on morphology (52.3% classification efficiency). Although molecular and morphological differentiation among streams ranged considerably (mean pairwise FST: 0.023–0.264; pairwise PST: 0.000–0.339), the two measures were not significantly correlated. While in some cases morphological characters appear to have diverged to a greater extent than expected by neutral genetic drift, many traits were conserved to a greater extent than were neutral genetic markers. Thus, while Brook Trout exhibit fine-scale spatial patterns in both morphology and neutral genetic diversity, these types of biological variabilities are being structured by different ecological and evolutionary processes. The relative influences of genetic drift versus selection and phenotypic plasticity in shaping morphology appear to vary among populations occupying nearby streams.

Study of morphology and mechanical properties of hydrophilic films based on compositions of poly(acrylic acid) and poly(2-hydroxy ethylvinylether)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bitekenova, A.; Dzhusupbekova, A.; Khutoryanskij, V.; Nurkeeva, Z.

2003-01-01

The hydrophilic films based on compositions of poly(acrylic acid) and poly(2-hydroxy ethylvinylether) were obtained from blend of the corresponding monomers. Radiation crosslinking of composite materials are realize by γ-irradiation method and the gelation doses were calculated. It was shown that mechanical properties of films depend on composition (content of notion component) and conditions of crosslinking. The morphology of polymeric films was investigated by scanning electron microscopy

The limits on trypanosomatid morphological diversity.

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Richard John Wheeler

Full Text Available Cell shape is one, often overlooked, way in which protozoan parasites have adapted to a variety of host and vector environments and directional transmissions between these environments. Consequently, different parasite life cycle stages have characteristic morphologies. Trypanosomatid parasites are an excellent example of this in which large morphological variations between species and life cycle stage occur, despite sharing well-conserved cytoskeletal and membranous structures. Here, using previously published reports in the literature of the morphology of 248 isolates of trypanosomatid species from different hosts, we perform a meta-analysis of the occurrence and limits on morphological diversity of different classes of trypanosomatid morphology (trypomastigote, promastigote, etc. in the vertebrate bloodstream and invertebrate gut environments. We identified several limits on cell body length, cell body width and flagellum length diversity which can be interpreted as biomechanical limits on the capacity of the cell to attain particular dimensions. These limits differed for morphologies with and without a laterally attached flagellum which we suggest represent two morphological superclasses, the 'juxtaform' and 'liberform' superclasses. Further limits were identified consistent with a selective pressure from the mechanical properties of the vertebrate bloodstream environment; trypanosomatid size showed limits relative to host erythrocyte dimensions. This is the first comprehensive analysis of the limits of morphological diversity in any protozoan parasite, revealing the morphogenetic constraints and extrinsic selection pressures associated with the full diversity of trypanosomatid morphology.

Genetic diversity based on morphological traits in walnut (Juglans regia L.) landraces from Karakoram region-I

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hussain, I.; Sultan, A.; Shinwari, Z. K.

2016-01-01

Walnut is one of the most important nutritive nut crops and widely grown in Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan. In the present study 19 local landraces were analyzed for morphological traits to investigate genetic diversity and identify promising landraces for cultivar development. Multivariate analyses showed high variation for morphological traits and nut and kernel characteristics. Cluster analyses depicted diversity among the local land races which separated them into 2 major clusters groups, showing more association to morphological differences. PCA revealed that the 1st four principal components (PCs) possessed Eigen value >1.0, where PC1 and PC2 contributed total variance of 41.65 percent and 23.42 percent respectively with total variance (65.05 percent) showing maximum factor loadings by kernel ratio, shell percent, kernel yield and nut width by the first two PCs. Pearson correlation coefficient among walnut landraces revealed positively significant correlation between shell yield and nut weight(r=0.96), kernel yield and nut width(r=0.85), whereas negative correlation were observed (r = -0.89 and r = -0.76) between kernel ratio with shell yield and nut weight respectively. A wide range of diversity was observed among the local landraces from Karakoram regions and the landrace HKK and GNAG were reported as promising one with highest kernel ratio. These landraces are potential for future breeding of nut crops with distinct morphological traits. (author)

SEM method for direct visual tracking of nanoscale morphological changes of platinum based electrocatalysts on fixed locations upon electrochemical or thermal treatments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zorko, Milena [National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, Ljubljana (Slovenia); Centre of Excellence for Low-Carbon Technologies, Hajdrihova 19, Ljubljana (Slovenia); Jozinović, Barbara [Centre of Excellence for Low-Carbon Technologies, Hajdrihova 19, Ljubljana (Slovenia); Bele, Marjan [National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, Ljubljana (Slovenia); Centre of Excellence for Low-Carbon Technologies, Hajdrihova 19, Ljubljana (Slovenia); Hodnik, Nejc, E-mail: nejc.hodnik@ki.si [National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, Ljubljana (Slovenia); Gaberšček, Miran [National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, Ljubljana (Slovenia); Centre of Excellence for Low-Carbon Technologies, Hajdrihova 19, Ljubljana (Slovenia)

2014-05-01

A general method for tracking morphological surface changes on a nanometer scale with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is introduced. We exemplify the usefulness of the method by showing consecutive SEM images of an identical location before and after the electrochemical and thermal treatments of platinum-based nanoparticles deposited on a high surface area carbon. Observations reveal an insight into platinum based catalyst degradation occurring during potential cycling treatment. The presence of chloride clearly increases the rate of degradation. At these conditions the dominant degradation mechanism seems to be the platinum dissolution with some subsequent redeposition on the top of the catalyst film. By contrast, at the temperature of 60 °C, under potentiostatic conditions some carbon corrosion and particle aggregation was observed. Temperature treatment simulating the annealing step of the synthesis reveals sintering of small platinum based composite aggregates into uniform spherical particles. The method provides a direct proof of induced surface phenomena occurring on a chosen location without the usual statistical uncertainty in usual, random SEM observations across relatively large surface areas. - Highlights: • A new SEM method for observations of identical locations. • Nanoscale morphological consecutive changes on identical locations. • Electrochemical and thermal treatments on platinum based nanoparticles. • Potential cycling induces platinum dissolution with redeposition on top of the film. • At 1.4 V vs. RHE and 60 °C carbon corrosion and particle aggregation is observed.

Primary Dendrite Array Morphology: Observations from Ground-based and Space Station Processed Samples

Science.gov (United States)

Tewari, Surendra; Rajamure, Ravi; Grugel, Richard; Erdmann, Robert; Poirier, David

2012-01-01

Influence of natural convection on primary dendrite array morphology during directional solidification is being investigated under a collaborative European Space Agency-NASA joint research program, "Microstructure Formation in Castings of Technical Alloys under Diffusive and Magnetically Controlled Convective Conditions (MICAST)". Two Aluminum-7 wt pct Silicon alloy samples, MICAST6 and MICAST7, were directionally solidified in microgravity on the International Space Station. Terrestrially grown dendritic monocrystal cylindrical samples were remelted and directionally solidified at 18 K/cm (MICAST6) and 28 K/cm (MICAST7). Directional solidification involved a growth speed step increase (MICAST6-from 5 to 50 micron/s) and a speed decrease (MICAST7-from 20 to 10 micron/s). Distribution and morphology of primary dendrites is currently being characterized in these samples, and also in samples solidified on earth under nominally similar thermal gradients and growth speeds. Primary dendrite spacing and trunk diameter measurements from this investigation will be presented.

Tooth agenesis and craniofacial morphology in pre-orthodontic children with and without morphological deviations in the upper cervical spine

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jasemi, Ashkan; Sonnesen, Liselotte

2016-01-01

AIM: To analyze differences in prevalence and pattern of tooth agenesis and craniofacial morphology between non syndromic children with tooth agenesis with and without upper cervical spine morphological deviations and to analyze associations between craniofacial morphology and tooth agenesis...... in the two groups together. METHODS: One hundred and twenty-six pre-orthodontic children with tooth agenesis were divided into two groups with (19 children, mean age 11.9) and without (107 children, mean age 11.4) upper spine morphological deviations. Visual assessment of upper spine morphology...... and measurements of craniofacial morphology were performed on lateral cephalograms. Tooth agenesis was evaluated from orthopantomograms. RESULTS: No significant differences in tooth agenesis and craniofacial morphology were found between children with and without upper spine morphological deviations (2.2 ± 1.6 vs...

morphological descriptors and micro satellite diversity among scarlet ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Prof. Adipala Ekwamu

distinctness, similarities and overlap among groups. The Kumba and Aculeatum groups are related for multi- locular characteristic of the fruits. The Nei's coefficients for morphological descriptors and SSR data indicated that S. aethiopicum groups showed a wide genetic base. MM1102 and MM457 showed high relatedness ...

Genetic diversity Study of Dioscoreas Using Morphological Traits ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Prof. Ogunji

study. Onyilagha (1988) used polyacrylamide gel elctrophoresis on 13 cultivars of Dioscorea (5 of D.rotundata and 8 of D.cayenesis). The two taxa have some common morphological features, leading to .... g, potassium chloride = 0.725 g, ethylene ..... feasibility in broadening the genetic base for the improvement of yam.

The Contribution of Morphological Awareness to the Spelling of Morphemes and Morphologically Complex Words in French

Science.gov (United States)

Fejzo, Anila

2016-01-01

The goal of this study was to explore the relationship between morphological awareness and the spelling of morphemes and morphologically complex words among 75 third- and fourth-grade Francophone students of low socio-economic status. To reach this objective, we administered a dictation comprised of morphologically complex words with prefixes,…

PERSIAN DOMES: HISTORY, MORPHOLOGY AND TYPOLOGIES

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Maryam Ashkan

2009-11-01

Full Text Available Persian master builders had introduced an architectural innovation which had an imperishable effect on dome architecture in the Middle East and Central Asia: surmounting a dome on squinches. This paper aims to provide a broader perspective of Persian domes as the most significant feature of Eastern domes in the Middle East. As opposed to previous general historic studies, this paper introduces a new analytical approach directed towards analysis of architectural concepts and stylistic attributes of Persian domes based on an epistemological premise of their space syntax. By analytic reviewing of examples, the paper addresses the origin of Persian domes, their formal morphological constitutions, and their typological forms based on the diversity of the external shell over the specific timeline, from the pre-Islamic era through the Qajar period in Iran. The study of the Persian dome’s characteristics can illustrate undiscovered information about the essences of developing dome constructions in the Middle East. It can also establish new design standards regarding the frameworks of domical building configurations to be used for creating typological diversity in dome design and to renew the morphological principles of the traditional dome compositions in contemporary architectural designs. Finally, the insights gained can inform conservation efforts on domical structures in the region and elsewhere.

Morphology of urethral tissues

Science.gov (United States)

Müller, Bert; Schulz, Georg; Herzen, Julia; Mushkolaj, Shpend; Bormann, Therese; Beckmann, Felix; Püschel, Klaus

2010-09-01

Micro computed tomography has been developed to a powerful technique for the characterization of hard and soft human and animal tissues. Soft tissues including the urethra, however, are difficult to be analyzed, since the microstructures of interest exhibit X-ray absorption values very similar to the surroundings. Selective staining using highly absorbing species is a widely used approach, but associated with significant tissue modification. Alternatively, one can suitably embed the soft tissue, which requires the exchange of water. Therefore, the more recently developed phase contrast modes providing much better contrast of low X-ray absorbing species are especially accommodating in soft tissue characterization. The present communication deals with the morphological characterization of sheep, pig and human urethras on the micrometer scale taking advantage of micro computed tomography in absorption and phase contrast modes. The performance of grating-based tomography is demonstrated for freshly explanted male and female urethras in saline solution. The micro-morphology of the urethra is important to understand how the muscles close the urethra to reach continence. As the number of incontinent patients is steadily increasing, the function under static and, more important, under stress conditions has to be uncovered for the realization of artificial urinary sphincters, which needs sophisticated, biologically inspired concepts to become nature analogue.

ADX – Agent for Morphologic Analysis of Lexical Entries in a Dictionary

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Bogdan Patrut

2010-01-01

Full Text Available This paper refers to the morphological analysis of words, as an important process in the domain
of natural language processing. We will present the classical solution, based on the use of inflected
paradigms and of an extended data base, containing all roots of the words, and then there are
emphasized some of the disadvantages of this method. Then we will present an original method, which
dynamically generates the roots of words, using phonetic alternances in the context of flexionary rules.
There are also presented some optimisations of the morphologic analysis algorithm.

Imageability and Transparency in Morphological Awareness: A Study of How Third-Grade Children Made Lemonade from Lemon

Science.gov (United States)

Wolter, Julie A.

2014-01-01

Morphological awareness has been established as important to literacy success, and as such, it is critical to study factors affecting children's performance on measures of this skill. Morphological transparency, or the clarity of the sound and letter pattern relationship between base words and their associated morphological forms, has been found…

Inter-population differences in otolith morphology are genetically encoded in the killifish Aphanius fasciatus (Cyprinodontiformes

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Ali Annabi

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Inter-population differences in otolith shape, morphology and chemistry have been used effectively as indicators for stock assessment or for recognizing environmental adaptation in fishes. However, the precise parameters that affect otolith morphology remain incompletely understood. Here we provide the first direct support for the hypothesis that inter-population differences in otolith morphology are genetically encoded. The study is based on otolith morphology and two mitochondrial markers (D-loop, 16S rRNA of three natural populations of Aphanius fasciatus (Teleostei: Cyprinodontidae from Southeast Tunisia. Otolith and genetic data yielded congruent tree topologies. Divergence of populations likely results from isolation events in the course of the Pleistocene sea level drops. We propose that otolith morphology is a valuable tool for resolving genetic diversity also within other teleost species, which may be important for ecosystem management and conservation of genetic diversity. As reconstructions of ancient teleost fish faunas are often solely based on fossil otoliths, our discoveries may also lead to a new approach to research in palaeontology.

Cell behavior on microparticles with different surface morphology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang Sha; Fu Xiaobing

2010-01-01

Microparticles can serve as substrates for cell amplification and deliver the cell aggregation to the site of the defect for tissue regeneration. To develop favorable microparticles for cell delivery application, we fabricated and evaluated three types of microparticles that differ in surface properties. The microparticles with varied surface morphology (smooth, pitted and multicavity) were created from chemically crosslinked gelatin particles that underwent various drying treatments. Three types of microparticles were characterized and assessed in terms of the cell behavior of human keratinocytes and fibroblasts seeded on them. The cells could attach, spread and proliferate on all types of microparticles but spread and populated more slowly on the microparticles with smooth surfaces than on those with pitted or multicavity surfaces. Microparticles with a multicavity surface demonstrated the highest cell attachment and growth rate. Furthermore, cells tested on microparticles with a multicavity surface exhibited better morphology and induced the earlier formation of extracellular-based cell-microparticle aggregation than those on microparticles with other surface morphology (smooth and pitted). Thus, microparticles with a multicavity surface show promise for attachment and proliferation of cells in tissue engineering.

A geometric morphometric analysis of hominin upper premolars. Shape variation and morphological integration.

Science.gov (United States)

Gómez-Robles, Aida; Martinón-Torres, María; Bermúdez de Castro, José María; Prado-Simón, Leyre; Arsuaga, Juan Luis

2011-12-01

This paper continues the series of articles initiated in 2006 that analyse hominin dental crown morphology by means of geometric morphometric techniques. The detailed study of both upper premolar occlusal morphologies in a comprehensive sample of hominin fossils, including those coming from the Gran Dolina-TD6 and Sima de los Huesos sites from Atapuerca, Spain, complement previous works on lower first and second premolars and upper first molars. A morphological gradient consisting of the change from asymmetric to symmetric upper premolars and a marked reduction of the lingual cusp in recent Homo species has been observed in both premolars. Although percentages of correct classification based on upper premolar morphologies are not very high, significant morphological differences between Neanderthals (and European middle Pleistocene fossils) and modern humans have been identified, especially in upper second premolars. The study of morphological integration between premolar morphologies reveals significant correlations that are weaker between upper premolars than between lower ones and significant correlations between antagonists. These results have important implications for understanding the genetic and functional factors underlying dental phenotypic variation and covariation. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Multi-scale characterization of surface blistering morphology of helium irradiated W thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, J.J.; Zhu, H.L.; Wan, Q.; Peng, M.J.; Ran, G.; Tang, J.; Yang, Y.Y.; Liao, J.L.; Liu, N.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Multi-scale blistering morphology of He irradiated W film was studied. • This complex morphology was first characterized by wavelet transform approach. - Abstract: Surface blistering morphologies of W thin films irradiated by 30 keV He ion beam were studied quantitatively. It was found that the blistering morphology strongly depends on He fluence. For lower He fluence, the accumulation and growth of He bubbles induce the intrinsic surface blisters with mono-modal size distribution feature. When the He fluence is higher, the film surface morphology exhibits a multi-scale property, including two kinds of surface blisters with different characteristic sizes. In addition to the intrinsic He blisters, film/substrate interface delamination also induces large-sized surface blisters. A strategy based on wavelet transform approach was proposed to distinguish and extract the multi-scale surface blistering morphologies. Then the density, the lateral size and the height of these different blisters were estimated quantitatively, and the effect of He fluence on these geometrical parameters was investigated. Our method could provide a potential tool to describe the irradiation induced surface damage morphology with a multi-scale property

Effects of Polymeric Dielectric Morphology on Pentacene Morphology and Organic TFT Characteristics

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Ye Rongbin

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we report on the effects of the polymeric dielectric morphology on pentacene morphology and organic thin film transistor (TFT characteristics. The morphology and thickness of cyclo-olefin polymer (COP dielectric could be controlled by selecting a solvent. Higher the solvent’s boiling point is, thinner and smother COP films could be obtained. Using the solvent of trimethylcyclohexane, the spin-coated COP films of ca. 330 nm with the peak-to-valley of 7.35 nm and the roughness of root mean square of 0.58 nm were obtained, and pentacene TFT showed high mobility of 2.0 cm2V-1s-1, which originated from highly ordering of pentacene thin films deposited on the smoother and thinner COP films.

Morphological rational operator for contrast enhancement.

Science.gov (United States)

Peregrina-Barreto, Hayde; Herrera-Navarro, Ana M; Morales-Hernández, Luis A; Terol-Villalobos, Iván R

2011-03-01

Contrast enhancement is an important task in image processing that is commonly used as a preprocessing step to improve the images for other tasks such as segmentation. However, some methods for contrast improvement that work well in low-contrast regions affect good contrast regions as well. This occurs due to the fact that some elements may vanish. A method focused on images with different luminance conditions is introduced in the present work. The proposed method is based on morphological transformations by reconstruction and rational operations, which, altogether, allow a more accurate contrast enhancement resulting in regions that are in harmony with their environment. Furthermore, due to the properties of these morphological transformations, the creation of new elements on the image is avoided. The processing is carried out on luminance values in the u'v'Y color space, which avoids the creation of new colors. As a result of the previous considerations, the proposed method keeps the natural color appearance of the image.

Biopsy Diagnosis of Oral Carcinoma by the Combination of Morphological and Spectral Methods Based on Embedded Relay Lens Microscopic Hyperspectral Imaging System.

Science.gov (United States)

Ou-Yang, Mang; Hsieh, Yao-Fang; Lee, Cheng-Chung

Cytopathological examination through biopsy is very important for carcinoma detection. The embedded relay lens microscopic hyperspectral imaging system (ERL-MHIS) provides a morphological image of a biopsy sample and the spectrum of each pixel in the image simultaneously. Based on the ERL-MHIS, this work develops morphological and spectral methods to diagnose oral carcinoma biopsy. In morphological discrimination, the fractal dimension method is applied to differentiate between normal and abnormal tissues. In spectral identification, normal and cancerous cells are distinguished using five methods. However, the spectra of normal and cancerous cells vary with patient. The diagnostic performances of the five methods are thus not ideal. Hence, the proposed cocktail approach is used to determine the effectiveness of the spectral methods in correlating with the sampling conditions. And then we use a combination of effective spectral methods according to the sample conditions for diagnosing a sample. A total of 68 biopsies from 34 patients are analyzed using the ERL-MHIS. The results demonstrate a sensitivity of 90 ± 4.53 % and a specificity of 87.8 ± 5.21 %. Furthermore, in our survey, this system is the first time utilized to study oral carcinoma biopsies.

The control of inorganic nanotube morphology using an applied potential

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gingrich, Todd R; Wilson, Mark

2011-01-01

Molecular dynamics computer simulations of the filling of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) by a generic molten salt to form hexagonal-net-based inorganic nanotubes (INTs) are described. A model is introduced to incorporate CNT metallicity which imposes variable Gaussian charges on each atomic site in order to retain an equipotential. The inclusion of CNT metallicity is observed to have no significant effect on the distribution of the INT morphologies formed as compared with the filling of non-metallic CNTs. The application of a voltage bias to the CNT forms a new class of INTs which can be considered as constructed from concentric layers of pseudo-close-packed anions and cations. Removal of the voltage bias leads to the formation of hexagonal-net-based INTs with a distribution of morphologies different to that observed for the filling of the unbiased CNTs. The differences in distributions are interpreted in terms of the CNTs behaving as effective energy landscape filters, for which the applied voltage acts as an additional control variable. The application of a potential acts to control the distribution of INT morphologies by facilitating alternative mechanistic pathways to nanotube formation.

Genetic Diversity of Iranian and Exotic Sainfoin Accessions (Onobrychis viciifolia Scop Based on Morphological Traits

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M. Zarabiyan

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia Scop. is widely grown as forage and pasture legume in Iran and is tolerant to environmental stresses. To investigate the genetic diversity among 56 accessions of sainfoin germplasm (including 46 Iranian and 10 foreign based on morphological and agronomic characteristics, present experiment was conducted as randomized complete block design with three replications in Isfahan University of Technology Research Farm during 2010-2011. The results of analysis of variance indicated considerable variation between studied germplasm for all traits and the better performance for Iranian accessions. The estimation of broad sense heritability for plant height, number of stems per plant, number of stems per meter square and number of nods per stem was high suggesting contribution of the major genes for controlling these traits. On the basis of means comparison, the forage yield was greatest for the first cutting as compared to the second cutting. Also the highest yield obtained from second year. Regarding the palatability (based on leaf to stem ratio the exotic accessions had higher values. Developing of superior cultivars may be possible through combining high yield and palatability in breeding programs.

Morphology Is a Link to the Past: Examining Formative and Secular Galactic Evolution through Morphology

Science.gov (United States)

Galloway, Melanie A.

Galaxy morphology is one of the primary keys to understanding a galaxy's evolutionary history. External mechanisms (environment/clustering, mergers) have a strong impact on the formative evolution of the major galactic components (disk, bulge, Hubble type), while internal instabilities created by bars, spiral arms, or other substructures drive secular evolution via the rearrangement of material within the disk. This thesis will explore several ways in which morphology impacts the dynamics and evolution of a galaxy using visual classifications from several Galaxy Zoo projects. The first half of this work will detail the motivations of using morphology to study galaxy evolution, and describe how morphology is measured, debiased, and interpreted using crowdsourced classification data via Galaxy Zoo. The second half will present scientific studies which make use of these classifications; first by focusing on the morphology of galaxies in the local Universe (z color. These results are consistent with a cosmological model in which bar-driven fueling contributes to the growth of black holes, but other dynamical mechanisms must also play a significant role. Next, the morphological dependence on wavelength is studied in Chapter 5 by comparing the optical morphological classifications from GZ2 to classifications done on infrared images in GZ:UKIDSS. Consistent morphologies were found in both sets and similar bar fractions, which confirms that for most galaxies, both old and young stellar populations follow similar spatial distributions. Last, the morphological changes in galaxy populations are computed as a function of their age using classifications from Galaxy Zoo: Hubble (Chapter 6). The evolution of the passive disc population from z = 1 to z = 0.3 was studied in a sample of 20,000 galaxies from the COSMOS field and morphologically classified by the Galaxy Zoo: Hubble project. It was found that the fraction of disc galaxies that are red, as well as the fraction of red

Effects of salicylic acid on morphological and physiological ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

To evaluate the effect of different levels of salicylic acid (SA) on yield and some morphological and physiological characteristics of sweet corn hybrids under water stress, this study was conducted in 2015 using split plots in the base of randomized complete block design with three replications. Treatments were included ...

Deformed Skull Morphology Is Caused by the Combined Effects of the Maldevelopment of Calvarias, Cranial Base and Brain in FGFR2-P253R Mice Mimicking Human Apert Syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Fengtao; Xie, Yangli; Xu, Wei; Huang, Junlan; Zhou, Siru; Wang, Zuqiang; Luo, Xiaoqing; Liu, Mi; Chen, Lin; Du, Xiaolan

2017-01-01

Apert syndrome (AS) is a common genetic syndrome in humans characterized with craniosynostosis. Apert patients and mouse models showed abnormalities in sutures, cranial base and brain, that may all be involved in the pathogenesis of skull malformation of Apert syndrome. To distinguish the differential roles of these components of head in the pathogenesis of the abnormal skull morphology of AS, we generated mouse strains specifically expressing mutant FGFR2 in chondrocytes, osteoblasts, and progenitor cells of central nervous system (CNS) by crossing Fgfr2 +/P253R-Neo mice with Col2a1-Cre, Osteocalcin-Cre (OC-Cre), and Nestin-Cre mice, respectively. We then quantitatively analyzed the skull and brain morphology of these mutant mice by micro-CT and micro-MRI using Euclidean distance matrix analysis (EDMA). Skulls of Col2a1-Fgfr2 +/P253R mice showed Apert syndrome-like dysmorphology, such as shortened skull dimensions along the rostrocaudal axis, shortened nasal bone, and evidently advanced ossification of cranial base synchondroses. The OC-Fgfr2 +/P253R mice showed malformation in face at 8-week stage. Nestin-Fgfr2 +/P253R mice exhibited increased dorsoventral height and rostrocaudal length on the caudal skull and brain at 8 weeks. Our study indicates that the abnormal skull morphology of AS is caused by the combined effects of the maldevelopment in calvarias, cranial base, and brain tissue. These findings further deepen our knowledge about the pathogenesis of the abnormal skull morphology of AS, and provide new clues for the further analyses of skull phenotypes and clinical management of AS.

Construction of Individual Morphological Brain Networks with Multiple Morphometric Features

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chunlan Yang

2017-04-01

Full Text Available In recent years, researchers have increased attentions to the morphological brain network, which is generally constructed by measuring the mathematical correlation across regions using a certain morphometric feature, such as regional cortical thickness and voxel intensity. However, cerebral structure can be characterized by various factors, such as regional volume, surface area, and curvature. Moreover, most of the morphological brain networks are population-based, which has limitations in the investigations of individual difference and clinical applications. Hence, we have extended previous studies by proposing a novel method for realizing the construction of an individual-based morphological brain network through a combination of multiple morphometric features. In particular, interregional connections are estimated using our newly introduced feature vectors, namely, the Pearson correlation coefficient of the concatenation of seven morphometric features. Experiments were performed on a healthy cohort of 55 subjects (24 males aged from 20 to 29 and 31 females aged from 20 to 28 each scanned twice, and reproducibility was evaluated through test–retest reliability. The robustness of morphometric features was measured firstly to select the more reproducible features to form the connectomes. Then the topological properties were analyzed and compared with previous reports of different modalities. Small-worldness was observed in all the subjects at the range of the entire network sparsity (20–40%, and configurations were comparable with previous findings at the sparsity of 23%. The spatial distributions of the hub were found to be significantly influenced by the individual variances, and the hubs obtained by averaging across subjects and sparsities showed correspondence with previous reports. The intraclass coefficient of graphic properties (clustering coefficient = 0.83, characteristic path length = 0.81, betweenness centrality = 0.78 indicates

Understanding Solvent Manipulation of Morphology in Bulk-Heterojunction Organic Solar Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yuxia; Zhan, Chuanlang; Yao, Jiannian

2016-10-06

Film morphology greatly influences the performance of bulk-heterojunction (BHJ)-structure-based solar cells. It is known that an interpenetrating bicontinuous network with nanoscale-separated donor and acceptor phases for charge transfer, an ordered molecular packing for exciton diffusion and charge transport, and a vertical compositionally graded structure for charge collection are prerequisites for achieving highly efficient BHJ organic solar cells (OSCs). Therefore, control of the morphology to obtain an ideal structure is a key problem. For this solution-processing BHJ system, the solvent participates fully in film processing. Its involvement is critical in modifying the nanostructure of BHJ films. In this review, we discuss the effects of solvent-related methods on the morphology of BHJ films, including selection of the casting solvent, solvent mixture, solvent vapor annealing, and solvent soaking. On the basis of a discussion on interaction strength and time between solvent and active materials, we believe that the solvent-morphology-performance relationship will be clearer and that solvent selection as a means to manipulate the morphology of BHJ films will be more rational. © 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Morphological families in the mental lexicon

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jong, Nivja Helena de

2002-01-01

Words can occur as constituents of other words. Some words have a high morphological productivity, in that they occur in many complex words, whereas others are morphological islands. Previous studies have found that the size of a word's morphological family can co-determine response latencies in

Microscopy with spatial filtering for sorting particles and monitoring subcellular morphology

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Jing-Yi; Qian, Zhen; Pasternack, Robert M.; Boustany, Nada N.

2009-02-01

Optical scatter imaging (OSI) was developed to non-invasively track real-time changes in particle morphology with submicron sensitivity in situ without exogenous labeling, cell fixing, or organelle isolation. For spherical particles, the intensity ratio of wide-to-narrow angle scatter (OSIR, Optical Scatter Image Ratio) was shown to decrease monotonically with diameter and agree with Mie theory. In living cells, we recently reported this technique is able to detect mitochondrial morphological alterations, which were mediated by the Bcl-xL transmembrane domain, and could not be observed by fluorescence or differential interference contrast images. Here we further extend the ability of morphology assessment by adopting a digital micromirror device (DMD) for Fourier filtering. When placed in the Fourier plane the DMD can be used to select scattering intensities at desired combination of scattering angles. We designed an optical filter bank consisting of Gabor-like filters with various scales and rotations based on Gabor filters, which have been widely used for localization of spatial and frequency information in digital images and texture analysis. Using a model system consisting of mixtures of polystyrene spheres and bacteria, we show how this system can be used to sort particles on a microscopic slide based on their size, orientation and aspect ratio. We are currently applying this technique to characterize the morphology of subcellular organelles to help understand fundamental biological processes.

Neighborhood Variation of Sustainable Urban Morphological Characteristics

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Si; Stimson, Robert

2018-01-01

Compact cities and their urban forms have implications on sustainable city development because of high density urban settlement, increased accessibility, and a balanced land use mix. This paper uses quantitative means of understanding urban morphological characteristics with reference to the differing qualities of the urban form (i.e., street patterns, building volumes, land uses and greenery). The results, based on 89 neighborhood communities of Hong Kong, show varying degrees of regional differences in the urban built form supported by numerical statistics and graphical illustrations. This paper offers empirical evidence on some morphological characteristics that can be estimated objectively using modern geospatial technologies and applied universally to inform urban planning. However, more studies linking these quantifiable measures of the physical form with sustainable urban living are needed to account for human comfort in the totality of environmental, social, and economic responsibilities. PMID:29518956

Neighborhood Variation of Sustainable Urban Morphological Characteristics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Poh-Chin Lai

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Compact cities and their urban forms have implications on sustainable city development because of high density urban settlement, increased accessibility, and a balanced land use mix. This paper uses quantitative means of understanding urban morphological characteristics with reference to the differing qualities of the urban form (i.e., street patterns, building volumes, land uses and greenery. The results, based on 89 neighborhood communities of Hong Kong, show varying degrees of regional differences in the urban built form supported by numerical statistics and graphical illustrations. This paper offers empirical evidence on some morphological characteristics that can be estimated objectively using modern geospatial technologies and applied universally to inform urban planning. However, more studies linking these quantifiable measures of the physical form with sustainable urban living are needed to account for human comfort in the totality of environmental, social, and economic responsibilities.

Morphological Computation: Synergy of Body and Brain

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Keyan Ghazi-Zahedi

2017-08-01

Full Text Available There are numerous examples that show how the exploitation of the body’s physical properties can lift the burden of the brain. Examples include grasping, swimming, locomotion, and motion detection. The term Morphological Computation was originally coined to describe processes in the body that would otherwise have to be conducted by the brain. In this paper, we argue for a synergistic perspective, and by that we mean that Morphological Computation is a process which requires a close interaction of body and brain. Based on a model of the sensorimotor loop, we study a new measure of synergistic information and show that it is more reliable in cases in which there is no synergistic information, compared to previous results. Furthermore, we discuss an algorithm that allows the calculation of the measure in non-trivial (non-binary systems.

3D Morphology Design for Forward Osmosis

KAUST Repository

Shi, Meixia

2016-06-06

We propose a multi-scale simulation approach to model forward osmosis (FO) processes using substrates with layered homogeneous morphology. This approach accounts not only for FO setup but also for detailed microstructure of the substrate using the digitally reconstructed morphology. We fabricate a highly porous block copolymer membrane, which has not been explored for FO heretofore, and use it as the substrate for interfacial polymerization. The substrate has three sub-layers, namely a top layer, a sponge-like middle layer, and a nonwoven fabric layer. We generate a digital microstructure for each layer, and verify them with experimental measurements. The permeability and effective diffusivity of each layer are computed based on their virtual microstructures and used for FO operation in cross-flow setups at the macro scale. The proposed simulation approach predicts accurately the FO experimental data.

Neighborhood Variation of Sustainable Urban Morphological Characteristics.

Science.gov (United States)

Lai, Poh-Chin; Chen, Si; Low, Chien-Tat; Cerin, Ester; Stimson, Robert; Wong, Pui Yun Paulina

2018-03-07

Compact cities and their urban forms have implications on sustainable city development because of high density urban settlement, increased accessibility, and a balanced land use mix. This paper uses quantitative means of understanding urban morphological characteristics with reference to the differing qualities of the urban form (i.e., street patterns, building volumes, land uses and greenery). The results, based on 89 neighborhood communities of Hong Kong, show varying degrees of regional differences in the urban built form supported by numerical statistics and graphical illustrations. This paper offers empirical evidence on some morphological characteristics that can be estimated objectively using modern geospatial technologies and applied universally to inform urban planning. However, more studies linking these quantifiable measures of the physical form with sustainable urban living are needed to account for human comfort in the totality of environmental, social, and economic responsibilities.

Context-aware modeling of neuronal morphologies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Benjamin eTorben-Nielsen

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Neuronal morphologies are pivotal for brain functioning: physical overlap between dendrites and axons constrain the circuit topology, and the precise shape and composition of dendrites determine the integration of inputs to produce an output signal. At the same time, morphologies are highly diverse and variant. The variance, presumably, originates from neurons developing in a densely packed brain substrate where they interact (e.g., repulsion or attraction with other actors in this substrate. However, when studying neurons their context is never part of the analysis and they are treated as if they existed in isolation.Here we argue that to fully understand neuronal morphology and its variance it is important to consider neurons in relation to each other and to other actors in the surrounding brain substrate, i.e., their context. We propose a context-aware computational framework, NeuroMaC, in which large numbers of neurons can be grown simultaneously according to growth rules expressed in terms of interactions between the developing neuron and the surrounding brain substrate.As a proof of principle, we demonstrate that by using NeuroMaC we can generate accurate virtual morphologies of distinct classes both in isolation and as part of neuronal forests. Accuracy is validated against population statistics of experimentally reconstructed morphologies. We show that context-aware generation of neurons can explain characteristics of variation. Indeed, plausible variation is an inherent property of the morphologies generated by context-aware rules. We speculate about the applicability of this framework to investigate morphologies and circuits, to classify healthy and pathological morphologies, and to generate large quantities of morphologies for large-scale modeling.

Effects of Solution-Based Fabrication Conditions on Morphology of Lead Halide Perovskite Thin Film Solar Cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeremy L. Barnett

2016-01-01

Full Text Available We present a critical review of the effects of processing conditions on the morphology of methylammonium lead iodide (CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite solar cells. Though difficult to decouple from synthetic and film formation effects, a single morphological feature, specifically grain size, has been evidently linked to the photovoltaic performance of this class of solar cells. Herein, we discuss experimental aspects of optimizing the (a temperature and time of annealing, (b spin-coating parameters, and (c solution temperature of methylammonium iodide (MAI solution.

Characterization and control of fungal morphology for improved production performance in biotechnology.

Science.gov (United States)

Krull, Rainer; Wucherpfennig, Thomas; Esfandabadi, Manely Eslahpazir; Walisko, Robert; Melzer, Guido; Hempel, Dietmar C; Kampen, Ingo; Kwade, Arno; Wittmann, Christoph

2013-01-20

Filamentous fungi have been widely applied in industrial biotechnology for many decades. In submerged culture processes, they typically exhibit a complex morphological life cycle that is related to production performance--a link that is of high interest for process optimization. The fungal forms can vary from dense spherical pellets to viscous mycelia. The resulting morphology has been shown to be influenced strongly by process parameters, including power input through stirring and aeration, mass transfer characteristics, pH value, osmolality and the presence of solid micro-particles. The surface properties of fungal spores and hyphae also play a role. Due to their high industrial relevance, the past years have seen a substantial development of tools and techniques to characterize the growth of fungi and obtain quantitative estimates on their morphological properties. Based on the novel insights available from such studies, more recent studies have been aimed at the precise control of morphology, i.e., morphology engineering, to produce superior bio-processes with filamentous fungi. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Conditional Random Fields for Morphological Analysis of Wireless ECG Signals

Science.gov (United States)

Natarajan, Annamalai; Gaiser, Edward; Angarita, Gustavo; Malison, Robert; Ganesan, Deepak; Marlin, Benjamin

2015-01-01

Thanks to advances in mobile sensing technologies, it has recently become practical to deploy wireless electrocardiograph sensors for continuous recording of ECG signals. This capability has diverse applications in the study of human health and behavior, but to realize its full potential, new computational tools are required to effectively deal with the uncertainty that results from the noisy and highly non-stationary signals collected using these devices. In this work, we present a novel approach to the problem of extracting the morphological structure of ECG signals based on the use of dynamically structured conditional random field (CRF) models. We apply this framework to the problem of extracting morphological structure from wireless ECG sensor data collected in a lab-based study of habituated cocaine users. Our results show that the proposed CRF-based approach significantly out-performs independent prediction models using the same features, as well as a widely cited open source toolkit. PMID:26726321

Thickness-dependent spontaneous dewetting morphology of ultrathin Ag films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Krishna, H; Favazza, C [Department of Physics, Washington University in St Louis, MO 63130 (United States); Sachan, R; Strader, J; Kalyanaraman, R [Department of Material Science and Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996 (United States); Khenner, M, E-mail: ramki@utk.edu [Department of Mathematics, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY 42101 (United States)

2010-04-16

We show here that the morphological pathway of spontaneous dewetting of ultrathin Ag films on SiO{sub 2} under nanosecond laser melting is dependent on film thickness. For films with thickness h of 2 nm {<=} h {<=} 9.5 nm, the morphology during the intermediate stages of dewetting consisted of bicontinuous structures. For films with 11.5 nm {<=} h {<=} 20 nm, the intermediate stages consisted of regularly sized holes. Measurement of the characteristic length scales for different stages of dewetting as a function of film thickness showed a systematic increase, which is consistent with the spinodal dewetting instability over the entire thickness range investigated. This change in morphology with thickness is consistent with observations made previously for polymer films (Sharma and Khanna 1998 Phys. Rev. Lett. 81 3463-6; Seemann et al 2001 J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 13 4925-38). Based on the behavior of free energy curvature that incorporates intermolecular forces, we have estimated the morphological transition thickness for the intermolecular forces for Ag on SiO{sub 2}. The theory predictions agree well with observations for Ag. These results show that it is possible to form a variety of complex Ag nanomorphologies in a consistent manner, which could be useful in optical applications of Ag surfaces, such as in surface enhanced Raman sensing.

Modern classification of neoplasms: reconciling differences between morphologic and molecular approaches

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berman, Jules

2005-01-01

For over 150 years, pathologists have relied on histomorphology to classify and diagnose neoplasms. Their success has been stunning, permitting the accurate diagnosis of thousands of different types of neoplasms using only a microscope and a trained eye. In the past two decades, cancer genomics has challenged the supremacy of histomorphology by identifying genetic alterations shared by morphologically diverse tumors and by finding genetic features that distinguish subgroups of morphologically homogeneous tumors. The Developmental Lineage Classification and Taxonomy of Neoplasms groups neoplasms by their embryologic origin. The putative value of this classification is based on the expectation that tumors of a common developmental lineage will share common metabolic pathways and common responses to drugs that target these pathways. The purpose of this manuscript is to show that grouping tumors according to their developmental lineage can reconcile certain fundamental discrepancies resulting from morphologic and molecular approaches to neoplasm classification. In this study, six issues in tumor classification are described that exemplify the growing rift between morphologic and molecular approaches to tumor classification: 1) the morphologic separation between epithelial and non-epithelial tumors; 2) the grouping of tumors based on shared cellular functions; 3) the distinction between germ cell tumors and pluripotent tumors of non-germ cell origin; 4) the distinction between tumors that have lost their differentiation and tumors that arise from uncommitted stem cells; 5) the molecular properties shared by morphologically disparate tumors that have a common developmental lineage, and 6) the problem of re-classifying morphologically identical but clinically distinct subsets of tumors. The discussion of these issues in the context of describing different methods of tumor classification is intended to underscore the clinical value of a robust tumor classification. A

Separation of integrin-dependent adhesion from morphological changes based on differential PLC specificities.

Science.gov (United States)

Wooten, D K; Teague, T K; McIntyre, B W

1999-01-01

In normal lymphocytes an inside-out signal up-regulating integrin adhesion is followed by a ligand-mediated outside-in cell spreading signal. Protein kinase C (PKC) inhibition blocks lymphocyte adherence to and spreading on fibronectin. In contrast, putative PLC inhibitors yield distinct differences with respect to adhesion and morphology. The phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PLC) inhibitor neomycin blocked spreading of CD3/CD28-activated T cells on fibronectin by disrupting adhesion. Furthermore, when an additional inside-out signal for fibronectin adhesion is unnecessary such as with HPB-ALL T leukemic or phorbol-myristate-acetate-treated normal T cells, neomycin treatment does not alter adhesion or morphology. However, the phosphatidylcholine-specific PLC inhibitor D609 abrogates cell spreading without affecting adhesion to fibronectin in these cells as well as the CD3/CD28-activated T cells. These results strongly suggest that inside-out signaling for the integrin alpha4beta1 in lymphocytes proceeds through phosphatidylinositol-specific PLC and PKC, whereas the outside-in signal utilizes phosphatidylcholine-specific PLC and PKC.

Resource use by two morphologically similar insectivorous bats ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Studies of morphologically dissimilar insectivorous bats have lead to the conclusion that morphology is the prime correlate of habitat use, and consequently of diet. This has lead to the prediction that morphologically similar bats should have similar diets. We examined the diet and morphology of two morphologically similar ...

Pelvic morphology in ischiofemoral impingement

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bredella, Miriam A.; Azevedo, Debora C.; Oliveira, Adriana L.; Simeone, Frank J.; Chang, Connie Y.; Torriani, Martin [Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Radiology, Musculoskeletal Imaging and Intervention, Boston, MA (United States); Stubbs, Allston J. [Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Division of Sports Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC (United States)

2014-11-06

To assess MRI measures to quantify pelvic morphology that may predispose to ischiofemoral impingement (IFI). We hypothesized that patients with IFI have a wider interischial distance and an increased femoral neck angle compared with normal controls. The study was IRB-approved and complied with HIPAA guidelines. IFI was diagnosed based on clinical findings (hip or buttock pain) and ipsilateral edema of the quadratus femoris muscle on MRI. Control subjects did not report isolated hip/buttock pain and underwent MRI for surveillance of neoplasms or to exclude pelvic fractures. Two MSK radiologists measured the ischiofemoral (IF) and quadratus femoris (QF) distance, the ischial angle as a measure of inter-ischial distance, and the femoral neck angle. The quadratus femoris muscle was evaluated for edema. Groups were compared using ANOVA. Multivariate standard least-squares regression modeling was used to control for age and gender. The study group comprised 84 patients with IFI (53 ± 16 years, 73 female, 11 male) and 51 controls (52 ± 16 years, 33 female, 18 male). Thirteen out of 84 patients (15 %) had bilateral IFI. Patients with IFI had decreased IF and QF distance (p < 0.0001), increased ischial angle (p = 0.004), and increased femoral neck angle (p = 0.02) compared with controls, independent of age and gender. Patients with IFI have increased ischial and femoral neck angles compared with controls. These anatomical variations in pelvic morphology may predispose to IFI. MRI is a useful method of not only assessing the osseous and soft-tissue abnormalities associated with IFI, but also of quantifying anatomical variations in pelvic morphology that can predispose to IFI. (orig.)

Pelvic morphology in ischiofemoral impingement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bredella, Miriam A.; Azevedo, Debora C.; Oliveira, Adriana L.; Simeone, Frank J.; Chang, Connie Y.; Torriani, Martin; Stubbs, Allston J.

2015-01-01

To assess MRI measures to quantify pelvic morphology that may predispose to ischiofemoral impingement (IFI). We hypothesized that patients with IFI have a wider interischial distance and an increased femoral neck angle compared with normal controls. The study was IRB-approved and complied with HIPAA guidelines. IFI was diagnosed based on clinical findings (hip or buttock pain) and ipsilateral edema of the quadratus femoris muscle on MRI. Control subjects did not report isolated hip/buttock pain and underwent MRI for surveillance of neoplasms or to exclude pelvic fractures. Two MSK radiologists measured the ischiofemoral (IF) and quadratus femoris (QF) distance, the ischial angle as a measure of inter-ischial distance, and the femoral neck angle. The quadratus femoris muscle was evaluated for edema. Groups were compared using ANOVA. Multivariate standard least-squares regression modeling was used to control for age and gender. The study group comprised 84 patients with IFI (53 ± 16 years, 73 female, 11 male) and 51 controls (52 ± 16 years, 33 female, 18 male). Thirteen out of 84 patients (15 %) had bilateral IFI. Patients with IFI had decreased IF and QF distance (p < 0.0001), increased ischial angle (p = 0.004), and increased femoral neck angle (p = 0.02) compared with controls, independent of age and gender. Patients with IFI have increased ischial and femoral neck angles compared with controls. These anatomical variations in pelvic morphology may predispose to IFI. MRI is a useful method of not only assessing the osseous and soft-tissue abnormalities associated with IFI, but also of quantifying anatomical variations in pelvic morphology that can predispose to IFI. (orig.)

Patterns of ovarian morphology in polycystic ovary syndrome: a study utilising magnetic resonance imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barber, Thomas M.; Smith, Rachel; Marland, Anne; Wass, John A.H.; Alvey, Christopher; Greenslade, Tessa; Gooding, Mark; Barber, Debbie; Child, Tim; McCarthy, Mark I.; Franks, Stephen; Golding, Stephen J.

2010-01-01

To evaluate and compare MRI-based ovarian morphology in groups of women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and controls. All PCOS cases (n = 44) had oligo-amenorrhoea and hyperandrogenism irrespective of ovarian morphology, and fulfilled NIH/Rotterdam diagnostic criteria for PCOS. All control women (n = 40) had normal menses and normoandrogenaemia. All subjects were of white British/Irish origin and pre-menopausal. Group comparisons were based on independent-sample t tests. Polycystic ovarian morphology was defined by at least 12 follicles 2-9 mm in diameter and/or an ovarian volume greater than 10 cm 3 . Ovarian morphology differed significantly in PCOS cases and controls (follicle number geometric mean [SD range] 18.6 [9.9, 35.0] vs 6.6 [3.1, 14.2], unadjusted P = 1.3 x 10 -16 ; calculated ovarian volume 8.8 cm 3 [5.0, 15.5] vs 5.1 cm 3 [2.5, 10.3], unadjusted P = 3.0 x 10 -7 ; peripheral follicle location in 55% vs 18% of ovaries, P = 7.9 x 10 -6 ; visible central ovarian stroma in 61% vs 24% of ovaries, P = 2.3 x 10 -5 ). Follicle number and calculated ovarian volume were not concordant with clinical/biochemical assignment of PCOS/control status in 36 (23%) and 52 (34%) of ovaries, respectively. Ovarian morphology overlaps in PCOS cases and controls, emphasising the importance of considering clinical/biochemical presentation together with imaging ovarian morphology in the diagnosis of PCOS. (orig.)

Predicting coastal morphological changes with empirical orthogonal functionmethod

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fernando Alvarez

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In order to improve the accuracy of prediction when using the empirical orthogonal function (EOF method, this paper describes a novel approach for two-dimensional (2D EOF analysis based on extrapolating both the spatial and temporal EOF components for long-term prediction of coastal morphological changes. The approach was investigated with data obtained from a process-based numerical model, COAST2D, which was applied to an idealized study site with a group of shore-parallel breakwaters. The progressive behavior of the spatial and temporal EOF components, related to bathymetric changes over a training period, was demonstrated, and EOF components were extrapolated with combined linear and exponential functions for long-term prediction. The extrapolated EOF components were then used to reconstruct bathymetric changes. The comparison of the reconstructed bathymetric changes with the modeled results from the COAST2D model illustrates that the presented approach can be effective for long-term prediction of coastal morphological changes, and extrapolating both the spatial and temporal EOF components yields better results than extrapolating only the temporal EOF component.

[Limitations and controversies in determining the predictive value of oocyte and embryo morphology criteria].

Science.gov (United States)

Figueira, Rita de Cássia Savio; Aoki, Tsutomu; Borges Junior, Edson

2015-11-01

In order to increase the success rate of in vitro fertilization cycles, several studies have focused on the identification of the embryo with higher implantation potential. Despite recent advances in the reproductive medicine, based on the OMICs technology, routinely applicable methodologies are still needed. Thus, in most fertilization centers embryo selection for transfer is still based on morphological parameters evaluated under light microscopy. Several morphological parameters may be evaluated, ranging from the pronuclear to blastocyst stage. In general, despite the day of transfer, some criteria are suggested to present a predictive value for embryo viability when analyzed independently or combined. However, the subjectivity of morphological evaluation, as well as the wide diversity of embryo classification systems used by different fertilization centers shows contrasting results, making the implementation of a consensus regarding different morphological criteria and their predictive value a difficult task. The optimization of embryo selection represents a large potential to increase treatment success rates, allowing the transfer of a reduced number of embryos and minimizing the risks of multiple pregnancy.

Genetic divergence in sesame based on morphological and agronomic traits

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nair Helena Castro Arriel

2007-01-01

Full Text Available The evaluation of diversity in germplasm collections is important for both plant breeders and germplasmcurators to optimize the use of the variability available. Diversity can be estimated by different genetic markers. The purposeof this study was to estimate the genetic divergence of 30 morphological and agronomic traits in 108 sesame genotypes bymultivariate analysis. The Cole-Rodgers index was used to establish the dissimilarity matrices. The principal componentanalysis identified the traits that contributed most to the divergence and the genotypes were clustered by Tocher’s optimization.Despite the narrow genetic basis, the markers were efficient to characterize the genotypes and identify the most similar groupsor duplicate and divergent genotypes. Greatest variation was found for the traits number of capsules per plant and grain yield.

Speculation with spiculation? - Three independent gene fragments and biochemical characters versus morphology in demosponge higher classification

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Erpenbeck, D.J.G.; Breeuwer, J.A.J.; Parra-Velandia, F.J.; van Soest, R.W.M.

2006-01-01

Demosponge higher-level systematics is currently a subject of major changes due to the simplicity and paucity of complex morphological characters. Still, sponge classification is primarily based on morphological features. The systematics of the demosponge order Agelasida has been exceptionally

A model for the generation and interconversion of ER morphologies.

Science.gov (United States)

Shemesh, Tom; Klemm, Robin W; Romano, Fabian B; Wang, Songyu; Vaughan, Joshua; Zhuang, Xiaowei; Tukachinsky, Hanna; Kozlov, Michael M; Rapoport, Tom A

2014-12-09

The peripheral endoplasmic reticulum (ER) forms different morphologies composed of tubules and sheets. Proteins such as the reticulons shape the ER by stabilizing the high membrane curvature in cross-sections of tubules and sheet edges. Here, we show that membrane curvature along the edge lines is also critical for ER shaping. We describe a theoretical model that explains virtually all observed ER morphologies. The model is based on two types of curvature-stabilizing proteins that generate either straight or negatively curved edge lines (R- and S-type proteins). Dependent on the concentrations of R- and S-type proteins, membrane morphologies can be generated that consist of tubules, sheets, sheet fenestrations, and sheet stacks with helicoidal connections. We propose that reticulons 4a/b are representatives of R-type proteins that favor tubules and outer edges of sheets. Lunapark is an example of S-type proteins that promote junctions between tubules and sheets. In a tubular ER network, lunapark stabilizes three-way junctions, i.e., small triangular sheets with concave edges. The model agrees with experimental observations and explains how curvature-stabilizing proteins determine ER morphology.

Interactions Study of Hydrodynamic-Morphology-Vegetation for Dam-Break Flows

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mingliang Zhang

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This study models a dam-break flow over a bed by using a depth-averaged numerical model based on finite-volume method and computes the dam-break flow and bed morphology characteristics. The generalized shallow water equations considering the sediment transport and bed change on dam-break flow are adopted in the numerical model, and the vegetation effects on the flow and morphological changes are considered. The model is verified against three cases from the laboratory and field data documented in the literature. The numerical results are consistent with the measured results, which show that the model could accurately simulate the evolution of the dam-break flows and the morphology evolution of bed within a computational domain with complex plant distribution. The results show that the riparian vegetation in the waterway narrows the channel and reduces the conveyance capacity of river. The flood flow is diverted away from the vegetation community toward two sides and forms a weak flow region behind the vegetation domain. The resistance of plants markedly reduces the flow velocity, which directly alters the fluvial processes and influences the waterway morphology.

The species concept in a marine diatom: LSU rDNA–based phylogenetic differentiation in Skeletonema marinoi/dohrnii (Bacillariophyceae) is not reflected in morphology

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ellegaard, Marianne; Godhe, Anna; Härnström, Karolina

2008-01-01

and Canada) included in the study showed differences in LSU rDNA sequence within the morphospecies, with differences seen even among clones established from a single plankton net sample. Morphologically, all clones were indistinguishable from each other and from the closely related species Skeletonema...... dohrnii. In the original description of these two species, they were differentiated by the structure of the girdle bands. However, the girdle band types of both species were found within single samples of almost all clones of S. marinoi in this study. The LSU-based phylogeny is consistent with the split...... into two species, and there may be a difference in their biogeographical distribution. We therefore do not at present suggest that the two species be merged. Questions regarding species delimitation and cryptic species within protists often arise from such studies that include data from both morphological...

Morphological and molecular characterisation of the entomoparasitic nematode Hammerschmidtiella diesingi (Nematoda, Oxyurida, Thelastomatidae).

Science.gov (United States)

Blanco, María V; Lax, Paola; Dueñas, Juan C Rondan; Gardenal, Cristina N; Doucet, Marcelo E

2012-09-01

A population of Hammerschmidtiella diesingi was detected in specimens of Periplaneta americana collected in Córdoba city (Argentina) was studied. Nematodes were characterized based on morphological, morphometric and genetic (D2-D3 expansion segment) analyses. New data are provided, especially on particular morphological characters that were a matter of controversy in previous studies. H. diesingi is reported in Argentina for the first time.

Morphological study of polymer surfaces exposed to non-thermal plasma based on contact angle and the use of scaling laws

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Felix, T., E-mail: tsfelix81@gmail.com [Chemistry Department, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Campus Trindade, 88040-900 Florianópolis, SC (Brazil); Cassini, F.A.; Benetoli, L.O.B. [Chemistry Department, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Campus Trindade, 88040-900 Florianópolis, SC (Brazil); Dotto, M.E.R. [Physics Department, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Campus Trindade, 88040-900 Florianópolis, SC (Brazil); Debacher, N.A. [Chemistry Department, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Campus Trindade, 88040-900 Florianópolis, SC (Brazil)

2017-05-01

Highlights: • Polymeric surfaces were etched using non-thermal plasma at different intensities. • Polymers of low mechanical hardness reached the saturation level faster. • A mathematical model based on scaling laws was proposed. - Abstract: The experiments presented in this communication have the purpose to elaborate an explanation for the morphological evolution of the growth of polymeric surfaces provided by the treatment of non-thermal plasma. According to the roughness analysis and the model proposed by scaling laws it is possible relate to a predictable or merely random effect. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and poly(etherether)ketone (PEEK) samples were exposed to a non-thermal plasma discharge and the resulting surfaces roughness were analyzed based on the measurements from contact angle, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy coupled with scaling laws analysis which can help to describe and understand the dynamic of formation of a wide variety of rough surfaces. The roughness, R{sub RMS} (RMS- Root Mean Square) values for polymer surface range between 19.8 nm and 110.9 nm. The contact angle and the AFM (Atomic Force Microscopy) measurements as a function of the plasma exposure time were in agreement with both polar and dispersive components according to the surface roughness and also with the morphology evaluated described by Wolf-Villain model, with proximate values of α between 0.91{sub (PET)} and 0.88{sub (PEEK)}, β = 0.25{sub (PET)} and z = 3,64{sub (PET)}.

Morphologic Features of Magnetic Resonance Imaging as a Surrogate of Capsular Contracture in Breast Cancer Patients With Implant-based Reconstructions.

Science.gov (United States)

Tyagi, Neelam; Sutton, Elizabeth; Hunt, Margie; Zhang, Jing; Oh, Jung Hun; Apte, Aditya; Mechalakos, James; Wilgucki, Molly; Gelb, Emily; Mehrara, Babak; Matros, Evan; Ho, Alice

2017-02-01

Capsular contracture (CC) is a serious complication in patients receiving implant-based reconstruction for breast cancer. Currently, no objective methods are available for assessing CC. The goal of the present study was to identify image-based surrogates of CC using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We analyzed a retrospective data set of 50 patients who had undergone both a diagnostic MRI scan and a plastic surgeon's evaluation of the CC score (Baker's score) within a 6-month period after mastectomy and reconstructive surgery. The MRI scans were assessed for morphologic shape features of the implant and histogram features of the pectoralis muscle. The shape features, such as roundness, eccentricity, solidity, extent, and ratio length for the implant, were compared with the Baker score. For the pectoralis muscle, the muscle width and median, skewness, and kurtosis of the intensity were compared with the Baker score. Univariate analysis (UVA) using a Wilcoxon rank-sum test and multivariate analysis with the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator logistic regression was performed to determine significant differences in these features between the patient groups categorized according to their Baker's scores. UVA showed statistically significant differences between grade 1 and grade ≥2 for morphologic shape features and histogram features, except for volume and skewness. Only eccentricity, ratio length, and volume were borderline significant in differentiating grade ≤2 and grade ≥3. Features with Pbreast cancer patients who undergo implant reconstruction. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Morphological study of polymer surfaces exposed to non-thermal plasma based on contact angle and the use of scaling laws

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Felix, T.; Cassini, F.A.; Benetoli, L.O.B.; Dotto, M.E.R.; Debacher, N.A.

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Polymeric surfaces were etched using non-thermal plasma at different intensities. • Polymers of low mechanical hardness reached the saturation level faster. • A mathematical model based on scaling laws was proposed. - Abstract: The experiments presented in this communication have the purpose to elaborate an explanation for the morphological evolution of the growth of polymeric surfaces provided by the treatment of non-thermal plasma. According to the roughness analysis and the model proposed by scaling laws it is possible relate to a predictable or merely random effect. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and poly(etherether)ketone (PEEK) samples were exposed to a non-thermal plasma discharge and the resulting surfaces roughness were analyzed based on the measurements from contact angle, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy coupled with scaling laws analysis which can help to describe and understand the dynamic of formation of a wide variety of rough surfaces. The roughness, R_R_M_S (RMS- Root Mean Square) values for polymer surface range between 19.8 nm and 110.9 nm. The contact angle and the AFM (Atomic Force Microscopy) measurements as a function of the plasma exposure time were in agreement with both polar and dispersive components according to the surface roughness and also with the morphology evaluated described by Wolf-Villain model, with proximate values of α between 0.91_(_P_E_T_) and 0.88_(_P_E_E_K_), β = 0.25_(_P_E_T_) and z = 3,64_(_P_E_T_).

The Physical Origin of Galaxy Morphologies and Scaling Laws

Science.gov (United States)

Steinmetz, Matthias; Navarro, Julio F.

2002-01-01

We propose a numerical study designed to interpret the origin and evolution of galaxy properties revealed by space- and ground-based imaging and spectroscopical surveys. Our aim is to unravel the physical processes responsible for the development of different galaxy morphologies and for the establishment of scaling laws such as the Tully-Fisher relation for spirals and the Fundamental Plane of ellipticals. In particular, we plan to address the following major topics: (1) The morphology and observability of protogalaxies, and in particular the relationship between primordial galaxies and the z approximately 3 'Ly-break' systems identified in the Hubble Deep Field and in ground-based searches; (2) The origin of the disk and spheroidal components in galaxies, the timing and mode of their assembly, the corresponding evolution in galaxy morphologies and its sensitivity to cosmological parameters; (3) The origin and redshift evolution of the scaling laws that link the mass, luminosity size, stellar content, and metal abundances of galaxies of different morphological types. This investigation will use state-of-the-art N-body/gasdynamical codes to provide a spatially resolved description of the galaxy formation process in hierarchically clustering universes. Coupled with population synthesis techniques. our models can be used to provide synthetic 'observations' that can be compared directly with observations of galaxies both nearby and at cosmologically significant distances. This study will thus provide insight into the nature of protogalaxies and into the formation process of galaxies like our own Milky Way. It will also help us to assess the cosmological significance of these observations within the context of hierarchical theories of galaxy formation and will supply a theoretical context within which current and future observations can be interpreted.

Morphological similarity and ecological overlap in two rotifer species.

Science.gov (United States)

Gabaldón, Carmen; Montero-Pau, Javier; Serra, Manuel; Carmona, María José

2013-01-01

Co-occurrence of cryptic species raises theoretically relevant questions regarding their coexistence and ecological similarity. Given their great morphological similitude and close phylogenetic relationship (i.e., niche retention), these species will have similar ecological requirements and are expected to have strong competitive interactions. This raises the problem of finding the mechanisms that may explain the coexistence of cryptic species and challenges the conventional view of coexistence based on niche differentiation. The cryptic species complex of the rotifer Brachionus plicatilis is an excellent model to study these questions and to test hypotheses regarding ecological differentiation. Rotifer species within this complex are filtering zooplankters commonly found inhabiting the same ponds across the Iberian Peninsula and exhibit an extremely similar morphology-some of them being even virtually identical. Here, we explore whether subtle differences in body size and morphology translate into ecological differentiation by comparing two extremely morphologically similar species belonging to this complex: B. plicatilis and B. manjavacas. We focus on three key ecological features related to body size: (1) functional response, expressed by clearance rates; (2) tolerance to starvation, measured by growth and reproduction; and (3) vulnerability to copepod predation, measured by the number of preyed upon neonates. No major differences between B. plicatilis and B. manjavacas were found in the response to these features. Our results demonstrate the existence of a substantial niche overlap, suggesting that the subtle size differences between these two cryptic species are not sufficient to explain their coexistence. This lack of evidence for ecological differentiation in the studied biotic niche features is in agreement with the phylogenetic limiting similarity hypothesis but requires a mechanistic explanation of the coexistence of these species not based on

Morphological similarity and ecological overlap in two rotifer species.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carmen Gabaldón

Full Text Available Co-occurrence of cryptic species raises theoretically relevant questions regarding their coexistence and ecological similarity. Given their great morphological similitude and close phylogenetic relationship (i.e., niche retention, these species will have similar ecological requirements and are expected to have strong competitive interactions. This raises the problem of finding the mechanisms that may explain the coexistence of cryptic species and challenges the conventional view of coexistence based on niche differentiation. The cryptic species complex of the rotifer Brachionus plicatilis is an excellent model to study these questions and to test hypotheses regarding ecological differentiation. Rotifer species within this complex are filtering zooplankters commonly found inhabiting the same ponds across the Iberian Peninsula and exhibit an extremely similar morphology-some of them being even virtually identical. Here, we explore whether subtle differences in body size and morphology translate into ecological differentiation by comparing two extremely morphologically similar species belonging to this complex: B. plicatilis and B. manjavacas. We focus on three key ecological features related to body size: (1 functional response, expressed by clearance rates; (2 tolerance to starvation, measured by growth and reproduction; and (3 vulnerability to copepod predation, measured by the number of preyed upon neonates. No major differences between B. plicatilis and B. manjavacas were found in the response to these features. Our results demonstrate the existence of a substantial niche overlap, suggesting that the subtle size differences between these two cryptic species are not sufficient to explain their coexistence. This lack of evidence for ecological differentiation in the studied biotic niche features is in agreement with the phylogenetic limiting similarity hypothesis but requires a mechanistic explanation of the coexistence of these species not

Day-Ahead Crude Oil Price Forecasting Using a Novel Morphological Component Analysis Based Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qing Zhu

2014-01-01

Full Text Available As a typical nonlinear and dynamic system, the crude oil price movement is difficult to predict and its accurate forecasting remains the subject of intense research activity. Recent empirical evidence suggests that the multiscale data characteristics in the price movement are another important stylized fact. The incorporation of mixture of data characteristics in the time scale domain during the modelling process can lead to significant performance improvement. This paper proposes a novel morphological component analysis based hybrid methodology for modeling the multiscale heterogeneous characteristics of the price movement in the crude oil markets. Empirical studies in two representative benchmark crude oil markets reveal the existence of multiscale heterogeneous microdata structure. The significant performance improvement of the proposed algorithm incorporating the heterogeneous data characteristics, against benchmark random walk, ARMA, and SVR models, is also attributed to the innovative methodology proposed to incorporate this important stylized fact during the modelling process. Meanwhile, work in this paper offers additional insights into the heterogeneous market microstructure with economic viable interpretations.

Presentation of valid correlations in some morphological

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Florian Miftari

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Study-research deals with younger students of both sexes aged 13-14, who, besides attending classes of physical education and sports, also practice in basketball schools in the city of Pristina. The experiment contains a total of 7 morphological variables, while four tests of basic motion skills and seven variables are from specific motion skills. In this study, the verification and analysis of the correlation of morphological characteristics and basic and situational motor skills in both groups of both sexes (boys and girls were treated. Based on the results obtained between several variables, valid correlations with high coefficients are presented, whereas among the variables are presented correlations with optimal values. The experimentation in question includes the number of 80 entities of both sexes; the group of 40 boys and the other group consisting of 40 girls who have undergone the tests for this study-experiment.

Morphological and qualitative characteristics of the quadriceps muscle of community-dwelling older adults based on ultrasound imaging: classification using latent class analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Kawai, Hisashi; Kera, Takeshi; Hirayama, Ryo; Hirano, Hirohiko; Fujiwara, Yoshinori; Ihara, Kazushige; Kojima, Motonaga; Obuchi, Shuichi

2018-04-01

Muscle thickness and echo intensity measured using ultrasound imaging represent both increased muscle volume and connective tissue accumulation. In combination, these ultrasound measurements can be utilized for assessing sarcopenia in community-dwelling older adults. This study aimed to determine whether morphological and qualitative characteristics classified by quadriceps muscle thickness and echo intensity measured using ultrasound are associated with muscle strength, physical function, and sarcopenia in community-dwelling older adults. Quadriceps muscle thickness and echo intensity were measured using ultrasound imaging in 1239 community-dwelling older adults. Latent class analyses were conducted to classify participants based on similarity in the subcutaneous fat thickness (FT), quadriceps muscle thickness (MT), subcutaneous fat echo intensity (FEI), and muscle echo intensity (MEI), which were assessed using ultrasound imaging. Morphological and qualitative characteristics were classified into four types as follows: (A) normal, (B) sarcopenic obesity, (C) obesity, and (D) sarcopenia type. Knee extension strength was significantly greater in A than in B and D. FT and percent body fat were greater in C than in the other types. The correlation between the ultrasound measures and knee extension strength differed among the classification types. The classification types were significantly associated with sarcopenia prevalence. Classification of the morphological and qualitative characteristics obtained from ultrasound imaging may be useful for assessing sarcopenia in community-dwelling older adults.

Habitat-specific morphological variation among threespine sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus within a drainage basin.

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Mike M Webster

Full Text Available Habitat-specific morphological variation, often corresponding to resource specialization, is well documented in freshwater fishes. In this study we used landmark based morphometric analyses to investigate morphological variation among threespine sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus L. from four interconnected habitat types within a single lowland drainage basin in eastern England. These included the upper and lower reaches of the river, the estuary, a connected ditch network and a coastal salt marsh. We found significant habitat-specific differences in morphology, with three axes of variation describing differences in orbit diameter, body depth, caudal peduncle shape and pectoral fin positioning as well as variation in relative dorsal and pelvic spine size. Interestingly, the ditch system, an artificial and heavily managed habitat, is populated by sticklebacks with a characteristic morphology, suggesting that human management of habitats can in some circumstances lead to morphological variation among the animals that inhabit them. We discuss the mechanisms that conceivably underlie the observed morphological variation and the further work necessary to identify them. Finally, we consider the implications of habitat-specific body shape variation for the behavioural ecology of this ecologically generalist species.

Habitat-Specific Morphological Variation among Threespine Sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) within a Drainage Basin

Science.gov (United States)

Webster, Mike M.; Atton, Nicola; Hart, Paul J. B.; Ward, Ashley J. W.

2011-01-01

Habitat-specific morphological variation, often corresponding to resource specialization, is well documented in freshwater fishes. In this study we used landmark based morphometric analyses to investigate morphological variation among threespine sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus L.) from four interconnected habitat types within a single lowland drainage basin in eastern England. These included the upper and lower reaches of the river, the estuary, a connected ditch network and a coastal salt marsh. We found significant habitat-specific differences in morphology, with three axes of variation describing differences in orbit diameter, body depth, caudal peduncle shape and pectoral fin positioning as well as variation in relative dorsal and pelvic spine size. Interestingly, the ditch system, an artificial and heavily managed habitat, is populated by sticklebacks with a characteristic morphology, suggesting that human management of habitats can in some circumstances lead to morphological variation among the animals that inhabit them. We discuss the mechanisms that conceivably underlie the observed morphological variation and the further work necessary to identify them. Finally, we consider the implications of habitat-specific body shape variation for the behavioural ecology of this ecologically generalist species. PMID:21698269

Microbiota Influences Morphology and Reproduction of the Brown Alga Ectocarpus sp.

Science.gov (United States)

Tapia, Javier E; González, Bernardo; Goulitquer, Sophie; Potin, Philippe; Correa, Juan A

2016-01-01

Associated microbiota play crucial roles in health and disease of higher organisms. For macroalgae, some associated bacteria exert beneficial effects on nutrition, morphogenesis and growth. However, current knowledge on macroalgae-microbiota interactions is mostly based on studies on green and red seaweeds. In this study, we report that when cultured under axenic conditions, the filamentous brown algal model Ectocarpus sp. loses its branched morphology and grows with a small ball-like appearance. Nine strains of periphytic bacteria isolated from Ectocarpus sp. unialgal cultures were identified by 16S rRNA sequencing, and assessed for their effect on morphology, reproduction and the metabolites secreted by axenic Ectocarpus sp. Six of these isolates restored morphology and reproduction features of axenic Ectocarpus sp. Bacteria-algae co-culture supernatants, but not the supernatant of the corresponding bacterium growing alone, also recovered morphology and reproduction of the alga. Furthermore, colonization of axenic Ectocarpus sp. with a single bacterial isolate impacted significantly the metabolites released by the alga. These results show that the branched typical morphology and the individuals produced by Ectocarpus sp. are strongly dependent on the presence of bacteria, while the bacterial effect on the algal exometabolome profile reflects the impact of bacteria on the whole physiology of this alga.

Drug-Induced Morphology Switch in Drug Delivery Systems Based on Poly(2-oxazoline)s

Science.gov (United States)

2015-01-01

Defined aggregates of polymers such as polymeric micelles are of great importance in the development of pharmaceutical formulations. The amount of drug that can be formulated by a drug delivery system is an important issue, and most drug delivery systems suffer from their relatively low drug-loading capacity. However, as the loading capacities increase, i.e., promoted by good drug–polymer interactions, the drug may affect the morphology and stability of the micellar system. We investigated this effect in a prominent system with very high capacity for hydrophobic drugs and found extraordinary stability as well as a profound morphology change upon incorporation of paclitaxel into micelles of amphiphilic ABA poly(2-oxazoline) triblock copolymers. The hydrophilic blocks A comprised poly(2-methyl-2-oxazoline), while the middle blocks B were either just barely hydrophobic poly(2-n-butyl-2-oxazoline) or highly hydrophobic poly(2-n-nonyl-2-oxazoline). The aggregation behavior of both polymers and their formulations with varying paclitaxel contents were investigated by means of dynamic light scattering, atomic force microscopy, (cryogenic) transmission electron microscopy, and small-angle neutron scattering. While without drug, wormlike micelles were present, after incorporation of small amounts of drugs only spherical morphologies remained. Furthermore, the much more hydrophobic poly(2-n-nonyl-2-oxazoline)-containing triblock copolymer exhibited only half the capacity for paclitaxel than the poly(2-n-butyl-2-oxazoline)-containing copolymer along with a lower stability. In the latter, contents of paclitaxel of 8 wt % or higher resulted in a raspberry-like micellar core. PMID:24548260

Grateloupia ramosa Wang & Luan sp. nov. (Halymeniaceae, Rhodophyta), a new species from China based on morphological evidence and comparative rbcL sequences

Science.gov (United States)

Cao, Cuicui; Liu, Miao; Guo, Shaoru; Zhao, Dan; Luan, Rixiao; Wang, Hongwei

2016-03-01

Grateloupia ramosa Wang & Luan sp. nov. (Halymeniaceae, Rhodophyta) is newly described from Hainan Province, southern China. The organism has the following morphological features: (1) purplish red, cartilaginous and lubricous thalli 5-10 cm in height; (2) compressed percurrent axes bearing abundant branches with opposite arrangement; (3) claw-like apices on top, constricted to 2-4 cm at the base; (4) cortex consisting of 3-6 layers of elliptical or anomalous cells and a medulla covered by compact medullary filaments; (5) reproductive structures distributed throughout the thallus, especially centralized at the bottom of the end portion of the branches; and (6) 4-celled Carpogonial branches and 3-celled auxiliary-cell branches, both of the Grateloupia-type. The morphological diff erences were supported by molecular phylogenetics based on ribulose-1, 5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase ( rbcL) gene sequence analysis. There was only a 1 bp divergence between specimens collected from Wenchang and Lingshui of Hainan province. The new species was embedded in the large Grateloupia clade of the Halymeniaceae. The pairwise distances between G. ramosa and other species within Grateloupia ranged from 26 to 105 bp, within pairwise distances of 13-111 bp between species of the large genus Grateloupia in Halymeniaceae. Thus, we propose this new species as G. ramosa Wang & Luan sp. nov.

Photographic assessment of nasal morphology following rapid maxillary expansion in children

Science.gov (United States)

da SILVA FILHO, Omar Gabriel; LARA, Tulio Silva; AYUB, Priscila Vaz; OHASHI, Amanda Sayuri Cardoso; BERTOZ, Francisco Antônio

2011-01-01

Objective The aim of the present study was to use facial analysis to determine the effects of rapid maxillary expansion (RME) on nasal morphology in children in the stages of primary and mixed dentition, with posterior cross-bite. Material and Methods Facial photographs (front view and profile) of 60 patients in the pre-expansion period, immediate post-expansion period and one year following rapid maxillary expansion with a Haas appliance were evaluated on 2 occasions by 3 experienced orthodontists independently, with a 2-week interval between evaluations. The examiners were instructed to assess nasal morphology and had no knowledge regarding the content of the study. Intraexaminer and interexaminer agreement (assessed using the Kappa statistic) was acceptable. Results From the analysis of the mode of the examiners' findings, no alterations in nasal morphology occurred regarding the following aspects: dorsum of nose, alar base, nasal width of middle third and nasal base. Alterations were only detected in the nasolabial angle in 1.64% of the patients between the pre-expansion and immediate post-expansion photographs. In 4.92% of the patients between the immediate post-expansion period and 1 year following expansion; and in 6.56% of the patients between the pre-expansion period and one year following expansion. Conclusion RME performed on children in stages of primary and mixed dentition did not have any impact on nasal morphology, as assessed using facial analysis. PMID:21986660

Effect of -based Direct-fed Microbial on Performance, Nutrient Utilization, Intestinal Morphology and Cecal Microflora in Broiler Chickens

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xinjian Lei

2015-02-01

Full Text Available The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of the dietary supplementation of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens-based direct-fed microbial (DFM on growth performance, nutrient utilization, intestinal morphology and cecal microflora in broiler chickens. A total of two hundred and eighty eight 1-d-old Arbor Acres male broilers were randomly allocated to one of four experimental treatments in a completely randomized design. Each treatment was fed to eight replicate cages, with nine birds per cage. Dietary treatments were composed of an antibiotic-free basal diet (control, and the basal diet supplemented with either 15 mg/kg of virginiamycin as antibiotic growth promoter (AGP, 30 mg/kg of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens-based DFM (DFM 30 or 60 mg/kg of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens-based DFM (DFM 60. Experimental diets were fed in two phases: starter (d 1 to 21 and finisher (d 22 to 42. Growth performance, nutrient utilization, morphological parameters of the small intestine and cecal microbial populations were measured at the end of the starter (d 21 and finisher (d 42 phases. During the starter phase, DFM and virginiamycin supplementation improved the feed conversion ratio (FCR; p<0.01 compared with the control group. For the finisher phase and the overall experiment (d 1 to 42 broilers fed diets with the DFM had better body weight gain (BWG and FCR than that of control (p<0.05. Supplementation of virginiamycin and DFM significantly increased the total tract apparent digestibility of crude protein (CP, dry matter (DM and gross energy during both starter and finisher phases (p<0.05 compared with the control group. On d 21, villus height, crypt depth and villus height to crypt depth ratio of duodenum, jejunum, and ileum were significantly increased for the birds fed with the DFM diets as compared with the control group (p<0.05. The DFM 30, DFM 60, and AGP groups decreased the Escherichia coli population in cecum at d 21 and d 42 compared with control

Morphology, Reproduction and Diet in Australian and Papuan Death Adders (Acanthophis, Elapidae)

OpenAIRE

Shine, Richard; Spencer, Carol L.; Keogh, J. Scott

2014-01-01

Death adders (genus Acanthophis) differ from most other elapid snakes, and resemble many viperid snakes, in their thickset morphology and ambush foraging mode. Although these snakes are widely distributed through Australia and Papua New Guinea, their basic biology remains poorly known. We report morphological and ecological data based upon dissection of >750 museum specimens drawn from most of the range of the genus. Female death adders grow larger than conspecific males, to about the same ex...

Cervical vertebral column morphology and head posture in preorthodontic patients with anterior open bite

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kim, Phong; Sarauw, Martin Toft; Sonnesen, Liselotte

2014-01-01

INTRODUCTION: Cervical vertebral column morphology and head posture were examined and related to craniofacial morphology in preorthodontic children and adolescents with anterior open bite. METHODS: One hundred eleven patients (ages, 6-18 years) with an anterior open bite of more than 0 mm were...... posture were made on profile radiographs. RESULTS: Deviations in the cervical vertebral column morphology occurred in 23.7% of the subjects in the skeletal open-bite group and in 19.2% in the dentoalveolar open-bite group, but the difference was not significant. Head posture was significantly more...... extended in the skeletal open-bite group compared with the dentoalveolar open-bite group (craniovertical angle [Mx/VER], P posture was associated with craniofacial morphology: extended posture was associated with a large cranial base angle...

Morphological self-organizing feature map neural network with applications to automatic target recognition

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Shijun; Jing, Zhongliang; Li, Jianxun

2005-01-01

The rotation invariant feature of the target is obtained using the multi-direction feature extraction property of the steerable filter. Combining the morphological operation top-hat transform with the self-organizing feature map neural network, the adaptive topological region is selected. Using the erosion operation, the topological region shrinkage is achieved. The steerable filter based morphological self-organizing feature map neural network is applied to automatic target recognition of binary standard patterns and real-world infrared sequence images. Compared with Hamming network and morphological shared-weight networks respectively, the higher recognition correct rate, robust adaptability, quick training, and better generalization of the proposed method are achieved.

Effects of β-Mannanase on broiler performance, gut morphology and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

mannanase on performance, gut morphology and some blood proteins and leucocytes of broilers provided with diets based on corn and soybean meal. Broiler chickens are divided four group and supplied diet which contains 0, 500, 700, or 900 g/ton ...

Development and Validation of Extract the Base: An English Derivational Morphology Test for Third through Fifth Grade Monolingual Students and Spanish-Speaking English Language Learners

Science.gov (United States)

Goodwin, Amanda P.; Huggins, A. Corinne; Carlo, Maria; Malabonga, Valerie; Kenyon, Dorry; Louguit, Mohammed; August, Diane

2012-01-01

This study describes the development and validation of the Extract the Base test (ETB), which assesses derivational morphological awareness. Scores on this test were validated for 580 monolingual students and 373 Spanish-speaking English language learners (ELLs) in third through fifth grade. As part of the validation of the internal structure,…

Morphologically and size uniform monodisperse particles and their shape-directed self-assembly

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Collins, Joshua E.; Bell, Howard Y.; Ye, Xingchen; Murray, Christopher Bruce

2017-09-12

Monodisperse particles having: a single pure crystalline phase of a rare earth-containing lattice, a uniform three-dimensional size, and a uniform polyhedral morphology are disclosed. Due to their uniform size and shape, the monodisperse particles self assemble into superlattices. The particles may be luminescent particles such as down-converting phosphor particles and up-converting phosphors. The monodisperse particles of the invention have a rare earth-containing lattice which in one embodiment may be an yttrium-containing lattice or in another may be a lanthanide-containing lattice. The monodisperse particles may have different optical properties based on their composition, their size, and/or their morphology (or shape). Also disclosed is a combination of at least two types of monodisperse particles, where each type is a plurality of monodisperse particles having a single pure crystalline phase of a rare earth-containing lattice, a uniform three-dimensional size, and a uniform polyhedral morphology; and where the types of monodisperse particles differ from one another by composition, by size, or by morphology. In a preferred embodiment, the types of monodisperse particles have the same composition but different morphologies. Methods of making and methods of using the monodisperse particles are disclosed.

Thickness-dependent spontaneous dewetting morphology of ultrathin Ag films.

Science.gov (United States)

Krishna, H; Sachan, R; Strader, J; Favazza, C; Khenner, M; Kalyanaraman, R

2010-04-16

We show here that the morphological pathway of spontaneous dewetting of ultrathin Ag films on SiO2 under nanosecond laser melting is dependent on film thickness. For films with thickness h of 2 nm < or = h < or = 9.5 nm, the morphology during the intermediate stages of dewetting consisted of bicontinuous structures. For films with 11.5 nm < or = h < or = 20 nm, the intermediate stages consisted of regularly sized holes. Measurement of the characteristic length scales for different stages of dewetting as a function of film thickness showed a systematic increase, which is consistent with the spinodal dewetting instability over the entire thickness range investigated. This change in morphology with thickness is consistent with observations made previously for polymer films (Sharma and Khanna 1998 Phys. Rev. Lett. 81 3463-6; Seemann et al 2001 J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 13 4925-38). Based on the behavior of free energy curvature that incorporates intermolecular forces, we have estimated the morphological transition thickness for the intermolecular forces for Ag on SiO2. The theory predictions agree well with observations for Ag. These results show that it is possible to form a variety of complex Ag nanomorphologies in a consistent manner, which could be useful in optical applications of Ag surfaces, such as in surface enhanced Raman sensing.

Observed gas hydrate morphologies in marine sediment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Holland, M.; Schultheiss, P.; Roberts, J.; Druce, M. [Geotek Ltd., Daventry, Northamptonshire (United Kingdom)

2008-07-01

The morphology of gas hydrate in marine sediments determines the basic physical properties of the sediment-hydrate matrix and provides information regarding the formation of gas hydrate deposits, and the nature of the disruption that will occur on dissociation. Small-scale morphology is useful in estimating the concentrations of gas hydrate from geophysical data. It is also important for predicting their response to climate change or commercial production. Many remote techniques for gas hydrate detection and quantification depend on hydrate morphology. In this study, morphology of gas hydrate was examined in HYACINTH pressure cores from recent seagoing expeditions. Visual and infrared observations from non-pressurized cores were also used. The expeditions and pressure core analysis were described in detail. This paper described the difference between two types of gas hydrate morphologies, notably pore-filling and grain-displacing. Last, the paper addressed the impact of hydrate morphology. It was concluded that a detailed morphology of gas hydrate is an essential component for a full understanding of the past, present, and future of any gas hydrate environment. 14 refs., 4 figs.

Fault diagnosis of rolling bearing based on second generation wavelet denoising and morphological filter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meng, Lingjie; Xiang, Jiawei; Zhong, Yongteng; Song, Wenlei

2015-01-01

Defective rolling bearing response is often characterized by the presence of periodic impulses. However, the in-situ sampled vibration signal is ordinarily mixed with ambient noises and easy to be interfered even submerged. The hybrid approach combining the second generation wavelet denoising with morphological filter is presented. The raw signal is purified using the second generation wavelet. The difference between the closing and opening operator is employed as the morphology filter to extract the periodicity impulsive features from the purified signal and the defect information is easily to be extracted from the corresponding frequency spectrum. The proposed approach is evaluated by simulations and vibration signals from defective bearings with inner race fault, outer race fault, rolling element fault and compound faults, espectively. Results show that the ambient noises can be fully restrained and the defect information of the above defective bearings is well extracted, which demonstrates that the approach is feasible and effective for the fault detection of rolling bearing.

Controlling the Morphology of BDTT-DPP-Based Small Molecules via End-Group Functionalization for Highly Efficient Single and Tandem Organic Photovoltaic Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Ji-Hoon; Park, Jong Baek; Yang, Hoichang; Jung, In Hwan; Yoon, Sung Cheol; Kim, Dongwook; Hwang, Do-Hoon

2015-11-04

A series of narrow-band gap, π-conjugated small molecules based on diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) electron acceptor units coupled with alkylthienyl-substituted-benzodithiophene (BDTT) electron donors were designed and synthesized for use as donor materials in solution-processed organic photovoltaic cells. In particular, by end-group functionalization of the small molecules with fluorine derivatives, the nanoscale morphologies of the photoactive layers of the photovoltaic cells were successfully controlled. The influences of different fluorine-based end-groups on the optoelectronic and morphological properties, carrier mobilities, and the photovoltaic performances of these materials were investigated. A high power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 6.00% under simulated solar light (AM 1.5G) illumination has been achieved for organic photovoltaic cells based on a small-molecule bulk heterojunction system consisting of a trifluoromethylbenzene (CF3) end-group-containing oligomer (BDTT-(DPP)2-CF3) as the donor and [6,6]-phenyl-C71-butyric acid methyl ester (PC71BM) as the acceptor. As a result, the introduction of CF3 end-groups has been found to enhance both the short circuit current density (JSC) and fill factor (FF). A tandem photovoltaic device comprising an inverted BDTT-(DPP)2-CF3:PC71BM cell and a poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT):indene-C60-bisadduct (IC60BA)-based cell as the top and bottom cell components, respectively, showed a maximum PCE of 8.30%. These results provide valuable guidelines for the rational design of conjugated small molecules for applications in high-performance organic photovoltaic cells. Furthermore, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the design of fluorine-functionalized BDTT-DPP-based small molecules, which have been shown to be a viable candidate for use in inverted tandem cells.

Morphologic and proteomic characterization of exosomes released by cultured extravillous trophoblast cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Atay, Safinur [Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY (United States); Gercel-Taylor, Cicek [Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women' s Health, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY (United States); Kesimer, Mehmet [Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC (United States); Taylor, Douglas D., E-mail: ddtaylor@louisville.edu [Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY (United States); Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women' s Health, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY (United States)

2011-05-01

Exosomes represent an important intercellular communication vehicle, mediating events essential for the decidual microenvironment. While we have demonstrated exosome induction of pro-inflammatory cytokines, to date, no extensive characterization of trophoblast-derived exosomes has been provided. Our objective was to provide a morphologic and proteomic characterization of these exosomes. Exosomes were isolated from the conditioned media of Swan71 human trophoblast cells by ultrafiltration and ultracentrifugation. These were analyzed for density (sucrose density gradient centrifugation), morphology (electron microscopy), size (dynamic light scattering) and protein composition (Ion Trap mass spectrometry and western immunoblotting). Based on density gradient centrifugation, microvesicles from Sw71 cells exhibit a density between 1.134 and 1.173 g/ml. Electron microscopy demonstrated that microvesicles from Sw71 cells exhibit the characteristic cup-shaped morphology of exosomes. Dynamic light scattering showed a bell-shaped curve, indicating a homogeneous population with a mean size of 165 nm {+-} 0.5 nm. Ion Trap mass spectrometry demonstrated the presence of exosome marker proteins (including CD81, Alix, cytoskeleton related proteins, and Rab family). The MS results were confirmed by western immunoblotting. Based on morphology, density, size and protein composition, we defined the release of exosomes from extravillous trophoblast cells and provide their first extensive characterization. This characterization is essential in furthering our understanding of 'normal' early pregnancy.

Morphologic and proteomic characterization of exosomes released by cultured extravillous trophoblast cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Atay, Safinur; Gercel-Taylor, Cicek; Kesimer, Mehmet; Taylor, Douglas D.

2011-01-01

Exosomes represent an important intercellular communication vehicle, mediating events essential for the decidual microenvironment. While we have demonstrated exosome induction of pro-inflammatory cytokines, to date, no extensive characterization of trophoblast-derived exosomes has been provided. Our objective was to provide a morphologic and proteomic characterization of these exosomes. Exosomes were isolated from the conditioned media of Swan71 human trophoblast cells by ultrafiltration and ultracentrifugation. These were analyzed for density (sucrose density gradient centrifugation), morphology (electron microscopy), size (dynamic light scattering) and protein composition (Ion Trap mass spectrometry and western immunoblotting). Based on density gradient centrifugation, microvesicles from Sw71 cells exhibit a density between 1.134 and 1.173 g/ml. Electron microscopy demonstrated that microvesicles from Sw71 cells exhibit the characteristic cup-shaped morphology of exosomes. Dynamic light scattering showed a bell-shaped curve, indicating a homogeneous population with a mean size of 165 nm ± 0.5 nm. Ion Trap mass spectrometry demonstrated the presence of exosome marker proteins (including CD81, Alix, cytoskeleton related proteins, and Rab family). The MS results were confirmed by western immunoblotting. Based on morphology, density, size and protein composition, we defined the release of exosomes from extravillous trophoblast cells and provide their first extensive characterization. This characterization is essential in furthering our understanding of 'normal' early pregnancy.

Very Deep Convolutional Neural Networks for Morphologic Classification of Erythrocytes.

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Durant, Thomas J S; Olson, Eben M; Schulz, Wade L; Torres, Richard

2017-12-01

Morphologic profiling of the erythrocyte population is a widely used and clinically valuable diagnostic modality, but one that relies on a slow manual process associated with significant labor cost and limited reproducibility. Automated profiling of erythrocytes from digital images by capable machine learning approaches would augment the throughput and value of morphologic analysis. To this end, we sought to evaluate the performance of leading implementation strategies for convolutional neural networks (CNNs) when applied to classification of erythrocytes based on morphology. Erythrocytes were manually classified into 1 of 10 classes using a custom-developed Web application. Using recent literature to guide architectural considerations for neural network design, we implemented a "very deep" CNN, consisting of >150 layers, with dense shortcut connections. The final database comprised 3737 labeled cells. Ensemble model predictions on unseen data demonstrated a harmonic mean of recall and precision metrics of 92.70% and 89.39%, respectively. Of the 748 cells in the test set, 23 misclassification errors were made, with a correct classification frequency of 90.60%, represented as a harmonic mean across the 10 morphologic classes. These findings indicate that erythrocyte morphology profiles could be measured with a high degree of accuracy with "very deep" CNNs. Further, these data support future efforts to expand classes and optimize practical performance in a clinical environment as a prelude to full implementation as a clinical tool. © 2017 American Association for Clinical Chemistry.

Patterns of ovarian morphology in polycystic ovary syndrome: a study utilising magnetic resonance imaging

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barber, Thomas M.; Smith, Rachel; Marland, Anne; Wass, John A.H. [Churchill Hospital, Department of Endocrinology, Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Oxford (United Kingdom); Alvey, Christopher [John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford MRI Centre, Oxford (United Kingdom); Greenslade, Tessa [John Radcliffe Hospital, Department of Medicine, Oxford (United Kingdom); Gooding, Mark [University of Oxford, Department of Engineering, Oxford (United Kingdom); Barber, Debbie; Child, Tim [John Radcliffe Hospital, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Oxford (United Kingdom); McCarthy, Mark I. [Churchill Hospital, Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Oxford (United Kingdom); Franks, Stephen [Imperial College (Hammersmith Campus), Institute of Reproductive and Developmental Biology, London (United Kingdom); Golding, Stephen J. [John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford MRI Centre, Oxford (United Kingdom); University of Oxford, Department of Engineering, Oxford (United Kingdom)

2010-05-15

To evaluate and compare MRI-based ovarian morphology in groups of women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and controls. All PCOS cases (n = 44) had oligo-amenorrhoea and hyperandrogenism irrespective of ovarian morphology, and fulfilled NIH/Rotterdam diagnostic criteria for PCOS. All control women (n = 40) had normal menses and normoandrogenaemia. All subjects were of white British/Irish origin and pre-menopausal. Group comparisons were based on independent-sample t tests. Polycystic ovarian morphology was defined by at least 12 follicles 2-9 mm in diameter and/or an ovarian volume greater than 10 cm{sup 3}. Ovarian morphology differed significantly in PCOS cases and controls (follicle number geometric mean [SD range] 18.6 [9.9, 35.0] vs 6.6 [3.1, 14.2], unadjusted P = 1.3 x 10{sup -16}; calculated ovarian volume 8.8 cm{sup 3} [5.0, 15.5] vs 5.1 cm{sup 3} [2.5, 10.3], unadjusted P = 3.0 x 10{sup -7}; peripheral follicle location in 55% vs 18% of ovaries, P = 7.9 x 10{sup -6}; visible central ovarian stroma in 61% vs 24% of ovaries, P = 2.3 x 10{sup -5}). Follicle number and calculated ovarian volume were not concordant with clinical/biochemical assignment of PCOS/control status in 36 (23%) and 52 (34%) of ovaries, respectively. Ovarian morphology overlaps in PCOS cases and controls, emphasising the importance of considering clinical/biochemical presentation together with imaging ovarian morphology in the diagnosis of PCOS. (orig.)

Phase-field simulations of dendrite morphologies and selected evolution of primary {alpha}-Mg phases during the solidification of Mg-rich Mg-Al-based alloys

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Mingyue [Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials Processing Technology, Ministry of Education, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Jing, Tao; Liu, Baicheng [Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials Processing Technology, Ministry of Education, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China)

2009-10-15

A formulation of solid-liquid interfacial thermodynamic and kinetic anisotropic characteristics for hexagonal close-packed metals is proposed. The two- and three-dimensional dendritic growth of primary Mg in undercooled Mg-Al alloy melts is modeled using the phase-field method, based on a combination of crystallographic lattice symmetry and experimental observations. The morphologies of three-dimensional dendrites are obtained and the calculated results show intricately hierarchical branched structures. The excess free energy of the solution system is based on the Redlich-Kister model.

Phase-field simulations of dendrite morphologies and selected evolution of primary α-Mg phases during the solidification of Mg-rich Mg-Al-based alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Mingyue; Jing, Tao; Liu, Baicheng

2009-01-01

A formulation of solid-liquid interfacial thermodynamic and kinetic anisotropic characteristics for hexagonal close-packed metals is proposed. The two- and three-dimensional dendritic growth of primary Mg in undercooled Mg-Al alloy melts is modeled using the phase-field method, based on a combination of crystallographic lattice symmetry and experimental observations. The morphologies of three-dimensional dendrites are obtained and the calculated results show intricately hierarchical branched structures. The excess free energy of the solution system is based on the Redlich-Kister model.

Morphology-controlled hydrothermal synthesis of MnCO3 hierarchical superstructures with Schiff base as stabilizer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hu, He; Xu, Jie-yan; Yang, Hong; Liang, Jie; Yang, Shiping; Wu, Huixia

2011-01-01

Graphical abstract: MnCO3 microcrystals with hierarchical superstructures were synthesized by using the CO2 in atmosphere as carbonate ions source and Schiff base as shape guiding-agent in water/ethanol system under hydrothermal condition. Highlights: → The most interesting in this work is the use of the greenhouse gases CO 2 in atmosphere as carbonate ions source to precipitate with Mn 2+ for producing MnCO 3 crystals. → This work is the first report related to the small organic molecule Schiff base as shape guiding-agent to produce different MnCO 3 hierarchical superstructures. → We are controllable synthesis of the MnCO 3 hierarchical superstructures such as chrysanthemum, straw-bundle, dumbbell and sphere-like microcrystals. → The as-prepared MnCO 3 could be used precursor to fabricate the Mn 2 O 3 hierarchical superstructures after thermal decomposition at high temperature. -- Abstract: MnCO 3 with hierarchical superstructures such as chrysanthemum, straw-bundle, dumbbell and sphere-like were synthesized in water/ethanol system under environment-friendly hydrothermal condition. In the synthesis process, the CO 2 in atmosphere was used as the source of carbonate ions and Schiff base was used as shape guiding-agent. The different superstructures of MnCO 3 could be obtained by controlling the hydrothermal temperature, the molar ratio of manganous ions to the Schiff base, or the volume ratio of water to ethanol. A tentative growth mechanism for the generation of MnCO 3 superstructures was proposed based on the rod-dumbbell-sphere model. Furthermore, the MnCO 3 as precursor could be further successfully transferred to Mn 2 O 3 microstructure after heating in the atmosphere at 500 o C, and the morphology of the Mn 2 O 3 was directly determined by that of the MnCO 3 precursor.

Large-scale Exploration of Neuronal Morphologies Using Deep Learning and Augmented Reality.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Zhongyu; Butler, Erik; Li, Kang; Lu, Aidong; Ji, Shuiwang; Zhang, Shaoting

2018-02-12

Recently released large-scale neuron morphological data has greatly facilitated the research in neuroinformatics. However, the sheer volume and complexity of these data pose significant challenges for efficient and accurate neuron exploration. In this paper, we propose an effective retrieval framework to address these problems, based on frontier techniques of deep learning and binary coding. For the first time, we develop a deep learning based feature representation method for the neuron morphological data, where the 3D neurons are first projected into binary images and then learned features using an unsupervised deep neural network, i.e., stacked convolutional autoencoders (SCAEs). The deep features are subsequently fused with the hand-crafted features for more accurate representation. Considering the exhaustive search is usually very time-consuming in large-scale databases, we employ a novel binary coding method to compress feature vectors into short binary codes. Our framework is validated on a public data set including 58,000 neurons, showing promising retrieval precision and efficiency compared with state-of-the-art methods. In addition, we develop a novel neuron visualization program based on the techniques of augmented reality (AR), which can help users take a deep exploration of neuron morphologies in an interactive and immersive manner.

Rotation-invariant convolutional neural networks for galaxy morphology prediction

Science.gov (United States)

Dieleman, Sander; Willett, Kyle W.; Dambre, Joni

2015-06-01

Measuring the morphological parameters of galaxies is a key requirement for studying their formation and evolution. Surveys such as the Sloan Digital Sky Survey have resulted in the availability of very large collections of images, which have permitted population-wide analyses of galaxy morphology. Morphological analysis has traditionally been carried out mostly via visual inspection by trained experts, which is time consuming and does not scale to large (≳104) numbers of images. Although attempts have been made to build automated classification systems, these have not been able to achieve the desired level of accuracy. The Galaxy Zoo project successfully applied a crowdsourcing strategy, inviting online users to classify images by answering a series of questions. Unfortunately, even this approach does not scale well enough to keep up with the increasing availability of galaxy images. We present a deep neural network model for galaxy morphology classification which exploits translational and rotational symmetry. It was developed in the context of the Galaxy Challenge, an international competition to build the best model for morphology classification based on annotated images from the Galaxy Zoo project. For images with high agreement among the Galaxy Zoo participants, our model is able to reproduce their consensus with near-perfect accuracy (>99 per cent) for most questions. Confident model predictions are highly accurate, which makes the model suitable for filtering large collections of images and forwarding challenging images to experts for manual annotation. This approach greatly reduces the experts' workload without affecting accuracy. The application of these algorithms to larger sets of training data will be critical for analysing results from future surveys such as the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope.

Adaptation of sensor morphology: an integrative view of perception from biologically inspired robotics perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Nurzaman, Surya G.

2016-01-01

Sensor morphology, the morphology of a sensing mechanism which plays a role of shaping the desired response from physical stimuli from surroundings to generate signals usable as sensory information, is one of the key common aspects of sensing processes. This paper presents a structured review of researches on bioinspired sensor morphology implemented in robotic systems, and discusses the fundamental design principles. Based on literature review, we propose two key arguments: first, owing to its synthetic nature, biologically inspired robotics approach is a unique and powerful methodology to understand the role of sensor morphology and how it can evolve and adapt to its task and environment. Second, a consideration of an integrative view of perception by looking into multidisciplinary and overarching mechanisms of sensor morphology adaptation across biology and engineering enables us to extract relevant design principles that are important to extend our understanding of the unfinished concepts in sensing and perception. PMID:27499843

Three-Dimensional Morphology of a Coronal Prominence Cavity

Science.gov (United States)

Gibson, S. E.; Kucera, T. A.; Rastawicki, D.; Dove, J.; deToma, G.; Hao, J.; Hill, S.; Hudson, H. S.; Marque, C.; McIntosh, P. S.;

A statistical model for mapping morphological shape

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Li Jiahan

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Living things come in all shapes and sizes, from bacteria, plants, and animals to humans. Knowledge about the genetic mechanisms for biological shape has far-reaching implications for a range spectrum of scientific disciplines including anthropology, agriculture, developmental biology, evolution and biomedicine. Results We derived a statistical model for mapping specific genes or quantitative trait loci (QTLs that control morphological shape. The model was formulated within the mixture framework, in which different types of shape are thought to result from genotypic discrepancies at a QTL. The EM algorithm was implemented to estimate QTL genotype-specific shapes based on a shape correspondence analysis. Computer simulation was used to investigate the statistical property of the model. Conclusion By identifying specific QTLs for morphological shape, the model developed will help to ask, disseminate and address many major integrative biological and genetic questions and challenges in the genetic control of biological shape and function.

Detection of Dendritic Spines Using Wavelet-Based Conditional Symmetric Analysis and Regularized Morphological Shared-Weight Neural Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shuihua Wang

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Identification and detection of dendritic spines in neuron images are of high interest in diagnosis and treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s diseases, and autism. In this paper, we have proposed a novel automatic approach using wavelet-based conditional symmetric analysis and regularized morphological shared-weight neural networks (RMSNN for dendritic spine identification involving the following steps: backbone extraction, localization of dendritic spines, and classification. First, a new algorithm based on wavelet transform and conditional symmetric analysis has been developed to extract backbone and locate the dendrite boundary. Then, the RMSNN has been proposed to classify the spines into three predefined categories (mushroom, thin, and stubby. We have compared our proposed approach against the existing methods. The experimental result demonstrates that the proposed approach can accurately locate the dendrite and accurately classify the spines into three categories with the accuracy of 99.1% for “mushroom” spines, 97.6% for “stubby” spines, and 98.6% for “thin” spines.

Understanding morphology-mobility dependence in PEDOT:Tos

Science.gov (United States)

Rolland, Nicolas; Franco-Gonzalez, Juan Felipe; Volpi, Riccardo; Linares, Mathieu; Zozoulenko, Igor V.

2018-04-01

The potential of conjugated polymers to compete with inorganic materials in the field of semiconductor is conditional on fine-tuning of the charge carriers mobility. The latter is closely related to the material morphology, and various studies have shown that the bottleneck for charge transport is the connectivity between well-ordered crystallites, with a high degree of π -π stacking, dispersed into a disordered matrix. However, at this time there is a lack of theoretical descriptions accounting for this link between morphology and mobility, hindering the development of systematic material designs. Here we propose a computational model to predict charge carriers mobility in conducting polymer PEDOT depending on the physicochemical properties of the system. We start by calculating the morphology using molecular dynamics simulations. Based on the calculated morphology we perform quantum mechanical calculation of the transfer integrals between states in polymer chains and calculate corresponding hopping rates using the Miller-Abrahams formalism. We then construct a transport resistive network, calculate the mobility using a mean-field approach, and analyze the calculated mobility in terms of transfer integrals distributions and percolation thresholds. Our results provide theoretical support for the recent study [Noriega et al., Nat. Mater. 12, 1038 (2013), 10.1038/nmat3722] explaining why the mobility in polymers rapidly increases as the chain length is increased and then saturates for sufficiently long chains. Our study also provides the answer to the long-standing question whether the enhancement of the crystallinity is the key to designing high-mobility polymers. We demonstrate, that it is the effective π -π stacking, not the long-range order that is essential for the material design for the enhanced electrical performance. This generic model can compare the mobility of a polymer thin film with different solvent contents, solvent additives, dopant species or

Gold-standard for computer-assisted morphological sperm analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Violeta; Garcia, Alejandra; Hitschfeld, Nancy; Härtel, Steffen

2017-04-01

Published algorithms for classification of human sperm heads are based on relatively small image databases that are not open to the public, and thus no direct comparison is available for competing methods. We describe a gold-standard for morphological sperm analysis (SCIAN-MorphoSpermGS), a dataset of sperm head images with expert-classification labels in one of the following classes: normal, tapered, pyriform, small or amorphous. This gold-standard is for evaluating and comparing known techniques and future improvements to present approaches for classification of human sperm heads for semen analysis. Although this paper does not provide a computational tool for morphological sperm analysis, we present a set of experiments for comparing sperm head description and classification common techniques. This classification base-line is aimed to be used as a reference for future improvements to present approaches for human sperm head classification. The gold-standard provides a label for each sperm head, which is achieved by majority voting among experts. The classification base-line compares four supervised learning methods (1- Nearest Neighbor, naive Bayes, decision trees and Support Vector Machine (SVM)) and three shape-based descriptors (Hu moments, Zernike moments and Fourier descriptors), reporting the accuracy and the true positive rate for each experiment. We used Fleiss' Kappa Coefficient to evaluate the inter-expert agreement and Fisher's exact test for inter-expert variability and statistical significant differences between descriptors and learning techniques. Our results confirm the high degree of inter-expert variability in the morphological sperm analysis. Regarding the classification base line, we show that none of the standard descriptors or classification approaches is best suitable for tackling the problem of sperm head classification. We discovered that the correct classification rate was highly variable when trying to discriminate among non-normal sperm

Targeted Screening With Combined Age- and Morphology-Based Criteria Enriches Detection of Lynch Syndrome in Endometrial Cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Douglas I; Hecht, Jonathan L

2016-06-01

Endometrial cancer is associated with Lynch syndrome in 2% to 6% of cases. Adequate screening may prevent of a second cancer and incident cancers in family members via risk-reducing strategies. The goal of the study was to evaluate the detection rate of Lynch syndrome via a targeted screening approach. In 2009, we incorporated targeted Lynch syndrome screening via immunohistochemistry for MLH1, PMS2, MSH2, and MSH6, followed by MLH1 promoter hypermethylation, in select cases of endometrial carcinoma. Criteria for patient selection included (1) all patients Lynch syndrome. Therefore, targeted screening with combined age and morphology based criteria enriches detection of Lynch syndrome in endometrial cancer. However, the detection rate is lower than the rates from published series that offer universal screening. © The Author(s) 2016.

Striped morphologies induced by magnetic impurities in d-wave superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zuo Xianjun

2011-01-01

Research Highlights: → We investigate striped morphologies induced by magnetic impurities in d-wave superconductors (DSCs). → For the single-impurity and two-impurity cases, modulated checkerboard pattern and stripe-like structures are induced. → When more magnetic impurities are inserted, more complex modulated structures could be induced, including rectilinear and right-angled stripes and quantum-corral-like structures. → Impurities could induce complex striped morphologies in DSCs. - Abstract: We study striped morphologies induced by magnetic impurities in d-wave superconductors (DSCs) near optimal doping by self-consistently solving the Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations based on the t - t' - U - V model. For the single-impurity case, it is found that the stable ground state is a modulated checkerboard pattern. For the two-impurity case, the stripe-like structures in order parameters are induced due to the impurity-pinning effect. The modulations of DSC and charge orders share the same period of four lattice constants (4a), which is half the period of modulations in the coexisting spin order. Interestingly, when three or more impurities are inserted, the impurities could induce more complex striped morphologies due to quantum interference. Further experiments of magnetic impurity substitution in DSCs are expected to check these results.

Tiger hair morphology and its variations for wildlife forensic investigation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thitika Kitpipit

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Tiger population has dramatically decreased due to illegal consumption and commercialisation of their body parts. Frequently, hair samples are the only evidence found in the crime scene. Thus, they play an important role in species identification for wildlife forensic investigation. In this study, we provide the first in-depth report on a variety of qualitative and quantitative characteristics of tiger guard hairs (24 hairs per individual from four individuals. The proposed method could reduce subjectivity of expert opinions on species identification based on hair morphology. Variations in 23 hair morphological characteristics were quantified at three levels: hair section, body region, and intra-species. The results indicate statistically significant variations in most morphological characteristics in all levels. Intra-species variations of four variables, namely hair length, hair index, scale separation and scale pattern, were low. Therefore, identification of tiger hairs using these multiple features in combination with other characteristics with high inter-species variations (e.g. medulla type should bring about objective and accurate tiger hair identification. The method used should serve as a guideline and be further applied to other species to establish a wildlife hair morphology database. Statistical models could then be constructed to distinguish species and provide evidential values in terms of likelihood ratios.

Flexible architecture of inducible morphological plasticity.

Science.gov (United States)

Kishida, Osamu; Nishimura, Kinya

2006-05-01

1. Predator-induced morphological defences are produced in response to an emergent predator regime. In natural systems, prey organisms usually experience temporal shifting of the composition of the predator assemblage and of the intensity of predation risk from each predator species. Although, a repetitive morphological change in response to a sequential shift of the predator regime such as alteration of the predator species or diminution of the predation risk may be adaptive, such flexible inducible morphological defences are not ubiquitous. 2. We experimentally addressed whether a flexible inducible morphological defence is accomplished in response to serial changes in the predation regime, using a model prey species which adopt different defensive morphological phenotypes in response to different predator species. Rana pirica (Matsui) tadpoles increased body depth and tail depth against the predatory larval salamander Hynobius retardatus (Dunn); on the other hand, they only increased tail depth against the predatory larval dragonfly Aeshna nigroflava (Martin). 3. Rana pirica tadpoles with the predator-specific phenotypes were subjected to removal or exchange of the predator species. After removal of the predator species, tadpoles with each predator-specific phenotype changed their phenotype to the nondefensive basic one, suggesting that both predator-specific phenotypes are costly to maintain. After an exchange of the predator species, tadpoles with each predator-specific phenotype reciprocally, flexibly shifted their phenotype to the now more suitable predator-specific one only by modifying their body part. The partial modification can effectively reduce time and energy expenditures involved in repetitive morphological changes, and therefore suggest that the costs of the flexible morphological changes are reduced.

Dendritic morphology observed in the solid-state precipitation in binary alloys

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Husain, S.W.; Ahmed, M.S.; Qamar, I. [Dr. A.Q. Khan Research Labs., Rawalpindi (Pakistan)

1999-06-01

The precipitation of {gamma}{sub 2} phase in Cu-Al {beta}-phase alloys has been observed to occur in the dendritic morphology. Such morphology is rarely observed in the solid-state transformations. Earlier it was reported that the {gamma} precipitates were formed in the dendritic shape when Cu-Zn {beta}-phase alloys were cooled from high temperature. The characteristics of these two alloy systems have been examined to find the factors promoting the dendritic morphology in the solid-state transformations. Rapid bulk diffusion and fast interfacial reaction kinetics would promote such morphology. The kinetics of atom attachment to the growing interface is expected to be fast when crystallographic similarities exist between the parent phase and the precipitate. The authors have predicted the dendritic morphology in the solid-state precipitation in many binary alloy systems simply based on such crystallographic similarities. These alloys include, in addition to Cu-Al and Cu-Zn, the {beta}-phase alloys in Ag-Li, Ag-Zn, Cu-Ga, Au-Zn, and Ni-Zn systems, {gamma}-phase alloys in Cu-Sn and Ag-Cd systems, and {delta}-phase alloys in Au-Cd system. Of these, the alloys in Ag-Zn, Ni-Zn, Ag-Cd, and Cu-Sn systems were prepared and it was indeed found that the precipitates formed in the dendritic shape.

Assessment of the need for a cardiac morphology curriculum for paediatric cardiology fellows.

Science.gov (United States)

Rogers, Lindsay S; Klein, Melissa; James, Jeanne; FitzGerald, Michael

2017-07-01

Expert knowledge of cardiac malformations is essential for paediatric cardiologists. Current cardiac morphology fellowship teaching format, content, and nomenclature are left up to the discretion of the individual fellowship programmes. We aimed to assess practices and barriers in morphology education, perceived effectiveness of current curricula, and preferences for a standardised fellow morphology curriculum. A web-based survey was developed de novo and administered anonymously via e-mail to all paediatric cardiology fellowship programme directors and associate directors in the United States of America; leaders were asked to forward the survey to fellows. A total of 35 directors from 32 programmes (51%) and 66 fellows responded. Curriculum formats varied: 28 (88%) programmes utilised pathological specimens, 25 (78%) invited outside faculty, and 16 (50%) utilised external conferences. Director nomenclature preferences were split - 6 (19%) Andersonian, 8 (25%) Van Praaghian, and 18 (56%) mixed. Barriers to morphology education included time and inconsistent nomenclature. One-third of directors reported that <90% of recent fellow graduates had adequate abilities to apply segmental anatomy, identify associated cardiac lesions, or communicate complex CHD. More structured teaching, protected time, and specimens were suggestions to improve curricula. Almost 75% would likely adopt/utilise an online morphology curriculum. Cardiac morphology training varies in content and format among fellowships. Inconsistent nomenclature exists, and inadequate morphology knowledge is perceived to contribute to communication failures, both have potential patient safety implications. There is an educational need for a common, online cardiac morphology curriculum that could allow for fellow assessment of competency and contribute to more standardised communication in the field of paediatric cardiology.

Integration of functional and morphological MR data for preoperative 3D visualisation of tumours. Cervical carcinoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Evers, H.; Meinzer, H.P.; Hawighorst, H.; Kaick, G. van; Knapstein, P.G.

1998-01-01

Purpose: The goal of this exemplary study was to integrate morphological and functional MRI to establish computer-based, preoperative therapy planning for tumors, instancing cervical carcinoma. Results: Segmentation of organs and vessels as well as tissue differentiation yielded a morphological visualisation of anatomical structures that were overlaid with pharmacokinetic parameters derived from dynamic MRI, subsequently. Thereby, three-dimensional, arbitrary views on the functional data were displayed. Conclusions: Image analysis and visualisation of the acquired MR data establishes both a morphologic and functional evaluation of suspect lesions and adjacent organs. By integrating morphologic and functional MRI additional information can be gathered that possibly impinge on preoperative planning. (orig./AJ) [de

Method for evaluation of human induced pluripotent stem cell quality using image analysis based on the biological morphology of cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Wakui, Takashi; Matsumoto, Tsuyoshi; Matsubara, Kenta; Kawasaki, Tomoyuki; Yamaguchi, Hiroshi; Akutsu, Hidenori

2017-10-01

We propose an image analysis method for quality evaluation of human pluripotent stem cells based on biologically interpretable features. It is important to maintain the undifferentiated state of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) while culturing the cells during propagation. Cell culture experts visually select good quality cells exhibiting the morphological features characteristic of undifferentiated cells. Experts have empirically determined that these features comprise prominent and abundant nucleoli, less intercellular spacing, and fewer differentiating cellular nuclei. We quantified these features based on experts' visual inspection of phase contrast images of iPSCs and found that these features are effective for evaluating iPSC quality. We then developed an iPSC quality evaluation method using an image analysis technique. The method allowed accurate classification, equivalent to visual inspection by experts, of three iPSC cell lines.

Crystal morphology variation in inkjet-printed organic materials

Science.gov (United States)

Ihnen, Andrew C.; Petrock, Anne M.; Chou, Tsengming; Samuels, Phillip J.; Fuchs, Brian E.; Lee, Woo Y.

2011-11-01

The recent commercialization of piezoelectric-based drop-on-demand inkjet printers provides an additive processing platform for producing and micropatterning organic crystal structures. We report an inkjet printing approach where macro- and nano-scale energetic composites composed of cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine (RDX) crystals dispersed in a cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB) matrix are produced by direct phase transformation from organic solvent-based all-liquid inks. The characterization of printed composites illustrates distinct morphological changes dependent on ink deposition parameters. When 10 pL ink droplets rapidly formed a liquid pool, a coffee ring structure containing dendritic RDX crystals was produced. By increasing the substrate temperature, and consequently the evaporation rate of the pooled ink, the coffee ring structure was mitigated and shorter dendrites from up to ∼1 to 0.2 mm with closer arm spacing from ∼15 to 1 μm were produced. When the nucleation and growth of RDX and CAB were confined within the evaporating droplets, a granular structure containing nanoscale RDX crystals was produced. The results suggest that evaporation rate and microfluidic droplet confinement can effectively be used to tailor the morphology of inkjet-printed energetic composites.

Cell type dependent morphological adaptation in polyelectrolyte hydrogels governs chondrogenic fate.

Science.gov (United States)

Raghothaman, Deepak; Leong, Meng Fatt; Lim, Tze Chiun; Wan, Andrew C A; Ser, Zheng; Lee, Eng Hin; Yang, Zheng

2016-04-04

Repair of critical-size articular cartilage defects typically involves delivery of cells in biodegradable, 3D matrices. Differences in the developmental status of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and terminally differentiated mature chondrocytes might be a critical factor in engineering appropriate 3D matrices for articular cartilage tissue engineering. This study examined the relationship between material-driven early cell morphological adaptations and chondrogenic outcomes, by studying the influence of aligned collagen type I (Col I) presentation on chondrocytes and MSC in interfacial polyelectrolyte complexation (IPC)-based hydrogels. In the absence of Col I, both chondrocytes and MSCs adopted rounded cell morphology and formed clusters, with chondrocyte clusters favoring the maintenance of hyaline phenotype, while MSC clusters differentiated to fibro-superficial zone-like chondrocytes. Encapsulated chondrocytes in IPC-Col I hydrogel adopted a fibroblastic morphology forming fibro-superficial zone-like phenotype, which could be reversed by inhibiting actin polymerization using cytochalasin D (CytD). In contrast, adoption of fibroblastic morphology by encapsulated MSCs in IPC-Col I facilitated superior chondrogenesis, generating a mature, hyaline neocartilage tissue. CytD treatment abrogated the elongation of MSCs and brought about a single cell-like state, resulting in insignificant chondrogenic differentiation, underscoring the essential requirement of providing matrix environments that are amenable to cell-cell interactions for robust MSC chondrogenic differentiation. Our study demonstrates that MSCs and culture-expanded chondrocytes favour differential microenvironmental niches and emphasizes the importance of designing biomaterials that meet cell type-specific requirements, in adopting chondrocyte or MSC-based approaches for regenerating hyaline, articular cartilage.

Lexical gaps and morphological decomposition: Evidence from German.

Science.gov (United States)

Schuster, Swetlana; Lahiri, Aditi

2018-04-26

On the evidence of four lexical-decision tasks in German, we examine speakers' sensitivity to internal morphological composition and abstract morphological rules during the processing of derived words, real and novel. In a lexical-decision task with delayed priming, speakers were presented with two-step derived nouns such as Heilung "healing" derived from the adjective heil "intact" via the verb heilen "to heal." These were compared with two sets of derived novel words, one with and the other without an intermediate verb; for example, *Spitzung "sharpening" from spitz "sharp" via spitzen "sharpen" (Experiment 1) and *Hübschung "beautifying" from hübsch "pretty" via *hübschen "beautify" (Experiment 2). The question was whether there would be a difference between the two types of novel words. Both sets were morphologically viable in terms of combinatory possibilities. Results indicated that extant and novel complex words activated their respective base forms; that is, Heilung, *Spitzung, *Hübschung all primed heil, spitz, hübsch. Both sets of novel words were then combined in a third (delayed priming) experiment, where again they primed their bases, but were nevertheless significantly different from each other. Items with real words in the intermediate position (*Spitzung) showed stronger priming effects. Controls that were only related in form or semantics did not prime; neither did structurally unviable pseudowords show priming. A final experiment (Experiment 4), comparing the two types of novel words (*Spitzung vs. *Hübschung) in a simple lexical-decision task, also revealed significant differences across these sets, suggesting that the lexical status of the intermediate derivation affects the processing of novel forms. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Morphological changes of gamma prime precipitates in nickel-base superalloy single crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mackay, R.A.

1984-07-01

Changes in the morphology of the gamma prime precipitate were examined during tensile creep at temperatures between 927 and 1038 C in 001-oriented single crystals of a Ni-Al-Mo-Ta superalloy. In this alloy, which has a large negative misfit of -0.80%, the gamma prime particles link together during creep to form platelets, or rafts, which are aligned with their broad faces perpendicular to the applied tensile axis. The dimensions of the gamma and gamma prime phases were measured as directional coarsening developed in an attempt to trace the changing morphology under various stress levels. In addition, the effects of initial microstructure, as well as slight compositional variations, were related to raft development and creep properties. The results showed that directional coarsening of gamma prime began during primary creep, and under certain conditions, continued to develop after the onset of steady-state creep. The length of the rafts increased linearly with time up to a plateau region. The thickness of the rafts, however, remained equal to the initial gamma prime size at least up through the onset of tertiary creep this is a clear indication of the stability of the finely-spaced gamma-gamma prime lamellar structure. It was found that the single crystals with the finest gamma prime size exhibited the longest creep lives, because the resultant rafted structure had a larger number of gamma-gamma prime interfaces per unit volume of material

How discordant morphological and molecular evolution among microorganisms can revise our notions of biodiversity on earth

Science.gov (United States)

Lahr, Daniel J. G.; Laughinghouse, H. Dail; Oliverio, Angela; Gao, Feng; Katz, Laura A.

2014-01-01

Microscopy has revealed a tremendous diversity of bacterial and eukaryotic forms. More recent molecular analyses show discordance in estimates of biodiversity based on morphological analyses. Moreover, phylogenetic analyses of the diversity of microbial forms have revealed evidence of convergence at scales as large as interdomain – i.e. convergent forms shared between bacteria and eukaryotes. Here, we highlight examples of such discordance, focusing on exemplary lineages such as testate amoebae, ciliates and cyanobacteria, which have long histories of morphological study. We discuss examples in two categories: 1) morphologically identical (or highly similar) individuals that are genetically distinct and 2) morphologically distinct individuals that are genetically distinct. We argue that hypotheses about discordance can be tested using the concept of neutral morphologies, or more broadly neutral phenotypes, as a null hypothesis. PMID:25156897

Morphological and electrical properties of epoxy-based composites reinforced with exfoliated graphite

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lamberti, Patrizia; Spinelli, Giovanni, E-mail: gspinelli@unisa.it; Tucci, Vincenzo [Department of Information and Electrical Engineering and Applied Mathematics University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, Fisciano (Italy); Guadagno, Liberata; Raimondo, Marialuigia; Vertuccio, Luigi [Department of Industrial Engineering University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, Fisciano (Italy)

2016-05-18

An experimental study has been carried out to prepare and characterize epoxy/amine-based composites filled with different percentages of partially exfoliated graphite (i.e. pEG) particles having an exfoliation degree of 56% in order to analyze the effect of the filler amounts on the electrical properties of the resulting nanocomposites. Moreover, in order to fully investigate the direct relationship between the physical properties of the employed filler and the results of the electrical characterization, a structural and morphological characterization of the pEG samples is carried out by means of various type of analysis such as X-ray diffraction patterns, micro-Raman and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) images. The DC electrical characterization reveals a percolation thresholds (EPT) that falls in the range [2–3] wt% and an electrical conductivity of about 0.66 S/m at the highest filler loading (6.5 wt%). From the analysis of the percolative curve it is possible to derive the percolation law parameters and in particular the critical exponent t, whose value (i.e. 1.2) reflects an effective 2D organization of the percolating structure consistent with the type of filler used (2-dimensional). Finally, an extensive analysis concerning the electrical properties in the frequency domain has been carried out in order to evaluate the effectiveness of pEG-loaded composites in terms of electromagnetic interference compatibility (EMC) and their applicability as radar absorbers materials (RAMs).

Morphological classification of plant cell deaths

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

van Doorn, W.G.; Beers, E.P.; Dangl, J.L.

2011-01-01

, which can express features of both necrosis and vacuolar cell death, PCD in starchy cereal endosperm and during self-incompatibility. The present classification is not static, but will be subject to further revision, especially when specific biochemical pathways are better defined....... the classification of PCD in plants. Here we suggest a classification based on morphological criteria. According to this classification, the use of the term 'apoptosis' is not justified in plants, but at least two classes of PCD can be distinguished: vacuolar cell death and necrosis. During vacuolar cell death...

Genetic Diversity in Passiflora Species Assessed by Morphological and ITS Sequence Analysis

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Shiamala Devi Ramaiya

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This study used morphological characterization and phylogenetic analysis of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS region of nuclear ribosomal DNA to investigate the phylogeny of Passiflora species. The samples were collected from various regions of East Malaysia, and discriminant function analysis based on linear combinations of morphological variables was used to classify the Passiflora species. The biplots generated five distinct groups discriminated by morphological variables. The group consisted of cultivars of P. edulis with high levels of genetic similarity; in contrast, P. foetida was highly divergent from other species in the morphological biplots. The final dataset of aligned sequences from nine studied Passiflora accessions and 30 other individuals obtained from GenBank database (NCBI yielded one most parsimonious tree with two strongly supported clades. Maximum parsimony (MP tree showed the phylogenetic relationships within this subgenus Passiflora support the classification at the series level. The constructed phylogenic tree also confirmed the divergence of P. foetida from all other species and the closeness of wild and cultivated species. The phylogenetic relationships were consistent with results of morphological assessments. The results of this study indicate that ITS region analysis represents a useful tool for evaluating genetic diversity in Passiflora at the species level.

Identification among morphologically similar Argyreia (Convolvulaceae) based on leaf anatomy and phenetic analyses.

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Traiperm, Paweena; Chow, Janene; Nopun, Possathorn; Staples, G; Swangpol, Sasivimon C

2017-12-01

The genus Argyreia Lour. is one of the species-rich Asian genera in the family Convolvulaceae. Several species complexes were recognized in which taxon delimitation was imprecise, especially when examining herbarium materials without fully developed open flowers. The main goal of this study is to investigate and describe leaf anatomy for some morphologically similar Argyreia using epidermal peeling, leaf and petiole transverse sections, and scanning electron microscopy. Phenetic analyses including cluster analysis and principal component analysis were used to investigate the similarity of these morpho-types. Anatomical differences observed between the morpho-types include epidermal cell walls and the trichome types on the leaf epidermis. Additional differences in the leaf and petiole transverse sections include the epidermal cell shape of the adaxial leaf blade, the leaf margins, and the petiole transverse sectional outline. The phenogram from cluster analysis using the UPGMA method represented four groups with an R value of 0.87. Moreover, the important quantitative and qualitative leaf anatomical traits of the four groups were confirmed by the principal component analysis of the first two components. The results from phenetic analyses confirmed the anatomical differentiation between the morpho-types. Leaf anatomical features regarded as particularly informative for morpho-type differentiation can be used to supplement macro morphological identification.

Morphological representation of order-statistics filters.

Science.gov (United States)

Charif-Chefchaouni, M; Schonfeld, D

1995-01-01

We propose a comprehensive theory for the morphological bounds on order-statistics filters (and their repeated iterations). Conditions are derived for morphological openings and closings to serve as bounds (lower and upper, respectively) on order-statistics filters (and their repeated iterations). Under various assumptions, morphological open-closings and close-openings are also shown to serve as (tighter) bounds (lower and upper, respectively) on iterations of order-statistics filters. Simulations of the application of the results presented to image restoration are finally provided.

Active Sensing System with In Situ Adjustable Sensor Morphology

Science.gov (United States)

Nurzaman, Surya G.; Culha, Utku; Brodbeck, Luzius; Wang, Liyu; Iida, Fumiya

2013-01-01

Background Despite the widespread use of sensors in engineering systems like robots and automation systems, the common paradigm is to have fixed sensor morphology tailored to fulfill a specific application. On the other hand, robotic systems are expected to operate in ever more uncertain environments. In order to cope with the challenge, it is worthy of note that biological systems show the importance of suitable sensor morphology and active sensing capability to handle different kinds of sensing tasks with particular requirements. Methodology This paper presents a robotics active sensing system which is able to adjust its sensor morphology in situ in order to sense different physical quantities with desirable sensing characteristics. The approach taken is to use thermoplastic adhesive material, i.e. Hot Melt Adhesive (HMA). It will be shown that the thermoplastic and thermoadhesive nature of HMA enables the system to repeatedly fabricate, attach and detach mechanical structures with a variety of shape and size to the robot end effector for sensing purposes. Via active sensing capability, the robotic system utilizes the structure to physically probe an unknown target object with suitable motion and transduce the arising physical stimuli into information usable by a camera as its only built-in sensor. Conclusions/Significance The efficacy of the proposed system is verified based on two results. Firstly, it is confirmed that suitable sensor morphology and active sensing capability enables the system to sense different physical quantities, i.e. softness and temperature, with desirable sensing characteristics. Secondly, given tasks of discriminating two visually indistinguishable objects with respect to softness and temperature, it is confirmed that the proposed robotic system is able to autonomously accomplish them. The way the results motivate new research directions which focus on in situ adjustment of sensor morphology will also be discussed. PMID:24416094

Active sensing system with in situ adjustable sensor morphology.

Science.gov (United States)

Nurzaman, Surya G; Culha, Utku; Brodbeck, Luzius; Wang, Liyu; Iida, Fumiya

2013-01-01

Despite the widespread use of sensors in engineering systems like robots and automation systems, the common paradigm is to have fixed sensor morphology tailored to fulfill a specific application. On the other hand, robotic systems are expected to operate in ever more uncertain environments. In order to cope with the challenge, it is worthy of note that biological systems show the importance of suitable sensor morphology and active sensing capability to handle different kinds of sensing tasks with particular requirements. This paper presents a robotics active sensing system which is able to adjust its sensor morphology in situ in order to sense different physical quantities with desirable sensing characteristics. The approach taken is to use thermoplastic adhesive material, i.e. Hot Melt Adhesive (HMA). It will be shown that the thermoplastic and thermoadhesive nature of HMA enables the system to repeatedly fabricate, attach and detach mechanical structures with a variety of shape and size to the robot end effector for sensing purposes. Via active sensing capability, the robotic system utilizes the structure to physically probe an unknown target object with suitable motion and transduce the arising physical stimuli into information usable by a camera as its only built-in sensor. The efficacy of the proposed system is verified based on two results. Firstly, it is confirmed that suitable sensor morphology and active sensing capability enables the system to sense different physical quantities, i.e. softness and temperature, with desirable sensing characteristics. Secondly, given tasks of discriminating two visually indistinguishable objects with respect to softness and temperature, it is confirmed that the proposed robotic system is able to autonomously accomplish them. The way the results motivate new research directions which focus on in situ adjustment of sensor morphology will also be discussed.

Influence of plasma shock wave on the morphology of laser drilling in different environments

Science.gov (United States)

Zhai, Zhaoyang; Wang, Wenjun; Mei, Xuesong; Wang, Kedian; Yang, Huizhu

2017-05-01

Nanosecond pulse laser was used to study nickel-based alloy drilling and compare processing results of microholes in air environment and water environment. Through analysis and comparison, it's found that environmental medium had obvious influence on morphology of laser drilling. High-speed camera was used to shoot plasma morphology during laser drilling process, theoretical formula was used to calculate boundary dimension of plasma and shock wave velocity, and finally parameters were substituted into computational fluid dynamics simulation software to obtain solutions. Obtained analysis results could intuitively explain different morphological features and forming reasons between laser drilling in air environment and water environment in the experiment from angle of plasma shock waves. By comparing simulation results and experimental results, it could help to get an understanding of formation mechanism of microhole morphology, thus providing basis for further improving process optimization of laser drilling quality.

Tamarix minoa (Tamaricaceae), a new species from the island of Crete (Greece) based on morphological and plastid molecular sequence data

Science.gov (United States)

Tamarix minoa is described from material collected on the S Aegean island of Crete (Kriti), Greece. A morphological comparison with the species considered to be closest, T. africana and T. hampeana, is provided. An original illustration showing the main morphological characters of the new species is...

Morphological image processing for quantitative shape analysis of biomedical structures: effective contrast enhancement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kimori, Yoshitaka

2013-01-01

A contrast enhancement approach utilizing a new type of mathematical morphology called rotational morphological processing is introduced. The method is quantitatively evaluated and then applied to some medical images. Image processing methods significantly contribute to visualization of images captured by biomedical modalities (such as mammography, X-ray computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and light and electron microscopy). Quantitative interpretation of the deluge of complicated biomedical images, however, poses many research challenges, one of which is to enhance structural features that are scarcely perceptible to the human eye. This study introduces a contrast enhancement approach based on a new type of mathematical morphology called rotational morphological processing. The proposed method is applied to medical images for the enhancement of structural features. The effectiveness of the method is evaluated quantitatively by the contrast improvement ratio (CIR). The CIR of the proposed method is 12.1, versus 4.7 and 0.1 for two conventional contrast enhancement methods, clearly indicating the high contrasting capability of the method

Lapa vermelha IV Hominid 1: morphological affinities of the earliest known American

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Neves Walter A.

1999-01-01

Full Text Available Several studies concerning the extra-continental morphological affinities of Paleo-Indian skeletons, carried out independently in South and North America, have indicated that the Americas were first occupied by non-Mongoloids that made their way to the New World through the Bering Strait in ancient times. The first South Americans show a clear resemblance to modern South Pacific and African populations, while the first North Americans seem to be at an unresolved morphological position between modern South Pacific and Europeans. In none of these analyses the first Americans show any resemblance to either northeast Asians or modern native Americans. So far, these studies have included affirmed and putative early skeletons thought to date between 8,000 and 10,000 years B.P. In this work the extra-continental morphological affinities of a Paleo-Indian skeleton well dated between 11,000 and 11,500 years B.P. (Lapa Vermelha IV Hominid 1, or "Luzia" is investigated, using as comparative samples Howells' (1989 world-wide modern series and Habgood's (1985 Old World Late Pleistocene fossil hominids. The comparison between Lapa Vermelha IV Hominid 1 and Howells' series was based on canonical variate analysis, including 45 size-corrected craniometric variables, while the comparison with fossil hominids was based on principal component analysis, including 16 size-corrected variables. In the first case, Lapa Vermelha IV Hominid 1 exhibited an undisputed morphological affinity firstly with Africans and secondly with South Pacific populations. In the second comparison, the earliest known American skeleton had its closest similarities with early Australians, Zhoukoudian Upper Cave 103, and Taforalt 18. The results obtained clearly confirm the idea that the Americas were first colonized by a generalized Homo sapiens population which inhabited East Asia in the Late Pleistocene, before the definition of the classic Mongoloid morphology.

Morphological differentiation despite gene flow in an endangered grasshopper.

Science.gov (United States)

Dowle, Eddy J; Morgan-Richards, Mary; Trewick, Steven A

2014-10-16

Gene flow is traditionally considered a limitation to speciation because selection is required to counter the homogenising effect of allele exchange. Here we report on two sympatric short-horned grasshoppers species in the South Island of New Zealand; one (Sigaus australis) widespread and the other (Sigaus childi) a narrow endemic. Of the 79 putatively neutral markers (mtDNA, microsatellite loci, ITS sequences and RAD-seq SNPs) all but one marker we examined showed extensive allele sharing, and similar or identical allele frequencies in the two species where they co-occur. We found no genetic evidence of deviation from random mating in the region of sympatry. However, analysis of morphological and geometric traits revealed no evidence of morphological introgression. Based on phenotype the two species are clearly distinct, but their genotypes thus far reveal no divergence. The best explanation for this is that some loci associated with the distinguishing morphological characters are under strong selection, but exchange of neutral loci is occurring freely between the two species. Although it is easier to define species as requiring a barrier between them, a dynamic model that accommodates gene flow is a biologically more reasonable explanation for these grasshoppers.

A thermodynamics model for morphology prediction of aluminum nano crystals fabricated by the inert gas condensation method

Science.gov (United States)

Wen, Yu; Xia, Dehong

2018-03-01

The purpose of this study is to provide scientific guidance for the morphological control of nanoparticle synthesis using the gas phase method. A universal thermodynamics model is developed to predict the morphology of nanoparticles fabricated using the inert gas condensation method. By using this model, the morphologies of aluminum nanocrystals are predicted under various preparation conditions. There are two types of energy that jointly determine the formation of nanoparticle morphology—Gibbs free energy for nanoparticles and energy variation during the process. The results show that energy variation dominates morphology formation when the cooling rate is less than 2 × 1011 K s-1 in the aluminum nanocrystal production process. At the beginning of the nanoparticle growth, the most stable morphology is predicted to be spherical, but the energetically preferred morphology becomes cubic as the particle grows. The turning point in the particle size at which spherical morphology is no longer the most stable morphology is exhibited as a function of pressure in a condensation chamber for different cooling rates. In this paper, we focus on the need for morphology prediction based on preparation conditions. It is concluded that nanoparticles with various morphologies could be obtained by adjusting the cooling rate and pressure in the condensation chamber.

A web-database of mammalian morphology and a reanalysis of placental phylogeny

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Asher Robert J

2007-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Recent publications concerning the interordinal phylogeny of placental mammals have converged on a common signal, consisting of four major radiations with some ambiguity regarding the placental root. The DNA data with which these relationships have been reconstructed are easily accessible from public databases; access to morphological characters is much more difficult. Here, I present a graphical web-database of morphological characters focusing on placental mammals, in tandem with a combined-data phylogenetic analysis of placental mammal phylogeny. Results The results reinforce the growing consensus regarding the extant placental mammal clades of Afrotheria, Xenarthra, Euarchontoglires, and Laurasiatheria. Unweighted parsimony applied to all DNA sequences and insertion-deletion (indel characters of extant taxa alone support a placental root at murid rodents; combined with morphology this shifts to Afrotheria. Bayesian analyses of morphology, indels, and DNA support both a basal position for Afrotheria and the position of Cretaceous eutherians outside of crown Placentalia. Depending on treatment of third codon positions, the affinity of several fossils (Leptictis,Paleoparadoxia, Plesiorycteropus and Zalambdalestes vary, highlighting the potential effect of sequence data on fossils for which such data are missing. Conclusion The combined dataset supports the location of the placental mammal root at Afrotheria or Xenarthra, not at Erinaceus or rodents. Even a small morphological dataset can have a marked influence on the location of the root in a combined-data analysis. Additional morphological data are desirable to better reconstruct the position of several fossil taxa; and the graphic-rich, web-based morphology data matrix presented here will make it easier to incorporate more taxa into a larger data matrix.

Supramolecular Approaches to Nanoscale Morphological Control in Organic Solar Cells

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Alexander M. Haruk

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Having recently surpassed 10% efficiency, solar cells based on organic molecules are poised to become a viable low-cost clean energy source with the added advantages of mechanical flexibility and light weight. The best-performing organic solar cells rely on a nanostructured active layer morphology consisting of a complex organization of electron donating and electron accepting molecules. Although much progress has been made in designing new donor and acceptor molecules, rational control over active layer morphology remains a central challenge. Long-term device stability is another important consideration that needs to be addressed. This review highlights supramolecular strategies for generating highly stable nanostructured organic photovoltaic active materials by design.

Modeling the characteristic etch morphologies along specific crystallographic orientations by anisotropic chemical etching

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Kun-Dar Li

2018-02-01

Full Text Available To improve the advanced manufacturing technology for functional materials, a sophisticated control of chemical etching process is highly demanded, especially in the fields of environment and energy related applications. In this study, a phase-field-based model is utilized to investigate the etch morphologies influenced by the crystallographic characters during anisotropic chemical etching. Three types of etching modes are inspected theoretically, including the isotropic, and preferred oriented etchings. Owing to the specific etching behavior along the crystallographic directions, different characteristic surface structures are presented in the simulations, such as the pimple-like, pyramidal hillock and ridge-like morphologies. In addition, the processing parameters affecting the surface morphological formation and evolution are also examined systematically. According to the numerical results, the growth mechanism of surface morphology in a chemical etching is revealed distinctly. While the etching dynamics plays a dominant role on the surface formation, the characteristic surface morphologies corresponding to the preferred etching direction become more apparent. As the atomic diffusion turned into a determinative factor, a smoothened surface would appear, even under the anisotropic etching conditions. These simulation results provide fundamental information to enhance the development and application of anisotropic chemical etching techniques.

Modeling the characteristic etch morphologies along specific crystallographic orientations by anisotropic chemical etching

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Kun-Dar; Miao, Jin-Ru

2018-02-01

To improve the advanced manufacturing technology for functional materials, a sophisticated control of chemical etching process is highly demanded, especially in the fields of environment and energy related applications. In this study, a phase-field-based model is utilized to investigate the etch morphologies influenced by the crystallographic characters during anisotropic chemical etching. Three types of etching modes are inspected theoretically, including the isotropic, and preferred oriented etchings. Owing to the specific etching behavior along the crystallographic directions, different characteristic surface structures are presented in the simulations, such as the pimple-like, pyramidal hillock and ridge-like morphologies. In addition, the processing parameters affecting the surface morphological formation and evolution are also examined systematically. According to the numerical results, the growth mechanism of surface morphology in a chemical etching is revealed distinctly. While the etching dynamics plays a dominant role on the surface formation, the characteristic surface morphologies corresponding to the preferred etching direction become more apparent. As the atomic diffusion turned into a determinative factor, a smoothened surface would appear, even under the anisotropic etching conditions. These simulation results provide fundamental information to enhance the development and application of anisotropic chemical etching techniques.

AFM observation of silk fibroin on mica substrates: morphologies reflecting the secondary structures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yamada, Kazushi; Tsuboi, Yasuyuki; Itaya, Akira

2003-09-01

Bombyx mori silk fibroin was fixed on mica substrates by cast of aqueous fibroin solutions, and the microscopic morphologies of the samples were revealed by means of atomic force microscopy. By adjusting the method used to prepare the solution, we succeeded in forming quasi-2-dimensional thin films in which a network of fibroin molecules developed over the substrate. The film network consisted of fibroin in a random coil structure. The morphology of the network changed after thermal or methanol treatments, which are known to convert the secondary structure of fibroin from the random coil to the {beta}-sheet type. In both of these cases, the network morphology disappeared and characteristic island-like morphologies appeared. On the other hand, temporally evolving gelation occurred in a fibroin solution due to the formation of {beta}-sheet crystals. Such islands were also observable in a specimen prepared by the cast of the gel-containing solution. Based on these results, it was concluded that the islands consist of {beta}-sheet crystals. Of particular interest is the observation that all of the islands had a common thickness value of 1.3 nm. These morphologies are discussed in terms of the secondary structure of fibroin.

MORPHOLOGICAL STATUS OF THE FEMALE ATHLETE FINALIST IN JUMPING DISCIPLINES AT THE BEIJING OLYMPICS

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Ratko Pavlović

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Morphological status of athletes is his, we can say, based on an identification card, which can be assigned to a particular constitutional type, and we also got information about his body height, body weight, BMI, and even used to analyze and age. Different constitutional types are present in the sport and are important in terms of targeting, selection and performance of a specific sport. This is particularly pronounced in the athletic sport where within athletics have many different types of athletes is constitutional requires a certain discipline. This paper analyzes the morphological status of female finalists in jumping events at the Olympic Games in Beijing 2008. The survey included 32 athletes who performed in the final of the measured variables to assess the morphological status: body height (AVIS, body mass (AMAS, derived body mass index (BMI and age athletes (GOD. Applying basic statistical parameters (mean made a comparative analysis of the applied variables based competitors that have passed certain conclusions.

Abnormal gas sensing characteristics arising from catalyzed morphological changes of ionsorbed oxygen

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xue Xinyu; Chen Zhaohui; Ma Chunhua; Xing Lili; Chen Yujin; Wang Yanguo; Wang Taihong

2010-01-01

Abnormal gas sensing characteristics are observed at low temperature in uniformly loaded Pt-SnO 2 nanorod gas sensors. The sensors operated at 200 deg. C exhibit opposite variations of resistances, and the change of resistance decreases with increasing ethanol concentration. In contrast, the sensors operated at 300 deg. C show regular behavior and the sensitivity is extremely high. Such behaviors are ascribed to Pt-catalyzed morphological changes of ionsorbed oxygen at low temperature. The present results are the bases for further investigating the effect of ionsorbed oxygen morphologies on gas sensing.

Changes in CT morphology can be an independent response marker for patients receiving regorafenib for colorectal liver metastases: retrospective pilot study.

Science.gov (United States)

Ozaki, Yukinori; Shindoh, Junichi; Gonoi, Wataru; Nishioka, Yujiro; Kondoh, Chihiro; Tanabe, Yuko; Matoba, Shuichiro; Kuroyanagi, Hiroya; Hashimoto, Masaji; Takano, Toshimi

2018-02-05

Regorafenib is a multi-kinase inhibitor, which was shown to be effective for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer refractory to standard therapies. However, its patterns of response has not yet been fully understood. Clinical records of 10 patients who received regorafenib for evaluable colorectal liver metastases were reviewed. Response to chemotherapy was evaluated with the RECIST and morphologic response criteria, and its clinical relevance was analyzed. All patients received multiple lines of fluorouracil-based chemotherapy before regorafenib. The median follow-up duration after introduction of regorafenib was 4.9 months (range, 2 to 12.5 months). Median number of chemotherapy cycles was 2 (range, 1 to 15). In size-based response evaluation, 4 patients presented SD and 6 patients showed PD according to the RECIST. In non-size-based response evaluation, 3 patients were classified as optimal morphologic response and 7 patients were categorized as suboptimal morphologic response. Patients who presented optimal morphologic response showed significantly longer progression-free survival compared with those presented suboptimal response (median, 4.9 months vs. 0.7 months; P = 0.028), while size-based response evaluation could not well stratify patient prognosis. Non-size-based CT morphologic response could be a potential alternative response marker for patients treated with regorafenib.

Diversity evaluation based on morphological, physiological and isozyme variation in genetic resources of garlic (Allium sativum L.) collected worldwide.

Science.gov (United States)

Hirata, Sho; Abdelrahman, Mostafa; Yamauchi, Naoki; Shigyo, Masayoshi

2016-11-26

The aim of this study was to obtain primary information about the global diversity of garlic (Allium sativum L.) by evaluating morphological, physiological and isozyme variation. A total of 107 garlic accessions collected worldwide were grown in Yamaguchi, Japan. Five morphological traits (bulb weight, bulb diameter, number of cloves per bulb, number of bulbils and scape length) and one physiological trait (bolting period) of the collected garlic showed wide variation. Meanwhile, a total of 140 garlic accessions, including the 107 mentioned above, were characterized by leucine aminopeptidase (LAP) and phosphoglucoisomerase (PGI) isozyme analyses; they clearly showed polymorphisms in putative isozyme loci (Lap-1, Lap-2 and Pgi-1). Allelic frequencies were estimated in each group of accessions categorized by their geographical origin, and the observed (H o ) and expected (H e ) heterozygosities were calculated. The allelic frequencies differed between groups. A principal component analysis based on morpho-physiological data indicated a grouping of the garlic accessions into Central Asian and Northern Mediterranean groups as well as others. We discuss the roles of artificial and natural selection that may have caused differentiation in these traits, on the assumption that ancestral domesticated garlic populations have adapted in various regions using standing variation or mutations that accumulated during expansion, and have evolved along with human-preferred traits over a long history of cultivation.

A morphological comparison of narrow, low-gradient streams traversing wetland environments to alluvial streams.

Science.gov (United States)

Jurmu, Michael C

2002-12-01

Twelve morphological features from research on alluvial streams are compared in four narrow, low-gradient wetland streams located in different geographic regions (Connecticut, Indiana, and Wisconsin, USA). All four reaches differed in morphological characteristics in five of the features compared (consistent bend width, bend cross-sectional shape, riffle width compared to pool width, greatest width directly downstream of riffles, and thalweg location), while three reaches differed in two comparisons (mean radius of curvature to width ratio and axial wavelength to width ratio). The remaining five features compared had at least one reach where different characteristics existed. This indicates the possibility of varying morphology for streams traversing wetland areas further supporting the concept that the unique qualities of wetland environments might also influence the controls on fluvial dynamics and the development of streams. If certain morphological features found in streams traversing wetland areas differ from current fluvial principles, then these varying features should be incorporated into future wetland stream design and creation projects. The results warrant further research on other streams traversing wetlands to determine if streams in these environments contain unique morphology and further investigation of the impact of low-energy fluvial processes on morphological development. Possible explanations for the morphology deviations in the study streams and some suggestions for stream design in wetland areas based upon the results and field observations are also presented.

Morphologically intelligent underactuated robot for underwater hull cleaning

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Souto, Daniel; Faina, Andres; López-Peña, Fernando

2015-01-01

In this paper we discuss a new type of robot for underwater hull cleaning on ships with non-magnetic hulls. This robot is based on the concept that cleaning hulls regularly, without waiting to take them out of the water, will improve the efficiency of the ships and will permit a reduction...... in the use of the chemicals that are usually employed to prevent the growth of marine life on the hull and which are generally harmful to the environment. The robot described in this paper is an underactuated morphologically adapted robot that through an appropriate morphology and making use of the forces...... and constraints of the environment solves the most difficult problems that arise when moving along hulls. Some of these are changing planes, negotiating appendices, avoiding portholes, passing corners, and other elements. This greatly simplifies the control mechanisms that are required for its operation making...

Microstructure and phase morphology during thermochemical processing of {alpha}{sub 2}-based titanium aluminide castings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Saqib, M. [Wright State Univ., Dayton, OH (United States). Dept. of Mechanical and Materials Engineering; Apgar, L.S. [Dayton Univ., OH (United States). Graduate Materials Engineering; Eylon, D. [Dayton Univ., OH (United States). Graduate Materials Engineering; Weiss, I. [Wright State Univ., Dayton, OH (United States). Dept. of Mechanical and Materials Engineering

1995-12-31

Changes in the microstructure, volume fraction and distribution of phases during different stages of thermochemical processing of Ti-25Al-10Nb-3V-1Mo (at.%) castings were investigated. Up to 14.5 at.% (0.35 wt.%) of hydrogen was introduced into the material by gas charging at temperatures between 650 and 980 C for times up to 20 h. The material was subsequently dehydrogenated by vacuum annealing at 650 C for 48 h. Investment cast Ti-25Al-10Nb-3V-1Mo alloy, hot isostatically pressed (HIP) at 1175 C at 260 MPa for 6 h, was used as the starting material. The microstructure of the as-HIP material consists of {alpha}{sub 2}, B2 and orthorhombic phases. The {alpha}{sub 2} phase exists in equiaxed, Widmanstaeten and cellular morphologies. The B2 phase is observed mainly along {alpha}{sub 2}/{alpha}{sub 2} boundaries. Some {alpha}{sub 2} Widmanstaeten also contain very fine orthorhombic phase in a plate-like morphology. Hydrogenation of the material modified the microstructure; however, the morphology of the {alpha}{sub 2} and B2 phases did not change. Furthermore, hydride precipitation and a higher volume fraction of the orthorhombic phase were observed compared with the as-HIP material. Following dehydrogenation, the hydrogen level in the material was found to be less than 0.1 at.% (0.0025wt.%). Transmission electron microscopy of the dehydrogenated material did not reveal the presence of hydride precipitates; however, the high volume fraction of the orthorhombic phase was found to persist following dehydrogenation. (orig.)

Morphological study of polymer surfaces exposed to non-thermal plasma based on contact angle and the use of scaling laws

Science.gov (United States)

Felix, T.; Cassini, F. A.; Benetoli, L. O. B.; Dotto, M. E. R.; Debacher, N. A.

2017-05-01

The experiments presented in this communication have the purpose to elaborate an explanation for the morphological evolution of the growth of polymeric surfaces provided by the treatment of non-thermal plasma. According to the roughness analysis and the model proposed by scaling laws it is possible relate to a predictable or merely random effect. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and poly(etherether)ketone (PEEK) samples were exposed to a non-thermal plasma discharge and the resulting surfaces roughness were analyzed based on the measurements from contact angle, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy coupled with scaling laws analysis which can help to describe and understand the dynamic of formation of a wide variety of rough surfaces. The roughness, RRMS (RMS- Root Mean Square) values for polymer surface range between 19.8 nm and 110.9 nm. The contact angle and the AFM (Atomic Force Microscopy) measurements as a function of the plasma exposure time were in agreement with both polar and dispersive components according to the surface roughness and also with the morphology evaluated described by Wolf-Villain model, with proximate values of α between 0.91(PET) and 0.88(PEEK), β = 0.25(PET) and z = 3,64(PET).

On the influence of particle morphology on the post-impact ballistic response of ceramic armour materials

Science.gov (United States)

Hameed, Amer; Appleby-Thomas, Gareth; Wood, David; Jaansalu, Kevin

2015-06-01

Recent studies have shown evidence that the ballistic-resistance of fragmented (comminuted) ceramics is independent of the original strength of the material. In particular, experimental investigations into the ballistic behaviour of such fragmented ceramics have indicated that this response is correlated to shattered ceramic morphology. This suggests that careful control of ceramic microstructure - and therefore failure paths - might provide a route to optimise post-impact ballistic performance, thereby enhancing multi-hit capability. In this study, building on previous in-house work, ballistic tests were conducted using pre-formed `fragmented-ceramic' analogues based around three morphologically differing (but chemically identical) alumina feedstock materials compacted into target `pucks. In an evolution of previous work, variation of target thickness provided additional insight into an apparent morphology-based contribution to ballistic response.

Effect of natural extracts pH on morphological characteristics of hybrid materials based on gold nanoparticles

Science.gov (United States)

Olenic, L.; Vulcu, A.; Chiorean, I.; Crisan, M.; Berghian-Grosan, C.; Dreve, S.; David, L.; Tudoran, L. B.; Kacso, I.; Bratu, I.; Neamtu, C.; Voica, C.

2013-11-01

In the present paper we have investigated the pH influence on the morphology of some new hybrid materials based on gold nanoparticles and natural extracts from fruits of Romanian native plants of Adoxaceae family (Viburnum opulus L. and Sambucus nigra L.). It is well known that the natural plants extracts are beneficial for humans thanks to their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects. The biological activity of these berries is mainly due to their high content of anthocyanins and other polyphenols. The nanoparticles facilitate the penetration of substances in skin, enhancing their antimitotic, anti-inflammatory and antibiotic properties. We have chosen the optimal method to get these materials in which gold nanoparticles of 10-80 nm were obtained. We characterized them by UV-Vis and FT-IR spectroscopy, by TEM and DSC. Creams prepared with the hybrid materials have been tested on psoriatic lesions and the medical results emphasized a remarkable improvement in this diseases.

Killer whale morphology - Variation in morphology of killer whale ecotypes

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — We are using elliptic Fourier analysis to determine the patterns of variation in morphology of dorsal fin shape, saddle patch shape, and eye patch shape of resident,...

Morphology development in immiscible polymer blends

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cardinaels, R.M.; Moldenaers, P.; Guo, Qipeng

This chapter discusses the morphology development of immiscible binary polymer blends. It first describes morphology development in droplet-matrix structures, the dynamics of fibrillar structures and cocontinuous structures. The chapter then considers binary immiscible polymer blends, such systems

MORPHOLOGICAL STRATEGIES IN TEXT MESSAGING AMONG ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Text messaging is the application of abridged morphological forms in order ... the emergence of the Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) in the world. ... Our thesis statement is that these morphological patterns as used in SMS are ...

Fine-needle aspiration biopsy of lymphoproliferative disorders--interpretations based on morphologic criteria alone: results from the College of American Pathologists Interlaboratory Comparison Program in Nongynecologic Cytopathology.

Science.gov (United States)

Young, Nancy A; Moriarty, Ann T; Haja, Jennifer C; Wilbur, David C

2006-12-01

Diagnosis of lymphoproliferative disorders is one of the most challenging tasks faced by the cytologist. The initial cytomorphologic evaluation of lymphoproliferative lesions directs the choice of ancillary studies that ultimately lead to a diagnosis based on the World Health Organization classification system using a composite of clinical, morphologic, immunophenotypic, and molecular features. To evaluate the ability of participating laboratories in the College of American Pathologists Interlaboratory Comparison Program in Non-Gynecologic Cytopathology to appropriately categorize lymphoproliferative lesions based solely on cytomorphologic criteria. Laboratory responses for lymph node aspirates were examined. All responses were based on review of glass slides without ancillary immunologic or molecular data available. The benchmarking data provided for each specific diagnosis were analyzed, with a focus on the performance for evaluation of lymphoproliferative lesions. Based on morphology alone, responses for lymph node aspirates in the Non-Gynecologic Cytopathology program were correct to the exact reference diagnosis for 87.1% of Hodgkin lymphoma. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma was identified in 69.5% of the large cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma cases, of which 66.8% were correctly classified as large cell type. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma was identified in 68.1% of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, other than large cell cases, and of these, 94.7% were identified as other than large cell type. The spectrum of specific responses was consistent for lymphoproliferative lesions, with a reasonable differential diagnosis based on cytomorphology alone, which, in practice, facilitates the appropriate choice of immunophenotypic markers and other ancillary studies.

Osteological Variation among Extreme Morphological Forms in the Mexican Salamander Genus Chiropterotriton (Amphibia: Plethodontidae: Morphological Evolution And Homoplasy.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David M Darda

Full Text Available Osteological variation is recorded among and within four of the most distinctive species of the Mexican salamander genus Chiropterotriton. Analysis of the data is consistent with the monophyletic status of the genus and documents previously unrecorded intraspecific and interspecific variation. Most of the recorded variation involves qualitative and quantitative proportional differences, but four fixed differences constitute autapomorphic states that affirm and diagnose some species (C. dimidiatus, C. magnipes. Osteological variation in 15 characters is analyzed with respect to predictions generated from four hypotheses: 1 phylogeny, 2 adaptation to specific habitats (the four species include cave-dwelling, terrestrial, and arboreal forms, 3 size-free shape, and 4 size. High levels of intraspecific variation suggest that the characters studied are not subject to rigid functional constraints in salamanders, regardless of size. The pattern predicted by the hypothesis based on size differences seen among these four Chiropterotriton species matches most closely the observed pattern of relative skull robustness. Since size change and heterochrony are often associated in plethodontid evolution, it is likely that changes in developmental timing play a role in the morphological transitions among these morphologically diverse taxa. Webbed feet, miniaturization, body shape, and an unusual tarsal arrangement are morphologies exhibited in species of Chiropterotrition that are shown to be homoplastic with other clades of tropical plethodontids. Although extensive homoplasy in salamanders might be seen as a roadblock to unraveling phylogenetic hypotheses, the homologous developmental systems that appear to underlie such homoplasy may reveal common and consistent evolutionary processes at work.

ADAM: Analyzer for Dialectal Arabic Morphology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wael Salloum

2014-12-01

Full Text Available While Modern Standard Arabic (MSA has many resources, Arabic Dialects, the primarily spoken local varieties of Arabic, are quite impoverished in this regard. In this article, we present ADAM (Analyzer for Dialectal Arabic Morphology. ADAM is a poor man’s solution to quickly develop morphological analyzers for dialectal Arabic. ADAM has roughly half the out-of-vocabulary rate of a state-of-the-art MSA analyzer and is comparable in its recall performance to an Egyptian dialectal morphological analyzer that took years and expensive resources to build.

Integrating DNA barcodes and morphology for species delimitation in the Corynoneura group (Diptera: Chironomidae: Orthocladiinae).

Science.gov (United States)

Silva, F L; Wiedenbrug, S

2014-02-01

In this study, we use DNA barcodes for species delimitation to solve taxonomic conflicts in 86 specimens of 14 species belonging to the Corynoneura group (Diptera: Chironomidae: Orthocladiinae), from the Atlantic Forest, Brazil. Molecular analysis of cytochrome c-oxidase subunit I (COI) gene sequences supported 14 cohesive species groups, of which two similar groups were subsequently associated with morphological variation at the pupal stage. Eleven species previously described based on morphological criteria were linked to DNA markers. Furthermore, there is the possibility that there may be cryptic species within the Corynoneura group, since one group of species presented internal grouping, although no morphological divergence was observed. Our results support DNA-barcoding as an excellent tool for species delimitation in groups where taxonomy by means of morphology is difficult or even impossible.

Morphological classification of coke formed from the Castilla and Jazmin crude oils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Picon Hernandez, Hector Julio; Centeno Hurtado, Aristobulo; Pantoja Agreda, Edgar Francisco

2008-01-01

A morphological classification of cokes from the Castilla and Jazmin Colombian crude oils was completed. These heavy-nature crude oils, after being fractioned during the refining stages, were physicochemical characterized and submitted to the coking process. The conclusions of this work are based on the characterization of the feedstock chemical composition according to the type of aromatic carbon. UV visible spectrophotometry and the corresponding micrographs obtained by a Scan Electron Microscope (SEM), in amplification intervals from 100X to 5000X for the samples of formed cokes, were analyzed. Results of this work allowed the determination of the morphological classification intervals in function of the polyaromatic compound concentration ratio (tetraromatic/triaromatic, and diaromatic/triaromatic) of the different coked feedstock. Furthermore, high content of calcium and sulfur in the feedstock promotes morphologies of the associated - shot type

Molecular phylogeny, morphology, pigment chemistry and ecology in Hygrophoraceae (Agaricales)

Science.gov (United States)

D. Jean Lodge; Mahajabeen Padamsee; P. Brandon Matheny; M. Catherine Aime; Sharon A. Cantrell; David Boertmann; Alexander Kovalenko; Alfredo Vizzini; Bryn T.M. Dentinger; Paul M. Kirk; A. Martin Ainsworth; Jean-Marc Moncalvo; Rytas Vilgalys; Ellen Larsson; Robert Lucking; Gareth W. Griffith; Matthew E. Smith; Lorilei L. Norvell; Dennis E. Desjardin; Scott A. Redhead; Clark L. Ovrebo; Edgar B. Lickey; Enrico Ercole; Karen W. Hughes; Regis Courtecuisse; Anthony Young; Manfred Binder; Andrew M. Minnis; Daniel L. Lindner; Beatriz Ortiz-Santana; John Haight; Thomas Laessoe; Timothy J. Baroni; Jozsef Geml; Tsutomu Hattori

2013-01-01

Molecular phylogenies using 1–4 gene regions and information on ecology, morphology and pigment chemistry were used in a partial revision of the agaric family Hygrophoraceae. The phylogenetically supported genera we recognize here in the Hygrophoraceae based on these and previous analyses are: Acantholichen, Ampulloclitocybe, Arrhenia, Cantharellula, Cantharocybe,...

Morphology and Structures of Nearby Dwarf Galaxies

Science.gov (United States)

Seo, Mira; Ann, HongBae

2015-08-01

We performed an analysis of the structure of nearby dwarf galaxies based on a 2-dimensional decomposition of galaxy images using GALFIT. The present sample consists of ~1,100 dwarf galaxies with redshift less than z = 0.01, which is is derived from the morphology catalog of the Visually classified galaxies in the local universe (Ann, Seo, and Ha 2015). In this catalog, dwarf galaxies are divided into 5 subtypes: dS0, dE, dSph, dEbc, dEblue with distinction of the presence of nucleation in dE, dSph, and dS0. We found that dSph and dEblue galaxies are fainter than other subtypes of dwarf galaxies. In most cases, single component, represented by the Sersic profile with n=1~1.5, well describes the luminosity distribution of dwarf galaxies in the present sample. However, a significant fraction of dS0, dEbc, and dEbue galaxies show sub-structures such as spiral arms and rings. We will discuss the morphology dependent evolutionary history of the local dwarf galaxies.

Vortex-induced morphology on a two-fluid interface and the transitions.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsai, J-C; Tao, C-Y; Sun, Y-C; Lai, C-Y; Huang, K-H; Juan, W-T; Huang, J-R

2015-09-01

We investigate experimentally the steady flows in a cylinder containing two immiscible liquids, with the primary fluid being driven by the upper boundary rotating at constant speeds. The system exhibits interesting interplays between the flow fields and the morphology of the interface, with evidence showing that the remarkable flattop structure is a consequence of the vortex breakdown discovered decades ago, and that the deformability of the interface also feedbacks positively to the development of the vortices. Monitoring the topological structure of the flow fields defines the base states and transitions behind the morphology, whereas our survey over different aspect ratios also reveals rich phenomena of surface instabilities accompanying these steady states.

Evaluation of Morphological and Functional Nerve Recovery of Rat Sciatic Nerve with a Hyaff11-Based Nerve Guide

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. Jansen

2006-01-01

Full Text Available Application of a Hyaff11-based nerve guide was studied in rats. Functional tests were performed to study motor nerve recovery. A withdrawal reflex test was performed to test sensory recovery. Morphology was studied by means of histology on explanted tissue samples. Motor nerve recovery was established within 7 weeks. Hereafter, some behavioral parameters like alternating steps showed an increase in occurence, while others remained stable. Sensory function was observed within the 7 weeks time frame. Nerve tissue had bridged the 10-mm gap within 7 weeks. The average nerve fiber surface area increased significantly in time. In situ degradation of the nerve conduit was fully going on at week 7 and tubes had collapsed by then. At weeks 15 and 21, the knitted tube wall structure was completely surrounded by macrophages and giant cells, and matrix was penetrating the tube wall. We conclude that a Hyaff11-based nerve guide can be used to bridge short peripheral nerve defects in rat. However, adaptations need to be made.

Diet and morphology of extant and recently extinct northern bears

Science.gov (United States)

Mattson, David J.

1998-01-01

I examined the relationship of diets to skull morphology of extant northern bears and used this information to speculate on diets of the recently extinct cave (Ursus spelaeus) and short-faced (Arctodus simus) bears. Analyses relied upon published skull measurements and food habits of Asiatic (U. thibetanus) and American (U. americanus) black bears, polar bears (U. maritimus), various subspecies of brown bears (U. arctos), and the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca). Principal components analysis showed major trends in skull morphology related to size, crushing force, and snout shape. Giant pandas, short-faced bears, cave bears, and polar bears exhibited extreme features along these gradients. Diets of brown bears in colder, often non-forested environments were distinguished by large volumes of roots, foliage, and vertebrates, while diets of the 2 black bear species and brown bears occupying broadleaf forests contained greater volumes of mast and invertebrates and overlapped considerably. Fractions of fibrous foods in feces (foliage and roots) were strongly related to skull morphology (R2=0.97)">(R2=0.97). Based on this relationship, feces of cave and short-faced bears were predicted to consist almost wholly of foliage, roots, or both. I hypothesized that cave bears specialized in root grubbing. In contrast, based upon body proportions and features of the ursid digestive tract, I hypothesized that skull features associated with crushing force facilitated a carnivorous rather than herbivorous diet for short-faced bears.

Morphological integration of soft-tissue facial morphology in Down Syndrome and siblings.

Science.gov (United States)

Starbuck, John; Reeves, Roger H; Richtsmeier, Joan

2011-12-01

Down syndrome (DS), resulting from trisomy of chromosome 21, is the most common live-born human aneuploidy. The phenotypic expression of trisomy 21 produces variable, though characteristic, facial morphology. Although certain facial features have been documented quantitatively and qualitatively as characteristic of DS (e.g., epicanthic folds, macroglossia, and hypertelorism), all of these traits occur in other craniofacial conditions with an underlying genetic cause. We hypothesize that the typical DS face is integrated differently than the face of non-DS siblings, and that the pattern of morphological integration unique to individuals with DS will yield information about underlying developmental associations between facial regions. We statistically compared morphological integration patterns of immature DS faces (N = 53) with those of non-DS siblings (N = 54), aged 6-12 years using 31 distances estimated from 3D coordinate data representing 17 anthropometric landmarks recorded on 3D digital photographic images. Facial features are affected differentially in DS, as evidenced by statistically significant differences in integration both within and between facial regions. Our results suggest a differential affect of trisomy on facial prominences during craniofacial development. 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Stasis and convergence characterize morphological evolution in eupolypod II ferns.

Science.gov (United States)

Sundue, Michael A; Rothfels, Carl J

2014-01-01

Patterns of morphological evolution at levels above family rank remain underexplored in the ferns. The present study seeks to address this gap through analysis of 79 morphological characters for 81 taxa, including representatives of all ten families of eupolypod II ferns. Recent molecular phylogenetic studies demonstrate that the evolution of the large eupolypod II clade (which includes nearly one-third of extant fern species) features unexpected patterns. The traditional 'athyrioid' ferns are scattered across the phylogeny despite their apparent morphological cohesiveness, and mixed among these seemingly conservative taxa are morphologically dissimilar groups that lack any obvious features uniting them with their relatives. Maximum-likelihood and maximum-parsimony character optimizations are used to determine characters that unite the seemingly disparate groups, and to test whether the polyphyly of the traditional athyrioid ferns is due to evolutionary stasis (symplesiomorphy) or convergent evolution. The major events in eupolypod II character evolution are reviewed, and character and character state concepts are reappraised, as a basis for further inquiries into fern morphology. Characters were scored from the literature, live plants and herbarium specimens, and optimized using maximum-parsimony and maximum-likelihood, onto a highly supported topology derived from maximum-likelihood and Bayesian analysis of molecular data. Phylogenetic signal of characters were tested for using randomization methods and fitdiscrete. The majority of character state changes within the eupolypod II phylogeny occur at the family level or above. Relative branch lengths for the morphological data resemble those from molecular data and fit an ancient rapid radiation model (long branches subtended by very short backbone internodes), with few characters uniting the morphologically disparate clades. The traditional athyrioid ferns were circumscribed based upon a combination of

Statistical analysis and data mining of digital reconstructions of dendritic morphologies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sridevi ePolavaram

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Neuronal morphology is diverse among animal species, developmental stages, brain regions, and cell types. The geometry of individual neurons also varies substantially even within the same cell class. Moreover, specific histological, imaging, and reconstruction methodologies can differentially affect morphometric measures. The quantitative characterization of neuronal arbors is necessary for in-depth understanding of the structure-function relationship in nervous systems. The large collection of community-contributed digitally reconstructed neurons available at NeuroMorpho.Org constitutes a big data research opportunity for neuroscience discovery beyond the approaches typically pursued in single laboratories. To illustrate these potential and related challenges, we present a database-wide statistical analysis of dendritic arbors enabling the quantification of major morphological similarities and differences across broadly adopted metadata categories. Furthermore, we adopt a complementary unsupervised approach based on clustering and dimensionality reduction to identify the main morphological parameters leading to the most statistically informative structural classification. We find that specific combinations of measures related to branching density, overall size, tortuosity, bifurcation angles, arbor flatness, and topological asymmetry can capture anatomically and functionally relevant features of dendritic trees. The reported results only represent a small fraction of the relationships available for data exploration and hypothesis testing enabled by digital sharing of morphological reconstructions.

Statistical analysis and data mining of digital reconstructions of dendritic morphologies.

Science.gov (United States)

Polavaram, Sridevi; Gillette, Todd A; Parekh, Ruchi; Ascoli, Giorgio A

2014-01-01

Neuronal morphology is diverse among animal species, developmental stages, brain regions, and cell types. The geometry of individual neurons also varies substantially even within the same cell class. Moreover, specific histological, imaging, and reconstruction methodologies can differentially affect morphometric measures. The quantitative characterization of neuronal arbors is necessary for in-depth understanding of the structure-function relationship in nervous systems. The large collection of community-contributed digitally reconstructed neurons available at NeuroMorpho.Org constitutes a "big data" research opportunity for neuroscience discovery beyond the approaches typically pursued in single laboratories. To illustrate these potential and related challenges, we present a database-wide statistical analysis of dendritic arbors enabling the quantification of major morphological similarities and differences across broadly adopted metadata categories. Furthermore, we adopt a complementary unsupervised approach based on clustering and dimensionality reduction to identify the main morphological parameters leading to the most statistically informative structural classification. We find that specific combinations of measures related to branching density, overall size, tortuosity, bifurcation angles, arbor flatness, and topological asymmetry can capture anatomically and functionally relevant features of dendritic trees. The reported results only represent a small fraction of the relationships available for data exploration and hypothesis testing enabled by sharing of digital morphological reconstructions.

Morphological and functional abnormalities of salience network in the early-stage of paranoid schizophrenia.

Science.gov (United States)

Pu, Weidan; Li, Li; Zhang, Huiran; Ouyang, Xuan; Liu, Haihong; Zhao, Jingping; Li, Lingjiang; Xue, Zhimin; Xu, Ke; Tang, Haibo; Shan, Baoci; Liu, Zhening; Wang, Fei

2012-10-01

A salience network (SN), mainly composed of the anterior insula (AI) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), has been suggested to play an important role in salience attribution which has been proposed as central to the pathology of paranoid schizophrenia. The role of this SN in the pathophysiology of paranoid schizophrenia, however, still remains unclear. In the present study, voxel-based morphometry and resting-state functional connectivity analyses were combined to identify morphological and functional abnormalities in the proposed SN in the early-stage of paranoid schizophrenia (ESPS). Voxel-based morphometry and resting-state functional connectivity analyses were applied to 90 ESPS patients and 90 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HC). Correlation analyses were performed to examine the relationships between various clinical variables and both gray matter morphology and functional connectivity within the SN in ESPS. Compared to the HC group, the ESPS group showed significantly reduced gray matter volume (GMV) in both bilateral AI and ACC. Moreover, significantly reduced functional connectivity within the SN sub-networks was identified in the ESPS group. These convergent morphological and functional deficits in SN were significantly associated with hallucinations. Additionally, illness duration correlated with reduced GMV in the left AI in ESPS. In conclusion, these findings provide convergent evidence for the morphological and functional abnormalities of the SN in ESPS. Moreover, the association of illness duration with the reduced GMV in the left AI suggests that the SN and the AI, in particular, may manifest progressive morphological changes that are especially important in the emergence of ESPS. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Morphological effect of BiVO4 catalysts on degradation of aqueous paracetamol under visible light irradiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Changying; Xu, Jie; Zhu, Yaqi; Chen, Acong; Bian, Zhaoyong; Wang, Hui

2016-09-01

Morphological effect of bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) on visible light-driven catalytic degradation of aqueous paracetamol was carefully investigated using four monoclinic BiVO4 catalysts. The catalysts with different morphologies were controllably prepared by a hydrothermal method without any additions. The prepared catalysts were fully characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). Under the visible light irradiation, these catalysts with different morphology were investigated to degrade aqueous paracetamol contaminant. The degradation effects were evaluated based on the catalyst morphology, solution pH, initial paracetamol concentration, and catalyst dosage. Cube-like BiVO4 powders exhibited excellent photocatalytic performance. The optimal photocatalytic performance of the cube-like BiVO4 in degrading paracetamol was achieved.

Cervical vertebral column morphology related to craniofacial morphology and head posture in preorthodontic children with Class II malocclusion and horizontal maxillary overjet

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Arntsen, Torill; Sonnesen, Ane Liselotte

2011-01-01

In preorthodontic children with Class II malocclusion and horizontal maxillary overjet, cervical column morphology was examined and related to craniofacial morphology and head posture for the first time.......In preorthodontic children with Class II malocclusion and horizontal maxillary overjet, cervical column morphology was examined and related to craniofacial morphology and head posture for the first time....

Relationship among Fitness, Morphological Characteristics, Skills ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The specific morphological and fitness demands of the sport are, therefore, not fully understood. The purpose of this ... The findings convincingly suggest that coaches should include fitness, morphological and skills tests in their coaching and fitness programmes, team selection and talent identification processes. Keywords: ...

Evaluation of Diversity Based on Morphological Variabilities and ISSR Molecular Markers in Iranian Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. Accessions to Select and Introduce Cold-Tolerant Genotypes.

Science.gov (United States)

Akbari, M; Salehi, H; Niazi, A

2018-04-01

The main goals of the present study were to screen Iranian common bermudagrasses to find cold-tolerant accessions and evaluate their genetic and morphological variabilities. In this study, 49 accessions were collected from 18 provinces of Iran. One foreign cultivar of common bermudagrass was used as control. Morphological variation was evaluated based on 14 morphological traits to give information about taxonomic position of Iranian common bermudagrass. Data from morphological traits were evaluated to categorize all accessions as either cold sensitive or tolerant using hierarchical clustering with Ward's method in SPSS software. Inter-Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) primers were employed to evaluate genetic variability of accessions. The results of our taxonomic investigation support the existence of two varieties of Cynodon dactylon in Iran: var. dactylon (hairless plant) and var. villosous (plant with hairs at leaf underside and/or upper side surfaces or exterior surfaces of sheath). All 15 primers amplified and gave clear and highly reproducible DNA fragments. In total, 152 fragments were produced, of which 144 (94.73%) being polymorphic. The polymorphic information content (PIC) values ranged from 0.700 to 0.928. The average PIC value obtained with 15 ISSR primers was 0.800, which shows that all primers were informative. Probability identity (PI) and discriminating power between all primers ranged from 0.029 to 0.185 and 0.815 to 0.971, respectively. Genetic data were converted into a binary data matrix. NTSYS software was used for data analysis. Clustering was done by the unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic averages and principle coordinate analysis, separated the accessions into six main clusters. According to both morphological and genetic diversity investigations of accessions, they can be clustered into three groups: cold sensitive, cold semi-tolerant, and cold tolerant. The most cold-tolerant accessions were: Taft, Malayear, Gorgan, Safashahr

A Morphological Analyzer for Vocalized or Not Vocalized Arabic Language

Science.gov (United States)

El Amine Abderrahim, Med; Breksi Reguig, Fethi

This research has been to show the realization of a morphological analyzer of the Arabic language (vocalized or not vocalized). This analyzer is based upon our object model for the Arabic Natural Language Processing (NLP) and can be exploited by NLP applications such as translation machine, orthographical correction and the search for information.

GALAXIES IN X-RAY GROUPS. III. SATELLITE COLOR AND MORPHOLOGY TRANSFORMATIONS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

George, Matthew R.; Ma, Chung-Pei [Department of Astronomy, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Bundy, Kevin; Leauthaud, Alexie; Vulcani, Benedetta [Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Kavli IPMU, WPI), Todai Institutes for Advanced Study, University of Tokyo, Kashiwa 277-8583 (Japan); Tinker, Jeremy [Center for Cosmology and Particle Physics, Department of Physics, New York University, 4 Washington Place, New York, NY 10003 (United States); Wechsler, Risa H. [Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, 2575 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025 (United States); Finoguenov, Alexis, E-mail: mgeorge@astro.berkeley.edu [Department of Physics, University of Helsinki, Gustaf Haellstroemin katu 2a, FI-00014 Helsinki (Finland)

2013-06-20

While the star formation rates and morphologies of galaxies have long been known to correlate with their local environment, the process by which these correlations are generated is not well understood. Galaxy groups are thought to play an important role in shaping the physical properties of galaxies before entering massive clusters at low redshift, and transformations of satellite galaxies likely dominate the buildup of local environmental correlations. To illuminate the physical processes that shape galaxy evolution in dense environments, we study a sample of 116 X-ray selected galaxy groups at z = 0.2-1 with halo masses of 10{sup 13}-10{sup 14} M{sub Sun} and centroids determined with weak lensing. We analyze morphologies based on Hubble Space Telescope imaging and colors determined from 31 photometric bands for a stellar mass-limited population of 923 satellite galaxies and a comparison sample of 16,644 field galaxies. Controlling for variations in stellar mass across environments, we find significant trends in the colors and morphologies of satellite galaxies with group-centric distance and across cosmic time. Specifically at low stellar mass (log (M{sub *}/M{sub Sun }) = 9.8-10.3), the fraction of disk-dominated star-forming galaxies declines from >50% among field galaxies to <20% among satellites near the centers of groups. This decline is accompanied by a rise in quenched galaxies with intermediate bulge+disk morphologies, and only a weak increase in red bulge-dominated systems. These results show that both color and morphology are influenced by a galaxy's location within a group halo. We suggest that strangulation and disk fading alone are insufficient to explain the observed morphological dependence on environment, and that galaxy mergers or close tidal encounters must play a role in building up the population of quenched galaxies with bulges seen in dense environments at low redshift.

GALAXIES IN X-RAY GROUPS. III. SATELLITE COLOR AND MORPHOLOGY TRANSFORMATIONS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

George, Matthew R.; Ma, Chung-Pei; Bundy, Kevin; Leauthaud, Alexie; Vulcani, Benedetta; Tinker, Jeremy; Wechsler, Risa H.; Finoguenov, Alexis

2013-01-01

While the star formation rates and morphologies of galaxies have long been known to correlate with their local environment, the process by which these correlations are generated is not well understood. Galaxy groups are thought to play an important role in shaping the physical properties of galaxies before entering massive clusters at low redshift, and transformations of satellite galaxies likely dominate the buildup of local environmental correlations. To illuminate the physical processes that shape galaxy evolution in dense environments, we study a sample of 116 X-ray selected galaxy groups at z = 0.2-1 with halo masses of 10 13 -10 14 M ☉ and centroids determined with weak lensing. We analyze morphologies based on Hubble Space Telescope imaging and colors determined from 31 photometric bands for a stellar mass-limited population of 923 satellite galaxies and a comparison sample of 16,644 field galaxies. Controlling for variations in stellar mass across environments, we find significant trends in the colors and morphologies of satellite galaxies with group-centric distance and across cosmic time. Specifically at low stellar mass (log (M * /M ☉ ) = 9.8-10.3), the fraction of disk-dominated star-forming galaxies declines from >50% among field galaxies to <20% among satellites near the centers of groups. This decline is accompanied by a rise in quenched galaxies with intermediate bulge+disk morphologies, and only a weak increase in red bulge-dominated systems. These results show that both color and morphology are influenced by a galaxy's location within a group halo. We suggest that strangulation and disk fading alone are insufficient to explain the observed morphological dependence on environment, and that galaxy mergers or close tidal encounters must play a role in building up the population of quenched galaxies with bulges seen in dense environments at low redshift.

Polymer solar cells. Morphology-property-correlation; Polymere Solarzellen. Morphologie-Eigenschafts-Korrelation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Erb, Tobias

2008-09-22

The aim of the presented dissertation is to clarify open questions concerning the development and control of the morphology in the active layer of polymer bulk heterojunction solar cells. The new findings hereby derived shall modify the existing models of the active layer morphology as found in today's literature. The experimental investigations were performed by X-ray diffraction, spectroscopic ellipsometry, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. In addition to those methods, light microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry were applied to investigate three chosen material systems: P3HT/PCBM-C{sub 60}, P3HT/MDHE-C{sub 60}, and P3HT/(MDHE){sub 2}-C{sub 60}. On the basis of experimental results a morphological model is developed, which is discussed in the context of existing literature. The solar cells were electrically characterised by current-voltage and external quantum efficiency measurements. The structural model is set into relation with photovoltaic parameters of the polymer solar cell, such as short circuit photocurrent, open circuit voltage, fill factor, and power conversion efficiency. This contributes to the explanation and analysis of the electrical properties of the organic solar cell as a device. In summary, this work yields morphology-property-relations that are able to explain the interaction between physical properties, such as light absorption, charge carrier generation, and transport, with the morphology present within the active layer. Finally, the three investigated systems are compared and evaluated with respect to their applicability in polymer solar cells. Further on, the morphology-propertyrelations are used to develop a strategy to estimate the suitability of new twocomponent polymer-fullerene donor-acceptor systems for polymer solar cells. Based on these findings it becomes possible to evaluate the optimization potential for new materials. In conclusion, this helps to develop polymer solar cells with increased power conversion