morphometric multisite collaborative: Topics by WorldWideScience.org

Sample records for morphometric multisite collaborative

Role of the hospitalist in antimicrobial stewardship: a review of work completed and description of a multisite collaborative.

Science.gov (United States)

Rohde, Jeffrey M; Jacobsen, Diane; Rosenberg, David J

2013-06-01

Historically, antimicrobial stewardship programs have been led by infectious-disease physicians and pharmacists. With the growing presence of hospitalists in health and hospital systems, combined with their focus on quality improvement and patient safety, this emerging medical specialty has the potential to fill essential roles in antimicrobial stewardship programs. The goal of this article was to present the reasons hospitalists are ideally positioned to fill antimicrobial-stewardship roles, a narrative review of previously reported hospitalist-led antibiotic-stewardship projects, and a description of an ongoing multisite collaborative by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A review of the published literature was performed, including an extensive review of the abstracts submitted to the Society of Hospital Medicine annual meetings. A number of examples of hospitalists developing and leading antimicrobial-stewardship programs are described. The details of a current multisite IHI/CDC hospitalist-focused initiative are discussed in detail. Hospitalists are actively involved with, and even lead, a variety of antimicrobial-stewardship programs in several different hospital systems. A large, multisite collaborative focused on hospitalist-led antimicrobial stewardship is currently in progress. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier HS Journals, Inc. All rights reserved.
Conducting a Multisite Education Research Project: Strategies to Overcome the Barriers to Achieve the Benefits.

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Beischel, Kelly P; Hart, Julie; Turkelson, Sandra L

2016-01-01

Multisite education research projects have many benefits as well as perceived barriers. In this article, we share our experiences with a multisite education research project and the barriers we overcame to reap the benefits. The outcome of our research resulted in increased rigor, role-modeling professional collaboration, and promotion of future multisite education studies. The strategies presented in this article will help alleviate perceived barriers and ameliorate the process of conducting multisite education research studies.
An introduction to the composition of the Multi-Site University Study of Identity and Culture (MUSIC): a collaborative approach to research and mentorship.

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Weisskirch, Robert S; Zamboanga, Byron L; Ravert, Russell D; Whitbourne, Susan Krauss; Park, Irene J K; Lee, Richard M; Schwartz, Seth J

2013-04-01

The Multi-Site University Study of Identity and Culture (MUSIC) is the product of a research collaboration among faculty members from 30 colleges and universities from across the United States. Using Katz and Martin's (1997, p. 7) definition, the MUSIC research collaboration is "the working together of researchers to achieve the common goals of producing new scientific knowledge." The collaboration involved more than just coauthorship; it served "as a strategy to insert more energy, optimism, creativity and hope into the work of [researchers]" (Conoley & Conoley, 2010, p. 77). The philosophy underlying the MUSIC collaborative was intended to foster natural collaborations among researchers, to provide opportunities for scholarship and mentorship for early career and established researchers, and to support exploration of identity, cultural, and ethnic/racial research ideas by tapping the expertise and interests of the broad MUSIC network of collaborators. In this issue, five research articles present innovative findings from the MUSIC datasets. There are two themes across the articles. Research is emerging about broadening the constructs and measures of acculturation and ethnic identity and their relation to health risk behaviors and psychosocial and mental health outcomes. The second theme is about the relationship of perceived discrimination on behavioral and mental health outcomes among immigrant populations.
PS1-29: Resources to Facilitate Multi-site Collaboration: the PRIMER Research Toolkit

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Greene, Sarah; Thompson, Ella; Baldwin, Laura-Mae; Neale, Anne Victoria; Dolor, Rowena

2010-01-01

Background and Aims: The national research enterprise has typically functioned in a decentralized fashion, resulting in duplicative or undocumented processes, impeding not only the pace of research, but diffusion of established best practices. To remedy this, many long-standing networks have begun capturing and documenting proven strategies to streamline and standardize various aspects of the research process. The project, “Partnership-driven Resources to IMprove and Enhance Research” (PRIMER), was funded through the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) initiative to leverage the collective expertise from two networks: the HMO Research Network and Practice Based Research Networks (PBRNs). Each network has a shared goal of propagating research resources and best practices. Methods: We created and distributed an online survey to 92 CTSA and PBRN representatives in March, 2009 to define critical needs and existing resources that could inform a resource repository. The survey identified barriers and benefits to forming research partnerships, and assessed the perceived utility of various tools that could accelerate the research process. The study team identified, reviewed and organized tools based on the typical research trajectory from design to dissemination. Results: Fifty-five of 92 invitees (59%) completed the survey. Respondents rated the ability to conduct community-relevant research through true academic-community partnerships as the top-rated benefit of multi-site research, followed by the opportunity to accelerate translation of research into practice. The top two perceived barriers to multi-site research were ‘funding opportunities are not adequate (e.g., too few, not enough to support true collaborations), and ‘lack of research infrastructure to support [all] partners (e.g., no IT support, IRB, dedicated research staff). Respondents’ ratings of the utility of various tools and templates was used to guide development of an online
Facebook as a tool for communication, collaboration, and informal knowledge exchange among members of a multisite family health team.

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Lofters, Aisha K; Slater, Morgan B; Nicholas Angl, Emily; Leung, Fok-Han

2016-01-01

To implement and evaluate a private Facebook group for members of a large Ontario multisite Family Health Team (FHT) to facilitate improved communication and collaboration. Program implementation and subsequent survey of team members. A large multisite FHT in Toronto, Ontario. Health professionals of the FHT. Usage patterns and self-reported perceptions of the Facebook group by team members. At the time of the evaluation survey, the Facebook group had 43 members (37.4% of all FHT members). Activity in the group was never high, and posts by team members who were not among the researchers were infrequent throughout the study period. The content of posts fell into two broad categories: 1) information that might be useful to various team members and 2) questions posed by team members that others might be able to answer. Of the 26 team members (22.6%) who completed the evaluation survey, many reported that they never logged into the Facebook page (16 respondents), and never used it to communicate with team members outside of their own site of practice (19 respondents). Only six respondents reported no concerns with using Facebook as a professional communication tool; the most frequent concerns were regarding personal and patient privacy. The use of social media by health care practitioners is becoming ubiquitous. However, the issues of privacy concerns and determining how to use social media without adding to provider workload must be addressed to make it a useful tool in health care.
Facebook as a tool for communication, collaboration, and informal knowledge exchange among members of a multisite family health team

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Lofters AK

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Aisha K Lofters,1,2 Morgan B Slater,1 Emily Nicholas Angl,1 Fok-Han Leung1 1Department of Family and Community Medicine, 2Centre for Research on Inner City Health, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St Michael's Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada Objective: To implement and evaluate a private Facebook group for members of a large Ontario multisite Family Health Team (FHT to facilitate improved communication and collaboration. Design: Program implementation and subsequent survey of team members. Setting: A large multisite FHT in Toronto, Ontario. Participants: Health professionals of the FHT. Main outcome measures: Usage patterns and self-reported perceptions of the Facebook group by team members. Results: At the time of the evaluation survey, the Facebook group had 43 members (37.4% of all FHT members. Activity in the group was never high, and posts by team members who were not among the researchers were infrequent throughout the study period. The content of posts fell into two broad categories: 1 information that might be useful to various team members and 2 questions posed by team members that others might be able to answer. Of the 26 team members (22.6% who completed the evaluation survey, many reported that they never logged into the Facebook page (16 respondents, and never used it to communicate with team members outside of their own site of practice (19 respondents. Only six respondents reported no concerns with using Facebook as a professional communication tool; the most frequent concerns were regarding personal and patient privacy. Conclusion: The use of social media by health care practitioners is becoming ubiquitous. However, the issues of privacy concerns and determining how to use social media without adding to provider workload must be addressed to make it a useful tool in health care. Keywords: social media, team-based care, communication, interprofessionalism, social network
Enhancing evidence informed policymaking in complex health systems: lessons from multi-site collaborative approaches.

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Langlois, Etienne V; Becerril Montekio, Victor; Young, Taryn; Song, Kayla; Alcalde-Rabanal, Jacqueline; Tran, Nhan

2016-03-17

There is an increasing interest worldwide to ensure evidence-informed health policymaking as a means to improve health systems performance. There is a need to engage policymakers in collaborative approaches to generate and use knowledge in real world settings. To address this gap, we implemented two interventions based on iterative exchanges between researchers and policymakers/implementers. This article aims to reflect on the implementation and impact of these multi-site evidence-to-policy approaches implemented in low-resource settings. The first approach was implemented in Mexico and Nicaragua and focused on implementation research facilitated by communities of practice (CoP) among maternal health stakeholders. We conducted a process evaluation of the CoPs and assessed the professionals' abilities to acquire, analyse, adapt and apply research. The second approach, called the Policy BUilding Demand for evidence in Decision making through Interaction and Enhancing Skills (Policy BUDDIES), was implemented in South Africa and Cameroon. The intervention put forth a 'buddying' process to enhance demand and use of systematic reviews by sub-national policymakers. The Policy BUDDIES initiative was assessed using a mixed-methods realist evaluation design. In Mexico, the implementation research supported by CoPs triggered monitoring by local health organizations of the quality of maternal healthcare programs. Health programme personnel involved in CoPs in Mexico and Nicaragua reported improved capacities to identify and use evidence in solving implementation problems. In South Africa, Policy BUDDIES informed a policy framework for medication adherence for chronic diseases, including both HIV and non-communicable diseases. Policymakers engaged in the buddying process reported an enhanced recognition of the value of research, and greater demand for policy-relevant knowledge. The collaborative evidence-to-policy approaches underline the importance of iterations and continuity
WordPress multisite administration

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Longren, Tyler

2013-01-01

This is a simple, concise guide with a step-by-step approach, packed with screenshots and examples to set up and manage a network blog using WordPress.WordPress Multisite Administration is ideal for anyone wanting to familiarize themselves with WordPress Multisite. You'll need to know the basics about WordPress, and having at least a broad understanding of HTML, CSS, and PHP will help, but isn't required.
High prevalence of daily and multi-site pain

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rathleff, Michael Skovdal; Roos, Ewa M.; Olesen, Jens Lykkegaard

2013-01-01

Daily pain and multi-site pain are both associated with reduction in work ability and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among adults. However, no population-based studies have yet investigated the prevalence of daily and multi-site pain among adolescents and how these are associated...... with respondent characteristics. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of self-reported daily and multi-site pain among adolescents aged 12--19 years and associations of almost daily pain and multi-site pain with respondent characteristics (sex, age, body mass index (BMI), HRQoL and sports...
Challenges of Collaborative Governance; An Organizational Disocurse Study of Public Managers' Struggles with Collaboration in the Daycare Area

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Plotnikof, Mie

2015-01-01

dynamics by asking: how are public managers challenged through discursive constructions of collaborative governance? Empirically, the dissertation is based on a multi-site ethnographic case study of two local governments’ efforts to co-create new quality-management methods within the daycare sector...... discourses, and c) design issues related to social dynamics and power relations. The study shows that public managers are challenged by the ways in which discursive constructions of collaborative governance create more and less (dis-)organized communicative practices concerning a shared problem. Thereby......This doctoral study explores problematics of managing and organizing collaborative governance from an organizational discourse perspective. Collaborative governance is a public management practice developing currently to engage stakeholders in co-creating potential solutions to complex public...
Morphometrics and Theriology. Homage to Marco Corti

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Anna Loy

2008-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract This paper discusses the role of museum theriological collections in the context of twenty years of morphometric progresses. It also recalls twenty years of collaboration and friendship with Marco Corti, Italian theriologist and morphometrician, died on January 2007. The synthesis is addressed to the many young students that are picking up the baton and will likely contribute to the growth of the Italian school of morphometrics, to which Marco Corti dedicated most of his work at the University of Rome "La Sapienza". Riassunto Morfometria e teriologia. Omaggio a Marco Corti. Il lavoro discute il ruolo delle collezioni teriologiche alla luce di venti anni di progressi della morfometria. Esso rappresenta anche la sintesi di un’esperienza umana e professionale, avendo l’autore condiviso molte tappe della ‘rivoluzione morfometrica’ degli anni ottanta con molti dei suoi protagonisti, alcuni dei quali oggi non sono più con noi. In particolare Marco Corti, teriologo e morfometrista, scomparso nel 2007. La sintesi è anche dedicata ai molti giovani studenti e ricercatori che stanno contribuendo alla crescita della scuola italiana di morfometria, cui Marco Corti ha dedicato gli ultimi venti anni di insegnamento e ricerca all’Università di Roma "La Sapienza".
Watershed-based Morphometric Analysis: A Review

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Sukristiyanti, S.; Maria, R.; Lestiana, H.

2018-02-01

Drainage basin/watershed analysis based on morphometric parameters is very important for watershed planning. Morphometric analysis of watershed is the best method to identify the relationship of various aspects in the area. Despite many technical papers were dealt with in this area of study, there is no particular standard classification and implication of each parameter. It is very confusing to evaluate a value of every morphometric parameter. This paper deals with the meaning of values of the various morphometric parameters, with adequate contextual information. A critical review is presented on each classification, the range of values, and their implications. Besides classification and its impact, the authors also concern about the quality of input data, either in data preparation or scale/the detail level of mapping. This review paper hopefully can give a comprehensive explanation to assist the upcoming research dealing with morphometric analysis.
STUDY OF MORPHOMETRIC CHANGES OF FOETAL STOMACH

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Mohammed Aneesur Rahman

2017-07-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND Interest in human development is very widespread largely because of the curiosity about our beginnings and desire to improve the quality of life. Understanding of the processes involved in the formation of various organs and systems has unrevealed most cryptic secrets of the nature. Human development begins at fertilisation when a male gamete or sperm unites with a female gamete or oocyte to form a single cell, a zygote. With the formation of zygote (single-celled stage, foetal development begins. The aim of the study is to- 1 Study the morphometric parameters of foetal stomach at various gestational ages. 2 Compare these observations with the previous studies. MATERIALS AND METHODS Present work was the cross-sectional study carried out in the Department of Anatomy in collaboration with the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at SRTRGMC and Hospital, Ambajogai Dist., Beed, Maharashtra. For this, approval of Institutional Ethical Committee was taken. 30 aborted human foetuses of different age groups ranging from 12 to 36 weeks of fertilisation were taken from the Department of OB-GYN. Foetuses were preserved by using 10% formalin. Age of foetuses were determined by crown-rump length and history given by mother. Foetuses were dissected after preservation for 15 days and morphometric studies were done on stomach. RESULTS Various quantitative parameters like weight of foetus, crown-rump length, total length of stomach, weight of stomach, length of greater curvature, lesser curvature, width of cardia and width of pylorus were used. For the purpose of study and comparison with other researchers, the foetuses were divided into 3 groups. Morphometric changes were observed in different groups and compared with previous studies. CONCLUSION With the increase in the body weight, crown-rump length and gestational age of the foetus, there is gradual increase on various parameters of stomach.
Shared worlds: multi-sited ethnography and nursing research.

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Molloy, Luke; Walker, Kim; Lakeman, Richard

2017-03-22

Background Ethnography, originally developed for the study of supposedly small-scale societies, is now faced with an increasingly mobile, changing and globalised world. Cultural identities can exist without reference to a specific location and extend beyond regional and national boundaries. It is therefore no longer imperative that the sole object of the ethnographer's practice should be a geographically bounded site. Aim To present a critical methodological review of multi-sited ethnography. Discussion Understanding that it can no longer be taken with any certainty that location alone determines culture, multi-sited ethnography provides a method of contextualising multi-sited social phenomena. The method enables researchers to examine social phenomena that are simultaneously produced in different locations. It has been used to undertake cultural analysis of diverse areas such as organ trafficking, global organisations, technologies and anorexia. Conclusion The authors contend that multi-sited ethnography is particularly suited to nursing research as it provides researchers with an ethnographic method that is more relevant to the interconnected world of health and healthcare services. Implications for practice Multi-sited ethnography provides nurse researchers with an approach to cultural analysis in areas such as the social determinants of health, healthcare services and the effects of health policies across multiple locations.
"It's an Amazing Learning Curve to Be Part of the Project": Exploring Academic Identity in Collaborative Research

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Leibowitz, Brenda; Ndebele, Clever; Winberg, Christine

2014-01-01

This article reports on an investigation into the role of academic identity within collaborative research in higher education in South Africa. The study was informed by the literature on academic identities, collaborative research and communities of practice. It was located within a multi-site study, with involvement of researcher collaborators…
On multi-site damage identification using single-site training data

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Barthorpe, R. J.; Manson, G.; Worden, K.

2017-11-01

This paper proposes a methodology for developing multi-site damage location systems for engineering structures that can be trained using single-site damaged state data only. The methodology involves training a sequence of binary classifiers based upon single-site damage data and combining the developed classifiers into a robust multi-class damage locator. In this way, the multi-site damage identification problem may be decomposed into a sequence of binary decisions. In this paper Support Vector Classifiers are adopted as the means of making these binary decisions. The proposed methodology represents an advancement on the state of the art in the field of multi-site damage identification which require either: (1) full damaged state data from single- and multi-site damage cases or (2) the development of a physics-based model to make multi-site model predictions. The potential benefit of the proposed methodology is that a significantly reduced number of recorded damage states may be required in order to train a multi-site damage locator without recourse to physics-based model predictions. In this paper it is first demonstrated that Support Vector Classification represents an appropriate approach to the multi-site damage location problem, with methods for combining binary classifiers discussed. Next, the proposed methodology is demonstrated and evaluated through application to a real engineering structure - a Piper Tomahawk trainer aircraft wing - with its performance compared to classifiers trained using the full damaged-state dataset.
A Gateway MultiSite recombination cloning toolkit.

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Lena K Petersen

Full Text Available The generation of DNA constructs is often a rate-limiting step in conducting biological experiments. Recombination cloning of single DNA fragments using the Gateway system provided an advance over traditional restriction enzyme cloning due to increases in efficiency and reliability. Here we introduce a series of entry clones and a destination vector for use in two, three, and four fragment Gateway MultiSite recombination cloning whose advantages include increased flexibility and versatility. In contrast to Gateway single-fragment cloning approaches where variations are typically incorporated into model system-specific destination vectors, our Gateway MultiSite cloning strategy incorporates variations in easily generated entry clones that are model system-independent. In particular, we present entry clones containing insertions of GAL4, QF, UAS, QUAS, eGFP, and mCherry, among others, and demonstrate their in vivo functionality in Drosophila by using them to generate expression clones including GAL4 and QF drivers for various trp ion channel family members, UAS and QUAS excitatory and inhibitory light-gated ion channels, and QUAS red and green fluorescent synaptic vesicle markers. We thus establish a starter toolkit of modular Gateway MultiSite entry clones potentially adaptable to any model system. An inventory of entry clones and destination vectors for Gateway MultiSite cloning has also been established (www.gatewaymultisite.org.
The Role of Involvement and Use in Multisite Evaluations

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Lawrenz, Frances; King, Jean A.; Ooms, Ann

2011-01-01

A cross-case analysis of four National Science Foundation (NSF) case studies identified both unique details and common themes related to promoting the use and influence of multisite evaluations. The analysis provided evidence of diverse evaluation use by stakeholders and suggested that people taking part in the multisite evaluations perceived…
Sperm kinematic, head morphometric and kinetic-morphometric subpopulations in the blue fox (Alopex lagopus

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Carles Soler

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This work provides information on the blue fox ejaculated sperm quality needed for seminal dose calculations. Twenty semen samples, obtained by masturbation, were analyzed for kinematic and morphometric parameters by using CASA-Mot and CASA-Morph system and principal component (PC analysis. For motility, eight kinematic parameters were evaluated, which were reduced to PC1, related to linear variables, and PC2, related to oscillatory movement. The whole population was divided into three independent subpopulations: SP1, fast cells with linear movement; SP2, slow cells and nonoscillatory motility; and SP3, medium speed cells and oscillatory movement. In almost all cases, the subpopulation distribution by animal was significantly different. Head morphology analysis generated four size and four shape parameters, which were reduced to PC1, related to size, and PC2, related to shape of the cells. Three morphometric subpopulations existed: SP1: large oval cells; SP2: medium size elongated cells; and SP3: small and short cells. The subpopulation distribution differed between animals. Combining the kinematic and morphometric datasets produced PC1, related to morphometric parameters, and PC2, related to kinematics, which generated four sperm subpopulations - SP1: high oscillatory motility, large and short heads; SP2: medium velocity with small and short heads; SP3: slow motion small and elongated cells; and SP4: high linear speed and large elongated cells. Subpopulation distribution was different in all animals. The establishment of sperm subpopulations from kinematic, morphometric, and combined variables not only improves the well-defined fox semen characteristics and offers a good conceptual basis for fertility and sperm preservation techniques in this species, but also opens the door to use this approach in other species, included humans.
A web-system of virtual morphometric globes

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Florinsky, Igor; Garov, Andrei; Karachevtseva, Irina

2017-04-01

Virtual globes — programs implementing interactive three-dimensional (3D) models of planets — are increasingly used in geo- and planetary sciences. We develop a web-system of virtual morphometric globes. As the initial data, we used the following global digital elevation models (DEMs): (1) a DEM of the Earth extracted from SRTM30_PLUS database; (2) a DEM of Mars extracted from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) gridded data record archive; and (3) A DEM of the Moon extracted from the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) gridded data record archive. From these DEMs, we derived global digital models of the following 16 local, nonlocal, and combined morphometric variables: horizontal curvature, vertical curvature, mean curvature, Gaussian curvature, minimal curvature, maximal curvature, unsphericity curvature, difference curvature, vertical excess curvature, horizontal excess curvature, ring curvature, accumulation curvature, catchment area, dispersive area, topographic index, and stream power index (definitions, formulae, and interpretations can be found elsewhere [1]). To calculate local morphometric variables, we applied a finite-difference method intended for spheroidal equal angular grids [1]. Digital models of a nonlocal and combined morphometric variables were derived by a method of Martz and de Jong adapted to spheroidal equal angular grids [1]. DEM processing was performed in the software LandLord [1]. The calculated morphometric models were integrated into the testing version of the system. The following main functions are implemented in the system: (1) selection of a celestial body; (2) selection of a morphometric variable; (3) 2D visualization of a calculated global morphometric model (a map in equirectangular projection); (4) 3D visualization of a calculated global morphometric model on the sphere surface (a globe by itself); (5) change of a globe scale (zooming); and (6) globe rotation by an arbitrary angle. The testing version of the system

Simulation-optimization framework for multi-site multi-season hybrid stochastic streamflow modeling

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Srivastav, Roshan; Srinivasan, K.; Sudheer, K. P.

2016-11-01

A simulation-optimization (S-O) framework is developed for the hybrid stochastic modeling of multi-site multi-season streamflows. The multi-objective optimization model formulated is the driver and the multi-site, multi-season hybrid matched block bootstrap model (MHMABB) is the simulation engine within this framework. The multi-site multi-season simulation model is the extension of the existing single-site multi-season simulation model. A robust and efficient evolutionary search based technique, namely, non-dominated sorting based genetic algorithm (NSGA - II) is employed as the solution technique for the multi-objective optimization within the S-O framework. The objective functions employed are related to the preservation of the multi-site critical deficit run sum and the constraints introduced are concerned with the hybrid model parameter space, and the preservation of certain statistics (such as inter-annual dependence and/or skewness of aggregated annual flows). The efficacy of the proposed S-O framework is brought out through a case example from the Colorado River basin. The proposed multi-site multi-season model AMHMABB (whose parameters are obtained from the proposed S-O framework) preserves the temporal as well as the spatial statistics of the historical flows. Also, the other multi-site deficit run characteristics namely, the number of runs, the maximum run length, the mean run sum and the mean run length are well preserved by the AMHMABB model. Overall, the proposed AMHMABB model is able to show better streamflow modeling performance when compared with the simulation based SMHMABB model, plausibly due to the significant role played by: (i) the objective functions related to the preservation of multi-site critical deficit run sum; (ii) the huge hybrid model parameter space available for the evolutionary search and (iii) the constraint on the preservation of the inter-annual dependence. Split-sample validation results indicate that the AMHMABB model is
A Mixed Methods Sampling Methodology for a Multisite Case Study

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Sharp, Julia L.; Mobley, Catherine; Hammond, Cathy; Withington, Cairen; Drew, Sam; Stringfield, Sam; Stipanovic, Natalie

2012-01-01

The flexibility of mixed methods research strategies makes such approaches especially suitable for multisite case studies. Yet the utilization of mixed methods to select sites for these studies is rarely reported. The authors describe their pragmatic mixed methods approach to select a sample for their multisite mixed methods case study of a…
Expansion of the gateway multisite recombination cloning toolkit.

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Shearin, Harold K; Dvarishkis, Alisa R; Kozeluh, Craig D; Stowers, R Steven

2013-01-01

Precise manipulation of transgene expression in genetic model organisms has led to advances in understanding fundamental mechanisms of development, physiology, and genetic disease. Transgene construction is, however, a precondition of transgene expression, and often limits the rate of experimental progress. Here we report an expansion of the modular Gateway MultiSite recombination-cloning platform for high efficiency transgene assembly. The expansion includes two additional destination vectors and entry clones for the LexA binary transcription system, among others. These new tools enhance the expression levels possible with Gateway MultiSite generated transgenes and make possible the generation of LexA drivers and reporters with Gateway MultiSite cloning. In vivo data from transgenic Drosophila functionally validating each novel component are presented and include neuronal LexA drivers, LexAop2 red and green fluorescent synaptic vesicle reporters, TDC2 and TRH LexA, GAL4, and QF drivers, and LexAop2, UAS, and QUAS channelrhodopsin2 T159C reporters.
Morphometrics applied to medical entomology.

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Dujardin, Jean-Pierre

2008-12-01

Morphometrics underwent a revolution more than one decade ago. In the modern morphometrics, the estimate of size is now contained in a single variable reflecting variation in many directions, as many as there are landmarks under study, and shape is defined as their relative positions after correcting for size, position and orientation. With these informative data, and the corresponding software freely available to conduct complex analyses, significant biological and epidemiological features can be quantified more accurately. We discuss the evolutionary significance of the environmental impact on metric variability, mentioning the importance of concepts like genetic assimilation, genetic accommodation, and epigenetics. We provide examples of measuring the effect of selection on metric variation by comparing (unpublished) Qst values with corresponding (published) Fst. The primary needs of medical entomologists are to distinguish species, especially cryptic species, and to detect them where they are not expected. We explain how geometric morphometrics could apply to these questions, and where there are deficiencies preventing the approach from being utilized at its maximum potential. Medical entomologists in connection with control programs aim to identify isolated populations where the risk of reinfestation after treatment would be low ("biogeographical islands"). Identifying them can be obtained from estimating the number of migrants per generation. Direct assessment of movement remains the most valid approach, but it scores active movement only. Genetic methods estimating gene flow levels among interbreeding populations are commonly used, but gene flow does not necessarily mean the current flow of migrants. Methods using the morphometric variation are neither suited to evaluate gene flow, nor are they adapted to estimate the flow of migrants. They may provide, however, the information needed to create a preliminary map pointing to relevant areas where one could
Multi-Sited Global Ethnography and Travel: Gendered Journeys in Three Registers

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Epstein, Debbie; Fahey, Johannah; Kenway, Jane

2013-01-01

This paper joins a barely begun conversation about multi-sited and global ethnography in educational research; a conversation that is likely to intensify along with growing interest in the links between education, globalisation, internationalisation and transnationalism. Drawing on an ongoing multi-sited global ethnography of elite schools and…
MORPHOMETRICAL PARAMETERS OF GUT MICROFLORA IN HUMAN VOLUNTEERS

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wilkinson, M.H.F.; Meijer, B.C

1991-01-01

The morphology of faecal microflora of nine healthy human volunteers was studied by digital image analysis of microscopic slides. Weekly specimens were collected during an 8-week period. Seven morphometrical parameters were derived: the means and medians of components 1, 2 and 3, and morphometrical
Multisite, multimodal neuroimaging of chronic urological pelvic pain: Methodology of the MAPP Research Network

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Jeffry R. Alger

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The Multidisciplinary Approach to the Study of Chronic Pelvic Pain (MAPP Research Network is an ongoing multi-center collaborative research group established to conduct integrated studies in participants with urologic chronic pelvic pain syndrome (UCPPS. The goal of these investigations is to provide new insights into the etiology, natural history, clinical, demographic and behavioral characteristics, search for new and evaluate candidate biomarkers, systematically test for contributions of infectious agents to symptoms, and conduct animal studies to understand underlying mechanisms for UCPPS. Study participants were enrolled in a one-year observational study and evaluated through a multisite, collaborative neuroimaging study to evaluate the association between UCPPS and brain structure and function. 3D T1-weighted structural images, resting-state fMRI, and high angular resolution diffusion MRI were acquired in five participating MAPP Network sites using 8 separate MRI hardware and software configurations. We describe the neuroimaging methods and procedures used to scan participants, the challenges encountered in obtaining data from multiple sites with different equipment/software, and our efforts to minimize site-to-site variation.
Multi-Sited Resilience

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olwig, Mette Fog

2012-01-01

with natural disasters and climate change. In a globalized world, however, it is hard to discern what is “local” as global organizations play an increasingly visible and powerful role. This paper will argue that local understandings and practices of resilience cannot be disentangled from global understandings...... flooding in northern Ghana, this paper examines the mutual construction of “local” and “global” notions and practices of resilience through multi-sited processes. It is based on interviews and participant observation in multiple sites at the “local,” “regional” and “global” levels....
Morphometric analysis of llama (Lama glama) sperm head.

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Casaretto, C; Lombardo, D M; Giuliano, S; Gambarotta, M; Carretero, M I; Miragaya, M H

2012-05-01

Llama production in Argentina has increased, as the international interest in breeding this type of animals has grown in the last years. Considering the great polymorphism that llama spermatozoa present at evaluation using light microscopy, the aim of this study was to objectively evaluate llama sperm head morphometry using digital morphometric analysis. Five ejaculates from each of eight males were obtained to evaluate morphometric parameters of 8000 sperm heads stained with Tinción 15(®). The following average results were obtained for each parameter: size parameters: area 20.09 μm(2), length 6.60 μm, width 4.14 μm, equivalent circle diameter 5.06 μm, curve length 5.79 μm and curve width 3.48 μm; boundary parameters: perimeter 18.54 μm and convex perimeter 17.34 μm; and shape parameters: roundness 1.28 and elongation 1.59. Morphometric parameters of sperm head were compared between ejaculates of the same male and between males. Significant differences between ejaculates of the same male were found for all parameters evaluated (P < 0.01). Significant differences between males were found for all morphometric parameters (P < 0.01) except for curve length, curve width and perimeter. The differences detected would indicate that there is not a single morphometric pattern for Lama glama sperm head, because parameter values cannot be standardised. © 2011 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.
Morphometric evaluation of Arbor Acre parent stock broilers reared ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Morphometric evaluation of Arbor Acre parent stock broilers reared in ... Economic importance of morphometric parameters such as live weight and body ... (R2) value of 60.30 included forecast indices such as BL, WS, WL, TL, BG and SL.
Digital Morphometrics: A New Upper Airway Phenotyping Paradigm in OSA.

Science.gov (United States)

Schwab, Richard J; Leinwand, Sarah E; Bearn, Cary B; Maislin, Greg; Rao, Ramya Bhat; Nagaraja, Adithya; Wang, Stephen; Keenan, Brendan T

2017-08-01

OSA is associated with changes in pharyngeal anatomy. The goal of this study was to objectively and reproducibly quantify pharyngeal anatomy by using digital morphometrics based on a laser ruler and to assess differences between subjects with OSA and control subjects and associations with the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI). To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to use digital morphometrics to quantify intraoral risk factors for OSA. Digital photographs were obtained by using an intraoral laser ruler and digital camera in 318 control subjects (mean AHI, 4.2 events/hour) and 542 subjects with OSA (mean AHI, 39.2 events/hour). The digital morphometric paradigm was validated and reproducible over time and camera distances. A larger modified Mallampati score and having a nonvisible airway were associated with a higher AHI, both unadjusted (P digital morphometrics is an accurate, high-throughput, and noninvasive technique to identify anatomic OSA risk factors. Morphometrics may also provide a more reproducible and standardized measurement of the Mallampati score. Digital morphometrics represent an efficient and cost-effective method of examining intraoral crowding and tongue size when examining large populations, genetics, or screening for OSA. Copyright © 2017 American College of Chest Physicians. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Multi-Sited Comparison of "Doing Regulation"

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Estrid

2008-01-01

tertium comparationis. Artiklen foreslåt en multi-sited sammenligning, som ikke tager udgangspunkt i tertium comparationis, men derimod identificerer dette som sit resultat. Artiklen redegør for udviklingen af denne metode gennem en undersøgelse af medieregulering med henblik på børnebeskyttelse....
Establishing some Correlations between Certain Morphometric Parameters and Embryo Quality

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicolae Păcală

2011-05-01

Full Text Available The aim of this paper was to establish some correlations between certain morphometric parameters and embryo quality. The morphometric parameters taken into consideration were: zona pellucida thickness, outer and inner diameter, and outer and inner perimeter. For experiments we used embryos recovered at 24 hours from mouse females superovulated with gonadotrope hormones (eCG and hCG. The embryos recovered were cultivated in KSOM media, supplemented with amino acids, and during the in vitro cultivation they were measured at different time intervals for establishing morphometric parameters. The data obtained were statistically analyzed using Minitab 15, using Fitted Line Plot regression that allows testing of the linear and polynomial regression of one variable. After statistical analyze of the data we found that the thickness of the zona pellucida can constitute a morphometric parameter that can be used as an indicator of subsequent development of the 2 cell embryos to morula and blastocyst stage respectively. The other morphometric parameters studied (outer and inner diameter, and outer and inner perimeter cannot be used as indicators of the embryo development.
Morphometric Analysis of Didessa River Catchment in Blue Nile ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Morphometric Analysis of Didessa River Catchment in Blue Nile Basin, Western Ethiopia. ... In the present paper an attempt has been made to study the morphometric characteristics of Didessa ... Stream networks and watersheds were delineated in ArcGIS 10.1 software environment by utilizing ... HOW TO USE AJOL.
ROUNDSCALE SPEARFISH branchiostegal morphometric data

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The morphometric characteristics that separate white marlin Kajikia albidus from roundscale spearfish Tetrapturus georgii can be difficult for non-experts to...
Morphometric Characterization of Small Cell Lymphocytic Lymphoma

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chisoi Anca

2014-11-01

Full Text Available The morphometry in histopathology is used to characterize cell populations belonging to different tissues and to identify differences in their parameters with prognostic implications. To achieve morphometric examination were selected 6 of 24 cases identified as small cell lymphocytic lymphoma. For each case analysis was done on five fields, for each field measuring the parameters of 20 cells. The studied parameters were for cytoplasm: cytoplasmic area, maximum and minimum cytoplasmic diameter, cytoplasmic perimeter; for nucleus were measured: nuclear area, minimum and maximum nuclear diameter, nuclear perimeter, nuclear contour index, nuclear ellipticity index, nuclear irregularity index. Also the nucleocytoplasmic ratio was calculated in all studied cases. Small cell lymphocytic lymphoma is characterized in morphometric terms having a small cytoplasmic area (average 29.206 and also a small nuclear area (mean 28.939 having a nucleo-cytoplasmic ratio appearance suggestive for adult lymphocyte. A nuclear contour index small value (3.946, ellipticity index value also small (3.521 and small nuclear irregularity index (3.965. Standard deviations, in any of the studied morphometric categories, is around or below 1 suggesting monomorphic cell appearance. These morphometric and microscopic features characterized mainly by a small population of adult lymphocytes, monomorphic, with rounded hipercromic nuclei, dense chromatin, support the framing into indolent lymphoma group in terms of clinical outcome.
Multisite accelerometry for sleep and wake classification in children.

Science.gov (United States)

Lamprecht, Marnie L; Bradley, Andrew P; Tran, Tommy; Boynton, Alison; Terrill, Philip I

2015-01-01

Actigraphy is a useful alternative to the gold standard polysomnogram for non-invasively measuring sleep and wakefulness. However, it is unable to accurately assess sleep fragmentation due to its inability to differentiate restless sleep from wakefulness and quiet wake from sleep. This presents significant limitations in the assessment of sleep-related breathing disorders where sleep fragmentation is a common symptom. We propose that this limitation may be caused by hardware constraints and movement representation techniques. Our objective was to determine if multisite tri-axial accelerometry improves sleep and wake classification. Twenty-four patients aged 6-15 years (median: 8 years, 16 male) underwent a diagnostic polysomnogram while simultaneously recording motion from the left wrist and index fingertip, upper thorax and left ankle and great toe using a custom accelerometry system. Movement was quantified using several features and two feature selection techniques were employed to select optimal features for restricted feature set sizes. A heuristic was also applied to identify movements during restless sleep. The sleep and wake classification performance was then assessed and validated against the manually scored polysomnogram using discriminant analysis. Tri-axial accelerometry measured at the wrist significantly improved the wake detection when compared to uni-axial accelerometry (specificity at 85% sensitivity: 71.3(14.2)% versus 55.2(24.7)%, p < 0.01). Multisite accelerometry significantly improved the performance when compared to the single wrist placement (specificity at 85% sensitivity: 82.1(12.5)% versus 71.3(14.2)%, p < 0.05). Our results indicate that multisite accelerometry offers a significant performance benefit which could be further improved by analysing movement in raw multisite accelerometry data.
Multiperiod planning tool for multisite pig production systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Nadal-Roig, E; Plà, L M

2014-09-01

This paper presents a multiperiod planning tool for multisite pig production systems based on Linear Programming (LP). The aim of the model is to help pig managers of multisite systems in making short-term decisions (mainly related to pig transfers between farms and batch management in fattening units) and mid-term or long-term decisions (according to company targets and expansion strategy). The model skeleton follows the structure of a three-site system that can be adapted to any multisite system present in the modern pig industry. There are three basic phases, namely, piglet production, rearing pigs, and fattening. Each phase involves a different set of farms; therefore, transportation between farms and delivering of pigs to the abattoir are under consideration. The model maximizes the total gross margin calculated from the income of sales to the abattoir and the production costs over the time horizon considered. Production cost depends on each type of farm involved in the process. Parameters like number of farms per phase and distance, farm capacity, reproduction management policies, feeding and veterinary expenses, and transportation costs are taken into account. The model also provides a schedule of transfers between farms in terms of animals to be transported and number of trucks involved. The use of the model is illustrated with a case study based on a real instance of a company located in Catalonia (Spain).
Work-related determinants of multi-site musculoskeletal pain among employees in the health care sector.

Science.gov (United States)

Neupane, Subas; Nygård, Clas-Håkan; Oakman, Jodi

2016-06-16

Work-related musculoskeletal pain is a major occupational problem. Those with pain in multiple sites usually report worse health outcomes than those with pain in one site. This study explored prevalence and associated predictors of multi-site pain in health care sector employees. Survey responses from 1348 health care sector employees across three organisations (37% response rate) collected data on job satisfaction, work life balance, psychosocial and physical hazards, general health and work ability. Musculoskeletal discomfort was measured across 5 body regions with pain in ≥ 2 sites defined as multi-site pain. Generalized linear models were used to identify relationships between work-related factors and multi-site pain. Over 52% of the employees reported pain in multiple body sites and 19% reported pain in one site. Poor work life balance (PRR = 2.33, 95% CI = 1.06-5.14). physical (PRR = 7.58, 95% CI = 4.89-11.77) and psychosocial (PRR = 1.59, 95% CI = 1.00-2.57) hazard variables were related to multi-site pain (after controlling for age, gender, health and work ability. Older employees and females were more likely to report multi-site pain. Effective risk management of work related multi-site pain must include identification and control of psychosocial and physical hazards.
Parasites and Morphometric Indices of Frozen Fish Sold in Nsukka ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The parasites and morphometric indices of frozen fish sold in Nsukka Urban Market in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State, Nigeria were investigated between June and December 2008 to determine the parasite prevalence, mean intensity and abundance and some morphometric indices associated with ...

Morphometric features of a low-elevation urban catchment and the ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

River basin morphometric is a geomorphological tool that applies to physical measurements about a river form, from which can be derived quantities that explain its characteristics, such as size, shape, stream network and discharge. This paper used basin morphometric to assess flood occurrence in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
Reproducibility of morphometric X-ray absorptiometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Culton, N.; Pocock, N.

1999-01-01

Full text: Morphometric X-ray absorptiometry (MXA) using DXA is potentially a useful clinical tool which may provide additional vertebral fracture information with low radiation exposure. While morphometric analysis is semi-automated, operator intervention is crucial for the accurate positioning of the six data points quantifying the vertebral heights at the anterior, middle and posterior positions. Our study evaluated intra-operator reproducibility of MXA in an elderly patient population and assessed the effect of training and experience on vertebral height precision. Ten patients, with a mean lumbar T score of - 2.07, were studied. Images were processed by a trained operator who had initially only limited morphometric experience. The analysis of the data files were repeated at 2 and 6 weeks, during which time the operator had obtained further experience and training. The intra-operator precision of vertebral height measurements was calculated using the three separate combinations of paired analyses, and expressed as the coefficient of variation. This study confirms the importance of adequate training and attention to detail in MXA analysis. The data indicate that the precision of MXA is adequate for its use in the diagnosis of vertebral fractures, based on a 20% deformity criteria. Use of MXA for monitoring would require approximately an 8% change in vertebral heights to achieve statistical significance
Morphometric Evaluation of Preeclamptic Placenta Using Light Microscopic Images

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rashmi Mukherjee

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Deficient trophoblast invasion and anomalies in placental development generally lead to preeclampsia (PE but the inter-relationship between placental function and morphology in PE still remains unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate the morphometric features of placental villi and capillaries in preeclamptic and normal placentae. The study included light microscopic images of placental tissue sections of 40 preeclamptic and 35 normotensive pregnant women. Preprocessing and segmentation of these images were performed to characterize the villi and capillaries. Fisher’s linear discriminant analysis (FLDA, hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA, and principal component analysis (PCA were applied to identify the most significant placental (morphometric features from microscopic images. A total of 10 morphometric features were extracted, of which the villous parameters were significantly altered in PE. FLDA identified 5 highly significant morphometric features (>90% overall discrimination accuracy. Two large subclusters were clearly visible in HCA based dendrogram. PCA returned three most significant principal components cumulatively explaining 98.4% of the total variance based on these 5 significant features. Hence, quantitative microscopic evaluation revealed that placental morphometry plays an important role in characterizing PE, where the villous is the major component that is affected.
Tools and Methods for Risk Management in Multi-Site Engineering Projects

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Mingwei; Nemes, Laszlo; Reidsema, Carl; Ahmed, Ammar; Kayis, Berman

In today's highly global business environment, engineering and manufacturing projects often involve two or more geographically dispersed units or departments, research centers or companies. This paper attempts to identify the requirements for risk management in a multi-site engineering project environment, and presents a review of the state-of-the-art tools and methods that can be used to manage risks in multi-site engineering projects. This leads to the development of a risk management roadmap, which will underpin the design and implementation of an intelligent risk mapping system.
Multi-site musculoskeletal pain in Swedish police: associations with discomfort from wearing mandatory equipment and prolonged sitting.

Science.gov (United States)

Larsen, Louise Bæk; Andersson, Elisabeth Elgmark; Tranberg, Roy; Ramstrand, Nerrolyn

2018-05-01

Musculoskeletal disorders are considered as a major issue affecting the health and well-being of active duty police. Discomfort from wearing mandatory equipment and sitting for long periods of time in fleet vehicles are workload factors linked to musculoskeletal disorders in police. This study aims to determine the prevalence of multi-site musculoskeletal pain among Swedish police and to explore the possible association to discomfort experience when wearing mandatory equipment and sitting for long periods in fleet vehicles. In this cross-sectional study responses from 4185 police were collected through a self-administered online survey including questions about physical work environment, mandatory equipment and musculoskeletal pain. Multi-site pain was determined through summing pain sites from four body regions. Binomial logistic regression was performed to explore the association between multi-site musculoskeletal pain: (1) discomfort from wearing mandatory equipment and (2) sitting for long periods in fleet vehicles. The prevalence of multi-site musculoskeletal pain at least 1 day per week within the previous 3 months was 41.3%. A statistically significant association between discomfort from wearing mandatory equipment and multi-site musculoskeletal pain was found; duty belt [OR 5.42 (95% CI 4.56-6.43)] as well as body armour [OR 2.69 (95% CI 2.11-3.42)]. Sitting for long periods in fleet vehicles was not significantly associated to multi-site musculoskeletal pain. Multi-site musculoskeletal pain is a considerable problem among Swedish police and modifying mandatory equipment to decrease discomfort is suggested as a potential means of decreasing the musculoskeletal pain experienced by many police officers.
Ethics Review for a Multi-Site Project Involving Tribal Nations in the Northern Plains.

Science.gov (United States)

Angal, Jyoti; Petersen, Julie M; Tobacco, Deborah; Elliott, Amy J

2016-04-01

Increasingly, Tribal Nations are forming ethics review panels, which function separately from institutional review boards (IRBs). The emergence of strong community representation coincides with a widespread effort supported by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and other federal agencies to establish a single IRB for all multi-site research. This article underscores the value of a tribal ethics review board and describes the tribal oversight for the Safe Passage Study-a multi-site, community-based project in the Northern Plains. Our experience demonstrates the benefits of tribal ethics review and makes a strong argument for including tribal oversight in future regulatory guidance for multi-site, community-based research. © The Author(s) 2016.
Psychosocial stress and multi-site musculoskeletal pain: a cross-sectional survey of patient care workers.

Science.gov (United States)

Sembajwe, Grace; Tveito, Torill Helene; Hopcia, Karen; Kenwood, Christopher; O'Day, Elizabeth Tucker; Stoddard, Anne M; Dennerlein, Jack T; Hashimoto, Dean; Sorensen, Glorian

2013-03-01

The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between psychosocial factors at work and multi-site musculoskeletal pain among patient care workers. In a survey of 1,572 workers from two hospitals, occupational psychosocial factors and health outcomes of workers with single and multi-site pain were evaluated using items from the Job Content Questionnaire that was designed to measure psychological demands, decision latitude, and social support. An adapted Nordic Questionnaire provided data on the musculoskeletal pain outcome. Covariates included body mass index, age, gender, and occupation. The analyses revealed statistically significant associations between psychosocial demands and multi-site musculoskeletal pain among patient care associates, nurses, and administrative personnel, both men and women. Supervisor support played a significant role for nurses and women. These results remained statistically significant after adjusting for covariates. These results highlight the associations between workplace psychosocial strain and multi-site musculoskeletal pain, setting the stage for future longitudinal explorations. Copyright 2013, SLACK Incorporated.
A MORPHOMETRIC STUDY OF THE SELLA TURCICA; GENDER EFFECT

OpenAIRE

Ashraf Mohamed Elsayed Ali SAKRAN *1, Mohammad Afzal KHAN 2, Faris Mohammed Nour ALTAF 3, Hassan Elsiddig Hassan FARAGALLA 4, Amal Yousif Ahmed Elhaj MUSTAFA 5, Muhammad Mazhar HIJAZI 6, Rayan Abdulshakur NIYAZI 7, Abrar Jamal TAWAKUL 8, Abeer Zubair MALEBARI 9, Amal AbdulAziz SALEM 10.

2015-01-01

Background and objective: Precise anatomical knowledge of the sella turcica is important for neurologists and surgeons operating in the region of cavernous sinus or the surrounding structures. The current study was undertaken to record normal morphometric parameters for future reference and to determine if there is any significance difference in the sella turcica morphometry regarding the gender. Methodology: A Morphometric analysis of the Sella Turcica and structures in vicinity were done...
Intestinal morphometric and biomechanical changes during aging in rats

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhao, Jingbo; Gregersen, Hans

2015-01-01

Background and aim: Previously we demonstrated pronounced morphometric and biomechanical remodeling in the rat intestine during physiological growth up to 32 weeks of age. The aim of the present study is to study intestinal geometric and biomechanical changes in aging rats. Materials and methods...... in the circumferential direction. In conclusion pronounced morphometric and biomechanical remodeling occurred in the rat intestine during aging. The observed changes likely reflect the changes of the physiological function of the intestine during ageing, similar to other tissues where function, mechanical loading......: Twenty-four male Wistar rats, aged from 6 to 22 months, were used in the study. The body weight and the wet weight per length of duodenal and ileal segments were measured at the termination of experiment. Morphometric data were obtained by measuring the wall thickness and wall cross-sectional area...
Multisite rainfall downscaling and disaggregation in a tropical urban area

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Y.; Qin, X. S.

2014-02-01

A systematic downscaling-disaggregation study was conducted over Singapore Island, with an aim to generate high spatial and temporal resolution rainfall data under future climate-change conditions. The study consisted of two major components. The first part was to perform an inter-comparison of various alternatives of downscaling and disaggregation methods based on observed data. This included (i) single-site generalized linear model (GLM) plus K-nearest neighbor (KNN) (S-G-K) vs. multisite GLM (M-G) for spatial downscaling, (ii) HYETOS vs. KNN for single-site disaggregation, and (iii) KNN vs. MuDRain (Multivariate Rainfall Disaggregation tool) for multisite disaggregation. The results revealed that, for multisite downscaling, M-G performs better than S-G-K in covering the observed data with a lower RMSE value; for single-site disaggregation, KNN could better keep the basic statistics (i.e. standard deviation, lag-1 autocorrelation and probability of wet hour) than HYETOS; for multisite disaggregation, MuDRain outperformed KNN in fitting interstation correlations. In the second part of the study, an integrated downscaling-disaggregation framework based on M-G, KNN, and MuDRain was used to generate hourly rainfall at multiple sites. The results indicated that the downscaled and disaggregated rainfall data based on multiple ensembles from HadCM3 for the period from 1980 to 2010 could well cover the observed mean rainfall amount and extreme data, and also reasonably keep the spatial correlations both at daily and hourly timescales. The framework was also used to project future rainfall conditions under HadCM3 SRES A2 and B2 scenarios. It was indicated that the annual rainfall amount could reduce up to 5% at the end of this century, but the rainfall of wet season and extreme hourly rainfall could notably increase.
Real-Time Analysis and Forecasting of Multisite River Flow Using a Distributed Hydrological Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mingdong Sun

2014-01-01

Full Text Available A spatial distributed hydrological forecasting system was developed to promote the analysis of river flow dynamic state in a large basin. The research presented the real-time analysis and forecasting of multisite river flow in the Nakdong River Basin using a distributed hydrological model with radar rainfall forecast data. A real-time calibration algorithm of hydrological distributed model was proposed to investigate the particular relationship between the water storage and basin discharge. Demonstrate the approach of simulating multisite river flow using a distributed hydrological model couple with real-time calibration and forecasting of multisite river flow with radar rainfall forecasts data. The hydrographs and results exhibit that calibrated flow simulations are very approximate to the flow observation at all sites and the accuracy of forecasting flow is gradually decreased with lead times extending from 1 hr to 3 hrs. The flow forecasts are lower than the flow observation which is likely caused by the low estimation of radar rainfall forecasts. The research has well demonstrated that the distributed hydrological model is readily applicable for multisite real-time river flow analysis and forecasting in a large basin.
Real-time enrollment dashboard for multisite clinical trials

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

William A. Mattingly

2015-10-01

Conclusion: We have designed and implemented a visualization dashboard for managing multi-site clinical trial enrollment in two community acquired pneumonia studies. Information dashboards are useful for clinical trial management. They can be used in a standalone trial or can be included into a larger management system.
Morphometric Atlas Selection for Automatic Brachial Plexus Segmentation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van de Velde, Joris; Wouters, Johan; Vercauteren, Tom; De Gersem, Werner; Duprez, Fréderic; De Neve, Wilfried; Van Hoof, Tom

2015-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of atlas selection based on different morphometric parameters, on the accuracy of automatic brachial plexus (BP) segmentation for radiation therapy planning. The segmentation accuracy was measured by comparing all of the generated automatic segmentations with anatomically validated gold standard atlases developed using cadavers. Methods and Materials: Twelve cadaver computed tomography (CT) atlases (3 males, 9 females; mean age: 73 years) were included in the study. One atlas was selected to serve as a patient, and the other 11 atlases were registered separately onto this “patient” using deformable image registration. This procedure was repeated for every atlas as a patient. Next, the Dice and Jaccard similarity indices and inclusion index were calculated for every registered BP with the original gold standard BP. In parallel, differences in several morphometric parameters that may influence the BP segmentation accuracy were measured for the different atlases. Specific brachial plexus-related CT-visible bony points were used to define the morphometric parameters. Subsequently, correlations between the similarity indices and morphometric parameters were calculated. Results: A clear negative correlation between difference in protraction-retraction distance and the similarity indices was observed (mean Pearson correlation coefficient = −0.546). All of the other investigated Pearson correlation coefficients were weak. Conclusions: Differences in the shoulder protraction-retraction position between the atlas and the patient during planning CT influence the BP autosegmentation accuracy. A greater difference in the protraction-retraction distance between the atlas and the patient reduces the accuracy of the BP automatic segmentation result
Multi-site pain and working conditions as predictors of work ability in a 4-year follow-up among food industry employees.

Science.gov (United States)

Neupane, S; Virtanen, P; Leino-Arjas, P; Miranda, H; Siukola, A; Nygård, C-H

2013-03-01

We investigated the separate and joint effects of multi-site musculoskeletal pain and physical and psychosocial exposures at work on future work ability. A survey was conducted among employees of a Finnish food industry company in 2005 (n = 1201) and a follow-up survey in 2009 (n = 734). Information on self-assessed work ability (current work ability on a scale from 0 to 10; 7 = poor work ability), multi-site musculoskeletal pain (pain in at least two anatomical areas of four), leisure-time physical activity, body mass index and physical and psychosocial exposures was obtained by questionnaire. The separate and joint effects of multi-site pain and work exposures on work ability at follow-up, among subjects with good work ability at baseline, were assessed by logistic regression, and p-values for the interaction derived. Compared with subjects with neither multi-site pain nor adverse work exposure, multi-site pain at baseline increased the risk of poor work ability at follow-up, allowing for age, gender, occupational class, body mass index and leisure-time physical activity. The separate effects of the work exposures on work ability were somewhat smaller than those of multi-site pain. Multi-site pain had an interactive effect with work environment and awkward postures, such that no association of multi-site pain with poor work ability was seen when work environment was poor or awkward postures present. The decline in work ability connected with multi-site pain was not increased by exposure to adverse physical or psychosocial factors at work. © 2012 European Federation of International Association for the Study of Pain Chapters.
Developing and evaluating a multisite and multispecies NIR ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

To elevate NIR from proof-of-concept to a pilot scale, a large multisite, multispecies calibration was developed over iterative cycles to: (1) determine whether KPY in eucalypts can be predicted from a single calibration independent of site and species, and (2) identify the potential limits of accuracy and precision. This paper ...
Hydrological modeling using a multi-site stochastic weather generator

Science.gov (United States)

Weather data is usually required at several locations over a large watershed, especially when using distributed models for hydrological simulations. In many applications, spatially correlated weather data can be provided by a multi-site stochastic weather generator which considers the spatial correl...
Morphometric study of Euchiton (Gnaphalieae: Asteraceae)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Flann, C.M.

2010-01-01

A morphometric study was undertaken to survey taxa in the genus Euchiton Cass., distributed across Australia, New Zealand and South-east Asia. Phenetic analyses of herbarium specimens showed several taxa to be well delimited, including E. brassii (Mattf.) Anderb., E. breviscapus (Mattf.) Anderb., E.
Morphometric analysis with open source software to explore shallow hydrogeological features in Senegal and Guinea

Science.gov (United States)

Fussi, Fabio; Di Leo, Margherita; Bonomi, Tullia; Di Mauro, Biagio; Fava, Francesco; Fumagalli, Letizia; Hamidou Kane, Cheikh; Faye, Gayane; Niang, Magatte; Wade, Souleye; Hamidou, Barry; Colombo, Roberto

2015-04-01

stratigraphic logs from water boreholes. We observed the relationships between the spatial distribution of hydrogeological features and the morphology, applying multivariate statistical analysis. The ultimate goal of this study is to infer hydrogeological information of shallow aquifers, exploiting morphometric parameters (together with other layers of information from existing thematic maps and remote sensing) and to reconstruct the geometry and the characteristic of shallow porous aquifer. This research is part of a larger project financed by NERC (National Environment Research Council, UK) in the framework of the program UPGRO (Unlocking the Potential of Groundwater for the Poors), with the collaboration of different partners from Italy, Senegal and Guinea
Morphometric synaptology of a whole neuron profile using a semiautomatic interactive computer system.

Science.gov (United States)

Saito, K; Niki, K

1983-07-01

We propose a new method of dealing with morphometric synaptology that processes all synapses and boutons around the HRP marked neuron on a large composite electron micrograph, rather than a qualitative or a piecemeal quantitative study of a particular synapse and/or bouton that is not positioned on the surface of the neuron. This approach requires the development of both neuroanatomical procedures, by which a specific whole neuronal profile is identified, and valuable specialized tools, which support the collection and analysis of a great volume of morphometric data from composite electron micrographs, in order to reduce the burden of the morphologist. The present report is also concerned with the total and reliable semi-automatic interactive computer system for gathering and analyzing morphometric data that has been under development in our laboratory. A morphologist performs the pattern recognition portion by using a large-sized tablet digitizer and a menu-sheet command, and the system registers the various morphometric values of many different neurons and performs statistical analysis. Some examples of morphometric measurements and analysis show the usefulness and efficiency of the proposed system and method.
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

Progress in centralised ethics review processes: Implications for multi-site health evaluations.

Science.gov (United States)

Prosser, Brenton; Davey, Rachel; Gibson, Diane

2015-04-01

Increasingly, public sector programmes respond to complex social problems that intersect specific fields and individual disciplines. Such responses result in multi-site initiatives that can span nations, jurisdictions, sectors and organisations. The rigorous evaluation of public sector programmes is now a baseline expectation. For evaluations of large and complex multi-site programme initiatives, the processes of ethics review can present a significant challenge. However in recent years, there have been new developments in centralised ethics review processes in many nations. This paper provides the case study of an evaluation of a national, inter-jurisdictional, cross-sector, aged care health initiative and its encounters with Australian centralised ethics review processes. Specifically, the paper considers progress against the key themes of a previous five-year, five nation study (Fitzgerald and Phillips, 2006), which found that centralised ethics review processes would save time, money and effort, as well as contribute to more equitable workloads for researchers and evaluators. The paper concludes with insights for those charged with refining centralised ethics review processes, as well as recommendations for future evaluators of complex multi-site programme initiatives. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Geoinformatics for assessing the morphometric control on ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

natural disasters are one of the serious geo-hazards, ... Natural features such as land use and land cover, soil and .... steps followed for the generation of morphometric ... language. Infiltration number. Area, perimeter, basin length, min & max.
Effects of freezing on white perch Morone americana (Gmelin, 1789): Implications for multivariate morphometrics

Science.gov (United States)

Kocovsky, Patrick

2016-01-01

This study tested the hypothesis that duration of freezing differentially affects whole-body morphometrics of a derived teleost. Whole-body morphometrics are frequently analyzed to test hypotheses of different species, or stocks within a species, of fishes. Specimens used for morphometric analyses are typically fixed or preserved prior to analysis, yet little research has been done on how fixation or preservation methods or duration of preservation of specimens might affect outcomes of multivariate statistical analyses of differences in shape. To determine whether whole-body morphometrics changed as a result of freezing, 23 whole-body morphometrics of age-1 white perch (Morone americana) from western Lake Erie (n = 211) were analyzed immediately after capture, after being held on ice overnight, and after freezing for 100 or 200 days. Discriminant function analysis revealed that all four groups differed significantly from one another (P time to avoid biases related to the length of time they were frozen. Similar experiments should be conducted on other species and also using formalin- and alcohol-preserved specimens.
Morphometric relations of fractal-skeletal based channel network model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

B. S. Daya Sagar

1998-01-01

Full Text Available A fractal-skeletal based channel network (F-SCN model is proposed. Four regular sided initiator-basins are transformed as second order fractal basins by following a specific generating mechanism with non-random rule. The morphological skeletons, hereafter referred to as channel networks, are extracted from these fractal basins. The morphometric and fractal relationships of these F-SCNs are shown. The fractal dimensions of these fractal basins, channel networks, and main channel lengths (computed through box counting method are compared with those of estimated length–area measures. Certain morphometric order ratios to show fractal relations are also highlighted.
Interrelationships between morphometric variables and rounded fish body yields evaluated by path analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rafael Vilhena Reis Neto

2012-07-01

Full Text Available The objective of this study was to verify which morphometric measures and ratios are more directly associated with the weight and body yields of rounded fish. A total of 225 specimens of rounded fish (59 pacus, 61 tambaquis, 52 tambacus and 53 paquis with average weight of 972.43 g (±115.52 g were sampled, stunned, slaughtered, weighed, measured, and processed for morphometric and processing yield analysis. The morphometric measures taken were: standard length (CP; head length (CC; head height (AC; body height (A1; and body width (L1. For completeness, the following morphometric ratios were calculated: CC/CP, AC/CP, A1/CP, L1/CP, CC/A1, AC/A1, L1/A1, CC/AC and L1/CC. The yields of carcass, filet, rib and filet with rib were estimated after processing. Initially, a "stepwise" procedure was performed in order to eliminate multicollinearity problems among the morphometric variables, and the phenotypic correlations were then calculated for the dependent variables (weight and body yields and independent variables (morphometric measurements and ratios. These correlations were later deployed in direct and indirect effects through path analysis, and the direct and indirect contributions of each variable were measured in percentage terms. The CC and A1 measures were important for determining the weight of rounded fish. The CC/A1 ratio was the variable most directly associated with carcass yield. For filet, filet with rib and rib yields, the L1/CC ratio was found to be more appropriate and can be used directly.
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.
Using linear integer programming for multi-site land-use allocation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Aerts, J.C.J.H.; Eisinger, E.; Heuvelink, G.B.M.; Stewart, Th.J.

2003-01-01

Research in the area of spatial decision support (SDS) and resource allocation has recently generated increased attention for integrating optimization techniques with GIS. In this paper we address the use of spatial optimization techniques for solving multi-site land-use allocation (MLUA) problems,
Physical and morphometric characterization of indigenous cattle of Assam

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A. Haque

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The present investigation was undertaken to study the physical and morphometric characteristics in indigenous cattle of Assam. The data pertain to 339 indigenous cattle of different categories. The physical characteristics included colour pattern of body coat, muzzle, tail switch, hoof and horn. Body length, height at wither, heart girth, pouch girth, length of tail, switch, neck, ear and head were taken up for morphometric characterization. The main body coat colour of indigenous cattle was brown (31.18% followed by white (28.53%, fawn (15.29%, grey (13.53%, black (4.41% and mixed (7.06%. The prominent colour of tail switch was black (74.53%. Most of animals had black muzzle (86.47%, black hooves (84.71% and black horn (100%. Morphometric characteristics data obtained were classified according to location, age group and sex of the animal. The means for body length, height at wither, heart girth, pouch girth, length of tail, switch, neck, ear and head were 83.668±0.590, 91.942±0.55, 113.146±0.738, 121.181±0.761, 54.196±0.527, 26.098±0.186, 32.705±0.166, 18.131±0.111 and 35.035±0.195 cm respectively. Age and sex had significant effect on all the morphometric characters however, location effect was non significant. The indigenous cattle of Assam are comparatively smaller in size than most of the recognized breeds of cattle however coat colour showed sizeable variation. The data generated for indigenous cattle of Assam would be useful to characterize them.
Quantification of Runoff as Influenced by Morphometric Characteristics in a Rural Complex Catchment

Science.gov (United States)

Abdulkareem, Jabir Haruna; Pradhan, Biswajeet; Sulaiman, Wan Nor Azmin; Jamil, Nor Rohaizah

2018-03-01

This study addresses the critical scientific question of assessing the relationship between morphometric features and the hydrological factors that increase the risk of flooding in Kelantan River basin, Malaysia. Two hypotheses were developed to achieve this aim, namely: the alternate hypothesis (runoff, is influenced by morphometric characteristics in the study watershed) and the null hypothesis (runoff is not influenced by morphometric characteristics). First, the watershed was delineated into four major catchments, namely: Galas, Pergau, Lebir, and Nenggiri. Next, quantitative morphometric characters such as linear aspects, areal aspects, and relief aspects were determined on each of these catchments. Furthermore, HEC-HMS and flood response analyses were employed to simulate the hydrological response of the catchments. From the results of morphometric analysis, profound spatial changes were observed between runoff features of Kelantan River and the morphometric characteristics. The length of overflow that was related to drainage density and constant channel maintenance was found to be 0.12 in Pergau, 0.04 in both Nenggiri and Lebir, and 0.03 in Galas. Drainage density as influenced by geology and vegetation density was found to be low in all the catchments (0.07-0.24). Results of hydrological response indicated that Lebir, Nenggiri, Galas, and Pergau recorded a flood response factor of 0.75, 0.63, 0.40, and 0.05, respectively. Therefore, Lebir and Nenggiri are more likely to be flooded during a rainstorm. There was no clear indication with regard to the catchment that emerged as the most prevailing in all the morphological features. Hence, the alternate hypothesis was affirmed. This study can be replicated in other catchments with different hydrologic setup.
Challenges and opportunities in establishing a collaborative multisite observational study of chronic diseases and lifestyle factors among adults in Puerto Rico

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Josiemer Mattei

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Prevalence of chronic diseases and unhealthy lifestyle behaviors among the adult population of Puerto Rico (PR is high; however, few epidemiological studies have been conducted to address these. We aimed to document the methods and operation of establishing a multisite cross-sectional study of chronic diseases and risk factors in PR, in partnership with academic, community, clinical, and research institutions. Methods The Puerto Rico Assessment of Diet, Lifestyle and Diseases (PRADLAD documented lifestyle and health characteristics of adults living in PR, with the goal of informing future epidemiological and intervention projects, as well as public health, policy, and clinical efforts to help improve the population’s health. The study was conducted in three primary care clinics in the San Juan, PR metropolitan area. Eligible volunteers were 30–75y, living in PR for at least 10 months of the previous year, and able to answer interviewer-administered questionnaires without assistance. Questions were recorded electronically by trained interviewers, and included socio-demographic characteristics, lifestyle behaviors, self-reported medically-diagnosed diseases, and psychosocial factors. Waist and hip circumferences were measured following standardized protocols. A subset of participants answered a validated food frequency questionnaire, a legumes questionnaire, and had medical record data abstracted. Process and outcome evaluation indicators were assessed. Results The study screened 403 participants in 5 months. Of these, 396 (98% were eligible and 380 (94% had reliable and complete information. A subset of 242 participants had valid dietary data, and 236 had medical record data. The mean time to complete an interview was 1.5 h. Participants were generally cooperative and research collaborators were fully engaged. Having multiple sites helped enhance recruitment and sociodemographic representation. Diagnosed conditions were
Multi-site solar power forecasting using gradient boosted regression trees

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Persson, Caroline Stougård; Bacher, Peder; Shiga, Takahiro

2017-01-01

The challenges to optimally utilize weather dependent renewable energy sources call for powerful tools for forecasting. This paper presents a non-parametric machine learning approach used for multi-site prediction of solar power generation on a forecast horizon of one to six hours. Historical pow...
Work characteristics predict the development of multi-site musculoskeletal pain

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Oakman, J.; Wind, A. de; Heuvel, S.G. van den; Beek, A.J. van der

2017-01-01

Purpose. Musculoskeletal pain in more than one body region is common and a barrier to sustaining employment. We aimed to examine whether work characteristics predict the development of multi-site pain (MSP), and to determine differences in work-related predictors between age groups. Methods. This
Multi-Sited Ethnography and the Field of Educational Research

Science.gov (United States)

Pierides, Dean

2010-01-01

This paper responds to the challenge of how educational research might be practised in a contemporary world that is no longer necessarily organised by nearness and unity. Focusing on ethnography, it argues for what a multi-sited imaginary contributes to research in the field of education. By giving prominence to the notion of multi-sited…
Monthly morphometric data on captive Kemps ridley sea turtles from 1998-2014 (NCEI Accession 0156880)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This data contains monthly morphometric measurements on captive reared sea turtles at the Galveston, TX NOAA lab. Morphometric measurements are taken to track growth...
Foot morphometric phenomena.

Science.gov (United States)

Agić, Ante

2007-06-01

Knowledge of the foot morphometry is important for proper foot structure and function. Foot structure as a vital part of human body is important for many reasons. The foot anthropometric and morphology phenomena are analyzed together with hidden biomechanical descriptors in order to fully characterize foot functionality. For Croatian student population the scatter data of the individual foot variables were interpolated by multivariate statistics. Foot morphometric descriptors are influenced by many factors, such as life style, climate, and things of great importance in human society. Dominant descriptors related to fit and comfort are determined by the use 3D foot shape and advanced foot biomechanics. Some practical recommendations and conclusions for medical, sportswear and footwear practice are highlighted.
Reliability of instruments in a cooperative, multisite study: employment intervention demonstration program.

Science.gov (United States)

Salyers, M P; McHugo, G J; Cook, J A; Razzano, L A; Drake, R E; Mueser, K T

2001-09-01

Reliability of well-known instruments was examined in 202 people with severe mental illness participating in a multisite vocational study. We examined interrater reliability of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and the internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the PANSS, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (SF-36), and the Quality of Life Interview. Most scales had good levels of reliability, with intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and coefficient alphas above .70. However, the SF-36 scales were generally less stable over time, particularly Social Functioning (ICC = .55). Test-retest reliability was lower among less educated respondents and among ethnic minorities. We recommend close monitoring of psychometric issues in future multisite studies.
Retrospective Morphometric Analysis of the Infraorbital Foramen ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Objective: The aim of our study is to examine the morphometric characteristics of the infraorbital foramen (IOF) and its anatomic localization by using conebeam computerized tomography (CBCT). Materials and Methods: In our study, the anatomic characteristics of the IOF were identified by studying retrospectively the CBCT ...
Vitamin B12 deficiency: Characterization of psychometrics and MRI morphometrics.

Science.gov (United States)

Hsu, Yen-Hsuan; Huang, Ching-Feng; Lo, Chung-Ping; Wang, Tzu-Lan; Tu, Min-Chien

2016-01-01

Vitamin B12 is essential for the integrity of the central nervous system. However, performances in different cognitive domains relevant to vitamin B12 deficiency remain to be detailed. To date, there have been limited studies that examined the relationships between cognitions and structural neuroimaging in a single cohort of low-vitamin B12 status. The present study aimed to depict psychometrics and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) morphometrics among patients with vitamin B12 deficiency, and to examine their inter-relations. We compared 34 consecutive patients with vitamin B12 deficiency (serum level ≤ 250 pg/ml) to 34 demographically matched controls by their cognitive performances and morphometric indices of brain MRI. The correlations between psychometrics and morphometrics were analyzed. The vitamin B12 deficiency group had lower scores than the controls on total scores of Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE) and Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument (CASI) (both P psychometric and morphometric indices, pronounced correlations between bicaudate ratio and long-term memory, mental manipulation, orientation, language, and verbal fluency were noted (all P < 0.01). Vitamin B12 deficiency is associated with a global cognition decline with language, orientation, and mental manipulation selectively impaired. Preferential atrophy in frontal regions is the main neuroimaging feature. Although the frontal ratio highlights the relevant atrophy among patients, the bicaudate ratio might be the best index on the basis of its strong association with global cognition and related cognitive domains, implying dysfunction of fronto-subcortical circuits as the fundamental pathogenesis related to vitamin B12 deficiency.
A geometric morphometric assessment of the optic cup in glaucoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Sanfilippo, Paul G; Cardini, Andrea; Sigal, Ian A; Ruddle, Jonathan B; Chua, Brian E; Hewitt, Alex W; Mackey, David A

2010-09-01

The morphologic appearance of the optic disc is of interest in glaucoma. In contrast to descriptive classification systems that are currently used, a quantitative approach to the analysis of optic disc morphology is required. Our goal was to determine the optimal method for quantifying optic cup shape by comparing traditional (ovality, form-factor and neuroretinal rim (NRR) width ratio) and geometric morphometric approaches. Left optic disc stereophotographs of 160 (80 normal and 80 glaucomatous (stratified by severity)) subjects were examined. The optic cup margins were stereoscopically delineated with a custom tracing system and saved as a series of discrete points. The geometric morphometric methods of elliptic Fourier analysis (EFA) and sliding semi-landmark analysis (SSLA) were used to eliminate variation unrelated to shape (e.g. size) and yield a series of shape variables. Differences in optic cup shape between normal and glaucoma groups were investigated. Discriminant functions were computed and the sensitivity and specificity of each technique determined. Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves were calculated for all methods and evaluated in their potential to discriminate between normal and glaucomatous eyes based on the shape variables. All geometric morphometric methods revealed differences between normal and glaucomatous eyes in optic cup shape, in addition to the traditional parameters of ovality, form-factor and NRR width ratio (pgeometric morphometric approach for discriminating between normal and glaucomatous eyes in optic cup shape is superior to that provided by traditional single parameter shape measures. Such analytical techniques could be incorporated into future automated optic disc screening modalities. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

From Controlled Trial to Community Adoption: The Multisite Translational Community Trial

Science.gov (United States)

Murimi, Mary; Gonzalez, Anjelica; Njike, Valentine; Green, Lawrence W.

2011-01-01

Methods for translating the findings of controlled trials, such as the Diabetes Prevention Program, into real-world community application have not been clearly defined. A standardized research methodology for making and evaluating such a transition is needed. We introduce the multisite translational community trial (mTCT) as the research analog to the multisite randomized controlled trial. The mTCT is adapted to incorporate the principles and practices of community-based participatory research and the increased relevance and generalizability gained from diverse community settings. The mTCT is a tool designed to bridge the gap between what a clinical trial demonstrates can work in principle and what is needed to make it workable and effective in real-world settings. Its utility could be put to the test, in particular with practice-based research networks such as the Prevention Research Centers. PMID:21680935
Morphometric analysis of cinder cones on Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain): results and applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doniz Paez, F. J.

2009-01-01

This paper applied morphometric to the cinder cones of Tenerife. The technical morphometric allows to establish simple models of morphology, and size to the most frequent volcanoes of Tenerife's mafic volcanism. The obtained classification allow to distinguish four morphological types of scoria cones and three size groups, which is also extended to other volcanic regions. (Author) 5 refs.
Histopathological and Digital Morphometrical Evaluation of Uterine Leiomyoma in Brazilian Women

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana Paula Fernandes da Silva

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The current study aims to evaluate histopathological and digital morphometrical aspects associated with uterine leiomyomas in one hundred and fifty (150 patients diagnosed with leiomyoma. Uterine tissues were subjected to the histopathological and digital morphometric analyses of the interstitial collagen distribution. The analysis of medical records indicates that most of the women diagnosed with uterine leiomyomas (68.7% are between 37 and 48 years old. As for the anatomic location of the tumors, approximately 61.4% of the patients had intramural and subserosal lesions. In 50% of the studied cases, the patients developed uterine leiomyomatosis (with more than eight tumors. As for the morphometric study, the average size of the interstitial collagen distribution held approximately 28.53% of the capture area, whereas it was of 7.43% in the normal tissue adjacent to the tumor. Another important aspect observed in the current study was the high rate of young women subjected to total hysterectomy, a fact that resulted in early and definitive sterility.
A P&T Committee's Transition to a Complete Electronic Meeting System-A Multisite Institution Experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Jedai, Ahmed H; Algain, Roaa A; Alghamidi, Said A; Al-Jazairi, Abdulrazaq S; Amin, Rashid; Bin Hussain, Ibrahim Z

2017-10-01

In the last few decades, changes to formulary management processes have taken place in institutions with closed formulary systems. However, many P&T committees continued to operate using traditional paper-based systems. Paper-based systems have many limitations, including confidentiality, efficiency, open voting, and paper wastage. This becomes more challenging when dealing with a multisite P&T committee that handles formulary matters across the whole health care system. In this paper, we discuss the implementation of the first paperless, completely electronic, Web-based formulary management system across a large health care system in the Middle East. We describe the transitioning of a multisite P&T committee in a large tertiary care institution from a paper-based to an all-electronic system. The challenges and limitations of running a multisite P&T committee utilizing a paper system are discussed. The design and development of a Web-based committee floor management application that can be used from notebooks, tablets, and hand-held devices is described. Implementation of a flexible, interactive, easy-to-use, and efficient electronic formulary management system is explained in detail. The development of an electronic P&T committee meeting system that encompasses electronic document sharing, voting, and communication could help multisite health care systems unify their formularies across multiple sites. Our experience might not be generalizable to all institutions because this depends heavily on system features, existing processes and workflow, and implementation across different sites.
Morphometric Identification of Queens, Workers and Intermediates in In Vitro Reared Honey Bees (Apis mellifera).

Science.gov (United States)

De Souza, Daiana A; Wang, Ying; Kaftanoglu, Osman; De Jong, David; Amdam, Gro V; Gonçalves, Lionel S; Francoy, Tiago M

2015-01-01

In vitro rearing is an important and useful tool for honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) studies. However, it often results in intercastes between queens and workers, which are normally are not seen in hive-reared bees, except when larvae older than three days are grafted for queen rearing. Morphological classification (queen versus worker or intercastes) of bees produced by this method can be subjective and generally depends on size differences. Here, we propose an alternative method for caste classification of female honey bees reared in vitro, based on weight at emergence, ovariole number, spermatheca size and size and shape, and features of the head, mandible and basitarsus. Morphological measurements were made with both traditional morphometric and geometric morphometrics techniques. The classifications were performed by principal component analysis, using naturally developed queens and workers as controls. First, the analysis included all the characters. Subsequently, a new analysis was made without the information about ovariole number and spermatheca size. Geometric morphometrics was less dependent on ovariole number and spermatheca information for caste and intercaste identification. This is useful, since acquiring information concerning these reproductive structures requires time-consuming dissection and they are not accessible when abdomens have been removed for molecular assays or in dried specimens. Additionally, geometric morphometrics divided intercastes into more discrete phenotype subsets. We conclude that morphometric geometrics are superior to traditional morphometrics techniques for identification and classification of honey bee castes and intermediates.
A three-dimensional comparison of a morphometric and conventional cephalometric midsagittal planes for craniofacial asymmetry.

Science.gov (United States)

Damstra, Janalt; Fourie, Zacharias; De Wit, Marnix; Ren, Yijin

2012-02-01

Morphometric methods are used in biology to study object symmetry in living organisms and to determine the true plane of symmetry. The aim of this study was to determine if there are clinical differences between three-dimensional (3D) cephalometric midsagittal planes used to describe craniofacial asymmetry and a true symmetry plane derived from a morphometric method based on visible facial features. The sample consisted of 14 dry skulls (9 symmetric and 5 asymmetric) with metallic markers which were imaged with cone-beam computed tomography. An error study and statistical analysis were performed to validate the morphometric method. The morphometric and conventional cephalometric planes were constructed and compared. The 3D cephalometric planes constructed as perpendiculars to the Frankfort horizontal plane resembled the morphometric plane the most in both the symmetric and asymmetric groups with mean differences of less than 1.00 mm for most variables. However, the standard deviations were often large and clinically significant for these variables. There were clinically relevant differences (>1.00 mm) between the different 3D cephalometric midsagittal planes and the true plane of symmetry determined by the visible facial features. The difference between 3D cephalometric midsagittal planes and the true plane of symmetry determined by the visible facial features were clinically relevant. Care has to be taken using cephalometric midsagittal planes for diagnosis and treatment planning of craniofacial asymmetry as they might differ from the true plane of symmetry as determined by morphometrics.
A morphometry map and a new method for honey bee morphometric analysis by using the ArcGIS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hossam F. Abou-Shaara

2013-12-01

Full Text Available The morphometric analysis of honey bees has a substantial importance for honey bee subspecies characterization and discrimination while the ArcGIS is a geographical program for data analysis. In the present research, the combination between the morphometric data and the spatial analysis options of the ArcGIS was done and subsequently tested in creating a morphometry map for honey bees from some regions in Egypt as well as for the discrimination between two honey bee subspecies. Therefore, I present a model for creating the morphometry maps and a new method for the morphometric analysis by the transformation of the morphometric data to raster data layers. The obtained results showed that the created morphometry map classified the regions successfully according to the morphological character means. The morphometric analysis was successfully performed by using trend analysis and raster difference range. The analysis of the morphometric data as raster layers showed high sensitivity for the differences between subspecies and regions. The presented model and the method are effective and can be applied for the discrimination between subspecies, regions and colonies as well as can be used with other insects.
Morphometric analysis of the Marmara Sea river basins, Turkey

Science.gov (United States)

Elbaşı, Emre; Ozdemir, Hasan

2014-05-01

The drainage basin, the fundamental unit of the fluvial landscape, has been focus of research aimed at understanding the geometric characteristics of the master channel and its tributary network. This geometry is referred to as the basin morphometry and is nicely reviewed by Abrahams (1984). A great amount of research has focused on geometric characteristic of drainage basins, including the topology of the stream networks, and quantitative description of drainage texture, pattern, shape, and relief characteristics. Evaluation of morphometric parameters necessitates the analysis of various drainage parameters such as ordering of the various streams, measurement of basin area and perimeter, length of drainage channels, drainage density (Dd), stream frequency (Fs), bifurcation ratio (Rb), texture ratio (T), basin relief (Bh), Ruggedness number (Rn), time of concentration (Tc), hypsometric curve and integral (Hc and Hi) (Horton, 1932, Schumn, 1956, Strahler, 1957; Verstappen 1983; Keller and Pinter, 2002; Ozdemir and Bird, 2009). These morphometric parameters have generally been used to predict flood peaks, to assess sediment yield, and to estimate erosion rates in the basins. River basins of the Marmara Sea, has an area of approximately 40,000 sqkm, are the most important basins in Turkey based on their dense populations, industry and transportation systems. The primary aim of this study is to determine and analyse of morphometric characteristics of the Marmara Sea river basins using 10 m resolution Digital Elevation Model (DEM) and to evaluate of the results. For these purposes, digital 10 m contour maps scaled 1:25000 and geological maps scaled 1:100000 were used as the main data sources in the study. 10 m resolution DEM data were created using the contour maps and then drainage networks and their watersheds were extracted using D8 pour point model. Finally, linear, areal and relief morphometries were applied to the river basins using Geographic Information Systems
MORPHOMETRIC EVIDENCE FOR NUTRITIONAL STRESS IN ENGLISH SOLE

Science.gov (United States)

We present an application of the powerful thin plate spline method of morphometric analysis to demonstrate its utility for detecting environmental stress in an estuarine flatfish. Juvenile English sole (Pleuronectes vetulus) were captured from Yaquina Bay, Oregon, photographed w...
Multisite Kinetic Modeling of 13C Metabolic MR Using [1-13C]Pyruvate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pedro A. Gómez Damián

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Hyperpolarized 13C imaging allows real-time in vivo measurements of metabolite levels. Quantification of metabolite conversion between [1-13C]pyruvate and downstream metabolites [1-13C]alanine, [1-13C]lactate, and [13C]bicarbonate can be achieved through kinetic modeling. Since pyruvate interacts dynamically and simultaneously with its downstream metabolites, the purpose of this work is the determination of parameter values through a multisite, dynamic model involving possible biochemical pathways present in MR spectroscopy. Kinetic modeling parameters were determined by fitting the multisite model to time-domain dynamic metabolite data. The results for different pyruvate doses were compared with those of different two-site models to evaluate the hypothesis that for identical data the uncertainty of a model and the signal-to-noise ratio determine the sensitivity in detecting small physiological differences in the target metabolism. In comparison to the two-site exchange models, the multisite model yielded metabolic conversion rates with smaller bias and smaller standard deviation, as demonstrated in simulations with different signal-to-noise ratio. Pyruvate dose effects observed previously were confirmed and quantified through metabolic conversion rate values. Parameter interdependency allowed an accurate quantification and can therefore be useful for monitoring metabolic activity in different tissues.
Loggerhead sea turtle oral cavity morphometrics and size class from 2001 to 2004 (NCEI Accession 0164321)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This data set contains standard external morphometrics and internal oral cavity morphometrics from wild and captive reared loggerhead sea turtles in size classes...
Multisite tumor sampling enhances the detection of intratumor heterogeneity at all different temporal stages of tumor evolution.

Science.gov (United States)

Erramuzpe, Asier; Cortés, Jesús M; López, José I

2018-02-01

Intratumor heterogeneity (ITH) is an inherent process of tumor development that has received much attention in previous years, as it has become a major obstacle for the success of targeted therapies. ITH is also temporally unpredictable across tumor evolution, which makes its precise characterization even more problematic since detection success depends on the precise temporal snapshot at which ITH is analyzed. New and more efficient strategies for tumor sampling are needed to overcome these difficulties which currently rely entirely on the pathologist's interpretation. Recently, we showed that a new strategy, the multisite tumor sampling, works better than the routine sampling protocol for the ITH detection when the tumor time evolution was not taken into consideration. Here, we extend this work and compare the ITH detections of multisite tumor sampling and routine sampling protocols across tumor time evolution, and in particular, we provide in silico analyses of both strategies at early and late temporal stages for four different models of tumor evolution (linear, branched, neutral, and punctuated). Our results indicate that multisite tumor sampling outperforms routine protocols in detecting ITH at all different temporal stages of tumor evolution. We conclude that multisite tumor sampling is more advantageous than routine protocols in detecting intratumor heterogeneity.
Multisite Reliability of MR-Based Functional Connectivity

Science.gov (United States)

Noble, Stephanie; Scheinost, Dustin; Finn, Emily S.; Shen, Xilin; Papademetris, Xenophon; McEwen, Sarah C.; Bearden, Carrie E.; Addington, Jean; Goodyear, Bradley; Cadenhead, Kristin S.; Mirzakhanian, Heline; Cornblatt, Barbara A.; Olvet, Doreen M.; Mathalon, Daniel H.; McGlashan, Thomas H.; Perkins, Diana O.; Belger, Aysenil; Seidman, Larry J.; Thermenos, Heidi; Tsuang, Ming T.; van Erp, Theo G.M.; Walker, Elaine F.; Hamann, Stephan; Woods, Scott W.; Cannon, Tyrone D.; Constable, R. Todd

2016-01-01

Recent years have witnessed an increasing number of multisite MRI functional connectivity (fcMRI) studies. While multisite studies are an efficient way to speed up data collection and increase sample sizes, especially for rare clinical populations, any effects of site or MRI scanner could ultimately limit power and weaken results. Little data exists on the stability of functional connectivity measurements across sites and sessions. In this study, we assess the influence of site and session on resting state functional connectivity measurements in a healthy cohort of traveling subjects (8 subjects scanned twice at each of 8 sites) scanned as part of the North American Prodrome Longitudinal Study (NAPLS). Reliability was investigated in three types of connectivity analyses: (1) seed-based connectivity with posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), right motor cortex (RMC), and left thalamus (LT) as seeds; (2) the intrinsic connectivity distribution (ICD), a voxel-wise connectivity measure; and (3) matrix connectivity, a whole-brain, atlas-based approach assessing connectivity between nodes. Contributions to variability in connectivity due to subject, site, and day-of-scan were quantified and used to assess between-session (test-retest) reliability in accordance with Generalizability Theory. Overall, no major site, scanner manufacturer, or day-of-scan effects were found for the univariate connectivity analyses; instead, subject effects dominated relative to the other measured factors. However, summaries of voxel-wise connectivity were found to be sensitive to site and scanner manufacturer effects. For all connectivity measures, although subject variance was three times the site variance, the residual represented 60–80% of the variance, indicating that connectivity differed greatly from scan to scan independent of any of the measured factors (i.e., subject, site, and day-of-scan). Thus, for a single 5 min scan, reliability across connectivity measures was poor (ICC=0.07–0
Morphometric analyses of the river basins in Goa

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Iyer, S.D.; Wagle, B.G.

Morphometric analyses of seven river basins in Goa, India have been carried out. The linear and areal aspects of these basins are reported here. The plots of stream order versus stream numbers and stream orders versus mean stream lengths are found...
Morphometric and landsliding analyses in chain domain: the Roccella basin, NE Sicily, Italy

Science.gov (United States)

Rapisarda, Francesco

2009-10-01

The dynamic interaction of endogenic and exogenic processes in active geodynamic context leads to the deterioration of the physico-mechanical characteristics of the rocks, inducing slopes instability. In such context, the morphometric parameters and the analysis of landslide distribution contribute to appraise the evolutive state of hydrographic basins. The aim of the study is the morphometric characterization of the Roccella Torrent basin (Rtb) located in South Italy. Landsliding and tectonic structure dynamically interact with the drainage pattern that records these effects and permits the definition of the evolutive geomorphic stage of the basin. The Air Photograph Investigation and field surveys permitted to draw the main geomorphic features, the drainage pattern of the Rtb, to calculate the morphometric parameters and to delimit the landslides’ bodies. Detailed analysis about the landslide distribution within a test site 17 km2 wide were carried out to elaborate indicative indexes of the landslides type and to single out the lithotypes that are more involved in slope instability phenomena. The morphometric parameters indicate the rejuvenation state within the Rtb where the stream reaches show the effects of increased energy relief in agreement with the geological settings of this sector of the Apennine-Maghrebian Chain.
Morphometric analysis of the mandible in the Durban Metropolitan population of South Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Ishwarkumar, S; Pillay, P; Haffajee, M R; Satyapal, K S

2017-01-01

The identification of an individual from skeletal remains plays a vital role in forensic investigation as it is essential for the identification of the individual's age, sex, and/or race and further analysis. Skeletal characteristics differ from one population group to another since population-specific osteometric standards exist for sex determination. Since the mandible is the largest, strongest and most durable compact facial bone, it is the best preserved after death. While sexual dimorphism of the mandible is indicated by its shape and size, morphometric analysis is more accurate in the determination of sex from the skull. The aim of this study was to evaluate the morphometric parameters of the mandible in the Durban Metropolitan population. Various morphometric parameters of the mandible were measured and assessed in 265 digital panoramic radiographs aged between 16 and 30 years (n = 530). Each parameter recorded was statistically analysed using SPSS to determine if a relationship existed between the parameter, and sex and age. In this study the morphometric parameters of the male mandibles were greater than that of the females. This concurred with the findings of previous studies. The length of the mandibular ramus on the right and left sides was statistically significant with sex. This correlated with previous studies, indicating that the length of the mandibular ramus generally has higher sexual dimorphism than any other morphometric mandibular parameter (p = 0.000). However, only the length of the right mandibular body was statistically significant when compared with sex (p = 0.040). The findings of this study may assist forensic investigators, anatomists, anthropologists and maxillo-facial surgeons.
A comparison of single- and multi-site calibration and validation: a case study of SWAT in the Miyun Reservoir watershed, China

Science.gov (United States)

Bai, Jianwen; Shen, Zhenyao; Yan, Tiezhu

2017-09-01

An essential task in evaluating global water resource and pollution problems is to obtain the optimum set of parameters in hydrological models through calibration and validation. For a large-scale watershed, single-site calibration and validation may ignore spatial heterogeneity and may not meet the needs of the entire watershed. The goal of this study is to apply a multi-site calibration and validation of the Soil andWater Assessment Tool (SWAT), using the observed flow data at three monitoring sites within the Baihe watershed of the Miyun Reservoir watershed, China. Our results indicate that the multi-site calibration parameter values are more reasonable than those obtained from single-site calibrations. These results are mainly due to significant differences in the topographic factors over the large-scale area, human activities and climate variability. The multi-site method involves the division of the large watershed into smaller watersheds, and applying the calibrated parameters of the multi-site calibration to the entire watershed. It was anticipated that this case study could provide experience of multi-site calibration in a large-scale basin, and provide a good foundation for the simulation of other pollutants in followup work in the Miyun Reservoir watershed and other similar large areas.
Network cyberinfrastructure as a shared platform to support multi-site research

Science.gov (United States)

Multi-site research across the Long-term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR) network requires access to data and information. We present some existing examples where you can get data from across the network and summarize the rich inventory of measurements taken across LTAR sites. But data management suppo...
Morphometric analysis of Dactylorhiza hatagirea (D. Don), a critically ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Admin

2012-07-12

Jul 12, 2012 ... interplay of climate, geographical history and evolutionary dynamics in ... morphometric analysis of living plant (Dressler and. Dodson, 1960) and to the .... Number of flowers. 25. UPPINT ..... Classification and phylogeny in the.
Follow the link: Digital Tracings of a Multi-Sited Space of Research

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Munk, Anders Kristian

The paper discusses the use of digital methods as an alternative way of generating what George Marcus calls 'posited logics of association' for use in multi-sited fieldwork. I draw on cases from an ongoing research project on the new nordic food movement and its on- and off-line assemblages. I do...... doing so I demonstrate how methods which are native to the digital domain - such as the link or the like as a valuation metric - may be re-appropriated as strategies in more ethnographic styles of work.......The paper discusses the use of digital methods as an alternative way of generating what George Marcus calls 'posited logics of association' for use in multi-sited fieldwork. I draw on cases from an ongoing research project on the new nordic food movement and its on- and off-line assemblages. I...

Reading Profiles in Multi-Site Data With Missingness.

Science.gov (United States)

Eckert, Mark A; Vaden, Kenneth I; Gebregziabher, Mulugeta

2018-01-01

Children with reading disability exhibit varied deficits in reading and cognitive abilities that contribute to their reading comprehension problems. Some children exhibit primary deficits in phonological processing, while others can exhibit deficits in oral language and executive functions that affect comprehension. This behavioral heterogeneity is problematic when missing data prevent the characterization of different reading profiles, which often occurs in retrospective data sharing initiatives without coordinated data collection. Here we show that reading profiles can be reliably identified based on Random Forest classification of incomplete behavioral datasets, after the missForest method is used to multiply impute missing values. Results from simulation analyses showed that reading profiles could be accurately classified across degrees of missingness (e.g., ∼5% classification error for 30% missingness across the sample). The application of missForest to a real multi-site dataset with missingness ( n = 924) showed that reading disability profiles significantly and consistently differed in reading and cognitive abilities for cases with and without missing data. The results of validation analyses indicated that the reading profiles (cases with and without missing data) exhibited significant differences for an independent set of behavioral variables that were not used to classify reading profiles. Together, the results show how multiple imputation can be applied to the classification of cases with missing data and can increase the integrity of results from multi-site open access datasets.
Reading Profiles in Multi-Site Data With Missingness

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mark A. Eckert

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Children with reading disability exhibit varied deficits in reading and cognitive abilities that contribute to their reading comprehension problems. Some children exhibit primary deficits in phonological processing, while others can exhibit deficits in oral language and executive functions that affect comprehension. This behavioral heterogeneity is problematic when missing data prevent the characterization of different reading profiles, which often occurs in retrospective data sharing initiatives without coordinated data collection. Here we show that reading profiles can be reliably identified based on Random Forest classification of incomplete behavioral datasets, after the missForest method is used to multiply impute missing values. Results from simulation analyses showed that reading profiles could be accurately classified across degrees of missingness (e.g., ∼5% classification error for 30% missingness across the sample. The application of missForest to a real multi-site dataset with missingness (n = 924 showed that reading disability profiles significantly and consistently differed in reading and cognitive abilities for cases with and without missing data. The results of validation analyses indicated that the reading profiles (cases with and without missing data exhibited significant differences for an independent set of behavioral variables that were not used to classify reading profiles. Together, the results show how multiple imputation can be applied to the classification of cases with missing data and can increase the integrity of results from multi-site open access datasets.
Biological Stress Systems, Adverse Life Events, and the Improvement of Chronic Multisite Musculoskeletal Pain Across a 6-Year Follow-Up.

Science.gov (United States)

Generaal, Ellen; Vogelzangs, Nicole; Macfarlane, Gary J; Geenen, Rinie; Smit, Johannes H; de Geus, Eco J C N; Dekker, Joost; Penninx, Brenda W J H

2017-02-01

Dysfunction of biological stress systems and adverse life events, independently and in interaction, have been hypothesized to predict chronic pain persistence. Conversely, these factors may hamper the improvement of chronic pain. Longitudinal evidence is currently lacking. We examined whether: 1) function of biological stress systems, 2) adverse life events, and 3) their combination predict the improvement of chronic multisite musculoskeletal pain. Subjects of the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA) with chronic multisite musculoskeletal pain at baseline (N = 665) were followed-up 2, 4, and 6 years later. The Chronic Pain Grade Questionnaire was used to determine improvement (not meeting the criteria) of chronic multisite musculoskeletal pain at follow-up. Baseline assessment of biological stress systems included function of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (1-hour cortisol awakening response, evening level, and post dexamethasone level), the immune system (basal and lipopolysaccharide-stimulated inflammatory markers), the autonomic nervous system (heart rate, pre-ejection period, SD of the normal-to-normal interval, and respiratory sinus arrhythmia). The number of adverse life events were assessed at baseline and 2-year follow-up using the List of Threatening Events Questionnaire. We showed that hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, immune system, and autonomic nervous system functioning and adverse life events were not associated with the improvement of chronic multisite musculoskeletal pain, either as a main effect or in interaction. This longitudinal study could not confirm that biological stress system dysfunction and adverse life events affect the course of chronic multisite musculoskeletal pain. Biological stress systems and adverse life events are not associated with the improvement of chronic multisite musculoskeletal pain over 6 years of follow-up. Other determinants should thus be considered in future research to identify in which
An insight into morphometric descriptors of cell shape that pertain to regenerative medicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Lobo, Joana; See, Eugene Yong-Shun; Biggs, Manus; Pandit, Abhay

2016-07-01

Cellular morphology has recently been indicated as a powerful indicator of cellular function. The analysis of cell shape has evolved from rudimentary forms of microscopic visual inspection to more advanced methodologies that utilize high-resolution microscopy coupled with sophisticated computer hardware and software for data analysis. Despite this progress, there is still a lack of standardization in quantification of morphometric parameters. In addition, uncertainty remains as to which methodologies and parameters of cell morphology will yield meaningful data, which methods should be utilized to categorize cell shape, and the extent of reliability of measurements and the interpretation of the resulting analysis. A large range of descriptors has been employed to objectively assess the cellular morphology in two-dimensional and three-dimensional domains. Intuitively, simple and applicable morphometric descriptors are preferable and standardized protocols for cell shape analysis can be achieved with the help of computerized tools. In this review, cellular morphology is discussed as a descriptor of cellular function and the current morphometric parameters that are used quantitatively in two- and three-dimensional environments are described. Furthermore, the current problems associated with these morphometric measurements are addressed. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Statistical Analysis for Multisite Trials Using Instrumental Variables with Random Coefficients

Science.gov (United States)

Raudenbush, Stephen W.; Reardon, Sean F.; Nomi, Takako

2012-01-01

Multisite trials can clarify the average impact of a new program and the heterogeneity of impacts across sites. Unfortunately, in many applications, compliance with treatment assignment is imperfect. For these applications, we propose an instrumental variable (IV) model with person-specific and site-specific random coefficients. Site-specific IV…
Conformation of phylogenetic relationship of Penaeidae shrimp based on morphometric and molecular investigations.

Science.gov (United States)

Rajakumaran, P; Vaseeharan, B; Jayakumar, R; Chidambara, R

2014-01-01

Understanding of accurate phylogenetic relationship among Penaeidae shrimp is important for academic and fisheries industry. The Morphometric and Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis was used to make the phylogenetic relationsip among 13 Penaeidae shrimp. For morphometric analysis forty variables and total lengths of shrimp were measured for each species, and removed the effect of size variation. The size normalized values obtained was subjected to UPGMA (Unweighted Pair-Group Method with Arithmetic Mean) cluster analysis. For RAPD analysis, the four primers showed reliable differentiation between species, and used correlation coefficient between the DNA banding patterns of 13 Penaeidae species to construct UPGMA dendrogram. Phylogenetic relationship from morphometric and molecular analysis for Penaeidae species found to be congruent. We concluded that as the results from morphometry investigations concur with molecular one, phylogenetic relationship obtained for the studied Penaeidae are considered to be reliable.
Impact of collaborative care for depression on clinical, functional, and work outcomes: a practice-based evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Shippee, Nathan D; Shah, Nilay D; Angstman, Kurt B; DeJesus, Ramona S; Wilkinson, John M; Bruce, Steven M; Williams, Mark D

2013-01-01

The impact of collaborative care (CC) on depression and work productivity in routine, nonresearch primary care settings remains unclear due to limited evidence. This prospective study examined depression and work outcomes (eg, absenteeism, presenteeism) for 165 individuals in CC for depression versus 211 patients in practice as usual in a multisite primary care practice. CC predicted greater adjusted 6-month improvements in treatment response, remission, and absenteeism versus practice as usual. Response/remission increased productivity overall. CC increased clinical and work improvements in a nonresearch care setting. Insurers and employers should consider CC's work benefits in developing payment structures.
Morphometric and landuse analysis: implications on flood hazards ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This study assessed the morphometric, landuse and lithological attributes of five basins (Iwaraja, Ilesa, Olupona, Osogbo I and Osogbo II) with particular reference to flood hazards in Ilesa and Osogbo metropolis, Osun State Nigeria. Ilesa town is situated within Iwaraja and Ilesa basins while Osogbo metropolis spread ...
Hybridization within a Pilosella population: a morphometric analysis

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Urfus, Tomáš; Krahulec, František; Krahulcová, Anna

2014-01-01

Roč. 49, č. 2 (2014), s. 223-238 ISSN 1211-9520 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA206/08/0890 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z60050516 Institutional support: RVO:67985939 Keywords : hybridization * introgression * multivariate morphometrics Subject RIV: EF - Botanics Impact factor: 1.778, year: 2014
ANALISIS KARAKTER TRUSS MORPHOMETRICS PADA IKAN KEMPRIT (Ilisha megaloptera FAMILIA PRISTIGASTERIDAE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tri Wijayanti

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The fish auction site at Ocean Fishing Port of Cilacap is one of the major fish landings sites in Indonesia. Fishes landed in this port mainly of large pelagic fish, bycatch, crustaceans including kemprit fish (Ilisha megaloptera Swainson,1839. Kemprit fish is a member of the family Pristigasteridae, which has an elongated body shape-sprawl. Fishers use this fish as the main ingredient to produce fish crackers and dried salted fish. Overfishing is the greatest threat to kemprit fish, and without conservation efforts the future population is uncertain. Fish farming is one right answer in kemprit fish conservation. However, information on this fish biology is insufficient. One of the biological aspects is sexual dimorphism, the morphological properties that can be used to distinguish between male and female fish. Truss morphometrics can measure the morphological traits differences of male and female. This technique in which the measurement of the distance Truss morphometrics in certain parts, by the benchmark points (dots Truss morphometrics, then compared with standard size. The result of the preliminary survey indicated that kemprit fish did not show sexual dimorphism, therefore truss morphometric technique applies to distinguish sexes of this fish. This research was a survey, and purposive sampling techniques were used to collect data. Data were then analyzed using the “t” test. The results showed that distinct truss distance between male and female fish was the distance between the anterior base of the dorsal fin to the anterior base of the ventral fins and the distance between the posterior base of the dorsal fin to the anterior base of the anal fin.
MORPHOMETRIC CHARACTERISTICS OF RED BLOOD CELLS OF Telestes metohiensis (Steindachner, 1901

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Radoslav Dekić

2013-02-01

Full Text Available The paper presents the morphometric characteristics of red blood cells of endemic fish species of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Telestes metohiensis (Steindachner, 1901 inhabiting the Vrijeka river in the Dabar field. A total of 30 fish were sampled during August, 2010. Morphological measurements included the following parameters: axes of the red blood cells and nuclei, the surface of the red blood cells and nuclei and the thickness of the red blood cells. Morphometric characteristics of the erythrocyte maturation stages (acidophilic and polychromatic erythroblasts were also studied as well as their proportion in the peripheral blood. 100 mature forms were measured for each individual. The propotion of the immature forms was expressed per 1000 erythrocytes. Results showed that dimensions of the erythrocytes differed in systematic categories as well as fish types. Dimensions of mature erythrocytes and their maturation stages of the same species differed in shape and size of the nuclei. Proportion of the erythrocyte maturation stages was very low in comparison with the mature erythrocytes, indicating the optimal environmental conditions for the studied species.Key words: morphometric characteristics, erythrocytes, Telestes metohiensis, proportion of immature stages
Morphometric analysis of Dactylorhiza hatagirea (D. Don), a critically ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The morphometric study was conducted during 2009 to 2010. About 28 morphological characters were measured under 13 natural populations of Dactylorhiza hatagirea. Geographic variation in morphology reflects phenotypic responses to environmental gradients and evolutionary history of populations and species.
MORPHOMETRIC CHARACTERISTICS OF TROPICAL SHALLOW RESERVOIR USED FOR AQUACULTURE AND AGRICULTURE IN THE MEXICAN PLATEAU

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Aldama GR

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Morphometric characteristics of a tropical shallow reservoir situated in the Southern Mexican Highlands were studied. Seventeen morphometric parameters were measured. Results of the morphometric parameters showed that this reservoir presented a soft and roughness bottom, with an ellipsoid form and a concave depression that allow the mix up of water and sediments, causing turbidity and broken thermal gradients; its slight slopes allowed the colonization of submerged macrophyte and halophyte plants and they improve the incidence of sunlight on water surface increasing evaporation and primary productivity. Tropical shallow reservoirs have fluctuations in area and volume according to the amount of rainfall, the effect of evaporation, the temperature levels, lost of volume due to irrigation, and other causes.
A multi-site study on medical school selection, performance, motivation and engagement

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wouters, A.; Croiset, G.; Schripsema, N. R.; Cohen-Schotanus, J.; Spaai, G. W. G.; Hulsman, R. L.; Kusurkar, R. A.

Medical schools seek ways to improve their admissions strategies, since the available methods prove to be suboptimal for selecting the best and most motivated students. In this multi-site cross-sectional questionnaire study, we examined the value of (different) selection procedures compared to a
Morphometric studies on a part of Central Indian Ocean

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Kodagali, V.N.

Morphometric and slope angle studies carried out on a part of Indian Ocean Basin have shown that gentle slope angle ranges dominate, 92% of the area represented by 0-3 degrees slopes. Young's hypothesis of log-normal distribution of slope angle...
Multi-site calibration, validation, and sensitivity analysis of the MIKE SHE Model for a large watershed in northern China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Wang

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Model calibration is essential for hydrologic modeling of large watersheds in a heterogeneous mountain environment. Little guidance is available for model calibration protocols for distributed models that aim at capturing the spatial variability of hydrologic processes. This study used the physically-based distributed hydrologic model, MIKE SHE, to contrast a lumped calibration protocol that used streamflow measured at one single watershed outlet to a multi-site calibration method which employed streamflow measurements at three stations within the large Chaohe River basin in northern China. Simulation results showed that the single-site calibrated model was able to sufficiently simulate the hydrographs for two of the three stations (Nash-Sutcliffe coefficient of 0.65–0.75, and correlation coefficient 0.81–0.87 during the testing period, but the model performed poorly for the third station (Nash-Sutcliffe coefficient only 0.44. Sensitivity analysis suggested that streamflow of upstream area of the watershed was dominated by slow groundwater, whilst streamflow of middle- and down- stream areas by relatively quick interflow. Therefore, a multi-site calibration protocol was deemed necessary. Due to the potential errors and uncertainties with respect to the representation of spatial variability, performance measures from the multi-site calibration protocol slightly decreased for two of the three stations, whereas it was improved greatly for the third station. We concluded that multi-site calibration protocol reached a compromise in term of model performance for the three stations, reasonably representing the hydrographs of all three stations with Nash-Sutcliffe coefficient ranging from 0.59–072. The multi-site calibration protocol applied in the analysis generally has advantages to the single site calibration protocol.
Insomnia, Sleep Duration, Depressive Symptoms, and the Onset of Chronic Multisite Musculoskeletal Pain.

Science.gov (United States)

Generaal, Ellen; Vogelzangs, Nicole; Penninx, Brenda W J H; Dekker, Joost

2017-01-01

The temporal relationships among sleep, depressive symptoms, and pain are unclear. This longitudinal study examines whether insomnia and sleep duration predict the onset of chronic multisite musculoskeletal pain over 6 years and whether this association is mediated by depressive symptoms. 1860 subjects of the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety, free from chronic multisite musculoskeletal pain at baseline, were followed up for the onset of chronic multisite musculoskeletal pain over 6 years (Chronic Pain Grade Questionnaire). We determined baseline insomnia (Women's Health Initiative Insomnia Rating Scale ≥9) and sleep duration (short: ≤6 hr, normal: 7-9 hr, long: ≥10 hr). Depressive symptoms were assessed at baseline and as a change score over time (Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology). Insomnia (hazard ratio [HR] [95% confidence interval, 95%CI] = 1.60 [1.30-1.96], p insomnia and short sleep with chronic pain onset (∆B = 40% and 26%, respectively). Adding the change score of depressive symptoms further weakened the association for insomnia (∆B = 16%) but not for short sleep. All direct effects for sleep measures with chronic pain onset remained statistically significant (p insomnia and short sleep duration are risk factors for developing chronic pain. Depressive symptoms partially mediate the effect for insomnia and short sleep with developing chronic pain. © Sleep Research Society 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Sleep Research Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail journals.permissions@oup.com.
From the nurses' station to the health team hub: how can design promote interprofessional collaboration?

Science.gov (United States)

Gum, Lyn Frances; Prideaux, David; Sweet, Linda; Greenhill, Jennene

2012-01-01

Interprofessional practice implies that health professionals are able to contribute patient care in a collaborative environment. In this paper, it is argued that in a hospital the nurses' station is a form of symbolic power. The term could be reframed as a "health team hub," which fosters a place for communication and interprofessional working. Studies have found that design of the Nurses' Station can impact on the walking distance of hospital staff, privacy for patients and staff, jeopardize patient confidentiality and access to resources. However, no studies have explored the implications of nurses' station design on interprofessional practice. A multi-site collective case study of three rural hospitals in South Australia explored the collaborative working culture of each hospital. Of the cultural concepts being studied, the physical design of nurses' stations and the general physical environment were found to have a major influence on an effective collaborative practice. Communication barriers were related to poor design, lack of space, frequent interruptions and a lack of privacy; the name "nurses' station" denotes the space as the primary domain of nurses rather than a workspace for the healthcare team. Immersive work spaces could encourage all members of the healthcare team to communicate more readily with one another to promote interprofessional collaboration.
Discriminant analysis of morphometric differentiation in the West ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This study evaluated the usefulness of morphological characteristics to distinguish two important indigenous goat breeds in Nigeria. Fifteen morphometric traits were measured on West African Dwarf – WAD (n = 160) and Red Sokoto – RS (n = 142) goats that ranged in age of up to 19 months and were reared extensively in ...
External morphometric study of hatchery reared mahseer ( Tor ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Different samples of Mahseer (Tor putitora) were examined for the study of external morphometric characters of the fish. Slopes of log transformed data were used for comparison with an isometric slopes (b=1, b= 0.33 or b= 3). Relationships between wet body weight and external body parts lengths showed that increasing ...

Stochastic generation of multi-site daily precipitation focusing on extreme events

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G. Evin

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Many multi-site stochastic models have been proposed for the generation of daily precipitation, but they generally focus on the reproduction of low to high precipitation amounts at the stations concerned. This paper proposes significant extensions to the multi-site daily precipitation model introduced by Wilks, with the aim of reproducing the statistical features of extremely rare events (in terms of frequency and magnitude at different temporal and spatial scales. In particular, the first extended version integrates heavy-tailed distributions, spatial tail dependence, and temporal dependence in order to obtain a robust and appropriate representation of the most extreme precipitation fields. A second version enhances the first version using a disaggregation method. The performance of these models is compared at different temporal and spatial scales on a large region covering approximately half of Switzerland. While daily extremes are adequately reproduced at the stations by all models, including the benchmark Wilks version, extreme precipitation amounts at larger temporal scales (e.g., 3-day amounts are clearly underestimated when temporal dependence is ignored.
Development of a continuous multisite accelerometry system for studying movements during sleep.

Science.gov (United States)

Terrill, Philip I; Mason, David G; Wilson, Stephen J

2010-01-01

Actigraphy has proven to be a useful tool in the assessment of circadian rhythms, and more recently in the automatic staging of sleep and wake states. Whilst accuracy of commercial systems appears good over 24 hour periods, the sensitivity of detecting wake during time in bed is poor. One possible explanation for these poor results is the technical limitations of currently available commercial actigraphs. In particular, raw data is generally not available to the user. Instead, activity counts for each epoch (typically between 10-60 secs) are calculated using various algorithms, from which sleep state is identified. Consequently morphologically different movements observed during sleep and wake states may not be detected as such. In this paper, the development of a continuous multisite, accelerometry system (CMAS) is described. Initial results, comparing data collected using a commercial actigraph (Actiwatch- Mini Motionlogger), and the continuous multisite accelerometry system are presented. The CMAS is able to differentiate brief movement "twitches" from postural changes.
Morphometric Characteristics and Length-Weight Relationship of Russian Sturgeon Juveniles Fed with Different Ratio

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Raluca Cristina ANDREI(GURIENCU

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The aim of this paper was to analyze some morphometric characteristics and the correlation between them for Russian sturgeon juveniles (Acipenser gueldenstaedtii reared in a recirculating aquaculture system fed at different fed with different ratio: 1% body weight (BW, 1.5% BW, 2% BW and ad libitum feeding (which was around 2.8% BW.Fish, with an average body mass around 248.194 ± 1.59 g. Following biometric measurements were made for each fish, including weight (W, total length (TL, standard length (SL, fork length (FL, maximum body depth (last depth of caudal peduncle, H; preanal distance (AD, predorsal distance (PD, length of head (C, preorbital distance (PO, length of pectoral fin (LPF, interorbital distance (ID, maximum width of head (MH, width of mouth (WM, width of the head at the level of the mouth (WHM. The obtained results showed significant differences between all morphometric measurements (p<0.05 for all the experimental variants, emphasizing that in the ad libitum feeding all morphometric measurements were significantly higher than in the other experimental variants. In order to highlight more eloquent these differences, were developed some linear regressions between the morphometric measurements and significant positive correlation (p<0.05 between dependent and independent variables were found.
Morphometrical Analysis and Peak Runoff Estimation for the Sub-Lower Niger River Basin, Nigeria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Salami Adebayo Wahab

2016-03-01

Full Text Available This study utilized Spatial Information Technology (SIT such as Remote Sensing (RS, a Geographical Information System (GIS, the Global Positioning System (GPS and a high-resolution Digital Elevation Model (DEM for a morphometrical analysis of five sub-basins within the Lower Niger River Basin, Nigeria. Morpho-metrical parameters, such as the total relief, relative relief, relief ratio, ruggedness number, texture ratio, elongation ratio, circularity ratio, form factor ratio, drainage density, stream frequency, sinuosity factor and bifurcation ratio, have been computed and analyzed. The study revealed that the contribution of the morphometric parameters to flooding suggest catchment No. 1 has the least concentration time and the highest runoff depth. Catchment No. 4 has the highest circularity ratio (0.35 as the most hazardous site where floods could reach a great volume over a small area.
Weight and morphometric growth of different strains of tilapia (Oreochromis sp

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Ivan Bezerra Allaman

2013-05-01

Full Text Available The objective of this study was to evaluate the morphometric growth and weight gain of strains of tilapia (Thai, Red, UFLA and Commercial by nonlinear models. Initially, 500 male fingerlings of each strain, at 85 (Red and UFLA and 86 (Thai and Commercial days of age, were stocked separately in raceways with 56 m³. Twenty fish of each strain were randomly sampled, weighed and measured monthly. Five nonlinear models (Brody, von Bertalanffy, Gompertz, logistic and exponential were tested, choosing one that best fit to the data. The variables studied were: weight, standard length (SL, head length (HL, height 1 (H1, height 2 (H2, height 3 (H3, first distance (D1, second distance (D2, first width (W1, second width (W2 and third width (W3. The exponential model had the best fit to weight and morphometric data, with the exception of W2, in which the best fitted model was von Bertalanffy. The convergence of the exponential model to data indicates that the cultivation period studied was not enough for the strains to reach maturity weight. The UFLA strain presented the lowest value for parameter "a" (initial weight estimate, 8.71 g, and the highest for parameter k (specific growth rate, 0.0127, when compared with other evaluated strains. However, the highest k of UFLA was not enough to overcome the final weight observed for the Commercial strain (603.1 g, which was higher than all other strains. Regarding the morphometric measurements, the UFLA strain also had the highest k for the variables SL, HL, HH, H1, H2, H3 and D2, and similar k to Commercial and Thai strains for the variables D1 and W3 respectively. The strains differ as to weight gain and morphometric growth.
morphometric features of a low-elevation urban catchment

African Journals Online (AJOL)

PROF EKWUEME

River basin morphometric is a geomorphological tool that applies to physical ... Harcourt region's drainage as it pertains to flooding described the area as ... floods in several sub-basins of a river that posed risks to ... Bight of Bonny, off the Gulf of Guinea into the Atlantic ..... the extreme; because such forest will be thick and.
Morphometric and molecular differentiation between quetzal subspecies of Pharomachrus mocinno (Trogoniformes: Trogonidae).

Science.gov (United States)

Solórzano, Sofía; Oyama, Ken

2010-03-01

The resplendent Quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno) is an endemic Mesoamerican bird species of conservation concern. Within this species, the subspecies P. m. costaricensis and P. m. mocinno, have been recognized by apparent morphometric differences; however, presently there is no sufficient data for confirmation. We analyzed eight morphometric attributes of the body from 41 quetzals: body length, tarsus and cord wing, as well as the length, wide and depth of the bill, body weight; and in the case of the males, the length of the long upper-tail cover feathers. We used multivariate analyses to discriminate morphometric differences between subspecies and contrasted each morphometric attribute between and within subspecies with paired non-parametric Wilcoxon test. In order to review the intraspecific taxonomic status of this bird, we added phylogenetic analysis, and genetic divergence and differentiation based on nucleotide variations in four sequences of mtDNA. The nucleotide variation was estimated in control region, subunit NDH6, and tRNAGlu and tRNAPhe in 26 quetzals from eight localities distributed in five countries. We estimated the genetic divergence and differentiation between subspecies according to a mutation-drift equilibrium model. We obtained the best mutation nucleotide model following the procedure implemented in model test program. We constructed the phylogenetic relationships between subspecies by maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood using PAUP, as well as with Bayesian statistics. The multivariate analyses showed two different morphometric groups, and individuals clustered according to the subspecies that they belong. The paired comparisons between subspecies showed strong differences in most of the attributes analyzed. Along the four mtDNA sequences, we identified 32 nucleotide positions that have a particular nucleotide according to the quetzals subspecies. The genetic divergence and the differentiation was strong and markedly showed two groups
Morphometric variation in the Tunisian green frog, Rana saharica ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Rana saharica is the most widely distributed anuran in Tunisia. We examined morphological variation in 124 specimens as a function of their geographical origin, using univariate and multivariate statistics with traditional morphometrics. Our results supported the existence of three morphotypes of this species, correctly ...
A morphometric analysis of the genus Ficus Linn. (moraceae ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Foliar parameters of Ficus in Nigeria were subjected to quantitative analysis. The morphometric analysis is based on ten quantitative parameters of the leaves of species. Principal compound analysis produced six groups whose characters are described. Highly significant positive correlation exists between leaf length and ...
Evaluating two-dimensional skeletal structure parameters using radiological bone morphometric analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Asa, Kensuke; Sakurai, Takashi; Kashima, Isamu; Kumasaka, Satsuki

2005-01-01

The objectives of this study was to investigate the reliability of two-dimensional (2D) skeletal structure parameters obtained using radiological bone morphometric analysis. The 2D skeletal parameters in the regions of interest (ROIs) were measured on computed radiography (CR) images of first phalanges from racehorses, using radiological bone morphometric analysis. Cancellous bone blocks were made from the phalanges in the same position as the ROI determined on CR images. Three-dimensional (3D) trabecular parameters were measured using micro-computed tomography (μCT). The correlations between the 2D skeletal parameters and 3D trabecular parameters were evaluated in relation to the measured bone strength. The following 2D skeletal structure parameters were correlated with bone strength (r=0.61-0.69): skeletal perimeter (Sk.Pm), skeletal number (Sk.N), skeletal separation (Sk.Sp), skeletal spacing (Sk.Spac), fractal dimension (FD), and skeletal pattern factor (SkPf). The 3D trabecular structure parameters were closely correlated with bone strength (r=0.74-0.86). The 2D skeletal parameters Sk.N, Sk.Pm, FD, SkPf, and Sk.Spac were correlated with the 3D trabecular parameters (r=0.61-0.70). The 2D skeletal parameters obtained using radiological bone morphometric analysis may be useful indicators of trabecular strength. (author)
Multisite Case Study of Florida's Millennium High School Reform Model

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Carol A. Mullen

2002-10-01

Full Text Available This study should have immediate utility for the United States and beyond its borders. School-to-work approaches to comprehensive reform are increasingly expected of schools while legislative funding for this purpose gets pulled back. This multisite case study launches the first analysis of the New Millennium High School (NMHS model in Florida. This improvement program relies upon exemplary leadership for preparing students for postsecondary education
Proton adsorption onto alumina: extension of multisite complexation (MUSIC) theory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nagashima, K.; Blum, F.D.

1999-09-01

The adsorption isotherm of protons onto a commercial {gamma}-alumina sample was determined in aqueous nitric acid with sodium nitrate as a background electrolyte. Three discrete regions could be discerned in the log-log plots of the proton isotherm determined at the solution pH 5 to 2. The multisite complexation (MUSIC) model was modified to analyze the simultaneous adsorption of protons onto various kinds of surface species.
Multisite bias correction of precipitation data from regional climate models

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Hnilica, Jan; Hanel, M.; Puš, V.

2017-01-01

Roč. 37, č. 6 (2017), s. 2934-2946 ISSN 0899-8418 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA16-05665S Grant - others:Grantová agentura ČR - GA ČR(CZ) 16-16549S Institutional support: RVO:67985874 Keywords : bias correction * regional climate model * correlation * covariance * multivariate data * multisite correction * principal components * precipitation Subject RIV: DA - Hydrology ; Limnology OBOR OECD: Climatic research Impact factor: 3.760, year: 2016
13 Morphometric Analysis of Ogunpa and Ogbere Drainage Basins ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

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significance of these landscape parameters was ... reported that the geomorphic characteristics of a drainage basins play ... form and process of drainage basins that may ... tropical rain forest of Nigeria occupying an area of .... morphometric parameters such as relief, shape ... on floodplains can be pulled down while areas.
Determination of a novel size proxy in comparative morphometrics

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Andrew Gallagher

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Absolute size is a critical determinant of organismal biology, yet there exists no real consensus as to what particular metric of ‘size’ is empirically valid in assessments of extinct mammalian taxa. The methodological approach of JE Mosimann has found extensive favour in ‘size correction’ in comparative morphometrics, but not ‘size prediction’ in palaeontology and palaeobiology. Analyses of five distinct mammalian data sets confirm that a novel size variate (GMSize derived from k=8 dimensions of the postcranial skeleton effectively satisfies all expectations of the Jolicoeur–Mosimann theorem of univariate and multivariate size. On the basis of strong parametric correlations between the k=8 variates and between scores derived from the first principal component and geometric mean size (GMSize in all series, this novel size variable has considerable utility in comparative vertebrate morphometrics and palaeobiology as an appropriate descriptor of individual size in extant and extinct taxa.
ADJUSTMENT OF MORPHOMETRIC PARAMETERS OF WATER BASINS BASED ON DIGITAL TERRAIN MODELS

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Krasil'nikov Vitaliy Mikhaylovich

2012-10-01

Full Text Available The authors argue that effective use of water resources requires accurate morphometric characteristics of water basins. Accurate parameters are needed to analyze their condition, and to assure their appropriate control and operation. Today multiple water basins need their morphometric characteristics to be adjusted and properly stored. The procedure employed so far is based on plane geometric horizontals depicted onto topographic maps. It is described in the procedural guidelines issued in respect of the «Application of water resource regulations governing the operation of waterworks facilities of power plants». The technology described there is obsolete due to the availability of specialized software. The computer technique is based on a digital terrain model. The authors provide an overview of the technique implemented at Rybinsk and Gorkiy water basins in this article. Thus, the digital terrain model generated on the basis of the field data is used at Gorkiy water basin, while the model based on maps and charts is applied at Rybinsk water basin. The authors believe that the software technique can be applied to any other water basin on the basis of the analysis and comparison of morphometric characteristics of the two water basins.
Morphometric variations of laelapine mite (Acari: Mesostigmata populations infesting small mammals (Mammalia in Brazil

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F. Martins-Hatano

Full Text Available The goal of this study was to evaluate the morphometric variation of laelapine populations (Acari, Mesostigmata associated with neotropical oryzomyine rodents at different geographic localities in Brazil. Three nominal mite species were selected for study, all infesting the pelage of small mammals at different localities in Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo, Bahia, and the Federal District, Brazil. To analyse morphometric characteristics, thirty-seven morphological characters distributed across the whole body of each specimen were measured. We use the Analysis of Principal Components, extracting the three first axes and projecting each mite in these axes. Major species level changes in the taxonomy of the host mammals allows an independent examination of morphometric variation of mites infesting a set of distinctly different host species at different geographic localities. Gigantolaelaps vitzthumi and Laelaps differens are associated with oryzomyine rodents of the genus Cerradomys, and consistently showed a tendency to cluster by host phylogeny. Laelaps manguinhosi associated with Nectomys rattus in central Brazil is morphometrically distinct from mites infesting N. squamipes in the coastal restingas of Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo. The results obtained here indicate that laelapine mite populations can vary among geographic areas and among phylogenetically related host species. Clearly, the study of these mites at the population level can be an important tool for clarifying the taxonomy of both mites and hosts.
Morphometric variations of laelapine mite (Acari: Mesostigmata) populations infesting small mammals (Mammalia) in Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

Martins-Hatano, F; Gettinger, D; Manhães, M L; Bergallo, H G

2012-08-01

The goal of this study was to evaluate the morphometric variation of laelapine populations (Acari, Mesostigmata) associated with neotropical oryzomyine rodents at different geographic localities in Brazil. Three nominal mite species were selected for study, all infesting the pelage of small mammals at different localities in Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo, Bahia, and the Federal District, Brazil. To analyse morphometric characteristics, thirty-seven morphological characters distributed across the whole body of each specimen were measured. We use the Analysis of Principal Components, extracting the three first axes and projecting each mite in these axes. Major species level changes in the taxonomy of the host mammals allows an independent examination of morphometric variation of mites infesting a set of distinctly different host species at different geographic localities. Gigantolaelaps vitzthumi and Laelaps differens are associated with oryzomyine rodents of the genus Cerradomys, and consistently showed a tendency to cluster by host phylogeny. Laelaps manguinhosi associated with Nectomys rattus in central Brazil is morphometrically distinct from mites infesting N. squamipes in the coastal restingas of Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo. The results obtained here indicate that laelapine mite populations can vary among geographic areas and among phylogenetically related host species. Clearly, the study of these mites at the population level can be an important tool for clarifying the taxonomy of both mites and hosts.
Assessing the Utility of Diagnostic Criteria: A Multisite Study on Gender Identity Disorder

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Paap, M.C.S.; Kreukels, B.P.C.; Cohen-Kettenis, P.T.; Richter-Appelt, H.; De Cuypere, G.; Haraldsen, I.R.

2011-01-01

Studies involving patients with gender identity disorder (GID) are inconsistent with regard to outcomes and often difficult to compare because of the vague descriptions of the diagnostic process. A multisite study is needed to scrutinize the utility and generality of different aspects of the
Multisite Interactions in Lattice-Gas Models

Science.gov (United States)

Einstein, T. L.; Sathiyanarayanan, R.

For detailed applications of lattice-gas models to surface systems, multisite interactions often play at least as significant a role as interactions between pairs of adatoms that are separated by a few lattice spacings. We recall that trio (3-adatom, non-pairwise) interactions do not inevitably create phase boundary asymmetries about half coverage. We discuss a sophisticated application to an experimental system and describe refinements in extracting lattice-gas energies from calculations of total energies of several different ordered overlayers. We describe how lateral relaxations complicate matters when there is direct interaction between the adatoms, an issue that is important when examining the angular dependence of step line tensions. We discuss the connector model as an alternative viewpoint and close with a brief account of recent work on organic molecule overlayers.

Geometric morphometric footprint analysis of young women

OpenAIRE

Domjanic, Jacqueline; Fieder, Martin; Seidler, Horst; Mitteroecker, Philipp

2013-01-01

Background Most published attempts to quantify footprint shape are based on a small number of measurements. We applied geometric morphometric methods to study shape variation of the complete footprint outline in a sample of 83 adult women. Methods The outline of the footprint, including the toes, was represented by a comprehensive set of 85 landmarks and semilandmarks. Shape coordinates were computed by Generalized Procrustes Analysis. Results The first four principal components represented t...
Morphometric characteristics in the horseshoe crab Tachypleus gigas (Arthropoda: Merostomata)

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Vijayakumar, R.; Das, S.; Chatterji, A.; Parulekar, A.H.

comparative morphometry. This study also emphasizes that care must be taken to apply morphometric for a uniform size group of horseshoe crab populations. It is known that the changes in the form of an animal cannot be described satisfactorily...
Morphometric Changes in the Cortical Microvascular Network in Alzheimer's Disease

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Richard, E.; van Gool, W.A.; Hoozemans, J.J.M.; van Haastert, E.S.; Eikelenboom, P.; Rozemuller, A.J.M.; van de Berg, W.D.J.

2010-01-01

Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology is accompanied by abnormalities of the microvasculature. Despite the potential importance of morphometric changes in the cortical capillary network on neuronal dysfunction and cognitive impairment, few autopsy studies have addressed this issue. In the present
Morphometric comparisons of Diaphorina citri (Hemiptera: Liviidae) populations from Iran, USA and Pakistan.

Science.gov (United States)

Lashkari, Mohammadreza; Hentz, Matthew G; Boykin, Laura M

2015-01-01

The Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Liviidae), vector of citrus greening disease pathogen, Huanglongbing (HLB), is considered the most serious pest of citrus in the world. Prior molecular based studies have hypothesized a link between the D. citri in Iran and the USA (Florida). The purpose of this study was to collect morphometric data from D. citri populations from Iran (mtCOI haplotype-1), Florida (mtCOI haplotype-1), and Pakistan (mtCOI haplotype-6), to determine whether different mtCOI haplotypes have a relationship to a specific morphometric variation. 240 samples from 6 ACP populations (Iran-Jiroft, Chabahar; Florida-Ft. Pierce, Palm Beach Gardens, Port St. Lucie; and Pakistan-Punjab) were collected for comparison. Measurements of 20 morphological characters were selected, measured and analysed using ANOVA and MANOVA. The results indicate differences among the 6 ACP populations (Wilks' lambda = 0.0376, F = 7.29, P citri species in this study, (1) Iran, (2) USA (Florida) and (3) Pakistan population. Morphometric comparisons provided further resolution to the mtCOI haplotypes and distinguished the Florida and Iranian populations.
Energy-related parameters and their association with age, gender, and morphometric measurements in healthy donkeys.

Science.gov (United States)

Mendoza, F J; Estepa, J C; Gonzalez-De Cara, C A; Aguilera-Aguilera, R; Toribio, R E; Perez-Ecija, A

2015-05-01

Donkeys are commonly afflicted by endocrine and metabolic disturbances but few studies have investigated endocrine variables involved in energy regulation and their association with morphometric indices, age or gender in this species. Hemostatic and clinical differences have been demonstrated between horses and donkeys, so to consider both species as metabolically and endocrinologically similar could lead to misdiagnosis. In this study, plasma concentrations of glucose, triglycerides and endocrine factors involved in energy homeostasis (insulin, glucagon, leptin, adiponectin, ghrelin and insulin-like growth factor [IGF]-1) were measured and their association with morphometric variables (body condition score, neck scoring and body mass index), gender and age was determined in 62 healthy donkeys. In addition, a neck scoring system specific for donkeys was developed. Insulin, glucagon, leptin and IGF-1 concentrations were found to be similar between donkeys and other species, but adiponectin and active ghrelin were lower in donkeys than horses. Donkeys with larger neck scores and body mass indices had higher triglyceride, leptin and IGF-1 concentrations. A sexual dimorphism was observed on all morphometric measurements and plasma glucose concentrations independent of adiposity. Younger animals had lower morphometric measurements and triglyceride and leptin concentrations. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Changing policy and practice in the child welfare system through collaborative efforts to identify and respond effectively to family violence.

Science.gov (United States)

Banks, Duren; Landsverk, John; Wang, Kathleen

2008-07-01

The Greenbook provides a roadmap for child welfare agencies to collaborate and provide effective responses to families who are experiencing co-occurring child maltreatment and domestic violence. A multisite developmental evaluation was conducted of six demonstration sites that received federal funding to implement Greenbook recommendations for child welfare agencies. Surveys of child welfare caseworkers show significant changes in several areas of agency policy and practice, including regular domestic violence training, written guidelines for reporting domestic violence, and working closely and sharing resources with local domestic violence service providers. Case file reviews show significant increases in the level of active screening for domestic violence, although this increase peaks at the midpoint of the initiative. These findings, coupled with on-site interview data, point to the importance of coordinating system change activities in child welfare agencies with a number of other collaborative activities.
MORPHOMETRIC ASPECTS IN THE BÂRLAD BASIN

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BĂLAN OANA

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Bârlad valley morphometry is strongly influenced by lithology, geological structure and climatic conditions. Between its springs and the outflow we noticed notable deviations from valley monocline structure and from the consecvent overall direction of the river system. Morphometric analysis of the Bârlad valley cumulates and summarizes the sequence of events that occurred in its hydrographic basin, which in turn has been actively reflected in indices such as generated the altimetry, the relief depth fragmentation.
Morphometric variations of three species of harvested cephalopods found in northern sea of Aceh Province, Indonesia

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ZAINAL ABIDIN MUCHLISIN

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Muchlisin ZA, Zulkarnaini B, Purnawan S, Muhadjier A, Fadli N, Cheng SH. 2014. Morphometric variations of three species of harvested cephalopods found in northern sea of Aceh Province, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 15: 142-146. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the morphometrics of three harvested cephalopods, Sepioteuthis lessoniana, Sepia officinalis and Uroteuthis sp. found in northern sea of Aceh Province, Indonesia. Sampling was conducted for six months from July to December 2012 in one week interval. A total of 318 cephalopods; 139 Sepioteuthis lessoniana, 139 Uroteuthis sp. and 40 Sepia officinalis were analyzed for morphometric study and 13 anatomical characters were measured to the nearest 0.01 mm using a digital calipers. Morphometric measurements were significantly different between the different species of cephalopods (ANOVA, p<0.05. S. officinalis differed in six morphological characters (head length, head width, tentacles length, gladius width, rancis width and length from the squid species. Fin width and length were significantly greater in S. lessoniana than in S. officinalis and Uroteuthis sp. On the other hand, Uroteuthis sp. had significantly greater mantle lengths, standard lengths and gladius lengths than the other two cephalopod species (Duncan Test, p<0.05. However, fin width was similar between S. lessoniana and Uroteuthis sp., while eye diameter was similar between S. officinalis and Uroteuthis sp. A Discriminant Function Analysis scatter plot successfully discriminated the three species indicating significant differences in morphological variation. This analysis also indicates that morphometrically, S. lessoniana and S. officinalis are more similar to each other despite being in different orders.
Multisite Ion Model in Concentrated Solutions of Divalent Cations (MgCl2 and CaCl2): Osmotic Pressure Calculations

Science.gov (United States)

2015-01-01

Accurate force field parameters for ions are essential for meaningful simulation studies of proteins and nucleic acids. Currently accepted models of ions, especially for divalent ions, do not necessarily reproduce the right physiological behavior of Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions. Saxena and Sept (J. Chem. Theor. Comput.2013, 9, 3538–3542) described a model, called the multisite-ion model, where instead of treating the ions as an isolated sphere, the charge was split into multiple sites with partial charge. This model provided accurate inner shell coordination of the ion with biomolecules and predicted better free energies for proteins and nucleic acids. Here, we expand and refine the multisite model to describe the behavior of divalent ions in concentrated MgCl2 and CaCl2 electrolyte solutions, eliminating the unusual ion–ion pairing and clustering of ions which occurred in the original model. We calibrate and improve the parameters of the multisite model by matching the osmotic pressure of concentrated solutions of MgCl2 to the experimental values and then use these parameters to test the behavior of CaCl2 solutions. We find that the concentrated solutions of both divalent ions exhibit the experimentally observed behavior with correct osmotic pressure, the presence of solvent separated ion pairs instead of direct ion pairs, and no aggregation of ions. The improved multisite model for (Mg2+ and Ca2+) can be used in classical simulations of biomolecules at physiologically relevant salt concentrations. PMID:25482831
Geometric morphometrics in primatology: craniofacial variation in Homo sapiens and Pan troglodytes.

Science.gov (United States)

Lynch, J M; Wood, C G; Luboga, S A

1996-01-01

Traditionally, morphometric studies have relied on statistical analysis of distances, angles or ratios to investigate morphometric variation among taxa. Recently, geometric techniques have been developed for the direct analysis of landmark data. In this paper, we offer a summary (with examples) of three of these newer techniques, namely shape coordinate, thin-plate spline and relative warp analyses. Shape coordinate analysis detected significant craniofacial variation between 4 modern human populations, with African and Australian Aboriginal specimens being relatively prognathous compared with their Eurasian counterparts. In addition, the Australian specimens exhibited greater basicranial flexion than all other samples. The observed relationships between size and craniofacial shape were weak. The decomposition of shape variation into affine and non-affine components is illustrated via a thin-plate spline analysis of Homo and Pan cranial landmarks. We note differences between Homo and Pan in the degree of prognathism and basicranial flexion and the position and orientation of the foramen magnum. We compare these results with previous studies of these features in higher primates and discuss the utility of geometric morphometrics as a tool in primatology and physical anthropology. We conclude that many studies of morphological variation, both within and between taxa, would benefit from the graphical nature of these techniques.
Assessing the utility of diagnostic criteria: a multi-site study on gender identity disorder

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Paap, Muirne; Kreukels, Baudewijntje P.C.; Cohen-Kettenis, Peggy; Richter-Appelt, Hertha; De Cuypere, Griet; Haraldsen, Ira R.

2011-01-01

Introduction: Studies involving patients with gender identity disorder (GID) are inconsistent with regard to outcomes and often difficult to compare because of the vague descriptions of the diagnostic process. A multisite study is needed to scrutinize the utility and generality of different aspects
Genetic parameters and trends of morphometric traits of GIFT tilapia under selection for weight gain

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Rafael Vilhena Reis Neto

2014-08-01

Full Text Available The main factor considered in breeding programs for fish is growth, which can be assessed in terms of a gain in either weight or body measurements. This study was undertaken to evaluate the morphometric traits of GIFT strain tilapia (Oreochromis sp. selected for weight gain. The data set used contained information on 6,650 animals. The genetic values of 8,590 animals in a relationship matrix of five generations were predicted. The following morphometric measurements were evaluated: standard length; body depth and body width. Body area and volume were also calculated. Bi-character analyses involving morphometric traits were used to estimate (covariance components. Heritability, larval and fingerling common environmental effects were estimated for each trait, together with the genetic and phenotypic correlations between traits. Bayesian procedures were utilised by Gibbs chains, and the convergence of the chains was tested using the Heidelberger and Welch method. Genetic trends were estimated by segmented regression of the fish breeding values of the generations considered in this study. Estimates of heritability (0.28 a 0.31 had moderate to high magnitudes for all traits. Genetic correlations between traits were all above 0.8, and the genetic gains were satisfactory from the third generation onwards. From the estimates of the genetic parameters and genetic gain the morphometric traits evaluated have good potential for selection.
Aneurysms of the anterior and posterior cerebral circulation: comparison of the morphometric features.

Science.gov (United States)

Tykocki, Tomasz; Kostkiewicz, Bogusław

2014-09-01

Intracranial aneurysms (IAs) located in the posterior circulation are considered to have higher annual bleed rates than those in the anterior circulation. The aim of the study was to compare the morphometric factors differentiating between IAs located in the anterior and posterior cerebral circulation. A total number of 254 IAs diagnosed between 2009 and 2012 were retrospectively analyzed. All patients qualified for diagnostic, three-dimensional rotational angiography. IAs were assigned to either the anterior or posterior cerebral circulation subsets for the analysis. Means were compared with a t-test. The univariate and stepwise logistic regression analyses were used to determine the predictors of morphometric differences between the groups. For the defined predictors, ROC (receiver-operating characteristic) curves and interactive dot diagrams were calculated with the cutoff values of the morphometric factors. The number of anterior cerebral circulation IAs was 179 (70.5 %); 141 (55.5 %) aneurysms were ruptured. Significant differences between anterior and posterior circulation IAs were found for: the parent artery size (5.08 ± 1.8 mm vs. 3.95 ± 1.5 mm; p 45) and aspect ratio (AR) (1.91 ± 0.8 vs. 2.75 ± 1.8; p = 0.02). Predicting factors differentiating anterior and posterior circulation IAs were: the AR (OR = 2.20; 95 % CI 1.80-270; Is 270 correct or should it be 2.70 and parent artery size (OR = 0.44; 95 % CI 0.38-0.54). The cutoff point in the ROC curve was 2.185 for the AR and 4.89 mm for parent artery size. Aspect ratio and parent artery size were found to be predictive morphometric factors in differentiating between anterior and posterior cerebral IAs.
Quantification of source impact to PM using three-dimensional weighted factor model analysis on multi-site data

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Guoliang; Peng, Xing; Huangfu, Yanqi; Wang, Wei; Xu, Jiao; Tian, Yingze; Feng, Yinchang; Ivey, Cesunica E.; Russell, Armistead G.

2017-07-01

Source apportionment technologies are used to understand the impacts of important sources of particulate matter (PM) air quality, and are widely used for both scientific studies and air quality management. Generally, receptor models apportion speciated PM data from a single sampling site. With the development of large scale monitoring networks, PM speciation are observed at multiple sites in an urban area. For these situations, the models should account for three factors, or dimensions, of the PM, including the chemical species concentrations, sampling periods and sampling site information, suggesting the potential power of a three-dimensional source apportionment approach. However, the principle of three-dimensional Parallel Factor Analysis (Ordinary PARAFAC) model does not always work well in real environmental situations for multi-site receptor datasets. In this work, a new three-way receptor model, called "multi-site three way factor analysis" model is proposed to deal with the multi-site receptor datasets. Synthetic datasets were developed and introduced into the new model to test its performance. Average absolute error (AAE, between estimated and true contributions) for extracted sources were all less than 50%. Additionally, three-dimensional ambient datasets from a Chinese mega-city, Chengdu, were analyzed using this new model to assess the application. Four factors are extracted by the multi-site WFA3 model: secondary source have the highest contributions (64.73 and 56.24 μg/m3), followed by vehicular exhaust (30.13 and 33.60 μg/m3), crustal dust (26.12 and 29.99 μg/m3) and coal combustion (10.73 and 14.83 μg/m3). The model was also compared to PMF, with general agreement, though PMF suggested a lower crustal contribution.
Morphometric Studies Of The Cerebellum And Forebrain Of The ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Morphometric studies were undertaken using the brains of six African giant rats. The mean of weights and lengths (tip of the olfactory bulb to the caudal border of the cerebellum) were observed tobe 4.88 0.183g and 4.40 0.193g, respectively. Similarly, the mean weight and length of the cerebellum and the forebrain ...
Effect of Genotype and Age on Some Morphometric, Body Linear ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A population of 231 roosters of the Nigerian indigenous chickens of normal feathered frizzle feathered and naked neck genotypes was evaluated for the effect of genotype and age on some morphometric body linear measurements and semen characteristics of three Nigerian chicken genotypes. 20 roosters from each ...
Sex determination from the frontal bone: a geometric morphometric study.

Science.gov (United States)

Perlaza, Néstor A

2014-09-01

Sex estimation in human skeletal remains when using the cranium through traditional methods is a fundamental pillar in human identification; however, it may be possible to incur in a margin of error due because of the state of preservation in incomplete or fragmented remains. The aim of this investigation was sex estimation through the geometric morphometric analysis of the frontal bone. The sample employed 60 lateral radiographs of adult subjects of both sexes (30 males and 30 females), aged between 18 and 40 years, with mean age for males of 28 ± 4 and 30 ± 6 years for females. Thin-plate splines evidenced strong expansion of the glabellar region in males and contraction in females. No significant differences were found between sexes with respect to size. The findings suggest differences in shape and size in the glabellar region, besides reaffirming the use of geometric morphometrics as a quantitative method in sex estimation. © 2014 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.
Machine Learning for Nuclear Mechano-Morphometric Biomarkers in Cancer Diagnosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Radhakrishnan, Adityanarayanan; Damodaran, Karthik; Soylemezoglu, Ali C; Uhler, Caroline; Shivashankar, G V

2017-12-20

Current cancer diagnosis employs various nuclear morphometric measures. While these have allowed accurate late-stage prognosis, early diagnosis is still a major challenge. Recent evidence highlights the importance of alterations in mechanical properties of single cells and their nuclei as critical drivers for the onset of cancer. We here present a method to detect subtle changes in nuclear morphometrics at single-cell resolution by combining fluorescence imaging and deep learning. This assay includes a convolutional neural net pipeline and allows us to discriminate between normal and human breast cancer cell lines (fibrocystic and metastatic states) as well as normal and cancer cells in tissue slices with high accuracy. Further, we establish the sensitivity of our pipeline by detecting subtle alterations in normal cells when subjected to small mechano-chemical perturbations that mimic tumor microenvironments. In addition, our assay provides interpretable features that could aid pathological inspections. This pipeline opens new avenues for early disease diagnostics and drug discovery.
Bio-mechanical and morphometric evaluation of late radiation-induced changes in the mouse rectum

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lundby, L.

1998-01-01

The overall aim of this thesis was to study the development of late radiation induced damage of the rectum and describe the histopathological and morphometric characteristics of the late injury. This required the design of a new, small probe for rectal measurements of cross-sectional area and distension pressure in mice. The impedance planimetric method was developed and validated in vitro and applied in in vivo studies of normal mice. The study of radiation induced damage of the rectum also required a new set-up for selective irradiation of a specific part of the rectum, shielding other organs. Mice were irradiated with varying single doses and followed with impedance planimetric measurements at regular intervals until death of the animals. In order to compare observed changes of the functional properties of the rectum following irradiation, a description of morphometric and morphologic characteristics by a stereolic technique was planned. A simplified stereological method has been applied to this study to describe late morphometric changes in the different intestinal layers after irradiation with varying single doses. (EG)
A Qualitative Multi-Site Case Study: Examining Principals' Leadership Styles and School Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Preyear, Loukisha

2015-01-01

The purpose of this qualitative multi-site case study was to explore the impact of principals' leadership styles on student academic achievement in a high-poverty low-performing school district in Louisiana. A total of 17 participants, principals and teachers, from this school district were used in this study. Data source triangulation of…

Positive Family Intervention for Severe Challenging Behavior I: A Multisite Randomized Clinical Trial

Science.gov (United States)

Durand, V. Mark; Hieneman, Meme; Clarke, Shelley; Wang, Mo; Rinaldi, Melissa L.

2013-01-01

The present study was a multisite randomized clinical trial assessing the effects of adding a cognitive-behavioral intervention to positive behavior support (PBS). Fifty-four families who met the criteria of (a) having a child with a developmental disability, (b) whose child displayed serious challenging behavior (e.g., aggression, self-injury,…
Morphometric Analysis of Mandibular Growth in Skeletal Class III Malocclusion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jenny Zwei-Chieng Chang

2006-01-01

Conclusion: We conclude that thin-plate spline analysis and the finite element morphometric method are efficient for the localization and quantification of size and shape changes that occur during mandibular growth. Plots of maximum and minimum principal directions can provide useful information about the trends of growth changes.
A novel biometric signature: multi-site, remote (> 100 m) photo-plethysmography using ambient light

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Verkruijsse, W.; Bodlaender, M.P.

2010-01-01

We propose a novel biometric signature based on the principle of multi-site remote photo-plethysmography (remote PPG). This signature can be measured using video cameras. Traditional PPG uses a contact sensor to measure slight skin color changes that occur with every heartbeat. Recently we have
Morphometric magnetic resonance imaging and genetic testing in cerebellar abiotrophy in Arabian horses

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

Background Cerebellar abiotrophy (CA) is a rare but significant disease in Arabian horses caused by progressive death of the Purkinje cells resulting in cerebellar ataxia characterized by a typical head tremor, jerky head movements and lack of menace response. The specific role of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to support clinical diagnosis has been discussed. However, as yet MR imaging has only been described in one equine CA case. The role of MR morphometry in this regard is currently unknown. Due to the hereditary nature of the disease, genetic testing can support the diagnosis of CA. Therefore, the objective of this study was to perform MR morphometric analysis and genetic testing in four CA-affected Arabian horses and one German Riding Pony with purebred Arabian bloodlines in the third generation. Results CA was diagnosed pathohistologically in the five affected horses (2 months - 3 years) supported by clinical signs, necropsy, and genetic testing which confirmed the TOE1:g.2171G>A SNP genotype A/A in all CA-affected horses. On MR images morphometric analysis of the relative cerebellar size and relative cerebellar cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) space were compared to control images of 15 unaffected horses. It was demonstrated that in MR morphometric analyses, CA affected horses displayed a relatively smaller cerebellum compared to the entire brain mass than control animals (P = 0.0088). The relative cerebellar CSF space was larger in affected horses (P = 0.0017). Using a cut off value of 11.0% for relative cerebellar CSF space, the parameter differentiated between CA-affected horses and controls with a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 93.3%. Conclusions In conclusion, morphometric MRI and genetic analysis could be helpful to support the diagnosis of CA in vivo. PMID:23702154
Multisite EPR oximetry from multiple quadrature harmonics.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmad, R; Som, S; Johnson, D H; Zweier, J L; Kuppusamy, P; Potter, L C

2012-01-01

Multisite continuous wave (CW) electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) oximetry using multiple quadrature field modulation harmonics is presented. First, a recently developed digital receiver is used to extract multiple harmonics of field modulated projection data. Second, a forward model is presented that relates the projection data to unknown parameters, including linewidth at each site. Third, a maximum likelihood estimator of unknown parameters is reported using an iterative algorithm capable of jointly processing multiple quadrature harmonics. The data modeling and processing are applicable for parametric lineshapes under nonsaturating conditions. Joint processing of multiple harmonics leads to 2-3-fold acceleration of EPR data acquisition. For demonstration in two spatial dimensions, both simulations and phantom studies on an L-band system are reported. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Bias and Bias Correction in Multisite Instrumental Variables Analysis of Heterogeneous Mediator Effects

Science.gov (United States)

Reardon, Sean F.; Unlu, Fatih; Zhu, Pei; Bloom, Howard S.

2014-01-01

We explore the use of instrumental variables (IV) analysis with a multisite randomized trial to estimate the effect of a mediating variable on an outcome in cases where it can be assumed that the observed mediator is the only mechanism linking treatment assignment to outcomes, an assumption known in the IV literature as the exclusion restriction.…
Morphometric traits in arbor-acres broiler chicken ( Gallus gallus )fed ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Fifty sixth day morphometric and body weight measurements were taken on one hundred and forty eight Arbor Acres broiler chickens reared under the Deep Litter system in the guinea savana Zone of Nigeria. This study aimed to determine the effects of substituting treated and untreated Cocoa Bean Shell (CBS) at 50 and ...
Linear versus geometric morphometric approaches for the analysis of head shape dimorphism in lizards.

Science.gov (United States)

Fabre, Anne-Claire; Cornette, Raphäel; Huyghe, Katleen; Andrade, Denis V; Herrel, Anthony

2014-09-01

Differences between the sexes may arise because of differences in reproductive strategy, with females investing more in traits related to reproductive output and males investing more in traits related to resource holding capacity and territory defence. Sexual dimorphism is widespread in lizards and in many species males and females also differ in head shape. Males typically have bigger heads than females resulting in intersexual differences in bite force. Whereas most studies documenting differences in head dimensions between sexes use linear dimensions, the use of geometric morphometrics has been advocated as more appropriate to characterize such differences. This method may allow the characterization of local shape differences that may have functional consequences, and provides unbiased indicators of shape. Here, we explore whether the two approaches provide similar results in an analyses of head shape in Tupinambis merianae. The Argentine black and white tegu differs dramatically in body size, head size, and bite force between the sexes. However, whether the intersexual differences in bite force are simply the result of differences in head size or whether more subtle modifications (e.g., in muscle insertion areas) are involved remains currently unknown. Based on the crania and mandibles of 19 lizards with known bite force, we show intersexual differences in the shape of the cranium and mandible using both linear and geometric morphometric approaches. Although both types of analyses showed generally similar results for the mandible, this was not the case for the cranium. Geometric morphometric approaches provided better insights into the underlying functional relationships between the cranium and the jaw musculature, as illustrated by shape differences in muscle insertion areas not detected using linear morphometric data. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Effects of Temperature, Photoperiod, and Rainfall on Morphometric Variation of Diaphorina citri (Hemiptera: Liviidae).

Science.gov (United States)

Paris, Thomson M; Allan, Sandra A; Hall, David G; Hentz, Matthew G; Croxton, Scott D; Ainpudi, Niharika; Stansly, Philip A

2017-02-01

Phenotypic plasticity provides a mechanism by which an organism can adapt to new or changing environments. Earlier studies have demonstrated the variability of Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Asian citrus psyllid) population dynamics, but no analysis of morphological changes induced by seasonal or artificial laboratory-induced conditions has yet been documented. Such morphometric variation has been found to correspond in dispersal capabilities in several insect taxa. In this study, the effects of temperature and photoperiod on morphometric variation of D. citri were examined through laboratory rearing of psyllids under controlled temperatures (20 °C, 28 °C, and 30 °C) and under a short photoperiod of 10.5:13.5 (L:D) h and a long photoperiod of 16:8 (L:D) h. Diaphorina citri were field-collected monthly from three citrus groves in Fort Pierce, Gainesville, and Immokalee, FL, to evaluate potential field-associated environmental effects. Both traditional and geometric morphometric data were used to analyze the correlation between environmental and morphometric variation. A strong correlation was found between temperature and shape change, with larger and broader wings at colder temperatures in the laboratory. Short day length resulted in shorter and narrower wings as well. From the field, temperature, rainfall, and photoperiod were moderately associated with shape parameters. Adult D. citri with blue/green abdomens collected in the laboratory and field studies were larger in size and shape than those with brown/gray abdomens. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America 2016. This work is written by US Government employees and is in the public domain in the US.
Comparative morphometrics of two populations of Mugil curema (Pisces: Mugilidae on the Atlantic and Mexican Pacific coasts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana Laura Ibáñez-Aguirre

2006-03-01

Full Text Available A population of Mugil curema in the Gulf of Mexico was compared with one in the Pacific Ocean using nine morphometric variables. The allometries of each measurement were estimated in relation to total length. Morphometric variations were analyzed using the normalization of the individuals of each group and two multivariate methods: correspondence analysis, used to explore the information, and discriminant analysis. Results indicated that the diameter of the eye differentiated the populations of both coasts, the Atlantic population showed a larger eye diameter. However, other than this and the body width (which can be strongly influenced by sexual maturation there was no difference between the shapes of both populations. We discuss the larger morphometric variability of the Atlantic population which may be due to the presence of more than one population unlike the Pacific population.
Landmark-based geometric morphometric analysis of wing shape among certain species of Aedes mosquitoes in District Dehradun (Uttarakhand), India.

Science.gov (United States)

Mondal, Ritwik; Devi, N Pemola; Jauhari, R K

2015-06-01

Insect wing morphology has been used in many studies to describe variations among species and populations using traditional morphometrics, and more recently geometric morphometrics. A landmark-based geometric morphometric analysis of the wings of three species of Aedes (Diptera: Culicidae), viz. Ae. aegypti, Ae. albopictus and Ae. pseudotaeniatus, at District Dehradun was conducted belling on the fact that it can provide insight into the population structure, ecology and taxonomic identification. Adult Aedes mosquito specimens were randomly collected using aerial nets and morphologically examined and identified. The landmarks were identified on the basis of landmark based geometric morphometric analysis thin-plate spline (mainly the software tps-Util 1.28; tps-Dig 1.40; tps-Relw 1.53; and tps-Spline 1.20) and integrated morphometrics programme (mainly twogroup win8 and PCA win8) were utilized. In relative warp (RW) analysis, the first two RW of Ae. aegypti accounted for the highest value (95.82%), followed by Ae. pseudotaeniatus (90.89%), while the lowest (90.12%) being recorded for Ae. albopictus. The bending energies of Ae. aegypti and Ae. pseudotaeniatus were quite identical being 0.1882 and 0.1858 respectively, while Ae. albopictus recorded the highest value of 0.9774. The mean difference values of the distances among Aedes species performing Hotelling's T 2 test were significantly high, predicting major differences among the taxa. In PCA analysis, the horizontal and vertical axis summarized 52.41 and 23.30% of variances respectively. The centroid size exhibited significant differences among populations (non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test, H = 10.56, p < 0.01). It has been marked out that the geometric morphometrics utilizes powerful and comprehensive statistical procedures to analyze the shape differences of a morphological feature, assuming that the studied mosquitoes may represent different genotypes and probably come from one diverse gene pool.
The Inappropriate Symmetries of Multivariate Statistical Analysis in Geometric Morphometrics.

Science.gov (United States)

Bookstein, Fred L

In today's geometric morphometrics the commonest multivariate statistical procedures, such as principal component analysis or regressions of Procrustes shape coordinates on Centroid Size, embody a tacit roster of symmetries -axioms concerning the homogeneity of the multiple spatial domains or descriptor vectors involved-that do not correspond to actual biological fact. These techniques are hence inappropriate for any application regarding which we have a-priori biological knowledge to the contrary (e.g., genetic/morphogenetic processes common to multiple landmarks, the range of normal in anatomy atlases, the consequences of growth or function for form). But nearly every morphometric investigation is motivated by prior insights of this sort. We therefore need new tools that explicitly incorporate these elements of knowledge, should they be quantitative, to break the symmetries of the classic morphometric approaches. Some of these are already available in our literature but deserve to be known more widely: deflated (spatially adaptive) reference distributions of Procrustes coordinates, Sewall Wright's century-old variant of factor analysis, the geometric algebra of importing explicit biomechanical formulas into Procrustes space. Other methods, not yet fully formulated, might involve parameterized models for strain in idealized forms under load, principled approaches to the separation of functional from Brownian aspects of shape variation over time, and, in general, a better understanding of how the formalism of landmarks interacts with the many other approaches to quantification of anatomy. To more powerfully organize inferences from the high-dimensional measurements that characterize so much of today's organismal biology, tomorrow's toolkit must rely neither on principal component analysis nor on the Procrustes distance formula, but instead on sound prior biological knowledge as expressed in formulas whose coefficients are not all the same. I describe the problems
Gross and morphometric anatomical changes of the thyroid gland in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Gross and morphometric anatomical changes of the thyroid gland in the West African Dwarf Goat ( Capra hircus ) during the foetal and post-natal periods of development. ... The right lobe was more cranially located on the larynx and trachea than the left lobe in all age groups. Thyroid isthmus was absent in few foetal thyroid ...
Application of Multilevel Models to Morphometric Data. Part 2. Correlations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O. Tsybrovskyy

2003-01-01

Full Text Available Multilevel organization of morphometric data (cells are “nested” within patients requires special methods for studying correlations between karyometric features. The most distinct feature of these methods is that separate correlation (covariance matrices are produced for every level in the hierarchy. In karyometric research, the cell‐level (i.e., within‐tumor correlations seem to be of major interest. Beside their biological importance, these correlation coefficients (CC are compulsory when dimensionality reduction is required. Using MLwiN, a dedicated program for multilevel modeling, we show how to use multivariate multilevel models (MMM to obtain and interpret CC in each of the levels. A comparison with two usual, “single‐level” statistics shows that MMM represent the only way to obtain correct cell‐level correlation coefficients. The summary statistics method (take average values across each patient produces patient‐level CC only, and the “pooling” method (merge all cells together and ignore patients as units of analysis yields incorrect CC at all. We conclude that multilevel modeling is an indispensable tool for studying correlations between morphometric variables.
Integrative invasion science: model systems, multi-site studies, focused meta-analysis, and invasion syndromes

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Kueffer, C.; Pyšek, Petr; Richardson, D. M.

2013-01-01

Roč. 200, č. 3 (2013), s. 615-633 ISSN 1469-8137 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GAP504/11/1028; GA ČR GA206/09/0563 Institutional support: RVO:67985939 Keywords : model systems * invasion syndromes * multi-site studies Subject RIV: EF - Botanics Impact factor: 6.545, year: 2013
Multi-Site Calibration of Linear Reservoir Based Geomorphologic Rainfall-Runoff Models

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bahram Saeidifarzad

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Multi-site optimization of two adapted event-based geomorphologic rainfall-runoff models was presented using Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm (NSGA-II method for the South Fork Eel River watershed, California. The first model was developed based on Unequal Cascade of Reservoirs (UECR and the second model was presented as a modified version of Geomorphological Unit Hydrograph based on Nash’s model (GUHN. Two calibration strategies were considered as semi-lumped and semi-distributed for imposing (or unimposing the geomorphology relations in the models. The results of models were compared with Nash’s model. Obtained results using the observed data of two stations in the multi-site optimization framework showed reasonable efficiency values in both the calibration and the verification steps. The outcomes also showed that semi-distributed calibration of the modified GUHN model slightly outperformed other models in both upstream and downstream stations during calibration. Both calibration strategies for the developed UECR model during the verification phase showed slightly better performance in the downstream station, but in the upstream station, the modified GUHN model in the semi-lumped strategy slightly outperformed the other models. The semi-lumped calibration strategy could lead to logical lag time parameters related to the basin geomorphology and may be more suitable for data-based statistical analyses of the rainfall-runoff process.
Morphometric analysis of peroxisome proliferation by phthalate esters in rat liver

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dormans JAMA; Jansen EHJM; de Vlugt-van den Koedijk FM; Riool-Nesselaar G

1992-01-01

Morphometric analysis was performed on liver sections of rats at light (LM) and electron microscopical (EM) level to demonstrate proliferation of peroxisomes after administration of di (2-ethylhexyl)phthalate at dietary levels of 0, 60, 200, 600, 2000 and 6000 mg/kg diet for 2 weeks. Enzyme
Pelvic Floor Morphometric Differences in Elderly Women with or without Urinary Incontinence.

Science.gov (United States)

Fradet, Sarah; Morin, Mélanie; Kruger, Jennifer; Dumoulin, Chantale

2018-01-01

Purpose: Urinary incontinence (UI) affects as many as 50% of women aged 60 years and older, but UI pathophysiology, specifically in elderly women, remains unclear. A better understanding of morphometric differences between continent and urinary incontinent elderly women is needed to improve the effectiveness of conservative treatment approaches. We hypothesized that morphometric differences in the pelvic floor muscles (PFM) among elderly women with and without UI could be observed using three- and four-dimensional (3D/4D) transperineal ultrasound (TPU) imaging. Method: A total of 40 elderly women (20 women with and 20 women without UI), with a mean age of 67.10 (SD 4.94) years, participated in the study. This was a case-control study in which TPU images were taken under three conditions: rest, maximal voluntary contraction (MVC), and Valsalva. Independent t -tests were conducted to compare measurements between the groups. Results: The study revealed statistically significant differences between the groups. At rest, the levator hiatal area and transverse diameter were bigger, and the PFM position was lower in the incontinent group. During MVC, all axial plane parameters were bigger in the incontinent group. In the sagittal plane, PFM position was again lower in the incontinent group. During Valsalva, the anorectal angle was wider in the women with incontinence. Conclusion: PFM morphometric differences were present and were observed using 3D/4D TPU imaging in elderly women with and without UI.
Safety and Clinical Activity of Pembrolizumab and Multisite Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy in Patients With Advanced Solid Tumors.

Science.gov (United States)

Luke, Jason J; Lemons, Jeffrey M; Karrison, Theodore G; Pitroda, Sean P; Melotek, James M; Zha, Yuanyuan; Al-Hallaq, Hania A; Arina, Ainhoa; Khodarev, Nikolai N; Janisch, Linda; Chang, Paul; Patel, Jyoti D; Fleming, Gini F; Moroney, John; Sharma, Manish R; White, Julia R; Ratain, Mark J; Gajewski, Thomas F; Weichselbaum, Ralph R; Chmura, Steven J

2018-02-13

Purpose Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) may stimulate innate and adaptive immunity to augment immunotherapy response. Multisite SBRT is an emerging paradigm for treating metastatic disease. Anti-PD-1-treatment outcomes may be improved with lower disease burden. In this context, we conducted a phase I study to evaluate the safety of pembrolizumab with multisite SBRT in patients with metastatic solid tumors. Patients and Methods Patients progressing on standard treatment received SBRT to two to four metastases. Not all metastases were targeted, and metastases > 65 mL were partially irradiated. SBRT dosing varied by site and ranged from 30 to 50 Gy in three to five fractions with predefined dose de-escalation if excess dose-limiting toxicities were observed. Pembrolizumab was initiated within 7 days after completion of SBRT. Pre- and post-SBRT biopsy specimens were analyzed in a subset of patients to quantify interferon-γ-induced gene expression. Results A total of 79 patients were enrolled; three patients did not receive any treatment and three patients only received SBRT. Patients included in the analysis were treated with SBRT and at least one cycle of pembrolizumab. Most (94.5%) of patients received SBRT to two metastases. Median follow-up for toxicity was 5.5 months (interquartile range, 3.3 to 8.1 months). Six patients experienced dose-limiting toxicities with no radiation dose reductions. In the 68 patients with imaging follow-up, the overall objective response rate was 13.2%. Median overall survival was 9.6 months (95% CI, 6.5 months to undetermined) and median progression-free survival was 3.1 months (95% CI, 2.9 to 3.4 months). Expression of interferon-γ-associated genes from post-SBRT tumor biopsy specimens significantly correlated with nonirradiated tumor response. Conclusion Multisite SBRT followed by pembrolizumab was well tolerated with acceptable toxicity. Additional studies exploring the clinical benefit and predictive biomarkers of combined
Morphometric growth characteristics and body composition of bullfrog tadpoles in captivity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cleber Menegasso Mansano

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Feed management needs to be improved in frog farming to reduce the indirect effects of inadequate feeding and, consequently, to increase growth rates and nutrient deposition, obtaining better quality animals. The objective of this study was to establish morphometric growth curves for bullfrog tadpoles (Lithobates catesbeianus and to determine nutrient deposition in the carcass. A total of 6,480 bullfrogs (Gosner stage 25 received an experimental diet (26.23% digestible protein and 32.68% crude protein and a commercial diet (37.92% crude protein ad libitum. A Gompertz model was used to describe the growth curve. Tadpoles fed the experimental diet presented higher final protein deposition. In addition, the sigmoidal curve was much more homogenous, indicating a more constant daily protein deposition rate. The Gompertz model provided an excellent fit of the data to describe the morphometric growth curve and carcass nutrient deposition of bullfrog tadpoles, showing that animals fed the experimental diet presented a better growth rate and nutrient deposition.

The IM ABLE Study: A Cross-Sector, Multisite Initiative to Advance Care for Warriors and Veterans Following Neuromusculoskeletal Injury of the Lower Limb

Science.gov (United States)

2017-10-01

AWARD NUMBER: W81XWH-16-1-0738 TITLE: The IM ABLE Study: A Cross-Sector, Multisite Initiative to Advance Care for Warriors and Veterans...REPORT TYPE Annual 3. DATES COVERED 30 Sep 2016 - 29 Sep 2017 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE The IM ABLE Study: A Cross-Sector, Multisite Initiative to...widely agreed upon, if accepted at all. If the devices truly improve function and comfort, then the initial high costs of provision may be justified
Reliability of an fMRI Paradigm for Emotional Processing in a Multisite Longitudinal Study

Science.gov (United States)

Gee, Dylan G.; McEwen, Sarah C.; Forsyth, Jennifer K.; Haut, Kristen M.; Bearden, Carrie E.; Addington, Jean; Goodyear, Bradley; Cadenhead, Kristin S.; Mirzakhanian, Heline; Cornblatt, Barbara A.; Olvet, Doreen; Mathalon, Daniel H.; McGlashan, Thomas H.; Perkins, Diana O.; Belger, Aysenil; Seidman, Larry J.; Thermenos, Heidi; Tsuang, Ming T.; van Erp, Theo G.M.; Walker, Elaine F.; Hamann, Stephan; Woods, Scott W.; Constable, Todd; Cannon, Tyrone D.

2015-01-01

Multisite neuroimaging studies can facilitate the investigation of brain-related changes in many contexts, including patient groups that are relatively rare in the general population. Though multisite studies have characterized the reliability of brain activation during working memory and motor functional magnetic resonance imaging tasks, emotion processing tasks, pertinent to many clinical populations, remain less explored. A traveling participants study was conducted with eight healthy volunteers scanned twice on consecutive days at each of the eight North American Longitudinal Prodrome Study sites. Tests derived from generalizability theory showed excellent reliability in the amygdala (Eρ2=0.82), inferior frontal gyrus (IFG;Eρ2=0.83), anterior cingulate cortex (ACC;Eρ2=0.76), insula (Eρ2=0.85), and fusiform gyrus (Eρ2=0.91) for maximum activation and fair to excellent reliability in the amygdala (Eρ2=0.44), IFG (Eρ2=0.48), ACC (Eρ2=0.55), insula (Eρ2=0.42), and fusiform gyrus (Eρ2=0.83) for mean activation across sites and test days. For the amygdala, habituation (Eρ2=0.71) was more stable than mean activation. In a second investigation, data from 111 healthy individuals across sites were aggregated in a voxelwise, quantitative meta-analysis. When compared with a mixed effects model controlling for site, both approaches identified robust activation in regions consistent with expected results based on prior single-site research. Overall, regions central to emotion processing showed strong reliability in the traveling participants study and robust activation in the aggregation study. These results support the reliability of blood oxygen level-dependent signal in emotion processing areas across different sites and scanners and may inform future efforts to increase efficiency and enhance knowledge of rare conditions in the population through multisite neuroimaging paradigms. PMID:25821147
A Multi-Site Campaign to Measure Solar-Like Oscillations in Procyon. II. Mode Frequencies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bedding, Timothy R.; Kjeldsen, Hans; Campante, Tiago L.

2010-01-01

We have analyzed data from a multi-site campaign to observe oscillations in the F5 star Procyon. The data consist of high-precision velocities that we obtained over more than three weeks with 11 telescopes. A new method for adjusting the data weights allows us to suppress the sidelobes in the p...
Modeling multisite streamflow dependence with maximum entropy copula

Science.gov (United States)

Hao, Z.; Singh, V. P.

2013-10-01

Synthetic streamflows at different sites in a river basin are needed for planning, operation, and management of water resources projects. Modeling the temporal and spatial dependence structure of monthly streamflow at different sites is generally required. In this study, the maximum entropy copula method is proposed for multisite monthly streamflow simulation, in which the temporal and spatial dependence structure is imposed as constraints to derive the maximum entropy copula. The monthly streamflows at different sites are then generated by sampling from the conditional distribution. A case study for the generation of monthly streamflow at three sites in the Colorado River basin illustrates the application of the proposed method. Simulated streamflow from the maximum entropy copula is in satisfactory agreement with observed streamflow.
Patterns of Technochange Management in ERP Multisite Implementations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Carugati, Andrea; Gibson, Cyrus; Mola, Lapo

2009-01-01

% of the total costs of implementation, small in comparison to installation and testing (45%) and, most significantly, deployment or actually achieving effective use of technology (36%). Douplaga and Astani [7] in a survey conducted among companies of various size to discovered the major issues concerning ERP......, customizations and training. This study focus therefore on the knowledge and training issues in multisite ERP implementations and proposes a contingent approach to implementation strategies in accordance to the level of knowledge possessed by the company in the ERP technology. ...... problems in getting business results from pervasive IT-related "technochanges". Technochange [4] refers to big, technology-driven, technology-dependent change seeking significant strategic benefits and requiring significant organizational change. From the management point of view these projects differ from...
Bias and Bias Correction in Multi-Site Instrumental Variables Analysis of Heterogeneous Mediator Effects

Science.gov (United States)

Reardon, Sean F.; Unlu, Faith; Zhu, Pei; Bloom, Howard

2013-01-01

We explore the use of instrumental variables (IV) analysis with a multi-site randomized trial to estimate the effect of a mediating variable on an outcome in cases where it can be assumed that the observed mediator is the only mechanism linking treatment assignment to outcomes, as assumption known in the instrumental variables literature as the…
Research staff training in a multisite randomized clinical trial: Methods and recommendations from the Stimulant Reduction Intervention using Dosed Exercise (STRIDE) trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Walker, Robrina; Morris, David W; Greer, Tracy L; Trivedi, Madhukar H

2014-01-01

Descriptions of and recommendations for meeting the challenges of training research staff for multisite studies are limited despite the recognized importance of training on trial outcomes. The STRIDE (STimulant Reduction Intervention using Dosed Exercise) study is a multisite randomized clinical trial that was conducted at nine addiction treatment programs across the United States within the National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network (CTN) and evaluated the addition of exercise to addiction treatment as usual (TAU), compared to health education added to TAU, for individuals with stimulant abuse or dependence. Research staff administered a variety of measures that required a range of interviewing, technical, and clinical skills. In order to address the absence of information on how research staff are trained for multisite clinical studies, the current manuscript describes the conceptual process of training and certifying research assistants for STRIDE. Training was conducted using a three-stage process to allow staff sufficient time for distributive learning, practice, and calibration leading up to implementation of this complex study. Training was successfully implemented with staff across nine sites. Staff demonstrated evidence of study and procedural knowledge via quizzes and skill demonstration on six measures requiring certification. Overall, while the majority of staff had little to no experience in the six measures, all research assistants demonstrated ability to correctly and reliably administer the measures throughout the study. Practical recommendations are provided for training research staff and are particularly applicable to the challenges encountered with large, multisite trials.
Host-based identification is not supported by morphometrics in natural populations of Gyrodactylus salaris and G. thymalli (Platyhelminthes, Monogenea).

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Olstad, K; Shinn, A P; Bachmann, L; Bakke, T A

2007-12-01

Gyrodactylus salaris is a serious pest of wild pre-smolt Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in Norway. The closely related G. thymalli, originally described from grayling (Thymallus thymallus), is assumed harmless to both grayling and salmon. The 2 species are difficult to distinguish using traditional, morphometric methods or molecular approaches. The aim of this study was to explore whether there is a consistent pattern of morphometrical variation between G. salaris and G. thymalli and to analyse the morphometric variation in the context of 'diagnostic realism' (in natural populations). Specimens from the type-material for the 2 species are also included. In total, 27 point-to-point measurements from the opisthaptoral hard parts were used and analysed by digital image processing and uni- and multivariate morphometry. All populations most closely resembled its respective type material, as expected from host species, with the exception of G. thymalli from the Norwegian river Trysilelva. We, therefore, did not find clear support in the morphometrical variation among G. salaris and G. thymalli for an a priori species delineation based on host. The present study also indicates an urgent need for more detailed knowledge on the influence of environmental factors on the phenotype of gyrodactylid populations.
BIOCHEMICAL AND MORPHOMETRIC PARAMETERS OF PRE-LARVAE OF THREE SALMONIDS SPECIES AT ONE-DAY AGE

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Ye. Barylo

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Purpose. To study and analyze the morphometric and some biochemical parameters of pre-larval brown trout, rainbow trout and brook trout in post-embryonic period under the conditions of "Rybnyi Potik” farm in the Transcarpathian region for further use of the obtained data in scientific and practical works related to the cultivation of the juveniles of valuable salmonid species. Methodology. One-day free embryos (pre-larvae of brown trout, rainbow trout and brook trout we used as study materials. Morphometric parameters we studied by the methods of N. O. Lange, E. N. Dmitrieva. The content of total lipids was determined in accordance with Folch. in the tissuesm, which were taken for biochemical studies. Separate classes of lipids were received by thin layer chromatography. Findings. We carried out a comparative analysis of morphometric measurements and biochemical parameters of one-day pre-larval brown trout, rainbow trout and brook trout based on the obtained data. We investigated morphometric and biochemical specific features of pre-larvae in post-embryonic period and showed the species differences of morphometric measurements. Significant differences were observed between the content of lipids in the body and yolk sac of free embryos. In particular, a higher content of phospholipids and triglycerides was observed in the body of brook trout compared to brown trout. We also recorded higher contents of mono- and diacylglycerols, free cholesterol, non-etherified fatty acids (NEFA, triacylglycerols and cholesterol esters in the yolk sac of brook trout. Compared to brown trout, rainbow trout had a significant increase in mono- and diacylglycerols, free cholesterol and NEFA in both body and yolk sac as well higher levels of total lipids, triacylglycerols and cholesterol esters were registered in yolk sac. Originality. For the first time we carried out and compared the specific features of pre-larval brown trout, rainbow trout and brook trout in the
CHERISH (collaboration for hospitalised elders reducing the impact of stays in hospital): protocol for a multi-site improvement program to reduce geriatric syndromes in older inpatients.

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Mudge, Alison M; Banks, Merrilyn D; Barnett, Adrian G; Blackberry, Irene; Graves, Nicholas; Green, Theresa; Harvey, Gillian; Hubbard, Ruth E; Inouye, Sharon K; Kurrle, Sue; Lim, Kwang; McRae, Prue; Peel, Nancye M; Suna, Jessica; Young, Adrienne M

2017-01-09

Older inpatients are at risk of hospital-associated geriatric syndromes including delirium, functional decline, incontinence, falls and pressure injuries. These contribute to longer hospital stays, loss of independence, and death. Effective interventions to reduce geriatric syndromes remain poorly implemented due to their complexity, and require an organised approach to change care practices and systems. Eat Walk Engage is a complex multi-component intervention with structured implementation, which has shown reduced geriatric syndromes and length of stay in pilot studies at one hospital. This study will test effectiveness of implementing Eat Walk Engage using a multi-site cluster randomised trial to inform transferability of this intervention. A hybrid study design will evaluate the effectiveness and implementation strategy of Eat Walk Engage in a real-world setting. A multisite cluster randomised study will be conducted in 8 medical and surgical wards in 4 hospitals, with one ward in each site randomised to implement Eat Walk Engage (intervention) and one to continue usual care (control). Intervention wards will be supported to develop and implement locally tailored strategies to enhance early mobility, nutrition, and meaningful activities. Resources will include a trained, mentored facilitator, audit support, a trained healthcare assistant, and support by an expert facilitator team using the i-PARIHS implementation framework. Patient outcomes and process measures before and after intervention will be compared between intervention and control wards. Primary outcomes are any hospital-associated geriatric syndrome (delirium, functional decline, falls, pressure injuries, new incontinence) and length of stay. Secondary outcomes include discharge destination; 30-day mortality, function and quality of life; 6 month readmissions; and cost-effectiveness. Process measures including patient interviews, activity mapping and mealtime audits will inform interventions in each
A MultiSite GatewayTM vector set for the functional analysis of genes in the model Saccharomyces cerevisiae

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Nagels Durand Astrid

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Recombinatorial cloning using the GatewayTM technology has been the method of choice for high-throughput omics projects, resulting in the availability of entire ORFeomes in GatewayTM compatible vectors. The MultiSite GatewayTM system allows combining multiple genetic fragments such as promoter, ORF and epitope tag in one single reaction. To date, this technology has not been accessible in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, one of the most widely used experimental systems in molecular biology, due to the lack of appropriate destination vectors. Results Here, we present a set of three-fragment MultiSite GatewayTM destination vectors that have been developed for gene expression in S. cerevisiae and that allow the assembly of any promoter, open reading frame, epitope tag arrangement in combination with any of four auxotrophic markers and three distinct replication mechanisms. As an example of its applicability, we used yeast three-hybrid to provide evidence for the assembly of a ternary complex of plant proteins involved in jasmonate signalling and consisting of the JAZ, NINJA and TOPLESS proteins. Conclusion Our vectors make MultiSite GatewayTM cloning accessible in S. cerevisiae and implement a fast and versatile cloning method for the high-throughput functional analysis of (heterologous proteins in one of the most widely used model organisms for molecular biology research.
Capability of applying morphometric parameters of relief in river basins for geomorphological zoning of a territory

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Ivanov, M. A.; Yermolaev, O. P.

2018-01-01

Information about morphometric characteristics of relief is necessary for researches devoted to geographic characteristics of territory, its zoning, assessment of erosion processes, geoecological condition and others. For the Volga Federal District for the first time a spatial database of geomorphometric parameters 1: 200 000 scale was created, based on a river basin approach. Watersheds are used as a spatial units created by semi-automated method using the terrain and hydrological modeling techniques implemented in the TAS GIS and WhiteBox GIS. As input data DEMs SRTM and Aster GDEM and hydrographic network vectorized from topographic maps were used. Using DEM highlighted above for each river basin, basic morphometric relief characteristics such as mean height, slope steepness, slope length, height range, river network density and factor LS were calculated. Basins belonging to the geomorphological regions and landscape zones was determined, according to the map of geomorphological zoning and landscape map. Analysis of variance revealed a statistically significant relationship between these characteristics and geomorphological regions and landscape zones. Consequently, spatial trends of changes of analyzed morphometric characteristics were revealed.
THE PROBIOTIC Enterococcus faecium MODIFIES THE INTESTINAL MORPHOMETRIC PARAMETERS IN WEANING PIGLETS

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Johana Andrea Ciro Galeano

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Global trends for animal production have seen a decrease in the use of antimicrobial compounds in feed, generating the need to implement new nutritional strategies that stimulate growth and promote intestinal health. This study aimed to determine whether the addition of E. faecium in drinking water improves intestinal morphometric parameters in post- weaning pigs compared with the probiotics strains L. acidophilus and L. casei on days 1 (21 days of age, 15 and 30 postweaning. The small intestine was completely removed to evaluate the morphometric parameters (length and width of villi and crypts in the different intestinal segments (duodenum, jejunum, and ileum. They were fed for 30 days with two diets: commercial diet with or without antibiotics. The different probiotics, L. acidophillus, L. casei and E. faecium, were administered in the drinking water of the animals that consumed the commercial diet without antibiotics. A randomized block design in split-plot arrangement was used. There was a significant increase (P<0.01 in the width and length of villi, and a decrease (P<0.01 in the values obtained for the width and depth of crypts in the animals that consumed E .faecium, as compared to those that consumed the diet with addition of antibiotics. The use of probiotics, especially E. faecium, is a nutritional treatment strategy when antimicrobial compound are used, improving the intestinal morphometric parameters and, at the same time, the digestive and productive parameters of the animals. Work is in progress to investigate the effects of probiotic supplementation on the mofication of gut microbiota of post-weaning piglets
The analysis of morphometric data on rocky mountain wolves and artic wolves using statistical method

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Ammar Shafi, Muhammad; Saifullah Rusiman, Mohd; Hamzah, Nor Shamsidah Amir; Nor, Maria Elena; Ahmad, Noor’ani; Azia Hazida Mohamad Azmi, Nur; Latip, Muhammad Faez Ab; Hilmi Azman, Ahmad

2018-04-01

Morphometrics is a quantitative analysis depending on the shape and size of several specimens. Morphometric quantitative analyses are commonly used to analyse fossil record, shape and size of specimens and others. The aim of the study is to find the differences between rocky mountain wolves and arctic wolves based on gender. The sample utilised secondary data which included seven variables as independent variables and two dependent variables. Statistical modelling was used in the analysis such was the analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). The results showed there exist differentiating results between arctic wolves and rocky mountain wolves based on independent factors and gender.
Assessment of the relationships between morphometric characteristics of relief with quantitative and qualitative characteristics of forests using ASTER and SRTM digital terrain models

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D. M. Chernikhovsky

2017-06-01

Full Text Available In the article are shown results of assessment of relationships between quantitative and qualitative characteristics of forests and morphometric characteristics of relief on an example model plot in Nanayskoe forest district of Khabarovsk Territory. The relevance of the investigation is connected with need for improvement of the system of forest evaluation operations in the Russian Federation, including with use of the landscape approach. The tasks of the investigation were assessment of relationships between characteristics of relief and characteristics of forest vegetation cover on different levels of forest management; evaluation of morphometric characteristics of relief are important for structure and productivity of forests; comparison of the results obtained through the use of digital terrain models ASTER and SRTM. Geoinformatic projects were formed for a model plot on the basis of digital terrain models and data of forest mensuration and State (National Forest Inventory. On the basis of the developed method with use geoinformatic technologies were estimated morphometric characteristics of relief (average height, standard deviation of height, entropy, exposition and gradient of slopes, indexes of ruggedness and roughness, quantitative and qualitative characteristics of forests. The multifactor regression analysis, where characteristics of forests (as dependent variables and morphometric characteristics of relief (as independent variables were used, have been done. As a result of research, the set of morphometric characteristics of relief able to influence to variability of quantitative and qualitative characteristics of forests was identified. The set of linear regression equations able to explain 30–50 % of variability of dependent variables was obtained. The regression equations, obtained on base of digital terrain models ASTER and SRTM, comparable to each other in strength of relations (coefficients of determination, but includes the
Exploring the feasibility of multi-site flow cytometric processing of gut associated lymphoid tissue with centralized data analysis for multi-site clinical trials.

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Ian McGowan

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to determine whether the development of a standardized approach to the collection of intestinal tissue from healthy volunteers, isolation of gut associated lymphoid tissue mucosal mononuclear cells (MMC, and characterization of mucosal T cell phenotypes by flow cytometry was sufficient to minimize differences in the normative ranges of flow parameters generated at two trial sites. Forty healthy male study participants were enrolled in Pittsburgh and Los Angeles. MMC were isolated from rectal biopsies using the same biopsy acquisition and enzymatic digestion protocols. As an additional comparator, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC were collected from the study participants. For quality control, cryopreserved PBMC from a single donor were supplied to both sites from a central repository (qPBMC. Using a jointly optimized standard operating procedure, cells were isolated from tissue and blood and stained with monoclonal antibodies targeted to T cell phenotypic markers. Site-specific flow data were analyzed by an independent center which analyzed all data from both sites. Ranges for frequencies for overall CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, derived from the qPBMC samples, were equivalent at both UCLA and MWRI. However, there were significant differences across sites for the majority of T cell activation and memory subsets in qPBMC as well as PBMC and MMC. Standardized protocols to collect, stain, and analyze MMC and PBMC, including centralized analysis, can reduce but not exclude variability in reporting flow data within multi-site studies. Based on these data, centralized processing, flow cytometry, and analysis of samples may provide more robust data across multi-site studies. Centralized processing requires either shipping of fresh samples or cryopreservation and the decision to perform centralized versus site processing needs to take into account the drawbacks and restrictions associated with each method.
Exploring the feasibility of multi-site flow cytometric processing of gut associated lymphoid tissue with centralized data analysis for multi-site clinical trials.

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McGowan, Ian; Anton, Peter A; Elliott, Julie; Cranston, Ross D; Duffill, Kathryn; Althouse, Andrew D; Hawkins, Kevin L; De Rosa, Stephen C

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the development of a standardized approach to the collection of intestinal tissue from healthy volunteers, isolation of gut associated lymphoid tissue mucosal mononuclear cells (MMC), and characterization of mucosal T cell phenotypes by flow cytometry was sufficient to minimize differences in the normative ranges of flow parameters generated at two trial sites. Forty healthy male study participants were enrolled in Pittsburgh and Los Angeles. MMC were isolated from rectal biopsies using the same biopsy acquisition and enzymatic digestion protocols. As an additional comparator, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were collected from the study participants. For quality control, cryopreserved PBMC from a single donor were supplied to both sites from a central repository (qPBMC). Using a jointly optimized standard operating procedure, cells were isolated from tissue and blood and stained with monoclonal antibodies targeted to T cell phenotypic markers. Site-specific flow data were analyzed by an independent center which analyzed all data from both sites. Ranges for frequencies for overall CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, derived from the qPBMC samples, were equivalent at both UCLA and MWRI. However, there were significant differences across sites for the majority of T cell activation and memory subsets in qPBMC as well as PBMC and MMC. Standardized protocols to collect, stain, and analyze MMC and PBMC, including centralized analysis, can reduce but not exclude variability in reporting flow data within multi-site studies. Based on these data, centralized processing, flow cytometry, and analysis of samples may provide more robust data across multi-site studies. Centralized processing requires either shipping of fresh samples or cryopreservation and the decision to perform centralized versus site processing needs to take into account the drawbacks and restrictions associated with each method.
Leaf morphology, taxonomy and geometric morphometrics: a simplified protocol for beginners.

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Vincenzo Viscosi

Full Text Available Taxonomy relies greatly on morphology to discriminate groups. Computerized geometric morphometric methods for quantitative shape analysis measure, test and visualize differences in form in a highly effective, reproducible, accurate and statistically powerful way. Plant leaves are commonly used in taxonomic analyses and are particularly suitable to landmark based geometric morphometrics. However, botanists do not yet seem to have taken advantage of this set of methods in their studies as much as zoologists have done. Using free software and an example dataset from two geographical populations of sessile oak leaves, we describe in detailed but simple terms how to: a compute size and shape variables using Procrustes methods; b test measurement error and the main levels of variation (population and trees using a hierachical design; c estimate the accuracy of group discrimination; d repeat this estimate after controlling for the effect of size differences on shape (i.e., allometry. Measurement error was completely negligible; individual variation in leaf morphology was large and differences between trees were generally bigger than within trees; differences between the two geographic populations were small in both size and shape; despite a weak allometric trend, controlling for the effect of size on shape slighly increased discrimination accuracy. Procrustes based methods for the analysis of landmarks were highly efficient in measuring the hierarchical structure of differences in leaves and in revealing very small-scale variation. In taxonomy and many other fields of botany and biology, the application of geometric morphometrics contributes to increase scientific rigour in the description of important aspects of the phenotypic dimension of biodiversity. Easy to follow but detailed step by step example studies can promote a more extensive use of these numerical methods, as they provide an introduction to the discipline which, for many biologists, is
Variability of morphometric parameters of human trabecular tissue from coxo-arthritis and osteoporotic samples

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Franco Marinozzi

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Morphometric and architectural bone parameters change in diseases such as osteoarthritis and osteoporosis. The mechanical strength of bone is primarily influenced by bone quantity and quality. Bone quality is defined by parameters such as trabecular thickness, trabecular separation, trabecular density and degree of anisotropy that describe the micro-architectural structure of bone. Recently, many studies have validated microtomography as a valuable investigative technique to assess bone morphometry, thanks to micro-CT non-destructive, non-invasive and reliability features, in comparison to traditional techniques such as histology. The aim of this study is the analysis by micro-computed tomography of six specimens, extracted from patients affected by osteoarthritis and osteoporosis, in order to observe the tridimensional structure and calculate several morphometric parameters.
The use of maxillary sinus dimensions in gender determination: a thin-slice multidetector computed tomography assisted morphometric study.

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Ekizoglu, Oguzhan; Inci, Ercan; Hocaoglu, Elif; Sayin, Ibrahim; Kayhan, Fatma Tulin; Can, Ismail Ozgur

2014-05-01

Gender determination is an important step in identification. For gender determination, anthropometric evaluation is one of the main forensic evaluations. In the present study, morphometric analysis of maxillary sinuses was performed to determine gender. For morphometric analysis, coronal and axial paranasal sinus computed tomography (CT) scan with 1-mm slice thickness was used. For this study, 140 subjects (70 women and 70 men) were enrolled (age ranged between 18 and 63). The size of each subject's maxillary sinuses was measured in anteroposterior, transverse, cephalocaudal, and volume directions. In each measurement, the size of the maxillary sinus is significantly small in female gender (P discrimination analysis was performed, the accuracy rate was detected as 80% for women and 74.3% for men with an overall rate of 77.15%. With the use of 1-mm slice thickness CT, morphometric analysis of maxillary sinuses will be helpful for gender determination.

Association between morphometric variables and nocturnal desaturation in sickle-cell anemia.

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Salles, Cristina; Bispo, Marcelo; Trindade-Ramos, Regina Terse

2014-01-01

to evaluate associations between morphometric variables, cervical circumference (CC), and abdominal circumference (AC) with the presence of nocturnal desaturation in children and adolescents with sickle-cell anemia. all patients were submitted to baseline polysomnography, oral cavity measurements (maxillary intermolar distance, mandibular intermolar distance, and overjet), and CC and AC measurements. a total of 85 patients were evaluated. A positive correlation was observed between the height/age Z-score and CC measurement (r = 0.233, p = 0.031). The presence of nocturnal desaturation was associated with CC (59.2± 9.3 vs. 67.5 ± 10.7, p = 0.006) and AC measurements (27.0 ± 2.0 vs. 29.0± 2.1, p = 0.028). There was a negative correlation between desaturation and maxillary intermolar distance (r = -0.365, p = 0.001) and mandibular intermolar distance (r = -0.233, p = 0.037). the morphometric variables of CC and AC may contribute to raise suspicion of nocturnal desaturation in children and adolescents with sickle-cell anemia. Copyright © 2014 Sociedade Brasileira de Pediatria. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.
Association between morphometric variables and nocturnal desaturation in sickle-cell anemia

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Cristina Salles

2014-07-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: to evaluate associations between morphometric variables, cervical circumference (CC, and abdominal circumference (AC with the presence of nocturnal desaturation in children and adolescents with sickle-cell anemia. METHODS: all patients were submitted to baseline polysomnography, oral cavity measurements (maxillary intermolar distance, mandibular intermolar distance, and overjet, and CC and AC measurements. RESULTS: a total of 85 patients were evaluated. A positive correlation was observed between the height/age Z-score and CC measurement (r = 0.233, p = 0.031. The presence of nocturnal desaturation was associated with CC (59.2± 9.3 vs. 67.5 ± 10.7, p = 0.006 and AC measurements (27.0 ± 2.0 vs. 29.0± 2.1, p = 0.028. There was a negative correlation between desaturation and maxillary intermolar distance (r = -0.365, p = 0.001 and mandibular intermolar distance (r = -0.233, p = 0.037. CONCLUSIONS: the morphometric variables of CC and AC may contribute to raise suspicion of nocturnal desaturation in children and adolescents with sickle-cell anemia.
Morphometric aspects of the foramen magnum and the orbit in Brazilian dry skulls

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Lucas A. S. Pires

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Morphometric analysis of crania structures are of great significance to anatomists, forensic doctors, anthropologists, and surgeons. We performed a morphometric study regarding the foramen magnum and the bony orbit on the right side of the cranium in 77 skulls with the purpose of identifying a correlation between these measures, as they are often employed alone to identify the genre and race of a skeleton with no other remains, since the cranium is a structure that can resist fire, explosions, and mutilations. The foramen magnum receives special attention, as it is located in a region together with many strong muscles and ligaments. The measures were taken with a sliding digital caliper. Our results showed that the foramen magnum had a mean anteroposterior diameter of 34.23±2.54 mm, and the mean transverse diameter was 28.62±2.83 mm. The most common shape for the foramen magnum was oval. The mean right orbital height was 32.89±2.45 mm, and the mean right orbital breadth was 37.15±2.68 mm. There was a weak to moderate correlation between these measures. Furthermore, the foramen magnum and the orbit are regions of surgical and clinical significance, thus requiring knowledge regarding the morphometric aspects of such areas, since they can often suffer morphological changes due to a number of diseases and they undergo surgical procedures in order to treat these conditions.
Radioprotective effect of vitamin E in parotid glands: a morphometric analysis in rats

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Gomes, Carolina Cintra; Boscolo, Frab Norberto; Almeida, Solange Maria de; Ramos-Perez, Flavia Maria de Moraes; Perez, Danyel Elias da Cruz; Novaes, Pedro Duarte

2013-01-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the radioprotective effect of vitamin E on rat parotid glands by morphometric analysis. Sixty male rats were divided into 5 groups (n=6): control, in which animals received olive oil solution; olive oil/irradiated, in which animals received olive oil and were irradiated with a dose of 15 Gy of gamma radiation; irradiated, in which animals were irradiated with a dose of 15 Gy gamma radiation; vitamin E, which received α-tocopherol acetate solution; vitamin E/irradiated, which received α-tocopherol acetate solution before irradiation with a dose of 15 Gy gamma rays. Half of the animals were euthanized at 8 h, and the remaining at 30 days after irradiation. Both parotid glands were surgically removed and morphometric analysis of acinar cells was performed. Data were subjected to two-way ANOVA and Tukey's test (α=0.05). Morphometric analysis showed a significant reduction in the number of parotid acinar cells at 30 days in olive oil/irradiated and irradiated groups. In groups evaluated over time a significant reduction was shown at 30 days in olive oil/irradiated and irradiated groups, indicating that ionizing radiation caused tissue damage. The vitamin E/irradiated group presented more acinar cells than the irradiated group, but no statistically significant difference was observed (p>0.05). In conclusion, vitamin E seems to have failed as a radioprotective agent on acinar cells in rat parotid glands. (author)
Radioprotective effect of vitamin E in parotid glands: a morphometric analysis in rats

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Gomes, Carolina Cintra; Boscolo, Frab Norberto; Almeida, Solange Maria de [Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Piracicaba, SP (Brazil). Dept. de Diagnostico Oral; Ramos-Perez, Flavia Maria de Moraes; Perez, Danyel Elias da Cruz, E-mail: flavia.ramosperez@ufpe.br [Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE), Recife, PE (Brazil). Dept. de Clinica e Odontologia Preventiva; Novaes, Pedro Duarte [Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Piracicaba, SP (Brazil). Escola de Odontologia. Dept. de Morfologia

2013-11-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the radioprotective effect of vitamin E on rat parotid glands by morphometric analysis. Sixty male rats were divided into 5 groups (n=6): control, in which animals received olive oil solution; olive oil/irradiated, in which animals received olive oil and were irradiated with a dose of 15 Gy of gamma radiation; irradiated, in which animals were irradiated with a dose of 15 Gy gamma radiation; vitamin E, which received {alpha}-tocopherol acetate solution; vitamin E/irradiated, which received {alpha}-tocopherol acetate solution before irradiation with a dose of 15 Gy gamma rays. Half of the animals were euthanized at 8 h, and the remaining at 30 days after irradiation. Both parotid glands were surgically removed and morphometric analysis of acinar cells was performed. Data were subjected to two-way ANOVA and Tukey's test ({alpha}=0.05). Morphometric analysis showed a significant reduction in the number of parotid acinar cells at 30 days in olive oil/irradiated and irradiated groups. In groups evaluated over time a significant reduction was shown at 30 days in olive oil/irradiated and irradiated groups, indicating that ionizing radiation caused tissue damage. The vitamin E/irradiated group presented more acinar cells than the irradiated group, but no statistically significant difference was observed (p>0.05). In conclusion, vitamin E seems to have failed as a radioprotective agent on acinar cells in rat parotid glands. (author)
Morphometric comparisons of Diaphorina citri (Hemiptera: Liviidae populations from Iran, USA and Pakistan

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Mohammadreza Lashkari

2015-05-01

Full Text Available The Asian citrus psyllid (ACP, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Liviidae, vector of citrus greening disease pathogen, Huanglongbing (HLB, is considered the most serious pest of citrus in the world. Prior molecular based studies have hypothesized a link between the D. citri in Iran and the USA (Florida. The purpose of this study was to collect morphometric data from D. citri populations from Iran (mtCOI haplotype-1, Florida (mtCOI haplotype-1, and Pakistan (mtCOI haplotype-6, to determine whether different mtCOI haplotypes have a relationship to a specific morphometric variation. 240 samples from 6 ACP populations (Iran—Jiroft, Chabahar; Florida—Ft. Pierce, Palm Beach Gardens, Port St. Lucie; and Pakistan—Punjab were collected for comparison. Measurements of 20 morphological characters were selected, measured and analysed using ANOVA and MANOVA. The results indicate differences among the 6 ACP populations (Wilks’ lambda = 0.0376, F = 7.29, P < 0.0001. The body length (BL, circumanal ring length (CL, antenna length (AL, forewing length (WL and Rs vein length of forewing (RL were the most important characters separating the populations. The cluster analysis showed that the Iran and Florida populations are distinct from each other but separate from the Pakistan population. Thus, three subgroups can be morphologically discriminated within D. citri species in this study, (1 Iran, (2 USA (Florida and (3 Pakistan population. Morphometric comparisons provided further resolution to the mtCOI haplotypes and distinguished the Florida and Iranian populations.
Life history dependent morphometric variation in stream-dwelling Atlantic salmon

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Letcher, B.H.

2003-01-01

The time course of morphometric variation among life histories for stream-dwelling Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) parr (age-0+ to age-2+) was analyzed. Possible life histories were combinations of parr maturity status in the autumn (mature or immature) and age at outmigration (smolt at age-2+ or later age). Actual life histories expressed with enough fish for analysis in the 1997 cohort were immature/age-2+ smolt, mature/age-2 +smolt, and mature/age-2+ non-smolt. Tagged fish were assigned to one of the three life histories and digital pictures from the field were analyzed using landmark-based geometric morphometrics. Results indicated that successful grouping of fish according to life history varied with fish age, but that fish could be grouped before the actual expression of the life histories. By March (age-1+), fish were successfully grouped using a descriptive discriminant function and successful assignment ranged from 84 to 97% for the remainder of stream residence. A jackknife of the discriminant function revealed an average life history prediction success of 67% from age-1+ summer to smolting. Low sample numbers for one of the life histories may have limited prediction success. A MANOVA on the shape descriptors (relative warps) also indicated significant differences in shape among life histories from age-1+ summer through to smolting. Across all samples, shape varied significantly with size. Within samples, shape did not vary significantly with size for samples from December (age-0+) to May (age-1+). During the age-1+ summer however, shape varied significantly with size, but the relationship between shape and size was not different among life histories. In the autumn (age-1+) and winter (age-2+), life history differences explained a significant portion of the change in shape with size. Life history dependent morphometric variation may be useful to indicate the timing of early expressions of life history variation and as a tool to explore temporal and
Geospatial tool-based morphometric analysis using SRTM data in Sarabanga Watershed, Cauvery River, Salem district, Tamil Nadu, India

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Arulbalaji, P.; Gurugnanam, B.

2017-11-01

A morphometric analysis of Sarabanga watershed in Salem district has been chosen for the present study. Geospatial tools, such as remote sensing and GIS, are utilized for the extraction of river basin and its drainage networks. The Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission (SRTM-30 m resolution) data have been used for morphometric analysis and evaluating various morphometric parameters. The morphometric parameters of Sarabanga watershed have been analyzed and evaluated by pioneer methods, such as Horton and Strahler. The dendritic type of drainage pattern is draining the Sarabanga watershed, which indicates that lithology and gentle slope category is controlling the study area. The Sarabanga watershed is covered an area of 1208 km2. The slope of the watershed is various from 10 to 40% and which is controlled by lithology of the watershed. The bifurcation ratio ranges from 3 to 4.66 indicating the influence of geological structure and suffered more structural disturbances. The form factor indicates elongated shape of the study area. The total stream length and area of watershed indicate that mean annual rainfall runoff is relatively moderate. The basin relief expressed that watershed has relatively high denudation rates. The drainage density of the watershed is low indicating that infiltration is more dominant. The ruggedness number shows the peak discharges that are likely to be relatively higher. The present study is very useful to plan the watershed management.
Educação Corporativa e Desenvolvimento de Lideranças em Empresas Multisite

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Ticiana Nunes Moscardini

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Nowadays in the business world, changes occur faster and faster. Learning in the organizational context turns into Corporate Education (CE, defined as a set of continuous educational strategies aimed at developing competences for business. Leadership development is an organizational need; therefore, many companies structure educational programs through different strategies and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT applications. The objective of this research is to identify strategies and ICT that have been used in corporate education for leadership development in multisite organizations. The research was exploratory and qualitative, based on interviews in twelve companies located in the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre (the capital of the Brazilian state Rio Grande do Sul, with 24 people interviewed in total. The results indicate that the majority of the companies have not yet adopted the C approach as a whole. The most used strategies for teaching and learning are lectures and debates. Face to face training dominates and ICT use is limited, basically the technologies used are Virtual Learning Environments and Web 2.0 tools. The main challenge for leadership development in these multisite companies is learning and dissemination of their organizational culture.
Constraints on eQTL Fine Mapping in the Presence of Multisite Local Regulation of Gene Expression

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Biao Zeng

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL detection has emerged as an important tool for unraveling of the relationship between genetic risk factors and disease or clinical phenotypes. Most studies use single marker linear regression to discover primary signals, followed by sequential conditional modeling to detect secondary genetic variants affecting gene expression. However, this approach assumes that functional variants are sparsely distributed and that close linkage between them has little impact on estimation of their precise location and the magnitude of effects. We describe a series of simulation studies designed to evaluate the impact of linkage disequilibrium (LD on the fine mapping of causal variants with typical eQTL effect sizes. In the presence of multisite regulation, even though between 80 and 90% of modeled eSNPs associate with normally distributed traits, up to 10% of all secondary signals could be statistical artifacts, and at least 5% but up to one-quarter of credible intervals of SNPs within r2 > 0.8 of the peak may not even include a causal site. The Bayesian methods eCAVIAR and DAP (Deterministic Approximation of Posteriors provide only modest improvement in resolution. Given the strong empirical evidence that gene expression is commonly regulated by more than one variant, we conclude that the fine mapping of causal variants needs to be adjusted for multisite influences, as conditional estimates can be highly biased by interference among linked sites, but ultimately experimental verification of individual effects is needed. Presumably similar conclusions apply not just to eQTL mapping, but to multisite influences on fine mapping of most types of quantitative trait.
Applications of wavelets in morphometric analysis of medical images

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Davatzikos, Christos; Tao, Xiaodong; Shen, Dinggang

2003-11-01

Morphometric analysis of medical images is playing an increasingly important role in understanding brain structure and function, as well as in understanding the way in which these change during development, aging and pathology. This paper presents three wavelet-based methods with related applications in morphometric analysis of magnetic resonance (MR) brain images. The first method handles cases where very limited datasets are available for the training of statistical shape models in the deformable segmentation. The method is capable of capturing a larger range of shape variability than the standard active shape models (ASMs) can, by using the elegant spatial-frequency decomposition of the shape contours provided by wavelet transforms. The second method addresses the difficulty of finding correspondences in anatomical images, which is a key step in shape analysis and deformable registration. The detection of anatomical correspondences is completed by using wavelet-based attribute vectors as morphological signatures of voxels. The third method uses wavelets to characterize the morphological measurements obtained from all voxels in a brain image, and the entire set of wavelet coefficients is further used to build a brain classifier. Since the classification scheme operates in a very-high-dimensional space, it can determine subtle population differences with complex spatial patterns. Experimental results are provided to demonstrate the performance of the proposed methods.
Possibility of Morphometrical Determining of Sex of Steppe Eagle Nestlings from Western and Eastern Populations?

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Igor V. Karyakin

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Sexual dimorphism among nestlings of the Steppe Eagle (Aquila nipalensis is poorly manifested. Thus, determining of sex by morphometric methods encountered many difficulties and could be completed only by the most experienced ornithologists who knows the species very well. This article presents a morphometric method for determining sex of nestlings of the Steppe Eagles from different breeding populations that belongs to different size classes. The method is based on classification formula obtained via linear discriminant analysis conducted for the data set of measurements of Steppe Eagle’s nestlings from Central Kazakhstan and Altai Republic in 2017. To control the sex determination of nestlings a molecular-genetics method was used.
High prevalence of morphometric vertebral deformities in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

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Heijckmann, Anna Caroline; Huijberts, Maya S P; Schoon, Erik J; Geusens, Piet; de Vries, Jolanda; Menheere, Paul P C A; van der Veer, Eveline; Wolffenbuttel, Bruce H R; Stockbrugger, Reinhold W; Dumitrescu, Bianca; Nieuwenhuijzen Kruseman, Arie C

2008-08-01

Earlier studies have documented that the prevalence of decreased bone mineral density (BMD) is elevated in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of vertebral deformities in inflammatory bowel disease patients and their relation with BMD and bone turnover. One hundred and nine patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and 72 with ulcerative colitis (UC) (age 44.5+/-14.2 years) were studied. BMD of the hip (by dual X-ray absorptiometry) was measured and a lateral single energy densitometry of the spine for assessment of vertebral deformities was performed. Serum markers of bone resorption (carboxy-terminal cross-linked telopeptide of type I collagen) and formation (procollagen type I amino-terminal propeptide) were measured, and determinants of prevalent vertebral deformities were assessed using logistic regression analysis. Vertebral deformities were found in 25% of both CD and UC patients. Comparing patients with and without vertebral deformities, no significant difference was found between Z-scores and T-scores of BMD, or levels of serum carboxy-terminal cross-linked telopeptide of type I collagen and serum procollagen type I amino-terminal propeptide. Using logistic regression analysis the only determinant of any morphometric vertebral deformity was sex. The presence of multiple vertebral deformities was associated with older age and glucocorticoid use. The prevalence of morphometric vertebral deformities is high in CD and UC. Male sex, but neither disease activity, bone turnover markers, clinical risk factors, nor BMD predicted their presence. The determinants for having more than one vertebral deformity were age and glucocorticoid use. This implies that in addition to screening for low BMD, morphometric assessment of vertebral deformities is warranted in CD and UC.
The effect of morphometric atlas selection on multi-atlas-based automatic brachial plexus segmentation

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Van de Velde, Joris; Wouters, Johan; Vercauteren, Tom; De Gersem, Werner; Achten, Eric; De Neve, Wilfried; Van Hoof, Tom

2015-01-01

The present study aimed to measure the effect of a morphometric atlas selection strategy on the accuracy of multi-atlas-based BP autosegmentation using the commercially available software package ADMIRE® and to determine the optimal number of selected atlases to use. Autosegmentation accuracy was measured by comparing all generated automatic BP segmentations with anatomically validated gold standard segmentations that were developed using cadavers. Twelve cadaver computed tomography (CT) atlases were included in the study. One atlas was selected as a patient in ADMIRE®, and multi-atlas-based BP autosegmentation was first performed with a group of morphometrically preselected atlases. In this group, the atlases were selected on the basis of similarity in the shoulder protraction position with the patient. The number of selected atlases used started at two and increased up to eight. Subsequently, a group of randomly chosen, non-selected atlases were taken. In this second group, every possible combination of 2 to 8 random atlases was used for multi-atlas-based BP autosegmentation. For both groups, the average Dice similarity coefficient (DSC), Jaccard index (JI) and Inclusion index (INI) were calculated, measuring the similarity of the generated automatic BP segmentations and the gold standard segmentation. Similarity indices of both groups were compared using an independent sample t-test, and the optimal number of selected atlases was investigated using an equivalence trial. For each number of atlases, average similarity indices of the morphometrically selected atlas group were significantly higher than the random group (p < 0,05). In this study, the highest similarity indices were achieved using multi-atlas autosegmentation with 6 selected atlases (average DSC = 0,598; average JI = 0,434; average INI = 0,733). Morphometric atlas selection on the basis of the protraction position of the patient significantly improves multi-atlas-based BP autosegmentation accuracy
Assessing population-level morphometric variation of the Mountain Mullet Agonostomus monticola (Teleostei: Mugilidae across its Middle American distribution

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Bertha P. Díaz-Murillo

2017-12-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Population-level morphometric variation of the Mountain Mullet (Agonostomus monticola was assessed in 419 adult specimens from 25 sample sites (river basins across its Middle American distribution (Pacific and Atlantic-Caribbean drainages. This analysis was based on 36 standardized linear measurements and 19 landmarks on geometric morphometrics approach. Discriminant function analysis (DFA revealed 19 linear morphological characters with significant variation among groups. Geometrically, the most notable changes were associated to the curvature of the frontal region of the head, the anterior and posterior insertion of the first dorsal and anal fins. The resulting grouping based on the DFA and geometric morphometrics techniques (Pacific-A, Pacific-B and NE México-Caribbean were similar to those previously recovered by genetic techniques, where the Pacific-B (Ayuquila river basin was the most different group. Our results provide morphological evidence for considering Agonostomus monticola as a complex of evolutionary entities, represented by two forms in the Pacific Ocean and another in the Atlantic Ocean.
Population studies of Glossina pallidipes in Ethiopia: emphasis on cuticular hydrocarbons and wing morphometric analysis.

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Getahun, M N; Cecchi, G; Seyoum, E

2014-10-01

Tsetse flies, like many insects, use pheromones for inter- and intra-specific communication. Several of their pheromones are cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) that are perceived by contact at close range. We hypothesized that for a successful implementation of the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), along with proper identification of target area and target species, the target tsetse populations and the sterile flies must chemically communicate with each other. To study the population structuring of Glossina pallidipes in Ethiopia, CHCs were extracted and analyzed from three tsetse belts. As a comparative approach, wing morphometric analysis was performed. The analysis of the relative abundance of CHCs revealed that populations of G. pallidipes from the Rift Valley tsetse belt showed a distinct clustering compared to populations from the other two belts. The spatial pattern of CHC differences was complemented by the wing morphometric analysis. Our data suggest that CHCs of known biological and ecological role, when combined with wing morphometric data, will provide an alternative means for the study of population structuring of Glossina populations. This could aid the planning of area wide control strategies using SIT, which is dependent on sexual competence. Copyright © 2014 International Atomic Energy Agency 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Latent Variable Regression 4-Level Hierarchical Model Using Multisite Multiple-Cohorts Longitudinal Data. CRESST Report 801

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Choi, Kilchan

2011-01-01

This report explores a new latent variable regression 4-level hierarchical model for monitoring school performance over time using multisite multiple-cohorts longitudinal data. This kind of data set has a 4-level hierarchical structure: time-series observation nested within students who are nested within different cohorts of students. These…
Morphometric variation of the Herichthys bartoni (Bean, 1892 species group (Teleostei: Cichlidae: How many species comprise H. labridens (Pellegrin, 1903?

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Omar Mejía

Full Text Available Cichlids of the tribe Heroini have long been a source of taxonomical conflict. In particular, the species included in the Herichthys bartoni group have failed to be recovered as monophyletic in different molecular studies. In this paper we use traditional and geometric morphometrics to evaluate morphological variation in the species included in the H. bartoni complex in order to evaluate the number of species it contains. An update of a previously published DNA barcoding study suggests the existence of three genetic clusters that included the six recognized species analyzed in this study, none of them recovered as monophyletic. On the other hand, geometric morphometrics arise as a useful tool to discriminate species due that traditional morphometrics showed a high overlap in the characters analyzed that prevents the proposal of diagnostic characters.
Penentuan Jenis Kelamin Benih Ikan Betutu (Oxyeleotris marmorata Blkr. dengan Teknik Truss Morphometrics

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Atang Atang

2015-01-01

Full Text Available A study on The Gender Determination Of Betutu Germ (Oxyeleotris marmorata Blkr. by Truss Morphometrics used survey method with Simple Random Sampling design, Betutu’s germ as sample were taken from Penjalin reservoir, Brebes. The 26 distance of 13 pile points were based or Truss Morphometrics it were recorded as variables. The result of this research indicated that the size of Betutu’s A2 (origin anterior tip of snout at upper jaw – most posterior aspect of neurocranium, A4 (origin posterior point maxillary – origin of pelvic fin, B5 (origin of pelvic fin – origin of dorsal fin, B6 (origin of pelvic fin – origin of anal fin, D1 (insertion of anal fin – origin of lower caudal fin and D3 (insertion of dorsal II fin – origin of lower caudal fin can differentiate the gender of Betutu’s germ.
Changes in mast cells during acute radiation sickness(a morphometric study)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Datsenko, A.V.; Shikhodyrov, V.V.

1985-01-01

Changes in the morphometric parameters of rat mast cells during acute radiation sickness have been studied. The most significant deviation of the quantitative indices of mast cells from the control values were noted at the height of the bone-marrow, at the terminal stage of the intestinal, and during the first few hours of the cerebral forms of acute radiation sickness

Toward uniform implementation of parametric map Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine standard in multisite quantitative diffusion imaging studies.

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Malyarenko, Dariya; Fedorov, Andriy; Bell, Laura; Prah, Melissa; Hectors, Stefanie; Arlinghaus, Lori; Muzi, Mark; Solaiyappan, Meiyappan; Jacobs, Michael; Fung, Maggie; Shukla-Dave, Amita; McManus, Kevin; Boss, Michael; Taouli, Bachir; Yankeelov, Thomas E; Quarles, Christopher Chad; Schmainda, Kathleen; Chenevert, Thomas L; Newitt, David C

2018-01-01

This paper reports on results of a multisite collaborative project launched by the MRI subgroup of Quantitative Imaging Network to assess current capability and provide future guidelines for generating a standard parametric diffusion map Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine (DICOM) in clinical trials that utilize quantitative diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). Participating sites used a multivendor DWI DICOM dataset of a single phantom to generate parametric maps (PMs) of the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) based on two models. The results were evaluated for numerical consistency among models and true phantom ADC values, as well as for consistency of metadata with attributes required by the DICOM standards. This analysis identified missing metadata descriptive of the sources for detected numerical discrepancies among ADC models. Instead of the DICOM PM object, all sites stored ADC maps as DICOM MR objects, generally lacking designated attributes and coded terms for quantitative DWI modeling. Source-image reference, model parameters, ADC units and scale, deemed important for numerical consistency, were either missing or stored using nonstandard conventions. Guided by the identified limitations, the DICOM PM standard has been amended to include coded terms for the relevant diffusion models. Open-source software has been developed to support conversion of site-specific formats into the standard representation.
Geometric morphometrics as a tool for improving the comparative study of behavioural postures.

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Fureix, Carole; Hausberger, Martine; Seneque, Emilie; Morisset, Stéphane; Baylac, Michel; Cornette, Raphaël; Biquand, Véronique; Deleporte, Pierre

2011-07-01

Describing postures has always been a central concern when studying behaviour. However, attempts to compare postures objectively at phylogenetical, populational, inter- or intra-individual levels generally either rely upon a few key elements or remain highly subjective. Here, we propose a novel approach, based on well-established geometric morphometrics, to describe and to analyse postures globally (i.e. considering the animal's body posture in its entirety rather than focusing only on a few salient elements, such as head or tail position). Geometric morphometrics is concerned with describing and comparing variation and changes in the form (size and shape) of organisms using the coordinates of a series of homologous landmarks (i.e. positioned in relation to skeletal or muscular cues that are the same for different species for every variety of form and function and that have derived from a common ancestor, i.e. they have a common evolutionary ancestry, e.g. neck, wings, flipper/hand). We applied this approach to horses, using global postures (1) to characterise behaviours that correspond to different arousal levels, (2) to test potential impact of environmental changes on postures. Our application of geometric morphometrics to horse postures showed that this method can be used to characterise behavioural categories, to evaluate the impact of environmental factors (here human actions) and to compare individuals and groups. Beyond its application to horses, this promising approach could be applied to all questions involving the analysis of postures (evolution of displays, expression of emotions, stress and welfare, behavioural repertoires…) and could lead to a whole new line of research.
The effect of morphometric scaling on deposition and clearance of inhaled radionuclides

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Bergmann, R.; Hofmann, W.; Koblinger, L.

1996-01-01

The linear dimensions of present lung models are based on morphometric measurements on fully inflated lungs. To simulate deposition and clearance of inhaled radionuclides in human lungs under normal breathing conditions, airway diameters and lengths have to be scaled down to the smaller dimensions at functional residual capacity of about 3000 ml
Population differentiation of the shore crab Carcinus maenas (Brachyura: Portunidae on the southwest English coast based on genetic and morphometric analyses

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Inês C. Silva

2010-08-01

Full Text Available Carcinus maenas has a planktonic larval phase which can potentially disperse over large distances. Consequently, larval transport is expected to play an important role in promoting gene flow and determining population structure. In the present study, population structuring on the southwest coast of England was analysed using molecular and morphometric approaches. Variation at eight microsatellite loci suggested that the individuals sampled within this region comprise a single genetic population and that gene flow among them is not restricted. Nevertheless, the FST values estimated across loci for all populations suggested that the Tamar population was significantly different from the Exe, Camel and Torridge populations. This differentiation is not explained by isolation by distance, and coastal hydrological events that are apparently influencing larval flux might be the cause of this pattern. Morphometric analysis was also performed. Analysis of carapace and chela shape variation using landmark-based geometric morphometrics revealed extensive morphological variability, as the multivariate analysis of variance showed significant morphometric differences among geographic groups for both sexes. Thus, the morphological differentiation found may be a plastic response to habitat-specific selection pressures.
Wing morphometrics as a possible tool for the diagnosis of the Ceratitis fasciventris, C. anonae, C. rosa complex (Diptera, Tephritidae).

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Van Cann, Joannes; Virgilio, Massimiliano; Jordaens, Kurt; De Meyer, Marc

2015-01-01

Previous attempts to resolve the Ceratitis FAR complex (Ceratitis fasciventris, Ceratitis anonae, Ceratitis rosa, Diptera, Tephritidae) showed contrasting results and revealed the occurrence of five microsatellite genotypic clusters (A, F1, F2, R1, R2). In this paper we explore the potential of wing morphometrics for the diagnosis of FAR morphospecies and genotypic clusters. We considered a set of 227 specimens previously morphologically identified and genotyped at 16 microsatellite loci. Seventeen wing landmarks and 6 wing band areas were used for morphometric analyses. Permutational multivariate analysis of variance detected significant differences both across morphospecies and genotypic clusters (for both males and females). Unconstrained and constrained ordinations did not properly resolve groups corresponding to morphospecies or genotypic clusters. However, posterior group membership probabilities (PGMPs) of the Discriminant Analysis of Principal Components (DAPC) allowed the consistent identification of a relevant proportion of specimens (but with performances differing across morphospecies and genotypic clusters). This study suggests that wing morphometrics and PGMPs might represent a possible tool for the diagnosis of species within the FAR complex. Here, we propose a tentative diagnostic method and provide a first reference library of morphometric measures that might be used for the identification of additional and unidentified FAR specimens.
[Some morphometric parameters of nucleoli and nuclei in invasive ductal breast carcinomas in women].

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Karpinska-Kaczmarczyk, Katarzyna

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to correlate seven morphometric parameters of nucleoli and nuclei of invasive ductal cancer cells with some clinico-pathological factors such as age, tumor size, axillary lymph node status, MIB-1 proliferation index, and estrogen receptor expression in tumor cells. Methyl green-pyronin Y (MG-PY) was used for simultaneous staining of nuclei and nucleoli in histological sections of 150 invasive ductal breast carcinomas. Next, morphometric parameters of nucleoli and nuclei of tumor cells were measured with computerized image analysis. Nuclear area and number of nucleoli in breast tumor cells were greater in younger axillary node-negative patients. The number of nucleoli and nucleolar shape polymorphism were reduced in tumors measuring 20 mm or less or with lower histological grade. Nuclear area, nucleolar number, and nucleolar polymorphism in carcinomas with low proliferation index and estrogen receptor expression were smaller than in carcinomas with high proliferation index and no estrogen receptor expression. Nucleolar area in primary tumors without axillary node involvement was greater than in tumors with more than three axillary nodes positive. MG-PY selectively and simultaneously stains nucleoli and nuclei of tumor cells enabling standardized and reproducible examination of these structures with computerized image analysis. Univariate statistical analysis disclosed that some morphometric parameters of nucleoli and nuclei of tumor cells correlated with several established clinico-pathological prognostic factors. Therefore, the prognostic significance of these parameters should be studied in a larger group of patients with invasive ductal breast carcinomas.
EVOLUTION OF MORPHOMETRIC MEASURES IN THE MANGALARGA MARCHADOR BREED

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JULIANO MARTINS SANTIAGO

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The Mangalarga Marchador breed accounts for the largest horse herd in Brazil and has been experiencing national and international expansion. Nevertheless, there is little scientific production on the evolution of this breed and there are no studies on the morphometric transformations that took place during its formation. In this context, the present study aimed to assess the evolution in morphometric measures of the Mangalarga Marchador breed between 1970 and 2010. The research used information archived at the Brazilian Association of Mangalarga Marchador Breeders from 23,148 males and 92,980 females in a completely randomized experimental design. The six treatments consisted of the animals measured between 1970 and 1979, 1980 and 1989, 1990 and 1994, 1995 and 1999, 2000 and 2004, and 2005 and 2010, respectively. The measures assessed were: height at withers and croup, length of the head, neck, back, croup, shoulder, and body, width of the head and croup, thoracic circumference, and cannon circumference Over the period analyzed, males and females experienced a reduction in thoracic circumference, in the lengths of the head, back, croup, and shoulder, and in the widths of the head and croup. In the males, neck length and cannon circumference also decreased, while body length increased in females. Over time, breed selection led to smaller head, higher stature, and shorter trunk length. However, important measures for the breed’s functionality, such as shoulder length and thoracic circumference, decreased.
Multi-site laser Doppler flowmetry for assessing collateral flow in experimental ischemic stroke: Validation of outcome prediction with acute MRI.

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Cuccione, Elisa; Versace, Alessandro; Cho, Tae-Hee; Carone, Davide; Berner, Lise-Prune; Ong, Elodie; Rousseau, David; Cai, Ruiyao; Monza, Laura; Ferrarese, Carlo; Sganzerla, Erik P; Berthezène, Yves; Nighoghossian, Norbert; Wiart, Marlène; Beretta, Simone; Chauveau, Fabien

2017-06-01

High variability in infarct size is common in experimental stroke models and affects statistical power and validity of neuroprotection trials. The aim of this study was to explore cerebral collateral flow as a stratification factor for the prediction of ischemic outcome. Transient intraluminal occlusion of the middle cerebral artery was induced for 90 min in 18 Wistar rats. Cerebral collateral flow was assessed intra-procedurally using multi-site laser Doppler flowmetry monitoring in both the lateral middle cerebral artery territory and the borderzone territory between middle cerebral artery and anterior cerebral artery. Multi-modal magnetic resonance imaging was used to assess acute ischemic lesion (diffusion-weighted imaging, DWI), acute perfusion deficit (time-to-peak, TTP), and final ischemic lesion at 24 h. Infarct volumes and typology at 24 h (large hemispheric versus basal ganglia infarcts) were predicted by both intra-ischemic collateral perfusion and acute DWI lesion volume. Collateral flow assessed by multi-site laser Doppler flowmetry correlated with the corresponding acute perfusion deficit using TTP maps. Multi-site laser Doppler flowmetry monitoring was able to predict ischemic outcome and perfusion deficit in good agreement with acute MRI. Our results support the additional value of cerebral collateral flow monitoring for outcome prediction in experimental ischemic stroke, especially when acute MRI facilities are not available.
Efficient multi-site two-photon functional imaging of neuronal circuits.

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Castanares, Michael Lawrence; Gautam, Vini; Drury, Jack; Bachor, Hans; Daria, Vincent R

2016-12-01

Two-photon imaging using high-speed multi-channel detectors is a promising approach for optical recording of cellular membrane dynamics at multiple sites. A main bottleneck of this technique is the limited number of photons captured within a short exposure time (~1ms). Here, we implement temporal gating to improve the two-photon fluorescence yield from holographically projected multiple foci whilst maintaining a biologically safe incident average power. We observed up to 6x improvement in the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in Fluorescein and cultured hippocampal neurons showing evoked calcium transients. With improved SNR, we could pave the way to achieving multi-site optical recording of fluorogenic probes with response times in the order of ~1ms.
Morphometric analysis of sub-watershed in parts of Western Ghats, South India using ASTER DEM

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Evangelin Ramani Sujatha

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Morphometric analysis is a key to understand the hydrological process and hence is a prerequisite for the assessment of hydrological characteristics of surface water basin. Morphometric analysis to determine the drainage characteristics of Palar sub-watershed, a part of Shanmukha watershed in the Amaravati sub-catchment is done using Advanced Space-borne Thermal Emission and Reflection Global Digital Elevation Model (ASTER GDEM data, and is supplemented with topographical maps in geographical information systems platform. This study uses ASTER GDEM data to extract morphometric features of a mountain stream at micro-watershed level. The sub-watershed is divided into six micro-watersheds. The sub-watershed includes a sixth-order stream. Lower stream orders, in particular first-order streams, dominate the sub-watershed. Development of stream segments is controlled by slope and local relief. Drainage pattern of the sub-watershed and micro-watersheds is dendritic in general. The mean bifurcation ratio of the sub-watershed is 3.69 but its variation between the various stream orders suggests structural control in the development of stream network. The shape factors reveal the elongation of the sub-watershed and micro-watersheds.The relief ratio reveals the high discharge capability of the sub-watershed and meagre groundwater potential. This study is a useful tool for planning strategies in control of soil erosion and soil conservation.
Self-adaptive tensor network states with multi-site correlators

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Kovyrshin, Arseny; Reiher, Markus

2017-12-01

We introduce the concept of self-adaptive tensor network states (SATNSs) based on multi-site correlators. The SATNS ansatz gradually extends its variational space incorporating the most important next-order correlators into the ansatz for the wave function. The selection of these correlators is guided by entanglement-entropy measures from quantum information theory. By sequentially introducing variational parameters and adjusting them to the system under study, the SATNS ansatz achieves keeping their number significantly smaller than the total number of full-configuration interaction parameters. The SATNS ansatz is studied for manganocene in its lowest-energy sextet and doublet states; the latter of which is known to be difficult to describe. It is shown that the SATNS parametrization solves the convergence issues found for previous correlator-based tensor network states.
Morphometric and functional abnormalities of kidneys in the progeny of mice fed chocolate during pregnancy and lactation.

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Ewa Skopińska-Rózewska

2006-09-01

Full Text Available Even most commonly consumed beverages like tea, coffee, chocolate and cocoa contain methylxanthines, biogenic amines and polyphenols, among them catechins, that exhibit significant biological activity and might profoundly affect the organism homeostasis. We have previously shown that 400 mg of bitter chocolate or 6 mg of theobromine added to the daily diet of pregnant and afterwards lactating mice affected embryonic angiogenesis and caused bone mineralization disturbances as well as limb shortening in 4-weeks old offspring. The aim of the present study was the morphometric and functional evaluation of kidneys in the 4-weeks old progeny mice fed according to the protocol mentioned above. Progeny from the mice fed chocolate presented considerable morphometric abnormalities in the kidney structure, with the lower number of glomeruli per mm2 and their increased diameter. Moreover, higher serum creatinine concentration was observed in that group of offspring. No morphometric or functional irregularities were found in the progeny of mice fed theobromine. Abnormalities demonstrated in the offspring of mice fed chocolate are not related to its theobromine content. Consequently, identification of active compound(s responsible for the observed effects is of vital importance.
Relative growth, sexual dimorphism and morphometric maturity of Trichodactylus fluviatilis (Decapoda: Brachyura: Trichodactylidae from Santa Terezinha, Bahia, Brazil

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Tiago Rozário da Silva

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Freshwater crabs are important elements in the aquatic biota of brooks, rivers, lakes and ponds, from both ecological and the socio-economic aspects. Trichodactylidae comprises 51 endemic species from the Neotropical region. Among all the species of this family, Trichodactylus fluviatilis Latreille, 1828 has the widest geographic distribution throughout Brazil. Despite that, there are few published contributions on the biology of this species. The present study investigated the following aspects of T. fluviatilis: relative growth, mean size at onset of morphometric maturity, sexual dimorphism, laterality and heterochely. Specimens were collected monthly from September 2010 through August 2011, from the Velha Eugênia Brook, municipality of Santa Teresinha, State of Bahia. Carapace width (CW, carapace length (CL, major cheliped length (MaCL and minor cheliped length (MiCL, major cheliped height (MaCH and minor cheliped height (MiCH, and width of the fifth abdominal segment (5AB were measured to evaluate the presence of sexual dimorphism; the major difference between the sexes was in the CW vs. 5AB ratio. Heterochely was observed in males and females,with the right cheliped larger than the left in 89% of males and 81% of females. Crab size at the onset of morphometric maturity (= puberty molt was estimated based on the ratio between CL, cheliped dimensions, 5AB and CW (independent variable. Females were larger than males when they reached morphometric maturity in all studied relations. We recommend the use of chelipeds and abdominal width relationships to estimate the size at the morphometric maturity in males and females, respectively.
Morphometric and Histological Study of Osteophytes in Human Cadaveric Lumbar Vertebrae

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Ashwini Aithal Padur; Naveen Kumar; Swamy Ravindra Shanthakumar; Arijit Bishnu

2017-01-01

Introduction: Osteophytes are bony outgrowth on the vertebral column. Its prevalence in the lumbar region and clinical importance mandates to conduct a detailed study of lumbar osteophytes in the cadaveric vertebral column. Aim: The present study was conducted to study the detailed features of lumbar osteophytes and document its prevalence, morphometric and histological structure. Materials and Methods: This was an observational study in which frequency of occurrence of lumbar osteophyt...
Variations in otolith patterns, sizes and body morphometrics of jack mackerel Trachurus japonicus juveniles.

Science.gov (United States)

Kanaji, Y; Kishida, M; Watanabe, Y; Kawamura, T; Xie, S; Yamashita, Y; Sassa, C; Tsukamoto, Y

2010-10-01

Variations in otolith patterns, sizes and body morphometrics of jack mackerel Trachurus japonicus juveniles were investigated. Under transmitted light, translucent (W(t)) and opaque otoliths (W(o)) were detected in juveniles collected from Wakasa Bay between July 2005 and April 2006, whereas only opaque otoliths (G(o)) were detected in Goto-nada Sea individuals between May and June 2006. Three groups of juveniles were distinguished based on differences in hatch season, otolith size and growth history, and body morphometrics. As T. japonicus has different spawning seasons according to spawning grounds, each group was estimated to hatch in different waters. Juveniles with W(t) otoliths were considered to have stayed in coastal habitat longer, as the hatch area was estimated to be near Wakasa Bay. Juveniles with W(o) and G(o) otoliths appear to recruit to coastal waters at larger size, since their hatch areas were estimated to be far from each collection area. Larger otoliths of W(t) were attributed to otolith accretion after the second growth flexion, which was observed only for W(t) . Standard length of W(t) fish at the second otolith growth flexion was estimated to correspond to recruitment size to coastal rocky reefs in Wakasa Bay. Body morphometrics were correlated with otolith size after removing body size effect, suggesting that morphological variations of T. japonicus juveniles were also associated with the timing of recruitment to coastal habitat. © 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2010 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.
Collaboration and E-collaboration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Razmerita, Liana; Kirchner, Kathrin

2015-01-01

Understanding student’s perception of collaboration and how collaboration is supported by ICT is important for its efficient use in the classroom. This article aims to investigate how students perceive collaboration and how they use new technologies in collaborative group work. Furthermore......, it tries to measure the impact of technology on students’ satisfaction with collaboration outcomes. In particular, the study aims to address the following research questions: Which demographic information (e.g. gender and place of origin) is significant for collaboration and ecollaboration? and Which...... are the perceived factors that influence the students’ group performance? The findings of this study emphasize that there are gender and cultural differences with respect to the perception of e-collaboration. Furthermore, the article summarizes in a model the most significant factors influencing group performance....
Real-Time Enrollment Dashboard For Multisite Clinical Trials.

Science.gov (United States)

Mattingly, William A; Kelley, Robert R; Wiemken, Timothy L; Chariker, Julia H; Peyrani, Paula; Guinn, Brian E; Binford, Laura E; Buckner, Kimberley; Ramirez, Julio

2015-10-30

Achieving patient recruitment goals are critical for the successful completion of a clinical trial. We designed and developed a web-based dashboard for assisting in the management of clinical trial screening and enrollment. We use the dashboard to assist in the management of two observational studies of community-acquired pneumonia. Clinical research associates and managers using the dashboard were surveyed to determine its effectiveness as compared with traditional direct communication. The dashboard has been in use since it was first introduced in May of 2014. Of the 23 staff responding to the survey, 77% felt that it was easier or much easier to use the dashboard for communication than to use direct communication. We have designed and implemented a visualization dashboard for managing multi-site clinical trial enrollment in two community acquired pneumonia studies. Information dashboards are a useful tool for clinical trial management. They can be used as a standalone trial information tool or included into a larger management system.
The effect of simulation courseware on critical thinking in undergraduate nursing students: multi-site pre-post study.

Science.gov (United States)

Shin, Hyunsook; Ma, Hyunhee; Park, Jiyoung; Ji, Eun Sun; Kim, Dong Hee

2015-04-01

The use of simulations has been considered as opportunities for students to enhance their critical thinking (CT), but previous studies were limited because they did not provide in-depth information on the working dynamics of simulation or on the effects of the number of simulation exposures on CT. This study examined the effect of an integrated pediatric nursing simulation used in a nursing practicum on students' CT abilities and identified the effects of differing numbers of simulation exposures on CT in a multi-site environment. The study used a multi-site, pre-test, post-test design. A total of 237 nursing students at three universities enrolled in a pediatric practicum participated in this study from February to December 2013. All three schools used the same simulation courseware, including the same simulation scenarios, evaluation tools, and simulation equipment. The courseware incorporated high-fidelity simulators and standardized patients. Students at school A completed one simulation session, whereas students at schools B and C completed two and three simulation sessions, respectively. Yoon's Critical Thinking Disposition tool (2008) was used to measure students' CT abilities. The gains in students' CT scores varied according to their numbers of exposures to the simulation courseware. With a single exposure, there were no statistically significant gains in CT, whereas three exposures to the courseware produced significant gains in CT. In seven subcategories of critical thinking, three exposures to the simulation courseware produced CT gains in the prudence and intellectual eagerness subcategories, and the overall simulation experience produced CT gains in the prudence, systematicity, healthy skepticism, and intellectual eagerness subcategories. Simulation courseware may produce positive learning outcomes for prudence in nursing education. In addition, the findings from the multi-site comparative study may contribute to greater understanding of how patient
Sperm morphological and morphometric evaluation in captive collared peccaries (Pecari tajacu

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patrícia C. Sousa

2013-07-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to compare different staining methods for the evaluation of sperm morphology by light microscopy and also to describe the morphometry of the entire sperm in collared peccaries (Pecari tajacu. Semen from 10 males was obtained by electroejaculation and evaluated for sperm motility, vigor, and concentration. Semen smears were prepared through three different staining methods: Bengal rose, brome-phenol blue, and eosin-nigrosin. Smears were evaluated under light microscopy and sperm morphologic alterations were determined in percentage. In addition, sperm morphometric analysis was conducted by light microscopy coupled to image analyzer software. The smears stained with Bengal Rose provide the best results for the visualization of the sperm tail, midpiece, and head. The use of eosin-nigrosin stain did not allow an adequate impregnation, and some sperm presented a few contrasts with the background. A higher incidence of bent coiled tails was verified in the use of brome-phenol blue staining (P<0.05. Through morphometric evaluation, it was observed that the tail occupies the greatest proportion (89% of the sperm which presents a discretely elongated head. According to the results, the use of the Bengal Rose stain is recommended for the morphologic evaluation of the collared peccary sperm.
Morphometric findings in avascular necrosis of the femoral head.

Science.gov (United States)

Kamal, Diana; Trăistaru, Rodica; Alexandru, D O; Kamal, C K; Pirici, D; Pop, O T; Mălăescu, D Gh

2012-01-01

Avascular necrosis of the femoral head is an illness with a controversial etiology, the trigger event being the suppression of blood flow to the femoral head. The disease affects mostly young adults within their third and fifth decade, the majority of the patients being men. The main risk factors are trauma, chronic alcohol consumption, smoking, corticotherapy. The main goal of our study is to describe the morphometric changes found in the bone tissue of patients diagnosed with avascular necrosis of the femoral head, with different risk factors, by comparing the area of bone trabeculae inside the area of necrosis with that from the adjacent viable tissue. The morphometric study used biological material from 16 patients with ages between 29 and 57 years, who underwent surgery for avascular necrosis of the femoral head. They were admitted in the Orthopedics Department at the Emergency County Hospital in Craiova between 2010 and 2011 and were split into four groups. Group I presented trauma as the main risk factor, Group II had corticotherapy as the defining risk factor, Group III presented chronic alcohol consumption and Group IV was represented by the patients who smoked and exhibited chronic alcohol consumption. There was not a significant statistical difference between the areas of bone trabeculae of the four groups when we compared viable bone tissue to the necrotized one. Knowing the risk factors of the avascular necrosis of the femoral head is critical to the management of the disease, because diagnosing it in an early stage is a necessity for obtaining a good result for conservative treatment.

Analytical recursive method to ascertain multisite entanglement in doped quantum spin ladders

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Roy, Sudipto Singha; Dhar, Himadri Shekhar; Rakshit, Debraj; SenDe, Aditi; Sen, Ujjwal

2017-08-01

We formulate an analytical recursive method to generate the wave function of doped short-range resonating valence bond (RVB) states as a tool to efficiently estimate multisite entanglement as well as other physical quantities in doped quantum spin ladders. We prove that doped RVB ladder states are always genuine multipartite entangled. Importantly, our results show that within specific doping concentration and model parameter regimes, the doped RVB state essentially characterizes the trends of genuine multiparty entanglement in the exact ground states of the Hubbard model with large on-site interactions, in the limit that yields the t -J Hamiltonian.
Implementation of a novel synchronous multi-site all day high-fidelity simulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Abraham, Paul; Verdonk, Franck; Buleon, Clement; Tesniere, Antoine; Lilot, Marc

2018-01-01

Integration of simulation in educational curricula for anesthesia and intensive care residents is a hot topic. There is a great interest for simulation centers to share their experiences through multi-site synchronous simulation sessions. The present study results from an experience conducted at three sites in France (Paris, Lyon, and Caen), which involved 16 instructors and 25 residents facing the same scenario across 1 day. Synchronous simulations were performed at each site with local and shared debriefing via teleconference. This innovative approach to simulation was found to be feasible, although certain difficulties were encountered with connectivity.
Data on morphometric analysis of the pancreatic islets from C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thiago Aparecido da Silva

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The endocrine portion of the pancreas, which is characterized by pancreatic islets, has been widely investigated among different species. The BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice are extensively used in experimental research, and the morphometric differences in the pancreatic islets of these animals have not been evaluated so far. Thus, our data have a comparative perspective related to the morphometric analysis of area, diameters, circularity, and density of pancreatic islets from BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice. The data presented here are focused to evaluate the differences in morphology of pancreatic islets of two common laboratory mouse strains. Keywords: Pancreatic islets, Morphometry, BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice
FDG PET/CT for therapeutic response monitoring in multi-site non-respiratory tuberculosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Geng Tian; Yong Xiao; Bin Chen; Jun Xia; Hong Guan; Qunyi Deng

2010-01-01

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) can produce positive signals during 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission/computed tomography (FDG PET/CT) scanning. Until now, there has been no better method than clinical assessment to evaluate the therapeutic response of non-respiratory TB (NRTB). Purpose: To retrospectively assess the ability of FDG PET/CT to evaluate the response to anti-TB treatment in patients with NRTB. Material and Methods: Three patients with multi-site NRTB underwent repeat PET/CT scans during anti-TB treatment. Changes in maximal standard uptake value (SUVmax) of the TB lesions on PET/CT images were analyzed between two scans. Initial PET/CT scans were performed before the start of anti-TB treatment, and later scans were performed after completion of the treatment. Results: Patient 1, a 63-year-old female, and patient 2, a 50-year-old male, were diagnosed as multi-site NRTB by biopsy. Patient 3, a 37-year-old male was diagnosed clinically. These patients demonstrated multiple FDG-avid lesions in whole body on initial PET/CT images. The highest SUVmax of patient 1, 2, and 3 were 13.6, 17.7, and 13.9 separately. After completion of the treatment, all positive signals of patient 1, 2, and 3 decreased to undetectable value on repeated PET/CT scans with intervals of 318 days, 258 days, and 182 days separately. Conclusion: FDG PET/CT scan may be useful for monitoring responses to anti-TB treatment in patients with NRTB
Estimating population age structure using otolith morphometrics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Doering-Arjes, P.; Cardinale, M.; Mosegaard, Henrik

2008-01-01

known-age fish individuals. Here we used known-age Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) from the Faroe Bank and Faroe Plateau stocks. Cod populations usually show quite large variation in growth rates and otolith shape. We showed that including otolith morphometrics into ageing processes has the potential...... populations. The intercalibration method was successful but generalization from one stock to another remains problematic. The development of an otolith growth model is needed for generalization if an operational method for different populations is required in the future....... to make ageing objective, accurate, and fast. Calibration analysis indicated that a known-age sample from the same population and environment is needed to obtain robust calibration; using a sample from a different stock more than doubles the error rate, even in the case of genetically highly related...
Multi-site and multi-depth near-infrared spectroscopy in a model of simulated (central) hypovolemia: Lower body negative pressure

NARCIS (Netherlands)

S.A. Bartels (Sebastiaan); R. Bezemer (Rick); F.J.W. Wallis de Vries (Floris); D.M.J. Milstein (Dan); A.A.P. Lima (Alexandre ); T.G.V. Cherpanath (Thomas); A.H. van den Meiracker (Anton); J. van Bommel (Jasper); M. Heger (Michal); J.M. Karemaker (John); C. Ince (Can)

2011-01-01

textabstractPurpose: To test the hypothesis that the sensitivity of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) in reflecting the degree of (compensated) hypovolemia would be affected by the application site and probing depth. We simultaneously applied multi-site (thenar and forearm) and multi-depth (15-2.5
Morphometric characteristics of sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus L. fruits in Novi Sad urban populations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kostić Saša

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This paper shows the results of the analysis of the fruit morphometric characteristics of 29 trees of sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus L. and red - leaf sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus ‘Аtropurpureum’ Späth. in Novi Sad area. Based on the test trees, it can be concluded that the analyzed secondary population of sycamore maple has a high level of intra - populations variability, based on different degrees of variability of measured parameters and statistically significant differences of all analyzed parameters within the analysed genotypes. The results indicate that there are certain differences between fruit of sycamore maple and its red - leaf variety. Given that there is no statistically significant difference between sites and different urban spaces, it can be concluded that stress factors caused by a high degree of urbanity do not affect the morphometric characteristics of fruits in the analyzed test trees. Testing the symmetry of fruits indicates a high level of genetic variability within the analyzed population.
Multisite stochastic simulation of daily precipitation from copula modeling with a gamma marginal distribution

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Taesam

2018-05-01

Multisite stochastic simulations of daily precipitation have been widely employed in hydrologic analyses for climate change assessment and agricultural model inputs. Recently, a copula model with a gamma marginal distribution has become one of the common approaches for simulating precipitation at multiple sites. Here, we tested the correlation structure of the copula modeling. The results indicate that there is a significant underestimation of the correlation in the simulated data compared to the observed data. Therefore, we proposed an indirect method for estimating the cross-correlations when simulating precipitation at multiple stations. We used the full relationship between the correlation of the observed data and the normally transformed data. Although this indirect method offers certain improvements in preserving the cross-correlations between sites in the original domain, the method was not reliable in application. Therefore, we further improved a simulation-based method (SBM) that was developed to model the multisite precipitation occurrence. The SBM preserved well the cross-correlations of the original domain. The SBM method provides around 0.2 better cross-correlation than the direct method and around 0.1 degree better than the indirect method. The three models were applied to the stations in the Nakdong River basin, and the SBM was the best alternative for reproducing the historical cross-correlation. The direct method significantly underestimates the correlations among the observed data, and the indirect method appeared to be unreliable.
[Automated morphometric evaluation of the chromatin structure of liver cell nuclei after vagotomy].

Science.gov (United States)

Butusova, N N; Zhukotskiĭ, A V; Sherbo, I V; Gribkov, E N; Dubovaia, T K

1989-05-01

The morphometric analysis of the interphase chromatine structure of the hepatic cells nuclei was carried out on the automated TV installation for the quantitative analysis of images "IBAS-2" (by the OPTON firm, the FRG) according to 50 optical and geometric parameters during various periods (1.2 and 4 weeks) after the vagotomy operation. It is determined that upper-molecular organisation of chromatine undergoes the biggest changes one week after operation, and changes of granular component are more informative than changes of the nongranular component (with the difference 15-20%). It was also revealed that chromatine components differ in tinctorial properties, which are evidently dependent on physicochemical characteristics of the chromatine under various functional conditions of the cell. As a result of the correlation analysis the group of morphometric indices of chromatine structure was revealed, which are highly correlated with level of transcription activity of chromatine during various terms after denervation. The correlation quotient of these parameters is 0.85-0.97. The summing up: vagus denervation of the liver causes changes in the morphofunctional organisation of the chromatine.
Robust multi-site MR data processing: iterative optimization of bias correction, tissue classification, and registration.

Science.gov (United States)

Young Kim, Eun; Johnson, Hans J

2013-01-01

A robust multi-modal tool, for automated registration, bias correction, and tissue classification, has been implemented for large-scale heterogeneous multi-site longitudinal MR data analysis. This work focused on improving the an iterative optimization framework between bias-correction, registration, and tissue classification inspired from previous work. The primary contributions are robustness improvements from incorporation of following four elements: (1) utilize multi-modal and repeated scans, (2) incorporate high-deformable registration, (3) use extended set of tissue definitions, and (4) use of multi-modal aware intensity-context priors. The benefits of these enhancements were investigated by a series of experiments with both simulated brain data set (BrainWeb) and by applying to highly-heterogeneous data from a 32 site imaging study with quality assessments through the expert visual inspection. The implementation of this tool is tailored for, but not limited to, large-scale data processing with great data variation with a flexible interface. In this paper, we describe enhancements to a joint registration, bias correction, and the tissue classification, that improve the generalizability and robustness for processing multi-modal longitudinal MR scans collected at multi-sites. The tool was evaluated by using both simulated and simulated and human subject MRI images. With these enhancements, the results showed improved robustness for large-scale heterogeneous MRI processing.
Experimental sharp force injuries to ribs: Multimodal morphological and geometric morphometric analyses using micro-CT, macro photography and SEM.

Science.gov (United States)

Komo, Larissa; Grassberger, Martin

2018-07-01

Tool marks on bones induced by knife blades can be analysed morphometrically in order to enable an allocation of the suspected "inflicting weapon" to the particular morphology of the bone lesions. Until now, geometric morphometrics has not been used to analyse the morphology of knife lesions on fleshed bones in detail. By using twelve experimental knives and a drop weight tower, stab/cut injuries were inflicted on untreated pig ribs. The morphology of the experimentally produced lesions was subsequently recorded with three imaging techniques (μCT, macro photography and SEM) and analysed with different morphometric software (Amira, tps and Morpheus). Based on the measured distances between the walls of the kerf marks, which corresponded to the thickness of the blade, one could conclude to the respective blade thickness with a deviation of max. ±0.35mm and match the injuries to the knives. With subsequent reanalysis after maceration, an average shrinkage factor up to 8.6% was observed. Among the three imaging techniques used in this study, μCT was the most accurate and efficient technique, particularly because it represented the only non-destructive modality to document injuries without maceration, even though μCT is more expensive and time-consuming as well as less accessible than a macro SLR-camera or a SEM. For optimal characterizations of the blades' and kerfs' shapes the software tps proofed to be the best choice. Accordingly, geometric morphometrics could serve as a tool in forensic investigations concerning kerf marks. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Topological data analysis as a morphometric method: using persistent homology to demarcate a leaf morphospace

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Current morphometric methods that comprehensively measure shape cannot compare the disparate leaf shapes found in flowering plants and are sensitive to processing artifacts. Here we describe a persistent homology approach to measuring shape. Persistent homology is a topological method (concerned wit...
Model-data fusion across ecosystems: from multisite optimizations to global simulations

Science.gov (United States)

Kuppel, S.; Peylin, P.; Maignan, F.; Chevallier, F.; Kiely, G.; Montagnani, L.; Cescatti, A.

2014-11-01

This study uses a variational data assimilation framework to simultaneously constrain a global ecosystem model with eddy covariance measurements of daily net ecosystem exchange (NEE) and latent heat (LE) fluxes from a large number of sites grouped in seven plant functional types (PFTs). It is an attempt to bridge the gap between the numerous site-specific parameter optimization works found in the literature and the generic parameterization used by most land surface models within each PFT. The present multisite approach allows deriving PFT-generic sets of optimized parameters enhancing the agreement between measured and simulated fluxes at most of the sites considered, with performances often comparable to those of the corresponding site-specific optimizations. Besides reducing the PFT-averaged model-data root-mean-square difference (RMSD) and the associated daily output uncertainty, the optimization improves the simulated CO2 balance at tropical and temperate forests sites. The major site-level NEE adjustments at the seasonal scale are reduced amplitude in C3 grasslands and boreal forests, increased seasonality in temperate evergreen forests, and better model-data phasing in temperate deciduous broadleaf forests. Conversely, the poorer performances in tropical evergreen broadleaf forests points to deficiencies regarding the modelling of phenology and soil water stress for this PFT. An evaluation with data-oriented estimates of photosynthesis (GPP - gross primary productivity) and ecosystem respiration (Reco) rates indicates distinctively improved simulations of both gross fluxes. The multisite parameter sets are then tested against CO2 concentrations measured at 53 locations around the globe, showing significant adjustments of the modelled seasonality of atmospheric CO2 concentration, whose relevance seems PFT-dependent, along with an improved interannual variability. Lastly, a global-scale evaluation with remote sensing NDVI (normalized difference vegetation index
African American Veterans Storytelling: A Multisite Randomized Trial to Improve Hypertension.

Science.gov (United States)

Houston, Thomas K; Fix, Gemmae M; Shimada, Stephanie L; Long, Judith A; Gordon, Howard S; Pope, Charlene; Volkman, Julie; Allison, Jeroan J; DeLaughter, Kathryn; Orner, Michelle; Bokhour, Barbara G

2017-09-01

Disparities in hypertension control persist for African American Veterans. To enhance cultural relevance of hypertension control self-management education, in a multisite, stratified randomized trial, we tested an interactive Veteran-to-Veteran storytelling digital video disk (DVD) intervention created with Veteran partners, versus an education-only DVD comparison. At 3 VA facilities, African American Veterans with uncontrolled hypertension were randomized to storytelling DVD intervention or didactic comparison DVD and followed for 6 months. We hypothesized that follow-up blood pressure (BP) would be lower among Veterans in the intervention group. African American Veterans (N=619) were 92% male, 39% over age 65, most had a high-school education, over 50% of both the intervention and comparison group reported a household income of 0.3). Site differences were large; at one, the intervention group improved while the comparison groups deteriorated, resulting in 6.3 and 3.9 mm Hg more improvement for the intervention group in SBP and diastolic BP (P=0.06 and 0.04), respectively; at the other 2 sites, there were positive and negative changes, all small, in the 2 measures, with minimal differences-one site favored the comparison group and the other, the intervention (these comparisons did not approach statistical significance (all P>0.20). In a secondary analysis stratified by baseline BP, there was no intervention effect among those with uncontrolled BP, but intervention patients who were in control at baseline were more likely to stay in control, compared with comparison [SBP increase by 6.3 mm Hg (SD=14.4) among intervention, and by 10.9 mm Hg (SD=16.9) in comparison, P=0.02]. In this multisite trial, we did not find a significant overall storytelling intervention effect (Clinicaltrials.gov Reg. #NCT01276197).
Postmortem acinar autolysis in rat sublingual gland: a morphometric study.

Science.gov (United States)

Nery, Leticia Rodrigues; Moreira, Carla Ruffeil; Cestari, Tania Mary; Taga, Rumio; Damante, José Humberto

2010-01-01

To analyze and to quantify morphological acinar postmortem changes in rat sublingual glands (SLG). MATERIAL AND METHODSs: Fifty rats were divided into two groups of 25 animals each. Group I was used for morphological and morphometric evaluations and group II for the determination of gland density and processed gland volume. Acinar autolytic changes were studied at 0 (control group), 3, 6, 12 and 24 h postmortem periods. The morphometric analysis of the volume density (Vv) and total volume (Vt) of intact (ia) and autolyzed (aa) acini was performed under light microscopy using a Zeiss II integration grid with 100 symmetrically distributed points. Morphologically, temporal progressive nuclear alterations and gradual loss of the structural architecture of acinar cells were found. Regarding quantitative results, both the Vvaa and the Vvia showed statistically significant differences among all postmortem periods (p0.05), respectively. Vtaa increased from 0.18 mm³ at 0 h to 38.17 mm³ at 12 h, while Vtia showed a decrease from 33.47 mm³ to 0 mm³ between 3-24 h postmortem. Data concerning Vtaa were adjusted by two-variable linear regression, obtaining the equation: y=-3.54+3.38x (r²=0.90). The Vtaa growth rate calculated by this equation was 3.38 mm³/h between 0-12 h. Acinar autolysis on rat SLG demonstrated the most significant signs during the first 6 h postmortem and was widely spread through the gland at 12 h.
Morphometric analysis of the fascicular organisation of the optic nerve

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Radunović Miroslav

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Background/Aim. The optic nerve is anatomically observed in four segments: intrabulbar, orbital, canalicular, and cranial. According to the literature, the surface of the transversal cut of the nerve is different through it. The aim of this study was to evaluate the fascicular organisation of the optic nerve, throughout its three segments from the eye. Methods. Five pairs of optic nerves, obtained from the autopsies were examined. Using Heidenhain's (azan staining, the cuts were prepared for microscopy. Morphometric analysis was performed using the stereological methods for morphometric cytology - the Weible’s testing system M42. The following measures were established: the surface of the transverse cut of the nerve, the entire surface of fasciculi, the entire surface of connective tissue and blood vessels, the number of fasciculi, the surface of a single fasciculus. Results. The surface of the transverse cut of the nerve was found to grow from the orbital to the cranial segment, as well as the entire surface of fasciculi. While their number is significantly lower in the cranial segment, the number of fasciculi varied slightly between the orbital and the canalicular segment. The surface of a single fasciculus grows from the bulb to the chiasma. There is probable a cause to believe that this may be due to fusion of the “small” fasciculi in the orbitocranial direction. Conclusion. There are significant differences among the examined parameters of the different parts of the optic nerve.
Multisite musculoskeletal pain predicts medically certified disability retirement among Finns.

Science.gov (United States)

Haukka, E; Kaila-Kangas, L; Ojajärvi, A; Saastamoinen, P; Holtermann, A; Jørgensen, M B; Karppinen, J; Heliövaara, M; Leino-Arjas, P

2015-09-01

Musculoskeletal pain at several sites (multisite pain) is more common than single-site pain. Little is known on its effects on disability pension (DP) retirement. A nationally representative sample comprised 4071 Finns in the workforce aged 30 to 63. Data (questionnaire, interview, clinical examination) were gathered in 2000-2001 and linked with national DP registers for 2000-2011. Pain during the preceding month in 18 locations was combined into four sites (neck, upper limbs, low back, lower limbs). Hazard ratios (HR) of DP were estimated by Cox regression. The HR of any DP (n = 477) was 1.6 (95% confidence interval 1.2-2.1) for one, 2.5 (1.9-3.3) for two, 3.1 (2.3-4.3) for three and 5.6 (4.0-7.8) for four pain sites, when adjusted for age and gender. When additionally adjusted for clinically assessed chronic diseases, the HRs varied from 1.4 (1.0-1.8) to 3.5 (2.5-4.9), respectively. When further adjusted for physical and psychosocial workload, education, body mass index, smoking, exercise and sleep disorders, the HRs were 1.3 (0.9-1.7), 1.6 (1.2-2.2), 1.8 (1.3-2.5) and 2.5 (1.8-3.6). The number of pain sites was especially strong in predicting DPs due to musculoskeletal diseases (HRs in the full model; 3.1 to 4.3), but it also predicted DPs due to other somatic diseases (respective HRs 1.3 to 2.3); pain in all four sites was also predictive of DPs due to mental disorders (full model HR 2.2). The number of pain sites independently predicted DP retirement. Employees with multisite pain may need specific support to maintain their work ability. © 2014 The Authors. European Journal of Pain published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Pain Federation - EFIC®.
Stressful life events as predictors of functioning: findings from the Collaborative Longitudinal Personality Disorders Study

Science.gov (United States)

Pagano, M. E.; Skodol, A. E.; Stout, R. L.; Shea, M. T.; Yen, S.; Grilo, C. M.; Sanislow, C. A.; Bender, D. S.; McGlashan, T. H.; Zanarini, M. C.; Gunderson, J. G.

2008-01-01

Objective Although much attention has been given to the effects of adverse childhood experiences on the development of personality disorders (PDs), we know far less about how recent life events influence the ongoing course of functioning. We examined the extent to which PD subjects differ in rates of life events and the extent to which life events impact psychosocial functioning. Method A total of 633 subjects were drawn from the Collaborative Longitudinal Personality Disorders Study (CLPS), a multi-site study of four personality disorders – schizotypal (STPD), borderline (BPD), avoidant (AVPD), obsessive-compulsive (OCPD) – and a comparison group of major depressive disorders (MDD) without PD. Results Borderline personality disorder subjects reported significantly more total negative life events than other PDs or subjects with MDD. Negative events, especially interpersonal events, predicted decreased psychosocial functioning over time. Conclusion Our findings indicate higher rates of negative events in subjects with more severe PDs and suggest that negative life events adversely impact multiple areas of psychosocial functioning. PMID:15521826
Multi-Site Quality Assurance Project Plan for Wisconsin Public Service Corporation, Peoples Gas Light and Coke Company, and North Shore Gas

Science.gov (United States)

This Multi-Site QAPP presents the organization, data quality objectives (DQOs), a set of anticipated activities, sample analysis, data handling and specific Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) procedures associated with Studies done in EPA Region 5
Morphometric Variations in the Grasshopper, Chromacris speciosa from Two Localities of Pernambuco in Northeastern Brazil

Science.gov (United States)

Cisneiros, Roberta Araújo; de Almeida, Argus Vasconcelos; de Melo, Gabriel Rivas; da Câmara, Cláudio Augusto Gomes

2012-01-01

The present study describes morphometric variations in the grasshopper, Chromacris speciosa (Thunberg, 1824) (Orthoptera: Acridoidea: Romaleidae) from two locations in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil. The distance between the sites chosen for collections (Recife and São Lourenço da Mata) is approximately 16 km. The investigation was based on a comparative study of external morphological characteristics of the grasshoppers. Morphometric measurements took into account the different body parts and appendages. Statistical analysis of the measurements revealed significant differences in the size of the specimens between the two locations. Homogeneity tests of the covariance and equality matrices between mean vectors of the results revealed that the grasshopper populations in Recife and São Lourenço da Mata are distinctly different. These findings provide morphological evidence for intraspecific variation in morphological characteristics of the C. speciosa populations from the two locations. PMID:23421530

East Greenland and Barents Sea polar bears (Ursus maritimus): adaptive variation between two populations using skull morphometrics as an indicator of environmental and genetic differences.

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Pertoldi, Cino; Sonne, Christian; Wiig, Øystein; Baagøe, Hans J; Loeschcke, Volker; Bechshøft, Thea Østergaard

2012-06-01

A morphometric study was conducted on four skull traits of 37 male and 18 female adult East Greenland polar bears (Ursus maritimus) collected 1892-1968, and on 54 male and 44 female adult Barents Sea polar bears collected 1950-1969. The aim was to compare differences in size and shape of the bear skulls using a multivariate approach, characterizing the variation between the two populations using morphometric traits as an indicator of environmental and genetic differences. Mixture analysis testing for geographic differentiation within each population revealed three clusters for Barents Sea males and three clusters for Barents Sea females. East Greenland consisted of one female and one male cluster. A principal component analysis (PCA) conducted on the clusters defined by the mixture analysis, showed that East Greenland and Barents Sea polar bear populations overlapped to a large degree, especially with regards to females. Multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVA) showed no significant differences in morphometric means between the two populations, but differences were detected between clusters from each respective geographic locality. To estimate the importance of genetics and environment in the morphometric differences between the bears, a PCA was performed on the covariance matrix derived from the skull measurements. Skull trait size (PC1) explained approx. 80% of the morphometric variation, whereas shape (PC2) defined approx. 15%, indicating some genetic differentiation. Hence, both environmental and genetic factors seem to have contributed to the observed skull differences between the two populations. Overall, results indicate that many Barents Sea polar bears are morphometrically similar to the East Greenland ones, suggesting an exchange of individuals between the two populations. Furthermore, a subpopulation structure in the Barents Sea population was also indicated from the present analyses, which should be considered with regards to future management
The opportunities and challenges of multi-site evaluations: lessons from the jail diversion and trauma recovery national cross-site evaluation.

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Stainbrook, Kristin; Penney, Darby; Elwyn, Laura

2015-06-01

Multi-site evaluations, particularly of federally funded service programs, pose a special set of challenges for program evaluation. Not only are there contextual differences related to project location, there are often relatively few programmatic requirements, which results in variations in program models, target populations and services. The Jail Diversion and Trauma Recovery-Priority to Veterans (JDTR) National Cross-Site Evaluation was tasked with conducting a multi-site evaluation of thirteen grantee programs that varied along multiple domains. This article describes the use of a mixed methods evaluation design to understand the jail diversion programs and client outcomes for veterans with trauma, mental health and/or substance use problems. We discuss the challenges encountered in evaluating diverse programs, the benefits of the evaluation in the face of these challenges, and offer lessons learned for other evaluators undertaking this type of evaluation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The value and potential of multisited ethnography for science education research: a review of Jrène Rahm's Science in the Making at the Margin

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Beeman-Cadwallader, Nicole

2012-03-01

Rahm sought to illuminate how children and youth make meaning of science in three out-of-school time programs, and the identity work that is done through the trajectory of their youth toward their young adulthood. Through using multisited ethnography, she asserts that we can learn more about what the youth say about their science learning and science literacy development in these programs. She has revealed through her rich data the potential value of multisited ethnography for science education research. A similar theme of insider/outsider status to science emerged in each of the three sites. The nature of the data collected in Rahm's multisited ethnography allowed for the unveiling of the similarities in this theme, but also made evident the nuanced ways that this theme presented itself differently across the three sites. The additional potential came through in the varied data Rahm could have delved into and did not. A unique characteristic of ethnographic research, that is not necessarily present in other research methods, is that a wide array of varied data is collected. An analysis of documents, images, and observational field notes, which go beyond interview data, may provide deeper understandings previously untouched in science education.
Evidence for the ferromagnetic frustration in a classical spin- 1 / 2 system with multisite interaction in external magnetic field: Exact results

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Jurčišinová, E.; Jurčišin, M.

2017-11-01

We investigate the influence of the multisite interaction among sites within elementary triangles of the kagome-like recursive lattice on the properties of the classical spin- 1 / 2 ferromagnetic Ising model in the external magnetic field. The exact solution of the model is found and it is shown that the model exhibits a nontrivial structure of the first order as well as second order phase transitions in nonzero external magnetic fields related to the multisite interaction. The equation for the exact determination of the positions of the critical points of the second order phase transitions is derived. The thermodynamic properties of the model are investigated in detail and it is shown that the competition between the ferromagnetic interaction and the multisite interaction leads to the appearance of strong ferromagnetic frustration effects represented by the formation of a nontrivial system of macroscopically degenerated plateau-like and single-point-like ground states. The residual entropies of all ground states are found and the kagome spin-ice-like highly macroscopically degenerated plateau state with nonzero magnetization is identified with the exact residual entropy per site s /kB = ln(4 / 3) / 3 ≈ 0 . 095894. The properties of the specific heat are investigated, its Schottky-type behavior near the single-point ground state values of the magnetic field is identified, the existence of large magnetocaloric effect is discussed, and the existence of the first order phase transitions without the specific heat capacity change is demonstrated.
Outline-based morphometrics, an overlooked method in arthropod studies?

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Dujardin, Jean-Pierre; Kaba, D; Solano, P; Dupraz, M; McCoy, K D; Jaramillo-O, N

2014-12-01

Modern methods allow a geometric representation of forms, separating size and shape. In entomology, as well as in many other fields involving arthropod studies, shape variation has proved useful for species identification and population characterization. In medical entomology, it has been applied to very specific questions such as population structure, reinfestation of insecticide-treated areas and cryptic species recognition. For shape comparisons, great importance is given to the quality of landmarks in terms of comparability. Two conceptually and statistically separate approaches are: (i) landmark-based morphometrics, based on the relative position of a few anatomical "true" or "traditional" landmarks, and (ii) outline-based morphometrics, which captures the contour of forms through a sequence of close "pseudo-landmarks". Most of the studies on insects of medical, veterinary or economic importance make use of the landmark approach. The present survey makes a case for the outline method, here based on elliptic Fourier analysis. The collection of pseudo-landmarks may require the manual digitization of many points and, for this reason, might appear less attractive. It, however, has the ability to compare homologous organs or structures having no landmarks at all. This strength offers the possibility to study a wider range of anatomical structures and thus, a larger range of arthropods. We present a few examples highlighting its interest for separating close or cryptic species, or characterizing conspecific geographic populations, in a series of different vector organisms. In this simple application, i.e. the recognition of close or cryptic forms, the outline approach provided similar scores as those obtained by the landmark-based approach. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The impact of new forms of large-scale general practice provider collaborations on England's NHS: a systematic review.

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Pettigrew, Luisa M; Kumpunen, Stephanie; Mays, Nicholas; Rosen, Rebecca; Posaner, Rachel

2018-03-01

Over the past decade, collaboration between general practices in England to form new provider networks and large-scale organisations has been driven largely by grassroots action among GPs. However, it is now being increasingly advocated for by national policymakers. Expectations of what scaling up general practice in England will achieve are significant. To review the evidence of the impact of new forms of large-scale general practice provider collaborations in England. Systematic review. Embase, MEDLINE, Health Management Information Consortium, and Social Sciences Citation Index were searched for studies reporting the impact on clinical processes and outcomes, patient experience, workforce satisfaction, or costs of new forms of provider collaborations between general practices in England. A total of 1782 publications were screened. Five studies met the inclusion criteria and four examined the same general practice networks, limiting generalisability. Substantial financial investment was required to establish the networks and the associated interventions that were targeted at four clinical areas. Quality improvements were achieved through standardised processes, incentives at network level, information technology-enabled performance dashboards, and local network management. The fifth study of a large-scale multisite general practice organisation showed that it may be better placed to implement safety and quality processes than conventional practices. However, unintended consequences may arise, such as perceptions of disenfranchisement among staff and reductions in continuity of care. Good-quality evidence of the impacts of scaling up general practice provider organisations in England is scarce. As more general practice collaborations emerge, evaluation of their impacts will be important to understand which work, in which settings, how, and why. © British Journal of General Practice 2018.
Analytic hierarchy process-based approach for selecting a Pareto-optimal solution of a multi-objective, multi-site supply-chain planning problem

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Ayadi, Omar; Felfel, Houssem; Masmoudi, Faouzi

2017-07-01

The current manufacturing environment has changed from traditional single-plant to multi-site supply chain where multiple plants are serving customer demands. In this article, a tactical multi-objective, multi-period, multi-product, multi-site supply-chain planning problem is proposed. A corresponding optimization model aiming to simultaneously minimize the total cost, maximize product quality and maximize the customer satisfaction demand level is developed. The proposed solution approach yields to a front of Pareto-optimal solutions that represents the trade-offs among the different objectives. Subsequently, the analytic hierarchy process method is applied to select the best Pareto-optimal solution according to the preferences of the decision maker. The robustness of the solutions and the proposed approach are discussed based on a sensitivity analysis and an application to a real case from the textile and apparel industry.
Morphometric and Histological Study of Osteophytes in Human Cadaveric Lumbar Vertebrae

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Ashwini Aithal Padur

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Osteophytes are bony outgrowth on the vertebral column. Its prevalence in the lumbar region and clinical importance mandates to conduct a detailed study of lumbar osteophytes in the cadaveric vertebral column. Aim: The present study was conducted to study the detailed features of lumbar osteophytes and document its prevalence, morphometric and histological structure. Materials and Methods: This was an observational study in which frequency of occurrence of lumbar osteophytes was studied in 40 cadaveric vertebral columns over a period of four years. The lumbar part of the vertebral columns was dissected and examined meticulously. The occurrence of lumbar osteophytes with their vertebral levels and morphometric measurements were recorded. A small excision of the osteophyte was processed histologically to study its microscopic details using routine Haematoxylin & Eosin stain. Results: Lumbar osteophytes were present in 4 specimens (10%. They were mostly found on the right side of the vertebral bodies. Histopathological examination of the osteophytes revealed degenerative osteophytic cartilage and fibrillation overlying the trabecular bone enclosing fatty marrow spaces containing haematopoietic elements. Conclusion: Lumbar osteophytes were found in 10% of the specimens studied and it is assumed that these cadaveric reports deserve further attention given their potential clinical implications. Knowledge regarding occurrence and incidence of osteophytes is essential for management of common degenerative changes of the vertebral column.
MORPHOMETRIC ANALYSIS OF CORPUS CALLOSUM- A STUDY IN CADAVER AND MRI

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Ambili Puthanveetil

2017-07-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND The Corpus Callosum (CC can best be seen in the mid-sagittal section of brain both in cadaver and MRI. The morphometric measurements of the same will be of use in neurosurgical procedures. Sexual dimorphism and the age-related changes in its measurements remained controversial. Till date, no studies have been done on corpus callosum in Kerala. MATERIALS AND METHODS Measurements of CC has been taken and studied in detail in 24 formalin fixed brains from the Department of Anatomy and 48 MR images from the Department of Radiology. The changes according to age and sex were analysed. RESULTS The mean length of CC in the cadaver was 7.24 cm, which was 3.38 cm posterior to frontal pole and 5.73 cm anterior to occipital pole. In MR images, the mean length was 7.10 in males and 6.76 in females. The difference we got was not statistically significant. The length increased with age. Thickness of genu and body decreased as the age advances, but the splenial thickness was found to be increasing with age. There was significant correlation between the thicknesses of various parts of CC. CONCLUSION The values were almost similar to those in the previous studies. Morphometrically, a significant gender difference was not identified in the present study. There were changes according to age both in males and females.
Toward the next generation of negative symptom assessments: the collaboration to advance negative symptom assessment in schizophrenia.

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Blanchard, Jack J; Kring, Ann M; Horan, William P; Gur, Raquel

2011-03-01

Negative symptoms in schizophrenia are related to poor functional outcome, persistent over time, a source of burden for caregivers, and only minimally responsive to currently available medications. A major challenge to developing efficacious interventions concerns the valid and reliable assessment of negative symptoms. In a recent consensus statement on negative symptoms, a central recommendation was the need to develop new assessment approaches that address the limitations of existing instruments. In the current report, we summarize the background and rationale for the Collaboration to Advance Negative Symptom Assessment in Schizophrenia (CANSAS). The CANSAS project is an National Institute of Mental Health-funded multisite study that is constructing a next-generation negative symptom scale, the Clinical Assessment Interview for Negative Symptoms (CAINS). The CAINS is being developed within a data-driven iterative process that seeks to ensure the measure's reliability, validity, and utility for both basic psychopathology and treatment development research.
ANALYSIS OF MORPHOMETRIC PARAMETERS OF THE ROE DEER MANDIBLE (Capreolus capreolus AND MANDIBLE OF THE SHEEP (Ovis aries

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Rizah Avdić

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Morphology and morphometry of the bones are the methods often used for identification of species, estimation of animals' age, and genetic and forensic investigation. The mandible as the largest bone of the head is perhaps the most representative sample for this research. The aim of this study was to determine the basic morphometric parameters of the mandible of roe deer and sheep in order to identify the species. All samples were described by linear measure morphometric analysis of 12 specific anatomical points on the mandibles of roe deer and sheep. The results obtained are presented in the Table as mean and standard deviation.Key words: morphology, morphometry, mandible, roe deer, shee
A Retrospective 2D Morphometric Analysis of Adult Female Chiari Type I Patients with Commonly Reported and Related Conditions

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Maggie S. Eppelheimer

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Purpose: Researchers have sought to better understand Chiari type I malformation (CMI through morphometric measurements beyond tonsillar position (TP. Soft tissue and bone structures within the brain and craniocervical junction have been shown to be different for CMI patients compared to healthy controls. Yet, several morphological characteristics have not been consistently associated with CMI. CMI is also associated with different prevalent conditions (PCs such as syringomyelia, pseudotumor, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS, scoliosis, and craniocervical instability. The goal of this study was two-fold: (1 to identify unique morphological characteristics of PCs, and (2 to better explain inconsistent results from case-control comparisons of CMI.Methods: Image, demographic, and PC information was obtained through the Chiari1000, a self-report web-accessed database. Twenty-eight morphometric measurements (MMs were performed on the cranial MR images of 236 pre-surgery adult female CMI participants and 140 female healthy control participants. Custom software was used to measure 28 structures within the posterior cranial fossa (PCF compartment, craniocervical junction, oral cavity, and intracranial area on midsagittal MR images for each participant.Results: Morphometric analysis of adult females indicated a smaller McRae line length in CMI participants with syringomyelia compared to those without syringomyelia. TP was reduced in CMI participants with EDS than those without EDS. Basion to posterior axial line was significantly longer in CMI participants with scoliosis compared to those without scoliosis. No additional MMs were found to differ between CMI participants with and without a specific PC. Four morphometric differences were found to be consistently different between CMI participants and healthy controls regardless of PC: larger TP and a smaller clivus length, fastigium, and corpus callosum height in CMI participants.Conclusion: Syringomyelia, EDS
A study of trabecular bone strength and morphometric analysis of bone microstructure from digital radiographic image

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han, Seung Yun; Lee, Sun Bok; Oh, Sung Ook; Heo, Min Suk; Lee, Sam Sun; Choi, Soon Chul; Park, Tae Won; Kim, Jong Dae

2003-01-01

To evaluate the relationship between morphometric analysis of microstructure from digital radiographic image and trabecular bone strength. One hundred eleven bone specimens with 5 mm thickness were obtained from the mandibles of 5 pigs. Digital images of specimens were taken using a direct digital intraoral radiographic system. After selection of ROI(100 x 100 pixel) within the trabecular bone, mean gray level and standard deviation were obtained. Fractal dimension and the variants of morphometric analysis (trabecular area, periphery, length of skeletonized trabeculae, number of terminal point, number of branch point) were obtained from ROI. Punch sheer strength analysis was performed using Instron (model 4465, Instron Corp., USA). The loading force (loading speed 1mm/min) was applied to ROI of bone specimen by a 2 mm diameter punch. Stress-deformation curve was obtained from the punch sheer strength analysis and maximum stress, yield stress, Young's modulus were measured. Maximum stress had a negative linear correlation with mean gray level and fractal dimension significantly (p<0.05). Yield stress had a negative linear correlation with mean gray level, periphery, fractal dimension and the length of skeletonized trabeculae significantly (p<0.05). Young's modulus had a negative linear correlation with mean gray level and fractal dimension significantly (p<0.05). The strength of cancellous bone exhibited a significantly linear relationship between mean gray level, fractal dimension and morphometric analysis. The methods described above can be easily used to evaluate bone quality clinically.
Assessment Of Morphometric Characteristics Of Karwadi-Nandapur Micro Watershed Using Remote Sensing And Geographical Information System

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N.P. Patil

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract The study area is Karwadi-Nandapur watershed is a micro watershed which falls in the Kayadhu river watershed in Marathwada region of Maharashtra. Using the remotely sensed images of the Indian Remote Sensing Satellite P6 IRS P6 Linear Imaging Self Scanner IIILISS III images captured in October 2010 and November 2011 having resolution of 23.5m X 23.5m and images from Google Earth Pro of study area were used and cartosat satellites. Map of India with scale 11500000 and soil maps of India were used for the experimental study. The thematic maps like drainage map land use and land cover map soil maps and contour map were prepared adopting the PCI Geomatica10.0 software. The geographical information systems GIS analysis was made for the said themes using the Arc GIS ArcMap10.0. The Karwadi- Nandapur watershed was found to be the third order basin. The present study aims to assess the morphometric characteristics of the watershed basin and it has been assessed by applying GIS techniques. Strahlers method has been employed to assess the fluvial characteristics of the study watershed. Each morphometric characteristic is considered as a single parameter and knowledge based weight age has been assigned by considering its role in soil erosion. The morphometric properties determined for this watershed as a whole and for each watershed will be useful for the efficient planning of water harvesting and groundwater projects on watershed basis.
Influence of delayed placement and dietary lysine levels on small intestine morphometrics and performance of broilers

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JRG Franco

2006-12-01

Full Text Available This experiment studied the influence of delayed placement (HI and digestible lysine level (DL on the morphometrics of the intestinal mucosa and on the performance of broilers. A total number of 1,705 Cobb 500 male chicks were used in a completely randomized experimental design in a factorial arrangement with four HI (12, 24, 36 and 48h, and two DL level in the starter diet (1.143 and 1.267%, with four replicates and 55 birds per experimental unit. The amino acids methionine-cystine, threonine, and tryptophan were balanced according to the ideal protein (IP concept. Small intestine morphometrics was evaluated using histology slides of the duodenum and jejunum. There was no interaction between HI and DL levels for any of the studied parameters. The 1.143% level of DL promoted better performance results at 21 and 42 days of age, as well as higher duodenum and jejunum crypt depth, and duodenum villi height at 21 days of age. HI negatively influenced the morphometrics of the small intestine during the starter phase, and the performance of broilers up to 42 days of age. There was no effect of the treatments on yolk sac utilization or abdominal fat percentage. It was concluded that the use of 1.143% DL and HI of 12 hours promoted better development of the small intestine mucosa up to 21 days of age, and broiler performance at market age.
The myocardial microangiopathy in human and experimental diabetes mellitus. (A microscopic, ultrastructural, morphometric and computer-assisted symbolic-logic analysis).

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Taşcă, C; Stefăneanu, L; Vasilescu, C

1986-01-01

The following microscopical aspects were found in the small intramural arteries in the myocardium of 30 diabetic patients: endothelial proliferations with focal protuberances leading to partial narrowing of the lumen, increased thickness of the arterial wall due to fibrosis and accumulations of neutral mucopolysaccharides: alteration of elastic fibres. Morphometrically, the arterial wall thickness and the arterial diameter were increased whereas the arterial density decreased in the diabetic heart. In 25 rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes the small intramyocardial arteries were investigated at 11 to 40 weeks of diabetic state. Using morphometrical analysis a constant increase of arterial wall thickness paralleling the diabetes duration was found. Microscopically, the lesions consist in endothelial proliferation with bridging across the vascular lumen and slight perivascular and diffuse fibrosis. Ultrastructurally, the capillary basal lamina was thickened in the diabetic myocardium. In order to investigate the morphometrical data we used symbolic-logic as a decision method, by applying an original computer program based on the Quine-McCluskey algorithm. All our results together with the final symbolic-logic expression suggest that damage of the small intramyocardial arteries plays an important role in the pathogenesis of diabetic cardiomyopathy.
Morphometrical study of the human kidney. Radiodiagnosis and patological anatomy applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sampaio, J.B.; Lacerda, C.A.M. de

1987-01-01

A morphometrical estimate was made on 100 human kidneys obtained by necropsies. The results of the renal measurements showed the averages of 11.06cm long, 6.24cm wide for the superior pole, 5.42cm wide for the inferior pole, 3.26cm thickness, and 119.48g weight. The left kidney presented a greater lenght, greater width, greater thickness and greater weight than the kidney. The statistical analysis of the correlation between several indices is presented. (author) [pt
Sensitivity of the Modified Children's Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale to Detect Change: Results from Two Multi-Site Trials

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Scahill, Lawrence; Sukhodolsky, Denis G.; Anderberg, Emily; Dimitropoulos, Anastasia; Dziura, James; Aman, Michael G.; McCracken, James; Tierney, Elaine; Hallett, Victoria; Katz, Karol; Vitiello, Benedetto; McDougle, Christopher

2016-01-01

Repetitive behavior is a core feature of autism spectrum disorder. We used 8-week data from two federally funded, multi-site, randomized trials with risperidone conducted by the Research Units on Pediatric Psychopharmacology Autism Network to evaluate the sensitivity of the Children's Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale modified for autism…
Distortions in Distributions of Impact Estimates in Multi-Site Trials: The Central Limit Theorem Is Not Your Friend

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May, Henry

2014-01-01

Interest in variation in program impacts--How big is it? What might explain it?--has inspired recent work on the analysis of data from multi-site experiments. One critical aspect of this problem involves the use of random or fixed effect estimates to visualize the distribution of impact estimates across a sample of sites. Unfortunately, unless the…
Controlling engineering project changes for multi-unit, multi-site standardized nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Randall, E.; Boddeker, G.; McGugin, H.; Strother, E.; Waggoner, G.

1978-01-01

Multibillioin dollar multiple nuclear power plant projects have numerous potential sources of engineering changes. The majority of these are internally generated changes, client generated changes, and changes from construction, procurement, other engineering organizations, and regulatory organizations. For multiunit, multisite projects, the use of a standardized design is cost effective. Engineering changes can then be controlled for a single standardized design, and the unit or site unique changes can be treated as deviations. Once an effective change procedure is established for change control of the standardized design, the same procedures can be used for control of unit or site unique changes

BRAF V600E-Positive Multisite Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis in a Preterm Neonate

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Sara V. Bates

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Hemorrhagic pustules with a “blueberry muffin” appearance accompanied by respiratory failure in a neonate present a challenging differential diagnosis that includes infections and neoplasms. We present a case of multiorgan, multisite Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH, positive for the oncogenic BRAF V600E mutation, in a preterm neonate. Infants with LCH pose a diagnostic challenge due to their heterogeneous presentations. This case is unusual in that the newborn presented with severe multiorgan involvement. Due to the rare incidence, wide spectrum of clinical manifestations, and high mortality rate, clinicians must maintain a high index of suspicion for LCH.
The brain-derived neurotrophic factor pathway, life stress, and chronic multi-site musculoskeletal pain.

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Generaal, Ellen; Milaneschi, Yuri; Jansen, Rick; Elzinga, Bernet M; Dekker, Joost; Penninx, Brenda W J H

2016-01-01

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) disturbances and life stress, both independently and in interaction, have been hypothesized to induce chronic pain. We examined whether (a) the BDNF pathway (val(66)met genotype, gene expression, and serum levels), (b) early and recent life stress, and (c) their interaction are associated with the presence and severity of chronic multi-site musculoskeletal pain. Cross-sectional data are from 1646 subjects of the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety. The presence and severity of chronic multi-site musculoskeletal pain were determined using the Chronic Pain Grade (CPG) questionnaire. The BDNF val(66)met polymorphism, BDNF gene expression, and BDNF serum levels were measured. Early life stress before the age of 16 was assessed by calculating a childhood trauma index using the Childhood Trauma Interview. Recent life stress was assessed as the number of recent adverse life events using the List of Threatening Events Questionnaire. Compared to val(66)val, BDNF met carriers more often had chronic pain, whereas no differences were found for BDNF gene expression and serum levels. Higher levels of early and recent stress were both associated with the presence and severity of chronic pain (p stress in the associations with chronic pain presence and severity. This study suggests that the BDNF gene marks vulnerability for chronic pain. Although life stress did not alter the impact of BDNF on chronic pain, it seems an independent factor in the onset and persistence of chronic pain. © The Author(s) 2016.
Morphometric Study on Male Specimens of Hyalomma Anatolicum (Acari: Ixodidae in West of Iran

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M Abdigoudarzi

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Background: Hyalomma anatolicum is the well-known hard tick, which is one of the most important livestock and human pathogens vector, wide range in host and distributed in all over the Hyalomma geographic fauna as well as in Iran. Taxonomy of the Hyalomma ssp. is debatable whereas their identification is a problematic work. The reasons for this claim is time consuming Delpy’s researches in Iran also Schulze School, Feldman-Muhsam and the Russian tick workers. We would like to understand morphometric variation in the field collected H. anatolicum in Iran also validating some morphologic quantitative and qualitative characters.Methods: A total 247 field-collected tick specimens from different geographical regions in west of Iran includes Khuzestan and Lorestan Provinces were studied. The morphologic characters of the ticks were measured by the calibrated stereomicroscope ‎armed scaled lens. The measurements were analyzed using SPSS ‎for windows, version 16 on an IBM PC, ‎so varied shapes of species in different geographic ‎regions were drawn by the ‎aid of a drawing tube connected to a light stereomicroscope.‎Results: One way ANOVA test revealed significant differences among the quantitative parameters in five zones (P<‎‎ 0.‎‎00‎‎1‎ also each zone to other zone by Post Hoc Tests e.g. LSD. No significant differences in the lateral grooves length/conscutum length ratio parameter were found.Conclusion: Morphometric variation in Hyalomma spp is poorly studied. The variation in range and quantity of the morphometric parameters of H.anatolicum ‎underlies that the correct recognition and key construction for Hyalomma species dependes ‎on a complement morphometric study on the other species.
Novel Automated Morphometric and Kinematic Handwriting Assessment: A Validity Study in Children with ASD and ADHD

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Dirlikov, Benjamin; Younes, Laurent; Nebel, Mary Beth; Martinelli, Mary Katherine; Tiedemann, Alyssa Nicole; Koch, Carolyn A.; Fiorilli, Diana; Bastian, Amy J.; Denckla, Martha Bridge; Miller, Michael I.; Mostofsky, Stewart H.

2017-01-01

This study presents construct validity for a novel automated morphometric and kinematic handwriting assessment, including (1) convergent validity, establishing reliability of automated measures with traditional manual-derived Minnesota Handwriting Assessment (MHA), and (2) discriminant validity, establishing that the automated methods distinguish…
Downscaling atmospheric patterns to multi-site precipitation amounts in southern Scandinavia

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gelati, Emiliano; Christensen, O.B.; Rasmussen, P.F.

2010-01-01

A non-homogeneous hidden Markov model (NHMM) is applied for downscaling atmospheric synoptic patterns to winter multi-site daily precipitation amounts. The implemented NHMM assumes precipitation to be conditional on a hidden weather state that follows a Markov chain, whose transition probabilities...... depend on current atmospheric information. The gridded atmospheric fields are summarized through the singular value decomposition (SVD) technique. SVD is applied to geopotential height and relative humidity at several pressure levels, to identify their principal spatial patterns co...... products of bivariate distributions. Conditional on the weather state, precipitation amounts are modelled separately at each gauge as independent gamma-distributed random variables. This modelling approach is applied to 51 precipitation gauges in Denmark and southern Sweden for the period 1981...
TOXOPLASMOSIS: MORPHOLOGICAL AND MORPHOMETRIC EVALUATION OF SPINAL CORD NEURONS FROM NONSYMPTOMATIC SEROPOSITIVE DOGS

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Alessandra Cristina Francischini de Carvalho

2015-04-01

Full Text Available The aim of this work was to analyze the neuron morphology and morphometry of cervical, thoracic and lumbar areas of nonsymptomatic seropositive dogs’ spinal cord for toxoplasmosis. Twenty indefinite-breed adult dogs were used; ten dogs were healthy, with negative serology for toxoplasmosis, and were used as the control group (group 1, and ten dogs were nonsymptomatic but seropositive for toxoplasmosis (group 2. After the microtomy, with interval of 100 micrometers (µm, the histological 5-µm-thick cuts were dyed by hematoxylin-eosin and Masson's trichrome techniques. The glass slides were analyzed under light microscope to examine the neuron morphology. The parameters considered for the morphometric analysis were area, perimeter, maximum diameter, minimum diameter and shape factor of cytoplasm and nucleus of neuron. The results were statistically analyzed by Student’s t test at 5% probability level. The morphological characteristics between the two groups were similar and according to literature. The morphometric results showed that there were changes in neurons size and structure, and increase and loss of star shape were noticed in seropositive animals. The results suggest that the neurons of these dogs, yet nonsymptomatic, can have lost their conductor function.
Morphometric Controls on Glacier Mass Balance of the Puruogangri Ice Field, Central Tibetan Plateau

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Lin Liu

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Evaluating the impacts of climatic changes and morphometric features on glacier mass balance is crucial to providing insight into glacier changes and their effects on regional water resources and ecosystems. Here, we presented an evaluation of morphometric effects on the glacier mass balances of the Puruogangri ice field (PIF on the Tibetan Plateau. A clear spatial variability of glacier mass balances, ranging from −0.035 to +0.019 m·w.e.·year−1, was estimated by comparing the TanDEM-X DEM (2012 with the SRTM-X DEM (2000. In general, the observed glacier mass changes were consistent with our fieldwork investigations. Furthermore, by applying the method of linear regression analysis, we found that the mass changes of individual glaciers on the PIF were mainly dominated by the mean altitude (R = 0.84, p < 0.001, however, they were statistically independent of glacier size, aspect, and surface velocity. At a local scale (grid size of 10 × 10 pixels, apart from the factor of altitude, surface velocity was correlated with glacier mass change.
Automated Morphological and Morphometric Analysis of Mass Spectrometry Imaging Data: Application to Biomarker Discovery

Science.gov (United States)

Picard de Muller, Gaël; Ait-Belkacem, Rima; Bonnel, David; Longuespée, Rémi; Stauber, Jonathan

2017-12-01

Mass spectrometry imaging datasets are mostly analyzed in terms of average intensity in regions of interest. However, biological tissues have different morphologies with several sizes, shapes, and structures. The important biological information, contained in this highly heterogeneous cellular organization, could be hidden by analyzing the average intensities. Finding an analytical process of morphology would help to find such information, describe tissue model, and support identification of biomarkers. This study describes an informatics approach for the extraction and identification of mass spectrometry image features and its application to sample analysis and modeling. For the proof of concept, two different tissue types (healthy kidney and CT-26 xenograft tumor tissues) were imaged and analyzed. A mouse kidney model and tumor model were generated using morphometric - number of objects and total surface - information. The morphometric information was used to identify m/z that have a heterogeneous distribution. It seems to be a worthwhile pursuit as clonal heterogeneity in a tumor is of clinical relevance. This study provides a new approach to find biomarker or support tissue classification with more information. [Figure not available: see fulltext.
Application of Multilevel Models to Morphometric Data. Part 1. Linear Models and Hypothesis Testing

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O. Tsybrovskyy

2003-01-01

Full Text Available Morphometric data usually have a hierarchical structure (i.e., cells are nested within patients, which should be taken into consideration in the analysis. In the recent years, special methods of handling hierarchical data, called multilevel models (MM, as well as corresponding software have received considerable development. However, there has been no application of these methods to morphometric data yet. In this paper we report our first experience of analyzing karyometric data by means of MLwiN – a dedicated program for multilevel modeling. Our data were obtained from 34 follicular adenomas and 44 follicular carcinomas of the thyroid. We show examples of fitting and interpreting MM of different complexity, and draw a number of interesting conclusions about the differences in nuclear morphology between follicular thyroid adenomas and carcinomas. We also demonstrate substantial advantages of multilevel models over conventional, single‐level statistics, which have been adopted previously to analyze karyometric data. In addition, some theoretical issues related to MM as well as major statistical software for MM are briefly reviewed.
Morphometric variability of Arctodiaptomus salinus (Copepoda) in the Mediterranean-Black Sea region

OpenAIRE

ANUFRIIEVA, Elena V.; SHADRIN, Nickolai V.

2015-01-01

Inter-species variability in morphological traits creates a need to know the range of variability of characteristics in the species for taxonomic and ecological tasks. Copepoda Arctodiaptomus salinus, which inhabits water bodies across Eurasia and North Africa, plays a dominant role in plankton of different water bodies-from fresh to hypersaline. This work assesses the intra- and inter-population morphometric variability of A. salinus in the Mediterranean-Black Sea region and discusses some o...
Geographically distributed hybrid testing & collaboration between geotechnical centrifuge and structures laboratories

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Ojaghi, Mobin; Martínez, Ignacio Lamata; Dietz, Matt S.; Williams, Martin S.; Blakeborough, Anthony; Crewe, Adam J.; Taylor, Colin A.; Madabhushi, S. P. Gopal; Haigh, Stuart K.

2018-01-01

Distributed Hybrid Testing (DHT) is an experimental technique designed to capitalise on advances in modern networking infrastructure to overcome traditional laboratory capacity limitations. By coupling the heterogeneous test apparatus and computational resources of geographically distributed laboratories, DHT provides the means to take on complex, multi-disciplinary challenges with new forms of communication and collaboration. To introduce the opportunity and practicability afforded by DHT, here an exemplar multi-site test is addressed in which a dedicated fibre network and suite of custom software is used to connect the geotechnical centrifuge at the University of Cambridge with a variety of structural dynamics loading apparatus at the University of Oxford and the University of Bristol. While centrifuge time-scaling prevents real-time rates of loading in this test, such experiments may be used to gain valuable insights into physical phenomena, test procedure and accuracy. These and other related experiments have led to the development of the real-time DHT technique and the creation of a flexible framework that aims to facilitate future distributed tests within the UK and beyond. As a further example, a real-time DHT experiment between structural labs using this framework for testing across the Internet is also presented.
Vertebrae classification models - Validating classification models that use morphometrics to identify ancient salmonid (Oncorhynchus spp.) vertebrae to species

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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Using morphometric characteristics of modern salmonid (Oncorhynchus spp.) vertebrae, we have developed classification models to identify salmonid vertebrae to the...
Morphometric variations in gametocytes of Hepatozoon canis from naturally infected dogs.

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Eljadar, Mohamed S M; Singla, L D; Mustafa, Radya A A; Uppal, S K

2013-04-01

This study presents the morphometric characteristic of canine haemoprotozoan, Hepatozoon canis, using software DP2-BSW (OLYMPUS). The gametocytes of H. canis found inside the neutrophils were characteristic in shape and size and varied from 9.50 to 11.80 μm × 5.10-6.00 μm. Parasitaemia ranged from 1.00 to 39.00 %. Few gametocytes without nuclei and of abnormal shapes were also observed. The results were compared with the measurements done by using ocular micrometer.
Morphometric relationship, phylogenetic correlation, and character evolution in the species-rich genus Aphis (Hemiptera: Aphididae.

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Hyojoong Kim

2010-07-01

Full Text Available The species-rich genus Aphis consists of more than 500 species, many of them host-specific on a wide range of plants, yet very similar in general appearance due to convergence toward particular morphological types. Most species have been historically clustered into four main phenotypic groups (gossypii, craccivora, fabae, and spiraecola groups. To confirm the morphological hypotheses between these groups and to examine the characteristics that determine them, multivariate morphometric analyses were performed using 28 characters measured/counted from 40 species. To infer whether the morphological relationships are correlated with the genetic relationships, we compared the morphometric dataset with a phylogeny reconstructed from the combined dataset of three mtDNA and one nuclear DNA regions.Based on a comparison of morphological and molecular datasets, we confirmed morphological reduction or regression in the gossypii group unlike in related groups. Most morphological characteristics of the gossypii group were less variable than for the other groups. Due to these, the gossypii group could be morphologically well separated from the craccivora, fabae, and spiraecola groups. In addition, the correlation of the rates of evolution between morphological and DNA datasets was highly significant in their diversification.The morphological separation between the gossypii group and the other species-groups are congruent with their phylogenetic relationships. Analysis of trait evolution revealed that the morphological traits found to be significant based on the morphometric analyses were confidently correlated with the phylogeny. The dominant patterns of trait evolution resulting in increased rates of short branches and temporally later evolution are likely suitable for the modality of Aphis speciation because they have adapted species-specifically, rapidly, and more recently on many different host plants.
Morphometrics of the avian lung. 4. The structural design of the charadriiform lung.

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Maina, J N

1987-04-01

The lungs of five charadriiform species of bird, two of which are good divers and three predominantly flyers (soarers and gliders) have been analysed by morphometric techniques. Largely the morphometric structural values in the divers significantly exceeded those of the flyers (gulls). The average weight specific surface area of the blood-gas (tissue) barrier in the divers (28.45 +/- 2.05 cm2 X g-1 SD) surpassed that of the flyers (23.5 +/- 3.61 cm2 X g-1 SD). The divers had a higher volume of the pulmonary capillary blood per unit body weight (4.42 +/- 0.11 cm3 X kg-1 SD) than the flyers (2.84 +/- 0.58 cm3 X kg-1 SD). The weight specific volume of the lung in the divers (34.90 +/- 3.11 cm3 X kg-1 SD) exceeded that of the flyers (26.94 +/- 3.15 cm3 X kg-1 SD). The total morphometric pulmonary diffusing capacity per unit body weight in the divers (4.73 +/- 0.05 ml O2 X (min X mm Hg X kg)-1 SD) was higher than that of the flyers (3.09 +/- 0.47 ml O2 X (min X mm Hg X kg)-1 SD). The divers, however, had a notably thicker blood-gas (tissue) barrier with a harmonic mean thickness of 0.212 +/- 0.03 micron SD compared to that of the flyers (0.138 +/- 0.02 micron SD). The data acquired here commensurate the modes of life exhibited by these two groups of bird. The divers, which are relatively energetic birds, expend a lot of energy to move and stay underwater, concomitantly undergoing prolonged asphyxia during submergence and may hence need to extract as much of the oxygen in the pulmonary air as possible to prolong a dive. These birds appear in general to have structurally better adapted lungs than those of the gulls, birds which to a large extent exhibit relatively less energetic soaring and gliding flights.
Species boundaries and hybridization in central-European Nymphaea species inferred from genome size and morphometric data

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Kabátová, Klára; Vít, Petr; Suda, Jan

2014-01-01

Roč. 86, č. 2 (2014), s. 131-154 ISSN 0032-7786 R&D Projects: GA ČR GB14-36079G Institutional support: RVO:67985939 Keywords : genome size * multivariate morphometrics * Nymphaea Subject RIV: EF - Botanics Impact factor: 4.104, year: 2014
Morphometric characteristics of sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill. fruits

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Oľga Grygorieva

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Aim of this study was to determine morphometric differences of fruits between selected sweet chestnuts (Castanea sativa Mill.. The 28 genotypes (referred as CS-01 to CS-28 were introduced by seeds from Czech Republic, Carpathians, Kyrgyzstan. Genotypes of sweet chestnut are grow more than 30 years in Forest-Steppe of Ukraine in the M.M. Gryshko National Botanical Garden of NAS of Ukraine. They are well adapted to the climatic and soil conditions. The fruits were collected at the period of their full maturity (September. The population differs in weight, shape, size and color of fruits. Their morphometric parameters were following: weight from 1.70 g (CS-26 to 18.60 g (CS-20, length from 8.07 mm (CS-28 to 33.39 mm (CS-11, width from 16.34 mm (CS-28 to 40.95 mm (CS-11, thickness from 9.02 mm (CS-26 to 28.70 mm (CS-11 and hilum length from 6.62 mm (CS-26 to 31.30 mm (CS-07, hilum width from 6.50 mm (CS-23 to 19.99 mm (CS-07. The shape index of the fruits was found in the range of 0.81 (CS-20 to 0.98 (CS-12. The shape index of the hilum was found in the range of 1.48 (CS-04 to 2.03 (CS-23. The outcome of the research point to the fact that the genepool Ukrainian sweet chestnut is a rich source of genetic diversity and might be used in selection for creation a new genotypes and cultivars. Normal 0 21 false false false EN-GB X-NONE X-NONE Risk and direct protective factors for youth violence: results from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Multisite Violence Prevention Project.

Science.gov (United States)

Henry, David B; Tolan, Patrick H; Gorman-Smith, Deborah; Schoeny, Michael E

2012-08-01

This study was conducted as part of a multisite effort to examine risk and direct protective factors for youth violence. The goal was to identify those factors in the lives of young people that increase or decrease the risk of violence. These analyses fill an important gap in the literature, as few studies have examined risk and direct protective factors for youth violence across multiple studies. Data on 4432 middle-school youth, from the CDC Multisite Violence Prevention Project were used. Evaluations were made of effects of variables coded as risk and direct protective factors in the fall of 6th grade on violence measured in spring of 7th and 8th grades. Factors tested included depression, delinquency, alcohol and drug involvement, involvement in family activities, academic achievement, attitudes toward school, truancy, and peer deviance. Most variables were coded with two sets of dummy variables indicating risk and protective directions of effects. Results showed that higher teacher-rated study skills were associated with lower subsequent violence across genders and ethnic groups. Affiliation with deviant peers was significantly associated with increased subsequent violence among youth reporting their race/ethnicity as white or other, marginally associated with increased violence among African-American youth, and unrelated among Latino youth. This study identified some factors than should be areas of interest for effective prevention programs. Some ethnic differences also should be considered in planning of prevention. The CDC Multisite Violence Prevention Project completed enrollment prior to July 2005. Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Inc.
Identification of the species of the Cheilosia variabilis group (Diptera, Syrphidae) from the Balkan Peninsula using wing geometric morphometrics, with the revision of status of C. melanopa redi Vujic, 1996

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Francuski, Lj.; Vujic, A.; Kovacevic, A.; Ludoski, J.; Milankov, V.

2009-01-01

The present study investigates phenotypic differentiation patterns among four species of the Cheilosia variabilis group (Diptera, Syrphidae) using a landmark-based geometric morphometric approach. Herein, wing geometric morphometrics established species boundaries that confirm C. melanopa and C.
Morphometric comparison of pumpkinseed (Centrarchidae populations in Poland

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Grzegorz Zięba

2015-11-01

Full Text Available The pattern of morphometric differentiation between two populations of pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus inhabiting distinctively different habitats in north-west Poland was examined. Fish were collected at sites that differ in water temperature and hydrology – an ambient temperature, urban pond vs an artificially-heated drainage channel, respectively. In principal component analysis, the first and second components, which accounted for 40% and 11 %, respectively, of the variability between the habitat types, revealed that the observed differences were related to head and body dimensions, with specimens from the heated site having generally larger heads, higher bodies, and longer anterior components. Larger body size is normally associated with greater survival in unnatural and highly variable environments. This study was funded by the National Science Centre, Poland (decision No DEC-2011/01/D/NZ8/01807.

Morphometric analysis of the arteries of Willis Polygon

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Canaz Huseyin

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Objective: Willis polygon forms the basis of the arterial circulation of the cerebrum. Willis polygon is a vascular structure whom variations are not rare. Knowledge of the anatomy and preservation of its integrity is crucial for performing neurovascular surgery and intracranial tumour surgery. Because of the important vascular and neurological structures, approaches to this region are considered extremely risky. One of the main variations in-person basis is the diameter differences of the arteries, which forms Willis polygon, between the left and right hemispheres. About structure and variations, studies of Rhoton and Yasargil had formed the touchstone. Our aim is to contribute to the literature and clinical studies, to be done in the future, by comparing our results with previous studies about variations and morphometric features of Willis polygon.
A combined morphometric analysis of foot form and its association with sex, stature, and body mass.

Science.gov (United States)

Domjanic, Jacqueline; Seidler, Horst; Mitteroecker, Philipp

2015-08-01

Morphometric analysis of footprints is a classic means for orthopedic diagnosis. In forensics and physical anthropology, it is commonly used for the estimation of stature and body mass. We studied individual variation and sexual dimorphism of foot dimensions and footprint shape by a combination of classic foot measurements and geometric morphometric methods. Left and right feet of 134 healthy adult males and females were scanned twice with a 3D optical laser scanner, and stature as well as body mass were recorded. Foot length and width were measured on the 3D scans. The 2D footprints were extracted as the plantar-most 2 mm of the 3D scans and measured with 85 landmarks and semilandmarks. Both foot size and footprint shape are sexually dimorphic and relate to stature and body mass. While dimorphism in foot length largely results from dimorphism in stature, dimorphism in footprint shape partly owes to the dimorphism in BMI. Stature could be estimated well based on foot length (R(2) = 0.76), whereas body mass was more closely related to foot width (R(2) = 0.62). Sex could be estimated correctly for 95% of the individuals based on a combination of foot width and length. Geometric morphometrics proved to be an effective tool for the detailed analysis of footprint shape. However, for the estimation of stature, body mass, and sex, shape variables did not considerably improve estimates based on foot length and width. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Quantitative diagnosis of bladder cancer by morphometric analysis of HE images

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Binlin; Nebylitsa, Samantha V.; Mukherjee, Sushmita; Jain, Manu

2015-02-01

In clinical practice, histopathological analysis of biopsied tissue is the main method for bladder cancer diagnosis and prognosis. The diagnosis is performed by a pathologist based on the morphological features in the image of a hematoxylin and eosin (HE) stained tissue sample. This manuscript proposes algorithms to perform morphometric analysis on the HE images, quantify the features in the images, and discriminate bladder cancers with different grades, i.e. high grade and low grade. The nuclei are separated from the background and other types of cells such as red blood cells (RBCs) and immune cells using manual outlining, color deconvolution and image segmentation. A mask of nuclei is generated for each image for quantitative morphometric analysis. The features of the nuclei in the mask image including size, shape, orientation, and their spatial distributions are measured. To quantify local clustering and alignment of nuclei, we propose a 1-nearest-neighbor (1-NN) algorithm which measures nearest neighbor distance and nearest neighbor parallelism. The global distributions of the features are measured using statistics of the proposed parameters. A linear support vector machine (SVM) algorithm is used to classify the high grade and low grade bladder cancers. The results show using a particular group of nuclei such as large ones, and combining multiple parameters can achieve better discrimination. This study shows the proposed approach can potentially help expedite pathological diagnosis by triaging potentially suspicious biopsies.
Replication and Comparison of the Newly Proposed ADOS-2, Module 4 Algorithm in ASD without ID: A Multi-Site Study

Science.gov (United States)

Pugliese, Cara E.; Kenworthy, Lauren; Bal, Vanessa Hus; Wallace, Gregory L.; Yerys, Benjamin E.; Maddox, Brenna B.; White, Susan W.; Popal, Haroon; Armour, Anna Chelsea; Miller, Judith; Herrington, John D.; Schultz, Robert T.; Martin, Alex; Anthony, Laura Gutermuth

2015-01-01

Recent updates have been proposed to the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-2 Module 4 diagnostic algorithm. This new algorithm, however, has not yet been validated in an independent sample without intellectual disability (ID). This multi-site study compared the original and revised algorithms in individuals with ASD without ID. The revised…
How effective are geometric morphometric techniques for assessing functional shape variation? An example from the great ape temporomandibular joint.

Science.gov (United States)

Terhune, Claire E

2013-08-01

Functional shape analyses have long relied on the use of shape ratios to test biomechanical hypotheses. This method is powerful because of the ease with which results are interpreted, but these techniques fall short in quantifying complex morphologies that may not have a strong biomechanical foundation but may still be functionally informative. In contrast, geometric morphometric methods are continually being adopted for quantifying complex shapes, but they tend to prove inadequate in functional analyses because they have little foundation in an explicit biomechanical framework. The goal of this study was to evaluate the intersection of these two methods using the great ape temporomandibular joint as a case study. Three-dimensional coordinates of glenoid fossa and mandibular condyle shape were collected using a Microscribe digitizer. Linear distances extracted from these landmarks were analyzed using a series of one-way ANOVAs; further, the landmark configurations were analyzed using geometric morphometric techniques. Results suggest that the two methods are broadly similar, although the geometric morphometric data allow for the identification of shape differences among taxa that were not immediately apparent in the univariate analyses. Furthermore, this study suggests several new approaches for translating these shape data into a biomechanical context by adjusting the data using a biomechanically relevant variable. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
How Accurately Do Consecutive Cohort Audits Predict Phase III Multisite Clinical Trial Recruitment in Palliative Care?

Science.gov (United States)

McCaffrey, Nikki; Fazekas, Belinda; Cutri, Natalie; Currow, David C

2016-04-01

Audits have been proposed for estimating possible recruitment rates to randomized controlled trials (RCTs), but few studies have compared audit data with subsequent recruitment rates. To compare the accuracy of estimates of potential recruitment from a retrospective consecutive cohort audit of actual participating sites and recruitment to four Phase III multisite clinical RCTs. The proportion of potentially eligible study participants estimated from an inpatient chart review of people with life-limiting illnesses referred to six Australian specialist palliative care services was compared with recruitment data extracted from study prescreening information from three sites that participated fully in four Palliative Care Clinical Studies Collaborative RCTs. The predominant reasons for ineligibility in the audit and RCTs were analyzed. The audit overestimated the proportion of people referred to the palliative care services who could participate in the RCTs (pain 17.7% vs. 1.2%, delirium 5.8% vs. 0.6%, anorexia 5.1% vs. 0.8%, and bowel obstruction 2.8% vs. 0.5%). Approximately 2% of the referral base was potentially eligible for these effectiveness studies. Ineligibility for general criteria (language, cognition, and geographic proximity) varied between studies, whereas the reasons for exclusion were similar between the audit and pain and anorexia studies but not for delirium or bowel obstruction. The retrospective consecutive case note audit in participating sites did not predict realistic recruitment rates, mostly underestimating the impact of study-specific inclusion criteria. These findings have implications for the applicability of the results of RCTs. Prospective pilot studies are more likely to predict actual recruitment. Copyright © 2016 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Collaborative Environments. Considerations Concerning Some Collaborative Systems

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Mihaela I. MUNTEAN

2009-01-01

Full Text Available It is obvious, that all collaborative environments (workgroups, communities of practice, collaborative enterprises are based on knowledge and between collaboration and knowledge management there is a strong interdependence. The evolution of information systems in these collaborative environments led to the sudden necessity to adopt, for maintaining the virtual activities and processes, the latest technologies/systems, which are capable to support integrated collaboration in business services. In these environments, portal-based IT platforms will integrate multi-agent collaborative systems, collaborative tools, different enterprise applications and other useful information systems.
Conducting a team-based multi-sited focused ethnography in primary care

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A.P. Bikker

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Focused ethnography is an applied and pragmatic form of ethnography that explores a specific social phenomenon as it occurs in everyday life. Based on the literature a problem-focused research question is formulated before the data collection. The data generation process targets key informants and situations so that relevant results on the pre-defined topic can be obtained within a relatively short time-span. As part of a theory based evaluation of alternative forms of consultation (such as video, phone and email in primary care we used the focused ethnographic method in a multisite study in general practice across the UK. To date there is a gap in the literature on using focused ethnography in healthcare research. The aim of the paper is to build on the various methodological approaches in health services research by presenting the challenges and benefits we encountered whilst conducing a focused ethnography in British primary care. Our considerations are clustered under three headings: constructing a shared understanding, dividing the tasks within the team, and the functioning of the focused ethnographers within the broader multi-disciplinary team. As a result of using this approach we experienced several advantages, like the ability to collect focused data in several settings simultaneously within in a short time-span. Also, the sharing of experiences and interpretations between the researchers contributed to a more holistic understanding of the research topic. However, mechanisms need to be in place to facilitate and synthesise the observations, guide the analysis, and to ensure that all researchers feel engaged. Reflection, trust and flexibility among the team members were crucial to successfully adopt a team focused ethnographic approach. When used for policy focussed applied healthcare research a team-based multi-sited focused ethnography can uncover practices and understandings that would not be apparent through surveys or
Conducting a team-based multi-sited focused ethnography in primary care.

Science.gov (United States)

Bikker, A P; Atherton, H; Brant, H; Porqueddu, T; Campbell, J L; Gibson, A; McKinstry, B; Salisbury, C; Ziebland, S

2017-09-12

Focused ethnography is an applied and pragmatic form of ethnography that explores a specific social phenomenon as it occurs in everyday life. Based on the literature a problem-focused research question is formulated before the data collection. The data generation process targets key informants and situations so that relevant results on the pre-defined topic can be obtained within a relatively short time-span. As part of a theory based evaluation of alternative forms of consultation (such as video, phone and email) in primary care we used the focused ethnographic method in a multisite study in general practice across the UK. To date there is a gap in the literature on using focused ethnography in healthcare research.The aim of the paper is to build on the various methodological approaches in health services research by presenting the challenges and benefits we encountered whilst conducing a focused ethnography in British primary care. Our considerations are clustered under three headings: constructing a shared understanding, dividing the tasks within the team, and the functioning of the focused ethnographers within the broader multi-disciplinary team.As a result of using this approach we experienced several advantages, like the ability to collect focused data in several settings simultaneously within in a short time-span. Also, the sharing of experiences and interpretations between the researchers contributed to a more holistic understanding of the research topic. However, mechanisms need to be in place to facilitate and synthesise the observations, guide the analysis, and to ensure that all researchers feel engaged. Reflection, trust and flexibility among the team members were crucial to successfully adopt a team focused ethnographic approach. When used for policy focussed applied healthcare research a team-based multi-sited focused ethnography can uncover practices and understandings that would not be apparent through surveys or interviews alone. If conducted with
Implementation of Treat-to-Target in Rheumatoid Arthritis Through a Learning Collaborative: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Solomon, Daniel H; Losina, Elena; Lu, Bing; Zak, Agnes; Corrigan, Cassandra; Lee, Sara B; Agosti, Jenifer; Bitton, Asaf; Harrold, Leslie R; Pincus, Theodore; Radner, Helga; Yu, Zhi; Smolen, Josef S; Fraenkel, Liana; Katz, Jeffrey N

2017-07-01

Treat-to-target (TTT) is an accepted paradigm for the management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but some evidence suggests poor adherence. The purpose of this study was to test the effects of a group-based multisite improvement learning collaborative on adherence to TTT. We conducted a cluster-randomized quality-improvement trial with waitlist control across 11 rheumatology sites in the US. The intervention entailed a 9-month group-based learning collaborative that incorporated rapid-cycle improvement methods. A composite TTT implementation score was calculated as the percentage of 4 required items documented in the visit notes for each patient at 2 time points, as evaluated by trained staff. The mean change in the implementation score for TTT across all patients for the intervention sites was compared with that for the control sites after accounting for intracluster correlation using linear mixed models. Five sites with a total of 23 participating rheumatology providers were randomized to intervention and 6 sites with 23 participating rheumatology providers were randomized to the waitlist control. The intervention included 320 patients, and the control included 321 patients. At baseline, the mean TTT implementation score was 11% in both arms; after the 9-month intervention, the mean TTT implementation score was 57% in the intervention group and 25% in the control group (change in score of 46% for intervention and 14% for control; P = 0.004). We did not observe excessive use of resources or excessive occurrence of adverse events in the intervention arm. A learning collaborative resulted in substantial improvements in adherence to TTT for the management of RA. This study supports the use of an educational collaborative to improve quality. © 2017, American College of Rheumatology.
Revision of the Malagasy Camponotus edmondi species group (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Formicinae): integrating qualitative morphology and multivariate morphometric analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Rakotonirina, Jean Claude; Csősz, Sándor; Fisher, Brian L

2016-01-01

The Malagasy Camponotus edmondi species group is revised based on both qualitative morphological traits and multivariate analysis of continuous morphometric data. To minimize the effect of the scaling properties of diverse traits due to worker caste polymorphism, and to achieve the desired near-linearity of data, morphometric analyses were done only on minor workers. The majority of traits exhibit broken scaling on head size, dividing Camponotus workers into two discrete subcastes, minors and majors. This broken scaling prevents the application of algorithms that uses linear combination of data to the entire dataset, hence only minor workers were analyzed statistically. The elimination of major workers resulted in linearity and the data meet required assumptions. However, morphometric ratios for the subsets of minor and major workers were used in species descriptions and redefinitions. Prior species hypotheses and the goodness of clusters were tested on raw data by confirmatory linear discriminant analysis. Due to the small sample size available for some species, a factor known to reduce statistical reliability, hypotheses generated by exploratory analyses were tested with extreme care and species delimitations were inferred via the combined evidence of both qualitative (morphology and biology) and quantitative data. Altogether, fifteen species are recognized, of which 11 are new to science: Camponotus alamaina sp. n. , Camponotus androy sp. n. , Camponotus bevohitra sp. n. , Camponotus galoko sp. n. , Camponotus matsilo sp. n. , Camponotus mifaka sp. n. , Camponotus orombe sp. n. , Camponotus tafo sp. n. , Camponotus tratra sp. n. , Camponotus varatra sp. n. , and Camponotus zavo sp. n. Four species are redescribed: Camponotus echinoploides Forel, Camponotus edmondi André, Camponotus ethicus Forel, and Camponotus robustus Roger. Camponotus edmondi ernesti Forel, syn. n. is synonymized under Camponotus edmondi . This revision also includes an identification key to
A geometric morphometric study into the sexual dimorphism of the human scapula.

Science.gov (United States)

Scholtz, Y; Steyn, M; Pretorius, E

2010-08-01

Sex determination is vital when attempting to establish identity from skeletal remains. Two approaches to sex determination exists: morphological and metrical. The aim of this paper was to use geometric morphometrics to study the shape of the scapula and its sexual dimorphism. The sample comprised 45 adult black male and 45 adult black female scapulae of known sex. The scapulae were photographed and 21 homologous landmarks were plotted to use for geometric morphometric analysis with the 'tps' series of programs, as well as the IMP package. Consensus thin-plate splines and vector plots for males and females were compared. The CVA and TwoGroup analyses indicated that significant differences exist between males and females. The lateral and medial borders of females are straighter while the supraspinous fossa is more convexly curved than that of males. More than 91% of the females and 95% of the males were correctly assigned. Hotelling's T(2)-test yielded a significant p-value of 0.00039. In addition, 100 equidistant landmarks representing the curve only were also assigned. These, however, yielded considerably poorer results. It is concluded that it is better to use homologous landmarks rather than curve data only, as it is most probable that the shape of the outline relative to the fixed homologous points on the scapula is sexually dimorphic.
Microtomographic and morphometric characterization of a bioceramic bone substitute in dental implantology

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Deborah Meleo

2012-01-01

Full Text Available In recent years, bone tissue regeneration studies have led to a deeper knowledge of chemical and structural features of the best biomaterials to be used as replacements for lost bone structures, with the autologus bone still today the only graft material able to ostegenerate, osteinduct and/or osteoconduct. The difficulties of the small available amount of autologus bone, together with morbidity of a second surgical operation on the same patient, have been overcome using both synthetic and biologic substitute bones. The possibility of investigating morphometric characteristics of substitute bones makes it possible to evaluate the predictability of regenerative processes and, so far, a range of different methods have been used for the purpose. X-ray microtomography (micro-CT is a miniaturized form of conventional tomography, able to analyze the internal structure of small objects, performing three-dimensional images with high spatial resolution (<10 micron pixel size. For a correct analysis, samples need not be altered or treated in any way, as micro-CT is a non-invasive and non-destructive technique. It shows promising results in biomaterial studies and tissue engineering. This work shows the potential applications of this microtomographic technique by means of an in vitro analysis system, in characterizing morphometric features of human bone tissue, and contributes to the use of this technique in studies concerning biomaterials and bioscaffolds inserted in bone tissue.
Using geometric morphometric visualizations of directional selection gradients to investigate morphological differentiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Weaver, Timothy D; Gunz, Philipp

2018-04-01

Researchers studying extant and extinct taxa are often interested in identifying the evolutionary processes that have lead to the morphological differences among the taxa. Ideally, one could distinguish the influences of neutral evolutionary processes (genetic drift, mutation) from natural selection, and in situations for which selection is implicated, identify the targets of selection. The directional selection gradient is an effective tool for investigating evolutionary process, because it can relate form (size and shape) differences between taxa to the variation and covariation found within taxa. However, although most modern morphometric analyses use the tools of geometric morphometrics (GM) to analyze landmark data, to date, selection gradients have mainly been calculated from linear measurements. To address this methodological gap, here we present a GM approach for visualizing and comparing between-taxon selection gradients with each other, associated difference vectors, and "selection" gradients from neutral simulations. To exemplify our approach, we use a dataset of 347 three-dimensional landmarks and semilandmarks recorded on the crania of 260 primate specimens (112 humans, 67 common chimpanzees, 36 bonobos, 45 gorillas). Results on this example dataset show how incorporating geometric information can provide important insights into the evolution of the human braincase, and serve to demonstrate the utility of our approach for understanding morphological evolution. © 2018 The Author(s). Evolution © 2018 The Society for the Study of Evolution.
Evaluation of a multi-site program designed to strengthen relational bonds for siblings separated by foster care.

Science.gov (United States)

Waid, Jeffrey; Wojciak, Armeda Stevenson

2017-10-01

Sibling relationships in foster care settings have received increased attention in recent years. Despite growing evidence regarding the protective potential of sibling relationships for youth in care, some sibling groups continue to experience foster care related separation, and few programs exist to address the needs of these youth. This study describes and evaluates Camp To Belong, a multi-site program designed to provide short-term reunification to separated sibling groups through a week-long summer camp experience. Using a pre-test post-test survey design, this paper examines changes in youth ratings of sibling conflict and sibling support across camps located in six geographically distinct regions of the United States. The effects of youth age, number of prior camp exposures, and camp location were tested using multilevel modeling procedures. Findings suggest that participation in Camp To Belong may reduce sibling conflict, and improvements in sibling support are noted for youth who have had prior exposure to the camp's programming. Camp-level variance in the sibling support outcome highlight the complex nature of relationships for siblings separated by foster care, and suggest the need for additional research. Lessons learned from this multi-site evaluation and future directions are discussed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Biostratigraphic and morphometric analyses of specimens from the calcareous nannofossil genus Tribrachiatus

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Self-Trail, Jean; Seefelt, Ellen L.; Shepherd, Claire L.; Martin, Victoria A.

2017-01-01

Biostratigraphic and morphometric analyses of calcareous nannofossil assemblages from one outcrop and two cored sections of lower Eocene sediments reveal the presence of two new species: Tribrachiatus lunatus sp. nov., and Tribrachiatus absidatus sp. nov. Differences between the new species and Tribrachiatus orthostylus are discussed. The first occurrence of the two new species is just below the calcareous nannofossil Zone NP11/NP12 boundary, close to the Chron 24r/23n boundary, and thus they are globally useful biostratigraphic markers.
Ethnical evaluation of Bangladeshi young adults in terms of morphometrically-analyzed craniofacial skeleton

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Hasan Md. Rizvi

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Morphometric study for the craniofacial relations and variations in humans have long been used to differentiate various racial groups in physical anthropology. The objective of this study was to describe the morphological features of craniofacial skeleton in Bangladeshi young adults and to compare it with already reported standards for the Caucasian population as well as cephalometric values of other Indian races using Steiner′s reference norms. The study was conducted for 52 Bangladeshi young adults (27 male and 25 females, aged 21-27 years, having balanced and harmonious facial profiles, clinically acceptable occlusion with permanent dentition and no history of orthodontic treatment. Lateral cephalograms taken of these subjects were used for a series of morphometric analyses. Bangladeshi subjects were more protrusive skeletally and dentally than Caucasians. Furthermore, the mandibular plane angle was smaller in Bangladeshi subjects than in the Caucasians. Present results also suggest that the Astrics, Dravidians, and Armenoid who penetrated into Bengal in the early ages may have contributed substantially to the morphogenesis of craniofacial skeleton in the present Bengalis. The results of this study support the idea that a single standard of facial esthetics should not be applied to all racial and ethnic groups.
Morphometric analysis of hypoglossal canal of the occipital bone in Iranian dry skulls

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Bayat Parvindokht

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Background: The hypoglossal canal (HC is in basal part of cranium that transmits the nerve that supplies the motor innervations to the muscles of tongue. Study on morphometry of (HC and its variations has been a considerable interest field to neurosurgeons and research workers especially because of their racial and regional. Material and Methods: In this retrospective study, 26 adult dry human crania of no sex known were studied for (HC and its variants. Thirty five skulls were observed for any damage of post cranial fossa and those in good condition (26 skullswere selected. Sliding Vernier caliper was used for morphometric analysis. Results: There were significant difference between distances of: a-(HC till anterior tip of condyles (right and left, b-(HC till posterior tip of condyles (right and left, c-(HCtill lower border of occipital condyles (right and left, d-(HC till external border of foramen jugular (right and left, e-(HC till opisthion(right and left, f-(HC till carotid canal (right and left, g-(HC till jugular tubercle (right and left. There wasn′t significant difference in other parameters. Conclusion: Detailed morphometric analysis of (HC will help in planning of surgical intervention of skull base in safer and easier ways.
Morphometric Relationship, Growth, and Condition Factor of Flyingfish, Hirundicththys oxycephalus during spawning season

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Tuapetel, Friesland; Nessa, Natsir; Alam Ali, Syamsu; Sudirman; Hutubessy, B. G.; Mosse, J. W.

2017-10-01

Flyingfish, Hirundichthys oxycephalus together with its congener species has become a major artisanal fishery resource from the Seram Sea, an area between Seram and Papua Island. However, biological information about this species has been poorly documented. Our current study focused on the growth and morphometric relationships of spawning cohorts during spawning season (June to October 2013). Flyingfish which were trapped in bale-bale, an egg aggregation device for flying fish, were collected offshore of the Southeastern Seram Sea. Total samples of 1693 with Fork Length (FL) ranged from 156.15mm to 245.52mm and total weight from 53.15gr to 115.45gr. Von Bertalanffy growth functions (L∞) for-pooled sexes were FL = 251mm [1-e (1.82 (t+0.060)], K=1.82 and t0 = 0.060. Morphometrically, significant differences were observed for all individuals between sexes (F=14.20, P=0.0002), sampling locations (F=88.48 Pfish generally declined in July-August. During spawning season, this fish tended to form single spawning cohort. The results of this study provide a significant understanding of the life history of this valuable fish inhabiting this particular region that rarely receives scientific investigation. For management purposes, harvesting eggs including broodstocks will lead to critical population depletion.
Influence of peri-implant artifacts on bone morphometric analysis with micro-computed tomography.

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Song, Jin Wook; Cha, Jung Yul; Bechtold, Till Edward; Park, Young Chel

2013-01-01

To determine the optimal dilation pixel size distance from the mini-implant interface needed to compensate for the metal artifact on micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) for bone morphometric analysis. A total of 72 self-drilling mini-implants were placed into the buccal alveolar bone of six male beagle dogs. After 12 weeks of orthodontic loading, specimens were harvested and scanned with micro-CT (Skyscan 1076) at a resolution of 9 μm. Using the reload plug-in and dilation procedure of CTAn, the percentage of bone-implant contact (BIC) and bone volume density (BV/TV, bone volume/total volume), respectively, were measured from one to seven pixels from the metal implant surface. Each pixel size of dilation (PSD) were compared with that of a ground histologic section, and the optimal PSD for bone morphometric analysis using micro-CT was determined. BIC values from micro-CT analysis decreased when the PSD increased (P micro-CT showed the highest correlation coefficient with BIC from histologic slides when the PSD was 5 to 7 (P micro-CT showed a very high correlation with BV/TV from histologic slides in all ranges (P micro-CT, at least 5 PSD from the metal implant surface is needed.

Demographic characteristics and employment among people with severe mental illness in a multisite study.

Science.gov (United States)

Burke-Miller, Jane K; Cook, Judith A; Grey, Dennis D; Razzano, Lisa A; Blyler, Crystal R; Leff, H Stephen; Gold, Paul B; Goldberg, Richard W; Mueser, Kim T; Cook, William L; Hoppe, Sue K; Stewart, Michelle; Blankertz, Laura; Dudek, Kenn; Taylor, Amanda L; Carey, Martha Ann

2006-04-01

People with psychiatric disabilities experience disproportionately high rates of unemployment. As research evidence is mounting regarding effective vocational programs, interest is growing in identifying subgroup variations. Data from a multisite research and demonstration program were analyzed to identify demographic characteristics associated with employment outcomes, after adjusting for the effects of program, services, and study site. Longitudinal analyses found that people with more recent work history, younger age, and higher education were more likely to achieve competitive employment and to work more hours per month, while race and gender effects varied by employment outcome. Results provide strong evidence of demographic subgroup variation and need.
Morphometric analysis in basaltic Terrain of Central India using GIS techniques: a case study

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Sahu, Nisha; Obi Reddy, G. P.; Kumar, Nirmal; Nagaraju, M. S. S.; Srivastava, Rajeev; Singh, S. K.

2017-09-01

Morphometric analysis is significant for investigation and management of the watershed. This study depicts the morphometric analysis of Miniwada Watershed in Nagpur district, Maharashtra, Central India using Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques, which has been carried out through measurement of various aspects like linear, aerial and relief aspects of watershed. The drainage network of the watershed was generated from Cartosat-I DEM (10 m) using ESRI Software ArcGIS (ver.10.2). The analysis reveals that drainage pattern is dendritic and the stream order in the watershed varies from 1 to 4. The total number of stream segments of all orders counted as 37, out of which the majority of orders (70.27 %) was covered by 1st order streams and 4th order stream segments covers only 2.70 %. The bifurcation ratio reflects the geological and tectonic characteristics of the watershed and estimated as 3.08. The drainage density of the watershed is 3.63 km/sq km and it indicates the closeness of spacing of channels. The systematic analysis of various parameters in GIS helps in better understanding the soil resources distribution, watersheds prioritization, planning and management.
Are morphometrics sufficient for estimating age of pre-fledging birds in the field? A test using common terns (Sterna hirundo.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christy N Wails

Full Text Available Age is a key component of fitness, affecting survival and reproductive capacities. Where it is not possible to study known individuals from birth, morphometrics (predominantly patterns of plumage development for birds are most often used to estimate age. Although criteria for age estimations exist for many species, the degree to which these criteria improve the precision of estimates remains to be tested, restricting their widespread acceptance. We develop a photographic tool for estimating ages of Common Tern (Sterna hirundo chicks and test it using 100 human observers of varying prior experience across four breeding colonies (three North American sites and one European site and under controlled laboratory conditions. We followed the design approach of other morphometric tools, expanding it to create a user-friendly guide (divided into six age groupings. The majority (86% of observers improved in chick-aging accuracy when using the tool by an average of 20.1% (±1.4 SE and correctly estimated 60.3% (±1.4 of chick ages. This was similar to the intrinsic aging ability of our best field observer (63.3%. Observers with limited experience showed the greatest increases in chick-aging accuracy over experienced observers who likely had established a method for estimating chick ages prior to using the tool. Even the best observers only correctly estimated ages of chicks 62.9% (±2.8 of the time in the field and 84.0% (±2.9 of the time in the lab when using the tool and typically underestimated ages. This indicates that developmental variation between individual chicks can prevent completely reliable age estimates and corroborates the few existing data that suggest that morphometric criteria fail to achieve robust levels of accuracy and may introduce error into studies that rely on them. We conclude that novel approaches for estimating age, not only morphometric criteria, must be pursued.
Esophageal morphometric and biomechanical changes during aging in rats

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhao, Jingbo; Gregersen, Hans

of the present study is to investigate the esophageal geometry and biomechanical changes during aging in rats. Materials and methods Twenty-four male Wistar rats, aged from 6 to 22 months, were used in the study. The body weight and the wet weight per length of esophageal segment were measured at the termination...... was found among 12, 18 and 22 months groups (p>0.05). The longitudinal stress-strain curves shifted from right to the left during aging (pstiffness has no obvious...... change after 12 months in the circumferential direction. Furthermore, we confirm that the esophagus was stiffer in the longitudinal direction than in the circumferential direction. Conclusions A pronounced morphometric and biomechanical remodeling was occurred in the rat esophagus during aging...
Cytological study of DNA content and nuclear morphometric analysis for aid in the diagnosis of high-grade dysplasia within oral leukoplakia.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Xi; Xiao, Xuan; Wu, Wenyan; Shen, Xuemin; Zhou, Zengtong; Liu, Wei; Shi, Linjun

2017-09-01

To quantitatively examine the DNA content and nuclear morphometric status of oral leukoplakia (OL) and investigate its association with the degree of dysplasia in a cytologic study. Oral cytobrush biopsy was carried out to obtain exfoliative epithelial cells from lesions before scalpel biopsy at the same location in a blinded series of 70 patients with OL. Analysis of nuclear morphometry and DNA content status using image cytometry was performed with oral smears stained with the Feulgen-thionin method. Nuclear morphometric analysis revealed significant differences in DNA content amount, DNA index, nuclear area, nuclear radius, nuclear intensity, sphericity, entropy, and fractal dimension (all P content analysis identified 34 patients with OL (48.6%) with DNA content abnormality. Nonhomogeneous lesion (P = .018) and high-grade dysplasia (P = .008) were significantly associated with abnormal DNA content. Importantly, the positive correlation between the degree of oral dysplasia and DNA content status was significant (P = .004, correlation coefficient = 0.342). Cytology analysis of DNA content and nuclear morphometric status using image cytometry may support their use as a screening and monitoring tool for OL progression. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Scaling mimesis: Morphometric and ecomorphological similarities in three sympatric plant-mimetic fish of the family Carangidae (Teleostei).

Science.gov (United States)

Queiroz, Alexya Cunha de; Vallinoto, Marcelo; Sakai, Yoichi; Giarrizzo, Tommaso; Barros, Breno

2018-01-01

The mimetic juveniles of a number of carangid fish species resemble plant parts floating near the water surface, such as leaves, seeds and other plant debris. The present study is the first to verify the morphological similarities and ecomorphological relationships between three carangids (Oligoplites saurus, Oligoplites palometa and Trachinotus falcatus) and their associated plant models. Behavioral observations were conducted in the estuary of Curuçá River, in northeastern Pará (Brazil) between August 2015 and July 2016. Individual fishes and associated floating objects (models) were sampled for comparative analysis using both geometric and morphometric approaches. While the mimetic fish and their models retain their own distinct, intrinsic morphological features, a high degree of morphological similarity was found between each fish species and its model. The morphometric analyses revealed a general tendency of isometric development in all three fish species, probably related to their pelagic habitats, during all ontogenetic stages.
Medial prefrontal aberrations in major depressive disorder revealed by cytoarchitectonically informed voxel-based morphometry

Science.gov (United States)

Bludau, Sebastian; Bzdok, Danilo; Gruber, Oliver; Kohn, Nils; Riedl, Valentin; Sorg, Christian; Palomero-Gallagher, Nicola; Müller, Veronika I.; Hoffstaedter, Felix; Amunts, Katrin; Eickhoff, Simon B.

2017-01-01

Objective The heterogeneous human frontal pole has been identified as a node in the dysfunctional network of major depressive disorder. The contribution of the medial (socio-affective) versus lateral (cognitive) frontal pole to major depression pathogenesis is currently unclear. The present study performs morphometric comparison of the microstructurally informed subdivisions of human frontal pole between depressed patients and controls using both uni- and multivariate statistics. Methods Multi-site voxel- and region-based morphometric MRI analysis of 73 depressed patients and 73 matched controls without psychiatric history. Frontal pole volume was first compared between depressed patients and controls by subdivision-wise classical morphometric analysis. In a second approach, frontal pole volume was compared by subdivision-naive multivariate searchlight analysis based on support vector machines. Results Subdivision-wise morphometric analysis found a significantly smaller medial frontal pole in depressed patients with a negative correlation of disease severity and duration. Histologically uninformed multivariate voxel-wise statistics provided converging evidence for structural aberrations specific to the microstructurally defined medial area of the frontal pole in depressed patients. Conclusions Across disparate methods, we demonstrated subregion specificity in the left medial frontal pole volume in depressed patients. Indeed, the frontal pole was shown to structurally and functionally connect to other key regions in major depression pathology like the anterior cingulate cortex and the amygdala via the uncinate fasciculus. Present and previous findings consolidate the left medial portion of the frontal pole as particularly altered in major depression. PMID:26621569
Quantitative morphologic assessment of thoracolumbar vertebrae in Korean women by morphometric x-ray absorptiometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cheon, Bong Jin; Huh, Jin Do; Kim, Sung Min; Oh, Kyong Seung; Kim, Jong Min; Jung, Gyoo Sik; Joh, Young Duk

1999-01-01

To compare the accuracy of lateral radiography of the spine with that of morphometric X-ray absorptiometry(MXA) in vertebral morphometry, and to evaluate normal vertebral morphometry using MXA in Korean women. A spine phantom was constructed using copper pipe. Its anterior and posterior heights were measured directly, with lateral radiographs and with MXA, and the values thus obtained were compared. Inter- and intra-observer variations were evaluated by three radiologists. The vertebral morphometry of 30 young women volunteers were imaged using thoracic and lumbar lateral radiographs and MXA, and analysis included the measurement of anterior and posterior heights from T4 to L4. We also obtained the vertebral morphometry of 200 normal Korean women who underwent MXA between March 1995 and February 1996, though those with osteoporosis and other spinal lesions were excluded from this study. Thoracolumbar vertebral indexes were statistically correlated with age, height and bone mineral density. There were no statistically significant differences in the heights of spine phantom measured by MXA compared with actual size (mean difference=0.28mm). Simple radiographs were magnified by 23.7% at a phantom-table distance of 15cm, and distortion ranged from 0.5% to 22.5%, depending on phantom level and phantom-table distance. In the study of volunteers, the magnification rate between a simple radiograph and MXA was about 26.6%. Anterior height increased progressively from the thoracic to the lumbar spine, though posterior height peaked at L2, and L4 was less than anterior height. In Korean women, indices of vertebral morphometry decreased significantly with aging, with the most prominent decrease occurring during the seventh decade. The mineral density of spinal bone decreased markedly after the sixth decade. Radiographs showed more magnification and distortion than did MXA, though between morphometric X-ray absorptiometry (MXA) and actual size, there was no significant
Entamoeba Clone-Recognition Experiments: Morphometrics, Aggregative Behavior, and Cell-Signaling Characterization.

Science.gov (United States)

Espinosa, Avelina; Paz-Y-Miño-C, Guillermo; Hackey, Meagan; Rutherford, Scott

2016-05-01

Studies on clone- and kin-discrimination in protists have proliferated during the past decade. We report clone-recognition experiments in seven Entamoeba lineages (E. invadens IP-1, E. invadens VK-1:NS, E. terrapinae, E. moshkovskii Laredo, E. moshkovskii Snake, E. histolytica HM-1:IMSS and E. dispar). First, we characterized morphometrically each clone (length, width, and cell-surface area) and documented how they differed statistically from one another (as per single-variable or canonical-discriminant analyses). Second, we demonstrated that amebas themselves could discriminate self (clone) from different (themselves vs. other clones). In mix-cell-line cultures between closely-related (E. invadens IP-1 vs. E. invadens VK-1:NS) or distant-phylogenetic clones (E. terrapinae vs. E. moshkovskii Laredo), amebas consistently aggregated with same-clone members. Third, we identified six putative cell-signals secreted by the amebas (RasGap/Ankyrin, coronin-WD40, actin, protein kinases, heat shock 70, and ubiquitin) and which known functions in Entamoeba spp. included: cell proliferation, cell adhesion, cell movement, and stress-induced encystation. To our knowledge, this is the first multi-clone characterization of Entamoeba spp. morphometrics, aggregative behavior, and cell-signaling secretion in the context of clone-recognition. Protists allow us to study cell-cell recognition from ecological and evolutionary perspectives. Modern protistan lineages can be central to studies about the origins and evolution of multicellularity. © 2016 The Author(s) Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology © 2016 International Society of Protistologists.
Genetic evidence and new morphometric data as essential tools to identify the Patagonian seahorse Hippocampus patagonicus (Pisces, Syngnathidae).

Science.gov (United States)

González, R; Dinghi, P; Corio, C; Medina, A; Maggioni, M; Storero, L; Gosztonyi, A

2014-02-01

A genetic study to support morphometric analyses was used to improve the description and validate the Patagonian seahorse Hippocampus patagonicus (Syngnathidae) on the basis of a large number of specimens collected in the type locality (San Antonio Bay, Patagonia, Argentina). DNA sequence data (from the cytochrome b region of the mitochondrial genome) were used to differentiate this species from its relatives cited for the west Atlantic Ocean. Both phylogenetic and genetic distance analyses supported the hypothesis that H. patagonicus is a species clearly differentiated from others, in agreement with morphometric studies. Hippocampus patagonicus can be distinguished from Hippocampus erectus by the combination of the following morphometric characteristics: (1) in both sexes and all sizes of H. patagonicus, the snout length is always less than the postorbital length, whereas the snout length of H. erectus is not shorter than the postorbital length in the largest specimens; (2) in both sexes of H. patagonicus, the trunk length:total length (LTr :LT ) is lower than in H. erectus (in female H. patagonicus: 0·27-0·39, H. erectus: 0·36-0·40 and in male H. patagonicus: 0·24-0·34, H. erectus: 0·33-0·43) and (3) in both sexes, tail length:total length (LTa :LT ) in H. patagonicus is larger than in H. erectus (0·61-0·78 v. 0·54-0·64). © 2014 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.
Unveiling the neurotoxicity of methylmercury in fish (Diplodus sargus) through a regional morphometric analysis of brain and swimming behavior assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Puga, Sónia; Pereira, Patrícia; Pinto-Ribeiro, Filipa; O'Driscoll, Nelson J; Mann, Erin; Barata, Marisa; Pousão-Ferreira, Pedro; Canário, João; Almeida, Armando; Pacheco, Mário

2016-11-01

The current study aims to shed light on the neurotoxicity of MeHg in fish (white seabream - Diplodus sargus) by the combined assessment of: (i) MeHg toxicokinetics in the brain, (ii) brain morphometry (volume and number of neurons plus glial cells in specific brain regions) and (iii) fish swimming behavior (endpoints associated with the motor performance and the fear/anxiety-like status). Fish were surveyed for all the components after 7 (E7) and 14 (E14) days of dietary exposure to MeHg (8.7μgg -1 ), as well as after a post-exposure period of 28days (PE28). MeHg was accumulated in the brain of D. sargus after a short time (E7) and reached a maximum at the end of the exposure period (E14), suggesting an efficient transport of this toxicant into fish brain. Divalent inorganic Hg was also detected in fish brain along the experiment (indicating demethylation reactions), although levels were 100-200 times lower than MeHg, which pinpoints the organic counterpart as the great liable for the recorded effects. In this regard, a decreased number of cells in medial pallium and optic tectum, as well as an increased hypothalamic volume, occurred at E7. Such morphometric alterations were followed by an impairment of fish motor condition as evidenced by a decrease in the total swimming time, while the fear/anxiety-like status was not altered. Moreover, at E14 fish swam a greater distance, although no morphometric alterations were found in any of the brain areas, probably due to compensatory mechanisms. Additionally, although MeHg decreased almost two-fold in the brain during post-exposure, the levels were still high and led to a loss of cells in the optic tectum at PE28. This is an interesting result that highlights the optic tectum as particularly vulnerable to MeHg exposure in fish. Despite the morphometric alterations reported in the optic tectum at PE28, no significant changes were found in fish behavior. Globally, the effects of MeHg followed a multiphasic profile, where
A DOE/DP multisite approach to safeguards integration with facility operations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ostenak, C.A.

1987-01-01

The Accountability Technology Exchange (ATEX) Working Group was established in October 1986 by the plutonium processing technology exchange steering committee under the US Department of Energy/Department of Defense program's materials management executive committee (DOE/DP MMEC). The ATEX Working Group provides a multisite, multidisciplinary forum for discussing, evaluating, and recommending both existing and emerging nuclear materials accountability measurement technologies for implementation into DOE/DP plutonium processing facilities. This forum assists technologists in understanding state-of-the-art plutonium processing and accountability measurement practices throughout the complex, as well as current and projected technical needs. As a result, the ATEX Working Group will contribute to the improvement of plutonium processing technologies by helping to assure that the best possible nuclear materials accountability measurement techniques are made available to all sites to process plutonium safely, securely, and cost-effectively
Body and skull morphometric variations between two shovel-headed species of Amphisbaenia (Reptilia: Squamata with morphofunctional inferences on burrowing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leandro dos Santos Lima Hohl

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Background Morphological descriptions comparing Leposternon microcephalum and L. scutigerum have been made previously. However, these taxa lack a formal quantitative morphological characterization, and comparative studies suggest that morphology and burrowing performance are be related. The excavatory movements of L. microcephalum have been described in detail. However, there is a lack of studies comparing locomotor patterns and/or performance among different amphisbaenids sharing the same skull shape. This paper presents the first study of comparative morphometric variations between two closely related amphisbaenid species, L. microcephalum and L. scutigerum, with functional inferences on fossorial locomotion efficiency. Methods Inter-specific morphometric variations were verified through statistical analyses of body and cranial measures of L. microcephalum and L. scutigerum specimens. Their burrowing activity was assessed through X-ray videofluoroscopy and then compared. The influence of morphological variation on the speed of digging was tested among Leposternon individuals. Results Leposternon microcephalum and L. scutigerum are morphometrically distinct species. The first is shorter and robust with a wider head while the other is more elongated and slim with a narrower head. They share the same excavatory movements. The animals analyzed reached relatively high speeds, but individuals with narrower skulls dug faster. A negative correlation between the speed and the width of skull was determined, but not with total length or diameter of the body. Discussion The morphometric differences between L. microcephalum and L. scutigerum are in accord with morphological variations previously described. Since these species performed the same excavation pattern, we may infer that closely related amphisbaenids with the same skull type would exhibit the same excavatory pattern. The negative correlation between head width and excavation speed is also
Morphometric Changes in Talus of Club Foot A Gross Observation in Human Foetuses

OpenAIRE

Fazal-ur-Rehman,; Faruqi, Nafis A

2012-01-01

Both the feet of six human foetuses of different age groups having unilateral club feet, were dissected for morphological study. Six morphometric parameters considered for comparing gross anatomical changes in normal and deformed feet, were 1-Maximum length of the talus, 2-Longitudinal dimension of head of talus, 3-Anterior trochlear breadth, 4-Maximum medial talar height, 5-Talar neck and calcaneal angle, 6-Talocalcaneal angle. All the foetuses with congenital club feet have almost similar d...
Crowdsourced geometric morphometrics enable rapid large-scale collection and analysis of phenotypic data

OpenAIRE

Chang, Jonathan; Chang, Jonathan

2015-01-01

1. Advances in genomics and informatics have enabled the production of large phylogenetic trees. However, the ability to collect large phenotypic datasets has not kept pace. 2. Here, we present a method to quickly and accurately gather morphometric data using crowdsourced image-based landmarking. 3. We find that crowdsourced workers perform similarly to experienced morphologists on the same digitization tasks. We also demonstrate the speed and accuracy of our method on seven families of ray-f...
Quantitative morphometric analysis for the tectonic characterisation of northern Tunisia.

Science.gov (United States)

Camafort, Miquel; Pérez-Peña, José Vicente; Booth-Rea, Guillermo; Ranero, César R.; Gràcia, Eulàlia; Azañón, José Miguel; Melki, Fetheddine; Ouadday, Mohamed

2016-04-01

Northern Tunisia is characterized by low deformation rates and low to moderate seismicity. Although instrumental seismicity reaches maximum magnitudes of Mw 5.5, some historical earthquakes have occurred with catastrophic consequences in this region. Aiming to improve our knowledge of active tectonics in Tunisia, we carried out both a quantitative morphometric analysis and field study in the north-western region. We applied different morphometric tools, like river profiles, knickpoint analysis, hypsometric curves and integrals and drainage pattern anomalies in order to differentiate between zones with high or low recent tectonic activity. This analysis helps identifying uplift and subsidence zones, which we relate to fault activity. Several active faults in a sparse distribution were identified. A selected sector was studied with a field campaign to test the results obtained with the quantitative analysis. During the fieldwork we identified geological evidence of recent activity and a considerable seismogenic potential along El Alia-Teboursouk (ETF) and Dkhila (DF) faults. The ETF fault could be responsible of one of the most devastating historical earthquakes in northern Tunisia that destroyed Utique in 412 A.D. Geological evidence include fluvial terraces folded by faults, striated and cracked pebbles, clastic dikes, sand volcanoes, coseismic cracks, etc. Although not reflected in the instrumental seismicity, our results support an important seismic hazard, evidenced by the several active tectonic structures identified and the two seismogenic faults described. After obtaining the current active tectonic framework of Tunisia we discuss our results within the western Mediterranean trying to contribute to the understanding of the western Mediterranean tectonic context. With our results, we suggest that the main reason explaining the sparse and scarce seismicity of the area in contrast with the adjacent parts of the Nubia-Eurasia boundary is due to its extended
Biometric and morphometric studies of Perna viridis and Perna indica along the southwest coast of India: a statistical approach

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Jayalakshmy, K.V.; Nair, M.; DileepKumar, R.; Vijayan, M.

morphometric gradient groups (spat and adult), indicating the different phenotypic plasticity between them. The factor scores classified P. indica as a unimodal, positively skewed leptokurtic population and P. viridis as a unimodal, negatively skewed...
Morphometrical differences between resectable and non-resectable pancreatic cancer: a fractal analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Vasilescu, Catalin; Giza, Dana Elena; Petrisor, Petre; Dobrescu, Radu; Popescu, Irinel; Herlea, Vlad

2012-01-01

Pancreatic cancer is a highly aggressive cancer with a rising incidence and poor prognosis despite active surgical treatment. Candidates for surgical resection should be carefully selected. In order to avoid unnecessary laparotomy it is useful to identify reliable factors that may predict resectability. Nuclear morphometry and fractal dimension of pancreatic nuclear features could provide important preoperative information in assessing pancreas resectability. Sixty-one patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer were enrolled in this retrospective study between 2003 and 2005. Patients were divided into two groups: one resectable cancer group and one with non-resectable pancreatic cancer. Morphometric parameters measured were: nuclear area, length of minor axis and length of major axis. Nuclear shape and chromatin distribution of the pancreatic tumor cells were both estimated using fractal dimension. Morphometric measurements have shown significant differences between the nuclear area of the resectable group and the non-resectable group (61.9 ± 19.8µm vs. 42.2 ± 15.6µm). Fractal dimension of the nuclear outlines and chromatin distribution was found to have a higher value in the non-resectable group (p<0.05). Objective measurements should be performed to improve risk assessment and therapeutic decisions in pancreatic cancer. Nuclear morphometry of the pancreatic nuclear features can provide important pre-operative information in resectability assessment. The fractal dimension of the nuclear shape and chromatin distribution may be considered a new promising adjunctive tool for conventional pathological analysis.
Multi-Site Diagnostic Classification of Schizophrenia Using Discriminant Deep Learning with Functional Connectivity MRI

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ling-Li Zeng

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Background: A lack of a sufficiently large sample at single sites causes poor generalizability in automatic diagnosis classification of heterogeneous psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia based on brain imaging scans. Advanced deep learning methods may be capable of learning subtle hidden patterns from high dimensional imaging data, overcome potential site-related variation, and achieve reproducible cross-site classification. However, deep learning-based cross-site transfer classification, despite less imaging site-specificity and more generalizability of diagnostic models, has not been investigated in schizophrenia. Methods: A large multi-site functional MRI sample (n = 734, including 357 schizophrenic patients from seven imaging resources was collected, and a deep discriminant autoencoder network, aimed at learning imaging site-shared functional connectivity features, was developed to discriminate schizophrenic individuals from healthy controls. Findings: Accuracies of approximately 85·0% and 81·0% were obtained in multi-site pooling classification and leave-site-out transfer classification, respectively. The learned functional connectivity features revealed dysregulation of the cortical-striatal-cerebellar circuit in schizophrenia, and the most discriminating functional connections were primarily located within and across the default, salience, and control networks. Interpretation: The findings imply that dysfunctional integration of the cortical-striatal-cerebellar circuit across the default, salience, and control networks may play an important role in the “disconnectivity” model underlying the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. The proposed discriminant deep learning method may be capable of learning reliable connectome patterns and help in understanding the pathophysiology and achieving accurate prediction of schizophrenia across multiple independent imaging sites. Keywords: Schizophrenia, Deep learning, Connectome, f
Multi-Site Diagnostic Classification of Schizophrenia Using Discriminant Deep Learning with Functional Connectivity MRI.

Science.gov (United States)

Zeng, Ling-Li; Wang, Huaning; Hu, Panpan; Yang, Bo; Pu, Weidan; Shen, Hui; Chen, Xingui; Liu, Zhening; Yin, Hong; Tan, Qingrong; Wang, Kai; Hu, Dewen

2018-04-01

A lack of a sufficiently large sample at single sites causes poor generalizability in automatic diagnosis classification of heterogeneous psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia based on brain imaging scans. Advanced deep learning methods may be capable of learning subtle hidden patterns from high dimensional imaging data, overcome potential site-related variation, and achieve reproducible cross-site classification. However, deep learning-based cross-site transfer classification, despite less imaging site-specificity and more generalizability of diagnostic models, has not been investigated in schizophrenia. A large multi-site functional MRI sample (n = 734, including 357 schizophrenic patients from seven imaging resources) was collected, and a deep discriminant autoencoder network, aimed at learning imaging site-shared functional connectivity features, was developed to discriminate schizophrenic individuals from healthy controls. Accuracies of approximately 85·0% and 81·0% were obtained in multi-site pooling classification and leave-site-out transfer classification, respectively. The learned functional connectivity features revealed dysregulation of the cortical-striatal-cerebellar circuit in schizophrenia, and the most discriminating functional connections were primarily located within and across the default, salience, and control networks. The findings imply that dysfunctional integration of the cortical-striatal-cerebellar circuit across the default, salience, and control networks may play an important role in the "disconnectivity" model underlying the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. The proposed discriminant deep learning method may be capable of learning reliable connectome patterns and help in understanding the pathophysiology and achieving accurate prediction of schizophrenia across multiple independent imaging sites. Copyright © 2018 German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Assessing dental wear in reindeer using geometric morphometrical methods

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Rolf Rødven

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Assessing dental wear is a useful tool for monitoring the interaction between ungulates and their food resources. However, using a univariate measurement for dental wear, like for instance height of the first molar may not capture the variation in dental wear important for the dental functional morphology. We here demonstrate a method for assessing dental wear for ungulates by using geometric morphometrical methods on 11 mandibles from nine Svalbard reindeer (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus. Shape measurements were obtained from a combination of fixed and sliding semi-landmarks, and dental wear was estimated using residual variation of the landmarks. The morphometric measurements obtained showed a good fit when compared to subjective scores of dental wear. We conclude that this method may give a more integrated and robust assessment of dental wear than univariate methods, and suggest it to be used as an alternative or in addition to traditional measurements of dental wear.Abstract in Norwegian / Sammendrag:Vurdering av tannslitasje hos rein ved hjelp av geometrisk morfometriske metoder Vurdering av tannslitasje er en anvendbar metode for å overvåke betydningen av miljøet for livshistorien til hovdyr. Imidlertid vil bruk av et enkelt mål, som for eksempel høyde på første molar, ikke nødvendigvis fange opp variasjonen i tannslitasje som er viktig i forhold til tennenes funksjonelle morfologi. I denne artikkelen viser vi hvordan tannslitasje kan vurderes ved å anvende geometrisk morfometriske metoder på 11 underkjever fra ni Svalbardrein (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus. Formen på tannrekka ble målt ved hjelp av en kombinasjon av fikserte og glidende semi-landemerker, hvor tannslitasje ble estimert ved å bruke residual variasjon av landemerkene. De morfometriske målene stemte godt overens med subjektiv vurdering av tannslitasje. Vi konkluderer at denne metoden kan gi en mer integrert og robust vurdering av tannslitasje enn univariate
Magnetic resonance imaging in schizophrenia: a morphometric study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Castro, Claudio Campi de

2001-01-01

Thirty-three patients with chronic schizophrenia and 21 normal subjects were submitted to magnetic resonance imaging studies using a 1.5 T scanner. Axial and coronal T 2-weighted images were obtained. The volumes of the brain, intracranial, supratentorial, infratentorial and the total, ventricular and subarachnoid cerebrospinal fluid volumes were measured using semi-automated morphometric methods. The volumes of the amygdala-hippocampus complex, para hippocampal gyrus cortex, putamen, globus pallidus, temporal lobe, gray and white matter of temporal lobe were also measured. These volumes were normalized using the intracranial volume as reference. The most relevant findings observed were reduced brain volume and increased total, ventricular and subarachnoid cerebrospinal fluid volumes in patients with schizophrenia when compared to the controls. Patients with schizophrenia had also smaller amygdala-hippocampus complexes, temporal lobes and temporal lobe white matter than the controls, as well as increased putamen volumes. (author)
Increased mortality among Indigenous persons in a multisite cohort of people living with HIV in Canada.

Science.gov (United States)

Benoit, Anita C; Younger, Jaime; Beaver, Kerrigan; Jackson, Randy; Loutfy, Mona; Masching, Renée; Nobis, Tony; Nowgesic, Earl; O'Brien-Teengs, Doe; Whitebird, Wanda; Zoccole, Art; Hull, Mark; Jaworsky, Denise; Benson, Elizabeth; Rachlis, Anita; Rourke, Sean B; Burchell, Ann N; Cooper, Curtis; Hogg, Robert S; Klein, Marina B; Machouf, Nima; Montaner, Julio S G; Tsoukas, Chris; Raboud, Janet

2017-06-16

Compare all-cause mortality between Indigenous participants and participants of other ethnicities living with HIV initiating combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) in an interprovincial multi-site cohort. The Canadian Observational Cohort is a collaboration of 8 cohorts of treatment-naïve persons with HIV initiating cART after January 1, 2000. Participants were followed from the cART initiation date until death or last viral load (VL) test date on or before December 31, 2012. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate the effect of ethnicity on time until death after adjusting for age, gender, injection drug use, being a man who has sex with men, hepatitis C, province of origin, baseline VL and CD4 count, year of cART initiation and class of antiretroviral medication. The study sample consisted of 7080 participants (497 Indigenous, 2471 Caucasian, 787 African/Caribbean/Black (ACB), 629 other, and 2696 unknown ethnicity). Most Indigenous persons were from British Columbia (BC) (83%), with smaller numbers from Ontario (13%) and Québec (4%). During the study period, 714 (10%) participants died. The five-year survival probability was lower for Indigenous persons (0.77) than for Caucasian (0.94), ACB (0.98), other ethnicities (0.96) and unknown ethnicities (0.85) (p < 0.0001). In an adjusted proportional hazard model for which missing data were imputed, Indigenous persons were more likely to die than Caucasian participants (hazard ratio = 2.69, p < 0.0001). The mortality rate for Indigenous persons was higher than for other ethnicities and is largely reflective of the BC population. Addressing treatment challenges and identifying HIV- and non-HIV-related causes for mortality among Indigenous persons is required to optimize their clinical management.
The problem of assessing landmark error in geometric morphometrics: theory, methods, and modifications.

Science.gov (United States)

von Cramon-Taubadel, Noreen; Frazier, Brenda C; Lahr, Marta Mirazón

2007-09-01

Geometric morphometric methods rely on the accurate identification and quantification of landmarks on biological specimens. As in any empirical analysis, the assessment of inter- and intra-observer error is desirable. A review of methods currently being employed to assess measurement error in geometric morphometrics was conducted and three general approaches to the problem were identified. One such approach employs Generalized Procrustes Analysis to superimpose repeatedly digitized landmark configurations, thereby establishing whether repeat measures fall within an acceptable range of variation. The potential problem of this error assessment method (the "Pinocchio effect") is demonstrated and its effect on error studies discussed. An alternative approach involves employing Euclidean distances between the configuration centroid and repeat measures of a landmark to assess the relative repeatability of individual landmarks. This method is also potentially problematic as the inherent geometric properties of the specimen can result in misleading estimates of measurement error. A third approach involved the repeated digitization of landmarks with the specimen held in a constant orientation to assess individual landmark precision. This latter approach is an ideal method for assessing individual landmark precision, but is restrictive in that it does not allow for the incorporation of instrumentally defined or Type III landmarks. Hence, a revised method for assessing landmark error is proposed and described with the aid of worked empirical examples. (c) 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
[Morphometric features of the structure of the central nucleus of the amygdala in men and women].

Science.gov (United States)

Antyukhov, A D

2015-01-01

To identify the interhemispheric asymmetry in the structure of the central nucleus of the amygdala in men and women. Morphometric features of the structure of neurons of the central nucleus amygdala complex were studied in histological sections of the brain of 6 men and 6 women (24 hemispheres), aged 19 to 55 years, with no lifetime diagnosis of mental or neurological disease. The value of the profile fields of neurons of the central nucleus amygdala complex in the left and right hemispheres of the brain were investigated. In women, the average value of neurons in the left hemisphere was somewhat greater than in the right hemisphere, while in men this value was greater in the right hemisphere. The interhemispheric morphometric differences were not significant regardless of gender. In addition, the quantity of relevant fields of neurons in the central nucleus of the amygdala in women was significantly larger than that of men in both hemispheres. The authors attempted to associate the results obtained in the study with emotional perception in men and women.
DNA immunisation. New histochemical and morphometric data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D Ehirchiou

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Splenic germinal center reactions were measured during primary response to a plasmidic DNA intramuscular injection. Cardiotoxin-pretreated Balb/c mice were immunized with DNA plasmids encoding or not the SAG1 protein, a membrane antigen of Toxoplasma gondii. Specific anti-SAG1 antibodies were detected on days 16 and 36 after injection of coding plasmids. The results of ELISAs showed that the SAG1-specific antibodies are of the IgG2a class. Morphometric analyses were done on serial immunostained cryosections of spleen and draining or non-draining lymph nodes. This new approach made it possible to evaluate the chronological changes induced by DNA immunisation in the germinal centres (in number and in size. Significant increases in the number of germinal centres were measured in the spleen and only in draining lymph nodes after plasmid injection. the measured changes of the germinal centers appeared to result from the adjuvant stimulatory effect of the plasmidic DNA since both the coding and the noncoding plasmid DNA induced them. No measurable changes were recorded in the Tdependent zone of lymph organs.
Immunohistochemical and morphometric study of the development of fetal and newborn rat pancreatic islets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Badawoud, Mohammed H.

2003-01-01

Aim of this study is to perform a detailed morphometric immunohistochemichal study of develpment of fetal and newborn rat pancreatic islets. 24 pancreas were obtained from 19 and 21-day-old fetal rats,1 and 4-day-old newborn rats. They were fixed in a buffered neutral formalin ,dehydrated and embedded in paraplast. Sections were stained with anti-insulin antibodies. Study was performed at Department of Anatomy, King Abdul-Aziz University, Jeddah,Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, between 2001 and 2002. The volume density of B cells showed a grdual increase during the last days of gestation and a slight increase during the first 4 days after birth. All the other morphometric parameters showed a gradual increase during the last days of gestation and during the first days after birth.The B cell nuclear diameter and volume showed a slight increase after birth. B cells were stained and present in the central part of of fetal and new born islets,while the other islet cells were present in the periphery of the islets. The size of endocrine tissue, which was represented by the islet diameter, islet volume, islet volume density, total number of islet cells,number of B cells and volume density of B cells showed a progressive increase during the prenatal period. (author)
Topological Data Analysis as a Morphometric Method: Using Persistent Homology to Demarcate a Leaf Morphospace

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mao Li

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Current morphometric methods that comprehensively measure shape cannot compare the disparate leaf shapes found in seed plants and are sensitive to processing artifacts. We explore the use of persistent homology, a topological method applied as a filtration across simplicial complexes (or more simply, a method to measure topological features of spaces across different spatial resolutions, to overcome these limitations. The described method isolates subsets of shape features and measures the spatial relationship of neighboring pixel densities in a shape. We apply the method to the analysis of 182,707 leaves, both published and unpublished, representing 141 plant families collected from 75 sites throughout the world. By measuring leaves from throughout the seed plants using persistent homology, a defined morphospace comparing all leaves is demarcated. Clear differences in shape between major phylogenetic groups are detected and estimates of leaf shape diversity within plant families are made. The approach predicts plant family above chance. The application of a persistent homology method, using topological features, to measure leaf shape allows for a unified morphometric framework to measure plant form, including shapes, textures, patterns, and branching architectures.
Population structure of the Korean gizzard shad, Konosirus punctatus (Clupeiformes, Clupeidae) using multivariate morphometric analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Myoung, Se Hun; Kim, Jin-Koo

2016-03-01

The gizzard shad, Konosirus punctatus, is one of the most important fish species in Korea, China, Japan and Taiwan, and therefore the implementation of an appropriate population structure analysis is both necessary and fitting. In order to clarify the current distribution range for the two lineages of the Korean gizzard shad (Myoung and Kim 2014), we conducted a multivariate morphometric analysis by locality and lineage. We analyzed 17 morphometric and 5 meristic characters of 173 individuals, which were sampled from eight localities in the East Sea, the Yellow Sea and the Korean Strait. Unlike population genetics studies, the canonical discriminant analysis (CDA) results showed that the two morphotypes were clearly segregated by the center value "0" of CAN1, of which morphotype A occurred from the Yellow Sea to the western Korean Strait with negative values, and morphotype B occurred from the East Sea to the eastern Korean Strait with positive values even though there exists an admixture zone in the eastern Korean Strait. Further studies using more sensitive markers such as microsatellite DNA are required in order to define the true relationship between the two lineages.
Use of morphometric analysis and self-organizing maps for alluvial fan classification: case study on Ostorankooh altitudes, Iran

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mokarram, Marzieh; Seif, Abdollah; Sathyamoorthy, Dinesh

2014-01-01

The aim of this study is to classify alluvial fans formed by high-gradient braided streams and torrents that discharge into the Oshtorankook altitudes in the Lorestan province, Iran. The morphology of the fans and their watershed is quantitatively described through estimated morphometric parameters. For relationships between geomorphological features of the fans and their drainage basins, self-organizingmaps (SOM) were used. In SOM, according to both qualitative data and morphometric variables, the clustering tendency of alluvial fans was investigated using 15 alluvial fans parameters. The results of the analysis showed that several morphologically different fan types were recognizedbased on their geomorphological characteristics in the study area. A strong positive relationship was found between the drainage basin area and size of the fan with a simple power function. In addition, the relationship between fan slope and drainage area was found to be negative and moderately strong with a simple power function
Hydrological inferences through morphometric analysis of lower Kosi river basin of India for water resource management based on remote sensing data

Science.gov (United States)

Rai, Praveen Kumar; Chandel, Rajeev Singh; Mishra, Varun Narayan; Singh, Prafull

2018-03-01

Satellite based remote sensing technology has proven to be an effectual tool in analysis of drainage networks, study of surface morphological features and their correlation with groundwater management prospect at basin level. The present study highlights the effectiveness and advantage of remote sensing and GIS-based analysis for quantitative and qualitative assessment of flood plain region of lower Kosi river basin based on morphometric analysis. In this study, ASTER DEM is used to extract the vital hydrological parameters of lower Kosi river basin in ARC GIS software. Morphometric parameters, e.g., stream order, stream length, bifurcation ratio, drainage density, drainage frequency, drainage texture, form factor, circularity ratio, elongation ratio, etc., have been calculated for the Kosi basin and their hydrological inferences were discussed. Most of the morphometric parameters such as bifurcation ratio, drainage density, drainage frequency, drainage texture concluded that basin has good prospect for water management program for various purposes and also generated data base that can provide scientific information for site selection of water-harvesting structures and flood management activities in the basin. Land use land cover (LULC) of the basin were also prepared from Landsat data of 2005, 2010 and 2015 to assess the change in dynamic of the basin and these layers are very noteworthy for further watershed prioritization.
A Morphometric Study of Auricular Concha in the Population of Young Chinese Adults

OpenAIRE

Zhu, Zhaohua; Ji, Xiaomin; Gao, Zhu; Hu, Gang

2017-01-01

SUMMARY: A detailed data of concha is currently not available. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine twelve morphometric measurements of concha, to investigate its sexual dimorphism and bilateral asymmetry, and to establish basic shapes of concha for both sexes and sides. The study sample comprised of 310 young Chinese aged 18-28 years. 141 left and 141 right ear impressions for females, 169 left and 169 right ear impressions for males were collected and scanned. The 3D coordinates ...
Collaborative Economy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

collaborative economy and tourism Dianne Dredge and Szilvia Gyimóthy PART I - Theoretical explorations 2.Definitions and mapping the landscape in the collaborative economy Szilvia Gyimóthy and Dianne Dredge 3.Business models of the collaborative economy Szilvia Gyimóthy 4.Responsibility and care...... in the collaborative economy Dianne Dredge 5.Networked cultures in the collaborative economy Szilvia Gyimóthy 6.Policy and regulatory perspectives in the collaborative economy Dianne Dredge PART II - Disruptions, innovations and transformations 7.Regulating innovation in the collaborative economy: An examination...... localities of tourism Greg Richards 11.Collaborative economy and destination marketing organizations: A systems approach Jonathan Day 12.Working within the Collaborative Tourist Economy: The complex crafting of work and meaning Jane Widtfeldt Meged and Mathilde Dissing Christensen PART - III Encounters...
Human body mass estimation: a comparison of "morphometric" and "mechanical" methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Auerbach, Benjamin M; Ruff, Christopher B

2004-12-01

In the past, body mass was reconstructed from hominin skeletal remains using both "mechanical" methods which rely on the support of body mass by weight-bearing skeletal elements, and "morphometric" methods which reconstruct body mass through direct assessment of body size and shape. A previous comparison of two such techniques, using femoral head breadth (mechanical) and stature and bi-iliac breadth (morphometric), indicated a good general correspondence between them (Ruff et al. [1997] Nature 387:173-176). However, the two techniques were never systematically compared across a large group of modern humans of diverse body form. This study incorporates skeletal measures taken from 1,173 Holocene adult individuals, representing diverse geographic origins, body sizes, and body shapes. Femoral head breadth, bi-iliac breadth (after pelvic rearticulation), and long bone lengths were measured on each individual. Statures were estimated from long bone lengths using appropriate reference samples. Body masses were calculated using three available femoral head breadth (FH) formulae and the stature/bi-iliac breadth (STBIB) formula, and compared. All methods yielded similar results. Correlations between FH estimates and STBIB estimates are 0.74-0.81. Slight differences in results between the three FH estimates can be attributed to sampling differences in the original reference samples, and in particular, the body-size ranges included in those samples. There is no evidence for systematic differences in results due to differences in body proportions. Since the STBIB method was validated on other samples, and the FH methods produced similar estimates, this argues that either may be applied to skeletal remains with some confidence. 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Morphologic and morphometric evaluation of pancreatic islets in chronic Chagas' disease

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saldanha João Carlos

2001-01-01

Full Text Available PURPOSE: Hyperglycemia and abnormal glucose tolerance tests observed in some patients with chronic Chagas' disease suggest the possibility of morphological changes in pancreatic islets and/or denervation. The purpose of this study was to describe the morphology and morphometry of pancreatic islets in chronic Chagas' disease. METHODS: Morphologic and computerized morphometric studies were performed in fragments of the head, body, and tail regions of the pancreas obtained at necropsies of 8 normal controls and 17 patients with chronic Chagas' disease: 8 with the digestive form (Megas and 9 with the congestive heart failure form. RESULTS: The Megas group had a larger (p < 0.05 pancreatic islet area in the tail of the pancreas (10649.3 ± 4408.8 µm² than the normal control (9481.8 ± 3242.4 µm² and congestive heart failure (9475.1 ± 2104.9 µm² groups; likewise, the density of the pancreatic islets (PI was greater (1.2 ± 0.7 vs. 0.9 ± 0.6 vs. 1.9 ± 1.0 PI/mm², respectively. In the tail region of the pancreas of patients with the Megas form, there was a significant and positive correlation (r = +0.73 between the area and density of pancreatic islets. Discrete fibrosis and leukocytic infiltrates were found in pancreatic ganglia and pancreatic islets of the patients with Chagas' disease. Trypanosoma cruzi nests were not observed in the examined sections. Individuals with the Megas form of Chagas' disease showed increased area and density of pancreatic islets in the tail of the pancreas. CONCLUSION: The observed morphometric and morphologic alterations are consistent with functional changes in the pancreas, including glycemia and insulin disturbances.
MASTR-MS: a web-based collaborative laboratory information management system (LIMS) for metabolomics.

Science.gov (United States)

Hunter, Adam; Dayalan, Saravanan; De Souza, David; Power, Brad; Lorrimar, Rodney; Szabo, Tamas; Nguyen, Thu; O'Callaghan, Sean; Hack, Jeremy; Pyke, James; Nahid, Amsha; Barrero, Roberto; Roessner, Ute; Likic, Vladimir; Tull, Dedreia; Bacic, Antony; McConville, Malcolm; Bellgard, Matthew

2017-01-01

An increasing number of research laboratories and core analytical facilities around the world are developing high throughput metabolomic analytical and data processing pipelines that are capable of handling hundreds to thousands of individual samples per year, often over multiple projects, collaborations and sample types. At present, there are no Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS) that are specifically tailored for metabolomics laboratories that are capable of tracking samples and associated metadata from the beginning to the end of an experiment, including data processing and archiving, and which are also suitable for use in large institutional core facilities or multi-laboratory consortia as well as single laboratory environments. Here we present MASTR-MS, a downloadable and installable LIMS solution that can be deployed either within a single laboratory or used to link workflows across a multisite network. It comprises a Node Management System that can be used to link and manage projects across one or multiple collaborating laboratories; a User Management System which defines different user groups and privileges of users; a Quote Management System where client quotes are managed; a Project Management System in which metadata is stored and all aspects of project management, including experimental setup, sample tracking and instrument analysis, are defined, and a Data Management System that allows the automatic capture and storage of raw and processed data from the analytical instruments to the LIMS. MASTR-MS is a comprehensive LIMS solution specifically designed for metabolomics. It captures the entire lifecycle of a sample starting from project and experiment design to sample analysis, data capture and storage. It acts as an electronic notebook, facilitating project management within a single laboratory or a multi-node collaborative environment. This software is being developed in close consultation with members of the metabolomics research
Morphometrics and structure of complete baleen racks in gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) from the Eastern North Pacific Ocean.

Science.gov (United States)

Young, Samantha; DeméRé, Thomas A; Ekdale, Eric G; Berta, Annalisa; Zellmer, Nicholas

2015-04-01

Mysticetes have evolved a novel filter feeding apparatus-baleen-an epidermal keratinous tissue composed of keratin that grows as a serial arrangement of transverse cornified laminae from the right and left sides of the palate. The structure and function of baleen varies among extant mysticete clades and this variation likely can be viewed as adaptations related to different filter feeding strategies. In one of the first morphometric studies of the full baleen apparatus, we describe the morphology of complete baleen racks in neonate, yearling and adult gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus), and note morphometric variations between age groups as well as within individual racks. Morphometric data and detailed descriptions were collected from the full baleen apparatus of three frozen specimens of E. robustus using previously derived ecologically significant and broad scale measurements of baleen. Additionally, characters of the baleen apparatus were described based on visible patterns of baleen laminae and plates on the dorsal root of the rack. Results indicate that the longest, widest, and thickest plates and laminae are found toward the posterior half of the rack, resulting in the greatest surface area for filtration of prey occurring in this region. Ontogenetic changes were also documented that reveal a progressive increase in the filter surface area of the developing baleen apparatus as baleen laminae and main plates grow in length and width. Also noted was a progressive posterior shift in the position of greatest filtration area. Histological examination of the epithelial base (Zwischensubstanz) and laminae showed basic epidermal layers, as well as gapping between layers and vacuoles. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
[Morphometric evaluation of the lateral fossa during the pre-gyrus period].

Science.gov (United States)

Varlam, H; Macovei, G N; Antohe, D St

2002-09-01

During edification of neocortex, the lateral fossa is involved in the process of development of cerebral hemispheres. It changes its shape and, from a shallow depression at the end of the 3rd month, it becomes a triangular surface with marked borders. Finally, in the same time with the appearance of circumvolutions the opercles that limit it come closer and give rise to the lateral sulcus. The evolution of the lateral fossa can be analysed by linear and surface parameters. Morphometric and statistic analyse of these parameters, compared with those of the cerebral hemisphere, allowed us to establish some original criteria for appreciating the growth of the foetal brain.
Morphometric analysis of the fiber populations of the rat sciatic nerve, its spinal roots, and its major branches

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Prodanov, D.P.; Feierabend, H.K.P.

2007-01-01

Correspondence between the nerve composition and the functional characteristics of its fiber populations is not always evident. To investigate such correspondence and to give a systematic picture of the morphology of the rat hind limb nerves, extensive morphometric study was performed on the sciatic
Morphometric evaluation of AgNORs in odontogenic cysts.

Science.gov (United States)

Sreeshyla, Huchanahalli S; Shashidara, Raju; Sudheendra, Udyavara Sridhara

2013-10-01

To evaluate the morphometry of AgNORs in odontogenic cysts and to compare their biologic behavior to determine whether AgNOR morphometry is helpful in predicting the behavior. Ten cases each of odontogenic keratocyst (OKC), dentigerous cyst (DC) and radicular cyst (RC) were stained with silver nitrate. Morphometric analysis of 100 selected epithelial and connective tissue cells was done to record their nuclear volume, nuclear perimeter, contour index of the nucleus, AgNOR count, AgNOR proportion and single AgNOR volume. The results were statistically analyzed using ANOVA. AgNOR count, nuclear volume and nuclear perimeter were greatest in the OKC followed by DC and RC, suggesting that these parameters differentiate between the aggressive and less aggressive odontogenic cysts. Single AgNOR volume and AgNOR proportion were greatest in the RC followed by OKC and DC, respectively. Results of our study taken in isolation point to AgNOR count as the most reliable factor in differentiating between aggressive and nonaggressive odontogenic cysts.

Multisite musculoskeletal pain in adolescence as a predictor of medical and social welfare benefits in young adulthood: The Norwegian Arctic Adolescent Health Cohort Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Eckhoff, C; Straume, B; Kvernmo, S

2017-11-01

Pain in adolescence is associated with mental health problems, the main reason for work disability in young adults. This study explores the relationship between multisite musculoskeletal pain in adolescence and later medical (sickness and medical rehabilitation benefits) and social welfare benefits, adjusted for sociodemographic, adolescent psychosocial and mental health problems. Data were obtained by linkage between the National Insurance Registry (2003-11) and the Norwegian Arctic Adolescent Health Study, a school-based survey in North Norway (2003-05), accepted by 3987 fifteen- to sixteen-year-olds (68% of the total population). The start of the follow-up time was July 1st of the corresponding year the participants responded to the health study. Musculoskeletal pain was measured by the number of musculoskeletal pain sites. We found a positive linear relationship between adolescent musculoskeletal pain sites and the occurrence of medical and social welfare benefits in young adulthood (p ≤ 0.001). Adolescent musculoskeletal pain was a significant predictor of sickness (p adolescent psychosocial and mental health problems. The most important adolescent psychosocial predictors were externalizing problems, less parental involvement and adverse life events. Adolescent multisite musculoskeletal pain was found to be an important predictor of later sickness and social welfare benefit receipt from adolescence to young adulthood. Adolescents with multisite musculoskeletal pain are at substantially increased risk of health and social difficulties into young adulthood. Identification and interventions for these adolescent problems could alleviate this risk and be a sound socioeconomic investment. © 2017 European Pain Federation - EFIC®.
Engagement and action for health: the contribution of leaders' collaborative skills to partnership success.

Science.gov (United States)

El Ansari, Walid; Oskrochi, Reza; Phillips, Ceri

2009-01-01

A multi-site evaluation (survey) of five Kellogg-funded Community Partnerships (CPs) in South Africa was undertaken to explore the relationship between leadership skills and a range of 30 operational, functional and organisational factors deemed critical to successful CPs. The CPs were collaborative academic-health service-community efforts aimed at health professions education reforms. The level of agreement to eleven dichotomous ('Yes/No') leadership skills items was used to compute two measures of members' appreciation of their CPs' leadership. The associations between these measures and 30 CPs factors were explored, and the partnership factors that leadership skills explained were assessed after controlling. Respondents who perceived the leadership of their CPs favourably had more positive ratings across 30 other partnership factors than those who rated leadership skills less favourably, and were more likely to report a positive cost/ benefit ratio. In addition, respondents who viewed their CPs' leadership positively also rated the operational understanding, the communication mechanisms, as well as the rules and procedures of the CPs more favourably. Leadership skills explained between 20% and 7% of the variance of 10 partnership factors. The influence of leaders' skills in effective health-focussed partnerships is much broader than previously conceptualised.
Differentiating sex and species of Western Grebes (Aechmophorus occidentalis) and Clark's Grebes (Aechmophorus clarkii) and their eggs using external morphometrics and discriminant function analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Hartman, C. Alex; Ackerman, Joshua T.; Eagles-Smith, Collin A.; Herzog, Mark

2016-01-01

In birds where males and females are similar in size and plumage, sex determination by alternative means is necessary. Discriminant function analysis based on external morphometrics was used to distinguish males from females in two closely related species: Western Grebe (Aechmophorus occidentalis) and Clark's Grebe (A. clarkii). Additionally, discriminant function analysis was used to evaluate morphometric divergence between Western and Clark's grebe adults and eggs. Aechmophorus grebe adults (n = 576) and eggs (n = 130) were sampled across 29 lakes and reservoirs throughout California, USA, and adult sex was determined using molecular analysis. Both Western and Clark's grebes exhibited considerable sexual size dimorphism. Males averaged 6–26% larger than females among seven morphological measurements, with the greatest sexual size dimorphism occurring for bill morphometrics. Discriminant functions based on bill length, bill depth, and short tarsus length correctly assigned sex to 98% of Western Grebes, and a function based on bill length and bill depth correctly assigned sex to 99% of Clark's Grebes. Further, a simplified discriminant function based only on bill depth correctly assigned sex to 96% of Western Grebes and 98% of Clark's Grebes. In contrast, external morphometrics were not suitable for differentiating between Western and Clark's grebe adults or their eggs, with correct classification rates of discriminant functions of only 60%, 63%, and 61% for adult males, adult females, and eggs, respectively. Our results indicate little divergence in external morphology between species of Aechmophorus grebes, and instead separation is much greater between males and females.
Interprofessional collaboration and family member involvement in intensive care units: emerging themes from a multi-sited ethnography.

Science.gov (United States)

Reeves, Scott; McMillan, Sarah E; Kachan, Natasha; Paradis, Elise; Leslie, Myles; Kitto, Simon

2015-05-01

This article presents emerging findings from the first year of a two-year study, which employed ethnographic methods to explore the culture of interprofessional collaboration (IPC) and family member involvement in eight North American intensive care units (ICUs). The study utilized a comparative ethnographic approach - gathering observation, interview and documentary data relating to the behaviors and attitudes of healthcare providers and family members across several sites. In total, 504 hours of ICU-based observational data were gathered over a 12-month period in four ICUs based in two US cities. In addition, 56 semi-structured interviews were undertaken with a range of ICU staff (e.g. nurses, doctors and pharmacists) and family members. Documentary data (e.g. clinical guidelines and unit policies) were also collected to help develop an insight into how the different sites engaged organizationally with IPC and family member involvement. Directed content analysis enabled the identification and categorization of major themes within the data. An interprofessional conceptual framework was utilized to help frame the coding for the analysis. The preliminary findings presented in this paper illuminate a number of issues related to the nature of IPC and family member involvement within an ICU context. These findings are discussed in relation to the wider interprofessional and health services literature.
Projection of Climate Change Based on Multi-Site Statistical Downscaling over Gilan area, Iran

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vesta Afzali

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction: The phenomenon of climate change and its consequences is a familiar topic which is associated with natural disasters such as, flooding, hurricane, drought that cause water crisis and irreparable damages. Studying this phenomenon is a serious warning regarding the earth’s weather change for a long period of time. Materials and Methods: In order to understand and survey the impacts of climate change on water resources, Global Circulation Models, GCMs, are used; their main role is analyzing the current climate and projecting the future climate. Climate change scenarios developing from GCMs are the initial source of information to estimate plausible future climate. For transforming coarse resolution outputs of the GCMs into finer resolutions influenced by local variables, there is a need for reliable downscaling techniques in order to analyze climate changes in a region. The classical statistical methods run the model and generate the future climate just with considering the time variable. Multi-site daily rainfall and temperature time series are the primary inputs in most hydrological analyses such as rainfall-runoff modeling. Water resource management is directly influenced by the spatial and temporal variation of rainfall and temperature. Therefore, spatial-temporal modeling of daily rainfall or temperature including climate change effects is required for sustainable planning of water resources. Results and Discussion: For the first time, in this study by ASD model (Automated regression-based Statistical Downscaling tool developed by M. Hessami et al., multi-site downscaling of temperature and precipitation was done with CGCM3.1A2 outputs and two synoptic stations (Rasht and Bandar Anzali simultaneously by considering the correlations of multiple sites. The model can process conditionally on the occurrence of precipitation or unconditionally for temperature. Hence, the modeling of daily precipitation involves two steps: one step
Collaboration

Science.gov (United States)

King, Michelle L.

2010-01-01

This article explores collaboration between library media educators and regular classroom teachers. The article focuses on the context of the issue, positions on the issue, the impact of collaboration, and how to implement effective collaboration into the school system. Various books and professional journals are used to support conclusions…
Unveiling a novel transient druggable pocket in BACE-1 through molecular simulations: Conformational analysis and binding mode of multisite inhibitors

Science.gov (United States)

Di Pietro, Ornella; Laughton, Charles A.

2017-01-01

The critical role of BACE-1 in the formation of neurotoxic ß-amyloid peptides in the brain makes it an attractive target for an efficacious treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. However, the development of clinically useful BACE-1 inhibitors has proven to be extremely challenging. In this study we examine the binding mode of a novel potent inhibitor (compound 1, with IC50 80 nM) designed by synergistic combination of two fragments—huprine and rhein—that individually are endowed with very low activity against BACE-1. Examination of crystal structures reveals no appropriate binding site large enough to accommodate 1. Therefore we have examined the conformational flexibility of BACE-1 through extended molecular dynamics simulations, paying attention to the highly flexible region shaped by loops 8–14, 154–169 and 307–318. The analysis of the protein dynamics, together with studies of pocket druggability, has allowed us to detect the transient formation of a secondary binding site, which contains Arg307 as a key residue for the interaction with small molecules, at the edge of the catalytic cleft. The formation of this druggable “floppy” pocket would enable the binding of multisite inhibitors targeting both catalytic and secondary sites. Molecular dynamics simulations of BACE-1 bound to huprine-rhein hybrid compounds support the feasibility of this hypothesis. The results provide a basis to explain the high inhibitory potency of the two enantiomeric forms of 1, together with the large dependence on the length of the oligomethylenic linker. Furthermore, the multisite hypothesis has allowed us to rationalize the inhibitory potency of a series of tacrine-chromene hybrid compounds, specifically regarding the apparent lack of sensitivity of the inhibition constant to the chemical modifications introduced in the chromene unit. Overall, these findings pave the way for the exploration of novel functionalities in the design of optimized BACE-1 multisite inhibitors
Effect of a Collaborative Care Intervention vs Usual Care on Health Status of Patients With Chronic Heart Failure: The CASA Randomized Clinical Trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Bekelman, David B; Allen, Larry A; McBryde, Connor F; Hattler, Brack; Fairclough, Diane L; Havranek, Edward P; Turvey, Carolyn; Meek, Paula M

2018-04-01

Many patients with chronic heart failure experience reduced health status despite receiving conventional therapy. To determine whether a symptom and psychosocial collaborative care intervention improves heart failure-specific health status, depression, and symptom burden in patients with heart failure. A single-blind, 2-arm, multisite randomized clinical trial was conducted at Veterans Affairs, academic, and safety-net health systems in Colorado among outpatients with symptomatic heart failure and reduced health status recruited between August 2012 and April 2015. Data from all participants were included regardless of level of participation, using an intent-to-treat approach. Patients were randomized 1:1 to receive the Collaborative Care to Alleviate Symptoms and Adjust to Illness (CASA) intervention or usual care. The CASA intervention included collaborative symptom care provided by a nurse and psychosocial care provided by a social worker, both of whom worked with the patients' primary care clinicians and were supervised by a study primary care clinician, cardiologist, and palliative care physician. The primary outcome was patient-reported heart failure-specific health status, measured by difference in change scores on the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (range, 0-100) at 6 months. Secondary outcomes included depression (measured by the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire), anxiety (measured by the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire), overall symptom distress (measured by the General Symptom Distress Scale), specific symptoms (pain, fatigue, and shortness of breath), number of hospitalizations, and mortality. Of 314 patients randomized (157 to intervention arm and 157 to control arm), there were 67 women and 247 men, mean (SD) age was 65.5 (11.4) years, and 178 (56.7%) had reduced ejection fraction. At 6 months, the mean Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire score improved 5.5 points in the intervention arm and 2.9 points in the control
Pulmonary artery hypertension in chronic obstructive lung disease. The validity of morphometric tests in radiodiagnosis of the thorax

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dinkel, E; Mundinger, A; Reinbold, W D; Wuertemberger, G

1989-06-01

Standard biplane chest X-rays were tested for the validity of morphometric criteria in the diagnosis of pulmonary artery hypertension. Twenty-seven patients suffering from chronic obstructive lung disease were examined and compared with a control group without cardiopulmonary disease. The diameter of the right and left pulmonary artery, pulmonary conus and the hilar-to-thoracic ratio were significantly increased in patients with chronic obstructive lung disease (p<0.0001). Measurement of the right pulmonary artery was 19.7+-3.9 mm compared to 13.6+-1.2 mm of the control group; mean hilar thoracic index was 0.35 compared to 0.31. Thus if the width of the descending branch of the right pulmonary artery was above 16 mm, pulmonary arterial hypertension was suggested, with a specificity of almost 100%, although the sensitivity of the diagnosis was only 59%. The mean pulmonary arterial pressure obtained by right heart catheterization correlated poorly with the morphometric criteria obtained. (orig.).
Re-description and Reassignment of the Damselfish Abudefduf luridus (Cuvier, 1830) Using Both Traditional and Geometric Morphometric Approaches

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cooper, W. James [Washington State Univ., Pullman, WA (United States); Albertson, R Craig [Univ. of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA (United States); Jacob, Rick E. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Westneat, Mark W. [Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL (United States)

2014-12-01

Here we present a re-description of Abudefduf luridus and reassign it to the genus Similiparma. We supplement traditional diagnoses and descriptions of this species with quantitative anatomical data collected from a family-wide geometric morphometric analysis of head morphology (44 species representing all 30 damselfish genera) and data from cranial micro-CT scans of fishes in the genus Similiparma. The use of geometric morphometric analyses (and other methods of shape analysis) permits detailed comparisons between the morphology of specific taxa and the anatomical diversity that has arisen in an entire lineage. This provides a particularly useful supplement to traditional description methods and we recommend the use of such techniques by systematists. Similiparma and its close relatives constitute a branch of the damselfish phylogenetic tree that predominantly inhabits rocky reefs in the Atlantic and Eastern Pacific, as opposed to the more commonly studied damselfishes that constitute a large portion of the ichthyofauna on all coral-reef communities.
Cost Effectiveness of On-site versus Off-site Depression Collaborative Care in Rural Federally Qualified Health Centers

Science.gov (United States)

Pyne, Jeffrey M.; Fortney, John C.; Mouden, Sip; Lu, Liya; Hudson, Teresa J; Mittal, Dinesh

2018-01-01

Objective Collaborative care for depression is effective and cost-effective in primary care settings. However, there is minimal evidence to inform the choice of on-site versus off-site models. This study examined the cost-effectiveness of on-site practice-based collaborative care (PBCC) versus off-site telemedicine-based collaborative care (TBCC) for depression in Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). Methods Multi-site randomized pragmatic comparative cost-effectiveness trial. 19,285 patients were screened for depression, 14.8% (n=2,863) screened positive (PHQ9 ≥10) and 364 were enrolled. Telephone interview data were collected at baseline, 6-, 12-, and 18-months. Base case analysis used Arkansas FQHC healthcare costs and secondary analysis used national cost estimates. Effectiveness measures were depression-free days and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) derived from depression-free days, Medical Outcomes Study SF-12, and Quality of Well Being scale (QWB). Nonparametric bootstrap with replacement methods were used to generate an empirical joint distribution of incremental costs and QALYs and acceptability curves. Results Mean base case FQHC incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) using depression-free days was $10.78/depression-free day. Mean base case ICERs using QALYs ranged from $14,754/QALY (depression-free day QALY) to $37,261/QALY (QWB QALY). Mean secondary national ICER using depression-free days was $8.43/depression-free day and using QALYs ranged from $11,532/QALY (depression-free day QALY) to $29,234/QALY (QWB QALY). Conclusions These results support the cost-effectiveness of the TBCC intervention in medically underserved primary care settings. Results can inform the decision about whether to insource (make) or outsource (buy) depression care management in the FQHC setting within the current context of Patient-Centered Medical Home, value-based purchasing, and potential bundled payments for depression care. The www.clinicaltrials.gov # for
Dependence of serum hormones (T, FSH, LH) on morphometric testicular findings recorded from patients after chemotherapy and radiotherapy for malignant testicular tumours

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barth, V.; Schoenfelder, M.

1990-01-01

Correlations which exist between morphometric parameters of remaining testicular tissue, on the one hand, and serum hormones on the other (testosterone = T, follicle-stimulating hormone = FSH, luteinising hormone = LH), depending on therapeutic action taken on patients for malignant testicular tumours, seem to suggest that decline in epithelial thickness together with increase in wall thickness leads to rise in FSH. No unambiguous relations, on the other hand, were found to exist between testosterone or luteotrophic hormone and morphometric findings. Hence, FSH seems to characterize the severity of damage to germ epithelium and thus the degree of impairment to spermatogenesis. FSH may be accepted as a criterion for fertility disorders in sexually active men. (author)
Collaboration 'Engineerability'

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kolfschoten, Gwendolyn L.; de Vreede, Gert-Jan; Briggs, Robert O.; Sol, Henk G.

Collaboration Engineering is an approach to create sustained collaboration support by designing collaborative work practices for high-value recurring tasks, and transferring those designs to practitioners to execute for themselves without ongoing support from collaboration professionals. A key
Collaborative Economy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

that are emerging from them, and how governments are responding to these new challenges. In doing so, the book provides both theoretical and practical insights into the future of tourism in a world that is, paradoxically, becoming both increasingly collaborative and individualized. Table of Contents Preface 1.The...... collaborative economy and tourism Dianne Dredge and Szilvia Gyimóthy PART I - Theoretical explorations 2.Definitions and mapping the landscape in the collaborative economy Szilvia Gyimóthy and Dianne Dredge 3.Business models of the collaborative economy Szilvia Gyimóthy 4.Responsibility and care...... in the collaborative economy Dianne Dredge 5.Networked cultures in the collaborative economy Szilvia Gyimóthy 6.Policy and regulatory perspectives in the collaborative economy Dianne Dredge PART II - Disruptions, innovations and transformations 7.Regulating innovation in the collaborative economy: An examination...
Comparative analysis of morphometric characters of juvenile sterlet Acipenser ruthenus L. from natural population and aquaculture

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Lenhardt, M.; Prokeš, Miroslav; Jaric, I. Z.; Baruš, Vlastimil; Kolarevic, J.; Krupka, I.; Cvijanovic, G.; Cakic, Z.; Gacic, Z.

2004-01-01

Roč. 65, Suppl.A (2004), s. 320 ISSN 0022-1112. [Nature and culture: comparative biology and interactions of wild and farmed fish. London, 19.07.2004-23.07.2004] R&D Projects: GA MZe(CZ) QF3028 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z6093917 Keywords : Acipenser ruthenus * morphometric characters Subject RIV: GL - Fishing Impact factor: 1.198, year: 2004
Morphometric analysis of the folliculostellate cells and luteinizing hormone gonadotropic cells of the anterior pituitary of the men during the aging process.

Science.gov (United States)

Čukuranović Kokoris, Jovana; Jovanović, Ivan; Pantović, Vukica; Krstić, Miljan; Stanojković, Milica; Milošević, Verica; Ugrenović, Slađana; Stojanović, Vesna

2017-02-01

The aim of this research was to quantify the changes in the morphology and density of the anterior pituitary folliculostellate (FS) and luteinizing hormone (LH) cells. Material was tissue of the pituitary gland of the 14 male cadavers. Tissue slices were immunohistochemically stained with monoclonal anti-LH antibody and polyclonal anti-S100 antibody for the detection of LH and FS cells, respectively. Digital images of the stained slices were afterwards morphometrically analyzed by ImageJ. Results of the morphometric analysis showed significant increase of the FS cells volume density in cases older than 70 years. Volume density of the LH cells did not significantly change, whereas their area significantly increased with age. Nucleocytoplasmic ratio of the LH cells gradually decreased and became significant after the age of 70. Finally, volume density of the FS cell significantly correlated with LH cells area and nucleocytoplasmic ratio. From all above cited, we concluded that in men, density and size of the FS cells increase with age. Long-term hypertrophy of the LH cells results in their functional decline after the age of 70. Strong correlation between FS cells and LH cells morphometric parameters might point to age-related interaction between these two cell groups. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
JMorph: Software for performing rapid morphometric measurements on digital images of fossil assemblages

Science.gov (United States)

Lelièvre, Peter G.; Grey, Melissa

2017-08-01

Quantitative morphometric analyses of form are widely used in palaeontology, especially for taxonomic and evolutionary research. These analyses can involve several measurements performed on hundreds or even thousands of samples. Performing measurements of size and shape on large assemblages of macro- or microfossil samples is generally infeasible or impossible with traditional instruments such as vernier calipers. Instead, digital image processing software is required to perform measurements via suitable digital images of samples. Many software packages exist for morphometric analyses but there is not much available for the integral stage of data collection, particularly for the measurement of the outlines of samples. Some software exists to automatically detect the outline of a fossil sample from a digital image. However, automatic outline detection methods may perform inadequately when samples have incomplete outlines or images contain poor contrast between the sample and staging background. Hence, a manual digitization approach may be the only option. We are not aware of any software packages that are designed specifically for efficient digital measurement of fossil assemblages with numerous samples, especially for the purposes of manual outline analysis. Throughout several previous studies, we have developed a new software tool, JMorph, that is custom-built for that task. JMorph provides the means to perform many different types of measurements, which we describe in this manuscript. We focus on JMorph's ability to rapidly and accurately digitize the outlines of fossils. JMorph is freely available from the authors.
A multisite validation of whole slide imaging for primary diagnosis using standardized data collection and analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Wack, Katy; Drogowski, Laura; Treloar, Murray; Evans, Andrew; Ho, Jonhan; Parwani, Anil; Montalto, Michael C

2016-01-01

Text-based reporting and manual arbitration for whole slide imaging (WSI) validation studies are labor intensive and do not allow for consistent, scalable, and repeatable data collection or analysis. The objective of this study was to establish a method of data capture and analysis using standardized codified checklists and predetermined synoptic discordance tables and to use these methods in a pilot multisite validation study. Fifteen case report form checklists were generated from the College of American Pathology cancer protocols. Prior to data collection, all hypothetical pairwise comparisons were generated, and a level of harm was determined for each possible discordance. Four sites with four pathologists each generated 264 independent reads of 33 cases. Preestablished discordance tables were applied to determine site by site and pooled accuracy, intrareader/intramodality, and interreader intramodality error rates. Over 10,000 hypothetical pairwise comparisons were evaluated and assigned harm in discordance tables. The average difference in error rates between WSI and glass, as compared to ground truth, was 0.75% with a lower bound of 3.23% (95% confidence interval). Major discordances occurred on challenging cases, regardless of modality. The average inter-reader agreement across sites for glass was 76.5% (weighted kappa of 0.68) and for digital it was 79.1% (weighted kappa of 0.72). These results demonstrate the feasibility and utility of employing standardized synoptic checklists and predetermined discordance tables to gather consistent, comprehensive diagnostic data for WSI validation studies. This method of data capture and analysis can be applied in large-scale multisite WSI validations.
Increasing STEM Exposure in K–5 Schools Through MakerSpace Use: A Multi-Site Early Success Case Study

OpenAIRE

Ortega, Veronica Inez

2017-01-01

Using Brinkerhoff’s success case methodology, this multi-site case study examined early models of MakerSpace implementation in K–5 schools in a single district. Specifically, this study examined the early use of MakerSpaces as well as the supports and barriers affecting teacher use of these spaces. The study also examined curricular connections and MakerSpace use as a conduit for purveying instruction in the soon-to-be-implemented Next Generation Science Standards. The findings of this stud...
Morphological and Morphometrical Description of Trichostrongylus Species Isolated from Domestic Ruminants in Khuzestan Province, Southwest Iran

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

B Golestan

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Backgrounds: Genus Trichostrongylus (Nematoda: Trichostrongylidae is one of the most important zoonotic nematodes with wide geographic distribution in the world. The purpose of the present study was to describe morphological and morphometrical characteristics of male Trichostrongylus species, currently prevalent in domestic ruminants of Khuzestan Province, southwest Iran.Methods: Gastro-intestinal organs of 1600 sheep, goats, cattle, and buffalos, slaughtered in Khuzestan Province, southwest Iran, were examined for infectivity with Trichostrongylus species. For examination and measurements of helminthes, Azo-carmine staining was performed, followed by camera lucida drawings of morphological characters and measurements of morphometrical criteria with a calibrated microscope. Using valid nematodes systematic keys, almost all the parasites were identified at the level of species.Results: Overall, 114 animals were found infected with at least one species of Trichostrongylus. Considering morphological characteristics of male Trichostrongylus, six species were identified including T. colubriformis, T. vitrinus, T. probolorus, T. capricola, T. longispicularis and Trichostrongylus sp. Conclusion: Although, compared to the previous decades, currently Trichostrongylus is much less prevalent in the domestic ruminants of the study area, but still different species occur in these animals.

Morphometric analysis of three normal facial types in mixed dentition using posteroanterior cephalometric radiographs: preliminary results

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Renato Bigliazzi

2017-08-01

Full Text Available The aim of the present investigation was to evaluate the craniofacial features of subjects with normal occlusion with different vertical patterns in the mixed dentition using morphometric analysis (Thin-Plate Spline analysis - TPS applied to posteroanterior (PA films. The sample comprised 39 individuals (18 females and 21 males, all in mixed dentition, aged from 8.4 to 10 years with satisfactory occlusion and balanced profile and with no history of orthodontic or facial orthopedic treatment. The sample was divided into three groups (mesofacial, brachyfacial and dolichofacial according to the facial types proposed by Ricketts (1989. The average craniofacial configurations of each study group were obtained by orthogonal superimposition of Procrustes, thereby eliminating size differences and allowing only shape differences between groups to be analyzed by viewing the TPS deformation grid. Significant differences were found among the three facial types but were more remarkable between mesofacials and dolichofacials than between mesofacials and brachyfacials. TPS morphometric analysis proved efficient for accurate visualization of transverse and vertical differences among facial types even before pubertal growth spurt. These differences cannot be easily detected by traditional posteroanterior cephalometry.
Morphological and morphometric features of nematode-cysts in Gymnotus inaequilabiatus liver in the Brazilian Pantanal.

Science.gov (United States)

Galindo, Gizela Melina; Rodrigues, Robson Andrade; Marcondes, Sandriely Fernanda; Soares, Priscilla; Tavares, Luiz Eduardo Roland; Fernandes, Carlos Eurico

2017-01-01

The aim of this study was to determine the morphometric measures and morphological aspects of nematode-cysts in Gymnotus inaequilabiatus, and the presence of melanomacrophage centers (MMCs) associated with the periphery of cysts and in the liver parenchyma. Adult specimens, 34 female (123.1 ± 43.9g) and 45 male (135.5 ± 43.4g), from Paraguay River, Corumbá, Brazil, were used. The number of nematode-cysts was determined in 79 livers and 25 of them randomly selected for histopathological analysis and morphometric measures of nematode-cysts (mean diameter, thickness of collagen layer, and cyst-wall layer). The percentage of cysts with MMCs on the periphery and density in the liver parenchyma was estimated. The average number of macroscopic cysts was of 48.7 ± 2.78. Granulomatous reaction was observed surrounding the cysts. Diameter, collagen layer and cyst-wall measurements were 293.0 ± 75.18 (µm), 17.72 ± 6.01 (µm) and 12.21 ± 9.51 (µm), respectively. The number of nematode-cysts was correlated with hepatosomatic index, (r=0.26, Pcyst diameter (r=0.62, Pnematode-cysts number. Morphological characteristics of hepatic tissue and cysts-nematodes measures suggest that G. inaequilabiatus acts as a paratenic host to nematodes in the larval stage.
Seed morphometric characteristics of European species of Elatine (Elatinaceae

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Agnieszka Popiela

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Elatine L. contains ca. 25 small, herbaceous, annual species distributed in ephemeral waters in both hemispheres. All species are amphibious and characterized by a high degree of morphological variability. The importance of seed morphology in Elatine taxonomy has been emphasized by many authors. The degree of seed curvature and seed coat reticulation have been traditionally considered very important in recognizing individual species of this genus. Seed morphometric characteristics of 10 Elatine species, including all European native taxa, are provided on the basis of material from two or three populations of each species. A total of 24–50 seeds were studied from each population, altogether 1,260 images were used for the morphometric study. In total, six parameters were measured from SEM pictures: object surface area, profile specific perimeter (object circuit, rectangle of the object (a length, rectangle of the object (b width, angle of the seed curvature, and number of pits in the seed coat counted in the middle row. Our study shows that the range of morphological variation of seeds in European species of Elatine is great, both between the species and the populations. Discrimination analysis showed that all six traits significantly differentiate the populations studied (λ = 0.001, p < 0.001, and the greatest contributions were “number of pits”, “rectangle_a”, and “the angle curvature”. Multidimensional scaling based on a correlation matrix of Mahalanobis distance of the six features studied revealed the greatest similarity between the three populations of E. alsinastrum, E. macropoda, and E. hexandra. Regarding interspecific differences, a Kruskal–Wallis tests showed that, in many cases, lack of statistically significant differences between species relative to the studied seed traits. If distinction of species is only based on seeds, especially if only a few seeds are evaluated, the following species pairs can be easily
Replication and Comparison of the Newly Proposed ADOS-2, Module 4 Algorithm in ASD without ID: A Multi-site Study

OpenAIRE

Pugliese, Cara E.; Kenworthy, Lauren; Bal, Vanessa Hus; Wallace, Gregory L; Yerys, Benjamin E; Maddox, Brenna B.; White, Susan W.; Popal, Haroon; Armour, Anna Chelsea; Miller, Judith; Herrington, John D.; Schultz, Robert T.; Martin, Alex; Anthony, Laura Gutermuth

2015-01-01

Recent updates have been proposed to the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-2 Module 4 diagnostic algorithm. This new algorithm, however, has not yet been validated in an independent sample without intellectual disability (ID). This multi-site study compared the original and revised algorithms in individuals with ASD without ID. The revised algorithm demonstrated increased sensitivity, but lower specificity in the overall sample. Estimates were highest for females, individuals with a verb...
Morphotectonic control of the Białka drainage basin (Central Carpathians: Insights from DEM and morphometric analysis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wołosiewicz Bartosz

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The Białka river valley is directly related to a deep NNW-SSE oriented fault zone. According to the results of previous morphometric analyses, the Białka drainage basin is one of the most tectonically active zones in the Central Carpathians. It is also located within an area of high seismic activity.
The surface chemistry of divalent metal carbonate minerals; a critical assessment of surface charge and potential data using the charge distribution multi-site ion complexation model

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wolthers, M.; Charlet, L.; Van Cappellen, P.

2008-01-01

The Charge Distribution MUltiSite Ion Complexation or CD–MUSIC modeling approach is used to describe the chemical structure of carbonate mineralaqueous solution interfaces. The new model extends existing surface complexation models of carbonate minerals, by including atomic scale information on
Shaping up: a geometric morphometric approach to assemblage ecomorphology.

Science.gov (United States)

Bower, L M; Piller, K R

2015-09-01

This study adopts an ecomorphological approach to test the utility of body shape as a predictor of niche relationships among a stream fish assemblage of the Tickfaw River (Lake Pontchartrain Basin) in southeastern Louisiana, U.S.A. To examine the potential influence of evolutionary constraints, analyses were performed with and without the influence of phylogeny. Fish assemblages were sampled throughout the year, and ecological data (habitat and tropic guild) and body shape (geometric morphometric) data were collected for each fish specimen. Multivariate analyses were performed to examine relationships and differences between body shape and ecological data. Results indicate that a relationship exists between body shape and trophic guild as well as flow regime, but no significant correlation between body shape and substratum was found. Body shape was a reliable indicator of position within assemblage niche space. © 2015 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.
Morphometric changes of the corpus callosum in congenital blindness

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tomaiuolo, Francesco; Campana, Serena; Collins, D Louis

2014-01-01

We examined the effects of visual deprivation at birth on the development of the corpus callosum in a large group of congenitally blind individuals. We acquired high-resolution T1-weighted MRI scans in 28 congenitally blind and 28 normal sighted subjects matched for age and gender....... There was no overall group effect of visual deprivation on the total surface area of the corpus callosum. However, subdividing the corpus callosum into five subdivisions revealed significant regional changes in its three most posterior parts. Compared to the sighted controls, congenitally blind individuals showed a 12......% reduction in the splenium, and a 20% increase in the isthmus and the posterior part of the body. A shape analysis further revealed that the bending angle of the corpus callosum was more convex in congenitally blind compared to the sighted control subjects. The observed morphometric changes in the corpus...
Collaborative Economy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

collaborative economy and tourism Dianne Dredge and Szilvia Gyimóthy PART I - Theoretical explorations 2.Definitions and mapping the landscape in the collaborative economy Szilvia Gyimóthy and Dianne Dredge 3.Business models of the collaborative economy Szilvia Gyimóthy 4.Responsibility and care...... and similar phenomena are among these collective innovations in tourism that are shaking the very bedrock of an industrial system that has been traditionally sustained along commercial value chains. To date there has been very little investigation of these trends, which have been inspired by, amongst other...... in the collaborative economy Dianne Dredge 5.Networked cultures in the collaborative economy Szilvia Gyimóthy 6.Policy and regulatory perspectives in the collaborative economy Dianne Dredge PART II - Disruptions, innovations and transformations 7.Regulating innovation in the collaborative economy: An examination...
Collaborative information seeking

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hertzum, Morten

2008-01-01

Since common ground is pivotal to collaboration, this paper proposes to define collaborative information seeking as the combined activity of information seeking and collaborative grounding. While information-seeking activities are necessary for collaborating actors to acquire new information......, the activities involved in information seeking are often performed by varying subgroups of actors. Consequently, collaborative grounding is necessary to share information among collaborating actors and, thereby, establish and maintain the common ground necessary for their collaborative work. By focusing...... on the collaborative level, collaborative information seeking aims to avoid both individual reductionism and group reductionism, while at the same time recognizing that only some information and understanding need be shared....
Exploring Eucladoceros ecomorphology using geometric morphometrics.

Science.gov (United States)

Curran, Sabrina C

2015-01-01

An increasingly common method for reconstructing paleoenvironmental parameters of hominin sites is ecological functional morphology (ecomorphology). This study provides a geometric morphometric study of cervid rearlimb morphology as it relates to phylogeny, size, and ecomorphology. These methods are then applied to an extinct Pleistocene cervid, Eucladoceros, which is found in some of the earliest hominin-occupied sites in Eurasia. Variation in cervid postcranial functional morphology associated with different habitats can be summarized as trade-offs between joint stability versus mobility and rapid movement versus power-generation. Cervids in open habitats emphasize limb stability to avoid joint dislocation during rapid flight from predators. Closed-adapted cervids require more joint mobility to rapidly switch directions in complex habitats. Two skeletal features (of the tibia and calcaneus) have significant phylogenetic signals, while two (the femur and third phalanx) do not. Additionally, morphology of two of these features (tibia and third phalanx) were correlated with body size. For the tibial analysis (but not the third phalanx) this correlation was ameliorated when phylogeny was taken into account. Eucladoceros specimens from France and Romania fall on the more open side of the habitat continuum, a result that is at odds with reconstructions of their diet as browsers, suggesting that they may have had a behavioral regime unlike any extant cervid. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Ensuring treatment fidelity in a multi-site behavioral intervention study: implementing NIH Behavior Change Consortium recommendations in the SMART trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Robb, Sheri L; Burns, Debra S; Docherty, Sharron L; Haase, Joan E

2011-11-01

The Stories and Music for Adolescent/Young Adult Resilience during Transplant (SMART) study (R01NR008583; U10CA098543; U10CA095861) is an ongoing multi-site Children's Oncology Group randomized clinical trial testing the efficacy of a therapeutic music video intervention for adolescents/young adults (11-24 years of age) with cancer undergoing stem cell transplant. Treatment fidelity strategies from our trial are consistent with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Behavior Change Consortium Treatment Fidelity Workgroup (BCC) recommendations and provide a successful working model for treatment fidelity implementation in a large, multi-site behavioral intervention study. In this paper, we summarize 20 specific treatment fidelity strategies used in the SMART trial and how these strategies correspond with NIH BCC recommendations in five specific areas: (1) study design, (2) training providers, (3) delivery of treatment, (4) receipt of treatment, and (5) enactment of treatment skills. Increased use and reporting of treatment fidelity procedures is essential in advancing the reliability and validity of behavioral intervention research. The SMART trial provides a strong model for the application of fidelity strategies to improve scientific findings and addresses the absence of published literature, illustrating the application of BCC recommendations in behavioral intervention studies. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Partnership‐Driven Resources to Improve and Enhance Research (PRIMER): A Survey of Community‐Engaged Researchers and Creation of an Online Toolkit

Science.gov (United States)

Dolor, Rowena J.; Greene, Sarah M.; Thompson, Ella; Baldwin, Laura‐Mae; Neale, Anne Victoria

2011-01-01

Abstract Objective: This project aimed to develop an open‐access website providing adaptable resources to facilitate best practices for multisite research from initiation to closeout. Methods: A web‐based assessment was sent to the leadership of the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) Community Engagement Key Functions Committee (n= 38) and the CTSA‐affiliated Primary Care Practice‐based Research Networks (PBRN, n= 55). Respondents rated the benefits and barriers of multisite research, the utility of available resources, and indicated their level of interest in unavailable resources. Then, existing research resources were evaluated for relevance to multisite research, adaptability to other projects, and source credibility. Results: Fifty‐five (59%) of invited participants completed the survey. Top perceived benefits of multisite research were the ability to conduct community‐relevant research through academic–community partnerships (34%) and accelerating translation of research into practice (31%). Top perceived barriers were lack of research infrastructure to support PBRNs and community partners (31%) and inadequate funding to support multisite collaborations (26%). Over 200 resources were evaluated, of which 120 unique resources were included in the website. Conclusion: The PRIMER Research Toolkit (http://www.researchtoolkit.org) provides an array of peer‐reviewed resources to facilitate translational research for the conduct of multisite studies within PBRNs and community‐based organizations. Clin Trans Sci 2011; Volume 4: 259–265 PMID:21884512
A multisite validation of whole slide imaging for primary diagnosis using standardized data collection and analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katy Wack

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Context: Text-based reporting and manual arbitration for whole slide imaging (WSI validation studies are labor intensive and do not allow for consistent, scalable, and repeatable data collection or analysis. Objective: The objective of this study was to establish a method of data capture and analysis using standardized codified checklists and predetermined synoptic discordance tables and to use these methods in a pilot multisite validation study. Methods and Study Design: Fifteen case report form checklists were generated from the College of American Pathology cancer protocols. Prior to data collection, all hypothetical pairwise comparisons were generated, and a level of harm was determined for each possible discordance. Four sites with four pathologists each generated 264 independent reads of 33 cases. Preestablished discordance tables were applied to determine site by site and pooled accuracy, intrareader/intramodality, and interreader intramodality error rates. Results: Over 10,000 hypothetical pairwise comparisons were evaluated and assigned harm in discordance tables. The average difference in error rates between WSI and glass, as compared to ground truth, was 0.75% with a lower bound of 3.23% (95% confidence interval. Major discordances occurred on challenging cases, regardless of modality. The average inter-reader agreement across sites for glass was 76.5% (weighted kappa of 0.68 and for digital it was 79.1% (weighted kappa of 0.72. Conclusion: These results demonstrate the feasibility and utility of employing standardized synoptic checklists and predetermined discordance tables to gather consistent, comprehensive diagnostic data for WSI validation studies. This method of data capture and analysis can be applied in large-scale multisite WSI validations.
Collaborative experience

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mortensen, Thomas Bøtker

-Doerr, 1996) and has been shown to have a positive effect to the outcome of collaborative R&D (Sampson, 2005). Anand & Khanna (2000), furthermore, hypothesized that research joint ventures are more ambiguous than marketing joint ventures and even more the licensing and showed that the effect of collaborative......Literature review: Collaborative experience has been shown to have a positive effect on the collaborative outcome in general (Anand & Khanna, 2000; Kale, Dyer & Singh, 2002). Furthermore, it has been linked to the ability to exploit the network of the firm for learning (Powell, Koput and Smith...... experience was largest the higher the hypothesized ambiguity. Theoretically contribution: This research project aims at contributing to existing literature by arguing, that collaborative experience is a moderating variable which moderates the effects on collaborative outcome from the level of complexity...
Exploitation of Web Technologies for C2

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Gardner, Sheldon; Callihan, Hubert D; Balash, John A; Saverino, Michael A

1999-01-01

.... They address some major issues related to the use and relevance of these technologies for C2 such as Scalability, Multi-Site Collaboration, Software Migration, Legacy Integration, Obsolescence, and Extensibility. Web links to sites containing further information are provided.
Morphologic and Morphometric Analysis of Lingula in Localizing Mandibular Foramen with its Surgical Importance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Phalguni Srimani

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Morphologic and morphometric evaluation of mandible is clinically important. Considering the close relationship of lingula with neurovascular structures entering through mandibular foramen, lingula is often used as an important bony landmark during oral and maxillofacial surgical approach and inferior alveolar nerve block anaesthesia. Inadequate anatomical knowledge may result various intra operative complications like haemorrhge, fractures and nerve injury. Also, structural variations of lingula followed by inaccurate localization of mandibular foramen have been implicated as causative factor for unsuccessful inferior alveolar nerve block anaesthesia. Aim: To determine morphological and morphometric variations related to lingula of mandible in localizing mandibular foramen and to compare the results with similar type of osteological studies performed earlier on different population group. Materials and Methods: The study was performed on 36 adult dry human mandibles on both sides to categorize lingula according to its various shapes and determine the location of lingula based on surrounding mandibular landmarks by using Vernier caliper as 5 distances from tip of lingula as follows: i to anterior border of ramus of mandible; ii to posterior border of ramus of mandible; iii to centre of mandibular notch; iv to the alveolar socket of second molar tooth; and v to the base of mandible. The present study also indicated bilingual distance between tips of lingula of both sides. Data collected were analyzed statistically. Results: The most common shape of lingula was observed as triangular (51.39% followed by truncated (23.61%, then nodular (20.83% and assimilated (4.17% as least prevalent type. The average distances of tip of lingula from anterior and posterior borders of ramus of mandible were 18.21±1.50 mm and 16.33±1.21 mm respectively. On average, the tip of lingula was situated at 18.17±1.51 mm, 33.40±2.11 mm and 32.07±2.68 mm
Applying probabilistic temporal and multisite data quality control methods to a public health mortality registry in Spain: a systematic approach to quality control of repositories.

Science.gov (United States)

Sáez, Carlos; Zurriaga, Oscar; Pérez-Panadés, Jordi; Melchor, Inma; Robles, Montserrat; García-Gómez, Juan M

2016-11-01

To assess the variability in data distributions among data sources and over time through a case study of a large multisite repository as a systematic approach to data quality (DQ). Novel probabilistic DQ control methods based on information theory and geometry are applied to the Public Health Mortality Registry of the Region of Valencia, Spain, with 512 143 entries from 2000 to 2012, disaggregated into 24 health departments. The methods provide DQ metrics and exploratory visualizations for (1) assessing the variability among multiple sources and (2) monitoring and exploring changes with time. The methods are suited to big data and multitype, multivariate, and multimodal data. The repository was partitioned into 2 probabilistically separated temporal subgroups following a change in the Spanish National Death Certificate in 2009. Punctual temporal anomalies were noticed due to a punctual increment in the missing data, along with outlying and clustered health departments due to differences in populations or in practices. Changes in protocols, differences in populations, biased practices, or other systematic DQ problems affected data variability. Even if semantic and integration aspects are addressed in data sharing infrastructures, probabilistic variability may still be present. Solutions include fixing or excluding data and analyzing different sites or time periods separately. A systematic approach to assessing temporal and multisite variability is proposed. Multisite and temporal variability in data distributions affects DQ, hindering data reuse, and an assessment of such variability should be a part of systematic DQ procedures. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.
Morphometric differences and fluctuating asymmetry in Melipona subnitida Ducke 1910 (Hymenoptera: Apidae in different types of housing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. B. S. Lima

Full Text Available Abstract A geometric morphometrics approach was applied to evaluate differences in forewing patterns of the Jandaira bee (Melipona subnitida Ducke. For this, we studied the presence of fluctuating asymmetry (FA in forewing shape and size of colonies kept in either rational hive boxes or natural tree trunks. We detected significant FA for wing size as well as wing shape independent of the type of housing (rational box or tree trunks, indicating the overall presence of stress during the development of the studied specimens. FA was also significant (p < 0.01 between rational boxes, possibly related to the use of various models of rational boxes used for keeping stingless bees. In addition, a Principal Component Analysis indicated morphometric variation between bee colonies kept in either rational hive boxes or in tree trunks, that may be related to the different origins of the bees: tree trunk colonies were relocated natural colonies while rational box colonies originated from multiplying other colonies. We conclude that adequate measures should be taken to reduce the amount of stress during bee handling by using standard models of rational boxes that cause the least disruption.
Morphometric differences and fluctuating asymmetry in Melipona subnitida Ducke 1910 (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in different types of housing.

Science.gov (United States)

Lima, C B S; Nunes, L A; Carvalho, C A L; Ribeiro, M F; Souza, B A; Silva, C S B

2016-01-01

A geometric morphometrics approach was applied to evaluate differences in forewing patterns of the Jandaira bee (Melipona subnitida Ducke). For this, we studied the presence of fluctuating asymmetry (FA) in forewing shape and size of colonies kept in either rational hive boxes or natural tree trunks. We detected significant FA for wing size as well as wing shape independent of the type of housing (rational box or tree trunks), indicating the overall presence of stress during the development of the studied specimens. FA was also significant (p < 0.01) between rational boxes, possibly related to the use of various models of rational boxes used for keeping stingless bees. In addition, a Principal Component Analysis indicated morphometric variation between bee colonies kept in either rational hive boxes or in tree trunks, that may be related to the different origins of the bees: tree trunk colonies were relocated natural colonies while rational box colonies originated from multiplying other colonies. We conclude that adequate measures should be taken to reduce the amount of stress during bee handling by using standard models of rational boxes that cause the least disruption.

Digestive enzymes and gut morphometric parameters of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus): Influence of body size and temperature.

Science.gov (United States)

Hani, Younes Mohamed Ismail; Marchand, Adrien; Turies, Cyril; Kerambrun, Elodie; Palluel, Olivier; Bado-Nilles, Anne; Beaudouin, Rémy; Porcher, Jean-Marc; Geffard, Alain; Dedourge-Geffard, Odile

2018-01-01

Determining digestive enzyme activity is of potential interest to obtain and understand valuable information about fish digestive physiology, since digestion is an elementary process of fish metabolism. We described for the first time (i) three digestive enzymes: amylase, trypsin and intestinal alkaline phosphatase (IAP), and (ii) three gut morphometric parameters: relative gut length (RGL), relative gut mass (RGM) and Zihler's index (ZI) in threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus), and we studied the effect of temperature and body size on these parameters. When mimicking seasonal variation in temperature, body size had no effect on digestive enzyme activity. The highest levels of amylase and trypsin activity were observed at 18°C, while the highest IAP activity was recorded at 20°C. When sticklebacks were exposed to three constant temperatures (16, 18 and 21°C), a temporal effect correlated to fish growth was observed with inverse evolution patterns between amylase activity and the activities of trypsin and IAP. Temperature (in both experiments) had no effect on morphometric parameters. However, a temporal variation was recorded for both RGM (in the second experiment) and ZI (in both experiments), and the later was correlated to fish body mass.
Digestive enzymes and gut morphometric parameters of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus): Influence of body size and temperature

Science.gov (United States)

Marchand, Adrien; Turies, Cyril; Kerambrun, Elodie; Palluel, Olivier; Bado-Nilles, Anne; Beaudouin, Rémy; Porcher, Jean-Marc; Geffard, Alain; Dedourge-Geffard, Odile

2018-01-01

Determining digestive enzyme activity is of potential interest to obtain and understand valuable information about fish digestive physiology, since digestion is an elementary process of fish metabolism. We described for the first time (i) three digestive enzymes: amylase, trypsin and intestinal alkaline phosphatase (IAP), and (ii) three gut morphometric parameters: relative gut length (RGL), relative gut mass (RGM) and Zihler’s index (ZI) in threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus), and we studied the effect of temperature and body size on these parameters. When mimicking seasonal variation in temperature, body size had no effect on digestive enzyme activity. The highest levels of amylase and trypsin activity were observed at 18°C, while the highest IAP activity was recorded at 20°C. When sticklebacks were exposed to three constant temperatures (16, 18 and 21°C), a temporal effect correlated to fish growth was observed with inverse evolution patterns between amylase activity and the activities of trypsin and IAP. Temperature (in both experiments) had no effect on morphometric parameters. However, a temporal variation was recorded for both RGM (in the second experiment) and ZI (in both experiments), and the later was correlated to fish body mass. PMID:29614133
Morphometric study of newly emerged unmated queens of honey bee Apis mellifera L. in Ismailia Governorate, Egypt

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S.M. Kamel

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Recently, morphometric analysis is being a very good tool for identification of honey bee races and characterization of genetic materials. This fact has motivated the present work to investigate the effects of two grafting methods, three types of artificial queen wax cups and four periods of queen rearing on some morphological characters of newly emerged queens. The developed technique used in the present study depends on the integration between Scanner unit and Photoshop program, called Scan Photo Method (SPM. The measurements of 23 morphological characteristics of reared queens were estimated by using SPM. Results indicated significant differences between periods in the measurements of the studied characteristics on forewing such as cubital index, distance C, distance D, radial field, inner wing length, inner wing width, dumb bell index, distance I, II, III and IV, except cubital A and cubital B. Regarding the effects of cup types and grafting methods, data also revealed significant differences in all measurements of studied characteristics, except tibial length, hind wing length, cubital B, radial field and distance IV. Further works in this area were recommended to find out a relation between some morphometric characters and important of some quantitative characters.
Morphometric evaluation of keratocystic odontogenic tumor before and after marsupialization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Deborah Campos Telles

2013-12-01

Full Text Available The aim of the present study was the morphometric evaluation of the epithelial lining and fibrous capsule in histological specimens of keratocystic odontogenic tumors (KOTs before and after marsupialization. Histological sections from six KOTs that had undergone marsupialization followed by enucleation were photographed. The thickness and features of the capsule and of the epithelial lining of the tumor were evaluated upon marsupialization and upon subsequent enucleation using Axion Vision software. The histological specimens taken upon marsupialization presented an epithelial lining that is typical of KOTs. After marsupialization, the enucleated specimens had a modified epithelial lining and a fibrous capsule that both presented a greater median thickness (p = 0.0277 and p = 0.0212, respectively, morphological changes, and significant enlargement. These modifications can facilitate full surgical treatment and may well be related to a low KOT recurrence rate.
CMS Collaboration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Faridah Mohammad Idris; Wan Ahmad Tajuddin Wan Abdullah; Zainol Abidin Ibrahim

2013-01-01

Full-text: CMS Collaboration is an international scientific collaboration located at European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), Switzerland, dedicated in carried out research on experimental particle physics. Consisting of 179 institutions from 41 countries from all around the word, CMS Collaboration host a general purpose detector for example the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) for members in CMS Collaboration to conduct experiment from the collision of two proton beams accelerated to a speed of 8 TeV in the LHC ring. In this paper, we described how the CMS detector is used by the scientist in CMS Collaboration to reconstruct the most basic building of matter. (author)
PRELIMINARY RESEARCHES REGARDING THE GENETIC AND MORPHOMETRIC CHARACTERIZATION OF HONEYBEES (A. MELLIFERA L. FROM ROMANIA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

ELIZA CAUIA

2008-10-01

Full Text Available The international investigations regarding the honeybees’ diversity carried out until now have revealed a certain degree of genetic pollution in different countries from Europe, because of the import of more productive honeybees’ races or of some interracial honeybees’ hybrids. This fact might have a negative impact on the success adaptability of honeybees at the ecosystem. Although, the Romanian honeybees (Apis mellifera carpathica are well adapted to the local conditions and express a good resistance to diseases, the introgression (genetic pollution of different honeybees’ races could be an imminent event. So that, starting from 2007, by a cooperation between the Institute for Beekeeping Research and Development from Bucharest and the Institute of Genetics of the University of Bucharest, we have initiated different investigations in order to obtain a more accurate state of the Romanian honeybees’ diversity. We have performed specific molecular analyses, using mtDNA (the COI-COII test extracted from 32 different honeybees samples collected from several regions from Romania. For a better and detailed characterization of the collected honeybee’s samples we have also carried out some morphometric measurements of their wings. Our data have shown that the Romanian population of honeybees is almost homogenous from the genetic and the morphometric points of views. These types of investigations represent a premiere for Romania.
Streamflow prediction using multi-site rainfall obtained from hydroclimatic teleconnection

Science.gov (United States)

Kashid, S. S.; Ghosh, Subimal; Maity, Rajib

2010-12-01

SummarySimultaneous variations in weather and climate over widely separated regions are commonly known as "hydroclimatic teleconnections". Rainfall and runoff patterns, over continents, are found to be significantly teleconnected, with large-scale circulation patterns, through such hydroclimatic teleconnections. Though such teleconnections exist in nature, it is very difficult to model them, due to their inherent complexity. Statistical techniques and Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools gain popularity in modeling hydroclimatic teleconnection, based on their ability, in capturing the complicated relationship between the predictors (e.g. sea surface temperatures) and predictand (e.g., rainfall). Genetic Programming is such an AI tool, which is capable of capturing nonlinear relationship, between predictor and predictand, due to its flexible functional structure. In the present study, gridded multi-site weekly rainfall is predicted from El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) indices, Equatorial Indian Ocean Oscillation (EQUINOO) indices, Outgoing Longwave Radiation (OLR) and lag rainfall at grid points, over the catchment, using Genetic Programming. The predicted rainfall is further used in a Genetic Programming model to predict streamflows. The model is applied for weekly forecasting of streamflow in Mahanadi River, India, and satisfactory performance is observed.
First metatarsophalangeal joint motion in Homo sapiens: theoretical association of two-axis kinematics and specific morphometrics.

Science.gov (United States)

Durrant, Michael N; McElroy, Tucker; Durrant, Lara

2012-01-01

The metatarsal head and proximal phalanx exhibit considerable asymmetry in their shape and geometry, but there is little documentation in the literature regarding the prevalence of structural characteristics that occur in a given population. Although there is a considerable volume of in vivo and in vitro experiments demonstrating first metatarsal inversion around its longitudinal axis with dorsiflexion, little is known regarding the applicability of specific morphometrics to these motions. Nine distinctive osseous characteristics in the metatarsal head and phalanx were selected based on their location, geometry, and perceived functional relationship to previous studies describing metatarsal motion as inversion with dorsiflexion. The prevalences of the chosen characteristics were determined in a cohort of 21 randomly selected skeletal specimens, 19 of which were provided by the anatomical preparation office at the University of California, San Diego, and two of which were in the possession of one of us (M.D.). The frequency of occurrence of each selected morphological characteristic in this sample and the relevant summary statistics confirm a strong association between the selected features and a conceptual two-axis kinematic model of the metatarsophalangeal joint. The selected morphometrics are consistent with inversion of the metatarsal around its longitudinal axis as it dorsiflexes.
Clinical Predictors of Response to Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy in Pediatric Anxiety Disorders : The Genes for Treatment (GxT) Study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hudson, Jennifer L.; Keers, Robert; Roberts, Susanna; Coleman, Jonathan R. I.; Breen, Gerome; Arendt, Kristian; Boegels, Susan; Cooper, Peter; Creswell, Cathy; Hartman, Catharina; Heiervang, Einar R.; Hoetzel, Katrin; In-Albon, Tina; Lavallee, Kristen; Lyne-Ham, Heidi J.; Marin, Carla E.; McKinnon, Anna; Meiser-Stedman, Richard; Morris, Talia; Nauta, Maaike; Rapee, Ronald M.; Schneider, Silvia; Schneider, Sophie C.; Silverman, Wendy K.; Thastum, Mikael; Thirlwall, Kerstin; Waite, Polly; Wergeland, Gro Janne; Lester, Kathryn J.; Eley, Thalia C.

Objective: The Genes for Treatment study is an international, multisite collaboration exploring the role of genetic, demographic, and clinical predictors in response to cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) in pediatric anxiety disorders. The current article, the first from the study, examined
Clinical predictors of response to Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy in pediatric anxiety disorders: The genes for treatment (GxT) study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hudson, J.L.; Keers, R.; Roberts, S.; Coleman, J.R.I.; Breen, G.; Arendt, K.; Cooper, P.; Bögels, S.; Creswell, C.; Hartman, C.; Heiervang, E.R.; Hötzel, K.; In-Albon, T.; Lavallee, K.; Lyneham, H.J.; Marin, C.E.; McKinnon, A.; Meiser-Stedman, R.; Morris, T.; Nauta, M.

2015-01-01

Objective The Genes for Treatment study is an international, multisite collaboration exploring the role of genetic, demographic, and clinical predictors in response to cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) in pediatric anxiety disorders. The current article, the first from the study, examined
Longitudinal morphometric MRI study of Alzheimer's disease

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ogomori, Koji; Takano, Koichi; Kuwabara, Yasuo; Nakano, Seigo; Nawata, Hideyuki; Yano, Rika; Nishimura, Ryoji; Takita, Masashi

2009-01-01

A longitudinal morphometric MRI study of Alzheimer's disease (AD) was conducted to determine the relationship between the progression of the symptoms and the progression of the brain atrophy. The Voxel-based Specific Regional Analysis System for Alzheimer's Disease (VSRAD), developed by Matsuda et al. was used as a method of morphometry to perform the statistical MR image analysis. Thirty-eight patients of AD patients were investigated with VSRAD. These patients were divided into two groups according to the progression of symptoms based on a clinical evaluation. One group was the progress group (20 patients), while the other group was the stable group (18 patients) for comparison. The relationship was investigated between the speed of the symptomatic progression and the change in each VSRAD indicator. Consequently, the entorhinal Z-score and the entorhinal atrophy rate showed a correlation with the speed of the symptomatic progression. The increase of the entorhinal Z-score in the follow-up was larger in the progress group than that in the stable group (0.65/1.28 years in the progress group and 0.05/1.26 years in the stable group.). These results suggest that a rapid symptomatic progression in an AD patient accompanies the rapid progression of atrophy in the entorhinal cortex. (author)
Morphometric analysis of torso arterial anatomy with implications for resuscitative aortic occlusion.

Science.gov (United States)

Stannard, Adam; Morrison, Jonathan J; Sharon, Danny J; Eliason, Jonathan L; Rasmussen, Todd E

2013-08-01

Hemorrhage is a leading cause of death in military and civilian trauma. Despite the importance of the aorta as a site of hemorrhage control and resuscitative occlusion, detailed knowledge of its morphometry is lacking. The objective of this study was to characterize aortic morphometry in a trauma population, including quantification of distances as well as and diameters and definition of relevant aortic zones. Center line measures were made (Volume Viewer) from contrast computed tomography (CT) scans of male trauma patients (18-45 years). Aortic zones were defined based on branch arteries. Zone I includes left subclavian to celiac; Zone II includes celiac to caudal renal; Zone III includes caudal renal to aortic bifurcation. Zone lengths were calculated and correlated to a novel external measure of torso extent (symphysis pubis to sternal notch). Eighty-eight males (mean [SD], 28 [4] years) had CT scans for the study. The median (interquartile range) lengths (mm) of Zones I, II, and III were 210 mm (202-223 mm), 33 mm (28-38 mm), and 97 mm (91-103 mm), respectively. Median aortic diameters at the left subclavian, celiac, and lowest renal arteries were 21 mm (20-23 mm), 18 mm (16-19 mm), and 15 mm (14-16 mm), respectively, and the terminal aortic diameter was 14 mm (13-15 mm). The correlation of determination for descending aortic length (all zones) against torso extend was r = 0.454. This study provides a morphometric analysis of the aorta in a male population, demonstrating consistency of length and diameter while defining distinct axial zones. Findings suggest that center line aortic distances correlate with a simple, external measure of torso extent. Morphometric study of the aorta using CT data may facilitate the development and implementation of occlusion techniques to manage noncompressible torso, pelvic, and junctional femoral hemorrhage.
Determination of emamectin benzoate in medicated fish feed: a multisite study.

Science.gov (United States)

Farer, Leslie J

2005-01-01

A new method was developed for the quantitation of emamectin benzoate in medicated fish feed at levels between 1 and 30 ppm. The new procedure, based on a previously reported assay, consists of a wet methanolic extraction of ground feed, followed by solid-phase extraction and injection onto a gradient liquid chromatographic system. A multisite study involving 3 laboratories (the developing laboratory and 2 independent laboratories) was performed to evaluate precision, recovery, linearity, and sensitivity. Mean recove;ries for triplicate analyses at 3 levels, performed by 2 analysts per laboratory, were between 89 and 97%, with coefficients of variation ranging from 1.6 to 8.6%. Coefficients of determination (r2) obtained from the plotted data were > or =0.993. The precision of the method, determined from 6 replicate preparations from the same batch of medicated feed assayed in 3 separate trials per laboratory, was between 0.6 and 5.8%. The quantitation limit was established at 0.5 ppm. Specificity and robustness studies were performed by the developing laboratory.
Protective role of Urtica dioica L. (Urticaceae) extract on hepatocytes morphometric changes in STZ diabetic Wistar rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Golalipour, Mohammad Jafar; Ghafari, Soraya; Afshar, Mohammad

2010-09-01

The present investigation was carried out to evaluate the protective effect of the hydroalcoholic extract of Urtica dioica leaves on the quantitative morphometric changes in the liver of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Thirty male Wistar rats were divided into control (G1), diabetic (G2), diabetic + Urtica dioica (G3) groups. The control group received only sham injections of intraperitoneal saline; the diabetic group received intraperitoneal saline for 5 days followed by streptozotocin (80 mg/kg) on the 6th day; and the diabetic + Urtica dioica group received 100 mg/kg Urtica dioica intraperitoneal (7) injections for 5 days and streptozotocin injection on the 6th day. After five weeks, the animals were sacrificed and whole livers removed. Liver specimens were used for quantitative morphometric analysis after hematoxylin and eosin staining. All data were statistically analyzed by one-way ANOVA and expressed as the mean with standard error of means. In the G3 (diabetic + Urtica diocia) group, the mean surface area of hepatocytes in the periportal zone (Z1) was greater than in G2 (diabetic) and G1 (control) groups, but this difference was not significant. No alteration was observed in the surface area of hepatocytes in the perivenous zone (Z3) in the diabetic + Urtica dioica (G3) group compared to the diabetic (G2) group. The mean nuclear area of hepatocytes of the rats in the diabetic + Urtica dioica (G3) group was higher in Z1 and lower in Z3 than that of rats in the diabetic (G2) group. The mean diameter of hepatocyte nuclei in the diabetic + Urtica dioica (G3) group was lower than that of diabetic (G2) and control (G1) groups in both Z1 and Z3. This study revealed that the administration of extract of Urtica dioica leaves before induction of diabetic with streptozotocin has a protective effect on the morphometric alterations of hepatocytes in the periportal and perivenous zones of the liver lobule in rats.
Engagement and Action for Health: The Contribution of Leaders’ Collaborative Skills to Partnership Success

Science.gov (United States)

Ansari, Walid El; Oskrochi, Reza; Phillips, Ceri

2009-01-01

A multi-site evaluation (survey) of five Kellogg-funded Community Partnerships (CPs) in South Africa was undertaken to explore the relationship between leadership skills and a range of 30 operational, functional and organisational factors deemed critical to successful CPs. The CPs were collaborative academic-health service-community efforts aimed at health professions education reforms. The level of agreement to eleven dichotomous (‘Yes/No’) leadership skills items was used to compute two measures of members’ appreciation of their CPs’ leadership. The associations between these measures and 30 CPs factors were explored, and the partnership factors that leadership skills explained were assessed after controlling. Respondents who perceived the leadership of their CPs favourably had more positive ratings across 30 other partnership factors than those who rated leadership skills less favourably, and were more likely to report a positive cost/ benefit ratio. In addition, respondents who viewed their CPs’ leadership positively also rated the operational understanding, the communication mechanisms, as well as the rules and procedures of the CPs more favourably. Leadership skills explained between 20% and 7% of the variance of 10 partnership factors. The influence of leaders’ skills in effective health-focussed partnerships is much broader than previously conceptualised. PMID:19440289
How Many Interviews Are Enough to Identify Metathemes in Multisited and Cross-Cultural Research? Another Perspective on Guest, Bunce, and Johnson's (2006) Landmark Study

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Hagaman, Ashley K.; Wutich, Amber

2017-01-01

There is much debate over the number of interviews needed to reach data saturation for themes and metathemes in qualitative research. The primary purpose of this study is to determine the number of interviews needed to reach data saturation for metathemes in multisited and cross-cultural research. The analysis is based on a cross-cultural study on…
PATHOMORPHOLOGICAL FEATURES OF BONE LESIONS AND CORRELATION OF CLINICAL, LABORATORY AND MORPHOMETRIC CRITERIA IN PATIENTS WITH LATENT SCLEROSING HEMATOGENOUS OSTEOMYELITIS (GARRÉ

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V. V. Grigorovsky

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction. Sclerosing hematogenous osteomyelitis of Garré (SHO holds a significant place among cases of latent hematogenous osteomyelitis. Pathomorphological studies of sclerosing hematogenous osteomyelitis are needed to improve differentiated diagnostics, to prognosticate morphology specifics of nidus and to choose the optimal treatment tactics.Purpose of the study — to identify statistical differences between manifestation patterns of various disease types and correlation between clinical, laboratorial and morphometric criteria of bone lesions in patients with sclerosing hematogenous osteomyelitis.Material and methods. The authors studied tissue fragments of affected bones of 25 patients with SHO which was diagnosed by clinical, laboratorial, visualizing and morphological methods. Gradation morphometric criteria were used to reflect condition of nidus tissues. The authors made the analysis of qualitative characters and correlation analysis of dependencies between clinical and laboratorial criteria on the one hand, and with morphometric criteria — on the other, and identified association factor. Results. Pathomorphological study of SHO nidus demonstrated variances of bone lesions in separate disease cases despite the overall similarity of morphological manifestation. About 2/3 of all cases correspond to fibrosing type whereby even small exudative inflammation sites are absent. In about 1/3 of all cases apart from fibrosis, osteosclerosis and remodeling, the osteomyelitis niduses contain microabscesses indicative of suppurative inflammation as well as the authors observed small sequestration. The maximum differences in patients with various types of SHO were identified in such parameters as share of stab microphages and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR. In cases of long term morbidity the fibrosing disease type is prevailing, in cases of short term lesion (1–2 years — a fibrosing type with microabscesses formation.A series of
An Investigation of the Relationship between Involvement in and Use of Evaluation in Three Multi-Site Evaluations when Those Involved Are Not the Primary Intended Users

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Roseland, Denise L.

2010-01-01

This dissertation research describes an investigation that explores the nature of the relationship between participation in evaluation and the use of evaluation findings and processes within three large-scale multisite evaluations. The purpose of this study is to test whether assumptions and theories about participation translate into evaluation…
PFOS, PFNA, and PFOA sub-lethal exposure to embryonic zebrafish have different toxicity profiles in terms of morphometrics, behavior and gene expression.

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Jantzen, Carrie E; Annunziato, Kate A; Bugel, Sean M; Cooper, Keith R

2016-06-01

Polyfluorinated compounds (PFC) are a class of anthropogenic, persistent and toxic chemicals. PFCs are detected worldwide and consist of fluorinated carbon chains of varying length, terminal groups, and industrial uses. Previous zebrafish studies in the literature as well as our own studies have shown that exposure to these chemicals at a low range of concentrations (0.02-2.0μM; 20-2000ppb) resulted in chemical specific developmental defects and reduced post hatch survival. It was hypothesized that sub-lethal embryonic exposure to perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), or perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) would result in different responses with regard to morphometric, behavior, and gene expression in both yolk sac fry and larval zebrafish. Zebrafish were exposed to PFOS, PFOA, and PFNA (0.02, 0.2, 2.0μM) for the first five days post fertilization (dpf) and analyzed for morphometrics (5 dpf, 14 dpf), targeted gene expression (5 dpf, 14 dpf), and locomotive behavior (14 dpf). All three PFCs commonly resulted in a decrease in total body length, increased tfc3a (muscle development) expression and decreased ap1s (protein transport) expression at 5dpf, and hyperactive locomotor activity 14 dpf. All other endpoints measured at both life-stage time points varied between each of the PFCs. PFOS, PFNA, and PFOA exposure resulted in significantly altered responses in terms of morphometric, locomotion, and gene expression endpoints, which could be manifested in field exposed teleosts. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Collaborative Prototyping

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bogers, Marcel; Horst, Willem

2014-01-01

of the prototyping process, the actual prototype was used as a tool for communication or development, thus serving as a platform for the cross-fertilization of knowledge. In this way, collaborative prototyping leads to a better balance between functionality and usability; it translates usability problems into design......This paper presents an inductive study that shows how collaborative prototyping across functional, hierarchical, and organizational boundaries can improve the overall prototyping process. Our combined action research and case study approach provides new insights into how collaborative prototyping...... can provide a platform for prototype-driven problem solving in early new product development (NPD). Our findings have important implications for how to facilitate multistakeholder collaboration in prototyping and problem solving, and more generally for how to organize collaborative and open innovation...

A geometric morphometric analysis of the shape of the first upper molar in mice of the genus Mus (Muridae, Rodentia)

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Macholán, Miloš

2006-01-01

Roč. 270, č. 4 (2006), s. 672-681 ISSN 0952-8369 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR IAA6045307 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50450515 Keywords : Mus * geometric morphometrics * thin-plate spline Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology Impact factor: 1.413, year: 2006
Effect of Chang Run Tong on the Biomechanical and Morphometric Remodeling of Colon and Rectum in STZ Induced Diabetic Rats

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sha, Hong; Zhao, Dong; Zhao, Jingbo

2013-01-01

The present study investigates the effect of Chang Run Tong (CRT) on the biomechanical and morphometrical remodeling of colon and rectum in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. The colonic and rectal segments were obtained from diabetic (DM), CRT-treated diabetic (T1, high dosage: 50 g/kg/day; T2...
Morphometric analysis of hepatic steatosis in chronic hepatitis C infection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zubair, Alia; Jamal Shahid; Mubarik Azhar

2009-01-01

To quantitatively assess steatosis by a morphometric method and to study its relationship with other histological features of chronic hepatitis C (CHC). This was a comparative descriptive study. The study was carried out in the Department of Histopathology, Army Medical College, Rawalpindi, Pakistan, from March 2006 to March 2007. Patients who had undergone a liver biopsy for the evaluation of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection were included in the study. Demographic characteristics and laboratory data were collected at the time of biopsy. The first hundred biopsy specimens that met the inclusion criteria were assessed for grades of steatosis (semiquantitatively), diameter of fat globules (by a morphometric method), necroinflammation, and fibrosis (semiquantitatively). Liver biopsies were processed for paraffin embedding, stained with hematoxylin and eosin, whereas Gomori's Reticulin stain was used for the evaluation of fibrosis. Out of 46 cases showing fatty change, pansteatosis was observed in 24 (52%) patients: 12 (26%) cases had a pericentral and mid zonal distribution of fat globules and eight (17.5%) cases revealed a mid zonal pattern only. There were two (4.5%) cases in which fat globules were found in periportal and mid zonal areas. None of the histological parameters (the stage of fibrosis and grades of inflammation) had any significant correlation with these distribution patterns of steatosis. The diameter of fat droplets was quantified by morphometry. A mixed pattern of steatosis was observed more frequently (21 out of 46 cases): 17 cases had microglobules and eight biopsies showed macroglobules. The size of the fat globules exhibited a significant correlation with the stage of fibrosis ( P < 0.0001). The analysis of the grades of necroinflammation did not reveal any significant relationship with the diameter of fat globules. A mixed pattern of fat globules is more frequently observed in CHC, but macrovesicular steatosis is associated with a higher stage
Morphometric and molecular identification of individual barnacle cyprids from wild plankton

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chen, Hsi-Nien; Høeg, Jens Thorvald; Chan, Benny K.K.

2013-01-01

species. Sequences from a total of 540 individual cypris larvae from Taiwanese waters formed 36 monophyletic clades (species) in a phylogenetic tree. Of these clades, 26 were identified to species, but 10 unknown monophyletic clades represented non-native species. Cyprids of the invasive barnacle......The present study used DNA barcodes to identify individual cyprids to species. This enables accurate quantification of larvae of potential fouling species in the plankton. In addition, it explains the settlement patterns of barnacles and serves as an early warning system of unwanted immigrant......, Megabalanus cocopoma, were identified. Multivariate analysis of antennular morphometric characters revealed three significant clusters in a nMDS plot, viz. a bell-shaped attachment organ (most species), a shoe-shaped attachment organ (some species), and a spear-shaped attachment organ (coral barnacles only...
Morphometric and molecular differentiation between quetzal subspecies of Pharomachrus mocinno (Trogoniformes: Trogonidae

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Sofía Solórzano

2010-03-01

Full Text Available The resplendent Quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno is an endemic Mesoamerican bird species of conservation concern. Within this species, the subspecies P. m. costaricensis and P. m. mocinno, have been recognized by apparent morphometric differences; however, presently there is no sufficient data for confirmation. We analyzed eight morphometric attributes of the body from 41 quetzals: body length, tarsus and cord wing, as well as the length, wide and depth of the bill, body weight; and in the case of the males, the length of the long upper-tail cover feathers. We used multivariate analyses to discriminate morphometric differences between subspecies and contrasted each morphometric attribute between and within subspecies with paired non-parametric Wilcoxon test. In order to review the intraspecific taxonomic status of this bird, we added phylogenetic analysis, and genetic divergence and differentiation based on nucleotide variations in four sequences of mtDNA. The nucleotide variation was estimated in control region, subunit NDH6, and tRNA Glu and tRNA Phe in 26 quetzals from eight localities distributed in five countries. We estimated the genetic divergence and differentiation between subspecies according to a mutation-drift equilibrium model. We obtained the best mutation nucleotide model following the procedure implemented in model test program. We constructed the phylogenetic relationships between subspecies by maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood using PAUP, as well as with Bayesian statistics. The multivariate analyses showed two different morphometric groups, and individuals clustered according to the subspecies that they belong. The paired comparisons between subspecies showed strong differences in most of the attributes analyzed. Along the four mtDNA sequences, we identified 32 nucleotide positions that have a particular nucleotide according to the quetzals subspecies. The genetic divergence and the differentiation was strong and markedly
Exploring Community Radio Programming Practices to Inform ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A collective case study (multi-site) design was used to probe educational programming practices used in community radio. The paper explores how community radio station programming engages listeners in community generated education programmes that are produced through collaborative work with radio listener clubs.
Characterization of cereal cyst nematodes (Heterodera spp. in Morocco based on morphology, morphometrics and rDNA-ITS sequence analysis

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Mokrini Fouad

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Morphological and molecular diversity among 11 populations of cereal cyst nematodes from different wheat production areas in Morocco was investigated using light microscopy, species-specific primers, complemented by the ITS-rDNA sequences. Morphometrics of cysts and second-stage juveniles (J2s were generally within the expected ranges for Heterodera avenae; only the isolate from Aïn Jmaa showed morphometrics conforming to those of H. latipons. When using species-specific primers for H. avenae and H. latipons, the specific bands of 109 bp and 204 bp, respectively, confirmed the morphological identification. In addition, the internal transcribed spacer (ITS regions were sequenced to study the diversity of the 11 populations. These sequences were compared with those of Heterodera species available in the GenBank database (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov and confirmed again the identity of the species. Ten sequences of the ITS-rDNA were similar (99–100% to the sequences of H. avenae published in GenBank and three sequences, corresponding with one population, were similar (97–99% to H. latipons.
Collaborative Data Mining

Science.gov (United States)

Moyle, Steve

Collaborative Data Mining is a setting where the Data Mining effort is distributed to multiple collaborating agents - human or software. The objective of the collaborative Data Mining effort is to produce solutions to the tackled Data Mining problem which are considered better by some metric, with respect to those solutions that would have been achieved by individual, non-collaborating agents. The solutions require evaluation, comparison, and approaches for combination. Collaboration requires communication, and implies some form of community. The human form of collaboration is a social task. Organizing communities in an effective manner is non-trivial and often requires well defined roles and processes. Data Mining, too, benefits from a standard process. This chapter explores the standard Data Mining process CRISP-DM utilized in a collaborative setting.
A multimedia comprehensive informatics system with decision support tools for a multi-site collaboration research of stroke rehabilitation

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Ximing; Documet, Jorge; Garrison, Kathleen A.; Winstein, Carolee J.; Liu, Brent

2012-02-01

Stroke is a major cause of adult disability. The Interdisciplinary Comprehensive Arm Rehabilitation Evaluation (I-CARE) clinical trial aims to evaluate a therapy for arm rehabilitation after stroke. A primary outcome measure is correlative analysis between stroke lesion characteristics and standard measures of rehabilitation progress, from data collected at seven research facilities across the country. Sharing and communication of brain imaging and behavioral data is thus a challenge for collaboration. A solution is proposed as a web-based system with tools supporting imaging and informatics related data. In this system, users may upload anonymized brain images through a secure internet connection and the system will sort the imaging data for storage in a centralized database. Users may utilize an annotation tool to mark up images. In addition to imaging informatics, electronic data forms, for example, clinical data forms, are also integrated. Clinical information is processed and stored in the database to enable future data mining related development. Tele-consultation is facilitated through the development of a thin-client image viewing application. For convenience, the system supports access through desktop PC, laptops, and iPAD. Thus, clinicians may enter data directly into the system via iPAD while working with participants in the study. Overall, this comprehensive imaging informatics system enables users to collect, organize and analyze stroke cases efficiently.
Morphometric Measurements of Bony Nasolacrimal Canal in Children.

Science.gov (United States)

Ela, Araz Server; Cigdem, Kalaycik Ertugay; Karagoz, Yesim; Yigit, Ozgur; Longur, Ecem Sevim

2018-05-01

Morphology and dimensions of the bony nasolacrimal canal duct (BNLD) as a key factor in the development of primary acquired nasolacrimal duct obstruction. We aimed to obtain detailed morphometric analysis of BNLD in children without nasolacrimal duct pathology by using computed tomography and provide standard measurements by means of age which could be utilized in planning management or in invasive interventions. Picture Archiving Communication Systems database of our hospital's radiology department was searched for this retrospective study. Subjects were under 18 years of age who had undergone a paranasal, maxillofacial, or temporal bone high-resolution computed tomography scan in last 2 years with various indications. Those with fractures including facial bones and/or nasolacrimal canal or history of nasolacrimal duct pathology were excluded from the study. We measured the diameter, angle, and surface area of BNLD. A total number of 136 subjects (86 boys, 50 girls) were included in the study. The average age was 7.3 ± 5.1 years. We documented statistically significantly positive correlation between all measured diameters and ages (P 0.050). Our study demonstrated that development of BNLD continues during childhood, regardless of gender.
Completion Report for Multi-Site Incentive MRT 2779 Implement ASC Tripod Initiative by 30SEP08

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

East, D; Cerutti, J; Noe, J; Cupps, K; Loncaric, J; Sturtevant, J

2008-09-22

This report provides documentation and evidence for the completion of the deployment of the Tripod common operating system (TripodOS, also known as and generally referred to below as TOSS). Background documents for TOSS are provided in Appendices A and B, including the initial TOSS proposal accepted by ASC HQ and Executives in July 2007 and a Governance Model defined by a Tri-Lab working group in September 2007. Appendix C contains a document that clarifies the intent and requirements for the completion criteria associated with MRT 2779. The deployment of TOSS is a Multi-Site Incentive from the ASC FY08-09 Implementation Plan due at the end of Quarter 4 in FY08.
Midwife-physician collaboration: a conceptual framework for interprofessional collaborative practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Denise Colter

2015-01-01

Since the passage of the Affordable Care Act, collaborative practice has been cited as one method of increasing access to care, decreasing costs, and improving efficiency. How and under what conditions might these goals be achieved? Midwives and physicians have built effective collaborative practice models over a period of 30 years. Empirical study of interprofessional collaboration between midwives and physicians could be useful in guiding professional education, regulation, and health policy in women's health and maternity care. Construction of a conceptual framework for interprofessional collaboration between midwives and physicians was guided by a review of the literature. A theory derivation strategy was used to define dimensions, concepts, and statements of the framework. Midwife-physician interprofessional collaboration can be defined by 4 dimensions (organizational, procedural, relational, and contextual) and 12 concepts (trust, shared power, synergy, commitment, and respect, among others). The constructed framework provides the foundation for further empirical study of the interprofessional collaborative process. The experiences of midwife-physician collaborations provide solid support for a conceptual framework of the collaborative process. A conceptual framework provides a point from which further research can increase knowledge and understanding about how successful outcomes are achieved in collaborative health care practices. Construction of a measurement scale and validation of the model are important next steps. © 2014 by the American College of Nurse-Midwives.
MORPHOMETRIC CHARACTERIZATION OF THE SAND FRACTION IN A SAND GRAIN IMAGE CAPTURE SYSTEM1

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Lucimar Arruda Viana

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Morphology studies assume significant importance in analysis of phenomena of granular systems packaging, in particular with a view to the use of the technique of soil stabilization named particle size correction in forest roads. In this context, this study aimed to develop and operationalize a Sand Grain Image Capture System and, hereby, determine the morphological indices of the sand fractions of two sandy soils called João Pinheiro (JP and Cachoeira da Prata (CP. Soil samples, air-dried, were sieved (2.0 mm nominal mesh size for removal of gravels. The materials that passed through the sieve were subjected to dispersion, washing in 0.053 mm nominal mesh size sieve, removal of organic matter and iron oxides to obtain the clean sand fractions. Subsequently, each soil sample was sieved for separation into twelve classes, between the diameters of 0.149 mm and 1.190 mm, using a Rotap shaker. Next, tests were carried out to characterize the morphometric attributes of the twelve classes of sand fractions of the soils studied. For validation of the performance of the Sand Grain Image Capture System, the results were compared to those obtained using a standard procedure for image analysis. The analysis of the results led to the following conclusions: (i the sand fraction of the JP soil presented higher values for the morphometric indices roundness, elongation and compactness compared to sand fraction of the CP soil; and (ii the Sand Grain Image Capture System worked properly, with practicality.
Supply Chain Collaboration Roles of Interorganizational Systems, Trust, and Collaborative Culture

CERN Document Server

Cao, Mei

2013-01-01

To survive and thrive in the competition, firms have strived to achieve greater supply chain collaboration to leverage the resources and knowledge of suppliers and customers. Internet based technologies, particularly interorganizational systems, further extend the firms’ opportunities to strengthen their supply chain partnerships and share real-time information to optimize their operations. Supply Chain Collaboration: Roles of Interorganizational Systems, Trust, and Collaborative Culture explores the nature and characteristics, antecedents, and consequences of supply chain collaboration from multiple theoretical perspectives. Supply Chain Collaboration: Roles of Interorganizational Systems, Trust, and Collaborative Culture conceptualizes supply chain collaboration as seven interconnecting elements including information sharing, incentive alignment, goal congruence, decision synchronization, resource sharing, as well as communication and joint knowledge creation. These seven components define the occur...
Morphometric analysis of the infraorbital foramen, canal and groove using cone beam CT: considerations for creating artificial organs.

Science.gov (United States)

Orhan, Kaan; Misirli, Melis; Aksoy, Secil; Seki, Umut; Hincal, Evren; Ormeci, Tugrul; Arslan, Ahmet

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to examine the anatomy and variations of the infraorbital foramen and its surroundings via morphometric measurements using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans derived from a 3D volumetric rendering program. 354 sides of CBCT scans from 177 patients were examined in this study. DICOM data from these images were exported to Maxilim® software in order to generate 3D surface models. The morphometric measurements were done for infraorbital foramen (IOF), infraorbital groove (IOG) and infraorbital canal (IOC). All images were evaluated by 1 radiologist. To assess intra-observer reliability, the Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed rank test was used. Differences between sex, side, age and measurements were evaluated using chi-square and paired t-test and measurements were evaluated using 1-way ANOVA tests. Differences were considered significant when p0.05). No significant difference was found according to age groups (p>0.05). These results provide detailed knowledge of the anatomical characteristics in this particular area. CBCT imaging with lower radiation dose and thin slices can be a powerful tool for anesthesia procedures like infra orbital nerve blocks, for surgical approaches like osteotomies and neurectomies and also for generating artificial prostheses.
2D/3D Quantification of bone morphometric parameter changes using X-ray microtomograpphy with different pixel sizes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vidal, F.; Assis, J.T. de; Lopes, R.T.; Lima, I.

2014-01-01

In recent years, bone quantification led to a deeper knowledge of the 3D microarchitecture. In this study the bone architecture of rats was investigated based on 2D/3D morphometric analysis using microcomputed tomography, aiming at determining the effect of the image acquisition pixel on the quality of some 2D/3D morphometric parameters, such as porosity and trabecular density. Six pairs of bone samples were used and the scans were carried out using high microcomputed tomography system, operating at three different pixel sizes of 33.3 μm, 15.0 μm and 9.5 μm. The results showed 2D parameters values lower than those obtained in the 3D analysis, mainly for trabecular density, separation and thickness. - Highlights: ► Bone quantification led to a deeper knowledge of the 3D microarchitecture. ► μCT was used in order to investigate condyles bone in 03 different pixel sizes. ► The results showed 2D parameters values lower than those obtained in the 3D analysis. ► The parameters trabecular density, separation and thickness were the most affected
Multi-site Study of Diffusion Metric Variability: Characterizing the Effects of Site, Vendor, Field Strength, and Echo Time using the Histogram Distance

Science.gov (United States)

Helmer, K. G.; Chou, M-C.; Preciado, R. I.; Gimi, B.; Rollins, N. K.; Song, A.; Turner, J.; Mori, S.

2016-01-01

MRI-based multi-site trials now routinely include some form of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in their protocol. These studies can include data originating from scanners built by different vendors, each with their own set of unique protocol restrictions, including restrictions on the number of available gradient directions, whether an externally-generated list of gradient directions can be used, and restrictions on the echo time (TE). One challenge of multi-site studies is to create a common imaging protocol that will result in a reliable and accurate set of diffusion metrics. The present study describes the effect of site, scanner vendor, field strength, and TE on two common metrics: the first moment of the diffusion tensor field (mean diffusivity, MD), and the fractional anisotropy (FA). We have shown in earlier work that ROI metrics and the mean of MD and FA histograms are not sufficiently sensitive for use in site characterization. Here we use the distance between whole brain histograms of FA and MD to investigate within- and between-site effects. We concluded that the variability of DTI metrics due to site, vendor, field strength, and echo time could influence the results in multi-center trials and that histogram distance is sensitive metrics for each of these variables. PMID:27350723
Multi-site Study of Diffusion Metric Variability: Characterizing the Effects of Site, Vendor, Field Strength, and Echo Time using the Histogram Distance.

Science.gov (United States)

Helmer, K G; Chou, M-C; Preciado, R I; Gimi, B; Rollins, N K; Song, A; Turner, J; Mori, S

2016-02-27

MRI-based multi-site trials now routinely include some form of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in their protocol. These studies can include data originating from scanners built by different vendors, each with their own set of unique protocol restrictions, including restrictions on the number of available gradient directions, whether an externally-generated list of gradient directions can be used, and restrictions on the echo time (TE). One challenge of multi-site studies is to create a common imaging protocol that will result in a reliable and accurate set of diffusion metrics. The present study describes the effect of site, scanner vendor, field strength, and TE on two common metrics: the first moment of the diffusion tensor field (mean diffusivity, MD), and the fractional anisotropy (FA). We have shown in earlier work that ROI metrics and the mean of MD and FA histograms are not sufficiently sensitive for use in site characterization. Here we use the distance between whole brain histograms of FA and MD to investigate within- and between-site effects. We concluded that the variability of DTI metrics due to site, vendor, field strength, and echo time could influence the results in multi-center trials and that histogram distance is sensitive metrics for each of these variables.
Morphological and morphometric features of nematode-cysts in Gymnotus inaequilabiatus liver in the Brazilian Pantanal

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Gizela Melina Galindo

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract The aim of this study was to determine the morphometric measures and morphological aspects of nematode-cysts in Gymnotus inaequilabiatus, and the presence of melanomacrophage centers (MMCs associated with the periphery of cysts and in the liver parenchyma. Adult specimens, 34 female (123.1 ± 43.9g and 45 male (135.5 ± 43.4g, from Paraguay River, Corumbá, Brazil, were used. The number of nematode-cysts was determined in 79 livers and 25 of them randomly selected for histopathological analysis and morphometric measures of nematode-cysts (mean diameter, thickness of collagen layer, and cyst-wall layer. The percentage of cysts with MMCs on the periphery and density in the liver parenchyma was estimated. The average number of macroscopic cysts was of 48.7 ± 2.78. Granulomatous reaction was observed surrounding the cysts. Diameter, collagen layer and cyst-wall measurements were 293.0 ± 75.18 (µm, 17.72 ± 6.01 (µm and 12.21 ± 9.51 (µm, respectively. The number of nematode-cysts was correlated with hepatosomatic index, (r=0.26, P<0.05. Collagen layer was correlated with cyst diameter (r=0.62, P<0.01. Pericystic and parenchymatous MMCs were moderately (r=0.48 and highly (r=0.90 correlated with nematode-cysts number. Morphological characteristics of hepatic tissue and cysts-nematodes measures suggest that G. inaequilabiatus acts as a paratenic host to nematodes in the larval stage.
Recent advances in bird sperm morphometric analysis and its role in male gamete characterization and reproduction technologies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Julian Santiago-Moreno

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Postcopulatory sexual selection through sperm competition may be an important evolutionary force affecting many reproductive traits, including sperm morphometrics. Environmental factors such as pollutants, pesticides, and climate change may affect different sperm traits, and thus reproduction, in sensitive bird species. Many sperm-handling processes used in assisted reproductive techniques may also affect the size of sperm cells. The accurately measured dimensions of sperm cell structures (especially the head can thus be used as indicators of environmental influences, in improving our understanding of reproductive and evolutionary strategies, and for optimizing assisted reproductive techniques (e.g., sperm cryopreservation for use with birds. Computer-assisted sperm morphometry analysis (CASA-Morph provides an accurate and reliable method for assessing sperm morphometry, reducing the problem of subjectivity associated with human visual assessment. Computerized systems have been standardized for use with semen from different mammalian species. Avian spermatozoa, however, are filiform, limiting their analysis with such systems, which were developed to examine the approximately spherical heads of mammalian sperm cells. To help overcome this, the standardization of staining techniques to be used in computer-assessed light microscopical methods is a priority. The present review discusses these points and describes the sperm morphometric characteristics of several wild and domestic bird species.

Correlation between three-dimensional power Doppler and morphometric measurement of endometrial vascularity at the time of embryo implantation in women with unexplained recurrent miscarriage.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Xiaoyan; Saravelos, Sotirios H; Liu, Yingyu; Huang, Jin; Wang, Chi Chiu; Li, Tin Chiu

2017-06-01

Power Doppler in combination with three-dimensional (3D-PD) ultrasonography has been used as a noninvasive tool to evaluate the vascularity. However, it is unclear whether 3D-PD can accurately reflect endometrial vascularization and replace the invasive endometrial biopsy. This study aims to investigate the correlation between 3D-PD and micro vessel morphometric measurement of endometrial vascularity. Twenty-five women with unexplained recurrent miscarriage were recruited for 3D-PD and endometrial biopsy on precisely day LH + 7. Immunohistochemistry using vWF was employed to identify micro vessels in endometrial biopsy specimens followed by the use of morphometric technique to measure the mean vessel diameter and volume fractions. The vascularization index (VI), flow index (FI) and vascularization flow index (VFI) assessed by 3D-PD were calculated for both the endometrial and sub-endometrial regions. There were no significant correlations between any of the ultrasonographic measurements (endometrial thickness, endometrial volume, endometrial VI/FI/VFI, sub-endometrial volume, sub-endometrial VI/FI/VFI) and morphometric features (number of micro vessel, mean diameter of micro vessel and volume fraction measurement of vessel). This study indicates that endometrial vascularity assessed by 3D-PD could not be used to reflect changes in micro vessels of the endometrium at the time of embryo implantation in women with unexplained recurrent miscarriage.
When Collaborative Is Not Collaborative: Supporting Student Learning through Self-Surveillance

Science.gov (United States)

Kotsopoulos, Donna

2010-01-01

Collaborative learning has been widely endorsed in education. This qualitative research examines instances of collaborative learning during mathematics that were seen to be predominantly non-collaborative despite the pedagogical efforts and intentions of the teacher and the task. In an effort to disrupt the non-collaborative learning, small groups…
The role in thanatogenesis of generalized brain edema in ischemic cerebral infarction (computer-morphometric research

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E. A. Dyadyk

2012-12-01

Full Text Available This work presents the results of computer-morphometric study of perivascular and pericellular free (oedematous spaces in brain cortex at death from the ischemic cerebral infarction and from reasons unconnected directly with cerebral pathology. It was revealed, that the mean area of perivascular spaces (vasogenic edema index at brain infarction in 13 times exceeds such at extracerebral pathology, and mean area of pericellular spaces (cytotoxic edema index – almost in 12 times, but also it substantially differs on the degree of variation (in 2,5 times higher, than area of perivascular spaces.
Using otolith morphometric and morphology characteristics to identify carangids species in the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea

OpenAIRE

Mansourkiaei, Ana

2010-01-01

In a survey on 524 specimens from 18 different species belonging to the Carangidae family collected from The Persian Gulf, otolithes (Sagittae) are extracted from under gills region. After washing, their morphometric parameters measured. These parameters are otolith length, width, weight and length of antirostrum, width and length of rostrum, width in right and left sagittae. In addition to the otolith outline, mode position and mode opening of the Sulcus acusticus was examined. Data indicate...
Exploiting Publication Contents and Collaboration Networks for Collaborator Recommendation.

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Xiangjie Kong

Full Text Available Thanks to the proliferation of online social networks, it has become conventional for researchers to communicate and collaborate with each other. Meanwhile, one critical challenge arises, that is, how to find the most relevant and potential collaborators for each researcher? In this work, we propose a novel collaborator recommendation model called CCRec, which combines the information on researchers' publications and collaboration network to generate better recommendation. In order to effectively identify the most potential collaborators for researchers, we adopt a topic clustering model to identify the academic domains, as well as a random walk model to compute researchers' feature vectors. Using DBLP datasets, we conduct benchmarking experiments to examine the performance of CCRec. The experimental results show that CCRec outperforms other state-of-the-art methods in terms of precision, recall and F1 score.
Metric and geometric morphometric analysis of new hominin fossils from Maba (Guangdong, China).

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Xiao, Dongfang; Bae, Christopher J; Shen, Guanjun; Delson, Eric; Jin, Jennie J H; Webb, Nicole M; Qiu, Licheng

2014-09-01

We present an analysis of a set of previously unreported hominin fossils from Maba (Guangdong, China), a cave site that is best known for the presence of a partial hominin cranium currently assigned as mid-Pleistocene Homo and that has been traditionally dated to around the Middle-Late Pleistocene transition. A more recent set of Uranium series dates indicate that the Maba travertine may date to >237 ka (thousands of years ago), as opposed to the original U-series date, which placed Maba at 135-129 ka. The fossils under study include five upper first and second molars and a partial left mandible with a socketed m3, all recovered from different parts of the site than the cranium or the dated sediments. The results of our metric and 2D geometric morphometric ('GM') study suggest that the upper first molars are likely from modern humans, suggesting a more recent origin. The upper second molars align more closely with modern humans, though the minimum spanning tree from the 2D GM analysis also connects Maba to Homo neanderthalensis. The patterning in the M2s is not as clear as with the M1s. The m3 and partial mandible are morphometrically intermediate between Holocene modern humans and older Homo sapiens. However, a minimum spanning tree indicates that both the partial mandible and m3 align most closely with Holocene modern humans, and they also may be substantially younger than the cranium. Because questions exist regarding the context and the relationship of the dated travertine with the hominin fossils, we suggest caution is warranted in interpreting the Maba specimens. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Morphometric study of the Habo dome, Kachchh, Gujarat, India: implications on neotectonic activity

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Bhattacharjee, N.; Mohanty, S. P.

2017-12-01

The Kachchh Basin of western India was developed during the separation of the Indian plate from the Gondwanaland in Mesozoic. Series of E-W striking master faults were generated during this extensional phase. The collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates in Eocene time resulted in the change of stress regime to a compressional setting when the built-up stress developed NNW-SSE to NNE-SSW striking transverse faults and reactivated the earlier E-W master faults. The present work was carried out in the Habo dome, located in the central part of the Kachchh Basin, to analyse the morphometric features such as the bifurcation ratio, circulation ratio, drainage texture, asymmetric factor, hypsometric indices and mountain front sinuosity of selected sub-watersheds of the area to understand the effects of fault reactivation and neotectonic activities on the geometry of the dome. Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission (SRTM) Digital Elevation Model (DEM) data were used to extract drainage network for morphometric analysis of the Kaswati, Khari, and Pur river basins. The study area is elliptical in outline with the long axis trending approximately E-W. The evolution of this domal structure is interpreted to be the result of fault-bound nature of the block. The northern slope of the dome is bound by the Kachchh Mainland Fault and the eastern and western boundaries are marked by transverse faults. The undulating topography was developed by differential movements along several transverse faults striking NW-SE, N-S, and NE-SW. The earlier interpretation of laccolith intrusion into the sedimentary rocks is not supported by the data analysis and field mapping. Stress propagations from the Himalayan range in the northeast and Sulaiman range in the northwest are identified to be the causative factor for historical seismicity and drainage anomalies in the area. Keywords: Basin morphometry, Geographical Information System, Lineament patterns, Kachchh basin, Neotectonics, Fault reactivation
Comparison between morphometric measurements os current herd Mangalarga Marchador males and breed champions

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Juliano Martins Santiago

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Equines morphometric analysis is an important method of selection related to functionality of the species. Mangalarga Marchador is the most important horse Brazilian breed and its evolution can be observed in specialized exhibition where owners expase their herd with the breed exponents, adopting them as selection parameters. In this context the study aimed to compare the morphometric measures of Mangalarga Marchador males herd with the champions of breed, using as parameters breed standards and Eclectic System of Proportions for saddle horse. Experimental design was completely randomized and treatments were the Mangalarga Marchador male herd, represented by all horses registered from 2000 to 2012, wich had measurements stored in Associação Brasileira de Criadores do Cavalo Mangalarga Marchador (ABCCMM service studbook database, totaling 15,482 animals, and the champions of breed, represented by 222 horses champions who participated of the 29th, 30th or 31th Exposição Nacional do Cavalo Mangalarga Marchador. Variables evaluated were height at withers and at rump, length of the head, neck, dorse, rump, shoulder and body, width of head and of rump, thoracic perimeter and cannon perimeter. Average linear measurements were related to length of head, according to Eclectic System of Proportions for saddle horse. Results were submitted to variance analysis and averages were compared by Fisher test (p<0.05. Regarding the current herd of males Mangalarga Marchador, the champions of the race showed greater length of neck, dorse, rump and body, height at withers and at rump, width of rump, cannon perimeter and shorter length of the shoulder. It was concluded that although larger, the champions horses Mangalarga Marchador are proportionally similar to current herd. Mangalarga Marchador horses have not yet reached the height considered ideal by breed standard and their proportions are different from those recommended by Eclectic System of Proportions for
OPTIMIZING MAINTENANCE PROCESSES ON CUSTOMER SITE IN A DECENTRALIZED ORGANIZATION BASED ON MULTI-SITE TEAMS

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Jorge Moutinho

2015-03-01

Full Text Available This lecture focuses on the complexity to manage and optimize maintenance processes, operations and service tasks to equipments and systems installed at customer sites. Different locations, access and working environment may compromise any standardization of setup's and operations. Multi-site teams based on geographic strategic locations, adds complexity to trainning, communication, supervising and monitoring processes. Logistics and information systems assume relevant rolls to consolidate global performance. Beside efficiency, effectiveness productivity and flexibility, field teams need skills on autonomy responsibility and proactivity. This lecture also explores the needed adaptation of most part of available literature, normally based on production sites, as also of Lean- Kaizen principles to the fact that services can not be stocked, quality is normally more difficult to measure and customer is normally present when and where service is produced.
Micro-computed tomography (μCT) as a novel method in ecotoxicology - determination of morphometric and somatic data in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Brinkmann, M.; Rizzo, L.Y.; Lammers, Twan Gerardus Gertudis Maria; Gremse, F.; Schiwy, S.; Kiessling, F.; Hollert, H.

2016-01-01

Fish are important sentinel organisms for the assessment of water quality and play a central role in ecotoxicological research. Of particular importance to the assessment of health and fitness of fish stocks in response to environmental conditions or pollution are morphometric (e.g. Fulton's
Morphological and morphometric evaluation of prepubertal gilt ovaries, uterine tubes and uterus at different oestrus cycle stages

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Guilherme Oberlender

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Studies are performed in developing techniques/procedures that provide greater reproductive performance in farm animals, including pigs. In this sense, the study of gilts reproductive organs at different oestrus cycle stages for assessing the presence of abnormalities and/or other parameters that may affect the future animal fertility is important. In order to evaluate the morphological, morphometric and histomorphometric features of ovaries, uterus and uterine tubes (UTs characteristics of prepubertal gilts at different oestrus cycle stages, reproductive tracts from 48 animals immediately after slaughter were obtained. After, the structures were dissected and removed, and the ovaries were used for classification of oestrus cycle stage of each gilt in follicular phase (FP and luteal phase (FL. Then, morphometric evaluations of ovaries, UTs, uterine horns and uterine body were performed. Besides that, medial segments of UTs and uterus were fixed in Bouin solution, processed and included in paraffin, when histological sections of 5.0 micrometers (µm were obtained and stained with Hematoxylin and Eosin. Histomorphometric analyzes using image capture system and specific software were performed. Afterwards, data were submitted to Student's t test for assessment the statistical differences (P0.05 between morphometric parameters of ovaries, UTs and uterus of gilts in FP and LP. Likewise, in respect to the placement of reproductive structures, both in the oestrus cycle stages, as in the general average, there was no difference (P>0.05. Regarding the histomorphometric variables, gilts classified in FP presented a higher (P<0.05 height of glandular and UT epithelium compared to animals in LP. On the other hand, the diameter of endometrial glands was higher (P<0.05 in gilts at LP compared to FP. Furthermore, gilts in LP presented a higher (P<0.05 proportion of endometrium occupied by glands, whereas animals in FP had a higher (P<0.05 proportion of
76 FR 33734 - Applications for New Awards; Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems (SCIMS) Centers and SCIMS Multi...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-06-09

...-funded research and development activities in refereed journals. The percentage of new NIDRR grants that...) Centers and SCIMS Multi-Site Collaborative Research Projects AGENCY: Office of Special Education and... Register. Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to institutions of higher education only. II. Award...
Morphometric and hydro graphic analysis in the hydro graphic basin of the Salsa river in Paraiba South coast of Brasil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barbosa, M.; Nascimento, J.; Furrier, M.

2010-01-01

This paper aims to extend the knowledge on the geomorphology of the river basin Salsa, located in the town of Con de, Paraiba / Brasil. The purpose of the research was to develop thematic maps and get related morphometric data to evaluate possible influences on tectonics. Were used Map data and satellite photos which allowed morphological and clinograficos analyze
Validity Evidence and Scoring Guidelines for Standardized Patient Encounters and Patient Notes From a Multisite Study of Clinical Performance Examinations in Seven Medical Schools.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Yoon Soo; Hyderi, Abbas; Heine, Nancy; May, Win; Nevins, Andrew; Lee, Ming; Bordage, Georges; Yudkowsky, Rachel

2017-11-01

To examine validity evidence of local graduation competency examination scores from seven medical schools using shared cases and to provide rater training protocols and guidelines for scoring patient notes (PNs). Between May and August 2016, clinical cases were developed, shared, and administered across seven medical schools (990 students participated). Raters were calibrated using training protocols, and guidelines were developed collaboratively across sites to standardize scoring. Data included scores from standardized patient encounters for history taking, physical examination, and PNs. Descriptive statistics were used to examine scores from the different assessment components. Generalizability studies (G-studies) using variance components were conducted to estimate reliability for composite scores. Validity evidence was collected for response process (rater perception), internal structure (variance components, reliability), relations to other variables (interassessment correlations), and consequences (composite score). Student performance varied by case and task. In the PNs, justification of differential diagnosis was the most discriminating task. G-studies showed that schools accounted for less than 1% of total variance; however, for the PNs, there were differences in scores for varying cases and tasks across schools, indicating a school effect. Composite score reliability was maximized when the PN was weighted between 30% and 40%. Raters preferred using case-specific scoring guidelines with clear point-scoring systems. This multisite study presents validity evidence for PN scores based on scoring rubric and case-specific scoring guidelines that offer rigor and feedback for learners. Variability in PN scores across participating sites may signal different approaches to teaching clinical reasoning among medical schools.
Detection of morphometric differentiation in Sattar snowtrout, Schizothorax curvifrons (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae) from Kashmir Himalaya using a truss network system.

Science.gov (United States)

Mir, Farooq Ahmad; Mir, Javaid Iqbal; Chandra, Suresh

2014-03-01

Schizothorax curvifrons is a morphometrically and meristically most variable and economically valuable promising fish food from Kashmir Valley. Since there is a lack of information on stock structure of wild populations on this species, this study was aimed to investigate the intraspecific variation of this important snowtrout. For this, two rivers and one lake in Kashmir Himalaya were sampled from January 2011 to October 2012. Fish body measurements were taken and morphometric characters using the truss network system was constructed. Altogether, 506 fish specimens were collected. Data were subjected to principal component analysis, discriminant function analysis and univariate analysis of variance. The first principal component explained 63.44% of total variation, while second and third components explained 8.34% and 5.31%, respectively. The step-wise discriminant function analysis retained two variables that significantly discriminated the populations. Using these variables 83.4% of the original specimens were classified into their correct groups and 81.1% of the cross-validated (leave one out procedure) specimens were classified into their correct groups. All of the total 31 transformed truss measurements exhibited highly significant (pHimalaya area.
DNA-based and geometric morphometric analysis to validate species designation: a case study of the subterranean rodent Ctenomys bicolor.

Science.gov (United States)

Stolz, J F B; Gonçalves, G L; Leipnitz, L; Freitas, T R O

2013-10-25

The genus Ctenomys (Rodentia: Ctenomyidae) shows several taxonomic inconsistencies. In this study, we used an integrative approach including DNA sequences, karyotypes, and geometric morphometrics to evaluate the taxonomic validity of a nominal species, Ctenomys bicolor, which was described based on only one specimen in 1912 by Miranda Ribeiro, and since then neglected. We sampled near the type locality assigned to this species and collected 10 specimens. A total of 820 base pairs of the cytochrome b gene were sequenced and analyzed together with nine other species and four morphotypes obtained from GenBank. Bayesian analyses showed that C. bicolor is monophyletic and related to the Bolivian-Matogrossense group, a clade that originated about 3 mya. We compared the cranial shape through morphometric geometrics of C. bicolor, including the specimen originally sampled in 1912, with other species representative of the same phylogenetic group (C. boliviensis and C. steinbachi). C. bicolor shows unique skull traits that distinguish it from all other currently known taxa. Our findings confirm that the specimen collected by Miranda Ribeiro is a valid species, and improve the knowledge about Ctenomys in the Amazon region.
Validation of morphometric analyses of small-intestinal biopsy readouts in celiac disease.

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Juha Taavela

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Assessment of the gluten-induced small-intestinal mucosal injury remains the cornerstone of celiac disease diagnosis. Usually the injury is evaluated using grouped classifications (e.g. Marsh groups, but this is often too imprecise and ignores minor but significant changes in the mucosa. Consequently, there is a need for validated continuous variables in everyday practice and in academic and pharmacological research. METHODS: We studied the performance of our standard operating procedure (SOP on 93 selected biopsy specimens from adult celiac disease patients and non-celiac disease controls. The specimens, which comprised different grades of gluten-induced mucosal injury, were evaluated by morphometric measurements. Specimens with tangential cutting resulting from poorly oriented biopsies were included. Two accredited evaluators performed the measurements in blinded fashion. The intraobserver and interobserver variations for villus height and crypt depth ratio (VH:CrD and densities of intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs were analyzed by the Bland-Altman method and intraclass correlation. RESULTS: Unevaluable biopsies according to our SOP were correctly identified. The intraobserver analysis of VH:CrD showed a mean difference of 0.087 with limits of agreement from -0.398 to 0.224; the standard deviation (SD was 0.159. The mean difference in interobserver analysis was 0.070, limits of agreement -0.516 to 0.375, and SD 0.227. The intraclass correlation coefficient in intraobserver variation was 0.983 and that in interobserver variation 0.978. CD3(+ IEL density countings in the paraffin-embedded and frozen biopsies showed SDs of 17.1% and 16.5%; the intraclass correlation coefficients were 0.961 and 0.956, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Using our SOP, quantitative, reliable and reproducible morphometric results can be obtained on duodenal biopsy specimens with different grades of gluten-induced injury. Clinically significant changes were
Collaborative Consumption

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gjerdrum Pedersen, Esben Rahbek; Netter, Sarah

2015-01-01

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore barriers and opportunities for business models based on the ideas of collaborative consumption within the fashion industry. Design/methodology/approach – The analysis is based on a multiple-case study of Scandinavian fashion libraries – a new...... to the new phenomenon of fashion libraries and does not cover other types of collaborative consumption within the fashion industry (Swap-parties, etc.). Originality/value – The paper is one of the first attempts to examine new business models of collaborative consumption in general and the fashion library...... concept in particular. The study contributes to the discussions of whether and how fashion sharing and collaboration holds promise as a viable business model and as a means to promote sustainability....
Managing collaborative design

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sebastian, R.

2007-01-01

Collaborative design has been emerging in building projects everywhere. The more complex a building project becomes, the closer and more intensive collaboration between the design actors is required. This research focuses on collaborative design in the conceptual architecture design phase,
Morphological changes of carotid bodies in acute respiratory distress syndrome: a morphometric study in humans

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Vinhaes E.N.G.

2002-01-01

Full Text Available Carotid bodies are chemoreceptors sensitive to a fall of partial oxygen pressure in blood (hypoxia. The morphological alterations of these organs in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD and in people living at high altitude are well known. However, it is not known whether the histological profile of human carotid bodies is changed in acute clinical conditions such as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS. The objective of the present study was to perform a quantitative analysis of the histology of carotid bodies collected from patients who died of ARDS. A morphometric study of carotid bodies collected during routine autopsies was carried out on three groups: patients that died of non-respiratory diseases (controls, N = 8, patients that presented COPD and died of its complications or associated diseases (N = 7, and patients that died of ARDS (N = 7. Morphometric measurements of the volume fraction of clusters of chief cells were performed in five fields on each slide at 40X magnification. The numerical proportion of the four main histological cell types (light, dark, progenitor and sustentacular cells was determined analyzing 10 fields on each slide at 400X magnification. The proportion of dark cells was 0.22 in ARDS patients, 0.12 in controls (P<0.001, and 0.08 in the COPD group. The proportion of light cells was 0.33 (ARDS, 0.44 (controls (P<0.001, and 0.36 (COPD. These findings suggest that chronic and acute hypoxia have different effects on the histology of glomic tissue.

Pixel-Level Deep Segmentation: Artificial Intelligence Quantifies Muscle on Computed Tomography for Body Morphometric Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Hyunkwang; Troschel, Fabian M; Tajmir, Shahein; Fuchs, Georg; Mario, Julia; Fintelmann, Florian J; Do, Synho

2017-08-01

Pretreatment risk stratification is key for personalized medicine. While many physicians rely on an "eyeball test" to assess whether patients will tolerate major surgery or chemotherapy, "eyeballing" is inherently subjective and difficult to quantify. The concept of morphometric age derived from cross-sectional imaging has been found to correlate well with outcomes such as length of stay, morbidity, and mortality. However, the determination of the morphometric age is time intensive and requires highly trained experts. In this study, we propose a fully automated deep learning system for the segmentation of skeletal muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) on an axial computed tomography image taken at the third lumbar vertebra. We utilized a fully automated deep segmentation model derived from an extended implementation of a fully convolutional network with weight initialization of an ImageNet pre-trained model, followed by post processing to eliminate intramuscular fat for a more accurate analysis. This experiment was conducted by varying window level (WL), window width (WW), and bit resolutions in order to better understand the effects of the parameters on the model performance. Our best model, fine-tuned on 250 training images and ground truth labels, achieves 0.93 ± 0.02 Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) and 3.68 ± 2.29% difference between predicted and ground truth muscle CSA on 150 held-out test cases. Ultimately, the fully automated segmentation system can be embedded into the clinical environment to accelerate the quantification of muscle and expanded to volume analysis of 3D datasets.
MORPHOMETRIC PARAMETERS AND MICRORELIEF OF THE LUMBRICUS CELOMOCYTES IN THE CONDITIONS OF THE OSMOTIC PRESSURE

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Andrey Andreevich Prisnyi

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Background: Study the morphometric parameters and microrelief of the coelomocytes membrane of the Lumbricus representatives in normal and under osmotic pressure. Materials and methods: In the experiments, representatives of three species belonging to the genus Lumbricus were used. To conduct each series of experiments a coelomic liquid of 15 representatives of each species was used. From the circulation system of each individual examined, at least 250 cells were processed. The study of morphometric parameters of coelomocytes was carried out in isotonic conditions, and also with the use of osmotic tests in vitro. The features of the surface topography of coelomocytes were study using the “Integra Vita Probe Nanaboratorium” (NT-MDT, Russia. The analysis of amplitude and functional average statistical parameters of membrane roughness is carried out. The results of the research were processed using statistics methods using the Microsoft Excel 7.0 analysis package. Results: The Lumbricus representatives of revealed differences in the responses of amoebocytes and eleocytes to the effect of osmotic stress. Under the conditions of osmotic pressure, several morphologically different forms were found among the cells of each type. This indicates the potential ability of coelomocytes to spread out on the substrate for any type of osmotic pressure. The change in the topography of the cell membrane of coelomocytes under the hypoosmotic pressure is characterized by a smoothing of the microrelief structures with a decrease in the size of the microvysings and microinvaginations. Conclusion: The microrelief of the coelomocytes membrane reflects the features of their functional status changing under the influence of environmental factors.
Experimental chronic entrapment of the sciatic nerve in adult hamsters: an ultrastructural and morphometric study

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Prinz R.A.D.

2003-01-01

Full Text Available Entrapment neuropathy is a group of clinical disorders involving compression of a peripheral nerve and interference with nerve function mostly through traction injury. We have investigated the chronic compression of peripheral nerves as an experimental procedure for detecting changes in ultrastructural nerve morphology. Adult hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus, N = 30 were anesthetized with a 25% pentobarbital solution and received a cuff around the right sciatic nerve. Left sciatic nerves were not operated (control group. Animals survived for varying times (up to 15 weeks, after which they were sacrificed and both sciatic nerves were immediately fixed with a paraformaldehyde solution. Experimental nerves were divided into segments based upon their distance from the site of compression (proximal, entrapment and distal. Semithin and ultrathin sections were obtained and examined by light and electron microscopy. Ultrastructural changes were qualitatively described and data from semithin sections were morphometrically analyzed both in control and in compressed nerves. We observed endoneurial edema along with both perineurial and endoneurial thickening and also the existence of whorled cell-sparse structures (Renaut bodies in the subperineurial space of compressed sciatic nerves. Morphometric analyses of myelinated axons at the compression sites displayed a remarkable increase in the number of small axons (up to 60% in comparison with the control axonal number. The distal segment of compressed nerves presented a distinct decrease in axon number (up to 40% comparatively to the control group. The present experimental model of nerve entrapment in adult hamsters was shown to promote consistent histopathologic alterations analogous to those found in chronic compressive neuropathies.
Collaborative research: Accomplishments & potential

Science.gov (United States)

Katsouyanni, Klea

2008-01-01

Although a substantial part of scientific research is collaborative and increasing globalization will probably lead to its increase, very few studies actually investigate the advantages, disadvantages, experiences and lessons learned from collaboration. In environmental epidemiology interdisciplinary collaboration is essential and the contrasting geographical patterns in exposure and disease make multi-location projects essential. This paper is based on a presentation given at the Annual Conference of the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology, Paris 2006, and is attempting to initiate a discussion on a framework for studying collaborative research. A review of the relevant literature showed that indeed collaborative research is rising, in some countries with impressive rates. However, there are substantial differences between countries in their outlook, need and respect for collaboration. In many situations collaborative publications receive more citations than those based on national authorship. The European Union is the most important host of collaborative research, mainly driven by the European Commission through the Framework Programmes. A critical assessment of the tools and trends of collaborative networks under FP6, showed that there was a need for a critical revision, which led to changes in FP7. In conclusion, it is useful to study the characteristics of collaborative research and set targets for the future. The added value for science and for the researchers involved may be assessed. The motivation for collaboration could be increased in the more developed countries. Particular ways to increase the efficiency and interaction in interdisciplinary and intercultural collaboration may be developed. We can work towards "the principles of collaborative research" in Environmental Epidemiology. PMID:18208596
A multilevel-ROI-features-based machine learning method for detection of morphometric biomarkers in Parkinson's disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Peng, Bo; Wang, Suhong; Zhou, Zhiyong; Liu, Yan; Tong, Baotong; Zhang, Tao; Dai, Yakang

2017-06-09

Machine learning methods have been widely used in recent years for detection of neuroimaging biomarkers in regions of interest (ROIs) and assisting diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases. The innovation of this study is to use multilevel-ROI-features-based machine learning method to detect sensitive morphometric biomarkers in Parkinson's disease (PD). Specifically, the low-level ROI features (gray matter volume, cortical thickness, etc.) and high-level correlative features (connectivity between ROIs) are integrated to construct the multilevel ROI features. Filter- and wrapper- based feature selection method and multi-kernel support vector machine (SVM) are used in the classification algorithm. T1-weighted brain magnetic resonance (MR) images of 69 PD patients and 103 normal controls from the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) dataset are included in the study. The machine learning method performs well in classification between PD patients and normal controls with an accuracy of 85.78%, a specificity of 87.79%, and a sensitivity of 87.64%. The most sensitive biomarkers between PD patients and normal controls are mainly distributed in frontal lobe, parental lobe, limbic lobe, temporal lobe, and central region. The classification performance of our method with multilevel ROI features is significantly improved comparing with other classification methods using single-level features. The proposed method shows promising identification ability for detecting morphometric biomarkers in PD, thus confirming the potentiality of our method in assisting diagnosis of the disease. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Effect of Urtica dioica on morphometric indices of kidney in streptozotocin diabetic rats--a stereological study.

Science.gov (United States)

Golalipour, Mohammad Jafar; Gharravi, Anneh Mohammad; Ghafari, Sorya; Afshar, Mohammad

2007-11-01

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of Urtica dioica on Morphometric indices of kidney in diabetic rats. Thirty male adult albino wistar rats of 125-175 g divided into control, diabetic and Urtica dioica treatment groups. In treatment Group, diabetic rats received 100 mg kg(-1) daily hydroalcoholic extract of U. dioica intraperitoneally for 4 weeks. After the animals had been sacrified, the kidneys were removed and fixed by formaldehyde, cut horizontally into 1 mm slices and processed, Stained with H and E. Stereological study performed using light microscope and the image projected on a table of olysa software. Cavalieri principle was used to estimate the volume of cortex, medulla and whole kidney. All the grouped data statistically evaluated using Student's t-test, expressed as the Mean +/- SE. Ration of kidney weight/body weight in diabetes (0.51) and diabetes-extract group (0.67) were higher then control group (0.42). Ratio of kidney volume/body weight in diabetes (350) and diabetes-extract group (348) were higher then control group (323). Volume Ratio of cortex/medulla in diabetes-extract group (1.65) was higher then control (1.34) and diabetes group (1.33). Glomerular area and diameter and proximal tubule diameter in diabetes-Extract group was higher than control and diabetes groups. This study revealed that Urtica dioica has no effect on renal morphometric indices in induced diabetic rats.
Use of morphometric soil aggregates parameters to evaluate the reclamation process in mined areas located at amazon forest - Brazil

Science.gov (United States)

Ribeiro, A. I.; Fengler, F. H.; Longo, R. M.; Mello, G. F.; Damame, D. B.; Crowley, D. E.

2015-12-01

Brazil has a high mineral potential that have been explored over the years. A large fraction of these mineral resources are located in Amazon region, which is known for its large biodiversity and world climate importance. As the policies that control the Amazon preservation are relatively new, several mining activities have been exploring the Amazon territory, promoting a large process of degradation. Once the mining activities have a high potential of environmental changes the government created polices to restrain the mining in Amazon forests and obligate mining companies to reclaim theirs minded areas. However, the measurement of reclamation development still is a challenging task for the Professionals involved. The volume and complexity of the variables, allied to the difficulty in identifying the reclamation of ecosystem functionalities are still lack to ensure the reclamation success. In this sense this work aims to investigate the representativeness of morphometric soil aggregates parameters in the understanding of reclamation development. The study area is located in the National Forest of Jamari, State of Rondônia. In the past mining companies explored the region producing eight closed mines that are now in reclamation process. The soil aggregates morphometric measurements: geometric mean diameter (GMD), aggregate circularity index, and aggregate roundness, were choose based in its obtaining facility, and their association to biological activity. To achieve the proposed objective the aggregates of eight sites in reclamation, from different closed mines, where chosen and compared to Amazon forest and open mine soil aggregates. The results were analyzed to one way ANOVA to identifying differences between areas in reclamation, natural ecosystem, and open mine. It was obtained differences for GMD and circularity index. However, only the circularity index allowed to identifying differences between the reclamation sites. The results allowed concluding: (1
Electronic Collaboration Logbook

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gysin, Suzanne; Mandrichenko, Igor; Podstavkov, Vladimir; Vittone, Margherita

2012-01-01

In HEP, scientific research is performed by large collaborations of organizations and individuals. The logbook of a scientific collaboration is an important part of the collaboration record. Often it contains experimental data. At Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), we developed an Electronic Collaboration Logbook (ECL) application, which is used by about 20 different collaborations, experiments and groups at FNAL. The ECL is the latest iteration of the project formerly known as the Control Room Logbook (CRL). We have been working on mobile (IOS and Android) clients for the ECL. We will present the history, current status and future plans of the project, as well as design, implementation and support solutions made by the project.
Elastogram quality assessment score in vibration-controlled transient elastography: Diagnostic performance compared to digital morphometric analysis of liver biopsy in chronic hepatitis C.

Science.gov (United States)

Mendes, L C; Ferreira, P A; Miotto, N; Zanaga, L; Gonçales, E S L; Pedro, M N; Lazarini, M S; Júnior, F L G; Stucchi, R S B; Vigani, A G

2018-04-01

Vibration-controlled transient elastography (VCTE) is widely used for noninvasive fibrosis staging in chronic hepatitis C. However, internal validation is based solely on variability and success rate and lacks reproducible quality indicators. We analysed the graphic representation of shear wave propagation in comparison with morphometric results of liver biopsy, eliminating observer variability bias. Individual elastograms were classified according to two morphologic criteria: extension of wave propagation (length of the graphic representation) and shear wave dispersal (level of parallelism displayed in the elastogram). Then, a score based on these criteria stratified the elastogram in classes I through III (highest to lowest technical quality). Liver stiffness results of each measurement were compared with collagen contents in liver biopsy by morphometric analysis. A total of 3243 elastograms were studied (316 patients). Digital morphometry in liver biopsy showed significant fibrosis in 66% of samples and advanced fibrosis in 31%. Elastogram quality analysis resulted in 1438 class I measurements (44%), 1070 class II (34%) and 735 class III. Area under the receiver operating curve (AUROC) for severe fibrosis according to class (I, II and III) was 0.941, 0.887 and 0.766, respectively. For advanced fibrosis, AUROCs were 0.977, 0.883 and 0.781, respectively. Spearman's correlation testing for all classes and levels of fibrosis demonstrated significant independent association (r 2 = -.95, P digital morphometric imaging analysis. We concluded that VCTE performance is significantly influenced by quality assessment of individual measurements. Considering these criteria in clinical practice may improve accuracy. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
MORPHOMETRIC ANALYSES OF THE PARACENTRAL LOBE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Moacyr Oliveira Neto

2014-03-01

Full Text Available ntroduction:There are no studies that evaluate measurements of the distances between the grooves that delimit the Paracentral Lobule (PCL in the literature. This study seeks to contribute to the knowledge regarding the anatomy of the PCL, conducting an analysis of morphometric measurements in this region and its correlation with the paracentral sulcus, marginal branch of the cingulate and central sulcus. Methods:42 hemispheres were evaluated, 20 were right and 22 left. Using digital caliper Dc - 6 Western ®, measurements of the size of PCL in the sagittal axis and coronal axis were made, in addition to measures of the Central Sulcus to the Paracentral Sulcus (motor area and Central Sulcus to Marginal Branch of the Cingulate Sulcus (somesthetic area, comparing the prevalence of each of these lengths between hemispheres. Results:The average length between the Paracentral Sulcus and the Central Sulcus was 24.49 cm(14.2 to 38.6 cm in the right hemisphere and 25.50 cm(11.7 to 37.0 cm in the left. As between the Central Sulcus and the Marginal Branch of the Cingulate Sulcus was in average 10.03 cm(2.6 to 22.7 cm in the right and in the left PCL 9.17cm(2.6 to 22.7 cm. In the right hemisphere, 19 samples(86,4% presented greater motor area than somesthetic and, in the left hemisphere, 19 samples(95% had greater motor area. Conclusion:The motor area showed prevalence in relation to the sensory area in the analysis of the two hemispheres, while the comparison of other measures between the two hemispheres showed no significance.
The influence of learning methods on collaboration: prior repeated retrieval enhances retrieval organization, abolishes collaborative inhibition, and promotes post-collaborative memory.

Science.gov (United States)

Congleton, Adam R; Rajaram, Suparna

2011-11-01

Research on collaborative memory has unveiled the counterintuitive yet robust phenomenon that collaboration impairs group recall. A candidate explanation for this collaborative inhibition effect is the disruption of people's idiosyncratic retrieval strategies during collaboration, and it is hypothesized that employing methods that improve one's organization protects against retrieval disruption. Here it is investigated how one's learning method during the study phase--defined as either repeatedly studying or repeatedly retrieving information--influences retrieval organization and what effects this has on collaborative recall and post-collaborative individual recall. Results show that repeated retrieval consistently eliminated collaborative inhibition. This enabled participants to gain the most from re-exposure to materials recalled by their partners that they themselves did not recall and led to improvements in their individual memory following collaboration. This repeated retrieval advantage stemmed from the preferential manner in which this learning method strengthened retrieval organization. Findings are also discussed that reveal a relationship between retrieval organization and the interaction observed between learning method and short versus long delay seen in the testing effect literature. Finally, results show that the elusive benefits of cross-cuing during collaboration may be best detected with a longer study-test delay. Together, these findings illuminate when and how collaboration can enhance memory.
Learning to Collaborate by Collaborating: A Face-to-Face Collaborative Activity for Measuring and Learning Basics about Teamwork

Science.gov (United States)

Cortez, C.; Nussbaum, M.; Woywood, G.; Aravena, R.

2009-01-01

In today's fast-changing business environment, teams have emerged as a requirement for business success. However, in schools and universities, students are usually not taught teamwork skills. In this paper, we introduce learning to collaborate by collaborating, a process that enables collaboration and teamwork skills to be taught and measured…
Morphometric Changes of the Socket after Site Preservation Using Nanobone and Collagen Membrane or Stypro Versus Extraction Alone

OpenAIRE

Salahi S; Etemadifar R; Moosaali F

2015-01-01

Statement of Problem: The long-term success of a dental implant relies on implant osseointegration into native and viable bone, implant placement in an ideal position, and optimal hard and soft tissue contour. This requires the presence of sufficient alveolar bone volume, good alveolar ridge (Practically with no sign of atrophy) and good surgical technique. Objectives: The aim of this randomized controlled clinical study was to evaluate morphometric changes after different a...
Collaborative Consumption

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gjerdrum Pedersen, Esben Rahbek; Netter, Sarah

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore barriers and opportunities for business models based on the ideas of collaborative consumption within the fashion industry. Design/methodology/approach: The analysis is based on a multiple-‐‑case study of Scandinavian fashion libraries – a new...... to the new phenomenon of fashion libraries and does not cover other types of collaborative consumption within the fashion industry (Swap-‐‑parties, etc.). Originality/value: The paper is one of the first attempts to examine new business models of collaborative consumption in general and the fashion library...... concept in particular. The study contributes to the discussions of whether and how fashion sharing and collaboration holds promise as a viable business model and as a means to promote sustainability....
Persuading Collaboration: Analysing Persuasion in Online Collaboration Projects

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

McHugh, Ronan; Larsen, Birger

2010-01-01

In this paper we propose that online collaborative production sites can be fruitfully analysed in terms of the general theoretical framework of Persuasive Design. OpenStreetMap and The Pirate Bay are used as examples of collaborative production sites. Results of a quantitative analysis of persuas...
Nurse-patient collaboration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Dorthe; Frederiksen, Kirsten; Groefte, Thorbjoern

2013-01-01

Objectives: This paper provides a theoretical account of nurses’ collaboration with patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease during non-invasive ventilation treatment in hospital. Background: Despite strong evidence for the effect of non-invasive ventilation treatment, success remains...... a huge challenge. Nurse-patient collaboration may be vital for treatment tolerance and success. A better understanding of how nurses and patients collaborate during non-invasive ventilation may therefore contribute to improvement in treatment success. Design: A constant comparative classical grounded...... at three intensive care units and one general respiratory ward in Denmark. Results: Succeeding emerged as the nurses’ main concern in the nurse-patient collaboration during non-invasive ventilation treatment. Four collaborative typologies emerged as processing their main concern: (1) twofold oriented...
Comparison of morphological variations among three species of the genus Paracobitis in Iran using geometric morphometrics method with a taxonomical review on the genus in Iran

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Omid Jafari

2015-04-01

Full Text Available This study was conducted to apply the landmark-based geometric morphometrics technique to differentiate three species of the genus Paracobitis (P. iranica, P. malapterura and P. rhadinaeus in Iran based on their body shape, because previous works, using traditional morphometrics, could not distinct them. A total of 150 specimens were sampled from the Zaringol, Madarsoo, Ghomrood, Kordan Rivers and Chahnimeh reservoir. The left side of the specimens was photographed using a digital camera and then fifteen landmark-points were digitized on two-dimensional images using TpsDig2. Landmark data were analyzed after a generalised procrustes analysis using PCA, CVA and cluster analysis. The patterns of body shape differences among the populations were illustrated in the deformation grids in relation to consensus configuration. The results showed a significant differences among the studied species and their populations in terms of morphological traits (P<0.0001. Some differences were found in the length and depth of head, depth of body, caudal peduncle length and position of eye and position of dorsal fin. The result also showed that P. iranica from Kordan River can be considered to be a distinct taxon compared to the Ghomrood taxon based on its morphological characteristics. In addition, our findings revealed that the geometric morphometrics approach can be a proper tool for morphological and taxonomic studies in species with small sizes including Nemachelinae.
Global Collaborative STEM Education

Science.gov (United States)

Meabh Kelly, Susan; Smith, Walter

2016-04-01

Global Collaborative STEM Education, as the name suggests, simultaneously supports two sets of knowledge and skills. The first set is STEM -- science, technology, engineering and math. The other set of content knowledge and skills is that of global collaboration. Successful global partnerships require awareness of one's own culture, the biases embedded within that culture, as well as developing awareness of the collaborators' culture. Workforce skills fostered include open-mindedness, perseverance when faced with obstacles, and resourceful use of technological "bridges" to facilitate and sustain communication. In respect for the 2016 GIFT Workshop focus, Global Collaborative STEM Education projects dedicated to astronomy research will be presented. The projects represent different benchmarks within the Global Collaborative STEM Education continuum, culminating in an astronomy research experience that fully reflects how the global STEM workforce collaborates. To facilitate wider engagement in Global Collaborative STEM Education, project summaries, classroom resources and contact information for established international collaborative astronomy research projects will be disseminated.
Collaborative Service Arrangements

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

J. May, Peter; Winter, Søren

While much of prior research on collaboration addresses the service delivery network as a whole, we address collaborative relationships between one type of organization—municipal employment services—and a range of governmental and non-governmental partners for employment services in Denmark....... Municipalities differ in the type, degree, and character of collaboration with these partners. As others have found in prior research, we find that organizational benefits, trust, and a variety of contextual factors help shape the extent of collaboration. But, the relevance of these and problem-solving benefits...
Collaborative quality improvement.

Science.gov (United States)

Luckenbaugh, Amy N; Miller, David C; Ghani, Khurshid R

2017-07-01

Quality improvement collaboratives were developed in many medical and surgical disciplines with the goal of measuring and improving the quality of care provided to patients. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of surgical quality improvement collaboratives, and in particular those aimed at improving urological care. Quality improvement collaboratives collect high-quality data using standardized methodologies, and use the data to provide feedback to physicians and practices, and then implement processes to improve patient outcomes. The largest regional collaborative in urology is the Michigan Urological Surgery Improvement Collaborative (MUSIC). Recent efforts by this group have been focused at understanding variation in care, improving patient selection for treatment, reducing treatment morbidity and measuring and optimizing technical skill. The American Urological Association has also recently launched a national quality registry (AQUA), with an initial focus on prostate cancer care. By understanding factors that result in exemplary performance, quality improvement collaboratives are able to develop best practices around areas of care with high variation that have the potential to improve outcomes and reduce costs. These developments have been made possible by the unique model offered by the collaborative structure with the goal of improving patient care at a population level.

Design and Baseline Findings of a Multi-site Non-randomized Evaluation of the Effect of a Health Programme on Microfinance Clients in India

OpenAIRE

Saha, Somen

2013-01-01

Microfinance is the provision of financial services for the poor. Health program through microfinance has the potential to address several access barriers to health. We report the design and baseline findings of a multi-site non-randomized evaluation of the effect of a health program on the members of two microfinance organizations from Karnataka and Gujarat states of India. Villages identified for roll-out of health services with microfinance were pair-matched with microfinance only villages...
Working Collaboratively

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Holder, Anna; Lovett, George

2009-01-01

identified as a transformative global force of the last decade, most notably in knowledge and information publishing, communication and creation. This paper presents a structured conversation on changing understandings of collaboration, and the realities of collaborative methodology in architectural work...
Collaborative Policy Innovation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Eva; Boch Waldorff, Susanne

2014-01-01

Governments all over the Western world currently face wicked problems that call for policy innovation. A new strand of research in public innovation points to collaboration between public authorities and relevant and affected stakeholders as an important driver of public innovation. A case study...... of collaborative policy innovation in the area of mental health care in Denmark indicates that collaboration can contribute to qualify the politicians’ understanding of wicked policy problems, and to fostering new creative policy solutions. The study also shows, however, that the new problem understandings...... and policy ideas produced in collaborative governance arenas are not diffused to the formal political institutions of representative democracy because the participating politicians only to a limited extent function as boundary spanners between the collaborative governance arena and the decision making arenas...
"Contra La Corriente" (Against the Current): The Role of Latino Fathers in Family-School Engagement

Science.gov (United States)

Quiñones, Sandra; Kiyama, Judy Marquez

2014-01-01

A community-based, multisite study using mixed methods examined the experiences and perspectives of Latino students and families in a low performing urban school district in New York State. This research project was spearheaded by a Latino Education Task Force which brought together multiple stakeholders in a collaborative effort to counteract…
[Morphometrical analyze of the middle cerebral artery system at the 13-15 weeks fetuses].

Science.gov (United States)

Macovei, Georgeta Nataşa; Varlam, H; St Antohe, D

2002-01-01

Tele-encephalization process is accompanied by the appearance and progressive complication of the middle cerebral artery system. The aim of our study is to analyze the morphometrical parameters of the middle cerebral artery branches in the beginning of the edification of its system. We used 162 cerebral hemispheres from 88 fetuses aged of 13-15 weeks. Middle cerebral artery system was injected with a gelatin-China ink mixture and images recorded by means of a Zeiss surgical microscope. Parameters evaluation (length, proximal and distal diameters, external surface, volume, angles of bifurcation) was realized with KS-300 program. At this early age middle cerebral artery system has only 4-5 generations of branches usually resulting from acute angle bifurcations.
Theoretical foundations for collaboration engineering

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kolfschoten, G.L.

2007-01-01

Collaboration is often presented as the solution to numerous problems in business and society. However, collaboration is challenging, and collaboration support is not an off-the-shelf-product. This research offers theoretical foundations for Collaboration Engineering. Collaboration Engineering is an
Two and three-dimensional morphometric analysis of trabecular bone using X-ray microtomography (μCT)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silva, Alessandro Marcio Hakme da; Silva, Orivaldo Lopes da; Silva Junior, Nelson Ferreira da; Alves, Jose Marcos

2014-01-01

Introduction: trabecular bones have a porous microstructure and can be modeled as linear elastic solids, heterogeneous and anisotropic. In the literature, few investigations have compared the two- dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) morphometric analyses of cancellous bone. Methods: In this investigation eighteen cylindrical samples of cancellous bone (10 mm of diameter and 20 mm of height) were obtained from six bovine head femurs, with similar values for the weight and age, of the same race and gender. The samples were harvested and freeze at - 20 °C before carrying out the micro CT analysis. The CT-Analyzer software was used to measure in three directions (superior-inferior, lateral-medial and anterior-posterior) parameters such as trabecular thickness, trabecular separation, trabecular number and the eigenvalues of the fabric tensor (M). Results: the Comparison of 2D and 3D analyses for the parameters: 2D (plate model) trabecular thickness, trabecular separation and trabecular number were statistically different (p = 0) showing that measurements are not similar to the 3D ones. However, 2D (rod model) trabecular thickness and 3D trabecular thickness measurements presented no significant difference (p = 0.26). The eigenvalues show that the bovine trabecular microstructure has a tendency to transversally isotropic symmetry. Discussion: The method proved to be quite interesting for the characterization of the bone structure through 3D measurements of trabecular bone morphometric parameters in the three possible directions of loading. The results show that x-ray microtomography (μCT) is a technique of great potential for characterization and generating bone quality parameters for the diagnosis of bone metabolism diseases. (author)
Two and three-dimensional morphometric analysis of trabecular bone using X-ray microtomography (μCT)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Silva, Alessandro Marcio Hakme da; Silva, Orivaldo Lopes da; Silva Junior, Nelson Ferreira da, E-mail: alhakme@sc.usp.br [Universidade de Sao Paulo (EESC/FMRP/IQSC/USP), Sao Carlos, SP (Brazil); Alves, Jose Marcos [Universidade de Sao Paulo (USP), Sao Carlos, SP (Brazil). Escola de Engenharia. Departamento de Engenharia Eletrica e Computacao

2014-07-01

Introduction: trabecular bones have a porous microstructure and can be modeled as linear elastic solids, heterogeneous and anisotropic. In the literature, few investigations have compared the two- dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) morphometric analyses of cancellous bone. Methods: In this investigation eighteen cylindrical samples of cancellous bone (10 mm of diameter and 20 mm of height) were obtained from six bovine head femurs, with similar values for the weight and age, of the same race and gender. The samples were harvested and freeze at - 20 °C before carrying out the micro CT analysis. The CT-Analyzer software was used to measure in three directions (superior-inferior, lateral-medial and anterior-posterior) parameters such as trabecular thickness, trabecular separation, trabecular number and the eigenvalues of the fabric tensor (M). Results: the Comparison of 2D and 3D analyses for the parameters: 2D (plate model) trabecular thickness, trabecular separation and trabecular number were statistically different (p = 0) showing that measurements are not similar to the 3D ones. However, 2D (rod model) trabecular thickness and 3D trabecular thickness measurements presented no significant difference (p = 0.26). The eigenvalues show that the bovine trabecular microstructure has a tendency to transversally isotropic symmetry. Discussion: The method proved to be quite interesting for the characterization of the bone structure through 3D measurements of trabecular bone morphometric parameters in the three possible directions of loading. The results show that x-ray microtomography (μCT) is a technique of great potential for characterization and generating bone quality parameters for the diagnosis of bone metabolism diseases. (author)
Occipital plagiocephaly: deformation or lambdoid synostosis? I. morphometric analysis and results of unilateral lambdoid craniectomy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dias, M.S.; Klein, D.M.; Backstrom, J.W.

1997-01-01

Between 1987 and 1992, 30 infants aged 1.4-13 months (mean 7.3 months) underwent unilateral lambdoid strip craniectomy at the Children's Hospital of Buffalo for occipital plagiocephaly. Males outnumbered females (22:8) and right-sided occipital flattening was significantly more common than left-sided flattening (25:5). The deformity was noticed at an average age of 3.2 months; 16% of the infants had an asymmetry at birth. Positional preferences (a distinct tendency to lie preferentially on the back, in most cases with the head turned to the ipsilateral side) were described in 79% of infants for whom this information was available, and torticollis was present in 10%. Pre-and post-operative CT scans were analyzed using several morphometric measurements. Asymmetries were measured between the flattened and contralateral sides, both posteriorly and anteriorly, using a translucent grid placed over the CT slice showing maximum asymmetry. The average maximum asymmetry between the flattened and contralateral sides was 24% posteriorly and 16% anteriorly. Significant improvements were seen postoperatively, with both anterior and posterior asymmetries improving by an average of one third (p < 0.05). However, when compared with CT scans from a control group of infants without synostosis, the operated group showed persistent and significant asymmetries postoperatively. The morphometric measurements described allow an objective and reproducible means of assessing the results of various treatments for this disorders. The improvements following unilateral lambdoid craniectomy are difficult to interpret in isolation; we suggest that future efforts be directed toward similarly assessing the results of both nonoperative treatments such as positional changes and molding helmets, and more aggressive surgical treatments that have been advocated for this disorders. (authors)
Morphometric Analysis to Prioritize Sub-Watershed for Flood Risk Assessment in Central Karakoram National Park Using Gis/rs Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Syed, N. H.; Rehman, A. A.; Hussain, D.; Ishaq, S.; Khan, A. A.

2017-11-01

Morphometric analysis is vital for any watershed investigation and it is inevitable for flood risk assessment in sub-watershed basins. Present study undertaken to carry out critical evaluation and assessment of sub watershed morphological parameters for flood risk assessment of Central Karakorum National Park (CKNP), where Geographical information system and remote sensing (GIS & RS) approach used for quantifying the parameter and mapping of sub watershed units. ASTER DEM used as a geo-spatial data for watershed delineation and stream network. Morphometric analysis carried out using spatial analyst tool of ArcGIS 10.2. The parameters included were bifurcation ratio (Rb), Drainage Texture (Rt), Circulatory ratio (Rc), Elongated ratio (Re), Drainage density (Dd), Stream Length (Lu), Stream order (Su), Slope and Basin length (Lb) have calculated separately. The analysis revealed that the stream order varies from order 1 to 6 and the total numbers of stream segments of all orders were 52. Multi criteria analysis process used to calculate the risk factor. As an accomplished result, map of sub watershed prioritization developed using weighted standardized risk factor. These results helped to understand sensitivity of flush floods in different sub watersheds of the study area and leaded to better management of the mountainous regions in prospect of flush floods.
Morphometric and genetic analysis of Arcella intermedia and Arcella intermedia laevis (Amoebozoa, Arcellinida) illuminate phenotypic plasticity in microbial eukaryotes.

Science.gov (United States)

Porfírio-Sousa, Alfredo L; Ribeiro, Giulia M; Lahr, Daniel J G

2017-04-01

Testate amoebae are eukaryotic microorganisms characterized by the presence of an external shell (test). The shell morphology is used as a diagnostic character, but discordance between morphological and molecular data has been demonstrated in groups of arcellinids (Amoebozoa), one of the principal groups of testate amoebae. Morphology of the test is supposed to differentiate genera and species and it is applied in ecological, monitoring and paleontological studies. However, if phenotype does not reflect genotype, conclusions in these types of studies become severely impaired. The objective of this work is to evaluate the morphometrical and morphological variation of the closely related and morphologically similar taxa Arcella intermedia laevis Tsyganov and Mazei, 2006 and Arcella intermedia (Deflandre 1928) Tsyganov and Mazei, 2006 in nature and in cultured individuals and see how these are correlated with molecular data. Our results demonstrate that phenotypic plasticity in Arcella intermedia make morphological distinctions impossible in both taxa. Arcella intermedia and Arcella intermedia laevis are molecularly identical for SSU rDNA and a mitochondrial molecular marker (NAD9/7). We conclude that morphological techniques alone cannot identify phenotypic plasticity from natural populations. More work is clearly needed to better understand the morphological, morphometric and molecular variability in these organisms. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.
Collaborative Hierarchy.

Science.gov (United States)

Maris, Mariann

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee writing program is collaborative, not divisionary, as some, such as Jeanne Gunner, have suggested. Three terms are useful in understanding the relationships and ethics governing operations at Wisconsin-Milwaukee: (1) authority and collaboration; (2) hierarchical difference; (3) professional respect.…
Energy Efficiency Collaboratives

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Michael [US Department of Energy, Washington, DC (United States); Bryson, Joe [US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC (United States)

2015-09-01

Collaboratives for energy efficiency have a long and successful history and are currently used, in some form, in more than half of the states. Historically, many state utility commissions have used some form of collaborative group process to resolve complex issues that emerge during a rate proceeding. Rather than debate the issues through the formality of a commission proceeding, disagreeing parties are sent to discuss issues in a less-formal setting and bring back resolutions to the commission. Energy efficiency collaboratives take this concept and apply it specifically to energy efficiency programs—often in anticipation of future issues as opposed to reacting to a present disagreement. Energy efficiency collaboratives can operate long term and can address the full suite of issues associated with designing, implementing, and improving energy efficiency programs. Collaboratives can be useful to gather stakeholder input on changing program budgets and program changes in response to performance or market shifts, as well as to provide continuity while regulators come and go, identify additional energy efficiency opportunities and innovations, assess the role of energy efficiency in new regulatory contexts, and draw on lessons learned and best practices from a diverse group. Details about specific collaboratives in the United States are in the appendix to this guide. Collectively, they demonstrate the value of collaborative stakeholder processes in producing successful energy efficiency programs.
Trust repertoires for collaboration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fuglsang, Lars

This case study analyses the role of trust in a public private innovation network that involved a private consultancy company as a facilitator. We know that collaboration is a important for innovation, and that collaboration across organizational boundaries is not a trivial issue. But we know very...... little about how such processes develop and how trust, understood as “confident positive expectations” (Lewicki et al. 1998) to collaborative activities, arises out of collaboration. The paper contributes by showing how trust and collaboration are intertwined. The main finding is that a facilitator can...
Collaborative exams: Cheating? Or learning?

Science.gov (United States)

Jang, Hyewon; Lasry, Nathaniel; Miller, Kelly; Mazur, Eric

2017-03-01

Virtually all human activity involves collaboration, and yet, collaboration during an examination is typically considered cheating. Collaborative assessments have not been widely adopted because of the perceived lack of individual accountability and the notion that collaboration during assessments simply causes propagation of correct answers. Hence, collaboration could help weaker students without providing much benefit to stronger students. In this paper, we examine student performance in open-ended, two-stage collaborative assessments comprised of an individually accountable round followed by an automatically scored, collaborative round. We show that collaboration entails more than just propagation of correct answers. We find greater rates of correct answers after collaboration for all students, including the strongest members of a team. We also find that half of teams that begin without a correct answer to propagate still obtain the correct answer in the collaborative round. Our findings, combined with the convenience of automatic feedback and grading of open-ended questions, provide a strong argument for adopting collaborative assessments as an integral part of education.
Heritability of face shape in twins: a preliminary study using 3D stereophotogrammetry and geometric morphometrics

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Seth M. Weinberg

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Previous research suggests that aspects of facial surface morphology are heritable. Traditionally, heritability studies have used a limited set of linear distances to quantify facial morphology and often employ statistical methods poorly designed to deal with biological shape. In this preliminary report, we use a combination of 3D photogrammetry and landmark-based morphometrics to explore which aspects of face shape show the strongest evidence of heritability in a sample of twins. Methods: 3D surface images were obtained from 21 twin pairs (10 monozygotic, 11 same-sex dizygotic. Thirteen 3D landmarks were collected from each facial surface and their coordinates subjected to geometric morphometric analysis. This involved superimposing the individual landmark configurations and then subjecting the resulting shape coordinates to a principal components analysis. The resulting PC scores were then used to calculate rough narrow-sense heritability estimates. Results: Three principal components displayed evidence of moderate to high heritability and were associated with variation in the breadth of orbital and nasal structures, upper lip height and projection, and the vertical and forward projection of the root of the nose due to variation in the position of nasion. Conclusions: Aspects of facial shape, primarily related to variation in length and breadth of central midfacial structures, were shown to demonstrate evidence of strong heritability. An improved understanding of which facial features are under strong genetic control is an important step in the identification of specific genes that underlie normal facial variation.
BMI and WHR Are Reflected in Female Facial Shape and Texture: A Geometric Morphometric Image Analysis.

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Christine Mayer

Full Text Available Facial markers of body composition are frequently studied in evolutionary psychology and are important in computational and forensic face recognition. We assessed the association of body mass index (BMI and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR with facial shape and texture (color pattern in a sample of young Middle European women by a combination of geometric morphometrics and image analysis. Faces of women with high BMI had a wider and rounder facial outline relative to the size of the eyes and lips, and relatively lower eyebrows. Furthermore, women with high BMI had a brighter and more reddish skin color than women with lower BMI. The same facial features were associated with WHR, even though BMI and WHR were only moderately correlated. Yet BMI was better predictable than WHR from facial attributes. After leave-one-out cross-validation, we were able to predict 25% of variation in BMI and 10% of variation in WHR by facial shape. Facial texture predicted only about 3-10% of variation in BMI and WHR. This indicates that facial shape primarily reflects total fat proportion, rather than the distribution of fat within the body. The association of reddish facial texture in high-BMI women may be mediated by increased blood pressure and superficial blood flow as well as diet. Our study elucidates how geometric morphometric image analysis serves to quantify the effect of biological factors such as BMI and WHR to facial shape and color, which in turn contributes to social perception.
Clinical, morphologic, and morphometric features of cranial thoracic spinal stenosis in large and giant breed dogs.

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Johnson, Philippa; De Risio, Luisa; Sparkes, Andrew; McConnell, Fraser; Holloway, Andrew

2012-01-01

The clinical, morphologic, and morphometric features of cranial thoracic spinal stenosis were investigated in large and giant breed dogs. Seventy-nine magnetic resonance imaging studies of the cranial thoracic spine were assessed. Twenty-six were retrieved retrospectively and 53 were acquired prospectively using the same inclusion criteria. Images were evaluated using a modified compression scale as: no osseous stenosis (grade 0), osseous stenosis without spinal cord compression (grade 1), and osseous stenosis with spinal cord compression (grade 2). Morphometric analysis was performed and compared to the subjective grading system. Grades 1 and 2 cranial thoracic spinal stenosis were identified on 24 imaging studies in 23 dogs. Sixteen of 23 dogs had a conformation typified by Molosser breeds and 21/23 were male. The most common sites of stenosis were T2-3 and T3-4. The articular process joints were enlarged with abnormal oblique orientation. Stenosis was dorsolateral, lateralized, or dorsoventral. Concurrent osseous cervical spondylomyelopathy was recognized in six dogs and other neurologic disease in five dogs. Cranial thoracic spinal stenosis was the only finding in 12 dogs. In 9 of these 12 dogs (all grade 2) neurolocalization was to the T3-L3 spinal segment. The median age of these dogs was 9.5 months. In the remaining three dogs neurologic signs were not present. Stenosis ratios were of limited benefit in detecting stenotic sites. Grade 2 cranial thoracic spinal stenosis causing direct spinal cord compression may lead to neurologic signs, however milder stenosis (grade 1) is likely to be subclinical or incidental. © 2012 Veterinary Radiology & Ultrasound.
Semi-automated landmark-based 3D analysis reveals new morphometric characteristics in the trochlear dysplastic femur.

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Van Haver, Annemieke; De Roo, Karel; De Beule, Matthieu; Van Cauter, Sofie; Audenaert, Emmanuel; Claessens, Tom; Verdonk, Peter

2014-11-01

The authors hypothesise that the trochlear dysplastic distal femur is not only characterised by morphological changes to the trochlea. The purpose of this study is to describe the morphological characteristics of the trochlear dysplastic femur in and outside the trochlear region with a landmark-based 3D analysis. Arthro-CT scans of 20 trochlear dysplastic and 20 normal knees were used to generate 3D models including the cartilage. To rule out size differences, a set of landmarks were defined on the distal femur to isotropically scale the 3D models to a standard size. A predefined series of landmark-based reference planes were applied on the distal femur. With these landmarks and reference planes, a series of previously described characteristics associated with trochlear dysplasia as well as a series of morphometric characteristics were measured. For the previously described characteristics, the analysis replicated highly significant differences between trochlear dysplastic and normal knees. Furthermore, the analysis showed that, when knee size is taken into account, the cut-off values of the trochlear bump and depth would be 1 mm larger in the largest knees compared to the smallest knees. For the morphometric characteristics, the analysis revealed that the trochlear dysplastic femur is also characterised by a 10% smaller intercondylar notch, 6-8% larger posterior condyles (lateral-medial) in the anteroposterior direction and a 6% larger medial condyle in the proximodistal direction compared to a normal femur. This study shows that knee size is important in the application of absolute metric cut-off values and that the posterior femur also shows a significantly different morphology.
Histochemical characterization, distribution and morphometric analysis of NADPH diaphorase neurons in the spinal cord of the agouti

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Marco Aurelio M Freire

2008-05-01

Full Text Available We evaluated the neuropil distribution of the enzymes NADPH diaphorase (NADPH-d and cytochrome oxidase (CO in the spinal cord of the agouti, a medium-sized diurnal rodent, together with the distribution pattern and morphometrical characteristics of NADPH-d reactive neurons across different spinal segments. Neuropil labeling pattern was remarkably similar for both enzymes in coronal sections: reactivity was higher in regions involved with pain processing. We found two distinct types of NADPH-d reactive neurons in the agouti’s spinal cord: type I neurons had large, heavily stained cell bodies while type II neurons displayed relatively small and poorly stained somata. We concentrated our analysis on type I neurons. These were found mainly in the dorsal horn and around the central canal of every spinal segment, with a few scattered neurons located in the ventral horn of both cervical and lumbar regions. Overall, type I neurons were more numerous in the cervical region. Type I neurons were also found in the white matter, particularly in the ventral funiculum. Morphometrical analysis revealed that type I neurons located in the cervical region have dendritic trees that are more complex than those located in both lumbar and thoracic regions. In addition, NADPH-d cells located in the ventral horn had a larger cell body, especially in lumbar segments. The resulting pattern of cell body and neuropil distribution is in accordance with proposed schemes of segregation of function in the mammalian spinal cord.

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