Intelligent tutoring using HyperCLIPS

Science.gov (United States)

Hill, Randall W., Jr.; Pickering, Brad

1990-01-01

HyperCard is a popular hypertext-like system used for building user interfaces to databases and other applications, and CLIPS is a highly portable government-owned expert system shell. We developed HyperCLIPS in order to fill a gap in the U.S. Army's computer-based instruction tool set; it was conceived as a development environment for building adaptive practical exercises for subject-matter problem-solving, though it is not limited to this approach to tutoring. Once HyperCLIPS was developed, we set out to implement a practical exercise prototype using HyperCLIPS in order to demonstrate the following concepts: learning can be facilitated by doing; student performance evaluation can be done in real-time; and the problems in a practical exercise can be adapted to the individual student's knowledge.

Antioxidant activity of a new aromatic geranyl derivative of the resinous exudates from Heliotropium glutinosum Phil.

Science.gov (United States)

Modak, Brenda; Rojas, Macarena; Torres, René; Rodilla, Jesús; Luebert, Federico

2007-05-21

Heliotropium glutinosum Phil. (Heliotropiceae) is a resinous bush that grows at a height of 2000 m in Chañaral, Chile. From the resinous exudates of Heliotropium glutinosum Phil. a new aromatic geranyl derivative: 4-methoxy-3-[(2)-7'-methyl-3'-hydroxymethyl-2',6'-octadienyl] phenol (1) and three flavonoids: 5,3'-dihydroxy-7,4'-dimethoxyflavanone (2), 5,4'-dihydroxy-7-methoxyflavanone (3) and 4'-acetyl-5-hydroxy-7-methoxyflavanone (4) were isolated and their structures were determined. Their antioxidant activity were evaluated using the bleaching of ABTS and DPPH derived cation radical methods and expressed in terms of FRE (fast reacting equivalents) and TRE (total reacting equivalents), where FRE is a good measure of the quick protection of a given compound against oxidants and TRE measures the degree of long-term protection of the antioxidant, or how effective it is against a strong oxidative stress.

Content-based video retrieval by example video clip

Science.gov (United States)

Dimitrova, Nevenka; Abdel-Mottaleb, Mohamed

1997-01-01

This paper presents a novel approach for video retrieval from a large archive of MPEG or Motion JPEG compressed video clips. We introduce a retrieval algorithm that takes a video clip as a query and searches the database for clips with similar contents. Video clips are characterized by a sequence of representative frame signatures, which are constructed from DC coefficients and motion information (`DC+M' signatures). The similarity between two video clips is determined by using their respective signatures. This method facilitates retrieval of clips for the purpose of video editing, broadcast news retrieval, or copyright violation detection.

Cortical Response Similarities Predict which Audiovisual Clips Individuals Viewed, but Are Unrelated to Clip Preference.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David A Bridwell

Full Text Available Cortical responses to complex natural stimuli can be isolated by examining the relationship between neural measures obtained while multiple individuals view the same stimuli. These inter-subject correlation's (ISC's emerge from similarities in individual's cortical response to the shared audiovisual inputs, which may be related to their emergent cognitive and perceptual experience. Within the present study, our goal is to examine the utility of using ISC's for predicting which audiovisual clips individuals viewed, and to examine the relationship between neural responses to natural stimuli and subjective reports. The ability to predict which clips individuals viewed depends on the relationship of the EEG response across subjects and the nature in which this information is aggregated. We conceived of three approaches for aggregating responses, i.e. three assignment algorithms, which we evaluated in Experiment 1A. The aggregate correlations algorithm generated the highest assignment accuracy (70.83% chance = 33.33% and was selected as the assignment algorithm for the larger sample of individuals and clips within Experiment 1B. The overall assignment accuracy was 33.46% within Experiment 1B (chance = 06.25%, with accuracies ranging from 52.9% (Silver Linings Playbook to 11.75% (Seinfeld within individual clips. ISC's were significantly greater than zero for 15 out of 16 clips, and fluctuations within the delta frequency band (i.e. 0-4 Hz primarily contributed to response similarities across subjects. Interestingly, there was insufficient evidence to indicate that individuals with greater similarities in clip preference demonstrate greater similarities in cortical responses, suggesting a lack of association between ISC and clip preference. Overall these results demonstrate the utility of using ISC's for prediction, and further characterize the relationship between ISC magnitudes and subjective reports.

Cortical Response Similarities Predict which Audiovisual Clips Individuals Viewed, but Are Unrelated to Clip Preference.

Science.gov (United States)

Bridwell, David A; Roth, Cullen; Gupta, Cota Navin; Calhoun, Vince D

2015-01-01

Cortical responses to complex natural stimuli can be isolated by examining the relationship between neural measures obtained while multiple individuals view the same stimuli. These inter-subject correlation's (ISC's) emerge from similarities in individual's cortical response to the shared audiovisual inputs, which may be related to their emergent cognitive and perceptual experience. Within the present study, our goal is to examine the utility of using ISC's for predicting which audiovisual clips individuals viewed, and to examine the relationship between neural responses to natural stimuli and subjective reports. The ability to predict which clips individuals viewed depends on the relationship of the EEG response across subjects and the nature in which this information is aggregated. We conceived of three approaches for aggregating responses, i.e. three assignment algorithms, which we evaluated in Experiment 1A. The aggregate correlations algorithm generated the highest assignment accuracy (70.83% chance = 33.33%) and was selected as the assignment algorithm for the larger sample of individuals and clips within Experiment 1B. The overall assignment accuracy was 33.46% within Experiment 1B (chance = 06.25%), with accuracies ranging from 52.9% (Silver Linings Playbook) to 11.75% (Seinfeld) within individual clips. ISC's were significantly greater than zero for 15 out of 16 clips, and fluctuations within the delta frequency band (i.e. 0-4 Hz) primarily contributed to response similarities across subjects. Interestingly, there was insufficient evidence to indicate that individuals with greater similarities in clip preference demonstrate greater similarities in cortical responses, suggesting a lack of association between ISC and clip preference. Overall these results demonstrate the utility of using ISC's for prediction, and further characterize the relationship between ISC magnitudes and subjective reports.

A novel vascular clip design for the reliable induction of 2-kidney, 1-clip hypertension in the rat

OpenAIRE

Chelko, Stephen P.; Schmiedt, Chad W.; Lewis, Tristan H.; Lewis, Stephen J.; Robertson, Tom P.

2011-01-01

The 2-kidney, 1-clip (2K1C) model has provided many insights into the pathogenesis of renovascular hypertension. However, studies using the 2K1C model often report low success rates of hypertension, with typical success rates of just 40–60%. We hypothesized that these low success rates are due to fundamental design flaws in the clips traditionally used in 2K1C models. Specifically, the gap widths of traditional silver clips may not be maintained during investigator handling and these clips ma...

CLIP Tool Kit (CTK): a flexible and robust pipeline to analyze CLIP sequencing data.

Science.gov (United States)

Shah, Ankeeta; Qian, Yingzhi; Weyn-Vanhentenryck, Sebastien M; Zhang, Chaolin

2017-02-15

UV cross-linking and immunoprecipitation (CLIP), followed by high-throughput sequencing, is a powerful biochemical assay that maps in vivo protein-RNA interactions on a genome-wide scale. The CLIP Tool Kit (CTK) aims at providing a set of tools for flexible, streamlined and comprehensive CLIP data analysis. This software package extends the scope of our original CIMS package. The software is implemented in Perl. The source code and detailed documentation are available at http://zhanglab.c2b2.columbia.edu/index.php/CTK . cz2294@columbia.edu. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com

Modified Clipped LMS Algorithm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lotfizad Mojtaba

2005-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract A new algorithm is proposed for updating the weights of an adaptive filter. The proposed algorithm is a modification of an existing method, namely, the clipped LMS, and uses a three-level quantization ( scheme that involves the threshold clipping of the input signals in the filter weight update formula. Mathematical analysis shows the convergence of the filter weights to the optimum Wiener filter weights. Also, it can be proved that the proposed modified clipped LMS (MCLMS algorithm has better tracking than the LMS algorithm. In addition, this algorithm has reduced computational complexity relative to the unmodified one. By using a suitable threshold, it is possible to increase the tracking capability of the MCLMS algorithm compared to the LMS algorithm, but this causes slower convergence. Computer simulations confirm the mathematical analysis presented.

Sepsis from dropped clips at laparoscopic cholecystectomy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hussain, Sarwat

2001-01-01

We report seven patients in whom five dropped surgical clips and two gallstones were visualized in the peritoneal cavity, on radiological studies. In two, subphrenic abscesses and empyemas developed as a result of dropped clips into the peritoneal cavity during or following laparoscopic cholecystectomy. In one of these two, a clip was removed surgically from the site of an abscess. In two other patients dropped gallstones, and in three, dropped clips led to no complications. These were seen incidentally on studies done for other indications. Abdominal abscess secondary to dropped gallstones is a well-recognized complication of laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). We conclude that even though dropped surgical clips usually do not cause problems, they should be considered as a risk additional to other well-known causes of post-LC abdominal sepsis

CLIPS - C LANGUAGE INTEGRATED PRODUCTION SYSTEM (MACINTOSH VERSION)

Science.gov (United States)

Culbert, C.

1994-01-01

The C Language Integrated Production System, CLIPS, is a shell for developing expert systems. It is designed to allow artificial intelligence research, development, and delivery on conventional computers. The primary design goals for CLIPS are portability, efficiency, and functionality. For these reasons, the program is written in C. CLIPS meets or outperforms most micro- and minicomputer based artificial intelligence tools. CLIPS is a forward chaining rule-based language. The program contains an inference engine and a language syntax that provide a framework for the construction of an expert system. It also includes tools for debugging an application. CLIPS is based on the Rete algorithm, which enables very efficient pattern matching. The collection of conditions and actions to be taken if the conditions are met is constructed into a rule network. As facts are asserted either prior to or during a session, CLIPS pattern-matches the number of fields. Wildcards and variables are supported for both single and multiple fields. CLIPS syntax allows the inclusion of externally defined functions (outside functions which are written in a language other than CLIPS). CLIPS itself can be embedded in a program such that the expert system is available as a simple subroutine call. Advanced features found in CLIPS version 4.3 include an integrated microEMACS editor, the ability to generate C source code from a CLIPS rule base to produce a dedicated executable, binary load and save capabilities for CLIPS rule bases, and the utility program CRSV (Cross-Reference, Style, and Verification) designed to facilitate the development and maintenance of large rule bases. Five machine versions are available. Each machine version includes the source and the executable for that machine. The UNIX version includes the source and binaries for IBM RS/6000, Sun3 series, and Sun4 series computers. The UNIX, DEC VAX, and DEC RISC Workstation versions are line oriented. The PC version and the Macintosh

A novel vascular clip design for the reliable induction of 2-kidney, 1-clip hypertension in the rat.

Science.gov (United States)

Chelko, Stephen P; Schmiedt, Chad W; Lewis, Tristan H; Lewis, Stephen J; Robertson, Tom P

2012-02-01

The 2-kidney, 1-clip (2K1C) model has provided many insights into the pathogenesis of renovascular hypertension. However, studies using the 2K1C model often report low success rates of hypertension, with typical success rates of just 40-60%. We hypothesized that these low success rates are due to fundamental design flaws in the clips traditionally used in 2K1C models. Specifically, the gap widths of traditional silver clips may not be maintained during investigator handling and these clips may also be easily dislodged from the renal artery following placement. Therefore, we designed and tested a novel vascular clip possessing design features to maintain both gap width and position around the renal artery. In this initial study, application of these new clips to the left renal artery produced reliable and consistent levels of hypertension in rats. Nine-day application of clips with gap widths of 0.27, 0.25, and 0.23 mm elicited higher mean arterial blood pressures of 112 ± 4, 121 ± 6, and 135 ± 7 mmHg, respectively (n = 8 for each group), than those of sham-operated controls (95 ± 2 mmHg, n = 8). Moreover, 8 out of 8 rats in each of the 0.23 and 0.25 mm 2K1C groups were hypertensive, whereas 7 out of 8 rats in the 0.27 mm 2K1C group were hypertensive. Plasma renin concentrations were also increased in all 2K1C groups compared with sham-operated controls. In summary, this novel clip design may help eliminate the large degree of unreliability commonly encountered with the 2K1C model.

Antioxidant Activity of a New Aromatic Geranyl Derivative of the Resinous Exudates from Heliotropium glutinosum Phil.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Federico Luebert

2007-05-01

Full Text Available Heliotropium glutinosum Phil. (Heliotropiceae is a resinous bush that grows at a height of 2000 m in Chañaral, Chile. From the resinous exudates of Heliotropium glutinosum Phil. a new aromatic geranyl derivative: 4-methoxy-3-[(2-7’-methyl-3’-hydroxymethyl-2’,6’-octadienyl] phenol (1 and three flavonoids: 5,3'-dihydroxy-7,4'-dimethoxyflavanone (2, 5,4'-dihydroxy-7-methoxyflavanone (3 and 4'-acetyl-5-hydroxy-7-methoxyflavanone (4 were isolated and their structures were determined. Their antioxidant activity were evaluated using the bleaching of ABTS and DPPH derived cation radical methods and expressed in terms of FRE (fast reacting equivalents and TRE (total reacting equivalents, where FRE is a good measure of the quick protection of a given compound against oxidants and TRE measures the degree of long-term protection of the antioxidant, or how effective it is against a strong oxidative stress.

Anesthesia management for MitraClip device implantation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Harikrishnan Kothandan

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Aims and Objectives: Percutaneous MitraClip implantation has been demonstrated as an alternative procedure in high-risk patients with symptomatic severe mitral regurgitation (MR who are not suitable (or denied mitral valve repair/replacement due to excessive co morbidity. The MitraClip implantation was performed under general anesthesia and with 3-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography (TEE and fluoroscopic guidance. Materials and Methods: Peri-operative patient data were extracted from the electronic and paper medical records of 21 patients who underwent MitraClip implantations. Results: Four MitraClip implantation were performed in the catheterization laboratory; remaining 17 were performed in the hybrid operating theatre. In 2 patients, procedure was aborted, in one due to migration of the Chiari network into the left atrium and in second one, the leaflets and chords of the mitral valve torn during clipping resulting in consideration for open surgery. In the remaining 19 patients, MitraClip was implanted and the patients showed acute reduction of severe MR to mild-moderate MR. All the patients had invasive blood pressure monitoring and the initial six patients had central venous catheterization prior to the procedure. Intravenous heparin was administered after the guiding catheter was introduced through the inter-atrial septum and activated clotting time was maintained beyond 250 s throughout the procedure. Protamine was administered at the end of the procedure. All the patients were monitored in the intensive care unit after the procedure. Conclusions: Percutaneous MitraClip implantation is a feasible alternative in high-risk patients with symptomatic severe MR. Anesthesia management requirements are similar to open surgical mitral valve repair or replacement. TEE plays a vital role during the MitraClip implantation.

SHARP User Manual

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yu, Y. Q. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Shemon, E. R. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Thomas, J. W. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Mahadevan, Vijay S. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Rahaman, Ronald O. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Solberg, Jerome [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

2016-03-31

SHARP is an advanced modeling and simulation toolkit for the analysis of nuclear reactors. It is comprised of several components including physical modeling tools, tools to integrate the physics codes for multi-physics analyses, and a set of tools to couple the codes within the MOAB framework. Physics modules currently include the neutronics code PROTEUS, the thermal-hydraulics code Nek5000, and the structural mechanics code Diablo. This manual focuses on performing multi-physics calculations with the SHARP ToolKit. Manuals for the three individual physics modules are available with the SHARP distribution to help the user to either carry out the primary multi-physics calculation with basic knowledge or perform further advanced development with in-depth knowledge of these codes. This manual provides step-by-step instructions on employing SHARP, including how to download and install the code, how to build the drivers for a test case, how to perform a calculation and how to visualize the results. Since SHARP has some specific library and environment dependencies, it is highly recommended that the user read this manual prior to installing SHARP. Verification tests cases are included to check proper installation of each module. It is suggested that the new user should first follow the step-by-step instructions provided for a test problem in this manual to understand the basic procedure of using SHARP before using SHARP for his/her own analysis. Both reference output and scripts are provided along with the test cases in order to verify correct installation and execution of the SHARP package. At the end of this manual, detailed instructions are provided on how to create a new test case so that user can perform novel multi-physics calculations with SHARP. Frequently asked questions are listed at the end of this manual to help the user to troubleshoot issues.

SHARP User Manual

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu, Y. Q.; Shemon, E. R.; Thomas, J. W.; Mahadevan, Vijay S.; Rahaman, Ronald O.; Solberg, Jerome

2016-01-01

SHARP is an advanced modeling and simulation toolkit for the analysis of nuclear reactors. It is comprised of several components including physical modeling tools, tools to integrate the physics codes for multi-physics analyses, and a set of tools to couple the codes within the MOAB framework. Physics modules currently include the neutronics code PROTEUS, the thermal-hydraulics code Nek5000, and the structural mechanics code Diablo. This manual focuses on performing multi-physics calculations with the SHARP ToolKit. Manuals for the three individual physics modules are available with the SHARP distribution to help the user to either carry out the primary multi-physics calculation with basic knowledge or perform further advanced development with in-depth knowledge of these codes. This manual provides step-by-step instructions on employing SHARP, including how to download and install the code, how to build the drivers for a test case, how to perform a calculation and how to visualize the results. Since SHARP has some specific library and environment dependencies, it is highly recommended that the user read this manual prior to installing SHARP. Verification tests cases are included to check proper installation of each module. It is suggested that the new user should first follow the step-by-step instructions provided for a test problem in this manual to understand the basic procedure of using SHARP before using SHARP for his/her own analysis. Both reference output and scripts are provided along with the test cases in order to verify correct installation and execution of the SHARP package. At the end of this manual, detailed instructions are provided on how to create a new test case so that user can perform novel multi-physics calculations with SHARP. Frequently asked questions are listed at the end of this manual to help the user to troubleshoot issues.

Recurrence of ICA-PCoA aneurysms after neck clipping.

Science.gov (United States)

Sakaki, T; Takeshima, T; Tominaga, M; Hashimoto, H; Kawaguchi, S

1994-01-01

Between 1975 and 1992, 2211 patients underwent aneurysmal neck clipping at the Nara Medical University clinic and associated hospitals. The aneurysm in 931 of these patients was situated at the junction of the internal carotid artery (ICA) and posterior communicating artery (PCoA). Seven patients were readmitted 4 to 17 years after the first surgery because of regrowth and rupture of an ICA-PCoA aneurysmal sac that had arisen from the residual neck. On angiograms obtained following aneurysmal neck clipping, a large primitive type of PCoA was demonstrated in six patients and a small PCoA in one. A small residual aneurysm was confirmed in only two patients and angiographically complete neck clipping in five. Recurrent ICA-PCoA aneurysms were separated into two types based on the position of the old clip in relation to the new growth. Type 1 aneurysms regrow from the entire neck and balloon eccentrically. In this type, it is possible to apply the clip at the neck as in conventional clipping for a ruptured aneurysm. Type 2 includes aneurysms in which the proximal portion of a previous clip is situated at the corner of the ICA and aneurysmal neck and the distal portion on the enlarged dome of the aneurysm, because the sac is regrowing from a portion of the residual neck. In this type of aneurysm, a Sugita fenestrated clip can occlude the residual neck, overriding the old clip. Classifying these aneurysms into two groups is very useful from a surgical point of view because it is possible to apply a new clip without removing the old clip, which was found to be adherent to surrounding tissue.

Journal of Clipped Words in Reader's Digest Magazine

OpenAIRE

Simanjuntak, Lestari

2012-01-01

This study deals with Clipped Words in the “Laughter, the Best Medicine” of Reader's Digest. The objectives of the study are to find out the types of clipped words which are used in the “Laughter, the Best Medicine” of Reader's Digest, to find out sthe dominantly used in the whole story and to reason the dominant clipped word use in the text. The study use descriptive qualitative method. The data were collected from seventeen selected Reader's Digest which contains the clipped word by applie...

21 CFR 868.6225 - Nose clip.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... ANESTHESIOLOGY DEVICES Miscellaneous § 868.6225 Nose clip. (a) Identification. A nose clip is a device intended to close a patient's external nares (nostrils) during diagnostic or therapeutic procedures. (b... from the current good manufacturing practice requirements of the quality system regulation in part 820...

Performances of the Alpha-X RF gun on the PHIL accelerator at LAL

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vinatier, T., E-mail: vinatier@lal.in2p3.fr [Laboratoire de l' Accélérateur Linéaire (LAL), Université Paris Sud, UMR 8607, bâtiment 200, 91898 Orsay Cedex (France); Bruni, C. [Laboratoire de l' Accélérateur Linéaire (LAL), Université Paris Sud, UMR 8607, bâtiment 200, 91898 Orsay Cedex (France); Roux, R. [Laboratoire de l' Accélérateur Linéaire (LAL), Université Paris Sud, UMR 8607, bâtiment 200, 91898 Orsay Cedex (France); Laboratoire d' Etude des Eléments Légers, CEA IRAMIS, bâtiment 524, 91191 Gif sur Yvette Cedex (France); Brossard, J. [Laboratoire de l' Accélérateur Linéaire (LAL), Université Paris Sud, UMR 8607, bâtiment 200, 91898 Orsay Cedex (France); Laboratoire Astroparticule et Cosmologie, Université Paris 7, UMR 7164, bâtiment Condorcet, 75205 Paris Cedex (France); Chancé, S.; Cayla, J.N.; Chaumat, V. [Laboratoire de l' Accélérateur Linéaire (LAL), Université Paris Sud, UMR 8607, bâtiment 200, 91898 Orsay Cedex (France); and others

2015-10-11

The Alpha-X RF-gun was designed to produce an ultra-short (<100 fs rms), 100 pC and 6.3 MeV electron beam with a normalized rms transverse emittance of 1π mm mrad for a gun peak accelerating field of 100 MV/m. Such beams will be required by the Alpha-X project, which aims to study a laser-driven plasma accelerator with a short wavelength accelerating medium. It has been demonstrated on PHIL (Photo-Injector at LAL) that the coaxial RF coupling, chosen to preserve the gun field cylindrical symmetry, is perfectly understood and allows reaching the required peak accelerating field of 100 MV/m giving beam energy of 6.3 MeV. Moreover, a quite low beam rms relative energy spread of 0.15% at 3.8 MeV has been measured, completely agreeing with simulations. Dark current, quantum efficiencies and dephasing curves measurements have also been performed. They all show high values of the field enhancement factor β, which can be explained by the preparation of the photocathodes. Finally, measurements on the transverse phase-space have been carried out, with some limitations given by the difficult modelization of one of the PHIL solenoid magnets and by the enlargement of the beam transverse dimensions due to the use of YAG screens. These measurements give a normalized rms transverse emittance around 5π mm mrad, which does not fulfill the requirement for the Alpha-X project.

21 CFR 886.1410 - Ophthalmic trial lens clip.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Ophthalmic trial lens clip. 886.1410 Section 886...) MEDICAL DEVICES OPHTHALMIC DEVICES Diagnostic Devices § 886.1410 Ophthalmic trial lens clip. (a) Identification. An ophthalmic trial lens clip is a device intended to hold prisms, spheres, cylinders, or...

Sharpening Sharpe Ratios

OpenAIRE

William N. Goetzmann; Jonathan E. Ingersoll Jr.; Matthew I. Spiegel; Ivo Welch

2002-01-01

It is now well known that the Sharpe ratio and other related reward-to-risk measures may be manipulated with option-like strategies. In this paper we derive the general conditions for achieving the maximum expected Sharpe ratio. We derive static rules for achieving the maximum Sharpe ratio with two or more options, as well as a continuum of derivative contracts. The optimal strategy has a truncated right tail and a fat left tail. We also derive dynamic rules for increasing the Sharpe ratio. O...

Grid Integration of PV Power based on PHIL testing using different Interface Algorithms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Craciun, Bogdan-Ionut; Kerekes, Tamas; Sera, Dezso

2013-01-01

to be more active in grid support. Therefore, a better understanding and detailed analysis of the PV systems interaction with the grid is needed; hence power hardware in the loop (PHIL) testing involving PV power became an interesting subject to look into. To test PV systems for grid code (GC) compliance......Photovoltaic (PV) power among all renewable energies had the most accelerated growth rate in terms of installed capacity in recent years. Transmission System Operators (TSOs) changed their perspective about PV power and started to include it into their planning and operation, imposing PV systems...

Biocompatibility of Plastic Clip in Neurocranium - Experimental Study on Dogs.

Science.gov (United States)

Delibegovic, Samir; Dizdarevic, Kemal; Cickusic, Elmir; Katica, Muhamed; Obhodjas, Muamer; Ocus, Muhamed

2016-01-01

A potential advantage of the use of the plastic clips in neurosurgery is their property of causing fewer artifacts than titanium clips as assessed by computed tomography and magnetic resonance scans. The biocompatibility of plastic clips was demonstrated in the peritoneal cavity, but their behavior in the neurocranium is not known. Twelve aggressive stray dogs designated for euthanasia were taken for this experimental study. The animals were divided into two groups. In all cases, after anesthesia, a craniotomy was performed, and after opening the dura, a proximal part titanium clip was placed on the isolated superficial Sylvian vein (a permanent Yasargil FT 746 T clip at a 90° angle, while a plastic Hem-o-lok clip ML was placed on another part of the vein). The first group of animals was sacrificed on the 7 th postoperative day and the second group on the 60 th postoperative day. Samples of tissue around the clips were taken for a histopathological evaluation. The plastic clip caused a more intensive tissue reaction than the titanium clip on the 7 th postoperative day, but there was no statistical difference. Even on the 60 th postoperative day there was no significant difference in tissue reaction between the titanium and plastic clips. These preliminary results confirm the possibility for the use of plastic clips in neurosurgery. Before their use in human neurosurgery, further studies are needed to investigate the long-term effects of the presence of plastic clips in the neurocranium, as well as studies of the aneurysmal model.

CLIPS - C LANGUAGE INTEGRATED PRODUCTION SYSTEM (IBM PC VERSION)

Science.gov (United States)

Riley, G.

1994-01-01

The C Language Integrated Production System, CLIPS, is a shell for developing expert systems. It is designed to allow artificial intelligence research, development, and delivery on conventional computers. The primary design goals for CLIPS are portability, efficiency, and functionality. For these reasons, the program is written in C. CLIPS meets or outperforms most micro- and minicomputer based artificial intelligence tools. CLIPS is a forward chaining rule-based language. The program contains an inference engine and a language syntax that provide a framework for the construction of an expert system. It also includes tools for debugging an application. CLIPS is based on the Rete algorithm, which enables very efficient pattern matching. The collection of conditions and actions to be taken if the conditions are met is constructed into a rule network. As facts are asserted either prior to or during a session, CLIPS pattern-matches the number of fields. Wildcards and variables are supported for both single and multiple fields. CLIPS syntax allows the inclusion of externally defined functions (outside functions which are written in a language other than CLIPS). CLIPS itself can be embedded in a program such that the expert system is available as a simple subroutine call. Advanced features found in CLIPS version 4.3 include an integrated microEMACS editor, the ability to generate C source code from a CLIPS rule base to produce a dedicated executable, binary load and save capabilities for CLIPS rule bases, and the utility program CRSV (Cross-Reference, Style, and Verification) designed to facilitate the development and maintenance of large rule bases. Five machine versions are available. Each machine version includes the source and the executable for that machine. The UNIX version includes the source and binaries for IBM RS/6000, Sun3 series, and Sun4 series computers. The UNIX, DEC VAX, and DEC RISC Workstation versions are line oriented. The PC version and the Macintosh

Mounting clips for panel installation

Science.gov (United States)

Cavieres, Andres; Al-Haddad, Tristan; Goodman, Joseph

2017-07-11

A photovoltaic panel mounting clip comprising a base, central indexing tabs, flanges, lateral indexing tabs, and vertical indexing tabs. The mounting clip removably attaches one or more panels to a beam or the like structure, both mechanically and electrically. It provides secure locking of the panels in all directions, while providing guidance in all directions for accurate installation of the panels to the beam or the like structure.

Chinese Language Video Clips. [CD-ROM].

Science.gov (United States)

Fleming, Stephen; Hipley, David; Ning, Cynthia

This compact disc includes video clips covering six topics for the learner of Chinese: personal information, commercial transactions, travel and leisure, health and sports, food and school. Filmed on location in Beijing, these naturalistic video clips consist mainly of unrehearsed interviews of ordinary people. The learner is lead through a series…

Local Contrast Enhancement Utilizing Bidirectional Switching Equalization of Separated and Clipped Subhistograms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Haidi Ibrahim

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Digital image contrast enhancement methods that are based on histogram equalization technique are still useful for the use in consumer electronic products due to their simple implementation. However, almost all the suggested enhancement methods are using global processing technique, which does not emphasize local contents. Therefore, this paper proposes a new local image contrast enhancement method, based on histogram equalization technique, which not only enhances the contrast, but also increases the sharpness of the image. Besides, this method is also able to preserve the mean brightness of the image. In order to limit the noise amplification, this newly proposed method utilizes local mean-separation, and clipped histogram bins methodologies. Based on nine test color images and the benchmark with other three histogram equalization based methods, the proposed technique shows the best overall performance.

Development of an artifact-free aneurysm clip

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brack Alexander

2016-09-01

Full Text Available For the treatment of intracranial aneurysms with aneurysm clips, usually a follow-up inspection in MRI is required. To avoid any artifacts, which can make a proper diagnosis difficult, a new approach for the manufacturing of an aneurysm clip entirely made from fiber-reinforced plastics has been developed. In this paper the concept for the design of the clip, the development of a new manufacturing technology for the fiber-reinforced components as well as first results from the examination of the components in phantom MRI testing is shown.

Digital video clips for improved pedagogy and illustration of scientific research — with illustrative video clips on atomic spectrometry

Science.gov (United States)

Michel, Robert G.; Cavallari, Jennifer M.; Znamenskaia, Elena; Yang, Karl X.; Sun, Tao; Bent, Gary

1999-12-01

This article is an electronic publication in Spectrochimica Acta Electronica (SAE), a section of Spectrochimica Acta Part B (SAB). The hardcopy text is accompanied by an electronic archive, stored on the CD-ROM accompanying this issue. The archive contains video clips. The main article discusses the scientific aspects of the subject and explains the purpose of the video files. Short, 15-30 s, digital video clips are easily controllable at the computer keyboard, which gives a speaker the ability to show fine details through the use of slow motion. Also, they are easily accessed from the computer hard drive for rapid extemporaneous presentation. In addition, they are easily transferred to the Internet for dissemination. From a pedagogical point of view, the act of making a video clip by a student allows for development of powers of observation, while the availability of the technology to make digital video clips gives a teacher the flexibility to demonstrate scientific concepts that would otherwise have to be done as 'live' demonstrations, with all the likely attendant misadventures. Our experience with digital video clips has been through their use in computer-based presentations by undergraduate and graduate students in analytical chemistry classes, and by high school and middle school teachers and their students in a variety of science and non-science classes. In physics teaching laboratories, we have used the hardware to capture digital video clips of dynamic processes, such as projectiles and pendulums, for later mathematical analysis.

A defect in the CLIP1 gene (CLIP-170) can cause autosomal recessive intellectual disability

OpenAIRE

Larti, Farzaneh; Kahrizi, Kimia; Musante, Luciana; Hu, Hao; Papari, Elahe; Fattahi, Zohreh; Bazazzadegan, Niloofar; Liu, Zhe; Banan, Mehdi; Garshasbi, Masoud; Wienker, Thomas F; Hilger Ropers, H; Galjart, Niels; Najmabadi, Hossein

2015-01-01

In the context of a comprehensive research project, investigating novel autosomal recessive intellectual disability (ARID) genes, linkage analysis based on autozygosity mapping helped identify an intellectual disability locus on Chr.12q24, in an Iranian family (LOD score=3.7). Next-generation sequencing (NGS) following exon enrichment in this novel interval, detected a nonsense mutation (p.Q1010*) in the CLIP1 gene. CLIP1 encodes a member of microtubule (MT) plus-end tracking proteins, which ...

SHARP Multiphysics Tutorials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yu, Y. Q. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Shemon, E. R. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Mahadevan, Vijay S. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Rahaman, Ronald O. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

2016-02-29

SHARP, developed under the NEAMS Reactor Product Line, is an advanced modeling and simulation toolkit for the analysis of advanced nuclear reactors. SHARP is comprised of three physics modules currently including neutronics, thermal hydraulics, and structural mechanics. SHARP empowers designers to produce accurate results for modeling physical phenomena that have been identified as important for nuclear reactor analysis. SHARP can use existing physics codes and take advantage of existing infrastructure capabilities in the MOAB framework and the coupling driver/solver library, the Coupled Physics Environment (CouPE), which utilizes the widely used, scalable PETSc library. This report aims at identifying the coupled-physics simulation capability of SHARP by introducing the demonstration example called sahex in advance of the SHARP release expected by Mar 2016. sahex consists of 6 fuel pins with cladding, 1 control rod, sodium coolant and an outer duct wall that encloses all the other components. This example is carefully chosen to demonstrate the proof of concept for solving more complex demonstration examples such as EBR II assembly and ABTR full core. The workflow of preparing the input files, running the case and analyzing the results is demonstrated in this report. Moreover, an extension of the sahex model called sahex_core, which adds six homogenized neighboring assemblies to the full heterogeneous sahex model, is presented to test homogenization capabilities in both Nek5000 and PROTEUS. Some primary information on the configuration and build aspects for the SHARP toolkit, which includes capability to auto-download dependencies and configure/install with optimal flags in an architecture-aware fashion, is also covered by this report. A step-by-step instruction is provided to help users to create their cases. Details on these processes will be provided in the SHARP user manual that will accompany the first release.

SHARP Multiphysics Tutorials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu, Y. Q.; Shemon, E. R.; Mahadevan, Vijay S.; Rahaman, Ronald O.

2016-01-01

SHARP, developed under the NEAMS Reactor Product Line, is an advanced modeling and simulation toolkit for the analysis of advanced nuclear reactors. SHARP is comprised of three physics modules currently including neutronics, thermal hydraulics, and structural mechanics. SHARP empowers designers to produce accurate results for modeling physical phenomena that have been identified as important for nuclear reactor analysis. SHARP can use existing physics codes and take advantage of existing infrastructure capabilities in the MOAB framework and the coupling driver/solver library, the Coupled Physics Environment (CouPE), which utilizes the widely used, scalable PETSc library. This report aims at identifying the coupled-physics simulation capability of SHARP by introducing the demonstration example called sahex in advance of the SHARP release expected by Mar 2016. sahex consists of 6 fuel pins with cladding, 1 control rod, sodium coolant and an outer duct wall that encloses all the other components. This example is carefully chosen to demonstrate the proof of concept for solving more complex demonstration examples such as EBR II assembly and ABTR full core. The workflow of preparing the input files, running the case and analyzing the results is demonstrated in this report. Moreover, an extension of the sahex model called sahex c ore, which adds six homogenized neighboring assemblies to the full heterogeneous sahex model, is presented to test homogenization capabilities in both Nek5000 and PROTEUS. Some primary information on the configuration and build aspects for the SHARP toolkit, which includes capability to auto-download dependencies and configure/install with optimal flags in an architecture-aware fashion, is also covered by this report. A step-by-step instruction is provided to help users to create their cases. Details on these processes will be provided in the SHARP user manual that will accompany the first release.

A model-based approach to identify binding sites in CLIP-Seq data.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tao Wang

Full Text Available Cross-linking immunoprecipitation coupled with high-throughput sequencing (CLIP-Seq has made it possible to identify the targeting sites of RNA-binding proteins in various cell culture systems and tissue types on a genome-wide scale. Here we present a novel model-based approach (MiClip to identify high-confidence protein-RNA binding sites from CLIP-seq datasets. This approach assigns a probability score for each potential binding site to help prioritize subsequent validation experiments. The MiClip algorithm has been tested in both HITS-CLIP and PAR-CLIP datasets. In the HITS-CLIP dataset, the signal/noise ratios of miRNA seed motif enrichment produced by the MiClip approach are between 17% and 301% higher than those by the ad hoc method for the top 10 most enriched miRNAs. In the PAR-CLIP dataset, the MiClip approach can identify ∼50% more validated binding targets than the original ad hoc method and two recently published methods. To facilitate the application of the algorithm, we have released an R package, MiClip (http://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/MiClip/index.html, and a public web-based graphical user interface software (http://galaxy.qbrc.org/tool_runner?tool_id=mi_clip for customized analysis.

Integrating CLIPS applications into heterogeneous distributed systems

Science.gov (United States)

Adler, Richard M.

1991-01-01

SOCIAL is an advanced, object-oriented development tool for integrating intelligent and conventional applications across heterogeneous hardware and software platforms. SOCIAL defines a family of 'wrapper' objects called agents, which incorporate predefined capabilities for distributed communication and control. Developers embed applications within agents and establish interactions between distributed agents via non-intrusive message-based interfaces. This paper describes a predefined SOCIAL agent that is specialized for integrating C Language Integrated Production System (CLIPS)-based applications. The agent's high-level Application Programming Interface supports bidirectional flow of data, knowledge, and commands to other agents, enabling CLIPS applications to initiate interactions autonomously, and respond to requests and results from heterogeneous remote systems. The design and operation of CLIPS agents are illustrated with two distributed applications that integrate CLIPS-based expert systems with other intelligent systems for isolating and mapping problems in the Space Shuttle Launch Processing System at the NASA Kennedy Space Center.

21 CFR 886.3100 - Ophthalmic tantalum clip.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... blood vessels in the eye. (b) Classification. Class II (special controls). The device is exempt from the...) MEDICAL DEVICES OPHTHALMIC DEVICES Prosthetic Devices § 886.3100 Ophthalmic tantalum clip. (a) Identification. An ophthalmic tantalum clip is a malleable metallic device intended to be implanted permanently...

Anti-inflammatory activity of copao (Eulychnia acida Phil., Cactaceae) fruits.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiménez-Aspee, Felipe; Alberto, Maria Rosa; Quispe, Cristina; Soriano, Maria del Pilar Caramantin; Theoduloz, Cristina; Zampini, Iris Catiana; Isla, Maria Ines; Schmeda-Hirschmann, Guillermo

2015-06-01

Copao (Eulychnia acida Phil., Cactaceae) is an endemic species occurring in northern Chile. The edible fruits of this plant are valued for its acidic and refreshing taste. Phenolic-enriched extracts from copao fruit pulp and epicarp, collected in the Elqui and Limari river valleys, were assessed by its in vitro ability to inhibit the pro-inflammatory enzymes lipoxygenase (LOX) and cyclooxygenases (COX-1 and COX-2). At 100 μg/mL, pulp extracts showed better effect towards LOX than epicarp extract, while COX-2 inhibition was observed for both epicarp and pulp samples. In general, the extracts were inactive towards COX-1. A positive correlation was observed between the anti-inflammatory activity and the main phenolic compounds found in this fruit. Copao fruits from the Limari valley, a main place of collection and commercialization, showed major activity, adding evidence on the possible health-beneficial effects of this native Chilean fruit.

Percutaneous interventional mitral regurgitation treatment using the Mitra-Clip system

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Boekstegers, P; Hausleiter, J; Baldus, S

2014-01-01

The interventional treatment of mitral valve regurgitation by the MitraClip procedure has grown rapidly in Germany and Europe during the past years. The MitraClip procedure has the potential to treat high-risk patients with secondary mitral valve regurgitation and poor left ventricular function....... Furthermore, patients with primary mitral valve regurgitation may be treated successfully by the MitraClip procedure in case of high surgical risk or in very old patients. At the same time it has been emphasised that the MitraClip interventional treatment is still at an early stage of clinical development....... The largest clinical experience with the MitraClip procedure so far is probably present in some German cardiovascular centers, which here summarise their recommendations on the current indications and procedural steps of the MitraClip treatment. These recommendations of the AGIK and ALKK may present a basis...

Clip reconstruction of a large right MCA bifurcation aneurysm. Case report

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giovani A.

2014-06-01

Full Text Available We report a case of complex large middle cerebral artery (MCA bifurcation aneurysm that ruptured during dissection from the very adherent MCA branches but was successfully clipped and the MCA bifurcation reconstructed using 4 Yasargill clips. Through a right pterional craniotomy the sylvian fissure was largely opened as to allow enough workspace for clipping the aneurysm and placing a temporary clip on M1. The pacient recovered very well after surgery and was discharged after 1 week with no neurological deficit. Complex MCA bifurcation aneurysms can be safely reconstructed using regular clips, without the need of using fenestrated clips or complex by-pass procedures.

Hardware Implementation Of Line Clipping A lgorithm By Using FPGA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amar Dawod

2013-04-01

Full Text Available The computer graphics system performance is increasing faster than any other computing application. Algorithms for line clipping against convex polygons and lines have been studied for a long time and many research papers have been published so far. In spite of the latest graphical hardware development and significant increase of performance the clipping is still a bottleneck of any graphical system. So its implementation in hardware is essential for real time applications. In this paper clipping operation is discussed and a hardware implementation of the line clipping algorithm is presented and finally formulated and tested using Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA. The designed hardware unit consists of two parts : the first is positional code generator unit and the second is the clipping unit. Finally it is worth mentioning that the  designed unit is capable of clipping (232524 line segments per second.       

Speed Biases With Real-Life Video Clips

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Federica Rossi

2018-03-01

Full Text Available We live almost literally immersed in an artificial visual world, especially motion pictures. In this exploratory study, we asked whether the best speed for reproducing a video is its original, shooting speed. By using adjustment and double staircase methods, we examined speed biases in viewing real-life video clips in three experiments, and assessed their robustness by manipulating visual and auditory factors. With the tested stimuli (short clips of human motion, mixed human-physical motion, physical motion and ego-motion, speed underestimation was the rule rather than the exception, although it depended largely on clip content, ranging on average from 2% (ego-motion to 32% (physical motion. Manipulating display size or adding arbitrary soundtracks did not modify these speed biases. Estimated speed was not correlated with estimated duration of these same video clips. These results indicate that the sense of speed for real-life video clips can be systematically biased, independently of the impression of elapsed time. Measuring subjective visual tempo may integrate traditional methods that assess time perception: speed biases may be exploited to develop a simple, objective test of reality flow, to be used for example in clinical and developmental contexts. From the perspective of video media, measuring speed biases may help to optimize video reproduction speed and validate “natural” video compression techniques based on sub-threshold temporal squeezing.

A method of handing down surgical clipping technique for cerebral aneurysm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Idei, Masaru; Yamane, Kanji; Okita, Shinji; Kumano, Kiyoshi; Nakae, Ryuta

2009-01-01

Meticulous clipping techniques are essential to obtain good results. Recently, the introduction of intravascular surgery for cerebral aneurysms has decreased the number of the direct clipping surgeries. And the increasing number of the lawsuits against doctors further discourages young surgeons from attempting clipping. As a result, young neurosurgeons, have less experience performing clipping. Therefore, we must learn clipping techniques from expert neurosurgeons under the limitation of having fewer opportunities to perform clipping surgery. In this paper, I present my experiences and discuss ways to obtain techniques for clipping surgery. I performed surgical clipping in 19 cases, 12 unruptured and 7 ruptured aneurysms, 7 males and 12 females aged from 36 to 79 years old (mean 61.9 years). Postoperatively, there were no symptomatic complications, but there were 2 asymptomatic infarctions that were revealed on CT scan. Intraoperative premature rupture occurred in 1 patient with a ruptured aneurysm. Techniques of manipulation with micro-forceps, suction and spatula are required for successful clipping. Off-the-job training of dissecting chicken wing arteries and rat abdominal aortas and vena cavas is useful. Moreover, actual experiences of surgical operations are essential. Surgical experiences raise the motivation of young neurosurgeons and encourage them to train more. We believe that this benign cycle contributes to meticulous surgical skills. (author)

Semantic Labeling of Nonspeech Audio Clips

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaojuan Ma

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Human communication about entities and events is primarily linguistic in nature. While visual representations of information are shown to be highly effective as well, relatively little is known about the communicative power of auditory nonlinguistic representations. We created a collection of short nonlinguistic auditory clips encoding familiar human activities, objects, animals, natural phenomena, machinery, and social scenes. We presented these sounds to a broad spectrum of anonymous human workers using Amazon Mechanical Turk and collected verbal sound labels. We analyzed the human labels in terms of their lexical and semantic properties to ascertain that the audio clips do evoke the information suggested by their pre-defined captions. We then measured the agreement with the semantically compatible labels for each sound clip. Finally, we examined which kinds of entities and events, when captured by nonlinguistic acoustic clips, appear to be well-suited to elicit information for communication, and which ones are less discriminable. Our work is set against the broader goal of creating resources that facilitate communication for people with some types of language loss. Furthermore, our data should prove useful for future research in machine analysis/synthesis of audio, such as computational auditory scene analysis, and annotating/querying large collections of sound effects.

Clip, connect, clone

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fujima, Jun; Lunzer, Aran; Hornbæk, Kasper

2010-01-01

using three mechanisms: clipping of input and result elements from existing applications to form cells on a spreadsheet; connecting these cells using formulas, thus enabling result transfer between applications; and cloning cells so that multiple requests can be handled side by side. We demonstrate...

Current MitraClip experience, safety and feasibility in the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rahhab, Z.; Kortlandt, F. A.; Velu, J. F.; Schurer, R. A. J.; Delgado, V.; Tonino, P.; Boven, A. J.; van den Branden, B. J. L.; Kraaijeveld, A. O.; Voskuil, M.; Hoorntje, J.; van Wely, M. [=Marleen; van Houwelingen, K.; Bleeker, G. B.; Rensing, B.; Kardys, I.; Baan, J.; van der Heyden, J. A. S.; van Mieghem, N. M.

2017-01-01

Purpose Data on MitraClip procedural safety and efficacy in the Netherlands are scarce. We aim to provide an overview of the Dutch MitraClip experience. Methods We pooled anonymised demographic and procedural data of 1151 consecutive MitraClip patients, from 13 Dutch hospitals. Data was collected by

Diagnostic applications of nail clippings.

Science.gov (United States)

Stephen, Sasha; Tosti, Antonella; Rubin, Adam I

2015-04-01

"Nail clipping is a simple technique for diagnosis of several nail unit dermatoses. This article summarizes the practical approach, utility, and histologic findings of a nail clipping in evaluation of onychomycosis, nail unit psoriasis, onychomatricoma, subungual hematoma, melanonychia, and nail cosmetics, and the forensic applications of this easily obtained specimen. It reviews important considerations in optimizing specimen collection, processing methods, and efficacy of special stains in several clinical contexts. Readers will develop a greater understanding and ease of application of this indispensable procedure in assessing nail unit dermatoses." Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

CLIPS - C LANGUAGE INTEGRATED PRODUCTION SYSTEM (IBM PC VERSION WITH CLIPSITS)

Science.gov (United States)

Riley, , .

1994-01-01

The C Language Integrated Production System, CLIPS, is a shell for developing expert systems. It is designed to allow artificial intelligence research, development, and delivery on conventional computers. The primary design goals for CLIPS are portability, efficiency, and functionality. For these reasons, the program is written in C. CLIPS meets or outperforms most micro- and minicomputer based artificial intelligence tools. CLIPS is a forward chaining rule-based language. The program contains an inference engine and a language syntax that provide a framework for the construction of an expert system. It also includes tools for debugging an application. CLIPS is based on the Rete algorithm, which enables very efficient pattern matching. The collection of conditions and actions to be taken if the conditions are met is constructed into a rule network. As facts are asserted either prior to or during a session, CLIPS pattern-matches the number of fields. Wildcards and variables are supported for both single and multiple fields. CLIPS syntax allows the inclusion of externally defined functions (outside functions which are written in a language other than CLIPS). CLIPS itself can be embedded in a program such that the expert system is available as a simple subroutine call. Advanced features found in CLIPS version 4.3 include an integrated microEMACS editor, the ability to generate C source code from a CLIPS rule base to produce a dedicated executable, binary load and save capabilities for CLIPS rule bases, and the utility program CRSV (Cross-Reference, Style, and Verification) designed to facilitate the development and maintenance of large rule bases. Five machine versions are available. Each machine version includes the source and the executable for that machine. The UNIX version includes the source and binaries for IBM RS/6000, Sun3 series, and Sun4 series computers. The UNIX, DEC VAX, and DEC RISC Workstation versions are line oriented. The PC version and the Macintosh

Receiver-based recovery of clipped ofdm signals for papr reduction: A bayesian approach

KAUST Repository

Ali, Anum

2014-01-01

Clipping is one of the simplest peak-to-average power ratio reduction schemes for orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM). Deliberately clipping the transmission signal degrades system performance, and clipping mitigation is required at the receiver for information restoration. In this paper, we acknowledge the sparse nature of the clipping signal and propose a low-complexity Bayesian clipping estimation scheme. The proposed scheme utilizes a priori information about the sparsity rate and noise variance for enhanced recovery. At the same time, the proposed scheme is robust against inaccurate estimates of the clipping signal statistics. The undistorted phase property of the clipped signal, as well as the clipping likelihood, is utilized for enhanced reconstruction. Furthermore, motivated by the nature of modern OFDM-based communication systems, we extend our clipping reconstruction approach to multiple antenna receivers and multi-user OFDM.We also address the problem of channel estimation from pilots contaminated by the clipping distortion. Numerical findings are presented that depict favorable results for the proposed scheme compared to the established sparse reconstruction schemes.

CLIPS/Ada: An Ada-based tool for building expert systems

Science.gov (United States)

White, W. A.

1990-01-01

Clips/Ada is a production system language and a development environment. It is functionally equivalent to the CLIPS tool. CLIPS/Ada was developed in order to provide a means of incorporating expert system technology into projects where the use of the Ada language had been mandated. A secondary purpose was to glean information about the Ada language and its compilers. Specifically, whether or not the language and compilers were mature enough to support AI applications. The CLIPS/Ada tool is coded entirely in Ada and is designed to be used by Ada systems that require expert reasoning.

21 CFR 882.4190 - Clip forming/cutting instrument.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Clip forming/cutting instrument. 882.4190 Section 882.4190 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES.../cutting instrument. (a) Identification. A clip forming/cutting instrument is a device used by the...

Clinical experience of titanium cerebral aneurysm clips. Evaluation of artifact of CT and MRI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ninomiya, Takashi; Kato, Yoko; Sano, Hirotoshi

1996-01-01

The titanium aneurysm clips manufactured by AESCULAP Company are expected to be useful, not only for clinical applications, but also for reducing artifacts in post-operative CT and MRI. We carried out an investigation of the behavior of the new Yasargil titanium clips in a 1.5T MR imager. The new titanium clips showed considerably smaller clip-induced MR and CT artifacts than phynox and elgiloy clips. No movement of the titanium clips was seen by introducing them to the MR imager. Subsequent to these experimental studies, we applied titanium clips to 25 cerebral aneurysms. Post-operative CT, especially helical scanning CT and MR showed minimal artifacts, leading to the conclusion that the titanium clips are better than the other types of clips for the evaluation of post-operative neuroradiological images. (author)

Remission of migraine after clipping of saccular intracranial aneurysms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lebedeva, E R; Busygina, A V; Kolotvinov, V S

2015-01-01

interview. The remission rates of migraine and tension-type headache (TTH) in these patients were compared to 92 patients from a headache center. Diagnoses were made according to the ICHD-2. RESULTS: During 1 year preceding rupture 51 patients with SIA had migraine. During the year after clipping......BACKGROUND: Unruptured saccular intracranial aneurysm (SIA) is associated with an increased prevalence of migraine, but it is unclear whether this is altered by clipping of the aneurysm. The aim of our study was to determine whether remission rate of migraine and other recurrent headaches...... was greater in patients with SIA after clipping than in controls. METHODS: We prospectively studied 87 SIA patients with migraine or other recurrent headaches. They were interviewed about headaches in the preceding year before and 1 year after clipping using a validated semi-structured neurologist conducted...

Film clips and narrative text as subjective emotion elicitation techniques.

Science.gov (United States)

Zupan, Barbra; Babbage, Duncan R

2017-01-01

Film clips and narrative text are useful techniques in eliciting emotion in a laboratory setting but have not been examined side-by-side using the same methodology. This study examined the self-identification of emotions elicited by film clip and narrative text stimuli to confirm that selected stimuli appropriately target the intended emotions. Seventy participants viewed 30 film clips, and 40 additional participants read 30 narrative texts. Participants identified the emotion experienced (happy, sad, angry, fearful, neutral-six stimuli each). Eighty-five percent of participants self-identified the target emotion for at least two stimuli for all emotion categories of film clips, except angry (only one) and for all categories of narrative text, except fearful (only one). The most effective angry text was correctly identified 74% of the time. Film clips were more effective in eliciting all target emotions in participants for eliciting the correct emotion (angry), intensity rating (happy, sad), or both (fearful).

Current MitraClip experience, safety and feasibility in the Netherlands

OpenAIRE

Rahhab, Z.; Kortlandt, F.A.; Velu, J.F.; Schurer, R.A.J.; Delgado, V.; Tonino, P.; Boven, A.J. van; Branden, B.J.L. Van den; Kraaijeveld, A.O.; Voskuil, M.; Hoorntje, J.; Wely, M.H. van; Houwelingen, K. van; Bleeker, G.B.; Rensing, B.

2017-01-01

PURPOSE: Data on MitraClip procedural safety and efficacy in the Netherlands are scarce. We aim to provide an overview of the Dutch MitraClip experience. METHODS: We pooled anonymised demographic and procedural data of 1151 consecutive MitraClip patients, from 13 Dutch hospitals. Data was collected by product specialists in collaboration with local operators. Effect on mitral regurgitation was intra-procedurally assessed by transoesophageal echocardiography. Technical success and device succe...

Sharps container

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Angelene M. (Inventor)

1992-01-01

This invention relates to a system for use in disposing of potentially hazardous items and more particularly a Sharps receptacle for used hypodermic needles and the like. A Sharps container is constructed from lightweight alodined nonmagnetic metal material with a cup member having an elongated tapered shape and length greater than its transverse dimensions. A magnet in the cup member provides for metal retention in the container. A nonmagnetic lid member has an opening and spring biased closure flap member. The flap member is constructed from stainless steel. A Velcro patch on the container permits selective attachment at desired locations.

Comparison of Sonography versus Digital Breast Tomosynthesis to Locate Intramammary Marker Clips.

Science.gov (United States)

Schulz-Wendtland, R; Dankerl, P; Dilbat, G; Bani, M; Fasching, P A; Heusinger, K; Lux, M P; Loehberg, C R; Jud, S M; Rauh, C; Bayer, C M; Beckmann, M W; Wachter, D L; Uder, M; Meier-Meitinger, M; Brehm, B

2015-01-01

Introduction: This study aimed to compare the accuracy of sonography versus digital breast tomosynthesis to locate intramammary marker clips placed under ultrasound guidance. Patients and Methods: Fifty patients with suspicion of breast cancer (lesion diameter less than 2 cm [cT1]) had ultrasound-guided core needle biopsy with placement of a marker clip in the center of the tumor. Intramammary marker clips were subsequently located with both sonography and digital breast tomosynthesis. Results: Sonography detected no dislocation of intrammammary marker clips in 42 of 50 patients (84 %); dislocation was reported in 8 patients (16 %) with a maximum dislocation of 7 mm along the x-, y- or z-axis. Digital breast tomosynthesis showed accurate placement without dislocation of the intramammary marker clip in 48 patients (96 %); 2 patients (4 %) had a maximum clip dislocation of 3 mm along the x-, y- or z-axis (p tomosynthesis could improve the accuracy when locating intramammary marker clips compared to sonography and could, in future, be used to complement or even completely replace sonography.

Adding run history to CLIPS

Science.gov (United States)

Tuttle, Sharon M.; Eick, Christoph F.

1991-01-01

To debug a C Language Integrated Production System (CLIPS) program, certain 'historical' information about a run is needed. It would be convenient for system builders to have the capability to request such information. We will discuss how historical Rete networks can be used for answering questions that help a system builder detect the cause of an error in a CLIPS program. Moreover, the cost of maintaining a historical Rete network is compared with that for a classical Rete network. We will demonstrate that the cost for assertions is only slightly higher for a historical Rete network. The cost for handling retraction could be significantly higher; however, we will show that by using special data structures that rely on hashing, it is also possible to implement retractions efficiently.

Almost sharp quantum effects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arias, Alvaro; Gudder, Stan

2004-01-01

Quantum effects are represented by operators on a Hilbert space satisfying 0≤A≤I, and sharp quantum effects are represented by projection operators. We say that an effect A is almost sharp if A=PQP for projections P and Q. We give simple characterizations of almost sharp effects. We also characterize effects that can be written as longer products of projections. For generality we first work in the formalism of von Neumann algebras. We then specialize to the full operator algebra B(H) and to finite dimensional Hilbert spaces

A CLIPS expert system for clinical flow cytometry data analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Salzman, G. C.; Duque, R. E.; Braylan, R. C.; Stewart, C. C.

1990-01-01

An expert system is being developed using CLIPS to assist clinicians in the analysis of multivariate flow cytometry data from cancer patients. Cluster analysis is used to find subpopulations representing various cell types in multiple datasets each consisting of four to five measurements on each of 5000 cells. CLIPS facts are derived from results of the clustering. CLIPS rules are based on the expertise of Drs. Stewart, Duque, and Braylan. The rules incorporate certainty factors based on case histories.

Extravasal occlusion of large vessels with titanic clips: efficiency, indications, and contraindications.

Science.gov (United States)

Vasilenko, Yu V; Kim, A I; Kotov, S A

2002-11-01

The mechanism of extravasal occlusion of blood vessels with titanic clips "Atrauclip" and "Ligaclip extra" was studied in order to reveal indications and contraindications to their use. Occlusion with the clips of both types was ineffective in vessels with a diameter of >7.0 mm. Arteritis or the presence of an intravascular occlusion facility in the vessel were also the contraindications for clip occlusion. In overcases the procedure of occlusion with titanic clips was efficient and atraumatic.

Molecular clips based on propanediurea : synthesis and physical properties

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jansen, Robertus Johannes

2002-01-01

This thesis describes the synthesis and physical properties of a series of molecular clips derived from the concave molecule propanediurea. These molecular clips are cavity-containing receptors that can bind a variety of aromatic guests. This binding is a result of hydrogen bonding and pi-pi

Bayesian Recovery of Clipped OFDM Signals: A Receiver-based Approach

KAUST Repository

Al-Rabah, Abdullatif R.

2013-05-01

Recently, orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) has been adopted for high-speed wireless communications due to its robustness against multipath fading. However, one of the main fundamental drawbacks of OFDM systems is the high peak-to-average-power ratio (PAPR). Several techniques have been proposed for PAPR reduction. Most of these techniques require transmitter-based (pre-compensated) processing. On the other hand, receiver-based alternatives would save the power and reduce the transmitter complexity. By keeping this in mind, a possible approach is to limit the amplitude of the OFDM signal to a predetermined threshold and equivalently a sparse clipping signal is added. Then, estimating this clipping signal at the receiver to recover the original signal. In this work, we propose a Bayesian receiver-based low-complexity clipping signal recovery method for PAPR reduction. The method is able to i) effectively reduce the PAPR via simple clipping scheme at the transmitter side, ii) use Bayesian recovery algorithm to reconstruct the clipping signal at the receiver side by measuring part of subcarriers, iii) perform well in the absence of statistical information about the signal (e.g. clipping level) and the noise (e.g. noise variance), and at the same time iv is energy efficient due to its low complexity. Specifically, the proposed recovery technique is implemented in data-aided based. The data-aided method collects clipping information by measuring reliable 
data subcarriers, thus makes full use of spectrum for data transmission without the need for tone reservation. The study is extended further to discuss how to improve the recovery of the clipping signal utilizing some features of practical OFDM systems i.e., the oversampling and the presence of multiple receivers. Simulation results demonstrate the superiority of the proposed technique over other recovery algorithms. The overall objective is to show that the receiver-based Bayesian technique is highly

Understanding and Applying Psychology through Use of News Clippings.

Science.gov (United States)

Rider, Elizabeth A.

1992-01-01

Discusses a student project for psychology courses in which students collect newspaper clippings that illustrate psychological concepts. Explains that the students record the source and write a brief description of the clipping, explaining how it relates to a psychological concept or theory. Includes results of student evaluations of the…

Sympathetic block by metal clips may be a reversible operation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thomsen, Lars L; Mikkelsen, Rasmus T; Derejko, Miroslawa

2014-01-01

, but the question of reversibility remains controversial. Two recent experimental studies found severe histological signs of nerve damage 4-6 weeks after clip removal, but they only used conventional histopathological staining methods. METHODS: Thoracoscopic clipping of the sympathetic trunk was performed in adult...... the sympathetic chain vary tremendously. Most surgeons transect or resect the sympathetic chain, but application of a metal clip that blocks transmission of nerve impulses in the sympathetic chain is used increasingly worldwide. This approach offers potential reversibility if patients regret surgery...... suggests in theory that application of metal clips to the sympathetic chain is a reversible procedure if only the observation period is prolonged. Further studies with longer periods between application and removal as well as investigations of nerve conduction should be encouraged, because we do not know...

The influence of clipping frequency on reserve carbohydrates and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Increasing the frequency of clipping over a 12 week period resulted in decreasing root and stubble weight at the end of the 12 week period. During the regrowth period, following the clipping treatment, the aerial dry matter production was found to increase with the more lenient treatments. Keywords: weights|dry ...

Suture retraction technique to prevent parent vessel obstruction following aneurysm tandem clipping.

Science.gov (United States)

Rayan, Tarek; Amin-Hanjani, Sepideh

2015-08-01

With large or giant aneurysms, the use of multiple tandem clips can be essential for complete obliteration of the aneurysm. One potential disadvantage, however, is the considerable cumulative weight of these clips, which may lead to kinking of the underlying parent vessels and obstruction of flow. The authors describe a simple technique to address this problem, guided by intraoperative blood flow measurements, in a patient with a ruptured near-giant 2.2 × 1.7-cm middle cerebral artery bifurcation aneurysm that was treated with the tandem clipping technique. A total of 11 clips were applied in a vertical stacked fashion. The cumulative weight of the clips caused kinking of the temporal M2 branch of the bifurcation with reduction of flow. A 4-0 Nurolon suture tie was applied to the hub of one of the clips and was tethered to the dura of the sphenoid ridge by a small mini-clip and reinforced by application of tissue sealant. The patient underwent intraoperative indocyanine green videoangiography as well as catheter angiography, which demonstrated complete aneurysmal obliteration and preservation of vessel branches. Postoperative angiography confirmed patency of the bifurcation vessels with mild vasospasm. The patient had a full recovery with no postoperative complications and was neurologically intact at her 6-month follow-up. The suture retraction technique allows a simple solution to parent vessel obstruction following aneurysm tandem clipping, in conjunction with the essential guidance provided by intraoperative flow measurements.

A systematic review of discomfort due to toe or ear clipping in laboratory rodents

Science.gov (United States)

Geessink, Florentine J.; Brouwer, Michelle A. E.; Tillema, Alice; Ritskes-Hoitinga, Merel

2017-01-01

Toe clipping and ear clipping (also ear notching or ear punching) are frequently used methods for individual identification of laboratory rodents. These procedures potentially cause severe discomfort, which can reduce animal welfare and distort experimental results. However, no systematic summary of the evidence on this topic currently exists. We conducted a systematic review of the evidence for discomfort due to toe or ear clipping in rodents. The review methodology was pre-specified in a registered review protocol. The population, intervention, control, outcome (PICO) question was: In rodents, what is the effect of toe clipping or ear clipping, compared with no clipping or sham clipping, on welfare-related outcomes? Through a systematic search in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and grey literature, we identified seven studies on the effect of ear clipping on animal welfare, and five such studies on toe clipping. Studies were included in the review if they contained original data from an in vivo experiment in rodents, assessing the effect of toe clipping or ear clipping on a welfare-related outcome. Case studies and studies applying unsuitable co-interventions were excluded. Study quality was appraised using an extended version of SYstematic Review Centre for Laboratory animal Experimentation (SYRCLE)’s risk of bias tool for animal studies. Study characteristics and outcome measures were highly heterogeneous, and there was an unclear or high risk of bias in all studies. We therefore present a narrative synthesis of the evidence identified. None of the studies reported a sample size calculation. Out of over 60 different outcomes, we found evidence of discomfort due to ear clipping in the form of increased respiratory volume, vocalization and blood pressure. For toe clipping, increased vocalization and decreased motor activity in pups were found, as well as long-term effects in the form of reduced grip strength and swimming ability in adults. In conclusion, there

Analysis of sharpness increase by image noise

Science.gov (United States)

Kurihara, Takehito; Aoki, Naokazu; Kobayashi, Hiroyuki

2009-02-01

Motivated by the reported increase in sharpness by image noise, we investigated how noise affects sharpness perception. We first used natural images of tree bark with different amounts of noise to see whether noise enhances sharpness. Although the result showed sharpness decreased as noise amount increased, some observers seemed to perceive more sharpness with increasing noise, while the others did not. We next used 1D and 2D uni-frequency patterns as stimuli in an attempt to reduce such variability in the judgment. The result showed, for higher frequency stimuli, sharpness decreased as the noise amount increased, while sharpness of the lower frequency stimuli increased at a certain noise level. From this result, we thought image noise might reduce sharpness at edges, but be able to improve sharpness of lower frequency component or texture in image. To prove this prediction, we experimented again with the natural image used in the first experiment. Stimuli were made by applying noise separately to edge or to texture part of the image. The result showed noise, when added to edge region, only decreased sharpness, whereas when added to texture, could improve sharpness. We think it is the interaction between noise and texture that sharpens image.

Peak reduction and clipping mitigation in OFDM by augmented compressive sensing

KAUST Repository

Al-Safadi, Ebrahim B.

2012-07-01

This work establishes the design, analysis, and fine-tuning of a peak-to-average-power-ratio (PAPR) reducing system, based on compressed sensing (CS) at the receiver of a peak-reducing sparse clipper applied to an orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) signal at the transmitter. By exploiting the sparsity of clipping events in the time domain relative to a predefined clipping threshold, the method depends on partially observing the frequency content of the clipping distortion over reserved tones to estimate the remaining distortion. The approach has the advantage of eliminating the computational complexity at the transmitter and reducing the overall complexity of the system compared to previous methods which incorporate pilots to cancel nonlinear distortion. Data-based augmented CS methods are also proposed that draw upon available phase and support information from data tones for enhanced estimation and cancelation of clipping noise. This enables signal recovery under more severe clipping scenarios and hence lower PAPR can be achieved compared to conventional CS techniques. © 2012 IEEE.

Peak reduction and clipping mitigation in OFDM by augmented compressive sensing

KAUST Repository

Al-Safadi, Ebrahim B.; Al-Naffouri, Tareq Y.

2012-01-01

This work establishes the design, analysis, and fine-tuning of a peak-to-average-power-ratio (PAPR) reducing system, based on compressed sensing (CS) at the receiver of a peak-reducing sparse clipper applied to an orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) signal at the transmitter. By exploiting the sparsity of clipping events in the time domain relative to a predefined clipping threshold, the method depends on partially observing the frequency content of the clipping distortion over reserved tones to estimate the remaining distortion. The approach has the advantage of eliminating the computational complexity at the transmitter and reducing the overall complexity of the system compared to previous methods which incorporate pilots to cancel nonlinear distortion. Data-based augmented CS methods are also proposed that draw upon available phase and support information from data tones for enhanced estimation and cancelation of clipping noise. This enables signal recovery under more severe clipping scenarios and hence lower PAPR can be achieved compared to conventional CS techniques. © 2012 IEEE.

Catheter Entrapment During Posterior Mitral Leaflet Pushing Maneuver for MitraClip Implantation.

Science.gov (United States)

Castrodeza, Javier; Amat-Santos, Ignacio J; Tobar, Javier; Varela-Falcón, Luis H

2016-06-01

MitraClip (Abbott Vascular) therapy has been reported to be an effective procedure for mitral regurgitation, especially in high-risk patients. Recently, the novel pushing maneuver technique has been described for approaching restricted and short posterior leaflets with a pigtail catheter in order to facilitate grasping of the clip. However, complications or unexpected situations may occur. We report the case of an 84-year-old patient who underwent MitraClip implantation wherein the pushing maneuver was complicated by the clip accidentally gripping the pigtail catheter along with the two leaflets.

Preoperative simulation for the planning of microsurgical clipping of intracranial aneurysms.

Science.gov (United States)

Marinho, Paulo; Vermandel, Maximilien; Bourgeois, Philippe; Lejeune, Jean-Paul; Mordon, Serge; Thines, Laurent

2014-12-01

The safety and success of intracranial aneurysm (IA) surgery could be improved through the dedicated application of simulation covering the procedure from the 3-dimensional (3D) description of the surgical scene to the visual representation of the clip application. We aimed in this study to validate the technical feasibility and clinical relevance of such a protocol. All patients preoperatively underwent 3D magnetic resonance imaging and 3D computed tomography angiography to build 3D reconstructions of the brain, cerebral arteries, and surrounding cranial bone. These 3D models were segmented and merged using Osirix, a DICOM image processing application. This provided the surgical scene that was subsequently imported into Blender, a modeling platform for 3D animation. Digitized clips and appliers could then be manipulated in the virtual operative environment, allowing the visual simulation of clipping. This simulation protocol was assessed in a series of 10 IAs by 2 neurosurgeons. The protocol was feasible in all patients. The visual similarity between the surgical scene and the operative view was excellent in 100% of the cases, and the identification of the vascular structures was accurate in 90% of the cases. The neurosurgeons found the simulation helpful for planning the surgical approach (ie, the bone flap, cisternal opening, and arterial tree exposure) in 100% of the cases. The correct number of final clip(s) needed was predicted from the simulation in 90% of the cases. The preoperatively expected characteristics of the optimal clip(s) (ie, their number, shape, size, and orientation) were validated during surgery in 80% of the cases. This study confirmed that visual simulation of IA clipping based on the processing of high-resolution 3D imaging can be effective. This is a new and important step toward the development of a more sophisticated integrated simulation platform dedicated to cerebrovascular surgery.

Bayesian Recovery of Clipped OFDM Signals: A Receiver-based Approach

KAUST Repository

Al-Rabah, Abdullatif R.

2013-01-01

recovery algorithm to reconstruct the clipping signal at the receiver side by measuring part of subcarriers, iii) perform well in the absence of statistical information about the signal (e.g. clipping level) and the noise (e.g. noise variance

Equation-Method for correcting clipping errors in OFDM signals.

Science.gov (United States)

Bibi, Nargis; Kleerekoper, Anthony; Muhammad, Nazeer; Cheetham, Barry

2016-01-01

Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) is the digital modulation technique used by 4G and many other wireless communication systems. OFDM signals have significant amplitude fluctuations resulting in high peak to average power ratios which can make an OFDM transmitter susceptible to non-linear distortion produced by its high power amplifiers (HPA). A simple and popular solution to this problem is to clip the peaks before an OFDM signal is applied to the HPA but this causes in-band distortion and introduces bit-errors at the receiver. In this paper we discuss a novel technique, which we call the Equation-Method, for correcting these errors. The Equation-Method uses the Fast Fourier Transform to create a set of simultaneous equations which, when solved, return the amplitudes of the peaks before they were clipped. We show analytically and through simulations that this method can, correct all clipping errors over a wide range of clipping thresholds. We show that numerical instability can be avoided and new techniques are needed to enable the receiver to differentiate between correctly and incorrectly received frequency-domain constellation symbols.

Modeling Timbre Similarity of Short Music Clips.

Science.gov (United States)

Siedenburg, Kai; Müllensiefen, Daniel

2017-01-01

There is evidence from a number of recent studies that most listeners are able to extract information related to song identity, emotion, or genre from music excerpts with durations in the range of tenths of seconds. Because of these very short durations, timbre as a multifaceted auditory attribute appears as a plausible candidate for the type of features that listeners make use of when processing short music excerpts. However, the importance of timbre in listening tasks that involve short excerpts has not yet been demonstrated empirically. Hence, the goal of this study was to develop a method that allows to explore to what degree similarity judgments of short music clips can be modeled with low-level acoustic features related to timbre. We utilized the similarity data from two large samples of participants: Sample I was obtained via an online survey, used 16 clips of 400 ms length, and contained responses of 137,339 participants. Sample II was collected in a lab environment, used 16 clips of 800 ms length, and contained responses from 648 participants. Our model used two sets of audio features which included commonly used timbre descriptors and the well-known Mel-frequency cepstral coefficients as well as their temporal derivates. In order to predict pairwise similarities, the resulting distances between clips in terms of their audio features were used as predictor variables with partial least-squares regression. We found that a sparse selection of three to seven features from both descriptor sets-mainly encoding the coarse shape of the spectrum as well as spectrotemporal variability-best predicted similarities across the two sets of sounds. Notably, the inclusion of non-acoustic predictors of musical genre and record release date allowed much better generalization performance and explained up to 50% of shared variance ( R 2 ) between observations and model predictions. Overall, the results of this study empirically demonstrate that both acoustic features related

Effects of Japanese beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) and silk clipping in field corn.

Science.gov (United States)

Steckel, Sandy; Stewart, S D; Tindall, K V

2013-10-01

Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica Newman) is an emerging silk-feeding insect found in fields in the lower Corn Belt and Midsouthern United States. Studies were conducted in 2010 and 2011 to evaluate how silk clipping in corn affects pollination and yield parameters. Manually clipping silks once daily had modest effects on yield parameters. Sustained clipping by either manually clipping silks three times per day or by caging Japanese beetles onto ears affected total kernel weight if it occurred during early silking (R1 growth stage). Manually clipping silks three times per day for the first 5 d of silking affected the number of kernels per ear, total kernel weight, and the weight of individual kernels. Caged beetles fed on silks and, depending on the number of beetles caged per ear, reduced the number of kernels per ear. Caging eight beetles per ear significantly reduced total kernel weight compared with noninfested ears. Drought stress before anthesis appeared to magnify the impact of silk clipping by Japanese beetles. There was evidence of some compensation for reduced pollination by increasing the size of pollinated kernels within the ear. Our results showed that it requires sustained silk clipping during the first week of silking to have substantial impacts on pollination and yield parameters, at least under good growing conditions. Some states recommend treating for Japanese beetle when three Japanese beetles per ear are found, silks are clipped to < 13 mm, and pollination is < 50% complete, and that recommendation appears to be adequate.

Hemodynamic response during aneurysm clipping surgery among experienced neurosurgeons.

Science.gov (United States)

Bunevicius, Adomas; Bilskiene, Diana; Macas, Andrius; Tamasauskas, Arimantas

2016-02-01

Neurosurgery is a challenging field associated with high levels of mental stress. The goal of this study was to investigate the hemodynamic response of experienced neurosurgeons during aneurysm clipping surgery and to evaluate whether neurosurgeons' hemodynamic responses are associated with patients' clinical statuses. Four vascular neurosurgeons (all male; mean age 51 ± 10 years; post-residency experience ≥7 years) were studied during 42 aneurysm clipping procedures. Blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) were assessed at rest and during seven phases of surgery: before the skin incision, after craniotomy, after dural opening, after aneurysm neck dissection, after aneurysm clipping, after dural closure and after skin closure. HR and BP were significantly greater during surgery relative to the rest situation (p ≤ 0.03). There was a statistically significant increase in neurosurgeons' HR (F [6, 41] = 10.88, p neurosurgeon experience, the difference in BP as a function of aneurysm rupture was not significant (p > 0.08). Aneurysm location, intraoperative aneurysm rupture, admission WFNS score, admission Glasgow Coma Scale scores and Fisher grade were not associated with neurosurgeons' intraoperative HR and BP (all p > 0.07). Aneurysm clipping surgery is associated with significant hemodynamic system activation among experienced neurosurgeons. The greatest HR and BP were after aneurysm neck dissection and clipping. Aneurysm location and patient clinical status were not associated with intraoperative changes of neurosurgeons' HR and BP.

An anthropomorphic phantom study of visualisation of surgical clips for partial breast irradiation (PBI) setup verification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thomas, Carys W.; Nichol, Alan M.; Park, Julie E.; Hui, Jason F.; Giddings, Alison A.; Grahame, Sheri; Otto, Karl

2009-01-01

Surgical clips were investigated for partial breast image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT). Small titanium clips were insufficiently well visualised. Medium tantalum clips were best for megavoltage IGRT and small tantalum clips were best for floor mounted kilovoltage IGRT (ExacTrac TM ). Both small tantalum and medium titanium clips were suitable for isocentric kilovoltage IGRT

An anthropomorphic phantom study of visualisation of surgical clips for partial breast irradiation (PBI) setup verification.

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, Carys W; Nichol, Alan M; Park, Julie E; Hui, Jason F; Giddings, Alison A; Grahame, Sheri; Otto, Karl

2009-01-01

Surgical clips were investigated for partial breast image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT). Small titanium clips were insufficiently well visualised. Medium tantalum clips were best for megavoltage IGRT and small tantalum clips were best for floor mounted kilovoltage IGRT (ExacTrac). Both small tantalum and medium titanium clips were suitable for isocentric kilovoltage IGRT.

Como o clipping pode auxiliar o dermatologista How the Nail clipping helps the dermatologist

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José Fillus Neto

2009-04-01

Full Text Available Alterações ungueais são queixas muito frequentes nos consultórios dermatológicos. Onicomicoses representam cerca de 50% das onicopatias, daí a importância de se estabelecer o diagnóstico correto antes de se iniciar o tratamento. Neste artigo, relataremos a utilidade de um exame que é de fácil execução pelo clínico, de baixo custo e sensível: esse exame consiste na análise histopatológica da queratina ungueal distal, atualmente já consagrado com o termo clipping.Onycodystrophies are common problems in dermatologic practice. About 50% of dystrophic nails have a fungal cause, so it is very important to establish a correct diagnosis before treatment. In this article we relate the usefulness of an easydoing exam, free from pain, cheap and sensible. This exam is the histopathology of the nail keratin or nail clipping.

Definition of postlumpectomy tumor bed for radiotherapy boost field planning: CT versus surgical clips

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goldberg, Hadassah; Prosnitz, Robert G.; Olson, John A.; Marks, Lawrence B.

2005-01-01

Purpose: To compare the location and extent of the tumor bed as defined by surgical clips and computed tomography (CT) scans, after lumpectomy, for electron boost planning as part of breast radiotherapy. Methods and Materials: Planning CT images of 31 operated breasts in 30 patients who underwent lumpectomy were reviewed. One or more clips were placed in the lumpectomy cavity. Serial CT images were used to measure the depth and transverse and longitudinal dimensions. The area and geometric center of the tumor bed were defined by the clips and CT. Results: The CT and clip measurements were identical for the maximal tumor depth in 27 of 30 patients. The CT bed extended beyond the clips by 0-7 mm medially in the transverse/longitudinal extent (multiclip patients). The median distance between the geometric centers in the coronal plane for the tumor bed center was larger for patients with single clips than for those with multiple clips (p 2 . The CT bed was more readily visible in patients with a shorter interval between surgery and radiotherapy. Conclusion: The maximal depth of the tumor bed was similar using the two methods. The extent and centers of the clip-and CT-determined beds differed significantly. This may indicate an underestimation of the tumor bed as defined by clips only and justifies integration of CT information in boost field planning

CLIPS 6.0 - C LANGUAGE INTEGRATED PRODUCTION SYSTEM, VERSION 6.0 (UNIX VERSION)

Science.gov (United States)

Donnell, B.

1994-01-01

CLIPS, the C Language Integrated Production System, is a complete environment for developing expert systems -- programs which are specifically intended to model human expertise or knowledge. It is designed to allow artificial intelligence research, development, and delivery on conventional computers. CLIPS 6.0 provides a cohesive tool for handling a wide variety of knowledge with support for three different programming paradigms: rule-based, object-oriented, and procedural. Rule-based programming allows knowledge to be represented as heuristics, or "rules-of-thumb" which specify a set of actions to be performed for a given situation. Object-oriented programming allows complex systems to be modeled as modular components (which can be easily reused to model other systems or create new components). The procedural programming capabilities provided by CLIPS 6.0 allow CLIPS to represent knowledge in ways similar to those allowed in languages such as C, Pascal, Ada, and LISP. Using CLIPS 6.0, one can develop expert system software using only rule-based programming, only object-oriented programming, only procedural programming, or combinations of the three. CLIPS provides extensive features to support the rule-based programming paradigm including seven conflict resolution strategies, dynamic rule priorities, and truth maintenance. CLIPS 6.0 supports more complex nesting of conditional elements in the if portion of a rule ("and", "or", and "not" conditional elements can be placed within a "not" conditional element). In addition, there is no longer a limitation on the number of multifield slots that a deftemplate can contain. The CLIPS Object-Oriented Language (COOL) provides object-oriented programming capabilities. Features supported by COOL include classes with multiple inheritance, abstraction, encapsulation, polymorphism, dynamic binding, and message passing with message-handlers. CLIPS 6.0 supports tight integration of the rule-based programming features of CLIPS with

CLIPS 6.0 - C LANGUAGE INTEGRATED PRODUCTION SYSTEM, VERSION 6.0 (MACINTOSH VERSION)

Science.gov (United States)

Riley, G.

1994-01-01

CLIPS, the C Language Integrated Production System, is a complete environment for developing expert systems -- programs which are specifically intended to model human expertise or knowledge. It is designed to allow artificial intelligence research, development, and delivery on conventional computers. CLIPS 6.0 provides a cohesive tool for handling a wide variety of knowledge with support for three different programming paradigms: rule-based, object-oriented, and procedural. Rule-based programming allows knowledge to be represented as heuristics, or "rules-of-thumb" which specify a set of actions to be performed for a given situation. Object-oriented programming allows complex systems to be modeled as modular components (which can be easily reused to model other systems or create new components). The procedural programming capabilities provided by CLIPS 6.0 allow CLIPS to represent knowledge in ways similar to those allowed in languages such as C, Pascal, Ada, and LISP. Using CLIPS 6.0, one can develop expert system software using only rule-based programming, only object-oriented programming, only procedural programming, or combinations of the three. CLIPS provides extensive features to support the rule-based programming paradigm including seven conflict resolution strategies, dynamic rule priorities, and truth maintenance. CLIPS 6.0 supports more complex nesting of conditional elements in the if portion of a rule ("and", "or", and "not" conditional elements can be placed within a "not" conditional element). In addition, there is no longer a limitation on the number of multifield slots that a deftemplate can contain. The CLIPS Object-Oriented Language (COOL) provides object-oriented programming capabilities. Features supported by COOL include classes with multiple inheritance, abstraction, encapsulation, polymorphism, dynamic binding, and message passing with message-handlers. CLIPS 6.0 supports tight integration of the rule-based programming features of CLIPS with

The SHARP scramjet launcher

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cartland, H.; Fiske, P.; Greenwood, R.; Hargiss, D.; Heston, P.; Hinsey, N.; Hunter, J.; Massey, W.

1995-01-10

The worlds largest light gas gun at SHARP (Super High Altitude Research Project) is completed and in the past year has launched 9 scramjets. Typical masses and velocities are 5.9 kg at 2.8 km/sec.and 4.4 kg at 3.1 km/sec. In so doing SHARP launched the first fully functioning, hydrogen burning scramjet at mach 8. The SHARP launcher is unique in having a 4 inch diameter and 155 foot-long barrel. This enables lower acceleration launches than any other system. In addition the facility can deliver high energy projectiles to targets in the open air without having to contain the impact fragments. This allows one to track lethality test debris for several thousand feet.

Virtual Cerebral Aneurysm Clipping with Real-Time Haptic Force Feedback in Neurosurgical Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Gmeiner, Matthias; Dirnberger, Johannes; Fenz, Wolfgang; Gollwitzer, Maria; Wurm, Gabriele; Trenkler, Johannes; Gruber, Andreas

2018-04-01

Realistic, safe, and efficient modalities for simulation-based training are highly warranted to enhance the quality of surgical education, and they should be incorporated in resident training. The aim of this study was to develop a patient-specific virtual cerebral aneurysm-clipping simulator with haptic force feedback and real-time deformation of the aneurysm and vessels. A prototype simulator was developed from 2012 to 2016. Evaluation of virtual clipping by blood flow simulation was integrated in this software, and the prototype was evaluated by 18 neurosurgeons. In 4 patients with different medial cerebral artery aneurysms, virtual clipping was performed after real-life surgery, and surgical results were compared regarding clip application, surgical trajectory, and blood flow. After head positioning and craniotomy, bimanual virtual aneurysm clipping with an original forceps was performed. Blood flow simulation demonstrated residual aneurysm filling or branch stenosis. The simulator improved anatomic understanding for 89% of neurosurgeons. Simulation of head positioning and craniotomy was considered realistic by 89% and 94% of users, respectively. Most participants agreed that this simulator should be integrated into neurosurgical education (94%). Our illustrative cases demonstrated that virtual aneurysm surgery was possible using the same trajectory as in real-life cases. Both virtual clipping and blood flow simulation were realistic in broad-based but not calcified aneurysms. Virtual clipping of a calcified aneurysm could be performed using the same surgical trajectory, but not the same clip type. We have successfully developed a virtual aneurysm-clipping simulator. Next, we will prospectively evaluate this device for surgical procedure planning and education. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Training model for cerebral aneurysm clipping

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hiroshi Tenjin, M.D., Ph.D.

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Clipping of cerebral aneurysms is still an important skill in neurosurgery. We have made a training model for the clipping of cerebral aneurysms. The concepts for the model were 1: training model for beginners, 2: three dimensional manipulation using an operating microscope, 3: the aneurysm model is to be perfused by simulated blood causing premature rupture. The correct relationship between each tissue, and softness of the brain and vessels were characteristics of the model. The skull, brain, arteries, and veins were made using a 3D printer with data from DICOM. The brain and vessels were made from polyvinyl alcohol (PVA. One training course was held and this model was useful for training of cerebral aneurysm surgery for young neurosurgeons.

Successful Removal of Football Helmet Face-Mask Clips After 1 Season of Use

Science.gov (United States)

Scibek, Jason S.; Gatti, Joseph M.; McKenzie, Jennifer I.

2012-01-01

Context Whereas many researchers have assessed the ability to remove loop straps in traditional face-mask attachment systems after at least 1 season of use, research in which the effectiveness of the Riddell Quick Release (QR) Face Guard Attachment System clip after 1 season has been assessed is limited. Objective To examine the success rate of removing the QR clips after 1 season of use at the Football Championship Subdivision level. We hypothesized that 1 season of use would negatively affect the removal rate of the QR clip but repeated clip-removal trials would improve the removal rate. Design Retrospective, quasi-experimental design. Setting Controlled laboratory study. Patients or Other Participants Sixty-three football helmets from a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I university located in western Pennsylvania used during the 2008 season were tested. Intervention(s) Three certified athletic trainers (2 men, 1 woman; age = 31.3 ± 3.06 years, time certified = 9.42 ± 2.65 years) attempted to remove the QR clips from each helmet with the tool provided by the manufacturer. Helmets then were reassembled to allow each athletic trainer to attempt clip removal. Main Outcome Measure(s) The dependent variables were total left clips removed (TCR-L), total right clips removed (TCR-R), and total clips removed (TCR). Success rate of clip removal (SRCR) also was assessed. Results Percentages for TCR-L, TCR-R, and TCR were 100% (189 of 189), 96.30% (182 of 189), and 98.15% (371 of 378), respectively. A paired-samples t test revealed a difference between TCR-R and TCR-L (t188 = −2.689, P = .008, μd = 0.037, 95% confidence interval [CI] = −0.064, −0.010). The percentage for SRCR was 96.30% (n = 182), whereas SRCR percentages for trials 1, 2, and 3 were 95.24% (n = 60), 98.41% (n = 62), and 95.24% (n = 60), respectively, and did not represent a difference (F2,186 = 0.588, P = .56, 95% CI = 0.94, 0.99). Conclusions Our results indicated favorable and

Multichannel infinite clipping as a form of sampling of speech signals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guidarelli, G.

1985-01-01

A remarkable improvement of both intelligibility and naturalness of infinitely clipped speech can be achieved by means of a multichannel system in which the speech signal is splitted into several band-pass channels before the clipping and successively reconstructed by summing up the clipped outputs of each channel. A possible explanation of such an improvement is given, founded on the so-called zero-based representation of band limited signals where the zero-crossings sequence is considered as a set of samples of the signal

Delay line clipping in a scintillation camera system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hatch, K.F.

1979-01-01

The present invention provides a novel base line restoring circuit and a novel delay line clipping circuit in a scintillation camera system. Single and double delay line clipped signal waveforms are generated for increasing the operational frequency and fidelity of data detection of the camera system by base line distortion such as undershooting, overshooting, and capacitive build-up. The camera system includes a set of photomultiplier tubes and associated amplifiers which generate sequences of pulses. These pulses are pulse-height analyzed for detecting a scintillation having an energy level which falls within a predetermined energy range. Data pulses are combined to provide coordinates and energy of photopeak events. The amplifiers are biassed out of saturation over all ranges of pulse energy level and count rate. Single delay line clipping circuitry is provided for narrowing the pulse width of the decaying electrical data pulses which increase operating speed without the occurrence of data loss. (JTA)

Assessing arsenic and selenium in a single nail clipping using portable X-ray fluorescence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fleming, David E.B.; Nader, Michel N.; Foran, Kelly A.; Groskopf, Craig; Reno, Michael C.; Ware, Chris S.; Tehrani, Mina; Guimarães, Diana; Parsons, Patrick J.

2017-01-01

The feasibility of measuring arsenic and selenium contents in a single nail clipping was investigated using a small-focus portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF) instrument with monochromatic excitation beams. Nail clipping phantoms supplemented with arsenic and selenium to produce materials with 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 µg/g were used for calibration purposes. In total, 10 different clippings were analyzed at two different measurement positions. Energy spectra were fit with detection peaks for arsenic K_α, selenium K_α, arsenic K_β, selenium K_β, and bromine K_α characteristic X-rays. Data analysis was performed under two distinct conditions of fitting constraint. Calibration lines were established from the amplitude of each of the arsenic and selenium peaks as a function of the elemental contents in the clippings. The slopes of the four calibration lines were consistent between the two conditions of analysis. The calculated minimum detection limit (MDL) of the method, when considering the K_α peak only, ranged from 0.210±0.002 µg/g selenium under one condition of analysis to 0.777±0.009 µg/g selenium under another. Compared with previous portable XRF nail clipping studies, MDLs were substantially improved for both arsenic and selenium. The new measurement technique had the additional benefits of being short in duration (~3 min) and requiring only a single nail clipping. The mass of the individual clipping used did not appear to play a major role in signal strength, but positioning of the clipping is important. - Highlights: • Portable X-ray fluorescence was used to assess As and Se in nail clipping phantoms. • Calibration lines were consistent between two different conditions of data analysis. • This new XRF approach was sensitive and required only a single nail clipping.

Low Proteolytic Clipping of Histone H3 in Cervical Cancer

Science.gov (United States)

Sandoval-Basilio, Jorge; Serafín-Higuera, Nicolás; Reyes-Hernandez, Octavio D.; Serafín-Higuera, Idanya; Leija-Montoya, Gabriela; Blanco-Morales, Magali; Sierra-Martínez, Monica; Ramos-Mondragon, Roberto; García, Silvia; López-Hernández, Luz Berenice; Yocupicio-Monroy, Martha; Alcaraz-Estrada, Sofia L.

2016-01-01

Chromatin in cervical cancer (CC) undergoes chemical and structural changes that alter the expression pattern of genes. Recently, a potential mechanism, which regulates gene expression at transcriptional levels is the proteolytic clipping of histone H3. However, until now this process in CC has not been reported. Using HeLa cells as a model of CC and human samples from patients with CC, we identify that the H3 cleavage was lower in CC compared with control tissue. Additionally, the histone H3 clipping was performed by serine and aspartyl proteases in HeLa cells. These results suggest that histone H3 clipping operates as part of post-translational modification system in CC. PMID:27698925

Structural changes in the human vas deferens after tantalum clip occlusion and conventional vasectomy.

Science.gov (United States)

Kothari, L K; Gupta, A S

1978-02-01

In 15 human subjects, the vasa deferentia were occluded by applying two tantalum clips on one side and by conventional vasectomy with silk ligatures on the other. After 2 weeks, the occluded segments were recovered for histopathologic examination of serial sections. Obstructing the seminal tract did not, as such, produce any significant change in the vas: the distal and proximal segments appeared to be essentially similar and normal. At the actual site of occlusion, however, tantalum clips produced marked flattening of the tube, complete loss of lining epithelium, distortion of the muscular lamellae, and areas of hemorrhage. The lumen was converted into a narrow slit. Under the ligatures, the damage was largely confined to denudation of the mucosal epithelium. The mucosa of the intersegment left unexcised between two clips showed hyalinization, invasion by macrophages, and degeneration of the epithelium. The changes under the clips suggest that, although clip occlusion may offer several advantages, sterility cannot be reversed merely by removing the clips. The mechanisms of these changes, different in the case of clips and ligatures, are discussed and some possible long-term consequences are considered.

Sex Differences in Emotional Evaluation of Film Clips: Interaction with Five High Arousal Emotional Categories

Science.gov (United States)

Maffei, Antonio; Vencato, Valentina; Angrilli, Alessandro

2015-01-01

The present study aimed to investigate gender differences in the emotional evaluation of 18 film clips divided into six categories: Erotic, Scenery, Neutral, Sadness, Compassion, and Fear. 41 female and 40 male students rated all clips for valence-pleasantness, arousal, level of elicited distress, anxiety, jittery feelings, excitation, and embarrassment. Analysis of positive films revealed higher levels of arousal, pleasantness, and excitation to the Scenery clips in both genders, but lower pleasantness and greater embarrassment in women compared to men to Erotic clips. Concerning unpleasant stimuli, unlike men, women reported more unpleasantness to the Compassion, Sadness, and Fear compared to the Neutral clips and rated them also as more arousing than did men. They further differentiated the films by perceiving greater arousal to Fear than to Compassion clips. Women rated the Sadness and Fear clips with greater Distress and Jittery feelings than men did. Correlation analysis between arousal and the other emotional scales revealed that, although men looked less aroused than women to all unpleasant clips, they also showed a larger variance in their emotional responses as indicated by the high number of correlations and their relatively greater extent, an outcome pointing to a masked larger sensitivity of part of male sample to emotional clips. We propose a new perspective in which gender difference in emotional responses can be better evidenced by means of film clips selected and clustered in more homogeneous categories, controlled for arousal levels, as well as evaluated through a number of emotion focused adjectives. PMID:26717488

Sex Differences in Emotional Evaluation of Film Clips: Interaction with Five High Arousal Emotional Categories.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antonio Maffei

Full Text Available The present study aimed to investigate gender differences in the emotional evaluation of 18 film clips divided into six categories: Erotic, Scenery, Neutral, Sadness, Compassion, and Fear. 41 female and 40 male students rated all clips for valence-pleasantness, arousal, level of elicited distress, anxiety, jittery feelings, excitation, and embarrassment. Analysis of positive films revealed higher levels of arousal, pleasantness, and excitation to the Scenery clips in both genders, but lower pleasantness and greater embarrassment in women compared to men to Erotic clips. Concerning unpleasant stimuli, unlike men, women reported more unpleasantness to the Compassion, Sadness, and Fear compared to the Neutral clips and rated them also as more arousing than did men. They further differentiated the films by perceiving greater arousal to Fear than to Compassion clips. Women rated the Sadness and Fear clips with greater Distress and Jittery feelings than men did. Correlation analysis between arousal and the other emotional scales revealed that, although men looked less aroused than women to all unpleasant clips, they also showed a larger variance in their emotional responses as indicated by the high number of correlations and their relatively greater extent, an outcome pointing to a masked larger sensitivity of part of male sample to emotional clips. We propose a new perspective in which gender difference in emotional responses can be better evidenced by means of film clips selected and clustered in more homogeneous categories, controlled for arousal levels, as well as evaluated through a number of emotion focused adjectives.

Pull-off characteristics of double-shanked compared to single-shanked ligation clips: an animal study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Schenk Martin

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The use of surgical ligation clips is considered as the gold standard for the closure of vessels, particularly in laparoscopic surgery. The safety of clips is mainly achieved by the deep indentation of the metal bar with a high retention force. A novel double-shanked (DS titanium clip was compared to two single-shanked clips with respect to axial and radial pull-off forces.

CLIPS 6.0 - C LANGUAGE INTEGRATED PRODUCTION SYSTEM, VERSION 6.0 (IBM PC VERSION)

Science.gov (United States)

Donnell, B.

1994-01-01

CLIPS, the C Language Integrated Production System, is a complete environment for developing expert systems -- programs which are specifically intended to model human expertise or knowledge. It is designed to allow artificial intelligence research, development, and delivery on conventional computers. CLIPS 6.0 provides a cohesive tool for handling a wide variety of knowledge with support for three different programming paradigms: rule-based, object-oriented, and procedural. Rule-based programming allows knowledge to be represented as heuristics, or "rules-of-thumb" which specify a set of actions to be performed for a given situation. Object-oriented programming allows complex systems to be modeled as modular components (which can be easily reused to model other systems or create new components). The procedural programming capabilities provided by CLIPS 6.0 allow CLIPS to represent knowledge in ways similar to those allowed in languages such as C, Pascal, Ada, and LISP. Using CLIPS 6.0, one can develop expert system software using only rule-based programming, only object-oriented programming, only procedural programming, or combinations of the three. CLIPS provides extensive features to support the rule-based programming paradigm including seven conflict resolution strategies, dynamic rule priorities, and truth maintenance. CLIPS 6.0 supports more complex nesting of conditional elements in the if portion of a rule ("and", "or", and "not" conditional elements can be placed within a "not" conditional element). In addition, there is no longer a limitation on the number of multifield slots that a deftemplate can contain. The CLIPS Object-Oriented Language (COOL) provides object-oriented programming capabilities. Features supported by COOL include classes with multiple inheritance, abstraction, encapsulation, polymorphism, dynamic binding, and message passing with message-handlers. CLIPS 6.0 supports tight integration of the rule-based programming features of CLIPS with

Summer High School Apprenticeship Research Program (SHARP)

Science.gov (United States)

1997-01-01

The summer of 1997 will not only be noted by NASA for the mission to Mars by the Pathfinder but also for the 179 brilliant apprentices that participated in the SHARP Program. Apprentice participation increased 17% over last year's total of 153 participants. As indicated by the End-of-the-Program Evaluations, 96% of the programs' participants rated the summer experience from very good to excellent. The SHARP Management Team began the year by meeting in Cocoa Beach, Florida for the annual SHARP Planning Conference. Participants strengthened their Education Division Computer Aided Tracking System (EDCATS) skills, toured the world-renowned Kennedy Space Center, and took a journey into space during the Alien Encounter Exercise. The participants returned to their Centers with the same goals and objectives in mind. The 1997 SHARP Program goals were: (1) Utilize NASA's mission, unique facilities and specialized workforce to provide exposure, education, and enrichment experiences to expand participants' career horizons and inspire excellence in formal education and lifelong learning. (2) Develop and implement innovative education reform initiatives which support NASA's Education Strategic Plan and national education goals. (3) Utilize established statistical indicators to measure the effectiveness of SHARP's program goals. (4) Explore new recruiting methods which target the student population for which SHARP was specifically designed. (5) Increase the number of participants in the program. All of the SHARP Coordinators reported that the goals and objectives for the overall program as well as their individual program goals were achieved. Some of the goals and objectives for the Centers were: (1) To increase the students' awareness of science, mathematics, engineering, and computer technology; (2) To provide students with the opportunity to broaden their career objectives; and (3) To expose students to a variety of enrichment activities. Most of the Center goals and

It is time for a better clip applier - 3 mm, percutaneous, non-crushing and locking.

Science.gov (United States)

Yuval, Jonathan B; Weiss, Daniel J; Paz, Adrian; Bachar, Yehuda; Brodie, Ronit; Shapira, Yinon; Mintz, Yoav

2017-10-06

Since the advent of laparoscopy there have been attempts to minimize abdominal wall incisions. For this purpose smaller instruments have been produced. Our aim was to develop the first 3 mm percutaneous clip applier and to make it better than the standard clips of today. The ClipTip clip is made of Nitinol and has a crocodile shaped jaws, which when apposed effectively seal vessels. The shaft operates as a retractable needle permitting percutaneous insertion. Closing, reopening and reclosing is possible. The physical properties of the device were compared to three commercially available clip appliers. Surgeries were performed on porcine animals by experienced surgeons. In comparison to available clips, the superiority of the ClipTip is a combination of wide effective length alongside the ability to withstand strong forces. In live animal studies the Cliptip was inserted into the peritoneal cavity without any injuries. Vessels were ligated successfully and no clip dislodgement or leakage occurred. We developed the next generation clip applier with better properties. Advantages include its length, the needleoscopic caliber, non-crushing effect, locking mechanism and wide aperture. The device has performed safely and effectively in pre-clinical tests. Further studies are planned in humans.

Inducing negative affect using film clips with general and eating disorder-related content.

Science.gov (United States)

Koushiou, Maria; Nicolaou, Kalia; Karekla, Maria

2018-02-09

The aim of the present study was to select appropriate film clips with a general vs. eating disorder (ED)-related content to induce negative affect. More specifically, the study examined the subjective emotional experience (valence, arousal, anxiety, induction of somatic symptoms, and ability to control reactions during film clips) of Greek-Cypriot university students (N = 79) in response to three types of film clips: general unpleasant, ED-specific unpleasant, and emotionally neutral. In addition, the study aimed to compare the emotional reactions to the aforementioned clips between two groups of participants differing on their risk for ED (high vs. low). Preliminary results indicate the clips with general content ("The Champ") and with ED-specific content ("Binge eating") that are most effective in inducing negative affect and differentiating between risk groups. These clips provide an effective method for emotion induction that can be used for assessing the emotional experience of individuals with ED symptoms, since their emotional experience is significantly implicated in the development and maintenance of their symptoms (Merwin, Clin Psychol Sci Pract 18(3):208-214, 2011).Level of evidence No level of evidence, Experimental Study.

SOCIOLINGUISTIC IMPORT OF NAME-CLIPPING AMONG ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

NGOZI

2013-02-27

Feb 27, 2013 ... experiences which, most of the times, encompass cultural and philosophical ... The art of name clipping goes way back in language history ... describes Akan names as “iconic representation of complete social variables that ...

Object oriented development of engineering software using CLIPS

Science.gov (United States)

Yoon, C. John

1991-01-01

Engineering applications involve numeric complexity and manipulations of a large amount of data. Traditionally, numeric computation has been the concern in developing an engineering software. As engineering application software became larger and more complex, management of resources such as data, rather than the numeric complexity, has become the major software design problem. Object oriented design and implementation methodologies can improve the reliability, flexibility, and maintainability of the resulting software; however, some tasks are better solved with the traditional procedural paradigm. The C Language Integrated Production System (CLIPS), with deffunction and defgeneric constructs, supports the procedural paradigm. The natural blending of object oriented and procedural paradigms has been cited as the reason for the popularity of the C++ language. The CLIPS Object Oriented Language's (COOL) object oriented features are more versatile than C++'s. A software design methodology based on object oriented and procedural approaches appropriate for engineering software, and to be implemented in CLIPS was outlined. A method for sensor placement for Space Station Freedom is being implemented in COOL as a sample problem.

Optimizing assessment of sexual arousal in postmenopausal women using erotic film clips.

Science.gov (United States)

Ramos Alarcon, Lauren G; Dai, Jing; Collins, Karen; Perez, Mindy; Woodard, Terri; Diamond, Michael P

2017-10-01

This study sought to assess sexual arousal in a subgroup of women by identifying erotic film clips that would be most mentally appealing and physically arousing to postmenopausal women. By measuring levels of mental appeal and self-reported physical arousal using a bidirectional scale, we aimed to elucidate the clips that would best be utilized for sexual health research in the postmenopausal or over 50-year-old subpopulation. Our results showed that postmenopausal women did not rate clips with older versus younger actors differently (p>0.05). The mean mental and mean physical scores were significantly correlated for both premenopausal subject ratings (r=0.69, perotic film clips; this knowledge is relevant for design of future sexual function research. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Establishment of an easy Ic measurement method of HTS superconducting tapes using clipped voltage taps

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shin, Hyung Seop; Nisay, Arman; Dedicatoria, Marlon; Sim, Ki Deok

2014-01-01

The critical current, I c of HTS superconducting tapes can be measured by transport or contactless method. Practically, the transport method using the four-probe method is the most common. In this study, a simple test procedure by clipping the voltage lead taps have been introduced instead of soldering which reduces time and effort and thereby achieving a much faster measurement of I c . When using a pair of iron clips, I c value decreased as compared with the measured one by standard method using soldered voltage taps and varies with the width of the clipped specimen part. However, when using a pure Cu clip, both by clipping and by soldering voltage taps give a comparable result and I c measured are equal and close to the samples specification. As a result, material to be used as voltage clip should be considered and should not influence the potential voltage between the leads during I c measurement. Furthermore, the simulation result of magnetic flux during I c measurement test showed that the decrease of I c observed in the experiment is due to the magnetic flux density, By produced at the clipped part of the sample by the operating current with iron clips attached to the sample.

Portable x-ray fluorescence for the analysis of chromium in nail and nail clippings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fleming, David E.B.; Ware, Chris S.

2017-01-01

Assessment of chromium content in human nail or nail clippings could serve as an effective biomarker of chromium status. The feasibility of a new portable x-ray fluorescence (XRF) approach to chromium measurement was investigated through analysis of nail and nail clipping phantoms. Five measurements of 180 s (real time) duration were first performed on six whole nail phantoms having chromium concentrations of 0, 2, 5, 10, 15, and 20 µg/g. Using nail clippers, these phantoms were then converted to nail clippings, and assembled into different mass groups of 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100 mg for additional measurements. The amplitude of the chromium Kα characteristic x-ray energy peak was examined as a function of phantom concentration for all measurement conditions to create a series of calibration lines. The minimum detection limit (MDL) for chromium was also calculated for each case. The chromium MDL determined from the whole nail intact phantoms was 0.88±0.03 µg/g. For the clipping phantoms, the MDL ranged from 1.2 to 3.3 µg/g, depending on the mass group analyzed. For the 40 mg clipping group, the MDL was 1.2±0.1 µg/g, and higher mass collections did not improve upon this result. This MDL is comparable to chromium concentration levels seen in various studies involving human nail clippings. Further improvements to the portable XRF technique would be required to detect chromium levels expected from the lower end of a typical population. - Highlights: • Portable x-ray fluorescence (XRF) was explored as a technique to assess levels of chromium in human nails or nail clippings. • Results were found to depend on the mass of clipping sample provided. • Minimum detection limits for chromium were similar to concentration levels found in previous studies of human nail clippings.

The Use of Film Clips in a Viewing Time Task of Sexual Interests.

Science.gov (United States)

Lalumière, Martin L; Babchishin, Kelly M; Ebsworth, Megan

2018-04-01

Viewing time tasks using still pictures to assess age and gender sexual interests have been well validated and are commonly used. The use of film clips in a viewing time task would open up interesting possibilities for the study of sexual interest toward sexual targets or activities that are not easily captured in still pictures. We examined the validity of a viewing time task using film clips to assess sexual interest toward male and female targets, in a sample of 52 young adults. Film clips produced longer viewing times than still pictures. For both men and women, the indices derived from the film viewing time task were able to distinguish individuals who identified as homosexual (14 men, 8 women) from those who identified as heterosexual (15 men, 15 women), and provided comparable group differentiation as indices derived from a viewing time task using still pictures. Men's viewing times were more gender-specific than those of women. Viewing times to film clips were correlated with participants' ratings of sexual appeal of the same clips, and with viewing times to pictures. The results support the feasibility of a viewing time measure of sexual interest that utilizes film clips and, thus, expand the types of sexual interests that could be investigated (e.g., sadism, biastophilia).

The OTSC®-clip in revisional endoscopy against weight gain after bariatric gastric bypass surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Heylen, Alex Marie Florent; Jacobs, Anja; Lybeer, Monika; Prosst, Ruediger L

2011-10-01

The maintenance of the restrictive component of the Fobi pouch gastric bypass is essential for permanent weight control. Dilatation of the pouch-outlet and of the pouch itself is responsible for substantial weight gain by an increased volume per meal and binge-eating due to the rapid emptying. An endoscopic over-the-scope clip (OTSC®; Ovesco AG, Tübingen, Germany) was applied in 94 patients following gastric bypass and unintended weight gain by dilated gastro-jejunostomy to narrow the pouch-outlet. The OTSC®-clip application was safe and efficient to reduce the pouch-outlet in all cases. Best clinical results were obtained by narrowing the gastro-jejunostomy by placing two clips at opposite sites, hence reducing the outlet of more than 80%. Preferably, the clip approximated the whole thickness of the wall to avoid further dilatation of the anastomosis. Between surgery and OTSC®-clip application the mean BMI dropped from 45.8 (±3.6) to 32.8 (±1.9). At the first follow-up about 3 months (mean 118 days, ±46 days) after OTSC®-clip application the mean BMI was 29.7 (±1.8). At the second follow-up about 1 year (mean 352 days, ±66 days) after OTSC®-clip application the mean BMI was 27.4 (±3.8). The OTSC®-clip for revisional endoscopy after gastric bypass is reliable and effective in treating weight gain due to a dilated pouch-outlet with favorable short- and midterm results.

Fabrication and Characterization of ZnO Nano-Clips by the Polyol-Mediated Process

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Mei; Li, Ai-Dong; Kong, Ji-Zhou; Gong, You-Pin; Zhao, Chao; Tang, Yue-Feng; Wu, Di

2018-02-01

ZnO nano-clips with better monodispersion were prepared successfully using zinc acetate hydrate (Zn(OAc)2·nH2O) as Zn source and ethylene glycol (EG) as solvent by a simple solution-based route-polyol process. The effect of solution concentration on the formation of ZnO nano-clips has been investigated deeply. We first prove that the 0.01 M Zn(OAc)2·nH2O can react with EG without added water or alkaline, producing ZnO nano-clips with polycrystalline wurtzite structure at 170 °C. As-synthesized ZnO nano-clips contain a lot of aggregated nanocrystals ( 5 to 15 nm) with high specific surface area of 88 m2/g. The shapes of ZnO nano-clips basically keep constant with improved crystallinity after annealing at 400-600 °C. The lower solution concentration and slight amount of H2O play a decisive role in ZnO nano-clip formation. When the solution concentration is ≤ 0.0125 M, the complexing and polymerization reactions between Zn(OAc)2·nH2O and EG predominate, mainly elaborating ZnO nano-clips. When the solution concentration is ≥ 0.015 M, the alcoholysis and polycondensation reactions of Zn(OAc)2·nH2O and EG become dominant, leading to ZnO particle formation with spherical and elliptical shapes. The possible growth mechanism based on a competition between complexing and alcoholysis of Zn(OAc)2·nH2O and EG has been proposed.

Primitive experience of three dimensional multi-slice spiral CT angiography for the follow-up of intracranial aneurysm clipping

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang Yunjun; Chen Weijian; Hu Zhangyong; Wu Enfu; Wang Meihao; Zhuge Qichuan; Zhongming; Cheng Jingliang; Ren Cuiping; Zhang Yong

2008-01-01

Objective To evaluate multi-slice three-dimensional CT angiography (MS 3D-CTA) for the follow-up of intracranial aneurysm clipping. Methods: MS 3D-CTA of 16 patients with intracranial aneurysm clipping were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were scanned on a 16-slice spiral CT (GE Lightspeed pro). Volume rendering(VR), thin maximum intensity projection(thin MIP) and multi-planar reconstruction (MPR) were employed in image postprocessing in all cases. Results: There were 17 clips in the 16 patients with aneurysm clipping. Six clips were located at the posterior communicating artery, 5 at the anterior communicating artery, 4 at the middle cerebral artery, and the remaining 2 clips were located at the pericallosal artery, in 1 patient. There were no abnormalities found in the aneurysm clipping region in 7 cases by MS 3D- CTA. There were residual aneurysm in 2 cases, parent artery stenosis in 4 cases, and artery spasm in 3 eases. There was no parent artery occlusion and clip displacement in all cases. VR showed excellent 3D spacial relations between the clip and parent artery in 12 cases, and showed good relations in 3 cases. The 1 case with 2 clips in the pericallosal artery showed heavy beam-hardening artifacts. The size and shape of aneurysm clips were clearly depicted by MPR and thin MIP, while 3D spacial relation of aneurysm clip and parent artery were poorly showed. Conclusion: MS 3D-CTA is a safe and efficient method for the follow-up of intracranialaneurysm clipping. Combined VR with MPR or thin MIP can well reveal postoperative changes after aneurysm clipping. (authors)

76 FR 44575 - Paper Clips From the People's Republic of China: Continuation of the Antidumping Duty Order

Science.gov (United States)

2011-07-26

..., butterfly clips, binder clips, or other paper fasteners that are not made wholly of wire of base metal and... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration [A-570-826] Paper Clips From the People... the antidumping duty order on paper clips from the People's Republic of China (``PRC'') would likely...

Using Short Movie and Television Clips in the Economics Principles Class

Science.gov (United States)

Sexton, Robert L.

2006-01-01

The author describes a teaching method that uses powerful contemporary media, movie and television clips, to demonstrate the enormous breadth and depth of economic concepts. Many different movie and television clips can be used to show the power of economic analysis. The author describes the scenes and the economic concepts within those scenes for…

CLIPS 6.0 - C LANGUAGE INTEGRATED PRODUCTION SYSTEM, VERSION 6.0 (DEC VAX VMS VERSION)

Science.gov (United States)

Donnell, B.

1994-01-01

CLIPS, the C Language Integrated Production System, is a complete environment for developing expert systems -- programs which are specifically intended to model human expertise or knowledge. It is designed to allow artificial intelligence research, development, and delivery on conventional computers. CLIPS 6.0 provides a cohesive tool for handling a wide variety of knowledge with support for three different programming paradigms: rule-based, object-oriented, and procedural. Rule-based programming allows knowledge to be represented as heuristics, or "rules-of-thumb" which specify a set of actions to be performed for a given situation. Object-oriented programming allows complex systems to be modeled as modular components (which can be easily reused to model other systems or create new components). The procedural programming capabilities provided by CLIPS 6.0 allow CLIPS to represent knowledge in ways similar to those allowed in languages such as C, Pascal, Ada, and LISP. Using CLIPS 6.0, one can develop expert system software using only rule-based programming, only object-oriented programming, only procedural programming, or combinations of the three. CLIPS provides extensive features to support the rule-based programming paradigm including seven conflict resolution strategies, dynamic rule priorities, and truth maintenance. CLIPS 6.0 supports more complex nesting of conditional elements in the if portion of a rule ("and", "or", and "not" conditional elements can be placed within a "not" conditional element). In addition, there is no longer a limitation on the number of multifield slots that a deftemplate can contain. The CLIPS Object-Oriented Language (COOL) provides object-oriented programming capabilities. Features supported by COOL include classes with multiple inheritance, abstraction, encapsulation, polymorphism, dynamic binding, and message passing with message-handlers. CLIPS 6.0 supports tight integration of the rule-based programming features of CLIPS with

Portable inference engine: An extended CLIPS for real-time production systems

Science.gov (United States)

Le, Thach; Homeier, Peter

1988-01-01

The present C-Language Integrated Production System (CLIPS) architecture has not been optimized to deal with the constraints of real-time production systems. Matching in CLIPS is based on the Rete Net algorithm, whose assumption of working memory stability might fail to be satisfied in a system subject to real-time dataflow. Further, the CLIPS forward-chaining control mechanism with a predefined conflict resultion strategy may not effectively focus the system's attention on situation-dependent current priorties, or appropriately address different kinds of knowledge which might appear in a given application. Portable Inference Engine (PIE) is a production system architecture based on CLIPS which attempts to create a more general tool while addressing the problems of real-time expert systems. Features of the PIE design include a modular knowledge base, a modified Rete Net algorithm, a bi-directional control strategy, and multiple user-defined conflict resolution strategies. Problems associated with real-time applications are analyzed and an explanation is given for how the PIE architecture addresses these problems.

A note on trader Sharpe Ratios.

Science.gov (United States)

Coates, John M; Page, Lionel

2009-11-25

Traders in the financial world are assessed by the amount of money they make and, increasingly, by the amount of money they make per unit of risk taken, a measure known as the Sharpe Ratio. Little is known about the average Sharpe Ratio among traders, but the Efficient Market Hypothesis suggests that traders, like asset managers, should not outperform the broad market. Here we report the findings of a study conducted in the City of London which shows that a population of experienced traders attain Sharpe Ratios significantly higher than the broad market. To explain this anomaly we examine a surrogate marker of prenatal androgen exposure, the second-to-fourth finger length ratio (2D:4D), which has previously been identified as predicting a trader's long term profitability. We find that it predicts the amount of risk taken by traders but not their Sharpe Ratios. We do, however, find that the traders' Sharpe Ratios increase markedly with the number of years they have traded, a result suggesting that learning plays a role in increasing the returns of traders. Our findings present anomalous data for the Efficient Markets Hypothesis.

A note on trader Sharpe Ratios.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John M Coates

Full Text Available Traders in the financial world are assessed by the amount of money they make and, increasingly, by the amount of money they make per unit of risk taken, a measure known as the Sharpe Ratio. Little is known about the average Sharpe Ratio among traders, but the Efficient Market Hypothesis suggests that traders, like asset managers, should not outperform the broad market. Here we report the findings of a study conducted in the City of London which shows that a population of experienced traders attain Sharpe Ratios significantly higher than the broad market. To explain this anomaly we examine a surrogate marker of prenatal androgen exposure, the second-to-fourth finger length ratio (2D:4D, which has previously been identified as predicting a trader's long term profitability. We find that it predicts the amount of risk taken by traders but not their Sharpe Ratios. We do, however, find that the traders' Sharpe Ratios increase markedly with the number of years they have traded, a result suggesting that learning plays a role in increasing the returns of traders. Our findings present anomalous data for the Efficient Markets Hypothesis.

Assessment of sharps waste management practices in a referral ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

hospital (40.8 kg/day) was higher than values reported in district hospitals, but the sharps waste ... Key words: Sharps waste, sharps waste container, overfilled safety box, sharps waste proportion, .... requirements and availability of technology.

Magnetic resonance angiography with ultrashort echo times reduces the artefact of aneurysm clips

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goenner, F.; Heid, O.; Remonda, L.; Schroth, G.; Loevblad, K.O.; Guzman, R.; Barth, A.

2002-01-01

We evaluated the ability of an ultrashort echo time (TE) three-dimensional (3D) time-of-flight (TOF) magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) sequence to reduce the metal artefact of intracranial aneurysm clips and to display adjacent cerebral arteries. In five patients (aged 8-72 years) treated with Elgiloy or Phynox aneurysm clips we prospectively performed a conventional (TE 6.0 ms) and a new ultrashort TE (TE 2.4 ms) 3D TOF MRA. We compared the diameter of the clip-induced susceptibility artefact and the detectability of flow in adjacent vessels. The mean artefact diameter was 22.3±6.4 mm (range 14-38 mm) with the ultrashort TE and 27.7±6.4 mm (range 19-45 mm) with the conventional MRA (P<0.0001). This corresponded to a diameter reduction of 19.5±9.2%. More parts of adjacent vessels were detected, but with less intense flow signal. The aneurysm dome and neck remained within the area of signal loss and were therefore not displayed. Ultrashort TE MRA is a noninvasive and fast method for improving detection of vessels adjacent to clipped intracranial aneurysms, by reducing clip-induced susceptibility artefact. The method cannot, however, be used to show remnants of the aneurysm neck or sac as a result of imperfect clipping. (orig.)

Fabrication and Characterization of ZnO Nano-Clips by the Polyol-Mediated Process.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Mei; Li, Ai-Dong; Kong, Ji-Zhou; Gong, You-Pin; Zhao, Chao; Tang, Yue-Feng; Wu, Di

2018-02-09

ZnO nano-clips with better monodispersion were prepared successfully using zinc acetate hydrate (Zn(OAc) 2 ·nH 2 O) as Zn source and ethylene glycol (EG) as solvent by a simple solution-based route-polyol process. The effect of solution concentration on the formation of ZnO nano-clips has been investigated deeply. We first prove that the 0.01 M Zn(OAc) 2 ·nH 2 O can react with EG without added water or alkaline, producing ZnO nano-clips with polycrystalline wurtzite structure at 170 °C. As-synthesized ZnO nano-clips contain a lot of aggregated nanocrystals (~ 5 to 15 nm) with high specific surface area of 88 m 2 /g. The shapes of ZnO nano-clips basically keep constant with improved crystallinity after annealing at 400-600 °C. The lower solution concentration and slight amount of H 2 O play a decisive role in ZnO nano-clip formation. When the solution concentration is ≤ 0.0125 M, the complexing and polymerization reactions between Zn(OAc) 2 ·nH 2 O and EG predominate, mainly elaborating ZnO nano-clips. When the solution concentration is ≥ 0.015 M, the alcoholysis and polycondensation reactions of Zn(OAc) 2 ·nH 2 O and EG become dominant, leading to ZnO particle formation with spherical and elliptical shapes. The possible growth mechanism based on a competition between complexing and alcoholysis of Zn(OAc) 2 ·nH 2 O and EG has been proposed.

Endoscopic clipping for gastrointestinal tumors. A method to define the target volume more precisely

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Riepl, M.; Klautke, G.; Fehr, R.; Fietkau, R.; Pietsch, A.

2000-01-01

Background: In many cases it is not possible to exactly define the extension of carcinoma of the gastrointestinal tract with the help of computertomography scans made for 3-D-radiation treatment planning. Consequently, the planning of external beam radiotherapy is made more difficult for the gross tumor volume as well as, in some cases, also for the clinical target volume. Patients and Methods: Eleven patients with macrosocpic tumors (rectal cancer n = 5, cardiac cancer n = 6) were included. Just before 3-D planning, the oral and aboral border of the tumor was marked endoscopically with hemoclips. Subsequently, CT scans for radiotherapy planning were made and the clinical target volume was defined. Five to 6 weeks thereafter, new CT scans were done to define the gross tumor volume for boost planning. Two investigators independently assessed the influence of the hemoclips on the different planning volumes, and whether the number of clips was sufficient to define the gross tumor volume. Results: In all patients, the implantation of the clips was done without complications. Start of radiotherapy was not delayed. With the help of the clips it was possible to exactly define the position and the extension of the primary tumor. The clinical target volume was modified according to the position of the clips in 5/11 patients; the gross tumor volume was modified in 7/11 patients. The use of the clips made the documentation and verification of the treatment portals by the simulator easier. Moreover, the clips helped the surgeon to define the primary tumor region following marked regression after neoadjuvant therapy in 3 patients. Conclusions: Endoscopic clipping of gastrointestinal tumors helps to define the tumor volumes more precisely in radiation therapy. The clips are easily recognized on the portal films and, thus, contribute to quality control. (orig.) [de

Acute oral toxicity and anti-inflammatory activity of hydroalcoholic extract from Lampaya medicinalis Phil in rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Morales, Glauco; Paredes, Adrián; Olivares, Alberto; Bravo, Jaime

2014-03-26

Algesia and inflammation are related with several pathological conditions. It is known that many drugs available for the treatment of these problems cause unwanted side effects. This study was aimed at evaluating acute toxicity and anti-inflammatory activity of Lampaya medicinalis Phil. (Verbenaceae) widely used in the folk medicine of Northern Chile against rheumatism, arthritis and body joints pain. Oral administration of hydroalcoholic extract (HAE) at the highest dose of 3000 mg/ Kg body weight resulted in no mortalities or evidence of significant behavioral changes. Histological examination revealed normal architecture and no significant adverse effects were observed on the liver, kidney, heart, lung or ovaries and testicles. The results suggest that the oral administration of hydroalcoholic extract (HAE) from Lampaya medicinalis did not produce any toxic effect in rats. Hydroalcoholic extract (HAE) significantly inhibited the carrageenan-induced rat paw edema in dose - response relationship, at test doses of 37.5, 75, 150 and 300 mg/Kg body weight. Maximum inhibition (61.98 ± 2.69%) was noted at 300 mg/Kg after 2 h of drug treatment carrageenan induced paw edema, whereas indomethacin produced 47.90 ± 1.16% of inhibition. The inhibitory values of edema at 3 h postcarrageenan were 31.04 ± 0.75%, 40.51 ± 2.36%, 48.97 ± 1.14% and 56.87 ± 0.41% for 37.5, 75, 150, and 300 mg/kg of extract respectively. Indomethacin (10 mg/Kg) gave a percentage inhibition of 49.44 ± 1.44. HAE (300 and 150 mg/kg) induced an anti-inflammatory effect greater than (or comparable) with the effect of indomethacin from 2nd to 4th hours of the experiment. Our results reveal for first time that compounds contained in the hydroalcoholic extract of Lampaya medicinalis Phil exert anti-inflammatory effect and the oral administration is safe and non toxic up to dose level 3000 mg/kg body weight. The anti-inflammatory activity may be associated with the presence of flavonoids. These

Real-world experience of MitraClip for treatment of severe mitral regurgitation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chan, Pak Hei; She, Hoi Lam; Alegria-Barrero, Eduardo

2012-01-01

 Percutaneous edge-to-edge mitral valve repair with the MitraClip(®) was shown to be a safe and feasible alternative compared to conventional surgical mitral valve repair. Herein is reported our experience on MitraClip(®) for high-risk surgical candidates with severe mitral regurgitation (MR)....

Iterative Signal Processing for Mitigation of Analog-to-Digital Converter Clipping Distortion in Multiband OFDMA Receivers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Markus Allén

2012-01-01

Full Text Available In modern wideband communication receivers, the large input-signal dynamics is a fundamental problem. Unintentional signal clipping occurs, if the receiver front-end with the analog-to-digital interface cannot respond to rapidly varying conditions. This paper discusses digital postprocessing compensation of such unintentional clipping in multiband OFDMA receivers. The proposed method iteratively mitigates the clipping distortion by exploiting the symbol decisions. The performance of the proposed method is illustrated with various computer simulations and also verified by concrete laboratory measurements with commercially available analog-to-digital hardware. It is shown that the clipping compensation algorithm implemented in a turbo decoding OFDM receiver is able to remove almost all the clipping distortion even under significant clipping in fading channel circumstances. That is to say, it is possible to nearly recover the receiver performance to the level, which would be achieved in the equivalent nonclipped situation.

Dr Phil Mjwara Director General, Department of Science and Technology (DST) Ministry of Science and Technology Republic of South Africa visit the Alice experiment introduce by Prof. Jurgen Schukraft, spokeperson for Alice.

CERN Multimedia

Maximilien Brice

2007-01-01

Dr Phil Mjwara Director General, Department of Science and Technology (DST) Ministry of Science and Technology Republic of South Africa visit the Alice experiment introduce by Prof. Jurgen Schukraft, spokeperson for Alice.

What kind of erotic film clips should we use in female sex research? An exploratory study.

Science.gov (United States)

Woodard, Terri L; Collins, Karen; Perez, Mindy; Balon, Richard; Tancer, Manuel E; Kruger, Michael; Moffat, Scott; Diamond, Michael P

2008-01-01

Erotic film clips are used in sex research, including studies of female sexual dysfunction and arousal. However, little is known about which clips optimize female sexual response. Furthermore, their use is not well standardized. To identify the types of film clips that are most mentally appealing and physically arousing to women for use in future sexual function and dysfunction studies; to explore the relationship between mental appeal and reported physical arousal; to characterize the content of the films that were found to be the most and least appealing and arousing. Twenty-one women viewed 90 segments of erotic film clips. They rated how (i) mentally appealing and (ii) how physically aroused they were by each clip. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics. The means of the mental and self-reported physical responses were calculated to determine the most and least appealing/arousing film clips. Pearson correlations were calculated to assess the relationship between mental appeal and reported physical arousal. Self-reported mental and physical arousal. Of 90 film clips, 18 were identified as the most mentally appealing and physically arousing while nine were identified as the least mentally appealing and physically arousing. The level of mental appeal positively correlated with the level of perceived physical arousal in both categories (r = 0.61, P Erotic film clips reliably produced a state of self-reported arousal in women. The most appealing and arousing films tended to depict heterosexual vaginal intercourse. Film clips with these attributes should be used in future research of sexual function and response of women.

Effect of apical meristem clipping on carbon allocation and morphological development of white oak seedlings

Science.gov (United States)

Paul P. Kormanik; Shi-Jean S. Sung; T.L. Kormanik; Stanley J. Zarnoch

1994-01-01

Seedlings from three open-pollinated half-sib white oak seedlots were clipped in mid-July and their development was compared to nonclipped controls after one growing season.In general when data were analyzed by family, clipped seedlings were significantly less desirable in three to six of the eight variables tested.Numerically, in all families seedlots, the clipped...

Psychiatric disorder associated with vacuum-assisted breast biopsy clip placement: a case report

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zografos George C

2008-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Introduction Vacuum-assisted breast biopsy is a minimally invasive technique that has been used increasingly in the treatment of mammographically detected, non-palpable breast lesions. Clip placement at the biopsy site is standard practice after vacuum-assisted breast biopsy. Case presentation We present the case of a 62-year-old woman with suspicious microcalcifications in her left breast. The patient was informed about vacuum-assisted breast biopsy, including clip placement. During the course of taking the patient's history, she communicated excellently, her demeanor was normal, she disclosed no intake of psychiatric medication and had not been diagnosed with any psychiatric disorders. Subsequently, the patient underwent vacuum-assisted breast biopsy (11 G under local anesthesia. A clip was placed at the biopsy site. The pathological diagnosis was of sclerosing adenosis. At the 6-month mammographic follow-up, the radiologist mentioned the existence of the metallic clip in her breast. Subsequently, the woman presented complaining about "being spied [upon] by an implanted clip in [her] breast" and repeatedly requested the removal of the clip. The patient was referred to the specialized psychiatrist of our breast unit for evaluation. The Mental State Examination found that systematized paranoid ideas of persecutory type dominated her daily routines. At the time, she believed that the implanted clip was one of several pieces of equipment being used to keep her under surveillance, the other equipment being her telephone, cameras and television. Quite surprisingly, she had never had a consultation with a mental health professional. The patient appeared depressed and her insight into her condition was impaired. The prevalent diagnosis was schizotypal disorder, whereas the differential diagnosis comprised delusional disorder of persecutory type, affective disorder with psychotic features or comorbid delusional disorder with major depression

Impact of Clipping versus Coiling on Postoperative Hemodynamics and Pulmonary Edema after Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nobutaka Horie

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Volume management is critical for assessment of cerebral vasospasm after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH. This multicenter prospective cohort study compared the impact of surgical clipping versus endovascular coiling on postoperative hemodynamics and pulmonary edema in patients with SAH. Hemodynamic parameters were measured for 14 days using a transpulmonary thermodilution system. The study included 202 patients, including 160 who underwent clipping and 42 who underwent coiling. There were no differences in global ejection fraction (GEF, cardiac index, systemic vascular resistance index, or global end-diastolic volume index between the clipping and coiling groups in the early period. However, extravascular lung water index (EVLWI and pulmonary vascular permeability index (PVPI were significantly higher in the clipping group in the vasospasm period. Postoperative C-reactive protein (CRP level was higher in the clipping group and was significantly correlated with postoperative brain natriuretic peptide level. Multivariate analysis found that PVPI and GEF were independently associated with high EVLWI in the early period, suggesting cardiogenic edema, and that CRP and PVPI, but not GEF, were independently associated with high EVLWI in the vasospasm period, suggesting noncardiogenic edema. In conclusion, clipping affects postoperative CRP level and may thereby increase noncardiogenic pulmonary edema in the vasospasm period. His trial is registered with University Hospital Medical Information Network UMIN000003794.

Receiver-based recovery of clipped ofdm signals for papr reduction: A bayesian approach

KAUST Repository

Ali, Anum; Al-Rabah, Abdullatif R.; Masood, Mudassir; Al-Naffouri, Tareq Y.

2014-01-01

at the receiver for information restoration. In this paper, we acknowledge the sparse nature of the clipping signal and propose a low-complexity Bayesian clipping estimation scheme. The proposed scheme utilizes a priori information about the sparsity rate

[Clip Sheets from BOCES. Opportunities. Health. Careers. = Oportunidades. Salud. Una Camera En...

Science.gov (United States)

State Univ. of New York, Geneseo. Coll. at Geneseo. Migrant Center.

This collection of 83 clip sheets, or classroom handouts, was created to help U.S. migrants learn more about health, careers, and general "opportunities" including education programs. They are written in both English and Spanish and are presented in an easily understandable format. Health clip-sheet topics include the following: Abuse; AIDS;…

From benchmarking HITS-CLIP peak detection programs to a new method for identification of miRNA-binding sites from Ago2-CLIP data.

Science.gov (United States)

Bottini, Silvia; Hamouda-Tekaya, Nedra; Tanasa, Bogdan; Zaragosi, Laure-Emmanuelle; Grandjean, Valerie; Repetto, Emanuela; Trabucchi, Michele

2017-05-19

Experimental evidence indicates that about 60% of miRNA-binding activity does not follow the canonical rule about the seed matching between miRNA and target mRNAs, but rather a non-canonical miRNA targeting activity outside the seed or with a seed-like motifs. Here, we propose a new unbiased method to identify canonical and non-canonical miRNA-binding sites from peaks identified by Ago2 Cross-Linked ImmunoPrecipitation associated to high-throughput sequencing (CLIP-seq). Since the quality of peaks is of pivotal importance for the final output of the proposed method, we provide a comprehensive benchmarking of four peak detection programs, namely CIMS, PIPE-CLIP, Piranha and Pyicoclip, on four publicly available Ago2-HITS-CLIP datasets and one unpublished in-house Ago2-dataset in stem cells. We measured the sensitivity, the specificity and the position accuracy toward miRNA binding sites identification, and the agreement with TargetScan. Secondly, we developed a new pipeline, called miRBShunter, to identify canonical and non-canonical miRNA-binding sites based on de novo motif identification from Ago2 peaks and prediction of miRNA::RNA heteroduplexes. miRBShunter was tested and experimentally validated on the in-house Ago2-dataset and on an Ago2-PAR-CLIP dataset in human stem cells. Overall, we provide guidelines to choose a suitable peak detection program and a new method for miRNA-target identification. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

Sharp spatially constrained inversion

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vignoli, Giulio G.; Fiandaca, Gianluca G.; Christiansen, Anders Vest C A.V.C.

2013-01-01

We present sharp reconstruction of multi-layer models using a spatially constrained inversion with minimum gradient support regularization. In particular, its application to airborne electromagnetic data is discussed. Airborne surveys produce extremely large datasets, traditionally inverted...... by using smoothly varying 1D models. Smoothness is a result of the regularization constraints applied to address the inversion ill-posedness. The standard Occam-type regularized multi-layer inversion produces results where boundaries between layers are smeared. The sharp regularization overcomes...... inversions are compared against classical smooth results and available boreholes. With the focusing approach, the obtained blocky results agree with the underlying geology and allow for easier interpretation by the end-user....

Sharps injury reduction using a sharps container with enhanced engineering: a 28 hospital nonrandomized intervention and cohort study.

Science.gov (United States)

Grimmond, Terry; Bylund, Suzann; Anglea, Candace; Beeke, Lou; Callahan, Angela; Christiansen, Erik; Flewelling, Kelly; McIntosh, Kathleen; Richter, Kay; Vitale, Monica

2010-12-01

The decrease in reported sharps injuries (SI) in the United States has markedly slowed. Additional devices and strategies need investigation. Sharps containers are associated with SI, and more than 90% of these injuries are related to container design. This study addresses the hypothesis that containers with enhanced engineering can reduce SI. In a before/after intervention study from 2006 to 2008, we examined the impact of conversion to a sharps container with enhanced engineering (the Device) on SI categories in 14 Ascension Health hospitals (study group). The Device's safety features included large horizontal aperture, sensitive counterbalanced door, large atrium, and passive overfill prevention. Study group results were also compared with a control cohort of 14 contemporaneous size-matched, Ascension Health hospitals (control group). The Device was associated with significant reductions in after-procedure (-30%), disposal-related (-57%), and container-associated (-81%) SI in the study group. No significant reductions occurred in container-associated sharps injuries in the control group. Hospitals using the Device had significantly fewer total SI than control hospitals. Enhanced aperture design can significantly reduce container-associated sharps injuries. Other factors contributing to reduced injuries may include 1-hand deposit, safe closure, hand restriction, and preassembly. These results, from a country where sharps safety devices are widespread, are particularly applicable to countries where safety devices are not extensively used. Copyright © 2010 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Future of clip-on weapon sights: pros and cons from an applications perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Knight, C. Reed; Greenslade, Ken; Francisco, Glen

2015-05-01

US Domestic, International, allied Foreign National Warfighters and Para-Military First Responders (Police, SWAT, Special Operations, Law Enforcement, Government, Security and more) are put in harm's way all the time. To successfully complete their missions and return home safely are the primary goals of these professionals. Tactical product improvements that affect mission effectiveness and solider survivability are pivotal to understanding the past, present and future of Clip-On in-line weapon sights. Clip-On Weapon Sight (WS) technology was deemed an interim solution by the US Government for use until integrated and fused (day/night multi-sensor) Weapon Sights (WSs) were developed/fielded. Clip-On has now become the solution of choice by Users, Warriors, Soldiers and the US Government. SWaP-C (size, weight and power -cost) has been improved through progressive advances in Clip-On Image Intensified (I2), passive thermal, LL-CMOS and fused technology. Clip-On Weapon Sights are now no longer mounting position sensitive. Now they maintain aim point boresight, so they can be used for longer ranges with increased capabilities while utilizing the existing zeroed weapon and daysight optic. Active illuminated low-light level (both analog I2 and digital LL-CMOS) imaging is rightfully a real-world technology, proven to deliver daytime and low-light level identification confidence. Passive thermal imaging is also a real-world technology, proven to deliver daytime, nighttime and all-weather (including dirty battlefield) target detection confidence. Image processing detection algorithms with intelligent analytics provide documented promise to improve confidence by reducing Users, Warriors and Soldiers' work-loads and improving overall system engagement solution outcomes. In order to understand the future of Clip-On in-line weapon sights, addressing pros and cons, this paper starts with an overview of historical weapon sight applications, technologies and stakeholder decisions

PAPR Reduction of FBMC by Clipping and Its Iterative Compensation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zsolt Kollár

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Physical layers of communication systems using Filter Bank Multicarrier (FBMC as a modulation scheme provide low out-of-band leakage but suffer from the large Peak-to-Average Power Ratio (PAPR of the transmitted signal. Two special FBMC schemes are investigated in this paper: the Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM and the Staggered Multitone (SMT. To reduce the PAPR of the signal, time domain clipping is applied in both schemes. If the clipping is not compensated, the system performance is severely affected. To avoid this degradation, an iterative noise cancelation technique, Bussgang Noise Cancelation (BNC, is applied in the receiver. It is shown that clipping can be a good means for reducing the PAPR, especially for the SMT scheme. A novel modified BNC receiver is presented for SMT. It is shown how this technique can be implemented in real-life applications where special requirements must be met regarding the spectral characteristics of the transmitted signal.

Acute Cholangitis following Intraductal Migration of Surgical Clips 10 Years after Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Natalie E. Cookson

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Background. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy represents the gold standard approach for treatment of symptomatic gallstones. Surgery-associated complications include bleeding, bile duct injury, and retained stones. Migration of surgical clips after cholecystectomy is a rare complication and may result in gallstone formation “clip cholelithiasis”. Case Report. We report a case of a 55-year-old female patient who presented with right upper quadrant pain and severe sepsis having undergone an uncomplicated laparoscopic cholecystectomy 10 years earlier. Computed tomography (CT imaging revealed hyperdense material in the common bile duct (CBD compatible with retained calculus. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP revealed appearances in keeping with a migrated surgical clip within the CBD. Balloon trawl successfully extracted this, alleviating the patient’s jaundice and sepsis. Conclusion. Intraductal clip migration is a rarely encountered complication after laparoscopic cholecystectomy which may lead to choledocholithiasis. Appropriate management requires timely identification and ERCP.

Surgical clipping is still a good choice for the treatment of paraclinoid aneurysms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Felix Hendrik Pahl

2016-04-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Paraclinoid aneurysms are lesions located adjacent to the clinoid and ophthalmic segments of the internal carotid artery. In recent years, flow diverter stents have been introduced as a better endovascular technique for treatment of these aneurysms. Method From 2009 to 2014, a total of 43 paraclinoid aneurysms in 43 patients were surgically clipped. We retrospectively reviewed the records of these patients to analyze clinical outcomes. Results Twenty-six aneurysms (60.5% were ophthalmic artery aneurysms, while 17 were superior hypophyseal artery aneurysms (39.5%. The extradural approach to the clinoid process was used to clip these aneurysms. One hundred percent of aneurysms were clipped (complete exclusion in 100% on follow-up angiography. The length of follow-up ranged from 1 to 60 months (mean, 29.82 months. Conclusion Surgical clipping continues to be a good option for the treatment of paraclinoid aneurysms.

Biochemical Analysis Reveals the Multifactorial Mechanism of Histone H3 Clipping by Chicken Liver Histone H3 Protease

KAUST Repository

Chauhan, Sakshi

2016-09-02

Proteolytic clipping of histone H3 has been identified in many organisms. Despite several studies, the mechanism of clipping, the substrate specificity, and the significance of this poorly understood epigenetic mechanism are not clear. We have previously reported histone H3 specific proteolytic clipping and a protein inhibitor in chicken liver. However, the sites of clipping are still not known very well. In this study, we attempt to identify clipping sites in histone H3 and to determine the mechanism of inhibition by stefin B protein, a cysteine protease inhibitor. By employing site-directed mutagenesis and in vitro biochemical assays, we have identified three distinct clipping sites in recombinant human histone H3 and its variants (H3.1, H3.3, and H3t). However, post-translationally modified histones isolated from chicken liver and Saccharomyces cerevisiae wild-type cells showed different clipping patterns. Clipping of histone H3 N-terminal tail at three sites occurs in a sequential manner. We have further observed that clipping sites are regulated by the structure of the N-terminal tail as well as the globular domain of histone H3. We also have identified the QVVAG region of stefin B protein to be very crucial for inhibition of the protease activity. Altogether, our comprehensive biochemical studies have revealed three distinct clipping sites in histone H3 and their regulation by the structure of histone H3, histone modifications marks, and stefin B.

Acoustic streaming of a sharp edge.

Science.gov (United States)

Ovchinnikov, Mikhail; Zhou, Jianbo; Yalamanchili, Satish

2014-07-01

Anomalous acoustic streaming is observed emanating from sharp edges of solid bodies that are vibrating in fluids. The streaming velocities can be orders of magnitude higher than expected from the Rayleigh streaming at similar amplitudes of vibration. Acoustic velocity of fluid relative to a solid body diverges at a sharp edge, giving rise to a localized time-independent body force acting on the fluid. This force results in a formation of a localized jet. Two-dimensional numerical simulations are performed to predict acoustic streaming for low amplitude vibration using two methods: (1) Steady-state solution utilizing perturbation theory and (2) direct transient solution of the Navier-Stokes equations. Both analyses agree with each other and correctly predict the streaming of a sharp-edged vibrating blade measured experimentally. The origin of the streaming can be attributed to the centrifugal force of the acoustic fluid flow around a sharp edge. The dependence of this acoustic streaming on frequency and velocity is examined using dimensional analysis. The dependence law is devised and confirmed by numerical simulations.

77 FR 56647 - Lisa Jean Sharp: Debarment Order

Science.gov (United States)

2012-09-13

... Act (the FD&C Act) permanently debarring Lisa Jean Sharp from providing services in any capacity to a...&C Act. Ms. Sharp was given notice of the proposed permanent debarment and an opportunity to request... drug product under the FD&C Act. The factual basis for this conviction is as follows: Ms. Sharp was the...

Assessment of Sharp Injuries among Cameroonian Dental ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

2010-07-10

Jul 10, 2010 ... prophylaxis practice and methods of sharps disposal. Results ... training on guidelines adherence, safe recapping and disposal systems. Abstract ... of sharps in oral healthcare delivery and restricted nar- row field of surgery ...

Adaptive quantization-parameter clip scheme for smooth quality in H.264/AVC.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Sudeng; Wang, Hanli; Kwong, Sam

2012-04-01

In this paper, we investigate the issues over the smooth quality and the smooth bit rate during rate control (RC) in H.264/AVC. An adaptive quantization-parameter (Q(p)) clip scheme is proposed to optimize the quality smoothness while keeping the bit-rate fluctuation at an acceptable level. First, the frame complexity variation is studied by defining a complexity ratio between two nearby frames. Second, the range of the generated bits is analyzed to prevent the encoder buffer from overflow and underflow. Third, based on the safe range of the generated bits, an optimal Q(p) clip range is developed to reduce the quality fluctuation. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed Q(p) clip scheme can achieve excellent performance in quality smoothness and buffer regulation.

New concept of 3D printed bone clip (polylactic acid/hydroxyapatite/silk composite) for internal fixation of bone fractures.

Science.gov (United States)

Yeon, Yeung Kyu; Park, Hae Sang; Lee, Jung Min; Lee, Ji Seung; Lee, Young Jin; Sultan, Md Tipu; Seo, Ye Bin; Lee, Ok Joo; Kim, Soon Hee; Park, Chan Hum

Open reduction with internal fixation is commonly used for the treatment of bone fractures. However, postoperative infection associated with internal fixation devices (intramedullary nails, plates, and screws) remains a significant complication, and it is technically difficult to fix multiple fragmented bony fractures using internal fixation devices. In addition, drilling in the bone to install devices can lead to secondary fracture, bone necrosis associated with postoperative infection. In this study, we developed bone clip type internal fixation device using three- dimensional (3D) printing technology. Standard 3D model of the bone clip was generated based on computed tomography (CT) scan of the femur in the rat. Polylacticacid (PLA), hydroxyapatite (HA), and silk were used for bone clip material. The purpose of this study was to characterize 3D printed PLA, PLA/HA, and PLA/HA/Silk composite bone clip and evaluate the feasibility of these bone clips as an internal fixation device. Based on the results, PLA/HA/Silk composite bone clip showed similar mechanical property, and superior biocompatibility compared to other types of the bone clip. PLA/HA/Silk composite bone clip demonstrated excellent alignment of the bony segments across the femur fracture site with well-positioned bone clip in an animal study. Our 3D printed bone clips have several advantages: (1) relatively noninvasive (drilling in the bone is not necessary), (2) patient-specific design (3) mechanically stable device, and (4) it provides high biocompatibility. Therefore, we suggest that our 3D printed PLA/HA/Silk composite bone clip is a possible internal fixation device.

Microsurgery Simulator of Cerebral Aneurysm Clipping with Interactive Cerebral Deformation Featuring a Virtual Arachnoid.

Science.gov (United States)

Shono, Naoyuki; Kin, Taichi; Nomura, Seiji; Miyawaki, Satoru; Saito, Toki; Imai, Hideaki; Nakatomi, Hirofumi; Oyama, Hiroshi; Saito, Nobuhito

2018-05-01

A virtual reality simulator for aneurysmal clipping surgery is an attractive research target for neurosurgeons. Brain deformation is one of the most important functionalities necessary for an accurate clipping simulator and is vastly affected by the status of the supporting tissue, such as the arachnoid membrane. However, no virtual reality simulator implementing the supporting tissue of the brain has yet been developed. To develop a virtual reality clipping simulator possessing interactive brain deforming capability closely dependent on arachnoid dissection and apply it to clinical cases. Three-dimensional computer graphics models of cerebral tissue and surrounding structures were extracted from medical images. We developed a new method for modifiable cerebral tissue complex deformation by incorporating a nonmedical image-derived virtual arachnoid/trabecula in a process called multitissue integrated interactive deformation (MTIID). MTIID made it possible for cerebral tissue complexes to selectively deform at the site of dissection. Simulations for 8 cases of actual clipping surgery were performed before surgery and evaluated for their usefulness in surgical approach planning. Preoperatively, each operative field was precisely reproduced and visualized with the virtual brain retraction defined by users. The clear visualization of the optimal approach to treating the aneurysm via an appropriate arachnoid incision was possible with MTIID. A virtual clipping simulator mainly focusing on supporting tissues and less on physical properties seemed to be useful in the surgical simulation of cerebral aneurysm clipping. To our knowledge, this article is the first to report brain deformation based on supporting tissues.

Simple device to determine the pressure applied by pressure clips for the treatment of earlobe keloids

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aashish Sasidharan

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Keloids of the ear are common problems. Various treatment modalities are available for the treatment of ear keloids. Surgical excision with intralesional steroid injection along with compression therapy has the least recurrence rate. Various types of devices are available for pressure therapy. Pressure applied by these devices is uncontrolled and is associated with the risk of pressure necrosis. We describe here a simple and easy to use device to measure pressure applied by these clips for better outcome. Objectives: To devise a simple method to measure the pressure applied by various pressure clips used in ear keloid pressure therapy. Materials and Methods: By using a force sensitive resistor (FSR, the pressure applied gets converted into voltage using electrical wires, resistors, capacitors, converter, amplifier, diode, nine-volt (9V cadmium battery and the voltage is measured using a multimeter. The measured voltage is then converted into pressure using pressure voltage graph that depicts the actual pressure applied by the pressure clip. Results: The pressure applied by different clips was variable. The spring clips were adjustable by slight variation in the design whereas the pressure applied by binder clips and magnet discs was not adjustable. Conclusion: The uncontrolled/suboptimal pressure applied by certain pressure clips can be monitored to provide optimal pressure therapy in ear keloid for better outcome.

76 FR 26242 - Paper Clips From the People's Republic of China: Final Results of Expedited Sunset Review of...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-05-06

... order are plastic and vinyl covered paper clips, butterfly clips, binder clips, or other paper fasteners... order is revoked. Parties can obtain a public copy of the I&D Memo from the Central Records Unit, room...

Variational reconstruction using subdivision surfaces with continuous sharpness control

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Xiaoqun Wu; Jianmin Zheng; Yiyu Cai; Haisheng Li

2017-01-01

We present a variational method for subdivision surface reconstruction from a noisy dense mesh.A new set of subdivision rules with continuous sharpness control is introduced into Loop subdivision for better modeling subdivision surface features such as semi-sharp creases,creases,and corners.The key idea is to assign a sharpness value to each edge of the control mesh to continuously control the surface features.Based on the new subdivision rules,a variational model with L1 norm is formulated to find the control mesh and the corresponding sharpness values of the subdivision surface that best fits the input mesh.An iterative solver based on the augmented Lagrangian method and particle swarm optimization is used to solve the resulting non-linear,non-differentiable optimization problem.Our experimental results show that our method can handle meshes well with sharp/semi-sharp features and noise.

Advantages in imaging results with titanium aneurysm clips (TiAl6V4)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Piepgras, A.; Gueckel, F.; Weik, T.; Schmiedek, P.

1995-01-01

Aneurysm clips made of a titanium alloy (TiAl6V4) were used in clinical practice for the first time. The design of the clips is identical to the routinely used Yasargil series. In 30 patients, 38 symptomatic and asymptomatic aneurysms were fixed with 45 clips. Metallurgical advantages of the new alloy are better biocompatibility, less magnetic susceptibility, and lower X-ray density. The postoperative imaging results are superior to the conventionally used alloys with respect to artifact reduction in computed tomography, angiography, and magnetic resonance imaging. With a follow-up period of 7 months, a statement on biocompatibility cannot yet be given. (orig.) [de

Ingested bread clip as an unexpected diagnostic tool.

Science.gov (United States)

Jay, Sharon M; Russell, Michael J; Lau, Yee C; Dunn, Joel W; Roberts, Ross

2018-03-23

We describe a case where a bread clip has in fact became lodged adjacent to a portion of small bowel affected by a deposit of previously undiagnosed metastatic serous carcinoma of likely ovarian origin.

Capturing Students' Attention: Movie Clips Set the Stage for Learning in Abnormal Psychology.

Science.gov (United States)

Badura, Amy S.

2002-01-01

Presents results of a study that evaluated using popular movie clips, shown in the first class meeting of an abnormal psychology course, in relation to student enthusiasm. Compares two classes of female juniors, one using clips and one class not using them. States that the films portrayed psychological disorders. (CMK)

76 FR 31360 - Paper Clips From China; Scheduling of an Expedited Five-Year Review Concerning the Antidumping...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-05-31

... INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION [Investigation No. 731-TA-663 Third Review] Paper Clips From China; Scheduling of an Expedited Five-Year Review Concerning the Antidumping Duty Order on Paper Clips From China... paper clips from China would be likely to lead to continuation or recurrence of material injury within a...

Physiological remodeling of bifurcation aneurysms: preclinical results of the eCLIPs device.

Science.gov (United States)

Marotta, Thomas R; Riina, Howard A; McDougall, Ian; Ricci, Donald R; Killer-Oberpfalzer, Monika

2018-02-01

OBJECTIVE Intracranial bifurcation aneurysms are complex lesions for which current therapy, including simple coiling, balloon- or stent-assisted coiling, coil retention, or intrasaccular devices, is inadequate. Thromboembolic complications due to a large burden of intraluminal metal, impedance of access to side branches, and a high recurrence rate, due largely to the unmitigated high-pressure flow into the aneurysm (water hammer effect), are among the limitations imposed by current therapy. The authors describe herein a novel device, eCLIPs, and its use in a preclinical laboratory study that suggests the device's design and functional features may overcome many of these limitations. METHODS A preclinical model of wide-necked bifurcation aneurysms in rabbits was used to assess functional features and efficacy of aneurysm occlusion by the eCLIPs device. RESULTS The eCLIPs device, in bridging the aneurysm neck, allows coil retention, disrupts flow away from the aneurysm, leaves the main vessel and side branches unencumbered by intraluminal metal, and serves as a platform for endothelial growth across the neck, excluding the aneurysm from the circulation. CONCLUSIONS The eCLIPs device permits physiological remodeling of the bifurcation.

A systematic review of discomfort due to toe or ear clipping in laboratory rodents

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wever, K.E.; Geessink, F.J.; Brouwer, M.A.E.; Tillema, A.; Ritskes-Hoitinga, M.

2017-01-01

Toe clipping and ear clipping (also ear notching or ear punching) are frequently used methods for individual identification of laboratory rodents. These procedures potentially cause severe discomfort, which can reduce animal welfare and distort experimental results. However, no systematic summary of

Current opinion on clip placement after breast biopsy: A survey of practising radiologists in France and Quebec

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thomassin-Naggara, I.; Jalaguier-Coudray, A.; Chopier, J.; Tardivon, A.; Trop, I.

2013-01-01

Aim: To investigate current practice regarding clip placement after breast biopsy. Materials and methods: In June 2011, an online survey instrument was designed using an Internet-based survey site ( (www.surveymonkey.com)) to assess practices and opinions of breast radiologists regarding clip placement after breast biopsy. Radiologists were asked to give personal practice data, describe their current practice regarding clip deployment under stereotactic, ultrasonographic, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) guidance, and describe what steps are taken to ensure quality control with regards to clip deployment. Results: The response rate was 29.9% in France (131 respondents) and 46.7% in Quebec (50 respondents). The great majority of respondents used breast markers in their practice (92.1% in France and 96% in Quebec). In both countries, most reported deploying a clip after percutaneous biopsy under stereotactic or MRI guidance. Regarding clip deployment under ultrasonography, 38% of Quebec radiologists systematically placed a marker after each biopsy, whereas 30% of French radiologists never placed a marker in this situation, mainly due to its cost. Finally, 56.4% of radiologists in France and 54% in Quebec considered that their practice regarding clip deployment after breast percutaneous biopsy had changed in the last 5 years. Conclusion: There continues to be variations in the use of biopsy clips after imaging-guided biopsies, particularly with regards to sonographic techniques. These variations are likely to decrease over time, with the standardization of relatively new investigation protocols

The role of surgical clips in the evaluation of interfractional uncertainty for treatment of hepatobiliary and pancreatic cancer with postoperative radiotherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bae, Jin Suk; Kim, Dong Hyun; Kim, Won Taek; Kim, Yong Ho; Park, Dahl; Ki, Yong Kan

2017-01-01

To evaluate the utility of implanted surgical clips for detecting interfractional errors in the treatment of hepatobiliary and pancreatic cancer with postoperative radiotherapy (PORT). Twenty patients had been treated with PORT for locally advanced hepatobiliary or pancreatic cancer, from November 2014 to April 2016. Patients underwent computed tomography simulation and were treated in expiratory breathing phase. During treatment, orthogonal kilovoltage (kV) imaging was taken twice a week, and isocenter shifts were made to match bony anatomy. The difference in position of clips between kV images and digitally reconstructed radiographs was determined. Clips were consist of 3 proximal clips (clip_p, ≤2 cm) and 3 distal clips (clip_d, >2 cm), which were classified according to distance from treatment center. The interfractional displacements of clips were measured in the superior-inferior (SI), anterior-posterior (AP), and right-left (RL) directions. The translocation of clip was well correlated with diaphragm movement in 90.4% (190/210) of all images. The clip position errors greater than 5 mm were observed in 26.0% in SI, 1.8% in AP, and 5.4% in RL directions, respectively. Moreover, the clip position errors greater than 10 mm were observed in 1.9% in SI, 0.2% in AP, and 0.2% in RL directions, despite respiratory control. Quantitative analysis of surgical clip displacement reflect respiratory motion, setup errors and postoperative change of intraabdominal organ position. Furthermore, position of clips is distinguished easily in verification images. The identification of the surgical clip position may lead to a significant improvement in the accuracy of upper abdominal radiation therapy

The role of surgical clips in the evaluation of interfractional uncertainty for treatment of hepatobiliary and pancreatic cancer with postoperative radiotherapy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bae, Jin Suk; Kim, Dong Hyun; Kim, Won Taek; Kim, Yong Ho; Park, Dahl; Ki, Yong Kan [Pusan National University Hospital, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Busan (Korea, Republic of)

2017-03-15

To evaluate the utility of implanted surgical clips for detecting interfractional errors in the treatment of hepatobiliary and pancreatic cancer with postoperative radiotherapy (PORT). Twenty patients had been treated with PORT for locally advanced hepatobiliary or pancreatic cancer, from November 2014 to April 2016. Patients underwent computed tomography simulation and were treated in expiratory breathing phase. During treatment, orthogonal kilovoltage (kV) imaging was taken twice a week, and isocenter shifts were made to match bony anatomy. The difference in position of clips between kV images and digitally reconstructed radiographs was determined. Clips were consist of 3 proximal clips (clip{sub p}, ≤2 cm) and 3 distal clips (clip{sub d}, >2 cm), which were classified according to distance from treatment center. The interfractional displacements of clips were measured in the superior-inferior (SI), anterior-posterior (AP), and right-left (RL) directions. The translocation of clip was well correlated with diaphragm movement in 90.4% (190/210) of all images. The clip position errors greater than 5 mm were observed in 26.0% in SI, 1.8% in AP, and 5.4% in RL directions, respectively. Moreover, the clip position errors greater than 10 mm were observed in 1.9% in SI, 0.2% in AP, and 0.2% in RL directions, despite respiratory control. Quantitative analysis of surgical clip displacement reflect respiratory motion, setup errors and postoperative change of intraabdominal organ position. Furthermore, position of clips is distinguished easily in verification images. The identification of the surgical clip position may lead to a significant improvement in the accuracy of upper abdominal radiation therapy.

The Sharp Lepton Quandary: Reasonable cautions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Griffin, J.J.

1996-02-01

Surprisingly, the new APEX experiment designed to measure a definitive invariant mass distribution of the sharp pairs previously reported in similar heavy ion studies reports null results. Although it asserts no direct conflict with any data reported by EPOS/I, the APEX report nevertheless seems to have encouraged the view that the earlier (EPOS/I) observations were erroneous, and by extrapolation, that the whole (e + e - ) Puzzle data set can be dismissed as an unfortunate set of physically meaningless statistical fluctuations. We wish here to argue that such sweeping judgments should be postponed, on the grounds that (1) the published APEX analysis of their data is self-inconsistent, and can therefore sustain no valid inference about the EPOS/I data; (2) the data which supports the occurrence of sharp (e + e - ) pairs is much more extensive than the EPOS/I data, so that the APEX surprise must be considered as one episode in a much longer struggle finally to settle the question of whether these weak signals are significant or not; (3) a qualitative phenomenology exists which can organize the whole range of data of the Sharp Lepton Problem, and which suggests that (4) certain low energy (and low cost) experiments ought to be explored for their creation of sharp pairs; as follows: the study of pairs emitted following scattering of few MeV electron and positron beams from neutral U and Th atoms, and the study of pairs emitted following the resonant absorption of photons of 1.5 to 2.0 MeV on U and Th atoms. We first present a brief data-oriented history of the Sharp Lepton Problem, to show that no single unexpected null result can provide an adequate basis for rejecting the great range and quantity of data which evidences the occurrence of sharp pairs. We then consider the Quadronium Composite Particle Scenario for these processes, and its Quantum Electrodynamical implications, in support of the above recommendations

Functional outcome of microsurgical clipping compared to endovascular coiling.

Science.gov (United States)

Premananda, R M; Ramesh, N; Hillol, K P

2012-12-01

Endovascular coiling has been used increasingly as an alternative to neurosurgical clipping for treating subarachnoid hemorrhage secondary to aneurysm rupture. In a retrospective cohort review on the treatment methods of aneurysm rupture in Hospital Kuala Lumpur over the period of five years (2005-2009) a total of 268 patients were treated. These patients were broadly categorized into two groups based on their treatment mode for ruptured aneurysms. Statistical analysis was determined using Chi- Square tests to study these associations. In our study, 67.5% of patients presented with Good World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies (WFNS) grade (WFNS1-2) while 32.5% patients presented with Poor WFNS prior to intervention. In our outcome, it was noted that 60.4% had good functional outcome (mRS grade 0-2) as compared to 39.6% patients who had poor mRS(modified rankin scale) outcome (mRS 3-6). In the good WFNS group, 76% of patients in clipping group had a good mRS outcome while, 86.5% patients in coiling group had good mRS outcome (p=0.114). In poor WFNS presentation, it was noted that in 77.3% patients in clipping group, had poor mRS outcome. Similarly with poor WFNS presentation, 83.3% of patient in coiling group had poor outcome. (p=1.00). Hence when we control the WFNS group, there was no significant association between treatment group (clipping and coiling) and mRS outcome at 6 months. The outcome of patient is determined by initial clinical presentation (WFNS grade) and influenced by requirement of Extraventricular drain (EVD) in presence of hydrocephalus, CSF infection and pneumonia. Therefore the decision regarding treatment option needs to be individualized based on the presentation of the patient.

Spacecraft Health Automated Reasoning Prototype (SHARP): The fiscal year 1989 SHARP portability evaluations task for NASA Solar System Exploration Division's Voyager project

Science.gov (United States)

Atkinson, David J.; Doyle, Richard J.; James, Mark L.; Kaufman, Tim; Martin, R. Gaius

1990-01-01

A Spacecraft Health Automated Reasoning Prototype (SHARP) portability study is presented. Some specific progress is described on the portability studies, plans for technology transfer, and potential applications of SHARP and related artificial intelligence technology to telescience operations. The application of SHARP to Voyager telecommunications was a proof-of-capability demonstration of artificial intelligence as applied to the problem of real time monitoring functions in planetary mission operations. An overview of the design and functional description of the SHARP system is also presented as it was applied to Voyager.

Development of a new biodegradable operative clip made of a magnesium alloy: Evaluation of its safety and tolerability for canine cholecystectomy.

Science.gov (United States)

Yoshida, Toshihiko; Fukumoto, Takumi; Urade, Takeshi; Kido, Masahiro; Toyama, Hirochika; Asari, Sadaki; Ajiki, Tetsuo; Ikeo, Naoko; Mukai, Toshiji; Ku, Yonson

2017-06-01

Operative clips used to ligate vessels in abdominal operation usually are made of titanium. They remain in the body permanently and form metallic artifacts in computed tomography images, which impair accurate diagnosis. Although biodegradable magnesium instruments have been developed in other fields, the physical properties necessary for operative clips differ from those of other instruments. We developed a biodegradable magnesium-zinc-calcium alloy clip with good biologic compatibility and enough clamping capability as an operative clip. In this study, we verified the safety and tolerability of this clip for use in canine cholecystectomy. Nine female beagles were used. We performed cholecystectomy and ligated the cystic duct by magnesium alloy or titanium clips. The chronologic change of clips and artifact formation were compared at 1, 4, 12, 18, and 24 weeks postoperative by computed tomography. The animals were killed at the end of the observation period, and the clips were removed to evaluate their biodegradability. We also evaluated their effect on the living body by blood biochemistry data. The magnesium alloy clip formed much fewer artifacts than the titanium clip, and it was almost absorbed at 6 months postoperative. There were no postoperative complications and no elevation of constituent elements such as magnesium, calcium, and zinc during the observation period in both groups. The novel magnesium alloy clip demonstrated sufficient sealing capability for the cystic duct and proper biodegradability in canine models. The magnesium alloy clip revealed much fewer metallic artifacts in CT than the conventional titanium clip. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Acute oral toxicity and anti-inflammatory activity of hydroalcoholic extract from Lampaya medicinalis Phil in rats

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Glauco Morales

2014-01-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Algesia and inflammation are related with several pathological conditions. It is known that many drugs available for the treatment of these problems cause unwanted side effects. This study was aimed at evaluating acute toxicity and anti-inflammatory activity of Lampaya medicinalis Phil. (Verbenaceae widely used in the folk medicine of Northern Chile against rheumatism, arthritis and body joints pain. RESULTS: Oral administration of hydroalcoholic extract (HAE at the highest dose of 3000 mg/ Kg body weight resulted in no mortalities or evidence of significant behavioral changes. Histological examination revealed normal architecture and no significant adverse effects were observed on the liver, kidney, heart, lung or ovaries and testicles. The results suggest that the oral administration of hydroalcoholic extract (HAE from Lampaya medicinalis did not produce any toxic effect in rats. Hydroalcoholic extract (HAE significantly inhibited the carrageenan-induced rat paw edema in dose - response relationship, at test doses of 37.5, 75, 150 and 300 mg/Kg body weight. Maximum inhibition (61.98 ± 2.69% was noted at 300 mg/Kg after 2 h of drug treatment carrageenan induced paw edema, whereas indomethacin produced 47.90 ± 1.16% of inhibition. The inhibitory values of edema at 3 h postcarrageenan were 31.04±0.75%, 40.51 ± 2.36%, 48.97 ± 1.14% and 56.87 ± 0.41% for 37.5, 75, 150, and 300 mg/kg of extract respectively. Indomethacin (10 mg/Kg gave a percentage inhibition of 49.44 ± 1.44. HAE (300 and 150 mg/kg induced an anti-inflammatory effect greater than (or comparable with the effect of indomethacin from 2nd to 4th hours of the experiment. CONCLUSIONS: Our results reveal for first time that compounds contained in the hydroalcoholic extract ofLampaya medicinalis Phil exert anti-inflammatory effect and the oral administration is safe and non toxic up to dose level 3000 mg/kg body weight. The anti

Heavy metal phytoextraction by Sedum alfredii is affected by continual clipping and phosphorus fertilization amendment.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Huagang; Li, Tingqiang; Gupta, D K; He, Zhenli; Yang, Xiao-E; Ni, Bingnan; Li, Mao

2012-01-01

Improving the efficacy of phytoextraction is critical for its successful application in metal contaminated soils. Mineral nutrition affects plant growth and metal absorption and subsequently the accumulation of heavy metal through hyper-accumulator plants. This study assessed the effects of di-hydrogen phosphates (KH2PO4, Ca(H2PO4)2, NaH2PO4 and NH4H2PO4) application at three levels (22, 88 and 352 mg P/kg soil) on Sedum alfredii growth and metal uptake by three consecutive harvests on aged and Zn/Cd combined contaminated paddy soil. The addition of phosphates (P) significantly increased the amount of Zn taken up by S. alfredii due to increased shoot Zn concentration and dry matter yield (DMY) (P phytoextraction of Zn and Cd was observed in KH2PO4 and NH4H2PO4 treatment at 352 mg P/kg soil. The amount of Zn removed by phytoextraction increased in the order of 1st clipping < 2nd clipping < 3rd clipping, and for Cd extraction the order was 2nd clipping < 1st clipping < 3rd clipping. These results indicate that the application of P fertilizers coupled with multiple cuttings can enhance the removal of Zn and Cd from contaminated soils by S. alfredii, thus shortening the time needed for accomplishing remediation goals.

Anterior petroclinoid fold fenestration: an adjunct to clipping of postero-laterally projecting posterior communicating aneurysms.

Science.gov (United States)

Nossek, Erez; Setton, Avi; Dehdashti, Amir R; Chalif, David J

2014-10-01

Proximally located posterior communicating artery (PCoA) aneurysms, projecting postero-laterally in proximity to the tentorium, may pose a technical challenge for microsurgical clipping due to obscuration of the proximal aneurysmal neck by the anterior petroclinoid fold. We describe an efficacious technique utilizing fenestration of the anterior petroclinoid fold to facilitate visualization and clipping of PCoA aneurysms abutting this aspect of the tentorium. Of 86 cases of PCoA aneurysms treated between 2003 and 2013, the technique was used in nine (10.5 %) patients to allow for adequate clipping. A 3 mm fenestration in the anterior petroclinoid ligament is created adjacent and lateral to the anterior clinoid process. This fenestration is then widened into a small wedge corridor by bipolar coagulation. In all cases, the proximal aneurysm neck was visualized after the wedge fenestration. Additionally, an adequate corridor for placement of the proximal clip blade was uniformly established. All cases were adequately clipped, with complete occlusion of the aneurysm neck and fundus with preservation of the PCoA. There were two intraoperative ruptures not related to creation of the wedge fenestration. One patient experienced post-operative partial third nerve palsy, which resolved during follow-up. We describe a technique of fenestration of the anterior petroclinoid fold to establish a critical and safe corridor for both visualization and clipping of PCoA aneurysms.

Anticipation of high arousal aversive and positive movie clips engages common and distinct neural substrates.

Science.gov (United States)

Greenberg, Tsafrir; Carlson, Joshua M; Rubin, Denis; Cha, Jiook; Mujica-Parodi, Lilianne

2015-04-01

The neural correlates of anxious anticipation have been primarily studied with aversive and neutral stimuli. In this study, we examined the effect of valence on anticipation by using high arousal aversive and positive stimuli and a condition of uncertainty (i.e. either positive or aversive). The task consisted of predetermined cues warning participants of upcoming aversive, positive, 'uncertain' (either aversive or positive) and neutral movie clips. Anticipation of all affective clips engaged common regions including the anterior insula, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, thalamus, caudate, inferior parietal and prefrontal cortex that are associated with emotional experience, sustained attention and appraisal. In contrast, the nucleus accumbens and medial prefrontal cortex, regions implicated in reward processing, were selectively engaged during anticipation of positive clips (depicting sexually explicit content) and the mid-insula, which has been linked to processing aversive stimuli, was selectively engaged during anticipation of aversive clips (depicting graphic medical procedures); these three areas were also activated during anticipation of 'uncertain' clips reflecting a broad preparatory response for both aversive and positive stimuli. These results suggest that a common circuitry is recruited in anticipation of affective clips regardless of valence, with additional areas preferentially engaged depending on whether expected stimuli are negative or positive. © The Author (2014). Published by Oxford University Press. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

MicroRNA transfection and AGO-bound CLIP-seq data sets reveal distinct determinants of miRNA action

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wen, Jiayu; Parker, Brian J; Jacobsen, Anders

2011-01-01

the predictive effect of target flanking features. We observe distinct target determinants between expression-based and CLIP-based data. Target flanking features such as flanking region conservation are an important AGO-binding determinant-we hypothesize that CLIP experiments have a preference for strongly bound......Microarray expression analyses following miRNA transfection/inhibition and, more recently, Argonaute cross-linked immunoprecipitation (CLIP)-seq assays have been used to detect miRNA target sites. CLIP and expression approaches measure differing stages of miRNA functioning-initial binding of the mi...... miRNP-target interactions involving adjacent RNA-binding proteins that increase the strength of cross-linking. In contrast, seed-related features are major determinants in expression-based studies, but less so for CLIP-seq studies, and increased miRNA concentrations typical of transfection studies...

YUCSA: A CLIPS expert database system to monitor academic performance

Science.gov (United States)

Toptsis, Anestis A.; Ho, Frankie; Leindekar, Milton; Foon, Debra Low; Carbonaro, Mike

1991-01-01

The York University CLIPS Student Administrator (YUCSA), an expert database system implemented in C Language Integrated Processing System (CLIPS), for monitoring the academic performance of undergraduate students at York University, is discussed. The expert system component in the system has already been implemented for two major departments, and it is under testing and enhancement for more departments. Also, more elaborate user interfaces are under development. We describe the design and implementation of the system, problems encountered, and immediate future plans. The system has excellent maintainability and it is very efficient, taking less than one minute to complete an assessment of one student.

Phosphorus runoff from turfgrass as affected by phosphorus fertilization and clipping management.

Science.gov (United States)

Bierman, Peter M; Horgan, Brian P; Rosen, Carl J; Hollman, Andrew B; Pagliari, Paulo H

2010-01-01

Phosphorus enrichment of surface water is a concern in many urban watersheds. A 3-yr study on a silt loam soil with 5% slope and high soil test P (27 mg kg(-1) Bray P1) was conducted to evaluate P fertilization and clipping management effects on P runoff from turfgrass (Poa pratensis L.) under frozen and nonfrozen conditions. Four fertilizer treatments were compared: (i) no fertilizer, (ii) nitrogen (N)+potassium (K)+0xP, (iii) N+K+1xP, and (iv) N+K+3xP. Phosphorus rates were 21.3 and 63.9 kg ha(-1) yr(-1) the first year and 7.1 and 21.3 kg ha(-1) yr(-1) the following 2 yr. Each fertilizer treatment was evaluated with clippings removed or clippings recycled back to the turf. In the first year, P runoff increased with increasing P rate and P losses were greater in runoff from frozen than nonfrozen soil. In year 2, total P runoff from the no fertilizer treatment was greater than from treatments receiving fertilizer. This was because reduced turf quality resulted in greater runoff depth from the no fertilizer treatment. In year 3, total P runoff from frozen soil and cumulative total P runoff increased with increasing P rate. Clipping management was not an important factor in any year, indicating that returning clippings does not significantly increase P runoff from turf. In the presence of N and K, P fertilization did not improve turf growth or quality in any year. Phosphorus runoff can be reduced by not applying P to high testing soils and avoiding fall applications when P is needed.

76 FR 42730 - Paper Clips From China

Science.gov (United States)

2011-07-19

... China Determination On the basis of the record \\1\\ developed in the subject five-year review, the United... China would be likely to lead to continuation or recurrence of material injury to an industry in the...), entitled Paper Clips from China: Investigation No. 731-TA-663 (Third Review). By order of the Commission...

Nonvariceal Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding: the Usefulness of Rotational Angiography after Endoscopic Marking with a Metallic Clip

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Song, Ji Soo; Kwak, Hyo Sung; Chung, Gyung Ho [Chonbuk National University Medical School, Chonju (Korea, Republic of)

2011-08-15

We wanted to assess the usefulness of rotational angiography after endoscopic marking with a metallic clip in upper gastrointestinal bleeding patients with no extravasation of contrast medium on conventional angiography. In 16 patients (mean age, 59.4 years) with acute bleeding ulcers (13 gastric ulcers, 2 duodenal ulcers, 1 malignant ulcer), a metallic clip was placed via gastroscopy and this had been preceded by routine endoscopic treatment. The metallic clip was placed in the fibrous edge of the ulcer adjacent to the bleeding point. All patients had negative results from their angiographic studies. To localize the bleeding focus, rotational angiography and high pressure angiography as close as possible to the clip were used. Of the 16 patients, seven (44%) had positive results after high pressure angiography as close as possible to the clip and they underwent transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) with microcoils. Nine patients without extravasation of contrast medium underwent TAE with microcoils as close as possible to the clip. The bleeding was stopped initially in all patients after treatment of the feeding artery. Two patients experienced a repeat episode of bleeding two days later. Of the two patients, one had subtle oozing from the ulcer margin and that patient underwent endoscopic treatment. One patient with malignant ulcer died due to disseminated intravascular coagulation one month after embolization. Complete clinical success was achieved in 14 of 16 (88%) patients. Delayed bleeding or major/minor complications were not noted. Rotational angiography after marking with a metallic clip helps to localize accurately the bleeding focus and thus to embolize the vessel correctly.

Nonvariceal Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding: the Usefulness of Rotational Angiography after Endoscopic Marking with a Metallic Clip

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song, Ji Soo; Kwak, Hyo Sung; Chung, Gyung Ho

2011-01-01

We wanted to assess the usefulness of rotational angiography after endoscopic marking with a metallic clip in upper gastrointestinal bleeding patients with no extravasation of contrast medium on conventional angiography. In 16 patients (mean age, 59.4 years) with acute bleeding ulcers (13 gastric ulcers, 2 duodenal ulcers, 1 malignant ulcer), a metallic clip was placed via gastroscopy and this had been preceded by routine endoscopic treatment. The metallic clip was placed in the fibrous edge of the ulcer adjacent to the bleeding point. All patients had negative results from their angiographic studies. To localize the bleeding focus, rotational angiography and high pressure angiography as close as possible to the clip were used. Of the 16 patients, seven (44%) had positive results after high pressure angiography as close as possible to the clip and they underwent transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) with microcoils. Nine patients without extravasation of contrast medium underwent TAE with microcoils as close as possible to the clip. The bleeding was stopped initially in all patients after treatment of the feeding artery. Two patients experienced a repeat episode of bleeding two days later. Of the two patients, one had subtle oozing from the ulcer margin and that patient underwent endoscopic treatment. One patient with malignant ulcer died due to disseminated intravascular coagulation one month after embolization. Complete clinical success was achieved in 14 of 16 (88%) patients. Delayed bleeding or major/minor complications were not noted. Rotational angiography after marking with a metallic clip helps to localize accurately the bleeding focus and thus to embolize the vessel correctly.

The effect of music video clips on adolescent boys' body image, mood, and schema activation.

Science.gov (United States)

Mulgrew, Kate E; Volcevski-Kostas, Diana; Rendell, Peter G

2014-01-01

There is limited research that has examined experimentally the effects of muscular images on adolescent boys' body image, with no research specifically examining the effects of music television. The aim of the current study was to examine the effects of viewing muscular and attractive singers in music video clips on early, mid, and late adolescent boys' body image, mood, and schema activation. Participants were 180 boys in grade 7 (mean age = 12.73 years), grade 9 (mean age = 14.40 years) or grade 11 (mean age = 16.15 years) who completed pre- and post-test measures of mood and body satisfaction after viewing music videos containing male singers of muscular or average appearance. They also completed measures of schema activation and social comparison after viewing the clips. The results showed that the boys who viewed the muscular clips reported poorer upper body satisfaction, lower appearance satisfaction, lower happiness, and more depressive feelings compared to boys who viewed the clips depicting singers of average appearance. There was no evidence of increased appearance schema activation but the boys who viewed the muscular clips did report higher levels of social comparison to the singers. The results suggest that music video clips are a powerful form of media in conveying information about the male ideal body shape and that negative effects are found in boys as young as 12 years.

An alternative window upon the GSI sharp lepton problem

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Griffin, J.J.

1997-10-01

Two major heavy ion studies of the GSI ''(e + e - )-Puzzle'' have ended in stalemate: APEX reports no evidence, but its data show a peak near 800 keV. EPOS/II cannot reproduce its own results,and leans towards random fluctuations as the explanation of sharp pair lines. (But one EPOS/II report shows evidence for a peak at an EPOS/I line energy, 610 keV, and under selection conditions the same as EPOSII's.) It is clear that these latest heavy ion studies, designed to settle once and for all the question of sharp pairs, have failed to fulfill that goal. Attention must now turn towards the sharp electron lines reported by Sakai et al. and others in collisions of few MeV beta decay positrons on U and Th atoms. In the Q 0 Scenario of the Sharp Lepton Problem these arise from the same source as the GSI pairs. Verification of Sakai's 100 mb cross section for such sharp electrons in collisions of few MeV electrons (or positrons) upon U or Th atoms would confirm this new experimental window upon the Sharp Lepton Problem. These relatively simple experiments, which are both inexpensive and reproducible (as their heavy ion counterparts are not), promise a less ponderous pace for the study of these questions. On the other hand, they require a challenging combination of proficiencies to measure a nuclear sized cross section in an atomic physics environment. The authors review briefly the diverse history (and especially the most recent developments) of the Sharp Lepton Problem, and outline how the Quadronium Scenario provides it with a unifying conceptual framework. That discussion points clearly towards the experimental study of sharp leptons and sharp pairs from few MeV (lepton+ATOM) and (photon+ATOM) processes as the appropriate next step towards either verifying the earlier results or precluding them

Virtual reality cerebral aneurysm clipping simulation with real-time haptic feedback.

Science.gov (United States)

Alaraj, Ali; Luciano, Cristian J; Bailey, Daniel P; Elsenousi, Abdussalam; Roitberg, Ben Z; Bernardo, Antonio; Banerjee, P Pat; Charbel, Fady T

2015-03-01

With the decrease in the number of cerebral aneurysms treated surgically and the increase of complexity of those treated surgically, there is a need for simulation-based tools to teach future neurosurgeons the operative techniques of aneurysm clipping. To develop and evaluate the usefulness of a new haptic-based virtual reality simulator in the training of neurosurgical residents. A real-time sensory haptic feedback virtual reality aneurysm clipping simulator was developed using the ImmersiveTouch platform. A prototype middle cerebral artery aneurysm simulation was created from a computed tomographic angiogram. Aneurysm and vessel volume deformation and haptic feedback are provided in a 3-dimensional immersive virtual reality environment. Intraoperative aneurysm rupture was also simulated. Seventeen neurosurgery residents from 3 residency programs tested the simulator and provided feedback on its usefulness and resemblance to real aneurysm clipping surgery. Residents thought that the simulation would be useful in preparing for real-life surgery. About two-thirds of the residents thought that the 3-dimensional immersive anatomic details provided a close resemblance to real operative anatomy and accurate guidance for deciding surgical approaches. They thought the simulation was useful for preoperative surgical rehearsal and neurosurgical training. A third of the residents thought that the technology in its current form provided realistic haptic feedback for aneurysm surgery. Neurosurgical residents thought that the novel immersive VR simulator is helpful in their training, especially because they do not get a chance to perform aneurysm clippings until late in their residency programs.

Use of a surgical rehearsal platform and improvement in aneurysm clipping measures: results of a prospective, randomized trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Chugh, A Jessey; Pace, Jonathan R; Singer, Justin; Tatsuoka, Curtis; Hoffer, Alan; Selman, Warren R; Bambakidis, Nicholas C

2017-03-01

OBJECTIVE The field of neurosurgery is constantly undergoing improvements and advances, both in technique and technology. Cerebrovascular neurosurgery is no exception, with endovascular treatments changing the treatment paradigm. Clipping of aneurysms is still necessary, however, and advances are still being made to improve patient outcomes within the microsurgical treatment of aneurysms. Surgical rehearsal platforms are surgical simulators that offer the opportunity to rehearse a procedure prior to entering the operative suite. This study is designed to determine whether use of a surgical rehearsal platform in aneurysm surgery is helpful in decreasing aneurysm dissection time and clip manipulation of the aneurysm. METHODS The authors conducted a blinded, prospective, randomized study comparing key effort and time variables in aneurysm clip ligation surgery with and without preoperative use of the SuRgical Planner (SRP) surgical rehearsal platform. Initially, 40 patients were randomly assigned to either of two groups: one in which surgery was performed after use of the SRP (SRP group) and one in which surgery was performed without use of the SRP (control group). All operations were videotaped. After exclusion of 6 patients from the SRP group and 9 from the control group, a total of 25 surgical cases were analyzed by a reviewer blinded to group assignment. The videos were analyzed for total microsurgical time, number of clips used, and number of clip placement attempts. Means and standard deviations (SDs) were calculated and compared between groups. RESULTS The mean (± SD) amount of operative time per clip used was 920 ± 770 seconds in the SRP group and 1294 ± 678 seconds in the control group (p = 0.05). In addition, the mean values for the number of clip attempts, total operative time, ratio of clip attempts to clips used, and time per clip attempt were all lower in the SRP group, although the between-group differences were not statistically significant

Sharp Gronwall-Bellman type integral inequalities with delay

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

István Győri

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Various attempts have been made to give an upper bound for the solutions of the delayed version of the Gronwall-Bellman integral inequality, but the obtained estimations are not sharp. In this paper a new approach is presented to get sharp estimations for the nonnegative solutions of the considered delayed inequalities. The results are based on the idea of the generalized characteristic inequality. Our method gives sharp estimation, and therefore the results are more exact than the earlier ones.

The "Isms" of Art. Introduction to the 2001-2002 Clip and Save Art Prints.

Science.gov (United States)

Hubbard, Guy

2001-01-01

Provides an introduction to the 2001-2002 Clip and Save Art Prints that will focus on ten art movements from the past 150 years. Includes information on three art movements, or "isms": Classicism, Romanticism, and Realism. Discusses the Clip and Save Art Print format and provides information on three artists. (CMK)

Our History Clips: Collaborating for the Common Good

Science.gov (United States)

Bailey, Beatrice N.

2017-01-01

This case study reveals how middle school social studies teachers within a professional development program are encouraging their students to use multiple disciplinary literacies to create Our History Clips as they also work toward developing a classroom community of engaged student citizens.

ASTP 15th Anniversary Clip-Media Release

Science.gov (United States)

1990-01-01

This release is comprised of 5 separate clips, including the following: CL 762 Astronauts/Cosmonauts Visit to KSC and Walt Disney World; CL 739 ASTP Joint Crew Activities; CL 748 ASTP Astronauts/Cosmonauts Horlock Ranch Visit; CL 758 T-21 ASTP Training - US/USSR; and CL 743 ASTP Joint Crew Training in the Soviet Union.

Técnica para retirada da artéria radial sem utilização de clipes hemostáticos e experiência clínica Radial artery harvesting technique without hemostatic clips and clinical experience

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

João Bosco de Oliveira

2008-03-01

Full Text Available OBJETIVO: As diferentes técnicas de dissecção de artéria radial (AR obtêm resultados semelhantes. Estas técnicas utilizam eletrocautério, bisturi ultra-sônico ou tesouras em diferentes combinações, mas geralmente associadas ao uso de clipes hemostáticos. Este trabalho descreve uma técnica de dissecção de AR com a combinação de tesouras e eletrocautério sem o uso de clipes hemostáticos. MÉTODOS: O estudo apresenta um levantamento retrospectivo de 107 pacientes, entre 28 e 78 anos (média ± desvio padrão 53,3 ± 8 anos, feito entre janeiro de 2000 e junho de 2005, no qual é relatada a incidência de sangramento, reoperação, infarto do miocárdio e mortalidade. RESULTADOS: Não ocorreram sangramentos relacionados à AR e não ocorreram reoperações. Ocorreram três (2,8% infartos possivelmente relacionados ao território de anastomose de AR. A mortalidade foi de 0,9% não relacionada a causas cardiovasculares. CONCLUSÃO: A dissecção de AR com eletrocautério sem clipes hemostáticos não apresentou sangramento, foi de baixo custo e dispensa investimentos em equipamentos adicionais.OBJECTIVE: The various techniques of radial artery (RA harvesting produce similar results. These techniques use electrocautery, ultrasonic scalpel, or sharp scissors in different combinations, but usually associated with the use of hemostatic clips. We describe a RA harvesting technique with the combination of sharp scissors and electrocautery without the use of hemostatic clips. METHODS: We describe a retrospective study of 107 patients ranging from 28 and 78 years of age (mean ± SD; 53.3 ± 8 yrs. Bleeding, re-operation, infarct, and death were analyzed. RESULTS: No bleeding was imputable to the RA and no re-operations were required. There were three (2.8% infarcts possibly related to the RA anastomosis territory. Mortality was 0.9%, but unrelated to cardiac complications. CONCLUSION: RA electrocautery harvesting without hemostatic clips

Clips supporting and spacing flanged sheets of reflective insulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carr, R.W.

1980-01-01

This invention relates to clips, spacing and supporting flanged sheets of reflective insulation used to encase the main body and associated piping of nuclear reactors to minimize heat and radiation losses. (UK)

Sharp and the Jules Verne Launcher

Science.gov (United States)

Hunter, John; Cartland, Harry

1996-03-01

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has built the worlds largest hydrogen gas gun called SHARP, (Super High Altitude Research Project). Originally designed to launch 5 kg to a 450 km altitude, SHARP is configured horizontally at Site 300 in Tracy, California. SHARP is successfully delivering 5 kg scramjets at Mach 9 in aerophysics tests. Some of the results of the scramjet tests are enlightening and are presented insofar as they are relevant to future launches into space. Using a light gas gun to launch payloads into orbit has been analyzed. We look at LEO (Low Earth Orbit), GEO (Geosynchronous Earth Orbit), and LO (Lunar Orbit). We present a conceptual design for a large light gas gun called the Jules Verne Launcher (JVL). The JVL can deliver 3.3 metric tons to a 500 km low earth orbit. We anticipate one launch per day. We present the history of light gas guns, the SHARP design and performance, and the JVL design. Another section is devoted to the vehicle environment and resultant design. Lastly, we present a cost analysis. Our results indicated that the JVL will be able to deliver 1000 metric tons of payload to LEO yearly. The cost will be 5% of the best US rocket delivery cost. This technology will enable the next phase of man's exploration of space.

Endoscopic removal of over-the-scope clips using a novel cutting device: a retrospective case series.

Science.gov (United States)

Schmidt, Arthur; Riecken, Bettina; Damm, Michael; Cahyadi, Oscar; Bauder, Markus; Caca, Karel

2014-09-01

Over-the-scope clips (OTSCs; Ovesco Endoscopy, Tübingen, Germany) are extensively used for treatment of gastrointestinal perforations, leakages, fistulas, and bleeding. In this report, a new method of removing OTSCs using a prototype bipolar cutting device is described. A total of 11 patients underwent endoscopic removal of an OTSC. The OTSC was cut at two opposing sites by a prototype device (DC ClipCutter; Ovesco Endoscopy). The remaining clip fragments were extracted using a standard forceps. Mean procedure time was 47 minutes (range 35 - 75 minutes). Cutting of the OTSC at two opposing sites was successful in all cases (100 %). Complete retrieval of all clip fragments was possible in 10 patients (91 %). The overall success rate for cutting and complete removal of the clip was 91 %. No major complications were observed. Removal of OTSCs with the prototype device was feasible and effective. The device may be valuable for OTSC removal in emergency as well as elective indications. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Turbo Decision Aided Receivers for Clipping Noise Mitigation in Coded OFDM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Declercq David

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM is the modulation technique used in most of the high-rate communication standards. However, OFDM signals exhibit high peak average to power ratio (PAPR that makes them particularly sensitive to nonlinear distortions caused by high-power amplifiers. Hence, the amplifier needs to operate at large output backoff, thereby decreasing the average efficiency of the transmitter. One way to reduce PAPR consists in clipping the amplitude of the OFDM signal introducing an additional noise that degrades the overall system performance. In that case, the receiver needs to set up an algorithm that compensates this clipping noise. In this paper, we propose three new iterative receivers with growing complexity and performance that operate at severe clipping: the first and simplest receiver uses a Viterbi algorithm as channel decoder whereas the other two implement a soft-input soft-output (SISO decoder. Each soft receiver is analyzed through EXIT charts for different mappings. Finally, the performances of the receivers are simulated on both short time-varying channel and AWGN channel.

Turbo Decision Aided Receivers for Clipping Noise Mitigation in Coded OFDM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maxime Colas

2008-02-01

Full Text Available Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM is the modulation technique used in most of the high-rate communication standards. However, OFDM signals exhibit high peak average to power ratio (PAPR that makes them particularly sensitive to nonlinear distortions caused by high-power amplifiers. Hence, the amplifier needs to operate at large output backoff, thereby decreasing the average efficiency of the transmitter. One way to reduce PAPR consists in clipping the amplitude of the OFDM signal introducing an additional noise that degrades the overall system performance. In that case, the receiver needs to set up an algorithm that compensates this clipping noise. In this paper, we propose three new iterative receivers with growing complexity and performance that operate at severe clipping: the first and simplest receiver uses a Viterbi algorithm as channel decoder whereas the other two implement a soft-input soft-output (SISO decoder. Each soft receiver is analyzed through EXIT charts for different mappings. Finally, the performances of the receivers are simulated on both short time-varying channel and AWGN channel.

A calibration method for proposed XRF measurements of arsenic and selenium in nail clippings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gherase, Mihai R; Fleming, David E B

2011-01-01

A calibration method for proposed x-ray fluorescence (XRF) measurements of arsenic and selenium in nail clippings is demonstrated. Phantom nail clippings were produced from a whole nail phantom (0.7 mm thickness, 25 x 25 mm 2 area) and contained equal concentrations of arsenic and selenium ranging from 0 to 20 μg g -1 in increments of 5 μg g -1 . The phantom nail clippings were then grouped in samples of five different masses: 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 mg for each concentration. Experimental x-ray spectra were acquired for each of the sample masses using a portable x-ray tube and a detector unit. Calibration lines (XRF signal in a number of counts versus stoichiometric elemental concentration) were produced for each of the two elements. A semi-empirical relationship between the mass of the nail phantoms (m) and the slope of the calibration line (s) was determined separately for arsenic and selenium. Using this calibration method, one can estimate elemental concentrations and their uncertainties from the XRF spectra of human nail clippings. (note)

Virus-Clip: a fast and memory-efficient viral integration site detection tool at single-base resolution with annotation capability.

Science.gov (United States)

Ho, Daniel W H; Sze, Karen M F; Ng, Irene O L

2015-08-28

Viral integration into the human genome upon infection is an important risk factor for various human malignancies. We developed viral integration site detection tool called Virus-Clip, which makes use of information extracted from soft-clipped sequencing reads to identify exact positions of human and virus breakpoints of integration events. With initial read alignment to virus reference genome and streamlined procedures, Virus-Clip delivers a simple, fast and memory-efficient solution to viral integration site detection. Moreover, it can also automatically annotate the integration events with the corresponding affected human genes. Virus-Clip has been verified using whole-transcriptome sequencing data and its detection was validated to have satisfactory sensitivity and specificity. Marked advancement in performance was detected, compared to existing tools. It is applicable to versatile types of data including whole-genome sequencing, whole-transcriptome sequencing, and targeted sequencing. Virus-Clip is available at http://web.hku.hk/~dwhho/Virus-Clip.zip.

Virtual Reality Cerebral Aneurysm Clipping Simulation With Real-time Haptic Feedback

Science.gov (United States)

Alaraj, Ali; Luciano, Cristian J.; Bailey, Daniel P.; Elsenousi, Abdussalam; Roitberg, Ben Z.; Bernardo, Antonio; Banerjee, P. Pat; Charbel, Fady T.

2014-01-01

Background With the decrease in the number of cerebral aneurysms treated surgically and the increase of complexity of those treated surgically, there is a need for simulation-based tools to teach future neurosurgeons the operative techniques of aneurysm clipping. Objective To develop and evaluate the usefulness of a new haptic-based virtual reality (VR) simulator in the training of neurosurgical residents. Methods A real-time sensory haptic feedback virtual reality aneurysm clipping simulator was developed using the Immersive Touch platform. A prototype middle cerebral artery aneurysm simulation was created from a computed tomography angiogram. Aneurysm and vessel volume deformation and haptic feedback are provided in a 3-D immersive VR environment. Intraoperative aneurysm rupture was also simulated. Seventeen neurosurgery residents from three residency programs tested the simulator and provided feedback on its usefulness and resemblance to real aneurysm clipping surgery. Results Residents felt that the simulation would be useful in preparing for real-life surgery. About two thirds of the residents felt that the 3-D immersive anatomical details provided a very close resemblance to real operative anatomy and accurate guidance for deciding surgical approaches. They believed the simulation is useful for preoperative surgical rehearsal and neurosurgical training. One third of the residents felt that the technology in its current form provided very realistic haptic feedback for aneurysm surgery. Conclusion Neurosurgical residents felt that the novel immersive VR simulator is helpful in their training especially since they do not get a chance to perform aneurysm clippings until very late in their residency programs. PMID:25599200

[Rapid 3-Dimensional Models of Cerebral Aneurysm for Emergency Surgical Clipping].

Science.gov (United States)

Konno, Takehiko; Mashiko, Toshihiro; Oguma, Hirofumi; Kaneko, Naoki; Otani, Keisuke; Watanabe, Eiju

2016-08-01

We developed a method for manufacturing solid models of cerebral aneurysms, with a shorter printing time than that involved in conventional methods, using a compact 3D printer with acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene(ABS)resin. We further investigated the application and utility of this printing system in emergency clipping surgery. A total of 16 patients diagnosed with acute subarachnoid hemorrhage resulting from cerebral aneurysm rupture were enrolled in the present study. Emergency clipping was performed on the day of hospitalization. Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine(DICOM)data obtained from computed tomography angiography(CTA)scans were edited and converted to stereolithography(STL)file formats, followed by the production of 3D models of the cerebral aneurysm by using the 3D printer. The mean time from hospitalization to the commencement of surgery was 242 min, whereas the mean time required for manufacturing the 3D model was 67 min. The average cost of each 3D model was 194 Japanese Yen. The time required for manufacturing the 3D models shortened to approximately 1 hour with increasing experience of producing 3D models. Favorable impressions for the use of the 3D models in clipping were reported by almost all neurosurgeons included in this study. Although 3D printing is often considered to involve huge costs and long manufacturing time, the method used in the present study requires shorter time and lower costs than conventional methods for manufacturing 3D cerebral aneurysm models, thus making it suitable for use in emergency clipping.

[Choledochal lithiasis and stenosis secondary to the migration of a surgical clip].

Science.gov (United States)

Baldomà España, M; Pernas Canadell, J C; González Ceballos, S

2014-01-01

The migration of a clip to the common bile duct after cholecystectomy is an uncommon, usually late, complication that can lead to diverse complications like stone formation, stenosis, and obstruction in the bile duct. We present the case of a patient who presented with signs and symptoms of cholangitis due to clip migration one year after laparoscopic cholecystectomy; endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography and biliary tract stent placement resolved the problem. Copyright © 2011 SERAM. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Origin of fin-clipped salmonids collected at two thermal discharges on Lake Michigan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Romberg, G.P.; Thommes, M.M.; Spigarelli, S.A.

1974-01-01

Fin clips observed on fish collected during tagging studies at the Point Beach and Waukegan thermal discharges were recorded and the data were tabulated by species. Using fin clip and fish size, attempts were made to identify probable stocking locations and dates from agency records. Data are presented for lake trout, rainbow trout, brown trout, and Coho salmon. Tables are presented to show probable stocking locations and dates

BioClips of symmetric and asymmetric cell division.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Fong-Mei; Eliceiri, Kevin W; White, John G

2007-05-01

Animations have long been used as tools to illustrate complex processes in such diverse fields as mechanical engineering, astronomy, bacteriology and physics. Animations in biology hold particular educational promise for depicting complex dynamic processes, such as photosynthesis, motility, viral replication and cellular respiration, which cannot be easily explained using static two-dimensional images. However, these animations have often been restrictive in scope, having been created for a specific classroom or research audience. In recent years, a new type of animation has emerged called the BioClip (http://www.bioclips.com) that strives to present science in an interactive multimedia format, which is, at once, informative and entertaining, by combining animations, text descriptions and music in one portable cross-platform document. In the present article, we illustrate the educational value of this new electronic resource by reviewing in depth two BioClips our group has created which describe the processes of symmetric and asymmetric cell division (http://www.wormclassroom.org/cb/bioclip).

Effects of Tail Clipping on Larval Performance and Tail Regeneration Rates in the Near Eastern Fire Salamander, Salamandra infraimmaculata.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ori Segev

Full Text Available Tail-tip clipping is a common technique for collecting tissue samples from amphibian larvae and adults. Surprisingly, studies of this invasive sampling procedure or of natural tail clipping--i.e., bites inflicted by predators including conspecifics--on the performance and fitness of aquatic larval stages of urodeles are scarce. We conducted two studies in which we assessed the effects of posterior tail clipping (~30 percent of tail on Near Eastern fire salamander (Salamandra infraimmaculata larvae. In a laboratory study, we checked regeneration rates of posterior tail-tip clipping at different ages. Regeneration rates were hump-shaped, peaking at the age of ~30 days and then decreasing. This variation in tail regeneration rates suggests tradeoffs in resource allocation between regeneration and somatic growth during early and advanced development. In an outdoor artificial pond experiment, under constant larval densities, we assessed how tail clipping of newborn larvae affects survival to, time to, and size at metamorphosis. Repeated measures ANOVA on mean larval survival per pond revealed no effect of tail clipping. Tail clipping had correspondingly no effect on larval growth and development expressed in size (mass and snout-vent length at, and time to, metamorphosis. We conclude that despite the given variation in tail regeneration rates throughout larval ontogeny, clipping of 30% percent of the posterior tail area seems to have no adverse effects on larval fitness and survival. We suggest that future use of this imperative tool for the study of amphibian should take into account larval developmental stage during the time of application and not just the relative size of the clipped tail sample.

NASA-Ames Summer High School Apprenticeship Research Program (SHARP)

Science.gov (United States)

Powell, P.

1983-01-01

The function of SHARP is to recognize high school juniors who have demonstrated unusually high promise for sucess in mathemtics and science. Twenty academically talented students who will be seniors in high school in September were chosen to participate in SHARP 83. Mentors were selected to provide students with first-hand experiences in a research and development environment in order that each student might try out his or her tentative professional career choice. Some special features of SHARP included field trips to private industries doing similar and related research, special lectures on topics of research here at ARC, individual and group counseling sessions, written research papers and oral reports, and primarily the opportunity to be exposed to the present frontiers in space exploration and research. The long-range goal of SHARP is to contribute to the future recruitment of needed scientists and engineers. This final report is summary of all the phases of the planning and implemenation of the 1983 Summer High School Apprenticeship Research Program (SHARP).

Harmonic Scalpel versus electrocautery and surgical clips in head and neck free-flap harvesting.

Science.gov (United States)

Dean, Nichole R; Rosenthal, Eben L; Morgan, Bruce A; Magnuson, J Scott; Carroll, William R

2014-06-01

We sought to determine the safety and utility of Harmonic Scalpel-assisted free-flap harvesting as an alternative to a combined electrocautery and surgical clip technique. The medical records of 103 patients undergoing radial forearm free-flap reconstruction (105 free flaps) for head and neck surgical defects between 2006 and 2008 were reviewed. The use of bipolar electrocautery and surgical clips for division of small perforating vessels (n = 53) was compared to ultrasonic energy (Harmonic Scalpel; Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio) (n = 52) free-tissue harvesting techniques. Flap-harvesting time was reduced with the use of the Harmonic Scalpel when compared with electrocautery and surgical clip harvest (31.4 vs. 36.9 minutes, respectively; p = 0.06). Two patients who underwent flap harvest with electrocautery and surgical clips developed postoperative donor site hematomas, whereas no donor site complications were noted in the Harmonic Scalpel group. Recipient site complication rates for infection, fistula, and hematoma were similar for both harvesting techniques (p = 0.77). Two flap failures occurred in the clip-assisted radial forearm free-flap harvest group, and none in the Harmonic Scalpel group. Median length of hospitalization was significantly reduced for patients who underwent free-flap harvest with the Harmonic Scalpel when compared with the other technique (7 vs. 8 days; p = 0.01). The Harmonic Scalpel is safe, and its use is feasible for radial forearm free-flap harvest.

Psychophysiological correlates of sexually and non-sexually motivated attention to film clips in a workload task.

Science.gov (United States)

Carvalho, Sandra; Leite, Jorge; Galdo-Álvarez, Santiago; Gonçalves, Oscar F

2011-01-01

Some authors have speculated that the cognitive component (P3) of the Event-Related Potential (ERP) can function as a psychophysiological measure of sexual interest. The aim of this study was to determine if the P3 ERP component in a workload task can be used as a specific and objective measure of sexual motivation by comparing the neurophysiologic response to stimuli of motivational relevance with different levels of valence and arousal. A total of 30 healthy volunteers watched different films clips with erotic, horror, social-positive and social-negative content, while answering an auditory oddball paradigm. Erotic film clips resulted in larger interference when compared to both the social-positive and auditory alone conditions. Horror film clips resulted in the highest levels of interference with smaller P3 amplitudes than erotic and also than social-positive, social-negative and auditory alone condition. No gender differences were found. Both horror and erotic film clips significantly decreased heart rate (HR) when compared to both social-positive and social-negative films. The erotic film clips significantly increased the skin conductance level (SCL) compared to the social-negative films. The horror film clips significantly increased the SCL compared to both social-positive and social-negative films. Both the highly arousing erotic and non-erotic (horror) movies produced the largest decrease in the P3 amplitude, a decrease in the HR and an increase in the SCL. These data support the notion that this workload task is very sensitive to the attentional resources allocated to the film clip, although they do not act as a specific index of sexual interest. Therefore, the use of this methodology seems to be of questionable utility as a specific measure of sexual interest or as an objective measure of the severity of Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder. © 2011 Carvalho et al.

Psychophysiological correlates of sexually and non-sexually motivated attention to film clips in a workload task.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sandra Carvalho

Full Text Available Some authors have speculated that the cognitive component (P3 of the Event-Related Potential (ERP can function as a psychophysiological measure of sexual interest. The aim of this study was to determine if the P3 ERP component in a workload task can be used as a specific and objective measure of sexual motivation by comparing the neurophysiologic response to stimuli of motivational relevance with different levels of valence and arousal. A total of 30 healthy volunteers watched different films clips with erotic, horror, social-positive and social-negative content, while answering an auditory oddball paradigm. Erotic film clips resulted in larger interference when compared to both the social-positive and auditory alone conditions. Horror film clips resulted in the highest levels of interference with smaller P3 amplitudes than erotic and also than social-positive, social-negative and auditory alone condition. No gender differences were found. Both horror and erotic film clips significantly decreased heart rate (HR when compared to both social-positive and social-negative films. The erotic film clips significantly increased the skin conductance level (SCL compared to the social-negative films. The horror film clips significantly increased the SCL compared to both social-positive and social-negative films. Both the highly arousing erotic and non-erotic (horror movies produced the largest decrease in the P3 amplitude, a decrease in the HR and an increase in the SCL. These data support the notion that this workload task is very sensitive to the attentional resources allocated to the film clip, although they do not act as a specific index of sexual interest. Therefore, the use of this methodology seems to be of questionable utility as a specific measure of sexual interest or as an objective measure of the severity of Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder.

Impact of Aneurysm Projection on Intraoperative Complications During Surgical Clipping of Ruptured Posterior Communicating Artery Aneurysms.

Science.gov (United States)

Fukuda, Hitoshi; Hayashi, Kosuke; Yoshino, Kumiko; Koyama, Takashi; Lo, Benjamin; Kurosaki, Yoshitaka; Yamagata, Sen

2016-03-01

Surgical clipping of ruptured posterior communicating artery (PCoA) aneurysms is a well-established procedure to date. However, preoperative factors associated with procedure-related risk require further elucidation. To investigate the impact of the direction of aneurysm projection on the incidence of procedure-related complications during surgical clipping of ruptured PCoA aneurysms. A total of 65 patients with ruptured PCoA aneurysms who underwent surgical clipping were retrospectively analyzed from a single-center, prospective, observational cohort database in this study. The aneurysms were categorized into lateral and posterior projection groups, depending on direction of the dome. Characteristics and operative findings of each projection group were identified. We also evaluated any correlation of aneurysm projection with the incidence of procedure-related complications. Patients with ruptured PCoA aneurysms with posterior projection more likely presented with good-admission-grade subarachnoid hemorrhage (P = .01, χ test) and were less to also have intracerebral hematoma (P = .01). These aneurysms were found to be associated with higher incidence of intraoperative rupture (P = .02), complex clipping with fenestrated clips (P = .02), and dense adherence to PCoA or its perforators (P = .04) by univariate analysis. Aneurysms with posterior projection were also correlated with procedure-related complications, including postoperative cerebral infarction or hematoma formation (odds ratio, 5.87; 95% confidence interval, 1.11-31.1; P = .04) by multivariable analysis. Ruptured PCoA aneurysms with posterior projection carried a higher risk of procedure-related complications of surgical clipping than those with lateral projection.

Photovoltaic module mounting clip with integral grounding

Science.gov (United States)

Lenox, Carl J.

2010-08-24

An electrically conductive mounting/grounding clip, usable with a photovoltaic (PV) assembly of the type having an electrically conductive frame, comprises an electrically conductive body. The body has a central portion and first and second spaced-apart arms extending from the central portion. Each arm has first and second outer portions with frame surface-disrupting element at the outer portions.

Heterogeneous sharpness for cross-spectral face recognition

Science.gov (United States)

Cao, Zhicheng; Schmid, Natalia A.

2017-05-01

Matching images acquired in different electromagnetic bands remains a challenging problem. An example of this type of comparison is matching active or passive infrared (IR) against a gallery of visible face images, known as cross-spectral face recognition. Among many unsolved issues is the one of quality disparity of the heterogeneous images. Images acquired in different spectral bands are of unequal image quality due to distinct imaging mechanism, standoff distances, or imaging environment, etc. To reduce the effect of quality disparity on the recognition performance, one can manipulate images to either improve the quality of poor-quality images or to degrade the high-quality images to the level of the quality of their heterogeneous counterparts. To estimate the level of discrepancy in quality of two heterogeneous images a quality metric such as image sharpness is needed. It provides a guidance in how much quality improvement or degradation is appropriate. In this work we consider sharpness as a relative measure of heterogeneous image quality. We propose a generalized definition of sharpness by first achieving image quality parity and then finding and building a relationship between the image quality of two heterogeneous images. Therefore, the new sharpness metric is named heterogeneous sharpness. Image quality parity is achieved by experimentally finding the optimal cross-spectral face recognition performance where quality of the heterogeneous images is varied using a Gaussian smoothing function with different standard deviation. This relationship is established using two models; one of them involves a regression model and the other involves a neural network. To train, test and validate the model, we use composite operators developed in our lab to extract features from heterogeneous face images and use the sharpness metric to evaluate the face image quality within each band. Images from three different spectral bands visible light, near infrared, and short

Surface-Wave Pulse Routing around Sharp Right Angles

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Z.; Xu, H.; Gao, F.; Zhang, Y.; Luo, Y.; Zhang, B.

2018-04-01

Surface-plasmon polaritons (SPPs), or localized electromagnetic surface waves propagating on a metal-dielectric interface, are deemed promising information carriers for future subwavelength terahertz and optical photonic circuitry. However, surface waves fundamentally suffer from scattering loss when encountering sharp corners in routing and interconnection of photonic signals. Previous approaches enabling scattering-free surface-wave guidance around sharp corners are limited to either volumetric waveguide environments or extremely narrow bandwidth, being unable to guide a surface-wave pulse (SPP wave packet) on an on-chip platform. Here, in a surface-wave band-gap crystal implemented on a single metal surface, we demonstrate in time-domain routing a surface-wave pulse around multiple sharp right angles without perceptible scattering. Our work not only offers a solution to on-chip surface-wave pulse routing along an arbitrary path, but it also provides spatiotemporal information on the interplay between surface-wave pulses and sharp corners, both of which are desirable in developing high-performance large-scale integrated photonic circuits.

The sharp edge: a frequent radiographic sign in neonatal pneumothorax

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oestreich, A.E.

1987-01-01

The sharp edge sign, an unusually sharply defined silhouette of the heart and/or hemidiaphragm on frontal radiographs of the supine neonate, has been valuable in the initial recognition of pneumothorax. In a prospective study of 50 neonatal pneumothoraces, a sharp edge sign was present on the initial pneumothorax film 49 times. In seven of these, only the hemidiaphragm showed a sharp edge, while the heart margin was superimposed on the vertebral column. Greater awareness of the sharp edge sign would promote earlier recognition of neonatal pneumothorax. 6 refs.; 3 figs

Sharp tipped plastic hollow microneedle array by microinjection moulding

Science.gov (United States)

Yung, K. L.; Xu, Yan; Kang, Chunlei; Liu, H.; Tam, K. F.; Ko, S. M.; Kwan, F. Y.; Lee, Thomas M. H.

2012-01-01

A method of producing sharp tipped plastic hollow microneedle arrays using microinjection moulding is presented in this paper. Unlike traditional approaches, three mould inserts were used to create the sharp tips of the microneedles. Mould inserts with low surface roughness were fabricated using a picosecond laser machine. Sharp tipped plastic hollow microneedles 500 µm in height were fabricated using a microinjection moulding machine developed by the authors’ group. In addition, the strength of the microneedle was studied by simulation and penetration experiments. Results show that the microneedles can penetrate into skin, delivering liquid successfully without any breakage or severe deformation. Techniques presented in this paper can be used to fabricate sharp tipped plastic hollow microneedle arrays massively with low cost.

Sharp tipped plastic hollow microneedle array by microinjection moulding

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yung, K L; Xu, Yan; Kang, Chunlei; Liu, H; Tam, K F; Ko, S M; Kwan, F Y; Lee, Thomas M H

2012-01-01

A method of producing sharp tipped plastic hollow microneedle arrays using microinjection moulding is presented in this paper. Unlike traditional approaches, three mould inserts were used to create the sharp tips of the microneedles. Mould inserts with low surface roughness were fabricated using a picosecond laser machine. Sharp tipped plastic hollow microneedles 500 µm in height were fabricated using a microinjection moulding machine developed by the authors’ group. In addition, the strength of the microneedle was studied by simulation and penetration experiments. Results show that the microneedles can penetrate into skin, delivering liquid successfully without any breakage or severe deformation. Techniques presented in this paper can be used to fabricate sharp tipped plastic hollow microneedle arrays massively with low cost. (paper)

Preoperative Computed Tomography-Guided Percutaneous Hookwire Localization of Metallic Marker Clips in the Breast with a Radial Approach: Initial Experience

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Uematsu, T.; Kasami, M.; Uchida, Y.; Sanuki, J.; Kimura, K.; Tanaka, K.; Takahashi, K. [Dept. of Diagnostic Radiology, Dept. of Pathology, and Dept. of Breast Surgery, Shizuoka Cancer Center Hospital, Naga-izumi, Shizuoka (Japan)

2007-07-15

Background: Hookwire localization is the current standard technique for radiological marking of nonpalpable breast lesions. Stereotactic directional vacuum-assisted breast biopsy (SVAB) is of sufficient sensitivity and specificity to replace surgical biopsy. Wire localization for metallic marker clips placed after SVAB is needed. Purpose: To describe a method for performing computed tomography (CT)-guided hookwire localization using a radial approach for metallic marker clips placed percutaneously after SVAB. Material and Methods: Nineteen women scheduled for SVAB with marker-clip placement, CT-guided wire localization of marker clips, and, eventually, surgical excision were prospectively entered into the study. CT-guided wire localization was performed with a radial approach, followed by placement of a localizing marker-clip surgical excision. Feasibility and reliability of the procedure and the incidence of complications were examined. Results: CT-guided wire localization surgical excision was successfully performed in all 19 women without any complications. The mean total procedure time was 15 min. The median distance on CT image from marker clip to hookwire was 2 mm (range 0-3 mm). Conclusion: CT-guided preoperative hookwire localization with a radial approach for marker clips after SVAB is technically feasible.

Preoperative computed tomography-guided percutaneous hookwire localization of metallic marker clips in the breast with a radial approach: initial experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Uematsu, T; Kasami, M; Uchida, Y; Sanuki, J; Kimura, K; Tanaka, K; Takahashi, K

2007-06-01

Hookwire localization is the current standard technique for radiological marking of nonpalpable breast lesions. Stereotactic directional vacuum-assisted breast biopsy (SVAB) is of sufficient sensitivity and specificity to replace surgical biopsy. Wire localization for metallic marker clips placed after SVAB is needed. To describe a method for performing computed tomography (CT)-guided hookwire localization using a radial approach for metallic marker clips placed percutaneously after SVAB. Nineteen women scheduled for SVAB with marker-clip placement, CT-guided wire localization of marker clips, and, eventually, surgical excision were prospectively entered into the study. CT-guided wire localization was performed with a radial approach, followed by placement of a localizing marker-clip surgical excision. Feasibility and reliability of the procedure and the incidence of complications were examined. CT-guided wire localization surgical excision was successfully performed in all 19 women without any complications. The mean total procedure time was 15 min. The median distance on CT image from marker clip to hookwire was 2 mm (range 0-3 mm). CT-guided preoperative hookwire localization with a radial approach for marker clips after SVAB is technically feasible.

Patterns and Meanings of English Words through Word Formation Processes of Acronyms, Clipping, Compound and Blending Found in Internet-Based Media

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rio Rini Diah Moehkardi

2017-02-01

Full Text Available This research aims to explore the word-formation process in English new words found in the internet-based media through acronym, compound,  clipping and blending and their meanings. This study applies Plag’s (2002 framework of acronym and compound; Jamet’s (2009 framework of clipping, and Algeo’s framework (1977 in Hosseinzadeh  (2014 for blending. Despite the  formula established in each respective framework,  there could be occurrences  of novelty and modification on how words are formed and  how meaning developed in  the newly formed words. The research shows that well accepted acronyms can become real words by taking lower case and affixation. Some acronyms initialized non-lexical words, used non initial letters, and used letters and numbers that pronounced the same with the words they represent. Compounding also includes numbers as the element member of the compound. The nominal nouns are likely to have metaphorical and idiomatic meanings. Some compounds evolve to new and more specific meaning. The study also finds that back-clipping is the most dominant clipping. In blending, the sub-category clipping of blending, the study finds out that when clipping takes place, the non-head element is back-clipped and the head is fore-clipped.

Sociolinguistic import of name-clipping among Omambala cultural ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This study examines the perceived but obvious manifestation of name-clipping among Omambala cultural zone of Anambra State. This situation has given rise to distortion of names and most often, to either mis-interpretation or complete loss of the original and full meanings of the names. This situation of misinterpretation is ...

Sharp Efficiency for Vector Equilibrium Problems on Banach Spaces

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Si-Huan Li

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The concept of sharp efficient solution for vector equilibrium problems on Banach spaces is proposed. Moreover, the Fermat rules for local efficient solutions of vector equilibrium problems are extended to the sharp efficient solutions by means of the Clarke generalized differentiation and the normal cone. As applications, some necessary optimality conditions and sufficient optimality conditions for local sharp efficient solutions of a vector optimization problem with an abstract constraint and a vector variational inequality are obtained, respectively.

Using Film Clips to Teach Teen Pregnancy Prevention: "The Gloucester 18" at a Teen Summit

Science.gov (United States)

Herrman, Judith W.; Moore, Christopher C.; Anthony, Becky

2012-01-01

Teaching pregnancy prevention to large groups offers many challenges. This article describes the use of film clips, with guided discussion, to teach pregnancy prevention. In order to analyze the costs associated with teen pregnancy, a film clip discussion session based with the film "The Gloucester 18" was the keynote of a youth summit. The lesson…

Sharp foreign body ingestion by a young girl

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Riyadh Mohamad Hasan

2017-06-09

Jun 9, 2017 ... Sharp foreign body ingestion by a young girl. Riyadh Mohamad Hasan. University of Baghdad ... ray imaging and retrieved with the aid of C-arm fluoroscope at a laparotomy. Her postoperative period ... In our patient the foreign bodies were long sharp ones (sewing needles). Foreign body ingestion can be ...

O MONITORAMENTO DE NOTÍCIAS COMO FERRAMENTA PARA A INTELIGÊNCIA COMPETITIVATHE CLIPPING AS TOLL FOR COMPETITIVE INTELLIGENCE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ariane Barbosa Lemos

2011-07-01

Full Text Available O artigo apresenta um diagnóstico do serviço de monitoramento de notícias (clipping. No estudo, foram investigados os processos de elaboração desse serviço por uma empresa especializada e sua utilização por parte de organizações dos setores de educação executiva, jurídico e entretenimento. Conclui que tanto a empresa clipadora quanto seus clientes consideram o clipping útil para o processo decisório e o serviço é visto de forma complementar a ação geral de inteligência competitiva das organizações. Palavras-chave inteligência competitiva, monitoramento ambiental, fontes de informação e monitoramento de notícias. Abstract The paper presents a diagnostic study about a clipping service. This study focused the development of the service provided by a specialized firm and its use by organizations operating in the executive education, legal and entertainment areas. It concludes that both the company and your customers consider clipping useful for decision making and the clipping is seen as complementary to general action of competitive intelligence organizations. Keywords competitive intelligence, environmental scanning, information source and clipping.

Time-clustering behavior of sharp fluctuation sequences in Chinese stock markets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yuan Ying; Zhuang Xintian; Liu Zhiying; Huang Weiqiang

2012-01-01

Sharp fluctuations (in particular, extreme fluctuations) of asset prices have a great impact on financial markets and risk management. Therefore, investigating the time dynamics of sharp fluctuation is a challenge in the financial fields. Using two different representations of the sharp fluctuations (inter-event times and series of counts), the time clustering behavior in the sharp fluctuation sequences of stock markets in China is studied with several statistical tools, including coefficient of variation, Allan Factor, Fano Factor as well as R/S (rescaled range) analysis. All of the empirical results indicate that the time dynamics of the sharp fluctuation sequences can be considered as a fractal process with a high degree of time-clusterization of the events. It can help us to get a better understanding of the nature and dynamics of sharp fluctuation of stock price in stock markets.

Effect of hair coat clipping on some physiological changes of dairy bulls

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Prasanpanich, S.

2006-03-01

Full Text Available Some physiological responses of 6 Friesian crossbred (87.5% bull yearling with 2.5 years old, averaging 235 kg. bodyweight were investigated under hot humid conditions. All animals were raised in a house (4 × 15 × 5; w × l × h meters, respectively with concrete floor and were assigned to the Pair Comparison Design according to their weight and age into 2 groups. Animals in group 1 were maintained with their natural hair coat while their counterparts in group 2 were coat clipped fortnightly through a 70-day experimental period. The results indicated that the clipped animals had a significantly (P<0.05 lower sweating rate than did the unclipped ones (102.7±15.48 and 48.3±15.48 g/m2/hour, respectively. However, there were no significant differences in rectal temperature, skin temperature and respiratory rate between the two groups of animals. Further study should be done to clarify the consequences of lower sweating rate in clipped animals under hot humid conditions.

Efficient computation of clipped Voronoi diagram for mesh generation

KAUST Repository

Yan, Dongming

2013-04-01

The Voronoi diagram is a fundamental geometric structure widely used in various fields, especially in computer graphics and geometry computing. For a set of points in a compact domain (i.e. a bounded and closed 2D region or a 3D volume), some Voronoi cells of their Voronoi diagram are infinite or partially outside of the domain, but in practice only the parts of the cells inside the domain are needed, as when computing the centroidal Voronoi tessellation. Such a Voronoi diagram confined to a compact domain is called a clipped Voronoi diagram. We present an efficient algorithm to compute the clipped Voronoi diagram for a set of sites with respect to a compact 2D region or a 3D volume. We also apply the proposed method to optimal mesh generation based on the centroidal Voronoi tessellation. Crown Copyright © 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Efficient computation of clipped Voronoi diagram for mesh generation

KAUST Repository

Yan, Dongming; Wang, Wen Ping; Lé vy, Bruno L.; Liu, Yang

2013-01-01

The Voronoi diagram is a fundamental geometric structure widely used in various fields, especially in computer graphics and geometry computing. For a set of points in a compact domain (i.e. a bounded and closed 2D region or a 3D volume), some Voronoi cells of their Voronoi diagram are infinite or partially outside of the domain, but in practice only the parts of the cells inside the domain are needed, as when computing the centroidal Voronoi tessellation. Such a Voronoi diagram confined to a compact domain is called a clipped Voronoi diagram. We present an efficient algorithm to compute the clipped Voronoi diagram for a set of sites with respect to a compact 2D region or a 3D volume. We also apply the proposed method to optimal mesh generation based on the centroidal Voronoi tessellation. Crown Copyright © 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Sieving ANN for Emotion-Based Movie Clip Classification

Science.gov (United States)

Watanapa, Saowaluk C.; Thipakorn, Bundit; Charoenkitkarn, Nipon

Effective classification and analysis of semantic contents are very important for the content-based indexing and retrieval of video database. Our research attempts to classify movie clips into three groups of commonly elicited emotions, namely excitement, joy and sadness, based on a set of abstract-level semantic features extracted from the film sequence. In particular, these features consist of six visual and audio measures grounded on the artistic film theories. A unique sieving-structured neural network is proposed to be the classifying model due to its robustness. The performance of the proposed model is tested with 101 movie clips excerpted from 24 award-winning and well-known Hollywood feature films. The experimental result of 97.8% correct classification rate, measured against the collected human-judges, indicates the great potential of using abstract-level semantic features as an engineered tool for the application of video-content retrieval/indexing.

Knowledge Base Editor (SharpKBE)

Science.gov (United States)

Tikidjian, Raffi; James, Mark; Mackey, Ryan

2007-01-01

The SharpKBE software provides a graphical user interface environment for domain experts to build and manage knowledge base systems. Knowledge bases can be exported/translated to various target languages automatically, including customizable target languages.

21 CFR 884.2685 - Fetal scalp clip electrode and applicator.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... and an external monitoring device by means of pinching skin tissue with a nonreusable clip. This... shall have an approved PMA or a declared completed PDP in effect before being placed in commercial...

Direct mounted photovoltaic device with improved front clip

Science.gov (United States)

Keenihan, James R; Boven, Michelle; Brown, Jr., Claude; Gaston, Ryan S; Hus, Michael; Langmaid, Joe A; Lesniak, Mike

2013-11-05

The present invention is premised upon a photovoltaic assembly system for securing and/or aligning at least a plurality of vertically adjacent (overlapping) photovoltaic device assemblies to one another. The securing function being accomplished by a clip member that may be a separate component or integral to one or more of the photovoltaic device assemblies.

Direct mounted photovoltaic device with improved side clip

Science.gov (United States)

Keenihan, James R; Boven, Michelle L; Brown, Jr., Claude; Eurich, Gerald K; Gaston, Ryan S; Hus, Michael

2013-11-19

The present invention is premised upon a photovoltaic assembly system for securing and/or aligning at least a plurality of vertically adjacent photovoltaic device assemblies to one another. The securing function being accomplished by a clip member that may be a separate component or integral to one or more of the photovoltaic device assemblies.

Development of a new detection device using a glass clip emitting infrared fluorescence for laparoscopic surgery of gastric cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Inada, Shunko Albano; Mori, Kensaku; Fuchi, Shingo; Hasegawa, Junichi; Misawa, Kazunari; Nakanishi, Hayao

2015-01-01

In conventional method, to identify location of the tumor intraperitoneally for extirpation of the gastric cancer, charcoal ink is injected around the primary tumor. However, in the time of laparoscopic operation, it is difficult to estimate specific site of primary tumor. In this study we developed a glass phosphors was realized with Yb 3+ , Nd 3+ doped to Bi 2 O 3 -B 2 O 3 based glasses, which have central emission wavelength of 1020 nm and 100 nm of FWHM. Using this glass phosphor, we developed a fluorescent clip and the laparoscopic fluorescent detection system for clip-derived near-infrared light. To evaluated clinical performance of a fluorescent clip and the laparoscopic detection system, we used resected stomach from the patients. Fluorescent clip was fixed on the gastric mucosa, and an excitation light (wavelength: 808nm) was irradiated from outside of stomach for detection of fluorescent through stomach wall. As a result, fluorescent emission from the clip was successfully detected. These results indicate that the glass fluorescent clip in combination with laparoscopic detection system is a very useful method to identify the exact location of the primary gastric cancer. (paper)

Real-time surgery simulation of intracranial aneurysm clipping with patient-specific geometries and haptic feedback

Science.gov (United States)

Fenz, Wolfgang; Dirnberger, Johannes

2015-03-01

Providing suitable training for aspiring neurosurgeons is becoming more and more problematic. The increasing popularity of the endovascular treatment of intracranial aneurysms leads to a lack of simple surgical situations for clipping operations, leaving mainly the complex cases, which present even experienced surgeons with a challenge. To alleviate this situation, we have developed a training simulator with haptic interaction allowing trainees to practice virtual clipping surgeries on real patient-specific vessel geometries. By using specialized finite element (FEM) algorithms (fast finite element method, matrix condensation) combined with GPU acceleration, we can achieve the necessary frame rate for smooth real-time interaction with the detailed models needed for a realistic simulation of the vessel wall deformation caused by the clamping with surgical clips. Vessel wall geometries for typical training scenarios were obtained from 3D-reconstructed medical image data, while for the instruments (clipping forceps, various types of clips, suction tubes) we use models provided by manufacturer Aesculap AG. Collisions between vessel and instruments have to be continuously detected and transformed into corresponding boundary conditions and feedback forces, calculated using a contact plane method. After a training, the achieved result can be assessed based on various criteria, including a simulation of the residual blood flow into the aneurysm. Rigid models of the surgical access and surrounding brain tissue, plus coupling a real forceps to the haptic input device further increase the realism of the simulation.

Prophylactic clipping for the prevention of bleeding following wide-field endoscopic mucosal resection of laterally spreading colorectal lesions: an economic modeling study.

Science.gov (United States)

Bahin, Farzan F; Rasouli, Khalid N; Williams, Stephen J; Lee, Eric Y T; Bourke, Michael J

2016-08-01

Clinically significant bleeding (CSPEB) is the most common adverse event following endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) of large sessile and laterally spreading colorectal lesions (LSLs), and is associated with morbidity and resource utilization. CSPEB occurs more frequently with proximal LSLs. Prophylactic clipping of the post-EMR defect may be beneficial in CSPEB prevention. The aim of this study was to determine the cost-effectiveness of a prophylactic clipping strategy. We hypothesized that prophylactic clipping in the proximal colon was cost-effective. An economic model was applied to outcomes from the Australian Colonic Endoscopic Mucosal Resection (ACE) Study. Clip distances of 3, 5, 8, and 10 mm were analyzed. The cost of treating CSPEB was determined from an independent costing agency. The funds needed to spend (FNS) was the cost incurred in order to prevent one episode of CSPEB. A break-even analysis was performed to determine cost equivalence of the costs of clipping and CSPEB. Outcomes of 1717 LSLs (mean size 35.8 mm; 52.6 % proximal colon) that underwent EMR were analyzed. The overall rate of CSPEB was 6.4 % (proximal 8.9 %; distal 3.7 %). Endoscopic management was required in 45 % of CSPEB episodes. With a clip distance of 3 mm, the expected cost of prophylactic clipping was € 1106 per lesion compared with € 157 per lesion for the expected cost of CSPEB without clipping. At 100 % clipping efficacy, the FNS was € 14 826 (proximal and distal lesions € 9309 and € 29 540, respectively). A clip price of € 10.35 was required for the cost of clipping to offset the cost of CSPEB. A prophylactic clipping strategy is not cost-effective and at present cannot be justified for all lesions or selectively for lesions in the proximal colon. ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01368289). © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

SHARP {Summer High School Apprenticeship Research Program}

Science.gov (United States)

Glasco, Deborah (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

The Year 2002 was another successful year for SHARP. Even after 22 years of SHARP, the Program continues to grow. There were 12 NASA Field Installations with a total of 210 apprentices who participated in the summer 2002 Program supported by 215 mentors in the fields of science and engineering. The apprentices were chosen from a pool of 1,379 applicants. This was a record year for applications exceeding the previous year by over 60%. For the second consecutive year, the number of female participants exceeded the number of males with 53% female and 47% male participants in the program. The main thrust of our recruiting efforts is still focused on underrepresented populations; especially African American, Hispanic, and Native American. At the conclusion of the summer program, most SHARP Apprentices indicated on the EDCATS that they would be interested in pursuing careers in Aerospace (56.2%) while the second largest career choice was a job at NASA (45.7%). The smallest number (11.9%) were interested in careers in the government. The table of responses is listed in the Appendix. Once again this year we were fortunate in that the SHARP COTR, Ms. Deborah Glasco, gained the support of MURED funding sources at NASA to fully fund additional apprentices and boost the number of apprentices to 210.

Practical Use of the Extended No Action Level (eNAL) Correction Protocol for Breast Cancer Patients With Implanted Surgical Clips

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Penninkhof, Joan; Quint, Sandra; Baaijens, Margreet; Heijmen, Ben; Dirkx, Maarten

2012-01-01

Purpose: To describe the practical use of the extended No Action Level (eNAL) setup correction protocol for breast cancer patients with surgical clips and evaluate its impact on the setup accuracy of both tumor bed and whole breast during simultaneously integrated boost treatments. Methods and Materials: For 80 patients, two orthogonal planar kilovoltage images and one megavoltage image (for the mediolateral beam) were acquired per fraction throughout the radiotherapy course. For setup correction, the eNAL protocol was applied, based on registration of surgical clips in the lumpectomy cavity. Differences with respect to application of a No Action Level (NAL) protocol or no protocol were quantified for tumor bed and whole breast. The correlation between clip migration during the fractionated treatment and either the method of surgery or the time elapsed from last surgery was investigated. Results: The distance of the clips to their center of mass (COM), averaged over all clips and patients, was reduced by 0.9 ± 1.2 mm (mean ± 1 SD). Clip migration was similar between the group of patients starting treatment within 100 days after surgery (median, 53 days) and the group starting afterward (median, 163 days) (p = 0.20). Clip migration after conventional breast surgery (closing the breast superficially) or after lumpectomy with partial breast reconstructive techniques (sutured cavity). was not significantly different either (p = 0.22). Application of eNAL on clips resulted in residual systematic errors for the clips’ COM of less than 1 mm in each direction, whereas the setup of the breast was within about 2 mm of accuracy. Conclusions: Surgical clips can be safely used for high-accuracy position verification and correction. Given compensation for time trends in the clips’ COM throughout the treatment course, eNAL resulted in better setup accuracies for both tumor bed and whole breast than NAL.

Does the placement of surgical clips within the excision cavity influence local control for patients treated with breast conserving surgery and irradiation?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fein, Douglas A; Fowble, Barbara L; Hanlon, Alexandra L; Hoffman, John P; Sigurdson, Elin R; Eisenberg, Burton L

1995-07-01

PURPOSE: A number of authors have demonstrated the importance of using surgical clips to define the tumor bed in the treatment planning of early stage breast cancer. The clips have been useful in delineating the borders of the tangential fields especially for very medial and very lateral lesions as well as the boost volume. If surgical clips better define the tumor bed then a reduction in true or marginal recurrences should be appreciated. We sought to compare the incidence of breast recurrence in women with and without surgical clips controlling for other recognized prognostic factors. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Between 1980 and 1992, 1364 women with clinical Stage I or II invasive breast cancer underwent excisional biopsy, axillary dissection, and definitive irradiation. Median follow-up was 60 months. Median age was 55 years. Seventy-one percent of patients were path N0, 22% had 1-3 nodes and 7% had {>=} 4 nodes. Sixty-one percent were ER positive and 49% PR positive. Margin status was negative in 62%, positive in 10%, close in 9%, and unknown in 19%. Fifty-seven percent of women underwent a reexcision. Adjuvant chemotherapy {+-} tamoxifen was administered in 29%, and tamoxifen alone in 17%. Surgical clips were placed in the excision cavity in 556 patients while the other 808 did not have clips placed. All patients had a boost to the tumor bed. Patients had their boost planned with CT scanning or stereo shift radiographs. No significant differences between the 2 groups were noted for median age, T stage, nodal status, race, ER/PR receptor status, region irradiated, or tumor location. Patients without clips had negative margins less often, a higher rate of unknown or positive margins and more often received no adjuvant therapy compared to patients with surgical clips. RESULTS: Twenty-three and 27 patients with and without surgical clips, respectively developed a true or marginal recurrence in the treated breast. The actuarial probability of a breast recurrence was 2

Esophageal Perforation due to Transesophageal Echocardiogram: New Endoscopic Clip Treatment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John Robotis

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Esophageal perforation due to transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE during cardiac surgery is rare. A 72-year-old female underwent TEE during an operation for aortic valve replacement. Further, the patient presented hematemesis. Gastroscopy revealed an esophageal bleeding ulcer. Endoscopic therapy was successful. Although a CT scan excluded perforation, the patient became febrile, and a second gastroscopy revealed a big perforation at the site of ulcer. The patient's clinical condition required endoscopic intervention with a new OTSC® clip (Ovesco Endoscopy, Tübingen, Germany. The perforation was successfully sealed. The patient remained on intravenous antibiotics, proton pump inhibitors and parenteral nutrition for few days, followed by enteral feeding. She was discharged fully recovered 3 months later. We clearly demonstrate an effective, less invasive treatment of an esophageal perforation with a new endoscopic clip.

Does the placement of surgical clips within the excision cavity influence local control for patients treated with breast conserving surgery and irradiation?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fein, Douglas A.; Fowble, Barbara L.; Hanlon, Alexandra L.; Hoffman, John P.; Sigurdson, Elin R.; Eisenberg, Burton L.

1995-01-01

PURPOSE: A number of authors have demonstrated the importance of using surgical clips to define the tumor bed in the treatment planning of early stage breast cancer. The clips have been useful in delineating the borders of the tangential fields especially for very medial and very lateral lesions as well as the boost volume. If surgical clips better define the tumor bed then a reduction in true or marginal recurrences should be appreciated. We sought to compare the incidence of breast recurrence in women with and without surgical clips controlling for other recognized prognostic factors. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Between 1980 and 1992, 1364 women with clinical Stage I or II invasive breast cancer underwent excisional biopsy, axillary dissection, and definitive irradiation. Median follow-up was 60 months. Median age was 55 years. Seventy-one percent of patients were path N0, 22% had 1-3 nodes and 7% had ≥ 4 nodes. Sixty-one percent were ER positive and 49% PR positive. Margin status was negative in 62%, positive in 10%, close in 9%, and unknown in 19%. Fifty-seven percent of women underwent a reexcision. Adjuvant chemotherapy ± tamoxifen was administered in 29%, and tamoxifen alone in 17%. Surgical clips were placed in the excision cavity in 556 patients while the other 808 did not have clips placed. All patients had a boost to the tumor bed. Patients had their boost planned with CT scanning or stereo shift radiographs. No significant differences between the 2 groups were noted for median age, T stage, nodal status, race, ER/PR receptor status, region irradiated, or tumor location. Patients without clips had negative margins less often, a higher rate of unknown or positive margins and more often received no adjuvant therapy compared to patients with surgical clips. RESULTS: Twenty-three and 27 patients with and without surgical clips, respectively developed a true or marginal recurrence in the treated breast. The actuarial probability of a breast recurrence was 2% at

Does the placement of surgical clips within the excision cavity influence local control for patients treated with breast-conserving surgery and irradiation?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fein, Douglas A.; Fowble, Barbara L.; Hanlon, Alexandra L.; Hoffman, John P.; Sigurdson, Elin R.; Eisenberg, Burton L.

1996-01-01

Purpose: A number of authors have demonstrated the importance of using surgical clips to define the tumor bed in the treatment planning of early-stage breast cancer. The clips have been useful in delineating the borders of the tangential fields, especially for very medial and very lateral lesions as well as the boost volume. If surgical clips better define the tumor bed, then a reduction in true or marginal recurrences should be appreciated. We sought to compare the incidence of breast recurrence in women with and without surgical clips, controlling for other recognized prognostic factors. Methods and Materials: Between 1980 and 1992, 1364 women with clinical Stage I or II invasive breast cancer underwent excisional biopsy, axillary dissection, and definitive irradiation. Median follow-up was 60 months. Median age was 55 years. Seventy-one percent of patients were path N0, 22% had one to three nodes, and 7% had > four nodes. Sixty-one percent were ER positive and 49% PR positive. Margin status was negative in 62%, positive in 10%, close in 9%, and unknown in 19%. Fifty-seven percent of women underwent a reexcision. Adjuvant chemotherapy + tamoxifen was administered in 29%, and tamoxifen alone in 17%. Surgical clips were placed in the excision cavity in 556 patients, while the other 808 did not have clips placed. All patients had a boost to the tumor bed. Patients had their boost planned with CT scanning or stereo shift radiographs. No significant differences between the two groups were noted for median age, T stage, nodal status, race, ER/PR receptor status, region irradiated, or tumor location. Patients without clips had negative margins less often, a higher rate of unknown or positive margins and more often received no adjuvant therapy compared to patients with surgical clips. Results: Twenty-five and 27 patients with and without surgical clips, respectively, developed a true or marginal recurrence in the treated breast. The actuarial probability of a breast

Efficacy of electrocoagulation in sealing the cystic artery and cystic duct occluded with only one absorbable clip during laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Chang-Ping; Cao, Jin-Lin; Yang, Ren-Rong; Guo, Hong-Rong; Li, Zhao-Hui; Guo, Hai-Ying; Shao, Yin-Can; Liu, Gui-Bao

2014-02-01

Even though laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) emerged over 20 years ago, controversies persist with regard to the best method to ligate the cystic duct and artery. We proposed to assess the effectiveness and safety of electrocoagulation to seal the cystic artery and cystic duct after their occlusion with only one absorbable clip. We retrospectively compared the clinical data for 635 patients undergoing LC using electrocoagulation to seal the cystic artery and cystic duct that were occluded with only one absorbable clip (Group 1) and 728 patients undergoing LC using titanium clips (Group 2). In parallel, 30 rabbits randomized into six groups underwent cholecystectomy. After cystic duct ligation with absorbable or titanium clips, the animals were sacrificed 1, 3, or 6 months later, and intraabdominal adhesions were assessed after celiotomy. The mean operative time was significantly shorter (41.6 versus 58.9 minutes, PElectrocoagulation of the cystic artery and cystic duct that were occluded with only one absorbable clip is safe and effective during LC. This approach is associated with shortened operative times and reduced leakage, compared with the standard method using metal clips.

Effects of Knee Alignments and Toe Clip on Frontal Plane Knee Biomechanics in Cycling.

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Guangping; Zhang, Songning; Bennett, Hunter J; Martin, James C; Crouter, Scott E; Fitzhugh, Eugene C

2018-06-01

Effects of knee alignment on the internal knee abduction moment (KAM) in walking have been widely studied. The KAM is closely associated with the development of medial knee osteoarthritis. Despite the importance of knee alignment, no studies have explored its effects on knee frontal plane biomechanics during stationary cycling. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of knee alignment and use of a toe clip on the knee frontal plane biomechanics during stationary cycling. A total of 32 participants (11 varus, 11 neutral, and 10 valgus alignment) performed five trials in each of six cycling conditions: pedaling at 80 rpm and 0.5 kg (40 Watts), 1.0 kg (78 Watts), and 1.5 kg (117 Watts) with and without a toe clip. A motion analysis system and a customized instrumented pedal were used to collect 3D kinematic and kinetic data. A 3 × 2 × 3 (group × toe clip × workload) mixed design ANOVA was used for statistical analysis (p < 0.05). There were two different knee frontal plane loading patterns, internal abduction and adduction moment, which were affected by knee alignment type. The knee adduction angle was 12.2° greater in the varus group compared to the valgus group (p = 0.001), yet no difference was found for KAM among groups. Wearing a toe clip increased the knee adduction angle by 0.95º (p = 0.005). The findings of this study indicate that stationary cycling may be a safe exercise prescription for people with knee malalignments. In addition, using a toe clip may not have any negative effects on knee joints during stationary cycling.

MRI-validation of SEP monitoring for ischemic events during microsurgical clipping of intracranial aneurysms.

Science.gov (United States)

Krayenbühl, Niklaus; Sarnthein, Johannes; Oinas, Minna; Erdem, Eren; Krisht, Ali F

2011-09-01

During surgical clipping of intracranial aneurysms, reduction in SEP amplitude is thought to indicate cortical ischemia and subsequent neurological deficits. Since the sensitivity of SEP is questioned, we investigated SEP with respect to post-operative ischemia. In 36 patients with 51 intracranial aneurysms, clinical evaluation and diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI) was performed before and within 24h after surgery. During surgery, time of temporary occlusion was recorded. MRI images were reviewed for signs of ischemia. For 43 clip applications (84%), we observed neither pathologic SEP events nor ischemia in MRI. In two cases where reduction lasted >10 min after clip release, SEP events correlated with ischemia in the MRI. Only one of the ischemic patients was symptomatic and developed a transient hemiparesis. While pathologic SEP events correlated with visible ischemia in MRI only in two cases with late SEP recovery, ischemia in MRI may have been transient or may not have reached detection threshold in the other cases, in agreement with the absence of permanent neurological deficits. In complex aneurysm cases, where prolonged temporary occlusion is expected, SEP should be used to detect ischemia at a reversible stage to improve the safety of aneurysm clipping. Copyright © 2011 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Custom-made different designs of pressure clips for the management of ear lobe keloids

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anshul Chugh

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction : Keloids are frequent finding after physical trauma. Keloids of ear lobe are common complication of ear piercing, although its incidence remains unknown. The use of intrakeloid resection and a form pressure device to treat pinna keloids. The recommendation of this therapy is to maintain constant pressure and duration of pressure therapy was about 25 weeks. Clinical innovation : This article will present inexpensive custom made pressure clips of various designs. The dimensions of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA plates in ear lobe clip presented by us though they esthetically not so good, but colored PMMA has been used to make it decorative and acceptable by most of the patients. This has been an encouraging experience to use the different designs. Discussion : Ear clip prosthesis has been developed for maintaining pressure on ear lobe keloids before and after surgical removal. The prosthesis includes an ear clip to which heat-polymerized acrylic resin is attached, which covers the keloid area. Pressure therapy is widely used to help in the early maturation of scar tissue and to prevent the recurrence of keloid. The preliminary report by Brent revealed that constant light pressure was an effective means of preventing post excision recurrence of ear lobe keloids using a decorative, spring-pressure earring.

Evaluation of stiffness and plastic deformation of active ceramic self-ligating bracket clips after repetitive opening and closure movements.

Science.gov (United States)

Carneiro, Grace Kelly Martins; Roque, Juliano Alves; Segundo, Aguinaldo Silva Garcez; Suzuki, Hideo

2015-01-01

The aim of this study was to assess whether repetitive opening and closure of self-ligating bracket clips can cause plastic deformation of the clip. Three types of active/interactive ceramic self-ligating brackets (n = 20) were tested: In-Ovation C, Quicklear and WOW. A standardized controlled device performed 500 cycles of opening and closure movements of the bracket clip with proper instruments and techniques adapted as recommended by the manufacturer of each bracket type. Two tensile tests, one before and one after the repetitive cycles, were performed to assess the stiffness of the clips. To this end, a custom-made stainless steel 0.40 x 0.40 mm wire was inserted into the bracket slot and adapted to the universal testing machine (EMIC DL2000), after which measurements were recorded. On the loading portion of the loading-unloading curve of clips, the slope fitted a first-degree equation curve to determine the stiffness/deflection rate of the clip. The results of plastic deformation showed no significant difference among bracket types before and after the 500 cycles of opening and closure (p = 0.811). There were significant differences on stiffness among the three types of brackets (p = 0.005). The WOW bracket had higher mean values, whereas Quicklear bracket had lower values, regardless of the opening/closure cycle. Repetitive controlled opening and closure movements of the clip did not alter stiffness or cause plastic deformation.

Evaluation of stiffness and plastic deformation of active ceramic self-ligating bracket clips after repetitive opening and closure movements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Grace Kelly Martins Carneiro

2015-08-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess whether repetitive opening and closure of self-ligating bracket clips can cause plastic deformation of the clip.METHODS: Three types of active/interactive ceramic self-ligating brackets (n = 20 were tested: In-Ovation C, Quicklear and WOW. A standardized controlled device performed 500 cycles of opening and closure movements of the bracket clip with proper instruments and techniques adapted as recommended by the manufacturer of each bracket type. Two tensile tests, one before and one after the repetitive cycles, were performed to assess the stiffness of the clips. To this end, a custom-made stainless steel 0.40 x 0.40 mm wire was inserted into the bracket slot and adapted to the universal testing machine (EMIC DL2000, after which measurements were recorded. On the loading portion of the loading-unloading curve of clips, the slope fitted a first-degree equation curve to determine the stiffness/deflection rate of the clip.RESULTS: The results of plastic deformation showed no significant difference among bracket types before and after the 500 cycles of opening and closure (p = 0.811. There were significant differences on stiffness among the three types of brackets (p = 0.005. The WOW bracket had higher mean values, whereas Quicklear bracket had lower values, regardless of the opening/closure cycle.CONCLUSION: Repetitive controlled opening and closure movements of the clip did not alter stiffness or cause plastic deformation.

Emotion Index of Cover Song Music Video Clips based on Facial Expression Recognition

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kavallakis, George; Vidakis, Nikolaos; Triantafyllidis, Georgios

2017-01-01

This paper presents a scheme of creating an emotion index of cover song music video clips by recognizing and classifying facial expressions of the artist in the video. More specifically, it fuses effective and robust algorithms which are employed for expression recognition, along with the use...... of a neural network system using the features extracted by the SIFT algorithm. Also we support the need of this fusion of different expression recognition algorithms, because of the way that emotions are linked to facial expressions in music video clips....

Clinical outcome of critically ill, not fully recompensated, patients undergoing MitraClip therapy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rudolph, Volker; Huntgeburth, Michael; von Bardeleben, Ralph Stephan

2014-01-01

AIMS: As periprocedural risk is low, MitraClip implantation is often performed in critically ill, not fully recompensated patients, who are in NYHA functional class IV at the time of the procedure, to accelerate convalescence. We herein sought to evaluate the procedural and 30-day outcome.......3%. CONCLUSION: MitraClip therapy is feasible and safe even in critically ill, not fully recompensated patients and leads to symptomatic improvement in over two-thirds of these patients; however, it is associated with an elevated 30-day mortality....

Top-down and Middle-down Protein Analysis Reveals that Intact and Clipped Human Histones Differ in Post-translational Modification Patterns

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tvardovskiy, Andrey; Wrzesinski, Krzysztof; Sidoli, Simone

2015-01-01

Post-translational modifications (PTMs) of histone proteins play a fundamental role in regulation of DNA-templated processes. There is also growing evidence that proteolytic cleavage of histone N-terminal tails, known as histone clipping, influences nucleosome dynamics and functional properties...... hepatocytes and the hepatocellular carcinoma cell line HepG2/C3A when grown in spheroid (3D) culture, but not in a flat (2D) culture. Using tandem mass spectrometry we localized four different clipping sites in H3 and one clipping site in H2B. We show that in spheroid culture clipped H3 proteoforms are mainly...

[MitraClip® for treatment of tricuspid valve insufficiency].

Science.gov (United States)

Pfister, R; Baldus, S

2017-11-01

Tricuspid valve regurgitation is frequently found as a result of right ventricular remodeling due to advanced left heart diseases. Drug treatment is limited to diuretics and the cardiac or pulmonary comorbidities. Due to the high risk only a small percentage of patients are amenable to surgical treatment of tricuspid regurgitation in those who undergo left-sided surgery for other reasons. Catheter-based procedures are an attractive treatment alternative, particularly since the strong prognostic impact of tricuspid regurgitation suggests an unmet need of treatment, independent of the underlying heart disease. A vast amount of clinical experience exists for the MitraClip system for treatment of mitral regurgitation. A first case series shows that the application for treatment of tricuspid regurgitation is technically feasible, seems to be safe and the degree of valve regurgitation can be reduced. In this review the background of tricuspid regurgitation treatment is summarized and first experiences and perspectives with the MitraClip system are assessed.

Surgical clips for position verification and correction of non-rigid breast tissue in simultaneously integrated boost (SIB) treatments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Penninkhof, Joan; Quint, Sandra; Boer, Hans de; Mens, Jan Willem; Heijmen, Ben; Dirkx, Maarten

2009-01-01

Background and purpose: The aim of this study is to investigate whether surgical clips in the lumpectomy cavity are representative for position verification of both the tumour bed and the whole breast in simultaneously integrated boost (SIB) treatments. Materials and methods: For a group of 30 patients treated with a SIB technique, kV and MV planar images were acquired throughout the course of the fractionated treatment. The 3D set-up error for the tumour bed was derived by matching the surgical clips (3-8 per patient) in two almost orthogonal planar kV images. By projecting the 3D set-up error derived from the planar kV images to the (u, v)-plane of the tangential beams, the correlation with the 2D set-up error for the whole breast, derived from the MV EPID images, was determined. The stability of relative clip positions during the fractionated treatment was investigated. In addition, for a subgroup of 15 patients, the impact of breathing was determined from fluoroscopic movies acquired at the linac. Results: The clip configurations were stable over the course of radiotherapy, showing an inter-fraction variation (1 SD) of 0.5 mm on average. Between the start and the end of the treatment, the mean distance between the clips and their center of mass was reduced by 0.9 mm. A decrease larger than 2 mm was observed in eight patients (17 clips). The top-top excursion of the clips due to breathing was generally less than 2.5 mm in all directions. The population averages of the difference (±1 SD) between kV and MV matches in the (u, v)-plane were 0.2 ± 1.8 mm and 0.9 ± 1.5 mm, respectively. In 30% of the patients, time trends larger than 3 mm were present over the course of the treatment in either or in both kV and MV match results. Application of the NAL protocol based on the clips reduced the population mean systematic error to less than 2 mm in all directions, both for the tumour bed and the whole breast. Due to the observed time trends, these systematic errors can

Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage: outcome of aneurysm clipping versus coiling in anterior circulation aneurysm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wadd, I.H.; Haroon, A.; Ansari, S.

2015-01-01

To compare the neurological outcome of microsurgical clipping versus coiling in patients with anterior circulation aneurysm. Study Design: Comparative study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Neurosurgery, Lahore General Hospital, Lahore, from January 2010 to December 2013. Methodology: Patients aged 14 - 60 years, with ruptured cerebral aneurysm of anterior circulation and World Federation of Neurosurgical Society (WFNS) grades 1, 2 and 3 were included. Patients more than 60 years, medically unfit patient and posterior circulation aneurysms and WFNS grades 4 and 5 were excluded. Aneurysm sac obliteration was done in randomized manner with microsurgical clipping or coiling. Postoperatively, the patients were assessed and followed-up upto one year for outcome parameters on the bases of WFNS grade and Modified Ranking Scale (mRS) as favourable (mRS =2 ) and unfavourable (mRS > 2). Results: Among 140 subjects selected for study, 70 were included in group A, i.e. coiling and other 70 were in group B, i.e. clipping. The median age of patients in group A was 52.5 ± 10 years and in group B was 51.00 ± years. Overall, 56 (40%) males, 28 (60%) males in each group; and 84 (60%) females, 42 (60%) in each group were included. The male to female ratio in this study was 1:1.5. In group A, i.e. coiling, 27 (38.6%) patients had no disability (grades 1 and 2), 25 (35.7%) were slightly disabled (grade 3) and 18 (25.7%) had moderate disability (grade 4); whereas in group B, i.e. clipping group 23 (32.9%) patients had no disability (grades 1 and 2), 23 (32.9%) were slightly disabled (grade 3) and 24 (34.3%) had moderate disability (grade 4). At one year follow-up, in group A, favourable outcome was achieved in 56 (80%) of patients compared to 48 (68.6%) in group B; whilst, 14 (20%) patients in group A and 22 (33.1%) in group B showed unfavourable outcome. Although mortality rate was higher in clipping (n=3, 4.3%) as compared to coiling (n=1, 1.4%), but was not statistically

Combining monoenergetic extrapolations from dual-energy CT with iterative reconstructions. Reduction of coil and clip artifacts from intracranial aneurysm therapy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Winklhofer, Sebastian; Baltsavias, Gerasimos; Michels, Lars; Valavanis, Antonios [University of Zurich, Department of Neuroradiology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich (Switzerland); Hinzpeter, Ricarda; Stocker, Daniel; Alkadhi, Hatem [University of Zurich, Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich (Switzerland); Burkhardt, Jan-Karl; Regli, Luca [University of Zurich, Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich (Switzerland)

2018-03-15

To compare and to combine iterative metal artifact reduction (MAR) and virtual monoenergetic extrapolations (VMEs) from dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) for reducing metal artifacts from intracranial clips and coils. Fourteen clips and six coils were scanned in a phantom model with DECT at 100 and 150SnkVp. Four datasets were reconstructed: non-corrected images (filtered-back projection), iterative MAR, VME from DECT at 120 keV, and combined iterative MAR + VME images. Artifact severity scores and visibility of simulated, contrast-filled, adjacent vessels were assessed qualitatively and quantitatively by two independent, blinded readers. Iterative MAR, VME, and combined iterative MAR + VME resulted in a significant reduction of qualitative (p < 0.001) and quantitative clip artifacts (p < 0.005) and improved the visibility of adjacent vessels (p < 0.05) compared to non-corrected images, with lowest artifact scores found in combined iterative MAR + VME images. Titanium clips demonstrated less artifacts than Phynox clips (p < 0.05), and artifact scores increased with clip size. Coil artifacts increased with coil size but were reducible when applying iterative MAR + VME compared to non-corrected images. However, no technique improved the severe artifacts from large, densely packed coils. Combining iterative MAR with VME allows for an improved metal artifact reduction from clips and smaller, loosely packed coils. Limited value was found for large and densely packed coils. (orig.)

The impact of sharps injuries on student nurses: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Hambridge, Kevin; Nichols, Andrew; Endacott, Ruth

2016-10-27

The purpose of this review was to discover the impact of sharps injuries in the student nurse population. Much is known and reported about sharps injuries in registered nurses, but there has been a lack of published evidence regarding sharps injuries within the student nurse population. A systematic review of nursing, health and psychology databases was conducted. The limits set were publications between 1980 and 2014 in the English language. Studies were identified then, following a rigorous critical and quality appraisal with validated tools, were selected for the systematic review. A total of 40 articles met the inclusion criteria, reporting studies conducted in 18 countries. Psychological and physical impacts of sharps injuries in student nurses were reported, such as fear, anxiety and depression, although these impacts were not quantified using a validated instrument. The impact of sharps injuries can be severe, both psychological and physical. This systematic review shows that further research is needed into this, especially in under-researched areas such as the UK, to establish the impact of sharps injuries within this population. Further research would also aid the education and prevention of this harmful problem. The review also emphasises the psychological issues relating to sharps injuries, the impact these can have on individuals and the support and counselling that student nurses require after injury. These findings highlight the potential psychological issues that can result from sharps injuries in this population.

Determination of moulting events in rock lobsters from pleopod clipping.

Science.gov (United States)

Gardner, Caleb; Mills, David J

2013-01-01

Rock lobster growth is routinely measured for research to optimise management measures such as size limits and quotas. The process of estimating growth is complicated in crustaceans as growth only occurs when the animal moults. As data are typically collected by tag-recapture methods, the timing of moulting events can bias results. For example, if annual moulting events take place within a very short time-at-large after tagging, or if time-at-large is long and no moulting occurs. Classifying data into cases where moulting has / has not occurred during time-at-large can be required and can generally be determined by change in size between release and recapture. However, in old or slow growth individuals the moult increment can be too small to provide surety that moulting has occurred. A method that has been used since the 1970's to determine moulting in rock lobsters involves clipping the distal portion of a pleopod so that any regeneration observed at recapture can be used as evidence of a moult. We examined the use of this method in both tank and long-duration field trials within a marine protected area, which provided access to large animals with smaller growth increments. Our results emphasised that determination of moulting by change in size was unreliable with larger lobsters and that pleopod clipping can assist in identifying moulting events. However, regeneration was an unreliable measure of moulting if clipping occurred less than three months before the moult.

Determination of moulting events in rock lobsters from pleopod clipping.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Caleb Gardner

Full Text Available Rock lobster growth is routinely measured for research to optimise management measures such as size limits and quotas. The process of estimating growth is complicated in crustaceans as growth only occurs when the animal moults. As data are typically collected by tag-recapture methods, the timing of moulting events can bias results. For example, if annual moulting events take place within a very short time-at-large after tagging, or if time-at-large is long and no moulting occurs. Classifying data into cases where moulting has / has not occurred during time-at-large can be required and can generally be determined by change in size between release and recapture. However, in old or slow growth individuals the moult increment can be too small to provide surety that moulting has occurred. A method that has been used since the 1970's to determine moulting in rock lobsters involves clipping the distal portion of a pleopod so that any regeneration observed at recapture can be used as evidence of a moult. We examined the use of this method in both tank and long-duration field trials within a marine protected area, which provided access to large animals with smaller growth increments. Our results emphasised that determination of moulting by change in size was unreliable with larger lobsters and that pleopod clipping can assist in identifying moulting events. However, regeneration was an unreliable measure of moulting if clipping occurred less than three months before the moult.

Effects of Knee Alignments and Toe Clip on Frontal Plane Knee Biomechanics in Cycling

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Guangping; Zhang, Songning; Bennett, Hunter J.; Martin, James C.; Crouter, Scott E.; Fitzhugh, Eugene C.

2018-01-01

Effects of knee alignment on the internal knee abduction moment (KAM) in walking have been widely studied. The KAM is closely associated with the development of medial knee osteoarthritis. Despite the importance of knee alignment, no studies have explored its effects on knee frontal plane biomechanics during stationary cycling. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of knee alignment and use of a toe clip on the knee frontal plane biomechanics during stationary cycling. A total of 32 participants (11 varus, 11 neutral, and 10 valgus alignment) performed five trials in each of six cycling conditions: pedaling at 80 rpm and 0.5 kg (40 Watts), 1.0 kg (78 Watts), and 1.5 kg (117 Watts) with and without a toe clip. A motion analysis system and a customized instrumented pedal were used to collect 3D kinematic and kinetic data. A 3 × 2 × 3 (group × toe clip × workload) mixed design ANOVA was used for statistical analysis (p < 0.05). There were two different knee frontal plane loading patterns, internal abduction and adduction moment, which were affected by knee alignment type. The knee adduction angle was 12.2° greater in the varus group compared to the valgus group (p = 0.001), yet no difference was found for KAM among groups. Wearing a toe clip increased the knee adduction angle by 0.95º (p = 0.005). The findings of this study indicate that stationary cycling may be a safe exercise prescription for people with knee malalignments. In addition, using a toe clip may not have any negative effects on knee joints during stationary cycling. Key points Varus or valgus alignment did not cause increased frontal-plane knee joint loading, suggesting stationary cycling is a safe exercise. This study supports that using a toe clip did not lead to abnormal frontal-plane knee loading during stationary cycling. Two different knee frontal plane loading patterns, knee abduction and adduction moment, were observed during stationary cycling, which are likely affected by

CLIP-seq analysis of multi-mapped reads discovers novel functional RNA regulatory sites in the human transcriptome.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zijun; Xing, Yi

2017-09-19

Crosslinking or RNA immunoprecipitation followed by sequencing (CLIP-seq or RIP-seq) allows transcriptome-wide discovery of RNA regulatory sites. As CLIP-seq/RIP-seq reads are short, existing computational tools focus on uniquely mapped reads, while reads mapped to multiple loci are discarded. We present CLAM (CLIP-seq Analysis of Multi-mapped reads). CLAM uses an expectation-maximization algorithm to assign multi-mapped reads and calls peaks combining uniquely and multi-mapped reads. To demonstrate the utility of CLAM, we applied it to a wide range of public CLIP-seq/RIP-seq datasets involving numerous splicing factors, microRNAs and m6A RNA methylation. CLAM recovered a large number of novel RNA regulatory sites inaccessible by uniquely mapped reads. The functional significance of these sites was demonstrated by consensus motif patterns and association with alternative splicing (splicing factors), transcript abundance (AGO2) and mRNA half-life (m6A). CLAM provides a useful tool to discover novel protein-RNA interactions and RNA modification sites from CLIP-seq and RIP-seq data, and reveals the significant contribution of repetitive elements to the RNA regulatory landscape of the human transcriptome. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

SU-E-J-64: Feasibility Study of Surgical Clips for Fiducial Tracking in CyberKnife System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, H; Yoon, J; Lee, E; Cho, S; Park, K; Choi, W; Baek, J; Keum, K; Koom, W

2015-01-01

Purpose: To investigate the ability of CyberKnife to track surgical clips used as fiducial markers. Methods: The Octavius 1000SRS detector and solid water (RW3) slab phantom were used with motion platform to evaluate the study. The RW3 slab phantom was set up to measure the dose distribution from coronal plane. It consists of 9 plates and the thickness of each plate is 10mm. Among them, one plate was attached with 3 surgical clips, which are orthogonally positioned on outer region of array. The length of attached clip was represented as 1cm on planning CT. The clip plate was placed on the 1000SRS detector and 3 slabs were stacked up on the plate to build the measuring depth. Below the detector, 5 slabs were set. The two-axis motion platform was programmed with 1D sinusoidal movement (20mm peak-to-peak, 3s period) toward superior/inferior and left/right directions to simulate target motion. During delivery, two clips were extracted by two X-ray imagers, which led to translational error correction only. Synchrony was also used for dynamic tracking. After the irradiation, the measured dose distribution of coronal plane was compared with the planar dose distribution calculated by the CyberKnife treatment planning system (Multiplan) for cross verification. The results were assessed by comparing the absolute Gamma (γ) index. Results: The dose distributions measured by the 1000SRS detector were in good agreements with those calculated by Multiplan. In the dosimetric comparison using γ-function criteria based on the distance-to-agreement of 3mm and the local dose difference of 3%, the passing rate with γ- parameter ≤1 was 91% in coronal plane. Conclusion: The surgical clips can be considered as new fiducials for robotic radiosurgery delivery by considering the target margin with less than 5mm

Biochemical Analysis Reveals the Multifactorial Mechanism of Histone H3 Clipping by Chicken Liver Histone H3 Protease

KAUST Repository

Chauhan, Sakshi; Mandal, Papita; Tomar, Raghuvir S.

2016-01-01

Proteolytic clipping of histone H3 has been identified in many organisms. Despite several studies, the mechanism of clipping, the substrate specificity, and the significance of this poorly understood epigenetic mechanism are not clear. We have

End-point sharpness in thermometric titrimetry.

Science.gov (United States)

Tyrrell, H J

1967-07-01

It is shown that the sharpness of an end-point in a thermometric titration where the simple reaction A + B right harpoon over left harpoon AB takes place, depends on Kc(A') where K is the equilibrium constant for the reaction, and c(A') is the total concentration of the titrand (A) in the reaction mixture. The end-point is sharp if, (i) the enthalpy change in the reaction is not negligible, and (ii) Kc(A') > 10(3). This shows that it should, for example, be possible to titrate 0.1 M acid, pK(A) = 10, using a thennometric end-point. Some aspects of thermometric titrimetry when Kc(A') < 10(3) are also considered.

Edge Sharpness Assessment by Parametric Modeling: Application to Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmad, R; Ding, Y; Simonetti, O P

2015-05-01

In biomedical imaging, edge sharpness is an important yet often overlooked image quality metric. In this work, a semi-automatic method to quantify edge sharpness in the presence of significant noise is presented with application to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The method is based on parametric modeling of image edges. First, an edge map is automatically generated and one or more edges-of-interest (EOI) are manually selected using graphical user interface. Multiple exclusion criteria are then enforced to eliminate edge pixels that are potentially not suitable for sharpness assessment. Second, at each pixel of the EOI, an image intensity profile is read along a small line segment that runs locally normal to the EOI. Third, the profiles corresponding to all EOI pixels are individually fitted with a sigmoid function characterized by four parameters, including one that represents edge sharpness. Last, the distribution of the sharpness parameter is used to quantify edge sharpness. For validation, the method is applied to simulated data as well as MRI data from both phantom imaging and cine imaging experiments. This method allows for fast, quantitative evaluation of edge sharpness even in images with poor signal-to-noise ratio. Although the utility of this method is demonstrated for MRI, it can be adapted for other medical imaging applications.

CLIPS based decision support system for water distribution networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. Sandeep

2011-10-01

Full Text Available The difficulty in knowledge representation of a water distribution network (WDN problem has contributed to the limited use of artificial intelligence (AI based expert systems (ES in the management of these networks. This paper presents a design of a Decision Support System (DSS that facilitates "on-demand'' knowledge generation by utilizing results of simulation runs of a suitably calibrated and validated hydraulic model of an existing aged WDN corresponding to emergent or even hypothetical but likely scenarios. The DSS augments the capability of a conventional expert system by integrating together the hydraulic modelling features with heuristics based knowledge of experts under a common, rules based, expert shell named CLIPS (C Language Integrated Production System. In contrast to previous ES, the knowledge base of the DSS has been designed to be dynamic by superimposing CLIPS on Structured Query Language (SQL. The proposed ES has an inbuilt calibration module that enables calibration of an existing (aged WDN for the unknown, and unobservable, Hazen-Williams C-values. In addition, the daily run and simulation modules of the proposed ES further enable the CLIPS inference engine to evaluate the network performance for any emergent or suggested test scenarios. An additional feature of the proposed design is that the DSS integrates computational platforms such as MATLAB, open source Geographical Information System (GIS, and a relational database management system (RDBMS working under the umbrella of the Microsoft Visual Studio based common user interface. The paper also discusses implementation of the proposed framework on a case study and clearly demonstrates the utility of the application as an able aide for effective management of the study network.

Clinical observation of Artisan iris-clip intraocular lens implantation at stage Ⅰ

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qing Zhou

2014-09-01

Full Text Available AIM: To observe the clinical efficacy of Artisan iris-clip intraocular lens(IOLimplantation on cataract with a wide range of lens dislocation.METHODS: Twenty-four hospital patients(28 eyesof cataract with lens subluxation by trauma(20 patients, 20 eyesand Marfan's syndrome(4 patients, 8 eyesduring May 2007 to December 2011 were selected. All of them underwent phacoemulsification or an anterior vitrectomy and Artisan iris-clip IOL implantation at stage Ⅰ. Postoperative visual acuity, corneal endothelial cell count, intraocular lens position and postoperative complications were observed. Follow-up time was 6mo.RESULTS:Compared with the preoperative, postoperative best corrected visual acuity improved to varying degrees, visual acuity of 0.1-0.5 was in 20 eyes, 0.5-1.0 in 8 eyes. After followed up 1-6mo, no artificial lens shift, iris inflammation, iris atrophy and corneal decompensation and other complications were observed.CONCLUSION: Cataract surgery with a wide range of lens dislocation is difficult, but as long as surgeons who have a wealth of clinical experience and superb skills, still can carry out phacoemulsification surgery or anterior vitrectomy and Artisan iris-clip IOL implantation and obtain a better outcome.

Clipping of tumour resection margins allows accurate target volume delineation in head and neck cancer adjuvant radiation therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bittermann, Gido; Wiedenmann, Nicole; Bunea, Andrei; Schwarz, Steffen J.; Grosu, Anca-L.; Schmelzeisen, Rainer; Metzger, Marc C.

2015-01-01

Background: Accurate tumour bed localisation is a key requirement for adjuvant radiotherapy. A new procedure is described for head and neck cancer treatment that improves tumour bed localisation using titanium clips. Materials and methods: Following complete local excision of the primary tumour, the tumour bed was marked with titanium clips. Preoperative gross target volume (GTV) and postoperative tumour bed were examined and the distances between the centres of gravity were evaluated. Results: 49 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity were prospectively enrolled in this study. All patients underwent tumour resection, neck lymph node dissection and defect reconstruction in one stage. During surgery, 7–49 clips were placed in the resection cavity. Surgical clip insertion was successful in 88% (n = 43). Clip identification and tumour bed delineation was successful in all 43 patients. The overall distance between the centres of gravity of the preoperative tumour extension to the tumour bed was 0.9 cm. A significant relationship between the preoperative tumour extension and the postoperative tumour bed volume could be demonstrated. Conclusion: We demonstrate a precise delineation of the former tumour cavity. Improvements in tumour bed delineation allow an increase of accuracy for adjuvant treatment

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on Economic Comparison Between Endovascular Coiling Versus Neurosurgical Clipping for Ruptured Intracranial Aneurysms.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xiaoxi; Li, Li; Hong, Bo; Xu, Yi; Liu, Yuan; Huang, Qinghai; Liu, Jianmin

2018-05-01

Healthcare expenditures and cost reduction have been under critical surveillance in all countries and are critical for policymakers. This review aims at qualitatively and quantitatively analyzing the difference of hospital costs and length of stay between endovascular coiling versus neurosurgical clipping in ruptured intracranial aneurysms (RAs). MEDLINE, the Cochrane database, Embase, and the Web of Science database were searched and evaluated independently by 2 authors according to the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale for cohort studies describing economic hospital cost or length of stay in patients with RAs. A total of 8 studies were included, describing 24,219 RAs treated with neurosurgical clipping and 24,962 RAs with endovascular coiling. Meta-analysis revealed that the total hospital costs (THCs) were similar between coiling versus clipping in RAs (standard mean difference [SMD], -0.05; 95% confidence interval [CI], -0.12 to 0.22; I 2  = 99%; P = 0.50). Subgroup analysis showed that THCs of clipping and coiling were similar in ruptured aneurysms in the United States. However, in South Korea, the THCs of coiling were significantly higher than clipping. In the long run, 1-year medical costs of endovascular treatment were significantly lower than that of clipping in RAs (SMD, 0.15; 95% CI, 0.05-0.25; I 2  = 66%; P = 0.005). In addition, the length of stay of coiled patients was significantly shorter than clipped patients (SMD, 0.29; 95% CI, 0.13-0.45; I 2  = 96%; P China, coiling was more expensive. The length of stay was much shorter in coiled patients in all countries. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

The source parameters of 2013 Mw6.6 Lushan earthquake constrained with the restored local clipped seismic waveforms

Science.gov (United States)

Hao, J.; Zhang, J. H.; Yao, Z. X.

2017-12-01

We developed a method to restore the clipped seismic waveforms near epicenter using projection onto convex sets method (Zhang et al, 2016). This method was applied to rescue the local clipped waveforms of 2013 Mw 6.6 Lushan earthquake. We restored 88 out of 93 clipped waveforms of 38 broadband seismic stations of China Earthquake Networks (CEN). The epicenter distance of the nearest station to the epicenter that we can faithfully restore is only about 32 km. In order to investigate if the source parameters of earthquake could be determined exactly with the restored data, restored waveforms are utilized to get the mechanism of Lushan earthquake. We apply the generalized reflection-transmission coefficient matrix method to calculate the synthetic seismic records and simulated annealing method in inversion (Yao and Harkrider, 1983; Hao et al., 2012). We select 5 stations of CEN with the epicenter distance about 200km whose records aren't clipped and three-component velocity records are used. The result shows the strike, dip and rake angles of Lushan earthquake are 200o, 51o and 87o respectively, hereinafter "standard result". Then the clipped and restored seismic waveforms are applied respectively. The strike, dip and rake angles of clipped seismic waveforms are 184o, 53o and 72o respectively. The largest misfit of angle is 16o. In contrast, the strike, dip and rake angles of restored seismic waveforms are 198o, 51o and 87o respectively. It is very close to the "standard result". We also study the rupture history of Lushan earthquake constrained with the restored local broadband and teleseismic waves based on finite fault method (Hao et al., 2013). The result consists with that constrained with the strong motion and teleseismic waves (Hao et al., 2013), especially the location of the patch with larger slip. In real-time seismology, determining the source parameters as soon as possible is important. This method will help us to determine the mechanism of earthquake

Postoperative three-dimensional CT angiography after cerebral aneurysm clipping with titanium clips: detection with single detector CT. Comparison with intra-arterial digital subtraction angiography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sakuma, I.; Tomura, N.; Kinouchi, H.; Takahashi, S.; Otani, T.; Watarai, J.; Mizoi, K.

2006-01-01

AIM: To assess the significance of three-dimensional computed tomography angiography (3D-CTA) in detecting remnant necks after cerebral aneurysm clipping. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 59 patients (77 aneurysms) underwent surgery using titanium clips. Two blinded observers independently evaluated the presence of neck remnants on shaded-surface display (SSD) imaging, volume rendered (VR) imaging, and intra-arterial digital subtraction angiography (IADSA). RESULTS: Mean sensitivity and specificity for detecting neck remnants were 50.0 and 74.2% for SSD imaging, 61.5 and 82.8% for VR imaging, and 92.3 and 92.2% for IADSA, respectively. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis revealed excellent diagnostic performance for IADSA [mean area under ROC curve (Az)=0.97], and good diagnostic performance for 3D-CTA (Az=0.70 and 0.76 for SSD and VR, respectively). Specificity of VR was better than that SSD (p=0.082), however, there was no significant difference between them. CONCLUSION: Use of 3D-CTA techniques can facilitate postoperative evaluation

An Exploration of Gender Bias in Computer Clip Art.

Science.gov (United States)

Dyrud, Marilyn A.

1997-01-01

Examines over 14,000 clip art images for gender bias. Finds that only 4% of images depicted women and that those images present women in stereotypical roles, such as secretaries, nurses, teachers. Notes the irony that communication instructors expend much effort persuading students that gender-free prose is the new model--while visually still…

33 CFR 183.532 - Clips, straps, and hose clamps.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... resistant material; and (2) Not cut or abrade the fuel line. (b) If tested in accordance with the fire test under § 183.590, a hose clamp installed on a fuel line system requiring metallic fuel lines or “USCG... (CONTINUED) BOATING SAFETY BOATS AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT Fuel Systems Equipment Standards § 183.532 Clips...

Effects of sharp vorticity gradients in two-dimensional hydrodynamic turbulence

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kuznetsov, E.A.; Naulin, Volker; Nielsen, Anders Henry

2007-01-01

The appearance of sharp vorticity gradients in two-dimensional hydrodynamic turbulence and their influence on the turbulent spectra are considered. We have developed the analog of the vortex line representation as a transformation to the curvilinear system of coordinates moving together with the ......The appearance of sharp vorticity gradients in two-dimensional hydrodynamic turbulence and their influence on the turbulent spectra are considered. We have developed the analog of the vortex line representation as a transformation to the curvilinear system of coordinates moving together...... with the divorticity lines. Compressibility of this mapping can be considered as the main reason for the formation of the sharp vorticity gradients at high Reynolds numbers. For two-dimensional turbulence in the case of strong anisotropy the sharp vorticity gradients can generate spectra which fall off as k−3 at large...

A clip domain serine protease involved in moulting in the silkworm, Bombyx mori: cloning, characterization, expression patterns and functional analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, H-W; Wang, L-L; Meng, Z; Tang, X; Li, Y-S; Xia, Q-Y; Zhao, P

2017-10-01

Clip domain serine proteases (CLIPs), characterized by one or more conserved clip domains, are essential components of extracellular signalling cascades in various biological processes, especially in innate immunity and the embryonic development of insects. Additionally, CLIPs may have additional non-immune functions in insect development. In the present study, the clip domain serine protease gene Bombyx mori serine protease 95 (BmSP95), which encodes a 527-residue protein, was cloned from the integument of B. mori. Bioinformatics analysis indicated that BmSP95 is a typical CLIP of the subfamily D and possesses a clip domain at the N terminus, a trypsin-like serine protease (tryp_spc) domain at the C terminus and a conserved proline-rich motif between these two domains. At the transcriptional level, BmSP95 is expressed in the integument during moulting and metamorphosis, and the expression pattern is consistent with the fluctuating 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) titre in B. mori. At the translational level, BmSP95 protein is synthesized in the epidermal cells, secreted as a zymogen and activated in the moulting fluid. Immunofluorescence revealed that BmSP95 is distributed into the old endocuticle in the moulting stage. The expression of BmSP95 was upregulated by 20E. Moreover, expression of BmSP95 was downregulated by pathogen infection. RNA interference-mediated silencing of BmSP95 led to delayed moulting from pupa to moth. These results suggest that BmSP95 is involved in integument remodelling during moulting and metamorphosis. © 2017 The Royal Entomological Society.

Surgical Clipping versus Endovascular Intervention for the Treatment of Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Patients in New York State.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kimon Bekelis

Full Text Available Randomized trials have demonstrated a survival benefit for endovascular treatment of ruptured cerebral aneurysms. We investigated the association of surgical clipping and endovascular coiling with outcomes in subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH patients in a real-world regional cohort.We performed a cohort study involving patients with ruptured cerebral aneurysms, who underwent surgical clipping, or endovascular coiling from 2009-2013 and were registered in the Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System (SPARCS database. An instrumental variable analysis was used to investigate the association of treatment technique with outcomes.Of the 4,098 patients undergoing treatment, 2,585 (63.1% underwent coiling, and 1,513 (36.9% underwent clipping. Using an instrumental variable analysis, we did not identify a difference in inpatient mortality [marginal effect (ME, -0.56; 95% CI, -1.03 to 0.02], length of stay (LOS (ME, 1.72; 95% CI, -3.39 to 6.84, or the rate of 30-day readmissions (ME, -0.30; 95% CI, -0.82 to 0.22 between the two treatment techniques for patients with SAH. Clipping was associated with a higher rate of discharge to rehabilitation (ME, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.24 to 1.01. In sensitivity analysis, mixed effect regression, and propensity score adjusted regression models demonstrated identical results.Using a comprehensive all-payer cohort of patients in New York State presenting with aneurysmal SAH we did not identify an association of treatment method with mortality, LOS or 30-day readmission. Clipping was associated with a higher rate of discharge to rehabilitation.

Cerebral Aneurysm Clipping Surgery Simulation Using Patient-Specific 3D Printing and Silicone Casting.

Science.gov (United States)

Ryan, Justin R; Almefty, Kaith K; Nakaji, Peter; Frakes, David H

2016-04-01

Neurosurgery simulator development is growing as practitioners recognize the need for improved instructional and rehearsal platforms to improve procedural skills and patient care. In addition, changes in practice patterns have decreased the volume of specific cases, such as aneurysm clippings, which reduces the opportunity for operating room experience. The authors developed a hands-on, dimensionally accurate model for aneurysm clipping using patient-derived anatomic data and three-dimensional (3D) printing. Design of the model focused on reproducibility as well as adaptability to new patient geometry. A modular, reproducible, and patient-derived medical simulacrum was developed for medical learners to practice aneurysmal clipping procedures. Various forms of 3D printing were used to develop a geometrically accurate cranium and vascular tree featuring 9 patient-derived aneurysms. 3D printing in conjunction with elastomeric casting was leveraged to achieve a patient-derived brain model with tactile properties not yet available from commercial 3D printing technology. An educational pilot study was performed to gauge simulation efficacy. Through the novel manufacturing process, a patient-derived simulacrum was developed for neurovascular surgical simulation. A follow-up qualitative study suggests potential to enhance current educational programs; assessments support the efficacy of the simulacrum. The proposed aneurysm clipping simulator has the potential to improve learning experiences in surgical environment. 3D printing and elastomeric casting can produce patient-derived models for a dynamic learning environment that add value to surgical training and preparation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Hydrodynamic processes in sharp meander bends and their morphological implications

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Blanckaert, K.

2011-01-01

The migration rate of sharp meander bends exhibits large variance and indicates that some sharply curved bends tend to stabilize. These observations remain unexplained. This paper examines three hydrodynamic processes in sharp bends with fixed banks and discusses their morphological implications:

Epicardial clip occlusion of the left atrial appendage during cardiac surgery provides optimal surgical results and long-term stability.

Science.gov (United States)

Kurfirst, Vojtech; Mokrácek, Aleš; Canádyová, Júlia; Frána, Radim; Zeman, Petr

2017-07-01

Occlusion of the left atrial appendage (LAA) has become an integral and important part of the surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation. Different methods of surgical occlusion of the LAA have been associated with varying levels of short- and long-term success for closure. The purpose of this study was to evaluate long-term results of epicardial placement and endocardial occlusion in patients undergoing cardiac operative procedures. A total of 101 patients (average age 65.7 years) undergoing cardiac operative procedures with the epicardial AtriClip Exclusion System of the LAA were enrolled in the study. The AtriClip was placed via a sternotomy or a thoracotomy or from a thoracoscopic approach. Postoperative variables, such as thromboembolic events, clip stability and endocardial leakage around the device, were examined by transoesophageal echocardiography (TEE) and/or computed tomography. Perioperative clip implantation was achieved in 98% of patients. TEE and/or computed tomography conducted during the follow-up period, comprising 1873 patient-months with a mean duration of 18 ± 11 months, revealed no clip migration, no leakage around the device and no clot formation near the remnant cul-de-sac. During the follow-up period, 4 of the cardiac patients experienced transitory ischaemic attacks, whereas no patient experienced a cerebrovascular attack. The Epicardial AtriClip Exclusion System of the LAA appears to be a feasable and safe operative method with a high success rate. Long-term follow-up confirmed clip stability, complete occlussion of the LAA and absence of any atrial fibrilation-related thromboembolic events. These results need to be confirmed by a larger, multicentre study. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved.

Clipping treatment of posterior communicating artery aneurysms associated with arteriosclerosis and calcification: A single center study of 136 cases.

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Lei; Yu, Jing; Zhao, Ying; Xu, Kan; Yu, Jinlu

2018-02-01

It is widely acknowledged that arteriosclerosis and calcification of the parent artery and aneurysm neck make it difficult to clip posterior communicating artery (PCoA) aneurysms. A total of 136 cases of PCoA aneurysms accompanied by arteriosclerosis and calcification were collected and treated with clipping in the present study. Of the 136 patients, 112 were females (82.4%) and 24 were males (17.6%), with ages ranging from 37 to 76 years (mean age, 60.2 years). Rupture of a PCoA aneurysm was identified in 132 cases (97.1%), and there were 4 cases of unruptured PCoA aneurysms (2.9%). According to the severity of arteriosclerosis and calcification, the aneurysms were divided into type I, II or III. The treatment of type I aneurysms achieved the best curative effect. It is difficult to temporarily occlude type II and III aneurysms during surgery, and temporary occlusion failed in almost 50% of cases. Types II and III were prone to intraoperative aneurysm ruptures. A significantly higher rate of intraoperative aneurysm rupture was seen in type III compared with type II cases. Type II and III cases were more likely to be treated using a fenestrated clip for aneurysm clipping compared with type I cases, and fenestrated clips were used significantly more frequently in type III cases compared with type II cases. Arteriosclerosis and calcification were likely to affect the prognosis of patients, particularly in cases with type III arteriosclerosis and calcification of the parent artery and aneurysm neck. Therefore, the stratification of the arteriosclerosis and calcification of the parent artery and aneurysm neck into types I-III can guide the intraoperative aneurysm clipping strategy, aid in choosing the correct clips, and inform predictions of the occurrence of rupture and hemorrhage, as well as the prognosis for aneurysms.

78 FR 78319 - Media Bureau Seeks Comment on Application of the IP Closed Captioning Rules to Video Clips

Science.gov (United States)

2013-12-26

... Video Programming: Implementation of the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act..., pursuant to the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 (``CVAA''),\\2\\ the... clips, especially news clips.\\8\\ The Commission stated that if it finds that consumers who are deaf or...

Effect of advanced chronic kidney disease in clinical and echocardiographic outcomes of patients treated with MitraClip system

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Estévez-Loureiro, Rodrigo; Settergren, Magnus; Pighi, Michele

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND: Data regarding the influence of different levels of renal dysfunction on clinical and echocardiographic results of MitraClip therapy are scarce. We aimed to evaluate the impact of baseline advance renal failure in the outcomes of a cohort of patients treated with MitraClip. METHODS AN...

Interface sharpness in the Potts model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ruiz, J.

1989-01-01

A simple proof is given for the existence of a sharp interface between two ordered phases for the three-dimensional 2 double-prime-state Potts model (n integer). The results show that the roughening temperature of the three-dimensional Potts model is greater than the transition temperature of the two-dimensional Potts model. For a large arbitrary spin integer, it is expected that this roughening temperature is equal to the transition temperature (of the 3D model), i.e., that the interface between two ordered phases is harp up to the transition temperature, at which it is wetted by a film of the disordered phase. It is also expected that for a large arbitrary spin integer, the a-f interface (between an ordered and the disordered phase) is sharp at the transition temperature

[Overview of sharps injuries among health-care workers].

Science.gov (United States)

Gopar-Nieto, Rodrigo; Juárez-Pérez, Cuauhtémoc Arturo; Cabello-López, Alejandro; Haro-García, Luis Cuauhtémoc; Aguilar-Madrid, Guadalupe

2015-01-01

Sharps injuries are one of the most frequent health-care related accidents. It is estimated globally that 35 million workers are at risk; in Mexico there is no data available for this type of injuries. They are associated with lack of training, instrument and procedure risk, fatigue and stress. The occupational distribution is nurses 45 %, technicians 20 %, doctors 20 % and maintenance workers 5 %. The most commonly associated procedures are injection, venipuncture, suture, and insertion and manipulation of IV catheters. Hepatitis B is the most commonly transmitted agent. Emotional distress is huge as well as the cost of prophylaxis and follow-up. More than half of the injuries are not notified. The most common reasons for not reporting are: the belief that the exposure has low risk of infection, the lack of knowledge of reporting systems and the assumption that it is difficult to notify. Many strategies have been created to reduce the incidence of sharps injuries, such as: identifying the risk of blood exposure, the creation of politics to minimize the risk, the education and training to create a safe workplace, the enhancing of the reporting system, the use of double-gloving and using safety-engineered sharps devices. In many countries these politics have reduced the incidence of sharps injuries as well as the economic burden.

Occupational exposure to sharps injury among healthcare providers in Ethiopia regional hospitals

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sharew, Nigussie Tadesse; Mulu, Getaneh Baye; Habtewold, Tesfa Dejenie; Gizachew, Kefyalew Dagne

2017-01-01

BACKGROUND: Sharps injury is a penetrating stab wound from a needle, scalpel, or another sharp object that may result in exposure to blood or other body fluids. According to World Health Organization pooled estimate, the annual incidence of sharps injury in Africa was ranged from 2.10 to 4.68 per

Do medical students watch video clips in eLearning and do these facilitate learning?

Science.gov (United States)

Romanov, Kalle; Nevgi, Anne

2007-06-01

There is controversial evidence of the impact of individual learning style on students' performance in computer-aided learning. We assessed the association between the use of multimedia materials, such as video clips, and collaborative communication tools with learning outcome among medical students. One hundred and twenty-one third-year medical students attended a course in medical informatics (0.7 credits) consisting of lectures, small group sessions and eLearning material. The eLearning material contained six learning modules with integrated video clips and collaborative learning tools in WebCT. Learning outcome was measured with a course exam. Approximately two-thirds of students (68.6%) viewed two or more videos. Female students were significantly more active video-watchers. No significant associations were found between video-watching and self-test scores or the time used in eLearning. Video-watchers were more active in WebCT; they loaded more pages and more actively participated in discussion forums. Video-watching was associated with a better course grade. Students who watched video clips were more active in using collaborative eLearning tools and achieved higher course grades.

MR liver imaging and cholangiography in the presence of surgical metallic clips at 1.5 and 3 Tesla

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Merkle, Elmar M.; Thomas, John; Paulson, Erik K. [Duke University Medical Center, Department of Radiology, Box 3808, Durham, NC (United States); Dale, Brian M. [Siemens Medical Solutions, Cary, NC (United States)

2006-10-15

To evaluate whether clips from prior cholecystectomy impair image quality during magnetic resonance cholangiography (MRC) at 3 Tesla (T) compared with 1.5 T, surgical clips were embedded in a gel phantom and positioned at predefined distances from a fluid-filled tube designed to simulate the bile duct. The maximum clip distance was noted where susceptibility artifacts obscured the fluid-filled tube at 1.5 T and 3 T. Susceptibility artifact size was calculated for each sequence within each magnet class. In vivo analysis included 42 patients postcholecystectomy who underwent MRC at either 1.5 T or 3 T. In vitro, mean area of susceptibility artifacts was 104 mm{sup 2} on 3-T and 75 mm{sup 2} on 1.5-T MR imaging (MRI). While surgical clips within a 2-mm range impaired visualization of the fluid-filled tube on 1.5-T MRI, this range increased to 4 mm on 3-T MRI. In vivo, MRC image quality was impaired by susceptibility artifacts in three of 21 cases at 3 T and in two of 21 cases at 1.5 T. Overall, biliary pseudo-obstructions due to susceptibility artifacts from cholecystectomy surgical clips were not substantially more common on 3-T MRC in clinical practice, and patients with a history of prior cholecystectomy should not be excluded from a 3-T MRC. (orig.)

Insulin stimulates the expression of the SHARP-1 gene via multiple signaling pathways.

Science.gov (United States)

Takagi, K; Asano, K; Haneishi, A; Ono, M; Komatsu, Y; Yamamoto, T; Tanaka, T; Ueno, H; Ogawa, W; Tomita, K; Noguchi, T; Yamada, K

2014-06-01

The rat enhancer of split- and hairy-related protein-1 (SHARP-1) is a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor. An issue of whether SHARP-1 is an insulin-inducible transcription factor was examined. Insulin rapidly increased the level of SHARP-1 mRNA both in vivo and in vitro. Then, signaling pathways involved with the increase of SHARP-1 mRNA by insulin were determined in H4IIE rat hepatoma cells. Pretreatments with LY294002, wortmannin, and staurosporine completely blocked the induction effect, suggesting the involvement of both phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI 3-K) and protein kinase C (PKC) pathways. In fact, overexpression of a dominant negative form of atypical protein kinase C lambda (aPKCλ) significantly decreased the induction of the SHARP-1 mRNA. In addition, inhibitors for the small GTPase Rac or Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) also blocked the induction of SHARP-1 mRNA by insulin. Overexpression of a dominant negative form of Rac1 prevented the activation by insulin. Furthermore, actinomycin D and cycloheximide completely blocked the induction of SHARP-1 mRNA by insulin. Finally, when a SHARP-1 expression plasmid was transiently transfected with various reporter plasmids into H4IIE cells, the promoter activity of PEPCK reporter plasmid was specifically decreased. Thus, we conclude that insulin induces the SHARP-1 gene expression at the transcription level via a both PI 3-K/aPKCλ/JNK- and a PI 3-K/Rac/JNK-signaling pathway; protein synthesis is required for this induction; and that SHARP-1 is a potential repressor of the PEPCK gene expression. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

ASSESSMENT OF THE MANAGEMENT OF SHARPS INJURIES IN GOVERNMENT HOSPITALS: THE MALAYSIAN SITUATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Siti Haniza M.D PhD

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Management of occupational hazards has been a priority and sharps injuries is a known potential risk to health care workers. With the known risks of potential infections, to the workers as well as the patients, our workers need protection from further danger. Objective: This study looked at the measures taken on managing the affected healthcare workers. Methods: A cross-sectional survey using self-administered questionnaire was sent to 55 hospital directors. They were required to inform on their management practices on sharps injuries. Results: The findings showed variations in the management of sharps injuries during and after office hours, variation in the site of keeping the records, person responsible and variation in the frequency of data analysis and presentation to hospital directors. Discussion: According to OSHA Act 1994, it is the responsibility of the employer to ensure safety, health and welfare of the employee. In management of sharps injury data from injury reporting should be compiled and assessed. Reporting feedback need to be encouraged with timely follow-up of all sharps injury cases. Reporting of sharps injuries is essential to ensure that all healthcare workers receive appropriate post-exposure medical treatment. Conclusion & Recommendation: A uniform management of sharps injuries protocol need to be established to improve reporting. An avenue to present sharps injuries data regularly is needed so as appropriate management of workers be ensured. Therefore adherence to the available guidelines need to be ensured. Key words: management, sharps injuries, healthcare workers

Robotic-assisted partial nephrectomy: surgical technique using a 3-arm approach and sliding-clip renorrhaphy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jose M. Cabello

2009-04-01

Full Text Available INTRODUCTION: For the treatment of renal tumors, minimally invasive nephron-sparing surgery has become increasingly performed due to proven efficiency and excellent functional and oncological outcomes. The introduction of robotics into urologic laparoscopic surgery has allowed surgeons to perform challenging procedures in a reliable and reproducible manner. We present our surgical technique for robotic assisted partial nephrectomy (RPN using a 3-arm approach, including a sliding-clip renorrhaphy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Our RPN technique is presented which describes the trocar positioning, hilar dissection, tumor identification using intraoperative ultrasound for margin determination, selective vascular clamping, tumor resection, and reconstruction using a sliding-clip technique. CONCLUSION: RPN using a sliding-clip renorrhaphy is a valid and reproducible surgical technique that reduces the challenge of the procedure by taking advantage of the enhanced visualization and control afforded by the robot. The renorrhaphy described is performed under complete control of the console surgeon, and has demonstrated a reduction in the warm ischemia times in our series.

Stability analysis of sharp-boundary Vlasov-fluid screw-pinch equilibria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lewis, H.R.; Turner, L.

1975-01-01

The Vlasov-fluid model is being used to study the linear stability of sharp-boundary screw pinches numerically. The numerical method appears to work well, and some preliminary results are reported. The sharp-boundary calculation is useful for gaining insight and for comparing with known MHD results. (auth)

Improving NAVFAC's total quality management of construction drawings with CLIPS

Science.gov (United States)

Antelman, Albert

1991-01-01

A diagnostic expert system to improve the quality of Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) construction drawings and specification is described. C Language Integrated Production System (CLIPS) and computer aided design layering standards are used in an expert system to check and coordinate construction drawings and specifications to eliminate errors and omissions.

A comparison of two endoscopic closures: over-the-scope clip (OTSC) versus KING closure (endoloop plus clips) in a randomized long-term experimental study

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Doležel, R.; Ryska, O.; Kollár, M.; Juhásová, Jana; Kalvach, J.; Ryska, M.; Martínek, J.

2016-01-01

Roč. 30, č. 11 (2016), s. 4910-4916 ISSN 0930-2794 R&D Projects: GA MZd(CZ) NT13634; GA MŠk ED2.1.00/03.0124 Institutional support: RVO:67985904 Keywords : NOTES * endoscopic closure * KING closure * over-the-scope clip Subject RIV: FJ - Surgery incl. Transplants Impact factor: 3.747, year: 2016

Post-clip placement MRI following second-look US-guided core biopsy for suspicious lesions identified on breast MRI.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Sung Eun; Cho, Nariya; Han, Wonshik

2017-12-01

To evaluate whether the post-clip placement MRI following second-look ultrasound (US)-guided core biopsy is useful to confirm the adequate sampling of suspicious lesions identified on breast MRI. Between 2014 and 2016, 31 consecutive women with 34 suspicious lesions that had not been identified on previous mammography or US were detected using MRI. Among them, 26 women with 29 lesions (mean size 1.5 cm, range 0.5-5.8 cm) found by second-look US underwent US-guided biopsy, subsequent clip insertion and post-clip placement MRI. Five women with five lesions that were not found by second-look US underwent MRI-guided biopsy. The technical success rate and lesion characteristics were described. The technical success rate was 96.6% (28/29). One failure case was a benign, 1.1-cm non-mass enhancement. Of the 28 success cases, 23 (82.1%) were masses and 5 (17.9%) were non-mass enhancements; 17 (60.7%) were benign, 4 (14.3%) were high-risk and 7 (25.0%) were malignant lesions. The technical success rate was 100% (28/28) for masses and 83.3% (5/6) for non-mass enhancements. Post-clip placement MRI following US-guided biopsy is useful in confirming the adequate sampling of lesions identified on MRI. This method could be an alternative to MRI-guided biopsy for lesions visible on US. • Post-clip MRI is useful for confirming adequate sampling of US-guided biopsy. • Post-clip MRI following US-guided biopsy revealed a 96.6 % technical success rate. • One technical failure case was a benign, 1.1-cm non-mass enhancement. • The technical success rate of US-guided biopsy for non-mass enhancements was 83.3 %.

The sharp peak-flat trough pattern and critical speculation

OpenAIRE

Roehner, B. M.; Sornette, D.

1998-01-01

We find empirically a characteristic sharp peak-flat trough pattern in a large set of commodity prices. We argue that the sharp peak structure reflects an endogenous inter-market organization, and that peaks may be seen as local ``singularities'' resulting from imitation and herding. These findings impose a novel stringent constraint on the construction of models. Intermittent amplification is not sufficient and nonlinear effects seem necessary to account for the observations.

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering on periodic metal nanotips with tunable sharpness

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Linn, Nicholas C; Sun, C-H; Arya, Ajay; Jiang Peng; Jiang Bin

2009-01-01

This paper reports on a scalable bottom-up technology for producing periodic gold nanotips with tunable sharpness as surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates. Inverted silicon pyramidal pits, which are templated from non-close-packed colloidal crystals prepared by a spin-coating technology, are used as structural templates to replicate arrays of polymer nanopyramids with nanoscale sharp tips. The deposition of a thin layer of gold on the polymer nanopyramids leads to the formation of SERS-active substrates with a high enhancement factor (up to 10 8 ). The thickness of the deposited metal determines the sharpness of the nanotips and the resulting Raman enhancement factor. Finite-element electromagnetic modeling shows that the nanotips can significantly enhance the local electromagnetic field and the sharpness of nanotips greatly affects the SERS enhancement.

Automated information retrieval using CLIPS

Science.gov (United States)

Raines, Rodney Doyle, III; Beug, James Lewis

1991-01-01

Expert systems have considerable potential to assist computer users in managing the large volume of information available to them. One possible use of an expert system is to model the information retrieval interests of a human user and then make recommendations to the user as to articles of interest. At Cal Poly, a prototype expert system written in the C Language Integrated Production System (CLIPS) serves as an Automated Information Retrieval System (AIRS). AIRS monitors a user's reading preferences, develops a profile of the user, and then evaluates items returned from the information base. When prompted by the user, AIRS returns a list of items of interest to the user. In order to minimize the impact on system resources, AIRS is designed to run in the background during periods of light system use.

Appearance and impact of post-operative intracranial clips and coils on whole-brain CT angiography and perfusion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roach, Cayce J.; Russell, Cheryl L.; Hanson, Eric H.; Bluett, Brent; Orrison, William W.

2012-01-01

Background: To evaluate the effect of vascular clips and endovascular coils placed for intracranial aneurysms and arteriovenous malformations on whole-brain computed tomography (CT) angiography and perfusion. Methods: A 320-detector row dynamic volume CT system imaged 11 patients following surgical placement of vascular clips or endovascular coils. The extent of clip and coil subtraction by automated software was evaluated using CT digital subtraction angiography and CT perfusion. Impact on CT perfusion values by retained intracranial devices was compared to age- and gender-matched controls. Results: Clip and coil subtraction on CT angiography was graded as good in 8 and moderate in 3 cases. A residual neck and additional aneurysm were noted in 1 of 11 patients. Post-procedural axial slice level CT perfusion values decreased in reliability with increasing proximity to the metallic devices secondary to beam hardening. However, the intracranial devices did not affect axial slice level CTP values of cerebral blood volume, cerebral blood flow and mean transit time outside of the level of the device. Time to peak values was globally decreased outside of the immediate vascular intervention region. Conclusions: Advances in CT technology have provided clinically useful subtraction of intracranial clips and coils. While CT perfusion values were altered in device subtraction areas and within beam hardening artifact areas; they can provide valuable postoperative information on whole-brain hemodynamics. In selected cases, the combination of CT angiography and whole-brain CT perfusion can offer an alternative to conventional angiography that is a more invasive option.

Analysis and protective measures of sharp instrument injury causes of sterilization and supply center

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hua YANG

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Objective: To analyze the causes of sharp injury in the sterilization and supply center, take protective measures, effectively avoid sharp instrument injury, and guarantee staff safety. Methods: Adopt a retrospective survey method, summarize sharp instrument injury data of sterilization and supply center in 2013, analyze the reasons of the occurrence of sharp instrument injury, and make protective countermeasures. Results: Sharp instrument injuries occurred mainly in the device classification, manual cleaning and device packaging process. Conclusion: Poor consciousness of occupational protection of the staff in the sterilization and supply center, nonstandard operation, and lack of training and supervision in place are the main reasons of occurrence of sharp instrument injury.

Real-time video streaming of sonographic clips using domestic internet networks and free videoconferencing software.

Science.gov (United States)

Liteplo, Andrew S; Noble, Vicki E; Attwood, Ben H C

2011-11-01

As the use of point-of-care sonography spreads, so too does the need for remote expert over-reading via telesonogrpahy. We sought to assess the feasibility of using familiar, widespread, and cost-effective existent technology to allow remote over-reading of sonograms in real time and to compare 4 different methods of transmission and communication for both the feasibility of transmission and image quality. Sonographic video clips were transmitted using 2 different connections (WiFi and 3G) and via 2 different videoconferencing modalities (iChat [Apple Inc, Cupertino, CA] and Skype [Skype Software Sàrl, Luxembourg]), for a total of 4 different permutations. The clips were received at a remote location and recorded and then scored by expert reviewers for image quality, resolution, and detail. Wireless transmission of sonographic clips was feasible in all cases when WiFi was used and when Skype was used over a 3G connection. Images transmitted via a WiFi connection were statistically superior to those transmitted via 3G in all parameters of quality (average P = .031), and those sent by iChat were superior to those sent by Skype but not statistically so (average P = .057). Wireless transmission of sonographic video clips using inexpensive hardware, free videoconferencing software, and domestic Internet networks is feasible with retention of image quality sufficient for interpretation. WiFi transmission results in greater image quality than transmission by a 3G network.

Comparison of Outcome After Percutaneous Mitral Valve Repair With the MitraClip in Patients With Versus Without Atrial Fibrillation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Velu, Juliëtte F.; Kortlandt, Friso A.; Hendriks, Tom; Schurer, Remco A. J.; van Boven, Ad J.; Koch, Karel T.; Vis, M. Marije; Henriques, Jose P.; Piek, Jan J.; van den Branden, Ben J. L.; Schaap, Jeroen; Rensing, Benno J.; Swaans, Martin J.; Bouma, Berto J.; van der Heyden, Jan A. S.; Baan, Jan

2017-01-01

Percutaneous mitral valve repair with the MitraClip is an established treatment for patients with mitral regurgitation (MR) who are inoperable or at high risk for surgery. Atrial Fibrillation (AF) frequently coincides with MR, but only scarce data of the influence of AF on outcome after MitraClip is

Clipping Versus Coiling in the Management of Posterior Communicating Artery Aneurysms with Third Nerve Palsy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Gaberel, Thomas; Borha, Alin; di Palma, Camille; Emery, Evelyne

2016-03-01

To compare surgical clipping with endovascular coiling in terms of recovery from oculomotor nerve palsy (ONP) in the management of posterior communicating artery (PCoA) aneurysms causing third nerve palsy. We conducted a systematic review of the literature and meta-analysis. The meta-analysis included 11 relevant studies involving 384 patients with third nerve palsy caused by PCoA aneurysms at baseline, of whom 257 (67.0%) were treated by clipping and 127 were treated by coiling (33.0%). Pooled odds ratios of the impact of clipping or coiling on complete ONP recovery, lack of ONP recovery, and procedure-related death were calculated. The overall complete ONP recovery rate was 42.5% in the coiling group compared with 83.6% in the clipping group. The increase in complete ONP recovery in the clipping group corresponds to an overall pooled Mantel-Haenszel odds ratio of 4.44 (95% confidence interval = 1.66-11.84). Subgroup analysis revealed a clear benefit of clipping over coiling in patients with ruptured aneurysms, but not in patients with unruptured aneurysms. No procedure-related deaths were reported by any of the 11 studies. Surgical clipping of PCoA aneurysms causing third nerve palsy achieves better ONP recovery than endovascular coiling; this could be particularly true in the case of ruptured aneurysms. In view of the purely observational data, statements about this effect should be made with great caution. A randomized trial would better address the therapeutic dilemma, but pending the results of such a trial, we recommend treating PCoA aneurysms causing ONP with surgery. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Objective assessment of knife sharpness over a working day cutting meat.

Science.gov (United States)

Savescu, Adriana; Cuny-Guerrier, Aude; Wild, Pascal; Reno, Gilles; Aublet-Cuvelier, Agnès; Claudon, Laurent

2018-04-01

Knife sharpness is one of multiple factors involved in musculoskeletal disorders in industrial meat cutting. The aim of this study was to objectively evaluate, in real working situations, how knife sharpness changed over a working day cutting meat, and to analyse the impact of sharpening, steeling and meat-cutting activities on these variations. Twenty-two meat-cutting workers from three different companies participated in the study. The methods included measurements of knife sharpness in relation to real work situations and consideration of the way meat-cutting and sharpening operations were organised. Results showed that the type of meat-cutting activities, the steeling strategy adopted by the worker, including the types of tool used, and the overall organisation of the sharpening task all had a significant influence on how knife sharpness evolved over a 2-h period and over an entire working day. To improve MSD prevention, sharpening and steeling operations should not be considered as independent activities, but taken into account as a continuity of working actions. Appropriate assessment of knife sharpness by meat cutters affects how they organise meat-cutting and sharpening tasks. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Clinical features and nail clippings in 52 children with psoriasis.

Science.gov (United States)

Uber, Marjorie; Carvalho, Vânia O; Abagge, Kerstin T; Robl Imoto, Renata; Werner, Betina

2018-03-01

Nail clipping, the act of cutting the distal portion of a nail for microscopic analysis, can complement the diagnosis of skin diseases with nail involvement, such as psoriasis. This study aimed to describe histopathologic findings on 81 nails from 52 children and adolescents with skin psoriasis and to determine whether these changes correlated with the severity of skin and nail involvement. Children with psoriasis were enrolled in this cross-sectional study to obtain Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) and Nail Psoriasis Severity Index (NAPSI) scores. The most altered nails were processed using periodic acid-Schiff with diastase staining. Fifty-two patients with a median age of 10.5 years were included. The median Nail Psoriasis Severity Index score of the 20 nails from these patients was 17 (range 3-80). The most common findings were pitting (94.2%), leukonychia (73.0%), and longitudinal ridges (63.5%). Eighty-one nail fragments were collected by clipping. Neutrophils were found in 6 samples (7.6%) and serous lakes in 15 (19%). Median nail plate thickness was 0.3 mm (range 0.1-0.63 mm). Patients whose nails had neutrophils had a higher median PASI score (6.1 vs 2.0, P = .03). Patients whose nails had serous lakes had higher median PASI (5.3 vs 1.9, P = .008) and NAPSI (median 45.0 vs 18.0, P = .006) scores. There seems to be a correlation between some microscopic nail features in children with psoriasis and their PASI and NAPSI scores, so nail clippings from children with suspected psoriasis may help with diagnosis, especially in the presence of neutrophils, and in excluding onychomycosis. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Endoscopic Management of Gastrointestinal Leaks and Bleeding with the Over-the-Scope Clip: A Prospective Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mahesh Kumar Goenka

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Background/Aims The over-the-scope clip (OTSC is a device used for endoscopic closure of perforations, leaks and fistulas, and for endoscopic hemostasis. To evaluate the clinical effectiveness and safety of OTSC. Methods Between October 2013 and November 2015, 12 patients underwent OTSC placement by an experienced endoscopist. OTSC was used for the closure of gastrointestinal (GI leaks and fistula in six patients, three of which were iatrogenic (esophageal, gastric, and duodenal and three of which were inflammatory. In six patients, OTSC was used for hemostasis of non-variceal upper GI bleeding. Endoscopic tattooing using India ink was used to assist the accurate placement of the clip. Results All subjects except one with a colonic defect experienced immediate technical success as well as long-term clinical success, during a mean follow-up of 6 weeks. Only one clip was required to close each of the GI defects and to achieve hemostasis in all patients. There were no misfirings or complications of clips. The procedure was well tolerated, and patients were hospitalized for an average of 8 days (range, 3 to 10. Antiplatelet therapy was continued in patients with GI bleeding. Conclusions In our experience, OTSC was safe and effective for the closure of GI defect and to achieve hemostasis of non-variceal GI bleeding.

Preoperative Prediction of the Necessity for Anterior Clinoidectomy During Microsurgical Clipping of Ruptured Posterior Communicating Artery Aneurysms.

Science.gov (United States)

Kamide, Tomoya; Burkhardt, Jan-Karl; Tabani, Halima; Safaee, Michael M; Lawton, Michael T

2018-01-01

Although most posterior communicating artery (PCoA) aneurysms can be clipped easily with excellent results, some require anterior clinoidectomy for safe and complete clipping. To review our microsurgical series of ruptured PCoA aneurysms and identify the preoperative predictors for anterior clinoidectomy during microsurgical clipping for PCoA aneurysms. Results from microsurgical clipping of 104 patients with ruptured PCoA aneurysms were reviewed retrospectively. Distances and angles were obtained from computed tomographic angiography and compared between the anterior and nonanterior clinoidectomy groups. Anterior clinoidectomy was required in 19 of the 104 cases (18%). None developed surgical complications due to anterior clinoid process (ACP) resection, including postoperative visual deficit. Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that the distances from the ACP tip to the aneurysmal proximal neck and from the ACP line to the aneurysmal proximal neck were statistically significant predictive factors for the need of anterior clinoidectomy. Based on a receiver operating characteristic analysis, the distances from the ACP tip to the aneurysmal proximal neck PCoA aneurysm surgery, the distances from the ACP tip to the aneurysmal proximal neck and from the ACP line to the aneurysmal proximal neck were both found to be useful predictors of whether anterior clinoidectomy was required. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A comparison of CLIPS- and LISP-based approaches to the development of a real-time expert system

Science.gov (United States)

Frainier, R.; Groleau, N.; Bhatnagar, R.; Lam, C.; Compton, M.; Colombano, S.; Lai, S.; Szolovits, P.; Manahan, M.; Statler, I.

1990-01-01

This paper describes an ongoing expert system development effort started in 1988 which is evaluating both CLIPS- and LISP- based approaches. The expert system is being developed to a project schedule and is planned for flight on Space Shuttle Mission SLS-2 in 1992. The expert system will help astronauts do the best possible science for a vestibular physiology experiment already scheduled for that mission. The system gathers and reduces data from the experiment, flags 'interesting' results, and proposes changes in the experiment both to exploit the in-flight observations and to stay within the time allowed by Mission Control for the experiment. These tasks must all be performed in real time. Two Apple Macintosh computers are used. The CLIPS- and LISP- based environments are layered above the Macintosh computer Operating System. The 'CLIPS-based' environment includes CLIPS and HyperCard. The LlSP-based environment includes Common LISP, Parmenides (a frame system), and FRuleKit (a rule system). Important evaluation factors include ease of programming, performance against real-time requirements, usability by an astronaut, robustness, and ease of maintenance. Current results on the factors of ease of programming, performance against real-time requirements, and ease of maintenance are discussed.

Evaluation of Clipping Based Iterative PAPR Reduction Techniques for FBMC Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zsolt Kollár

2014-01-01

to conventional orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM technique. The low ACLR of the transmitted FBMC signal makes it especially favorable in cognitive radio applications, where strict requirements are posed on out-of-band radiation. Large dynamic range resulting in high peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR is characteristic of all sorts of multicarrier signals. The advantageous spectral properties of the high-PAPR FBMC signal are significantly degraded if nonlinearities are present in the transceiver chain. Spectral regrowth may appear, causing harmful interference in the neighboring frequency bands. This paper presents novel clipping based PAPR reduction techniques, evaluated and compared by simulations and measurements, with an emphasis on spectral aspects. The paper gives an overall comparison of PAPR reduction techniques, focusing on the reduction of the dynamic range of FBMC signals without increasing out-of-band radiation. An overview is presented on transmitter oriented techniques employing baseband clipping, which can maintain the system performance with a desired bit error rate (BER.

Software design of SHARP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Siegel, A.; Tautges, T.; Caceres, A.; Kaushik, D.; Fischer, P.; Palmiotti, G.; Smith, M.; Ragusa, J.

2007-01-01

SHARP (Simulation-based High-efficiency Advanced Reactor Prototyping) is a modern suite of codes to simulate the key components of a fast reactor core. The SHARP tool-kit is organized as a collection of modules, each representing the key components of the physics to be modeled - neutron transport, thermal hydraulics, fuel/structure behavior - together with pre and post-processing for geometry definition, mesh generation, visualization, user interface, etc. The physics models are designed to make minimal possible use of lumped parameter models, homogenization, and empirical correlations in favor of more direct solution of the fundamental governing equations, when sufficient computing resources are available. Thus, one of the key design goals is to effectively leverage leadership class computing resources - viz. BG/P and Cray Supercomputers that are on the current trajectory to delivering sustained peta-flops performance. Further, the nature of the physical problem to be investigated will require either strong or weak coupling between some or all of the existing modules (e.g. operator split vs. fully coupled), while multiple implementations of each physics module, representing different algorithms, will also be required (e.g. deterministic versus Monte Carlo) for verification and to explore different physical regimes. Accomplishing these goals in the context of ultra-scalable architectures and multidisciplinary and possibly distributed development teams is a daunting task. In this paper we explain our initial lightweight and loosely coupled framework, its initial design, and a number of current open research questions in this area. (authors)

Integrating knowledge and control into hypermedia-based training environments: Experiments with HyperCLIPS

Science.gov (United States)

Hill, Randall W., Jr.

1990-01-01

The issues of knowledge representation and control in hypermedia-based training environments are discussed. The main objective is to integrate the flexible presentation capability of hypermedia with a knowledge-based approach to lesson discourse management. The instructional goals and their associated concepts are represented in a knowledge representation structure called a 'concept network'. Its functional usages are many: it is used to control the navigation through a presentation space, generate tests for student evaluation, and model the student. This architecture was implemented in HyperCLIPS, a hybrid system that creates a bridge between HyperCard, a popular hypertext-like system used for building user interfaces to data bases and other applications, and CLIPS, a highly portable government-owned expert system shell.

Sharp vorticity gradients in two-dimensional turbulence and the energy spectrum

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kuznetsov, E.A.; Naulin, Volker; Nielsen, Anders Henry

2010-01-01

Formation of sharp vorticity gradients in two-dimensional (2D) hydrodynamic turbulence and their influence on the turbulent spectra are considered. The analog of the vortex line representation as a transformation to the curvilinear system of coordinates moving together with the di-vorticity lines...... is developed and compressibility of this mapping appears as the main reason for the formation of the sharp vorticity gradients at high Reynolds numbers. In the case of strong anisotropy the sharp vorticity gradients can generate spectra which fall off as k −3 at large k, which appear to take the same form...

Impact of metal artifact reduction software on image quality of gemstone spectral imaging dual-energy cerebral CT angiography after intracranial aneurysm clipping

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dunet, Vincent; Bernasconi, Martine; Hajdu, Steven David; Meuli, Reto Antoine; Zerlauth, Jean-Baptiste [Lausanne University Hospital, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Lausanne (Switzerland); Daniel, Roy Thomas [Lausanne University Hospital, Department of Neurosurgery, Lausanne (Switzerland)

2017-09-15

We aimed to assess the impact of metal artifact reduction software (MARs) on image quality of gemstone spectral imaging (GSI) dual-energy (DE) cerebral CT angiography (CTA) after intracranial aneurysm clipping. This retrospective study was approved by the institutional review board, which waived patient written consent. From January 2013 to September 2016, single source DE cerebral CTA were performed in 45 patients (mean age: 60 ± 9 years, male 9) after intracranial aneurysm clipping and reconstructed with and without MARs. Signal-to-noise (SNR), contrast-to-noise (CNR), and relative CNR (rCNR) ratios were calculated from attenuation values measured in the internal carotid artery (ICA) and middle cerebral artery (MCA). Volume of clip and artifacts and relative clip blurring reduction (rCBR) ratios were also measured at each energy level with/without MARs. Variables were compared between GSI and GSI-MARs using the paired Wilcoxon signed-rank test. MARs significantly reduced metal artifacts at all energy levels but 130 and 140 keV, regardless of clips' location and number. The optimal rCBR was obtained at 110 and 80 keV, respectively, on GSI and GSI-MARs images, with up to 96% rCNR increase on GSI-MARs images. The best compromise between metal artifact reduction and rCNR was obtained at 70-75 and 65-70 keV for GSI and GSI-MARs images, respectively, with up to 15% rCBR and rCNR increase on GSI-MARs images. MARs significantly reduces metal artifacts on DE cerebral CTA after intracranial aneurysm clipping regardless of clips' location and number. It may be used to reduce radiation dose while increasing CNR. (orig.)

SHARP: A multi-mission AI system for spacecraft telemetry monitoring and diagnosis

Science.gov (United States)

Lawson, Denise L.; James, Mark L.

1989-01-01

The Spacecraft Health Automated Reasoning Prototype (SHARP) is a system designed to demonstrate automated health and status analysis for multi-mission spacecraft and ground data systems operations. Telecommunications link analysis of the Voyager II spacecraft is the initial focus for the SHARP system demonstration which will occur during Voyager's encounter with the planet Neptune in August, 1989, in parallel with real-time Voyager operations. The SHARP system combines conventional computer science methodologies with artificial intelligence techniques to produce an effective method for detecting and analyzing potential spacecraft and ground systems problems. The system performs real-time analysis of spacecraft and other related telemetry, and is also capable of examining data in historical context. A brief introduction is given to the spacecraft and ground systems monitoring process at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The current method of operation for monitoring the Voyager Telecommunications subsystem is described, and the difficulties associated with the existing technology are highlighted. The approach taken in the SHARP system to overcome the current limitations is also described, as well as both the conventional and artificial intelligence solutions developed in SHARP.

Comparisons of spectrally-enhanced asymmetrically-clipped optical OFDM systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Lowery, Arthur James

2016-02-22

Asymmetrically clipped optical orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (ACO-OFDM) is a technique that sacrifices spectral efficiency in order to transmit an orthogonally frequency-division multiplexed signal over a unipolar channel, such as a directly modulated direct-detection fiber or free-space channel. Several methods have been proposed to regain this spectral efficiency, including: asymmetrically clipped DC-biased optical OFDM (ADO-OFDM), enhanced U-OFDM (EU-OFDM), spectral and energy efficient OFDM (SEE-OFDM), Hybrid-ACO-OFDM and Layered-ACO-OFDM. This paper presents simulations up to high-order constellation sizes to show that Layered-ACO-OFDM offers the highest receiver sensitivity for a given optical power at spectral efficiencies above 3 bit/s/Hz. For comparison purposes, white Gaussian noise is added at the receiver, component nonlinearities are not considered, and the fiber is considered to be linear and dispersion-less. The simulations show that LACO-OFDM has a 7-dB sensitivity advantage over DC-biased OFDM (DCO-OFDM) for 1024-QAM at 87.5% of DCO-OFDM's spectral efficiency, at the same bit rate and optical power. This is approximately equivalent to a 4.4-dB advantage at the same spectral efficiency of 87.7% if 896-QAM were to be used for DCO-OFDM.

Proliferation of sharp kinks on cosmic (super)string loops with junctions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Binetruy, P.; Bohe, A.; Hertog, T.; Steer, D. A.

2010-01-01

Motivated by their effect on the gravitational wave signal emitted by cosmic strings, we study the dynamics of kinks on strings of different tensions meeting at junctions. The propagation of a kink through a Y junction leads to the formation of three 'daughter' kinks. Assuming a uniform distribution of the incoming wave vectors at the junction, we find there is a significant region of configuration space in which the sharpness of at least one of the daughter kinks is enhanced relative to the sharpness of the initial kink. For closed loops with junctions we show this leads to an exponential growth in time of very sharp kinks. Using numerical simulations of realistic, evolving cosmic string loops with junctions to calculate the distribution of kink amplitudes as a function of time, we show that loops of this kind typically develop several orders of magnitude of very sharp kinks before the two junctions collide. This collision, or other effects such as gravitational backreaction, may end the proliferation.

Drosophila Imp iCLIP identifies an RNA assemblage coordinating F-actin formation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Heidi Theil; Rasmussen, Simon Horskjær; Adolph, Sidsel Kramshøj

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND: Post-transcriptional RNA regulons ensure co-ordinated expression of monocistronic mRNAs encoding functionally related proteins. In this study, we employ a combination of RIP-seq and short- and long-wave individual-nucleotide resolution crosslinking and immunoprecipitation (iCLIP...

Antarctic news clips - 1992

Science.gov (United States)

1992-07-01

The newspaper and magazine stories selected for this book present only a sampling of one year's (July 1991 to July 1992) news coverage of Antarctica. The only requirement for inclusion in this publication is that the article's subject matter pertains or refers to Antarctica in some way - whether it is focused on the science done there, or on the people who play such a large part in the work accomplished, or on the issues related to it. No attempt has been made to correlate the number of articles, or their length, with the importance of the subjects treated. Clippings are provided to the Foundation by a service that searches for items containing the phrase 'National Science Foundation'. Identical versions of many stories, especially those written and distributed by wire services such as the Associated Press and United Press International, and by syndicated columnists, are published in numerous papers across the United States. Other articles are submitted from a variety of sources, including interested readers across the United States and in New Zealand.

Effect of mental challenge induced by movie clips on action potential duration in normal human subjects independent of heart rate.

Science.gov (United States)

Child, Nicholas; Hanson, Ben; Bishop, Martin; Rinaldi, Christopher A; Bostock, Julian; Western, David; Cooklin, Michael; O'Neil, Mark; Wright, Matthew; Razavi, Reza; Gill, Jaswinder; Taggart, Peter

2014-06-01

Mental stress and emotion have long been associated with ventricular arrhythmias and sudden death in animal models and humans. The effect of mental challenge on ventricular action potential duration (APD) in conscious healthy humans has not been reported. Activation recovery intervals measured from unipolar electrograms as a surrogate for APD (n=19) were recorded from right and left ventricular endocardium during steady-state pacing, whilst subjects watched an emotionally charged film clip. To assess the possible modulating role of altered respiration on APD, the subjects then repeated the same breathing pattern they had during the stress, but without the movie clip. Hemodynamic parameters (mean, systolic, and diastolic blood pressure, and rate of pressure increase) and respiration rate increased during the stressful part of the film clip (P=0.001). APD decreased during the stressful parts of the film clip, for example, for global right ventricular activation recovery interval at end of film clip 193.8 ms (SD, 14) versus 198.0 ms (SD, 13) during the matched breathing control (end film left ventricle 199.8 ms [SD, 16] versus control 201.6 ms [SD, 15]; P=0.004). Respiration rate increased during the stressful part of the film clip (by 2 breaths per minute) and was well matched in the respective control period without any hemodynamic or activation recovery interval changes. Our results document for the first time direct recordings of the effect of a mental challenge protocol on ventricular APD in conscious humans. The effect of mental challenge on APD was not secondary to emotionally induced altered respiration or heart rate. © 2014 American Heart Association, Inc.

Retrieval of Surgical Clip from Common Bile Duct by Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography: A Rare Complication of Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shahid Rasool

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Laparoscopic cholecystectomy has become the standard procedure for the surgical management of symptomatic cholelithiasis. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is generally considered a safe procedure although a few complications such as major bleeding, wound infection, bile leakage, biliary and bowel injury are well known. We are reporting a case of a thirty-seven year old male who presented with abdominal pain, three weeks after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Abdominal ultrasound revealed a filling defect in common bile duct with deranged liver function tests. With an impression of choledocholithiasis, his endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP was done which revealed a surgical clip impacted in the ampulla. The surgical clip was retrieved successfully by ERCP. Intraductal clip migration is a rarely encountered complication after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Appropriate management requires timely identification and retrieval during ERCP.

Endoscopic Management of Gastrocutaneous Fistula Using Clipping, Suturing, and Plugging Methods

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shou-jiang Tang

2014-09-01

Conclusions: Health care providers need to be aware of this uncommon complication after PEG tube removal and management it with appropriate minimally invasive options where expertise and devices are available. Currently, tissue approximation with clips, intra-gastric and/or trans-abdominal suture placement is the preferred endoscopic options for fistula closure.

Analyzing Behaviour of the Utilization of the Online News Clipping Database: Experience in Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University

OpenAIRE

Siriporn Poolsuwan; Kanyarat Bussaban

2014-01-01

This research aims to investigate and analyze user’s behaviour towards the utilization of the online news clipping database at Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University, Thailand. Data is gathered from 214 lecturers and 380 undergraduate students by using questionnaires. Findings show that most users knew the online news clipping service from their friends, library’s website and their teachers. The users learned how to use it by themselves and others learned by training of SSRU library. Most users us...

Molecular Recognition Involving Anthraquinone Derivatives and Molecular Clips

Science.gov (United States)

Alaparthi, Madhubabu

In the past, we have demonstrated that 1,8-anthraquinone-18-crown-5 (1) and its heterocyclic derivatives act as luminescent hosts for a variety of cations of environmental and clinical concern. We report here a series of heteroatom-substituted macrocycles containing an anthraquinone moiety as a fluorescent signaling unit and a cyclic polyheteroether chain as the receptor. Sulfur, selenium, and tellurium derivatives of 1,8-anthraquinone-18-crown-5 (1) were synthesized by reacting sodium sulfide (Na2S), sodium selenide (Na2Se) and sodium telluride (Na2Te) with 1,8-bis(2-bromoethylethyleneoxy)anthracene - 9,10-dione in a 1:1 ratio (2,3, and 6). These sensors bind metal ions in a 1:1 ratio (7 and 8), and the optical properties of the new complexes were examined and the sulfur and selenium analogues show that selectivity for Pb(II) is markedly improved as compared to the oxygen analogue 1 which was competitive for Ca(II) ion. Selective reduction of 1 yields secondary alcohols where either one or both of the anthraquinone carbonyl groups has been reduced ( 15 and 9). A new mechanism for the fluorescence detection of metal cations in solution is introduced involving a unique keto-enol tautomerization. Reduction of 1 yields the doubly reduced secondary alcohol, 9. 9 acts as a chemodosimeter for Al(III) ion producing a strong blue emission due to the formation of the anthracene fluorophore, 10, via dehydration of the internal secondary alcohol in DMSO/aqueous solution. The enol form is not the most thermodynamically stable form under these conditions however, and slowly converts to the keto form 11.. Currently we are focusing on cucurbituril derivatives, also described as molecular clips due to their folded geometry used as molecular recognition hosts. We first investigated the synthesis and characterization of aromatic methoxy/catechol terminated cucurbituril units that act as hosts for small solvent molecules, such as CH2Cl2, CH3CN, DMF, and MeOH, through dual pi...H-C T

Evaluation of Effects of Warning Sign Position on Driving Behavior in Horizontal Sharp Curves

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiao-hua Zhao

2015-02-01

Full Text Available In present time, the guidelines on warning sign position in the China National Standard lack detailed and standard regulations of placing warning signs on sharp curves, which may cause road safety problems. Therefore, this paper briefly discussed how to optimize the position of a warning sign on a sharp curve through a driving simulator experiment. This study concluded that a warning sign placed at different positions prior to a sharp curve will have different influence ranges for drivers approaching and negotiating the curve. Meanwhile, different positions of a warning sign imposed different effect obviously on the adjustment of vehicle's lane position on sharp curves with the same radius, especially at the midpoint of a sharp curve. The evaluation results of five positions (0 m, 50 m, 100 m, 200 m, and 400 m in advance showed that only when the warning signs were placed 100 m or 200 m prior to sharp curves, can they achieve positive influence on driving behavior. On this basis, the authors look forward to providing rationalization proposals in selecting the best position of a warning sign on a sharp curve for the engineering implementation and national standard.

Fundamental Frequency Extraction Method using Central Clipping and its Importance for the Classification of Emotional State

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pavol Partila

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The paper deals with a classification of emotional state. We implemented a method for extracting the fundamental speech signal frequency by means of a central clipping and examined a correlation between emotional state and fundamental speech frequency. For this purpose, we applied an approach of exploratory data analysis. The ANOVA (Analysis of variance test confirmed that a modification in the speaker's emotional state changes the fundamental frequency of human vocal tract. The main contribution of the paper lies in investigation, of central clipping method by the ANOVA.

The use of shape memory compression anastomosis clips in cholecystojejunostomy in pigs – a preliminary study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Piotr Holak

2015-01-01

Full Text Available This paper reports on the use of compression anastomosis clips (CAC in cholecystoenterostomy in an animal model. Cholecystojejunostomy was performed in 6 pigs using implants made of nickel-titanium alloy in the form of elliptical springs with two-way shape memory. The applied procedure led to the achievement of tight anastomosis with a minimal number of complications and positive results of histopathological evaluations of the anastomotic site. The results of the study indicate that shape memory NiTi clips are a promising surgical tool for cholecystoenterostomy in cats and dogs.

On the sharp front-type solution of the Nagumo equation with ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

One of the methods is to solve the travelling wave equations and compute an exact solution which describes the sharp travelling wavefront. The second method is to solve numer- ically an initial-moving boundary-value problem for the partial differential equation and obtain an approximation for this sharp front-type solution.

Image quality and artefact generation post-cerebral aneurysm clipping using a 64-row multislice computer tomography angiography (MSCTA) technology: A retrospective study and review of the literature.

Science.gov (United States)

Zachenhofer, Iris; Cejna, Manfred; Schuster, Antonius; Donat, Markus; Roessler, Karl

2010-06-01

Computed tomography angiography (CTA) is a time and cost saving investigation for postoperative evaluation of clipped cerebral aneurysm patients. A retrospective study was conducted to analyse image quality and artefact generation due to implanted aneurysm clips using a new technology. MSCTA was performed pre- and postoperatively using a Philips Brilliance 64-detector-row CT scanner. Altogether, 32 clipping sites were analysed in 27 patients (11 female and 16 male, mean ages 52a, from 24 to 72 years). Clip number per aneurysm was 2.3 mean (from 1 to 4), 54 clips were made of titanium alloy and 5 of cobalt alloy. Altogether, image quality was rated 1.8 mean, using a scale from 1 (very good) to 5 (unserviceable) and clip artefacts were rated 2.4 mean, using a 5 point rating scale (1 no artefacts, 5 unserviceable due to artefacts). A significant loss of image quality and rise of artefacts was found when using cobalt alloy clips (1.4 versus 4.2 and 2.1 versus 4.0). In 72% of all investigations, an excellent image quality was found. Excluding the cobalt clip group, 85% of scans showed excellent image quality. Artefacts were absent or minimal (grade 1 or 2) in 69% of all investigations and in 81% in the pure titanium clip group. In 64-row MSCTA of good image quality with low artefacts, it was possible to detect small aneurysm remnants of 2mm size in individual patients. By using titanium alloy clips, in our study up to 85% of postoperative CTA images were of excellent quality with absent or minimal artefacts in 81% and seem adequate to detect small aneurysm remnants. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Four year-old girl with having bled intestinal sharp

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rodriguez Toro, Gerzain

2001-01-01

Indigenous girl, natural of Vaupes, Colombia conduction to the Mitu Hospital to present depositions with bleed. Their father says that the girl is sick for two days; she presents anorexia, moderate abdominal pain and vomit scarce postprandial, followed by discreet diarrhea and of two depositions with blood and abundant clots, with posterior syncope. It confirms a bled digestive with sharp anemic syndrome. The possibilities of gastritis sharp erosive, gastric ulcer or duodenal and intestinal poliparasitism are suggested. It is diagnosed abdominal angioestrongilosis, illness produce by helminths that lives inside the blind and the distal ileum

Laparoscopic Filshie clip sterilization and selective use of the methylene blue dye test.

Science.gov (United States)

Karoshi, Mahantesh; Yoong, Wai

2004-01-01

In laparoscopic Filshie clip sterilization, difficulties may arise in identifying the length of the fallopian tube, with the possibility of failure of sterilization. This article describes a novel intraoperative method of demonstrating adequate tubal closure.

Sharp fronts within geochemical transport problems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grindrod, P.

1995-01-01

The authors consider some reactive geochemical transport problems in groundwater systems. When incoming fluid is in disequilibrium with the mineralogy sharp transition fronts may develop. They show that this is a generic property for a class of systems where the timescales associated with reaction and diffusion phenomena are much shorter than those associated with advective transport. Such multiple timescale problems are relevant to a variety of processes in natural systems: mathematically methods of singular perturbation theory reduce the dimension of the problems to be solved locally. Furthermore, they consider how spatial heterogeneous mineralogy can impact upon the propagation of sharp geochemical fronts. The authors developed an asymptotic approach in which they solve equations for the evolving geometry of the front and indicate how the non-smooth perturbations due to natural heterogeneity of the mineralogy on underlying ground water flow field are balanced against the smoothing effect of diffusion/dispersive processes. Fronts are curvature damped, and the results here indicate the generic nature of separate front propagation within both model (idealized) and natural (heterogeneous) geochemical systems

Consideration of vision and picture quality: psychological effects induced by picture sharpness

Science.gov (United States)

Kusaka, Hideo

1989-08-01

A psychological hierarchy model of human vision(1)(2) suggests that the visual signals are processed in a serial manner from lower to higher stages: that is "sensation" - "perception" - "emotion." For designing a future television system, it is important to find out what kinds of physical factors affect the "emotion" experienced by an observer in front of the display. This paper describes the psychological effects induced by the sharpness of the picture. The subjective picture quality was evaluated for the same pictures with five different levels of sharpness. The experiment was performed on two kinds of printed pictures: (A) a woman's face, and (B) a town corner. From these experiments, it was found that the amount of high-frequency peaking (physical value of the sharpness) which psychologically gives the best picture quality, differs between pictures (A) and (B). That is, the optimum picture sharpness differs depending on the picture content. From these results, we have concluded that the psychophysical sharpness of the picture is not only determined at the stage of "perception" (e.g., resolution or signal to noise ratio, which everyone can judge immediately), but also at the stage of "emotion" (e.g., sensation of reality or beauty).

"Violence" in Sport and the Violenti non fit Iniuria Defence: A Perspective on the Death of the Cricket Player Phil Hughes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pieter Labuschagne

2018-03-01

Full Text Available This article evaluates the defence of violenti non fit inuiria in sport with specific reference to the principle of bonos mores or the “good morals” in society to tolerate injuries in sport. The increased prevalence of serious injuries in sport in the professional era, in which sportsmen earn their livelihood from sport, necessitate a review of the existing situation. The death of the Australian cricket player, Phil Hughes, as a result of fast, short-pitched bowling in cricket, has again put the spotlight on the aggressive and excessive use of "violence" in sport. The malicious intent in sport, to harm or even to kill an opponent, has made it necessary to ask if there should be any difference in the manner in which the perpetrator of violence in sport should be treated as against ordinary criminal law assault and murder offenders. A two-pronged approach is suggested in the article as a possible way of dealing with wrongfulness in cricket.

Weapon Use in Korean Homicide: Differences Between Homicides Involving Sharp and Blunt Instruments.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Jisun; Son, Hyeonseo

2017-10-23

On the basis of information regarding 276 homicides committed in South Korea between 1987 and 2008, we compared offenders' and victims' characteristics, injury locations, weapon-related behavior, and offending behavior between homicides involving sharp and blunt instruments. The victims of sharp-force homicide were much younger relative to those of blunt-force homicide. In addition, homicides involving blunt instruments were more likely to be committed by offenders who lived with the victims. Most sharp-force homicides involved injuries to the torso, while blunt-force homicides involved mainly head injuries. Furthermore, perpetrators of sharp-force homicides tended to preselect their weapons, while those of blunt-force homicides were likely to use weapons of opportunity. Logistic regression analysis identified a number of factors, including injury location and body transportation, which significantly predicted weapon type. As this was the first South Korean study to compare sharp- and blunt-force homicides, the results have practical implications for homicide investigations. © 2017 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Tailfin clipping, a painful procedure: Studies on Nile tilapia and common carp

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Roques, J.A.C.; Abbink, W.; Geurds, F.; Vis, van de J.W.; Flik, G.

2010-01-01

The fish welfare debate is intensifying. Consequently, more research is carried out to further our knowledge on fish welfare in aquaculture. We define here a series of key parameters to substantiate an acute response to a supposedly painful stimulus: a standardized tailfin clip. Ultrastructural

Weighting of field heights for sharpness and noisiness

Science.gov (United States)

Keelan, Brian W.; Jin, Elaine W.

2009-01-01

Weighting of field heights is important in cases when a single numerical value needs to be calculated that characterizes an attribute's overall impact on perceived image quality. In this paper we report an observer study to derive the weighting of field heights for sharpness and noisiness. One-hundred-forty images were selected to represent a typical consumer photo space distribution. Fifty-three sample points were sampled per image, representing field heights of 0, 14, 32, 42, 51, 58, 71, 76, 86% and 100%. Six observers participated in this study. The field weights derived in this report include both: the effect of area versus field height (which is a purely objective, geometric factor); and the effect of the spatial distribution of image content that draws attention to or masks each of these image structure attributes. The results show that relative to the geometrical area weights, sharpness weights were skewed to lower field heights, because sharpness-critical subject matter was often positioned relatively near the center of an image. Conversely, because noise can be masked by signal, noisiness-critical content (such as blue skies, skin tones, walls, etc.) tended to occur farther from the center of an image, causing the weights to be skewed to higher field heights.

Changes in salivary testosterone concentrations and subsequent voluntary squat performance following the presentation of short video clips.

Science.gov (United States)

Cook, Christian J; Crewther, Blair T

2012-01-01

Previous studies have shown that visual images can produce rapid changes in testosterone concentrations. We explored the acute effects of video clips on salivary testosterone and cortisol concentrations and subsequent voluntary squat performance in highly trained male athletes (n=12). Saliva samples were collected on 6 occasions immediately before and 15 min after watching a brief video clip (approximately 4 min in duration) on a computer screen. The watching of a sad, erotic, aggressive, training motivational, humorous or a neutral control clip was randomised. Subjects then performed a squat workout aimed at producing a 3 repetition maximum (3RM) lift. Significant (Psquats across all video sessions (Pfree hormone concentrations and the relative changes in testosterone closely mapped 3RM squat performance in a group of highly trained males. Thus, speculatively, using short video presentations in the pre-workout environment offers an opportunity for understanding the outcomes of hormonal change, athlete behaviour and subsequent voluntary performance. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy without clips: 50 cases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morales Gonzalez, Raul A.; Goderich Lalan, Jose M.; Gonzalez Constanten, Juan

2001-01-01

A prospective and descriptive study that included 50 patients operated on of vesicular lithiasis by minimally invasive surgery and in whom the clips Were substituted by intra corporeal knots was conducted aimed at knowing the results of this procedure. These patients received attention at Celia Sanchez Manduley, Provincial Clinical and Surgical Teaching Hospital from April 12 to May 3, 2000. Aspects such as age, sex, surgical time, complications and hospital costs Were analyzed. The surgical time was 20 min higher than the one used in a by the usual technique. There Were no surgical complications. It was possible to reduce the cost of surgery. It is considered that this variable is safe, more economic and may be performed in a time similar to the one used in the usual technique

Three-port laparoscopic cholecystectomy by harmonic dissection without cystic duct and artery clipping.

Science.gov (United States)

Tebala, Giovanni D

2006-05-01

The technique of laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) still has areas of refinements. To decrease the number of ports, a cannula may be replaced by a percutaneous suture suspension of the gallbladder. The risk of tissue injury caused by repeat blind extraction and insertion of various instruments in and out of the abdomen may be decreased by the use of the multipurpose harmonic dissector. One hundred consecutive patients with symptomatic cholelithiasis underwent 3-port LC entirely performed by harmonic dissector without cystic duct and artery clipping. In 8 cases, a fourth trocar was necessary. In 2 cases, the cystic duct was clipped after an unsafe ultrasound sealing. In 1 case, continuous bleeding from the liver required the use of diathermy. No common bile duct injury was registered. The 3-port harmonic LC is a feasible, effective, and safe technique.

Use of activation analysis method for determining trace elements in human nail clippings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aguiar, Amilton Reinaldo; Saiki, Mitiko

1999-01-01

This work presents results obtained in nail clipping samples analyses. These nail samples were collected from healthy group of individuals and from patients with cystic fibrosis disease. Irradiation of nail clippings was carried out with a thermal neutron flux from 10 11 to 10 13 n.cm -2 .s -1 at the IEA-R1m nuclear research reactor and the elements Al, As, Br, Ca, cd, Cl, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Se and Zn were determined. The results obtained for healthy group were within the range of concentrations published, for normal population. However for several elements, the group of patients presented higher concentrations than those presented for healthy individuals. The precision and the accuracy of the results were evaluated by analyzing reference materials NIST 1577b Bovine Liver and 1566a Oyster Tissue. (author)

The effectiveness of sharp end and rounded end bristle toothbrush

OpenAIRE

Paulus Januar; Anastasia Susetyo; Ratih Widyastuti

2010-01-01

Background: Numerous designs of manual toothbrush are available in the market with the claims of superiority in plaque removal. It often makes the public confuse which is the best design. The sharp end bristle toothbrush is a modification that commercially available in the market. Purpose: The objective of the study was to compare the effectiveness in plaque removal of the sharp end bristle toothbrush and the rounded end bristle toothbrush. Methods: This clinical trial was a double blind cros...

PRACTICES FOR PREVENTION NEEDLESTICK AND SHARPS INJURIES AMONG NURSING STUDENTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anh Tran Thi Quynh

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Background: Needlestick and sharp injuries are a serious hazard in any health care setting for health care workers and students during clinical practice. Thus, the efforts to prevent the needlestick and sharps injuries are needed and considered a part of the routine practice. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the frequency of nursing students in doing the correct practice in prevention needlestick and sharps injuries. Methods: This cross- sectional study was conducted between 2013 and 2014 in nursing students of Tien Giang Medical College who participated in clinical practice. There were 360 students participated in the study using simple random sampling. Data were collected using the practical assessment checklist and demographic characteristics questionnaire. Data were processed using STATA 12.0, and analyzed using Chi-square and Fisher test. Results: The students who did general practice correctly accounted for 52.50%, and those who did practice incorrectly was 47.5%. The students who used gauze or wool wrap in inhaler were 59.7%, wearing gloves in practice (39.2%, do not disassemble needles from syringes after injection 50%, and removing needles into barrel after injection (65.6%. There was statistically significant relationship between time of participation in clinical practice and correct practice with p-value 0.04 (<0.05 Conclusion: The correct practice of nursing students related to the prevention of needlestick and sharps injuries remains low. There was a significant relationship between time of participation in clinical practice and correct nursing practice. It is suggested that students must be taught about the risk of infection at the beginning of clinical practice, and constantly reminded throughout the learning process, especially for injection safety awareness, knowledge and techniques about the risk of transmission of HBV, HCV and HIV by sharp objects in the healthcare facility.

Advanced technical skills are required for microsurgical clipping of posterior communicating artery aneurysms in the endovascular era.

Science.gov (United States)

Sanai, Nader; Caldwell, Nolan; Englot, Dario J; Lawton, Michael T

2012-08-01

Many neurosurgeons feel competent clipping posterior communicating artery (PCoA) aneurysms and include this lesion in their practice. However, endovascular therapy removes simple aneurysms that would have been easiest to clip with the best results. What remains are aneurysms with complex anatomy and technical challenges that are not well described. A contemporary surgical series with PCoA aneurysms is reviewed to define the patients, microsurgical techniques, and outcomes in current practice. A total of 218 patients had 218 PCoA aneurysms that were treated microsurgically during an 11-year period. Complexities influencing aneurysm management included (1) large/giant size; (2) fetal posterior cerebral artery; (3) previous coiling; (4) anterior clinoidectomy; (5) adherence of the anterior choroidal artery (AChA); (6) intraoperative aneurysm rupture; (7) complex clipping; and (8) atherosclerotic calcification. Simple PCoA aneurysms were encountered in 113 patients (51.8%) and complex aneurysms in 105 (48.2%). Adherent AChA (13.8%) and intraoperative rupture (11.5%) were the most common complexities. Simple aneurysms had favorable outcomes in 86.6% of patients, whereas aneurysms with 1 or multiple complexities had favorable outcomes in 78.2% and 75.0%, respectively. Intraoperative rupture (P PCoA aneurysms requires advanced techniques including clinoidectomy, AChA microdissection, complex clipping, and facility with intraoperative rupture. Microsurgery is recommended for recurrent aneurysms after coiling, complex branches, aneurysms causing oculomotor nerve palsy, multiple aneurysms, and patients with hematomas.

Removal time and efficacy of Riddell Quick Release Face Guard Attachment System side clips during 1 football season.

Science.gov (United States)

Gruppen, Tonia; Smith, Molly; Ganss, Andrea

2012-01-01

In the National Athletic Trainers' Association position statement, "Acute Management of the Cervical Spine-Injured Athlete," the technique recommended for face-mask (FM) removal is one that "creates the least head and neck motion, is performed most quickly, is the least difficult, and carries the least chance of failure." Industrial and technological advances in football helmet design and FM attachment systems might influence the efficacy of emergency FM removal. To examine the removal times and success rates of the Quick Release (QR) Face Guard Attachment System (Riddell Sports, Inc, Elyria, OH) throughout and at the conclusion of 1 season of play by a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III football team competing in the Midwest. Controlled laboratory study. College laboratory. A total of 69 randomly selected Revolution IQ (Riddell Sports, Inc) football helmets fitted with the QR system were used. Each helmet was secured to a spine board, and investigators attempted to remove both of the QR side clips from the helmet with the Riddell insertion tool. Dependent variables included total time for removal of both QR side clips from the FM and success rate for removal of both side clips. The overall success rate for removal of both clips was 94.8% (164/173), whereas the mean times for removal of both clips ranged from 9.92 ± 12.06 seconds to 16.65 ± 20.97 seconds over 4 trial sessions. We found no differences among mean times for trial sessions throughout the season of play among the same helmets or among different helmets (P > .05). Removal time and success rate of the Riddell QR were satisfactory during and after 1 season of play despite use in various temperatures and precipitation.

Removal Time and Efficacy of Riddell Quick Release Face Guard Attachment System Side Clips During 1 Football Season

Science.gov (United States)

Gruppen, Tonia; Smith, Molly; Ganss, Andrea

2012-01-01

Context In the National Athletic Trainers' Association position statement, “Acute Management of the Cervical Spine-Injured Athlete,” the technique recommended for face-mask (FM) removal is one that “creates the least head and neck motion, is performed most quickly, is the least difficult, and carries the least chance of failure.” Industrial and technological advances in football helmet design and FM attachment systems might influence the efficacy of emergency FM removal. Objective To examine the removal times and success rates of the Quick Release (QR) Face Guard Attachment System (Riddell Sports, Inc, Elyria, OH) throughout and at the conclusion of 1 season of play by a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III football team competing in the Midwest. Design Controlled laboratory study. Setting College laboratory. Patients or Other Participants A total of 69 randomly selected Revolution IQ (Riddell Sports, Inc) football helmets fitted with the QR system were used. Intervention(s) Each helmet was secured to a spine board, and investigators attempted to remove both of the QR side clips from the helmet with the Riddell insertion tool. Main Outcome Measure(s) Dependent variables included total time for removal of both QR side clips from the FM and success rate for removal of both side clips. Results The overall success rate for removal of both clips was 94.8% (164/173), whereas the mean times for removal of both clips ranged from 9.92 ± 12.06 seconds to 16.65 ± 20.97 seconds over 4 trial sessions. We found no differences among mean times for trial sessions throughout the season of play among the same helmets or among different helmets (P > .05). Conclusions Removal time and success rate of the Riddell QR were satisfactory during and after 1 season of play despite use in various temperatures and precipitation. PMID:22889658

SHARP: A multi-mission artificial intelligence system for spacecraft telemetry monitoring and diagnosis

Science.gov (United States)

Lawson, Denise L.; James, Mark L.

1989-01-01

The Spacecraft Health Automated Reasoning Prototype (SHARP) is a system designed to demonstrate automated health and status analysis for multi-mission spacecraft and ground data systems operations. Telecommunications link analysis of the Voyager 2 spacecraft is the initial focus for the SHARP system demonstration which will occur during Voyager's encounter with the planet Neptune in August, 1989, in parallel with real time Voyager operations. The SHARP system combines conventional computer science methodologies with artificial intelligence techniques to produce an effective method for detecting and analyzing potential spacecraft and ground systems problems. The system performs real time analysis of spacecraft and other related telemetry, and is also capable of examining data in historical context. A brief introduction is given to the spacecraft and ground systems monitoring process at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The current method of operation for monitoring the Voyager Telecommunications subsystem is described, and the difficulties associated with the existing technology are highlighted. The approach taken in the SHARP system to overcome the current limitations is also described, as well as both the conventional and artificial intelligence solutions developed in SHARP.

The contribution of CLIP2 haploinsufficiency to the clinical manifestations of the Williams-Beuren syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Vandeweyer, Geert; Van der Aa, Nathalie; Reyniers, Edwin; Kooy, R Frank

2012-06-08

Williams-Beuren syndrome is a rare contiguous gene syndrome, characterized by intellectual disability, facial dysmorphisms, connective-tissue abnormalities, cardiac defects, structural brain abnormalities, and transient infantile hypercalcemia. Genes lying telomeric to RFC2, including CLIP2, GTF2I and GTF2IRD1, are currently thought to be the most likely major contributors to the typical Williams syndrome cognitive profile, characterized by a better-than-expected auditory rote-memory ability, a relative sparing of language capabilities, and a severe visual-spatial constructive impairment. Atypical deletions in the region have helped to establish genotype-phenotype correlations. So far, however, hardly any deletions affecting only a single gene in the disease region have been described. We present here two healthy siblings with a pure, hemizygous deletion of CLIP2. A putative role in the cognitive and behavioral abnormalities seen in Williams-Beuren patients has been suggested for this gene on the basis of observations in a knock-out mouse model. The presented siblings did not show any of the clinical features associated with the syndrome. Cognitive testing showed an average IQ for both and no indication of the Williams syndrome cognitive profile. This shows that CLIP2 haploinsufficiency by itself does not lead to the physical or cognitive characteristics of the Williams-Beuren syndrome, nor does it lead to the Williams syndrome cognitive profile. Although contribution of CLIP2 to the phenotype cannot be excluded when it is deleted in combination with other genes, our results support the hypothesis that GTF2IRD1 and GTF2I are the main genes causing the cognitive defects associated with Williams-Beuren syndrome. Copyright © 2012 The American Society of Human Genetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Electroencephalography Amplitude Modulation Analysis for Automated Affective Tagging of Music Video Clips

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrea Clerico

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The quantity of music content is rapidly increasing and automated affective tagging of music video clips can enable the development of intelligent retrieval, music recommendation, automatic playlist generators, and music browsing interfaces tuned to the users' current desires, preferences, or affective states. To achieve this goal, the field of affective computing has emerged, in particular the development of so-called affective brain-computer interfaces, which measure the user's affective state directly from measured brain waves using non-invasive tools, such as electroencephalography (EEG. Typically, conventional features extracted from the EEG signal have been used, such as frequency subband powers and/or inter-hemispheric power asymmetry indices. More recently, the coupling between EEG and peripheral physiological signals, such as the galvanic skin response (GSR, have also been proposed. Here, we show the importance of EEG amplitude modulations and propose several new features that measure the amplitude-amplitude cross-frequency coupling per EEG electrode, as well as linear and non-linear connections between multiple electrode pairs. When tested on a publicly available dataset of music video clips tagged with subjective affective ratings, support vector classifiers trained on the proposed features were shown to outperform those trained on conventional benchmark EEG features by as much as 6, 20, 8, and 7% for arousal, valence, dominance and liking, respectively. Moreover, fusion of the proposed features with EEG-GSR coupling features showed to be particularly useful for arousal (feature-level fusion and liking (decision-level fusion prediction. Together, these findings show the importance of the proposed features to characterize human affective states during music clip watching.

ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION REPORT, HVLP COATING EQUIPMENT, SHARPE MANUFACTURING COMPANY PLATINUM 2012 HVLP SPRAY GUN

Science.gov (United States)

This report presents the results of the verification test of the Sharpe Platinum 2013 high-volume, low-pressure gravity-feed spray gun, hereafter referred to as the Sharpe Platinum, which is designed for use in automotive refinishing. The test coating chosen by Sharpe Manufacturi...

Longline Observer (HI & Am. Samoa) Opah Fin Clip Collection for Lampris spp. Distribution Study

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Data set containing information collected from the 1000+ fin clips collected by Hawaii & American Samoa Longline Observers that will be used to analyze the...

Post-clip placement MRI following second-look US-guided core biopsy for suspicious lesions identified on breast MRI

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Song, Sung Eun [Seoul National University Hospital, Department of Radiology, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Korea University Anam Hospital, Korea University College of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Cho, Nariya [Seoul National University Hospital, Department of Radiology, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Seoul National University College of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Seoul National University Medical Research Centre, Institute of Radiation Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Han, Wonshik [Seoul National University Hospital, Department of Surgery, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2017-12-15

To evaluate whether the post-clip placement MRI following second-look ultrasound (US)-guided core biopsy is useful to confirm the adequate sampling of suspicious lesions identified on breast MRI. Between 2014 and 2016, 31 consecutive women with 34 suspicious lesions that had not been identified on previous mammography or US were detected using MRI. Among them, 26 women with 29 lesions (mean size 1.5 cm, range 0.5-5.8 cm) found by second-look US underwent US-guided biopsy, subsequent clip insertion and post-clip placement MRI. Five women with five lesions that were not found by second-look US underwent MRI-guided biopsy. The technical success rate and lesion characteristics were described. The technical success rate was 96.6% (28/29). One failure case was a benign, 1.1-cm non-mass enhancement. Of the 28 success cases, 23 (82.1%) were masses and 5 (17.9%) were non-mass enhancements; 17 (60.7%) were benign, 4 (14.3%) were high-risk and 7 (25.0%) were malignant lesions. The technical success rate was 100% (28/28) for masses and 83.3% (5/6) for non-mass enhancements. Post-clip placement MRI following US-guided biopsy is useful in confirming the adequate sampling of lesions identified on MRI. This method could be an alternative to MRI-guided biopsy for lesions visible on US. (orig.)

Post-clip placement MRI following second-look US-guided core biopsy for suspicious lesions identified on breast MRI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song, Sung Eun; Cho, Nariya; Han, Wonshik

2017-01-01

To evaluate whether the post-clip placement MRI following second-look ultrasound (US)-guided core biopsy is useful to confirm the adequate sampling of suspicious lesions identified on breast MRI. Between 2014 and 2016, 31 consecutive women with 34 suspicious lesions that had not been identified on previous mammography or US were detected using MRI. Among them, 26 women with 29 lesions (mean size 1.5 cm, range 0.5-5.8 cm) found by second-look US underwent US-guided biopsy, subsequent clip insertion and post-clip placement MRI. Five women with five lesions that were not found by second-look US underwent MRI-guided biopsy. The technical success rate and lesion characteristics were described. The technical success rate was 96.6% (28/29). One failure case was a benign, 1.1-cm non-mass enhancement. Of the 28 success cases, 23 (82.1%) were masses and 5 (17.9%) were non-mass enhancements; 17 (60.7%) were benign, 4 (14.3%) were high-risk and 7 (25.0%) were malignant lesions. The technical success rate was 100% (28/28) for masses and 83.3% (5/6) for non-mass enhancements. Post-clip placement MRI following US-guided biopsy is useful in confirming the adequate sampling of lesions identified on MRI. This method could be an alternative to MRI-guided biopsy for lesions visible on US. (orig.)

Microsurgical clipping of ophthalmic artery aneurysms: surgical results and visual outcomes with 208 aneurysms.

Science.gov (United States)

Kamide, Tomoya; Tabani, Halima; Safaee, Michael M; Burkhardt, Jan-Karl; Lawton, Michael T

2018-01-26

OBJECTIVE While most paraclinoid aneurysms can be clipped with excellent results, new postoperative visual deficits are a concern. New technology, including flow diverters, has increased the popularity of endovascular therapy. However, endovascular treatment of paraclinoid aneurysms is not without procedural risks, is associated with higher rates of incomplete aneurysm occlusion and recurrence, and may not address optic nerve compression symptoms that surgical debulking can. The increasing endovascular management of paraclinoid aneurysms should be justified by comparisons to surgical benchmarks. The authors, therefore, undertook this study to define patient, visual, and aneurysm outcomes in the most common type of paraclinoid aneurysm: ophthalmic artery (OphA) aneurysms. METHODS Results from microsurgical clipping of 208 OphA aneurysms in 198 patients were retrospectively reviewed. Patient demographics, aneurysm morphology (size, calcification, etc.), clinical characteristics, and patient outcomes were recorded and analyzed. RESULTS Despite 20% of these aneurysms being large or giant in size, complete aneurysm occlusion was accomplished in 91% of 208 cases, with OphA patency preserved in 99.5%. The aneurysm recurrence rate was 3.1% and the retreatment rate was 0%. Good outcomes (modified Rankin Scale score 0-2) were observed in 96.2% of patients overall and in all 156 patients with unruptured aneurysms. New visual field defects (hemianopsia or quadrantanopsia) were observed in 8 patients (3.8%), decreased visual acuity in 5 (2.4%), and monocular blindness in 9 (4.3%). Vision improved in 9 (52.9%) of the 17 patients with preoperative visual deficits. CONCLUSIONS The most important risk associated with clipping OphA aneurysms is a new visual deficit. Meticulous microsurgical technique is necessary during anterior clinoidectomy, aneurysm dissection, and clip application to optimize visual outcomes, and aggressive medical management postoperatively might potentially

Investigation of Sequence Clipping and Structural Heterogeneity of an HIV Broadly Neutralizing Antibody by a Comprehensive LC-MS Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Ivleva, Vera B.; Schneck, Nicole A.; Gollapudi, Deepika; Arnold, Frank; Cooper, Jonathan W.; Lei, Q. Paula

2018-05-01

CAP256 is one of the highly potent, broadly neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (bNAb) designed for HIV-1 therapy. During the process development of one of the constructs, an unexpected product-related impurity was observed via microfluidics gel electrophoresis. A panel of complementary LC-MS analyses was applied for the comprehensive characterization of CAP256 which included the analysis of the intact and reduced protein, the middle-up approach, and a set of complementary peptide mapping techniques and verification of the disulfide bonds. The designed workflow allowed to identify a clip within a protruding acidic loop in the CDR-H3 region of the heavy chain, which can lead to the decrease of bNAb potency. This characterization explained the origin of the additional species reflected by the reducing gel profile. An intra-loop disulfide bond linking the two fragments was identified, which explained why the non-reducing capillary electrophoresis (CE) profile was not affected. The extensive characterization of CAP256 post-translational modifications was performed to investigate a possible cause of CE profile complexity and to illustrate other structural details related to this molecule's biological function. Two sites of the engineered Tyr sulfation were verified in the antigen-binding loop, and pyroglutamate formation was used as a tool for monitoring the extent of antibody clipping. Overall, the comprehensive LC-MS study was crucial to (1) identify the impurity as sequence clipping, (2) pinpoint the clipping location and justify its susceptibility relative to the molecular structure, (3) lead to an upstream process optimization to mitigate product quality risk, and (4) ultimately re-engineer the sequence to be clip-resistant. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

Sharp superconductor-insulator transition in short wires

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meidan, Dganit; Oreg, Yuval; Refael, Gil; Smith, Robert A.

2008-01-01

Recent experiments on short MoGe nanowires show a sharp superconductor-insulator transition tuned by the normal state resistance of the wire, with a critical resistance of R c ∼ R Q = h/(4e 2 ). These results are at odds with a broad range of theoretical work on Josephson-like systems that predicts a smooth transition, tuned by the value of the resistance that shunts the junction. We develop a self-consistent renormalization group treatment of interacting phase-slips and their dual counterparts, correlated cooper pair tunneling, beyond the dilute approximation. This analysis leads to a very sharp transition with a critical resistance of R Q . The addition of the quasi-particles' resistance at finite temperature leads to a quantitative agreement with the experimental results. This self-consistent renormalization group method should also be applicable to other physical systems that can be mapped onto similar sine-Gordon models, in the previously inaccessible intermediate-coupling regime

SHARP - a framework for incorporating human interactions into PRA studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hannaman, G.W.; Joksimovich, V.; Spurgin, A.J.; Worledge, D.H.

1985-01-01

Recently, increased attention has been given to understanding the role of humans in the safe operation of nuclear power plants. By virtue of the ability to combine equipment reliability with human reliability probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) technology was deemed capable of providing significant insights about the contributions of human interations in accident scenarios. EPRI recognized the need to strengthen the methodology for incorporating human interactions into PRAs as one element of their broad research program to improve the credibility of PRAs. This research project lead to the development and detailed description of SHARP (Systematic Human Application Reliability Procedure) in EPRI NP-3583. The objective of this paper is to illustrate the SHARP framework. This should help PRA analysts state more clearly their assumptions and approach no matter which human reliability assessment technique is used. SHARP includes a structure of seven analysis steps which can be formally or informally performed during PRAs. The seven steps are termed definition, screening, breakdown, representation, impact assessment, quantification, and documentation

Response of Advance Cherrybark Oak Reproduction to Midstory Removal and Shoot Clipping

Science.gov (United States)

Brian R. Lockhart; John D. Hodges; Emile S. Gardiner

2000-01-01

A Midstory competition control and shoot clipping have been proposed to increase the vigor and height of advance bottomland oak reproduction. Results from a study in east-central Mississippi showed that advance cherrybark oak (Quercus pagoda Raf) released from midstory competition had greater survival than nonreleased seedlings, 64% and 48%,...

[Ligation of the retrobulbar vascular-nervous bunch during performance of evisceration and enucleation using titanic clips in ophthalmic surgery].

Science.gov (United States)

Rykov, S A; Torchinskaia, N V; Bakbardina, I I; Simchuk, I V

2011-10-01

The efficacy of hemostasis achievement during conduction of a retrobulbar vascular-nervous bunch ligation (RVNBL), using titanic clips while evisceroenucleation performance, was studied up. A comparative analysis of clinical and functional results of surgical treatment of 36 patients, suffering terminal dolorous glaucoma and disaster of a sympathetic ophthalmia complication after an eye penetrating wounding occurrence. In 16 patients (the first group) a standard method of a hemostasis achievement was used while doing evisceroenucleation - a deep orbital tamponade for 5 minutes. In 20 patients (the second group) a procedure of RVNBL was conducted, using titanic clips before the bunch transsection doing. There was established, that while doing a RVNPL using titanic clips, a hemorrhage never occurs, a retrobulbar hematoma do not formated, the soft tissues reaction in the early postoperative period is less pronounced, and the patients postoperative rehabilitation period shortens.

Results from extrapleural clipping of a patent ductus arteriosus in seriously ill preterm infants.

Science.gov (United States)

Demirturk, Orhan; Güvener, Murat; Coşkun, Isa; Tünel, Hüseyin Ali

2011-12-01

Minithoracotomy for extrapleural closure of the patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) in seriously ill patients offers a fast and less invasive alternative to conventional transpleural ductal closure. This study reports the immediate postoperative clinical outcomes for 24 extrapleurally clipped premature infants presenting with congestive heart failure in high-risk comorbidity status between March 2007 and November 2010. The demographics, preoperative clinical characteristics, and postoperative outcomes of the patients, including echocardiographic assessments, were evaluated. No surgery-related mortalities occurred. Four mortalities occurred after surgery due to sepsis and bleeding diathesis. All 20 surviving patients exhibited normal left ventricular dimensions and systolic function in the immediate follow-up period. The study shows that extrapleural clip closure in seriously ill premature infants has an acceptable overall short-term mortality and complication rate with a high rate of ductal closure.

Microanalysis on selected video clips with focus on communicative response in music therapy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ridder, Hanne Mette Ochsner

2007-01-01

This chapter describes a five-step procedure for video analysis where the topic of investigation is the communicative response of clients in music therapy. In this microanalysis procedure only very short video clips are used, and in order to select these clips an overview of each music therapy...... session is obtained with the help of a session-graph that is a systematic way of collecting video observations from one music therapy session and combining the data in one figure. The systematic procedures do not demand sophisticated computer equipment; only standard programmes such as Excel and a media...... player. They are based on individual music therapy work with a population who are difficult to engage in joint activities and who show little response (e.g. persons suffering from severe dementia). The video analysis tools might be relevant to other groups of clients where it is important to form a clear...

Understanding sharps injuries in home healthcare: The Safe Home Care qualitative methods study to identify pathways for injury prevention.

Science.gov (United States)

Markkanen, Pia; Galligan, Catherine; Laramie, Angela; Fisher, June; Sama, Susan; Quinn, Margaret

2015-04-11

Home healthcare is one of the fastest growing sectors in the United States. Percutaneous injuries from sharp medical devices (sharps) are a source of bloodborne pathogen infections among home healthcare workers and community members. Sharps use and disposal practices in the home are highly variable and there is no comprehensive analysis of the system of sharps procurement, use and disposal in home healthcare. This gap is a barrier to effective public health interventions. The objectives of this study were to i) identify the full range of pathways by which sharps enter and exit the home, stakeholders involved, and barriers for using sharps with injury prevention features; and ii) assess the leverage points for preventive interventions. This study employed qualitative research methods to develop two systems maps of the use of sharps and prevention of sharps injuries in home healthcare. Twenty-six in-depth interview sessions were conducted including home healthcare agency clinicians, public health practitioners, sharps device manufacturers, injury prevention advocates, pharmacists and others. Interview transcripts were audio-recorded and analyzed thematically using NVIVO qualitative research analysis software. Analysis of supporting archival material also was conducted. All findings guided development of the two maps. Sharps enter the home via multiple complex pathways involving home healthcare providers and home users. The providers reported using sharps with injury prevention features. However, home users' sharps seldom had injury prevention features and sharps were commonly re-used for convenience and cost-savings. Improperly discarded sharps present hazards to caregivers, waste handlers, and community members. The most effective intervention potential exists at the beginning of the sharps systems maps where interventions can eliminate or minimize sharps injuries, in particular with needleless treatment methods and sharps with injury prevention features

L'uso del doppiaggio e del sottotitolaggio nell'insegnamento della L2: Il caso della piattaforma ClipFlair

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lupe Romero

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract – The purpose of this paper is to present the Clipflair project, a web platform for foreign language learning (FLL through revoicing and captioning of clips. Using audiovisual material in the language classroom is a common resource for teachers since it introduces variety, provides exposure to nonverbal cultural elements and, most importantly, presents linguistic and cultural aspects of communication in their context. However, teachers using this resource face the difficulty of finding active tasks that will engage learners and discourage passive viewing. ClipFlair proposes working with AV material productively while also motivating learners by getting them to revoice or caption a clip. Revoicing is a term used to refer to (rerecording voice onto a clip, as in dubbing, free commentary, audio description and karaoke singing. The term captioning refers to adding written text to a clip, such as standard subtitles, annotations and intertitles. Clips can be short video or audio files, including documentaries, film scenes, news pieces, animations and songs. ClipFlair develops materials that enable foreign language learners to practice all four standard CEFR skills: writing, speaking, listening and reading. Within the project’s scope, more than 350 ready-made activities, which involve captioning and/or revoicing of clips, has been created. These activities has been created for more than 16 languages including English, Spanish and Italian, but focus is placed on less widely taught languages, namely Estonian, Greek, Romanian and Polish, as well as minority languages, i.e. Basque, Catalan and Irish. Non-European languages, namely Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian and Ukrainian are also included. The platform has three different areas: The Gallery offers the materials and the activities; the Studio area, offers a captioning and revoicing tools, in order to create or practice and learn languages by using the activities; the Social Network area

Sharps injury reduction: a six-year, three-phase study comparing use of a small patient-room sharps disposal container with a larger engineered container.

Science.gov (United States)

Grimmond, T; Naisoro, W

2014-09-01

A 350-bed Sydney hospital noted excessive container-associated sharps injuries (CASI) using small sharps containers and compared the effect from 2004 to 2010 of using a larger container engineered to reduce CASI. In Phase 1 (Ph1), disposable 1.4L containers (BD Australia) were carried to/from patients' rooms. In Phase 2 (Ph2), this stopped and a safety-engineered 32L reusable container (the Device; Sharpsmart, SteriHealth) was mounted in medication stations only and sharps were carried to and from patient rooms using kidney dishes. In Phase 3 (Ph3), the Device was wall-mounted in patient rooms. Sharps injuries were categorised as 'during-procedure', 'after-procedure but before disposal', 'CASI', and 'improper disposal SI'. Disposal-related SI comprised CASI plus improper-disposal SI. Injuries per 100 full-time-equivalent staff were analysed using Chi 2 ; p ≤ 0.05; and relative risk and 95% confidence limits were calculated. In Ph1 (small containers) 19.4% of SI were CASI and transport injuries were zero. In Ph2 (Device in medication station) CASI fell 94.9% ( p <0.001); Disposal-related SI fell 71.1% ( p =0.002) but transport injuries rose significantly. In Ph3 (Device in patient room) zero CASI occurred ( p <0.001); Disposal-related SI fell 83.1% ( p =0.001). Recapping SI fell 85.1% ( p =0.01) with the Device. The Device's volume, large aperture, passive overfill-protection and close-at-hand siting are postulated as SI reduction factors.

Notes on breeding sharp-shinned hawks and Cooper’s hawks in Barnwell County, South Carolina.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vukovich, Mark; Kilgo, John, C.

2009-07-01

Abstract - Breeding records of Accipiter striatus (Sharp-shinned Hawks) in the southeastern US are scattered and isolated. We documented a Sharp-shinned Hawk and Accipiter cooperii (Cooper’s Hawk) nest while conducting a telemetry study on Melanerpes erythrocephalus (Red-headed Woodpeckers) in Barnwell County, SC in 2006 and 2007. We report the first known nest of a Sharp-shinned Hawk in Barnwell County, SC and the first report of Sharp-shinned Hawks preying upon Red-headed Woodpeckers. Thirteen of 93 (13.9 %) woodpeckers were killed by accipiters in the summers of 2006 and 2007. Large, contiguous forests managed for Picoides borealis (Red-cockaded Woodpeckers) may be used by breeding Sharp-shinned Hawks. The bright plumage, loud calls, and behavior of Red-headed Woodpeckers, particularly during the nestling stage, may make them conspicuous prey for accipiters.

Inference for the Sharpe Ratio Using a Likelihood-Based Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ying Liu

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The Sharpe ratio is the prominent risk-adjusted performance measure used by practitioners. Statistical testing of this ratio using its asymptotic distribution has lagged behind its use. In this paper, highly accurate likelihood analysis is applied for inference on the Sharpe ratio. Both the one- and two-sample problems are considered. The methodology has O(n−3/2 distributional accuracy and can be implemented using any parametric return distribution structure. Simulations are provided to demonstrate the method's superior accuracy over existing methods used for testing in the literature.

High-performance marketing: an interview with Nike's Phil Knight. Interview by Geraldine E. Willigan.

Science.gov (United States)

Knight, P

1992-01-01

Nike's advertising slogans--"Bo Knows," "Just Do It," and "There Is No Finish Line"--have moved beyond advertising into popular expression. Its athletic footwear and clothing have become a piece of Americana. Its brand name is as well known around the world as IBM and Coke. Behind the slogans and the flashy TV commercials is the vision of its founder, chairman, and CEO, Phil Knight. Since forming the company in 1962, Knight has taken Nike from a small-time distributor of Japanese track shoes to the top of the athletic shoe and apparel market. But not without a stumble. Along the way, Knight discovered that technological innovation alone could not continue to drive growth. When sales stagnated in the mid-1980s, Knight and Nike learned several hard lessons on how to build brands and understand consumers, and they transformed their technology company into a marketing company whose product is its most important marketing tool. "Ultimately," says Knight, "we wanted Nike to be the world's best sports and fitness company. Once you say that, you have a focus. You don't end up making wing tips or sponsoring the next Rolling Stones world tour." To keep the company growing, Nike began splitting its brands into sub-brands. In tennis, Nike divided its shoes into Challenge Court--for younger, more active players--and Supreme Court--for older, more mature players. That approach brought the company to a broader range of consumers while preserving the customer base. And to create an emotional tie with the consumer, Nike started advertising on TV. "Sports is at the heart of American culture," Knight says. "You can't explain much in 60 seconds, but when you show Michael Jordan, you don't have to. It's that simple."

ThermaCELL and OFF! Clip-On Devices Tested for Repellency and Mortality Against Amblyomma americanum (Acari: Ixodida: Amblyommidae).

Science.gov (United States)

Bibbs, Christopher S; Xue, Rui-De

2016-07-01

The ThermaCELL with allethrin and OFF! Clip-on with metofluthrin were tested in a 939 m 2 vented enclosure against nymphal lone star ticks, Amblyomma americanum (L.). Repellency assays were conducted at varying distances relative to product specifications for repellency range. Nymphal ticks acclimated for 24 h in chambers attached to 10 repellency tracks per repetition. Devices were turned on, and the tick travel distance and delay until beginning to travel were recorded. Mortality of ticks was recorded after 24 h. Mortality assays were also conducted at the same distances with five ticks per cage, and 12 cages per distance radially distributed around a device. Cages were removed after 5 min, 15 min, 30 min, and 60 min of exposure and checked after 24 h for mortality. Significant travel distance was found when exposed to the ThermaCELL and OFF! Clip-on at their shortest test distances. Significant mortality also resulted at the same distances. Ticks exposed to active devices for longer than 15 min had significant mortality at the shortest distance for OFF! Clip-on and multiple distances for the ThermaCELL. Overall, the spatial repellent devices ThermaCELL with allethrin and OFF! Clip-on with metofluthrin both demonstrated desirable effects when tested against A. americanum nymphs. © The Authors 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Energy dissipation characteristics of sharp-edged orifice plate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ai Wanzheng

2015-08-01

Full Text Available The energy loss coefficient, relating directly to the energy dissipation ratio, is an important index of this energy dissipater. In this article, this coefficient and its affecting parameters were analyzed by theoretical considerations, and their relationships were obtained by numerical simulations. It could be concluded that the energy loss coefficient of sharp-edged orifice plate and its backflow region length were mainly dominated by the contraction ratio of the orifice plate. Sharp-edged orifice plate’s energy loss coefficient and its backflow region length all increase slightly with the increase in its thickness. When Reynolds number is in the range of 9.00×104–10.3×106, Reynolds number has little impacts on energy loss coefficient and backflow region length. Two empirical expressions, relating to backflow region length and energy loss coefficient, respectively, were presented.

Cryogenic receiver front-end with sharp skirt characteristics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Narahashi, S [RF Technology Laboratory, Wireless Laboratories, NTT DoCoMo, Inc, Yokosuka, Kanagawa 239-8536 (Japan); Satoh, K [RF Technology Laboratory, Wireless Laboratories, NTT DoCoMo, Inc, Yokosuka, Kanagawa 239-8536 (Japan); Kawai, K [RF Technology Laboratory, Wireless Laboratories, NTT DoCoMo, Inc, Yokosuka, Kanagawa 239-8536 (Japan); Koizumi, D [RF Technology Laboratory, Wireless Laboratories, NTT DoCoMo, Inc, Yokosuka, Kanagawa 239-8536 (Japan); Nojima, T [Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0808 (Japan)

2006-05-15

This paper presents an experimental cryogenic receiver front-end (CRFE) with sharp skirt characteristics for mobile base stations. The CRFE comprises a high-temperature superconducting filter, a cryogenic low-noise amplifier, and a highly reliable cryostat that is very compact. The major characteristics of the proposed CRFE measured at 70 K are a centre frequency of 1.95 GHz, passband width of 20 MHz, sharp selectivity of 20 dB/100 kHz, 1.4 dB ripple, 31.3 dB average passband gain, and average passband equivalent noise temperature of 47.9 K. The CRFE weighs 19 kg and occupies 35 l. Random failure of the cryostat is also evaluated by a continuous operation test using four identical ones simultaneously. The cryostat used in the CRFE has a high reliability level of over five years of continuous maintenance-free operation.

A combination of selected mapping and clipping to increase energy efficiency of OFDM systems

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Byung Moo; Rim, You Seung

2017-01-01

We propose an energy efficient combination design for OFDM systems based on selected mapping (SLM) and clipping peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) reduction techniques, and show the related energy efficiency (EE) performance analysis. The combination of two different PAPR reduction techniques can provide a significant benefit in increasing EE, because it can take advantages of both techniques. For the combination, we choose the clipping and SLM techniques, since the former technique is quite simple and effective, and the latter technique does not cause any signal distortion. We provide the structure and the systematic operating method, and show the various analyzes to derive the EE gain based on the combined technique. Our analysis show that the combined technique increases the EE by 69% compared to no PAPR reduction, and by 19.34% compared to only using SLM technique. PMID:29023591

Epicuro e o tema da amizade: a philía vinculada ao érôs da tradição e ao êthos cívico da pólis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miguel Spinelli

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Central to the so-called ethical doctrine of Epicurus, the theme of friendship in this paper is analyzed under three aspects: a in regards to its link to the traditional principles (the so-called golden rule with which several cultures have sought to govern friendly relations; b how Epicurus, in a sense different from that of Plato’s Academy took to the Garden the practice of philía as a test for reconstituting the pólis; c how the concept of utility (the opheleía is linked to interest and reciprocity.

Sharp bounds for periodic solutions of Lipschitzian differential equations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zevin, A A

2009-01-01

A general system of Lipschitzian differential equations, containing simultaneously terms without delay and with arbitrary constant and time-varying delays, is considered. For the autonomous case, a lower bound for the period of nonconstant periodic solutions, expressed in the respective supremum Lipschitz constants, is found. For nonautonomous periodic equations, explicit upper bounds for the amplitudes and maximum derivatives of periodic solutions are obtained. For all n ≥ 2, the bounds do not depend on n and, in general, are different from that for n = 1. All the bounds are sharp; they are attained in linear differential equations with piece-wise constant deviating arguments. A relation between the obtained bounds and the sharp bounds in other metrics is established

Resolution of Oculomotor Nerve Palsy Secondary to Posterior Communicating Artery Aneurysms: Comparison of Clipping and Coiling.

Science.gov (United States)

McCracken, D Jay; Lovasik, Brendan P; McCracken, Courtney E; Caplan, Justin M; Turan, Nefize; Nogueira, Raul G; Cawley, C Michael; Dion, Jacques E; Tamargo, Rafael J; Barrow, Daniel L; Pradilla, Gustavo

2015-12-01

Previous studies have attempted to determine the best treatment for oculomotor nerve palsy (ONP) secondary to posterior communicating artery (PCoA) aneurysms, but have been limited by small sample sizes and limited treatment. To analyze the treatment of ONP secondary to PCoA with both coiling and clipping in ruptured and unruptured aneurysms. Data from 2 large academic centers was retrospectively collected over 22 years, yielding a total of 93 patients with ONP secondary to PCoA aneurysms. These patients were combined with 321 patients from the literature review for large data analyses. Onset symptoms, recovery, and time to resolution were evaluated with respect to treatment and aneurysm rupture status. For all patients presenting with ONP (n = 414) 56.6% of those treated with microsurgical clipping made a full recovery vs 41.5% of those treated with endovascular coil embolization (P = .02). Of patients with a complete ONP (n = 229), full recovery occurred in 47.3% of those treated with clipping but in only 20% of those undergoing coiling (P = .01). For patients presenting with ruptured aneurysms (n = 130), full recovery occurred in 70.9% compared with 49.3% coiled patients (P = .01). Additionally, although patients with full ONP recovery had a median time to treatment of 4 days, those without full ONP recovery had a median time to treatment of 7 days (P = .01). Patients with ONP secondary to PCoA aneurysms treated with clipping showed higher rates of full ONP resolution than patients treated with coil embolization. Larger prospective studies are needed to determine the true potential of recovery associated with each treatment. EUH, Emory University HospitalIQR, interquartile rangeJHU, Johns Hopkins UniversitymRS, modified Rankin ScaleONP, oculomotor nerve palsyPCoA, posterior communicating arterySAH, subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Relationship between sharps disposal containers and Clostridium difficile infections in acute care hospitals.

Science.gov (United States)

Pogorzelska-Maziarz, Monika

2015-10-01

Sharps disposal containers are ubiquitous in health care facilities; however, there is paucity of data on their potential role in pathogen transmission. This study assessed the relationship between use of single-use versus reusable sharps containers and rates of Clostridium difficile infections in a national sample of hospitals. A 2013 survey of 1,990 hospitals collected data on the use of sharps containers. Responses were linked to the 2012 Medicare Provider Analysis and Review dataset. Bivariate and multivariable negative binomial regression were conducted to examine differences in C difficile rates between hospitals using single-use versus reusable containers. There were 604 hospitals who completed the survey; of these, 539 provided data on use of sharps containers in 2012 (27% response rate). Hospitals had, on average, 289 beds (SD ± 203) and were predominantly non-for-profit (67%) and nonteaching (63%). Most used reusable sharps containers (72%). In bivariate regression, hospitals using single-use containers had significantly lower rates of C difficile versus hospitals using reusable containers (incidence rate ratio [IRR] = 0.846, P = .001). This relationship persisted in multivariable regression (IRR = 0.870, P = .003) after controlling for other hospital characteristics. This is the first study to show a link between use of single-use sharps containers and lower C difficile rates. Future research should investigate the potential for environmental contamination of reusable containers and the role they may play in pathogen transmission. Copyright © 2015 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Focusing optical waves with a rotationally symmetric sharp-edge aperture

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Yanwen; Fu, Shenhe; Li, Zhen; Yin, Hao; Zhou, Jianying; Chen, Zhenqiang

2018-04-01

While there has been various kinds of patterned structures proposed for wave focusing, these patterned structures usually involve complicated lithographic techniques since the element size of the patterned structures should be precisely controlled in microscale or even nanoscale. Here we propose a new and straightforward method for focusing an optical plane wave in free space with a rotationally symmetric sharp-edge aperture. The focusing phenomenon of wave is realized by superposition of a portion of the higher-order symmetric plane waves generated from the sharp edges of the apertures, in contrast to previously focusing techniques which usually depend on a curved phase. We demonstrate both experimentally and theoretically the focusing effect with a series of apertures having different rotational symmetry, and find that the intensity of the hotspots could be controlled by the symmetric strength of the sharp-edge apertures. The presented results would advance the conventional wisdom that light would diffract in all directions and become expanding when it propagates through an aperture. The proposed method is easy to be processed, and might open potential applications in interferometry, image, and superresolution.

Predicting Factors of Chronic Subdural Hematoma Following Surgical Clipping in Unruptured and Ruptured Intracranial Aneurysm.

Science.gov (United States)

Kwon, Min-Yong; Kim, Chang-Hyun; Lee, Chang-Young

2016-09-01

The aim of this study is to analyze the differences in the incidence, predicting factors, and clinical course of chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) following surgical clipping between unruptured (UIA) and ruptured intracranial aneurysm (RIA). We conducted a retrospective analysis of 752 patients (UIA : 368 and RIA : 384) who underwent surgical clipping during 8 years. The incidence and predicting factors of CSDH development in the UIA and RIA were compared according to medical records and radiological data. The incidence of postoperative CSDH was higher in the UIA (10.9%) than in the RIA (3.1%) (p=0.000). In multivariate analysis, a high Hounsfield (HF) unit (blood clots) for subdural fluid collection (SFC), persistence of SFC ≥5 mm and male sex in the UIA and A high HF unit for SFC and SFC ≥5 mm without progression to hydrocephalus in the RIA were identified as the independent predicting factors for CSDH development (psubdural space and persistence of SFC ≥5 mm were predicting factors in both UIA and RIA. However, progression to hydrocephalus may have in part contributed to low CSDH development in the RIA. We suggest that cleaning of blood clots in the subdural space and efforts to minimize SFC ≥5 mm at the end of surgery is helpful to prevent CSDH following aneurysmal clipping.

Sharp Injuries Among Hospital Waste Handlers | Olaitan | Nigerian ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

, C as well as other before commencing on their jobs. Workers should be screened for infective diseases that can be of legal problem while at the job and the workers should be effectively immunized. Key words: sharp injuries, waste, handlers, ...

Notes on breeding sharp-shinned hawks and cooper’s hawks in Barnwell County, South Carolina

Science.gov (United States)

Mark Vukovich; John C. Kilgo

2009-01-01

Breeding records of Accipiter striatus (Sharp-shinned Hawks) in the southeastern US are scattered and isolated. We documented a Sharp-shinned Hawk and Accipiter cooperii (Cooper’s Hawk) nest while conducting a telemetry study on Melanerpes erythrocephalus (Red-headed Woodpeckers) in Barnwell County, SC in 2006 and 2007. We report the first known nest of a Sharp-shinned...

Role of motor-evoked potential monitoring in conjunction with temporary clipping of spinal nerve roots in posterior thoracic spine tumor surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Eleraky, Mohammed A; Setzer, Matthias; Papanastassiou, Ioannis D; Baaj, Ali A; Tran, Nam D; Katsares, Kiesha M; Vrionis, Frank D

2010-05-01

The vascular supply of the thoracic spinal cord depends on the thoracolumbar segmental arteries. Because of the small size and ventral course of these arteries in relation to the dorsal root ganglion and ventral root, they cannot be reliably identified during surgery by anatomic or morphologic criteria. Sacrificing them will most likely result in paraplegia. The goal of this study was to evaluate a novel method of intraoperative testing of a nerve root's contribution to the blood supply of the thoracic spinal cord. This is a clinical retrospective study of 49 patients diagnosed with thoracic spine tumors. Temporary nerve root clipping combined with motor-evoked potential (MEP) and somatosensory-evoked potential (SSEP) monitoring was performed; additionally, postoperative clinical evaluation was done and reported in all cases. All cases were monitored by SSEP and MEPs. The nerve root to be sacrificed was temporarily clipped using standard aneurysm clips, and SSEP/MEP were assessed before and after clipping. Four nerve roots were sacrificed in four cases, three nerve roots in eight cases, and two nerve roots in 22 cases. Nerve roots were sacrificed bilaterally in 12 cases. Most patients (47/49) had no changes in MEP/SSEP and had no neurological deficit postoperatively. One case of a spinal sarcoma demonstrated changes in MEP after temporary clipping of the left T11 nerve root. The nerve was not sacrificed, and the patient was neurologically intact after surgery. In another case of a sarcoma, MEPs changed in the lower limbs after ligation of left T9 nerve root. It was felt that it was a global event because of anesthesia. Postoperatively, the patient had complete paraplegia but recovered almost completely after 6 months. Temporary nerve root clipping combined with MEP and SSEP monitoring may enhance the impact of neuromonitoring in the intraoperative management of patients with thoracic spine tumors and favorably influence neurological outcome. Copyright 2010 Elsevier

Influence of gantry angle in helical computed tomography. Usefullness of 1-dimension sharpness filter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kawano, Hirofumi; Suzuki, Toru; Matsuura, Shigeru; Kai, Tsuyoshi; Shimizu, Toshiyuki [Hyuga Hospital of Saiseikai Foundation, Kadogawa, Miyazaki (Japan)

2001-05-01

When we let gantry tilt and do scan in helical CT, vertical sharpness deteriorates. We were able to revise it with 1-dimensional sharpness filter which the square sum of difference of MTF was compared, and was designed this time. And the unsharpness was in proportion to sin of gantry angle. As a result, we led several sets of frequency emphasis degree. There is a model to built 1-dimension sharpness filter in a scan plan. It is useful for clinical diagnoses. (author)

Influence of gantry angle in helical computed tomography. Usefullness of 1-dimension sharpness filter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kawano, Hirofumi; Suzuki, Toru; Matsuura, Shigeru; Kai, Tsuyoshi; Shimizu, Toshiyuki

2001-01-01

When we let gantry tilt and do scan in helical CT, vertical sharpness deteriorates. We were able to revise it with 1-dimensional sharpness filter which the square sum of difference of MTF was compared, and was designed this time. And the unsharpness was in proportion to sin of gantry angle. As a result, we led several sets of frequency emphasis degree. There is a model to built 1-dimension sharpness filter in a scan plan. It is useful for clinical diagnoses. (author)

Efficacy of Handwashing with Soap and Nail Clipping on Intestinal Parasitic Infections in School-Aged Children: A Factorial Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Mahmud, Mahmud Abdulkader; Spigt, Mark; Bezabih, Afework Mulugeta; Pavon, Ignacio Lopez; Dinant, Geert-Jan; Velasco, Roman Blanco

2015-06-01

Intestinal parasitic infections are highly endemic among school-aged children in resource-limited settings. To lower their impact, preventive measures should be implemented that are sustainable with available resources. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of handwashing with soap and nail clipping on the prevention of intestinal parasite reinfections. In this trial, 367 parasite-negative school-aged children (aged 6-15 y) were randomly assigned to receive both, one or the other, or neither of the interventions in a 2 × 2 factorial design. Assignment sequence was concealed. After 6 mo of follow-up, stool samples were examined using direct, concentration, and Kato-Katz methods. Hemoglobin levels were determined using a HemoCue spectrometer. The primary study outcomes were prevalence of intestinal parasite reinfection and infection intensity. The secondary outcome was anemia prevalence. Analysis was by intention to treat. Main effects were adjusted for sex, age, drinking water source, latrine use, pre-treatment parasites, handwashing with soap and nail clipping at baseline, and the other factor in the additive model. Fourteen percent (95% CI: 9% to 19%) of the children in the handwashing with soap intervention group were reinfected versus 29% (95% CI: 22% to 36%) in the groups with no handwashing with soap (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 0.32, 95% CI: 0.17 to 0.62). Similarly, 17% (95% CI: 12% to 22%) of the children in the nail clipping intervention group were reinfected versus 26% (95% CI: 20% to 32%) in the groups with no nail clipping (AOR 0.51, 95% CI: 0.27 to 0.95). Likewise, following the intervention, 13% (95% CI: 8% to 18%) of the children in the handwashing group were anemic versus 23% (95% CI: 17% to 29%) in the groups with no handwashing with soap (AOR 0.39, 95% CI: 0.20 to 0.78). The prevalence of anemia did not differ significantly between children in the nail clipping group and those in the groups with no nail clipping (AOR 0.53, 95% CI: 0.27 to

Efficacy of Handwashing with Soap and Nail Clipping on Intestinal Parasitic Infections in School-Aged Children: A Factorial Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mahmud Abdulkader Mahmud

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Intestinal parasitic infections are highly endemic among school-aged children in resource-limited settings. To lower their impact, preventive measures should be implemented that are sustainable with available resources. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of handwashing with soap and nail clipping on the prevention of intestinal parasite reinfections.In this trial, 367 parasite-negative school-aged children (aged 6-15 y were randomly assigned to receive both, one or the other, or neither of the interventions in a 2 × 2 factorial design. Assignment sequence was concealed. After 6 mo of follow-up, stool samples were examined using direct, concentration, and Kato-Katz methods. Hemoglobin levels were determined using a HemoCue spectrometer. The primary study outcomes were prevalence of intestinal parasite reinfection and infection intensity. The secondary outcome was anemia prevalence. Analysis was by intention to treat. Main effects were adjusted for sex, age, drinking water source, latrine use, pre-treatment parasites, handwashing with soap and nail clipping at baseline, and the other factor in the additive model. Fourteen percent (95% CI: 9% to 19% of the children in the handwashing with soap intervention group were reinfected versus 29% (95% CI: 22% to 36% in the groups with no handwashing with soap (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 0.32, 95% CI: 0.17 to 0.62. Similarly, 17% (95% CI: 12% to 22% of the children in the nail clipping intervention group were reinfected versus 26% (95% CI: 20% to 32% in the groups with no nail clipping (AOR 0.51, 95% CI: 0.27 to 0.95. Likewise, following the intervention, 13% (95% CI: 8% to 18% of the children in the handwashing group were anemic versus 23% (95% CI: 17% to 29% in the groups with no handwashing with soap (AOR 0.39, 95% CI: 0.20 to 0.78. The prevalence of anemia did not differ significantly between children in the nail clipping group and those in the groups with no nail clipping (AOR 0.53, 95% CI

Sharp Central Venous Recanalization in Hemodialysis Patients: A Single-Institution Experience

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Arabi, Mohammad, E-mail: marabi2004@hotmail.com; Ahmed, Ishtiaq; Mat’hami, Abdulaziz [Prince Sultan Military Medical City (PSMMC), Division of Endovascular Interventional Radiology, Department of Medical Imaging (Saudi Arabia); Ahmed, Dildar; Aslam, Naveed [Prince Sultan Military Medical City (PSMMC), Department of Nephrology (Saudi Arabia)

2016-06-15

PurposeWe report our institutional experience with sharp central venous recanalization in chronic hemodialysis patients who failed standard techniques.Materials and MethodsSince January 2014, a series of seven consecutive patients (four males and three females), mean age 35 years (18–65 years), underwent sharp central venous recanalization. Indications included obtaining hemodialysis access (n = 6) and restoration of superior vena cava (SVC) patency to alleviate occlusion symptoms and restore fistula function (n = 1). The transseptal needle was used for sharp recanalization in six patients, while it could not be introduced in one patient due to total occlusion of the inferior vena cava. Instead, transmediastinal SVC access using Chiba needle was obtained.ResultsTechnical success was achieved in all cases. SVC recanalization achieved symptoms’ relief and restored fistula function in the symptomatic patient. One patient underwent arteriovenous fistula creation on the recanalized side 3 months after the procedure. The remaining catheters were functional at median follow-up time of 9 months (1–14 months). Two major complications occurred including a right hemothorax and a small hemopericardium, which were managed by covered stent placement across the perforated SVC.ConclusionSharp central venous recanalization using the transseptal needle is feasible technique in patients who failed standard recanalization procedures. The potential high risk of complications necessitates thorough awareness of anatomy and proper technical preparedness.

Sharp Central Venous Recanalization in Hemodialysis Patients: A Single-Institution Experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arabi, Mohammad; Ahmed, Ishtiaq; Mat’hami, Abdulaziz; Ahmed, Dildar; Aslam, Naveed

2016-01-01

PurposeWe report our institutional experience with sharp central venous recanalization in chronic hemodialysis patients who failed standard techniques.Materials and MethodsSince January 2014, a series of seven consecutive patients (four males and three females), mean age 35 years (18–65 years), underwent sharp central venous recanalization. Indications included obtaining hemodialysis access (n = 6) and restoration of superior vena cava (SVC) patency to alleviate occlusion symptoms and restore fistula function (n = 1). The transseptal needle was used for sharp recanalization in six patients, while it could not be introduced in one patient due to total occlusion of the inferior vena cava. Instead, transmediastinal SVC access using Chiba needle was obtained.ResultsTechnical success was achieved in all cases. SVC recanalization achieved symptoms’ relief and restored fistula function in the symptomatic patient. One patient underwent arteriovenous fistula creation on the recanalized side 3 months after the procedure. The remaining catheters were functional at median follow-up time of 9 months (1–14 months). Two major complications occurred including a right hemothorax and a small hemopericardium, which were managed by covered stent placement across the perforated SVC.ConclusionSharp central venous recanalization using the transseptal needle is feasible technique in patients who failed standard recanalization procedures. The potential high risk of complications necessitates thorough awareness of anatomy and proper technical preparedness.

Large window median filtering on Clip7

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mathews, K N

1983-07-01

Median filtering has been found to be a useful operation to perform on images in order to reduce random noise while preserving edges of objects. However, in some cases, as the resolution of the image increases, so too does the required window size of the filter. For parallel array processors, this leads to problems when dealing with the large amount of data involved. That is to say that there tend to be problems over slow access of data from pixels over a large neighbourhood, lack of available storage of this data during the operation and long computational times for finding the median. An algorithm for finding the median, designed for use on byte wide architecture parallel array processors is presented together with its implementation on Clip7, a scanning array of such processors. 6 references.

Maintaining knife sharpness in industrial meat cutting: A matter of knife or meat cutter ability.

Science.gov (United States)

Karltun, J; Vogel, K; Bergstrand, M; Eklund, J

2016-09-01

Knife sharpness is imperative in meat cutting. The aim of this study was to compare the impact of knife blade steel quality with meat cutters' individual ability to maintain the cutting edge sharp in an industrial production setting. Twelve meat cutters in two different companies using three different knives during normal production were studied in this quasi-experimental study. Methods included were measuring knife cutting force before and after knife use, time knives were used, ratings of sharpness and discomfort and interviews. Results showed that the meat cutters' skill of maintaining sharpness during work had a much larger effect on knife sharpness during work than the knife steel differences. The ability was also related to feelings of discomfort and to physical exertion. It was found that meat cutters using more knives were more likely to suffer from discomfort in the upper limbs, which is a risk for developing MSD. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Lacosamide and Levetiracetam Have No Effect on Sharp-Wave Ripple Rate.

Science.gov (United States)

Kudlacek, Jan; Chvojka, Jan; Posusta, Antonin; Kovacova, Lubica; Hong, Seung Bong; Weiss, Shennan; Volna, Kamila; Marusic, Petr; Otahal, Jakub; Jiruska, Premysl

2017-01-01

Pathological high-frequency oscillations are a novel marker used to improve the delineation of epileptogenic tissue and, hence, the outcome of epilepsy surgery. Their practical clinical utilization is curtailed by the inability to discriminate them from physiological oscillations due to frequency overlap. Although it is well documented that pathological HFOs are suppressed by antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), the effect of AEDs on normal HFOs is not well known. In this experimental study, we have explored whether physiological HFOs (sharp-wave ripples) of hippocampal origin respond to AED treatment. The results show that application of a single dose of levetiracetam or lacosamide does not reduce the rate of sharp-wave ripples. In addition, it seems that these new generation drugs do not negatively affect the cellular and network mechanisms involved in sharp-wave ripple generation, which may provide a plausible explanation for the absence of significant negative effects on cognitive functions of these drugs, particularly on memory.

Needle Biopsy of the Lung

Science.gov (United States)

... clip. The needle is hollow so it can capture the tissue specimen. There are several types of ... breath, difficulty in catching your breath, rapid pulse (heart rate), sharp chest or shoulder pain with breathing, ...

Transcatheter treatment of severe tricuspid regurgitation with the MitraClip system.

Science.gov (United States)

Hammerstingl, Christoph; Schueler, Robert; Malasa, Margarita; Werner, Nikos; Nickenig, Georg

2016-03-07

The aim of this study was to show technical principles and feasibility of transcatheter tricuspid valve repair by use of the MitraClip system. Three consecutive patients were treated successfully for severe symptomatic Tricuspid regurgitation. Three-dimensional transoesophageal echocardiography confirmed reduction of measured effective regurgitant orifice in all patients [effective regurgitant orifice area-baseline/post-procedure (cm(2)): 0.7/0.3; 1.5/0.8; 0.4/0.1], which was accompanied by an increase in left ventricular stroke volumes [baseline/post-procedure (mL): 42.8/45.4; 38/45; 35.2/45], decrease of measured levels of N terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide (pg/mL: baseline/post-procedure: 548/440; 2526/1702; 1754/623), and significant relief of clinical symptoms for chronic right heart failure in all patients. Transcatheter tricuspid valve repair by use of interventional edge-to-edge repair with the MitraClip system was feasible, and safe in three consecutive patients. Reduction of tricuspid insufficiency associates with relief of clinical symptoms for right heart failure. This strategy seems a promising treatment option for patients at prohibitive surgical risk. Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author 2016. For permissions please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Establishing a protocol for element determination in human nail clippings by neutron activation analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanches, Thalita Pinheiro; Saiki, Mitiko

2011-01-01

Human nail samples have been analyzed to evaluate occupational exposure, nutritional status and to diagnose certain diseases. However, sampling and washing protocols for nail analyses vary from study to study not allowing comparisons between studies. One of the difficulties in analyzing nail samples is to eliminate only surface contamination without removing elements of interest in this tissue. In the present study, a protocol was defined in order to obtain reliable results of element concentrations in human nail clippings. Nail clippings collected from all 10 fingers or toes were previously pre cleaned using an ethyl alcohol solution to eliminate microbes. Then, the clippings were cut in small pieces and submitted to different reagents for washing by shaking. Neutron activation analysis (NAA) was applied for nail samples analysis which consisted of irradiating aliquots of samples together with synthetic elemental standards in the IEA-R1 nuclear research reactor followed by gamma ray spectrometry. Comparisons made between the results obtained for nails submitted to different reagents for cleaning indicated that the procedure using acetone and Triton X100 solution is more effective than that of nitric acid solution. Analyses in triplicates of a nail sample indicated results with relative standard deviations lower than 15% for most of elements, showing the homogeneity of the prepared sample. Qualitative analyses of different nail polishes showed that the presence of elements determined in the present study is negligible in these products. Quality control of the analytical results indicated that the applied NAA procedure is adequate for human nail analysis. (author)

Jasper Sharp - mees, kes jättis varasema töö, et vaadata Jaapani filme / Jasper Sharp ; intervjueerinud Helen Merila

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Sharp, Jasper, 1971-

2011-01-01

Euroopa kultuuripealinn Tallinn 2011 programmi osana ning koostöös Zipangu Fest'iga korraldatakse Tallinna Kinomajas 25.-28. aug.-ni Aasia sõltumatute filmide festival EVA - East via Asia. Festivali kuraator, veebisaidi Midnight Eye kaastoimetaja Jasper Sharp endast, festivalist, Jaapani sõltumatust kinost tänapäeval. Festivali kava

A report on SHARP (Spacecraft Health Automated Reasoning Prototype) and the Voyager Neptune encounter

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, R. G. (Editor); Atkinson, D. J.; James, M. L.; Lawson, D. L.; Porta, H. J.

1990-01-01

The development and application of the Spacecraft Health Automated Reasoning Prototype (SHARP) for the operations of the telecommunications systems and link analysis functions in Voyager mission operations are presented. An overview is provided of the design and functional description of the SHARP system as it was applied to Voyager. Some of the current problems and motivations for automation in real-time mission operations are discussed, as are the specific solutions that SHARP provides. The application of SHARP to Voyager telecommunications had the goal of being a proof-of-capability demonstration of artificial intelligence as applied to the problem of real-time monitoring functions in planetary mission operations. AS part of achieving this central goal, the SHARP application effort was also required to address the issue of the design of an appropriate software system architecture for a ground-based, highly automated spacecraft monitoring system for mission operations, including methods for: (1) embedding a knowledge-based expert system for fault detection, isolation, and recovery within this architecture; (2) acquiring, managing, and fusing the multiple sources of information used by operations personnel; and (3) providing information-rich displays to human operators who need to exercise the capabilities of the automated system. In this regard, SHARP has provided an excellent example of how advanced artificial intelligence techniques can be smoothly integrated with a variety of conventionally programmed software modules, as well as guidance and solutions for many questions about automation in mission operations.

Hemodynamic control of in patients with concomitant hypertensive disease during brain aneurysm clipping

OpenAIRE

Dzyuba, D.O.; Melnik, A.F.; Yavorsky, F.A.

2018-01-01

The article describes the state of the problem of hemodynamic control during brain aneurysm clipping in concomitant hypertensive disease. Author studies hemodynamic control by using magnesia therapy with the addition of clonidine solution and infusion of urapidil solution. Based on the results of the study, the advantages of urapidil infusion are given.

Anterior communicating artery aneurysm clipping versus coiling: a comparative study of 50 cases

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kumar Pradeep

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage (aSAH remains a devastating and often fatal form of stroke. The aneurysm is targeted for obliteration to prevent re-bleeding and to manage the possible complications from the event. Endovascular coiling has emerged as a less invasive alternative to conventional surgical clipping to treat aneurysms.

Needlestick and Sharp Instruments Injuries among Brazilian Dentistry Students

Science.gov (United States)

Fernandes, Liege Helena Freitas; Nunes, Wanúbia Barbosa; Silva, Larissa Costa; Wanderley, Rayssa Lucena; Barros, Criseuda Maria Benício; Cavalcanti, Alessandro Leite

2017-01-01

Background: The occurrence of occupational accidents is common among students and dentists. The present study is aimed to evaluate the prevalence and characteristics of needlestick and sharp instrument injuries among dentistry students. Materials and Methods: A documentary research was carried out with data being obtained from the analysis of 137 medical records of injuries caused by needlestick and sharp instruments occurring in the period from 2012 to 2016 and were analyzed regarding the characteristics of the victim (gender and age) and the accident (year, time, environment, and time interval between exposure and search for care). Data were organized in the Statistical Package for Social Sciences software version 18 and were presented through descriptive statistics. Results: The occurrence of accidents was high (43.1%), with the predominance of female victims (66.1%) and aged up to 23 years (55.9%). The majority of events occurred in the afternoon (54.4%), in the clinical setting (70.7%), and in 75% of the cases, the search for care occurred within 2 h after exposure. Conclusion: Accidents with needlestick and sharp instruments have high frequency and involve mainly female students. They are more common in the afternoon and in the clinical setting and the time interval was between exposure and the search for care complied with recommendations of the Brazilian legislation. PMID:28566861

SHARP1: A revised systematic human action reliability procedure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wakefield, D.J.; Parry, G.W.; Hannaman, G.W.; Spurgin, A.J.

1990-12-01

Individual plant examinations (IPE) are being performed by utilities to evaluate plant-specific vulnerabilities to severe accidents. A major tool in performing an IPE is a probabilistic risk assessment (PRA). The importance of human interactions in determining the plant response in past PRAs is well documented. The modeling and quantification of the probabilities of human interactions have been the subjects of considerable research by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). A revised framework, SHARP1, for incorporating human interactions into PRA is summarized in this report. SHARP1 emphasizes that the process stages are iterative and directed at specific goals rather than being performed sequentially in a stepwise procedure. This expanded summary provides the reader with a flavor of the full report content. Excerpts from the full report are presented, following the same outline as the full report. In the full report, the interface of the human reliability analysis with the plant logic model development in a PRA is given special attention. In addition to describing a methodology framework, the report also discusses the types of human interactions to be evaluated, and how to formulate a project team to perform the human reliability analysis. A concise description and comparative evaluation of the selected existing methods of quantification of human error are also presented. Four case studies are also provided to illustrate the SHARP1 process

Status report on SHARP coupling framework.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Caceres, A.; Tautges, T. J.; Lottes, J.; Fischer, P.; Rabiti, C.; Smith, M. A.; Siegel, A.; Yang, W. S.; Palmiotti, G.

2008-05-30

This report presents the software engineering effort under way at ANL towards a comprehensive integrated computational framework (SHARP) for high fidelity simulations of sodium cooled fast reactors. The primary objective of this framework is to provide accurate and flexible analysis tools to nuclear reactor designers by simulating multiphysics phenomena happening in complex reactor geometries. Ideally, the coupling among different physics modules (such as neutronics, thermal-hydraulics, and structural mechanics) needs to be tight to preserve the accuracy achieved in each module. However, fast reactor cores in steady state mode represent a special case where weak coupling between neutronics and thermal-hydraulics is usually adequate. Our framework design allows for both options. Another requirement for SHARP framework has been to implement various coupling algorithms that are parallel and scalable to large scale since nuclear reactor core simulations are among the most memory and computationally intensive, requiring the use of leadership-class petascale platforms. This report details our progress toward achieving these goals. Specifically, we demonstrate coupling independently developed parallel codes in a manner that does not compromise performance or portability, while minimizing the impact on individual developers. This year, our focus has been on developing a lightweight and loosely coupled framework targeted at UNIC (our neutronics code) and Nek (our thermal hydraulics code). However, the framework design is not limited to just using these two codes.

Is there a sharp phase transition for deterministic cellular automata?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wootters, W.K.

1990-01-01

Previous work has suggested that there is a kind of phase transition between deterministic automata exhibiting periodic behavior and those exhibiting chaotic behavior. However, unlike the usual phase transitions of physics, this transition takes place over a range of values of the parameter rather than at a specific value. The present paper asks whether the transition can be made sharp, either by taking the limit of an infinitely large rule table, or by changing the parameter in terms of which the space of automata is explored. We find strong evidence that, for the class of automata we consider, the transition does become sharp in the limit of an infinite number of symbols, the size of the neighborhood being held fixed. Our work also suggests an alternative parameter in terms of which it is likely that the transition will become fairly sharp even if one does not increase the number of symbols. In the course of our analysis, we find that mean field theory, which is our main tool, gives surprisingly good predictions of the statistical properties of the class of automata we consider. 18 refs., 6 figs

Sharp Embeddings of Besov Spaces with Logarithmic Smoothness

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Gurka, P.; Opic, Bohumír

2005-01-01

Roč. 18, č. 1 (2005), s. 81-110 ISSN 1139-1138 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA201/01/0333 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10190503 Keywords : Besov spaces wirh logarithmic smoothness * Lorentz-Zygmund spaces * sharp embeddings Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics

Influence of percutaneous mitral valve repair using the MitraClip® system on renal function in patients with severe mitral regurgitation.

Science.gov (United States)

Rassaf, Tienush; Balzer, Jan; Rammos, Christos; Zeus, Tobias; Hellhammer, Katharina; v Hall, Silke; Wagstaff, Rabea; Kelm, Malte

2015-04-01

In patients with mitral regurgitation (MR), changes in cardiac stroke volume, and thus renal preload and afterload may affect kidney function. Percutaneous mitral valve repair (PMVR) with the MitraClip® system can be a therapeutic alternative to surgical valve repair. The influence of MitraClip® therapy on renal function and clinical outcome parameters is unknown. Sixty patients with severe MR underwent PMVR using the MitraClip® system in an open-label observational study. Patients were stratified according to their renal function. All clips have been implanted successfully. Effective reduction of MR by 2-3 grades acutely improved KDOQI class. Lesser MR reduction (MR reduction of 0-1 grades) led to worsening of renal function in patients with pre-existing normal or mild (KDOQI 1-2) compared to severe (KDOQI 3-4) renal dysfunction. Reduction of MR was associated with improvement in Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ), NYHA-stadium, and 6-minute walk test. Successful PMVR was associated with an improvement in renal function. The improvement in renal function was associated with the extent of MR reduction and pre-existing kidney dysfunction. Our data emphasize the relevance of PVMR to stabilize the cardiorenal axis in patients with severe MR. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Safety and efficacy of endoscopic submucosal dissection using IT knife nano with clip traction method for early esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Kitagawa, Yoshiyasu; Suzuki, Takuto; Hara, Taro; Yamaguchi, Taketo

2018-01-01

Although endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is an accepted and established treatment for early esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (EESCC), it is technically difficult, time consuming, and less safe than endoscopic mucosal resection. To perform ESD safely and more efficiently, we proposed a new technique of esophageal ESD using an IT knife nano with the clip traction method. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ESD using this new technique. We retrospectively reviewed all consecutive cases of esophageal ESD performed using an IT knife nano with the clip traction method at our hospital between March 2013 and January 2017. Therapeutic efficacy and safety were also assessed. A total of 103 patients underwent esophageal ESD using the IT knife nano with the clip traction method. In all cases, we performed en bloc resection. Complete resection was achieved in 100 cases (97.1%). The median operating time was 40 (range 13-230) min. No cases of perforation or delayed bleeding occurred. Although two cases (2.0%) of mediastinal emphysema occurred without visible perforation at endoscopy, all were successfully managed conservatively. The new technique of esophageal ESD using the IT knife nano with the clip traction method appears to be feasible, effective, and safe for EESCC treatment.

A faunistic study of genus Chasmogenus Sharp, 1882 of China (Coleoptera, Hydrophilidae).

Science.gov (United States)

Jia, Fenglong; Tang, Yu-Dan

2018-01-01

Chasmogenus Sharp, 1882 is newly reported from the Chinese Mainland. A new species, C. parorbus sp. n. , is described from China (Yunnan). Chasmogenus orbus Watanabe, 1987 is reported from Hong Kong, the first record outside Japan. Chasmogenus abnormalis (Sharp, 1890) is reported from the Chinese mainland for the first time. The male genitalia of each species are illustrated. A key to the Chinese species of the genus is provided.

Enhanced subcarrier-index modulation-based asymmetrically clipped optical OFDM using even subcarriers

Science.gov (United States)

Guan, Rui; Xu, Wei; Yang, Zhaohui; Huang, Nuo; Wang, Jin-Yuan; Chen, Ming

2017-11-01

In this paper, we propose a subcarrier-index modulation-based asymmetrically clipped optical orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (SACO-OFDM) scheme for optical wireless communication (OWC) systems, which benefits from the subcarrier-index modulation (SIM) and asymmetrically clipped optical orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (ACO-OFDM) techniques. SACO-OFDM conveys additional information via the subcarrier indexing, and the error rate of the bit transmitted by the subcarrier indexing is much lower than that of the conventional M-ary modulation scheme. On the other hand, as the signal constellation in M-ary modulation is relieved, SACO-OFDM has simple transceiver structure and low detection complexity. Moreover, considering the spectral, an enhanced SACO-OFDM (ESACO-OFDM) using even subcarriers is proposed. In this technique, the odd subcarriers are activated for SACO-OFDM, and the imaginary part of even subcarriers are activated for pulse-amplitude-modulated discrete multitone (PAM-DMT). Clearly, ESACO-OFDM achieves better spectral efficiency than the conventional optical OFDM, since all subcarriers are used for data transmission. Simulation results verify the significant bit error rate (BER) and peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) improvement by the proposed ESACO-OFDM, especially for the medium-to-high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) regime.

Level of headaches after surgical aneurysm clipping decreases significantly faster compared to endovascular coiled patients

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Athanasios K. Petridis

2017-04-01

Full Text Available In incidental aneurysms, endovascular treatment can lead to post-procedural headaches. We studied the difference of surgical clipping vs. endovascular coiling in concern to post-procedural headaches in patients with ruptured aneurysms. Sixtyseven patients with aneurysmal subarachnoidal haemorrhage were treated in our department from September 1st 2015 - September 1st 2016. 43 Patients were included in the study and the rest was excluded because of late recovery or highgrade subarachnoid bleedings. Twenty-two were surgical treated and twenty-one were interventionally treated. We compared the post-procedural headaches at the time points of 24 h, 21 days, and 3 months after treatment using the visual analog scale (VAS for pain. After surgical clipping the headache score decreased for 8.8 points in the VAS, whereas the endovascular treated population showed a decrease of headaches of 3.3 points. This difference was highly statistical significant and remained significant even after 3 weeks where the pain score for the surgically treated patients was 0.68 and for the endovascular treated 1.8. After 3 months the pain was less than 1 for both groups with surgically treated patients scoring 0.1 and endovascular treated patients 0.9 (not significant. Clipping is relieving the headaches of patients with aneurysm rupture faster and more effective than endovascular coiling. This effect stays significant for at least 3 weeks and plays a crucial role in stress relieve during the acute and subacute ICU care of such patients.

Comparison of Hematologic and Biochemical Test Results in Blood Samples Obtained by Jugular Venipuncture Versus Nail Clip in Moluccan Cockatoos (Cacatua moluccensis).

Science.gov (United States)

Bennett, Tracy D; Lejnieks, Daniel V; Koepke, Hoyt; Grimson, Fiona; Szucs, Jennifer; Omaits, Kerri; Lane, Rosalie

2015-12-01

In birds, blood samples are often collected from the jugular, medial metatarsal, and basilic vein. Samples are sometimes collected by toe nail clip, but concerns to avoid drawing blood from the nail include pain after nail clips for blood collection, potential differences in complete blood count (CBC) results, and potential contamination with uric acid values. To compare differences in biochemical and hematologic values in blood samples obtained by jugular venipuncture versus toenail clip, blood samples were collected from Moluccan cockatoos (Cacatua moluccensis) (N = 23) and sent to a commercial laboratory for routine CBCs and serum biochemical analysis. Results showed good agreement between venipuncture and nail clip blood samples in red blood cell count, packed cell volume, heterophil count and percentage, lymphocyte count and percentage, aspartate aminotransferase, chloride, creatine phosphokinase, glucose, lactate dehydrogenase, total protein, and uric acid values. Constant bias was found in values of bile acids, cholesterol, and hemoglobin. Proportional bias toward higher values in the jugular sample were found in total white blood cell (WBC) count and inorganic phosphorus. Serum calcium plots revealed a proportional bias toward higher values in the toe nail blood when values were increased. Results suggest some differences in WBC count, bile acids, calcium, cholesterol, hemoglobin, and phosphorus values between blood samples collected by jugular venipuncture and samples collected by toe nail clip, but the differences are mostly minor and, with the possible exception of inorganic phosphorus and marginally elevated or very low WBC counts, are unlikely to affect the use or interpretation of the avian blood panel.

Cryoablation of lung malignancies recurring close to surgical clips following surgery: Report of three cases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grasso, Rosario F; Luppi, Giacomo; Cazzato, Roberto L; Vescovo, Riccardo Del; Giurazza, Francesco; Mercurio, Simona; Faiella, Eliodoro; Zobel, Bruno Beomonte

2015-01-01

Minimally ablative therapies are now available for the treatment of lung malignancies. However, selection of the appropriate technique is not always easy and requires accurate preoperative planning. To describe the treatment of lung tumors with cryoablation. We report three cases of lung malignancies that recurred close to surgical clips after surgical treatment, successfully treated by cryoablation. An initial freezing cycle was performed for 10 min, followed by a 5-min thawing cycle, and an additional 10-min freezing cycle. A final 5-min thaw was necessary to remove the needle from the iceball formed during the freezing cycle. The procedures were completed successfully with no signs of surgical-clip misplacement, and excellent ablation of the lesions. Cryoablation is a relatively new procedure that potentially permits the local treatment of lung tumors with minimal loss of lung parenchyma

Quadrilateral mesh fitting that preserves sharp features based on multi-normals for Laplacian energy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yusuke Imai

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Because the cost of performance testing using actual products is expensive, manufacturers use lower-cost computer-aided design simulations for this function. In this paper, we propose using hexahedral meshes, which are more accurate than tetrahedral meshes, for finite element analysis. We propose automatic hexahedral mesh generation with sharp features to precisely represent the corresponding features of a target shape. Our hexahedral mesh is generated using a voxel-based algorithm. In our previous works, we fit the surface of the voxels to the target surface using Laplacian energy minimization. We used normal vectors in the fitting to preserve sharp features. However, this method could not represent concave sharp features precisely. In this proposal, we improve our previous Laplacian energy minimization by adding a term that depends on multi-normal vectors instead of using normal vectors. Furthermore, we accentuate a convex/concave surface subset to represent concave sharp features.

Soft yet Sharp Interfaces in a Vertex Model of Confluent Tissue

Science.gov (United States)

Sussman, Daniel M.; Schwarz, J. M.; Marchetti, M. Cristina; Manning, M. Lisa

2018-01-01

How can dense biological tissue maintain sharp boundaries between coexisting cell populations? We explore this question within a simple vertex model for cells, focusing on the role of topology and tissue surface tension. We show that the ability of cells to independently regulate adhesivity and tension, together with neighbor-based interaction rules, lets them support strikingly unusual interfaces. In particular, we show that mechanical- and fluctuation-based measurements of the effective surface tension of a cellular aggregate yield different results, leading to mechanically soft interfaces that are nevertheless extremely sharp.

First- and third-party ground truth for key frame extraction from consumer video clips

Science.gov (United States)

Costello, Kathleen; Luo, Jiebo

2007-02-01

Extracting key frames (KF) from video is of great interest in many applications, such as video summary, video organization, video compression, and prints from video. KF extraction is not a new problem. However, current literature has been focused mainly on sports or news video. In the consumer video space, the biggest challenges for key frame selection from consumer videos are the unconstrained content and lack of any preimposed structure. In this study, we conduct ground truth collection of key frames from video clips taken by digital cameras (as opposed to camcorders) using both first- and third-party judges. The goals of this study are: (1) to create a reference database of video clips reasonably representative of the consumer video space; (2) to identify associated key frames by which automated algorithms can be compared and judged for effectiveness; and (3) to uncover the criteria used by both first- and thirdparty human judges so these criteria can influence algorithm design. The findings from these ground truths will be discussed.

Usefulness of angiographic embolization endoscopic metallic clip placement in patient with non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yoon, Min Jae; Hwang, Cheol Mog; Kim, Ho Jun; Cho, Young Jun; Bae, Seok Hwan [Dept. of Radiology, Konyang University Hospital, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Shin, Byung Seok; Ohm, Joon Young [Dept. of Radiology, Chungnam National University College of Medicine, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Kang, Chae Hoon [Dept. of Radiology, Inje University College of Medicine, Pusan Paik Hospital, Busan (Korea, Republic of)

2013-08-15

The aim of this study is to assess the usefulness of angiographic embolization after endoscopic metallic clip placement around the edge of non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding ulcers. We have chosen 41 patients (mean age, 65.2 years) with acute bleeding ulcers (22 gastric ulcers, 16 duodenal ulcers, 3 malignant ulcers) between January 2010 and December 2012. We inserted metallic clips during the routine endoscopic treatments of the bleeding ulcers. Subsequent transcatheter arterial embolization was performed within 2 hours. We analyzed the angiographic positive rates, angiographic success rates and clinical success rates. Among the 41 patients during the angiography, 19 patients (46%) demonstrated active bleeding points. Both groups underwent embolization using microcoils, N-butyl-cyano-acrylate (NBCA), microcoils with NBCA or gelfoam particle. There are no statistically significant differences between these two groups according to which embolic materials are being used. The bleeding was initially stopped in all patients, except the two who experienced technical failures. Seven patients experienced repeated episodes of bleeding within two weeks. Among them, 4 patients were successful re-embolized. Another 3 patients underwent gastrectomy. Overall, clinical success was achieved in 36 of 41 (87.8%) patients. The endoscopic metallic clip placement was helpful to locate the correct target vessels for the angiographic embolization. In conclusion, this technique reduced re-bleeding rates, especially in patients who do not show active bleeding points.

Discovery of Protein–lncRNA Interactions by Integrating Large-Scale CLIP-Seq and RNA-Seq Datasets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Jun-Hao; Liu, Shun; Zheng, Ling-Ling; Wu, Jie; Sun, Wen-Ju; Wang, Ze-Lin; Zhou, Hui; Qu, Liang-Hu, E-mail: lssqlh@mail.sysu.edu.cn; Yang, Jian-Hua, E-mail: lssqlh@mail.sysu.edu.cn [RNA Information Center, Key Laboratory of Gene Engineering of the Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory for Biocontrol, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou (China)

2015-01-14

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are emerging as important regulatory molecules in developmental, physiological, and pathological processes. However, the precise mechanism and functions of most of lncRNAs remain largely unknown. Recent advances in high-throughput sequencing of immunoprecipitated RNAs after cross-linking (CLIP-Seq) provide powerful ways to identify biologically relevant protein–lncRNA interactions. In this study, by analyzing millions of RNA-binding protein (RBP) binding sites from 117 CLIP-Seq datasets generated by 50 independent studies, we identified 22,735 RBP–lncRNA regulatory relationships. We found that one single lncRNA will generally be bound and regulated by one or multiple RBPs, the combination of which may coordinately regulate gene expression. We also revealed the expression correlation of these interaction networks by mining expression profiles of over 6000 normal and tumor samples from 14 cancer types. Our combined analysis of CLIP-Seq data and genome-wide association studies data discovered hundreds of disease-related single nucleotide polymorphisms resided in the RBP binding sites of lncRNAs. Finally, we developed interactive web implementations to provide visualization, analysis, and downloading of the aforementioned large-scale datasets. Our study represented an important step in identification and analysis of RBP–lncRNA interactions and showed that these interactions may play crucial roles in cancer and genetic diseases.

Usefulness of angiographic embolization endoscopic metallic clip placement in patient with non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoon, Min Jae; Hwang, Cheol Mog; Kim, Ho Jun; Cho, Young Jun; Bae, Seok Hwan; Shin, Byung Seok; Ohm, Joon Young; Kang, Chae Hoon

2013-01-01

The aim of this study is to assess the usefulness of angiographic embolization after endoscopic metallic clip placement around the edge of non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding ulcers. We have chosen 41 patients (mean age, 65.2 years) with acute bleeding ulcers (22 gastric ulcers, 16 duodenal ulcers, 3 malignant ulcers) between January 2010 and December 2012. We inserted metallic clips during the routine endoscopic treatments of the bleeding ulcers. Subsequent transcatheter arterial embolization was performed within 2 hours. We analyzed the angiographic positive rates, angiographic success rates and clinical success rates. Among the 41 patients during the angiography, 19 patients (46%) demonstrated active bleeding points. Both groups underwent embolization using microcoils, N-butyl-cyano-acrylate (NBCA), microcoils with NBCA or gelfoam particle. There are no statistically significant differences between these two groups according to which embolic materials are being used. The bleeding was initially stopped in all patients, except the two who experienced technical failures. Seven patients experienced repeated episodes of bleeding within two weeks. Among them, 4 patients were successful re-embolized. Another 3 patients underwent gastrectomy. Overall, clinical success was achieved in 36 of 41 (87.8%) patients. The endoscopic metallic clip placement was helpful to locate the correct target vessels for the angiographic embolization. In conclusion, this technique reduced re-bleeding rates, especially in patients who do not show active bleeding points.

Discovery of Protein–lncRNA Interactions by Integrating Large-Scale CLIP-Seq and RNA-Seq Datasets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Jun-Hao; Liu, Shun; Zheng, Ling-Ling; Wu, Jie; Sun, Wen-Ju; Wang, Ze-Lin; Zhou, Hui; Qu, Liang-Hu; Yang, Jian-Hua

2015-01-01

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are emerging as important regulatory molecules in developmental, physiological, and pathological processes. However, the precise mechanism and functions of most of lncRNAs remain largely unknown. Recent advances in high-throughput sequencing of immunoprecipitated RNAs after cross-linking (CLIP-Seq) provide powerful ways to identify biologically relevant protein–lncRNA interactions. In this study, by analyzing millions of RNA-binding protein (RBP) binding sites from 117 CLIP-Seq datasets generated by 50 independent studies, we identified 22,735 RBP–lncRNA regulatory relationships. We found that one single lncRNA will generally be bound and regulated by one or multiple RBPs, the combination of which may coordinately regulate gene expression. We also revealed the expression correlation of these interaction networks by mining expression profiles of over 6000 normal and tumor samples from 14 cancer types. Our combined analysis of CLIP-Seq data and genome-wide association studies data discovered hundreds of disease-related single nucleotide polymorphisms resided in the RBP binding sites of lncRNAs. Finally, we developed interactive web implementations to provide visualization, analysis, and downloading of the aforementioned large-scale datasets. Our study represented an important step in identification and analysis of RBP–lncRNA interactions and showed that these interactions may play crucial roles in cancer and genetic diseases.

Judgments of Nonverbal Behaviour by Children with High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder: Can They Detect Signs of Winning and Losing from Brief Video Clips?

Science.gov (United States)

Ryan, Christian; Furley, Philip; Mulhall, Kathleen

2016-01-01

Typically developing children are able to judge who is winning or losing from very short clips of video footage of behaviour between active match play across a number of sports. Inferences from "thin slices" (short video clips) allow participants to make complex judgments about the meaning of posture, gesture and body language. This…

A faunistic study of genus Chasmogenus Sharp, 1882 of China (Coleoptera, Hydrophilidae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fenglong Jia

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Chasmogenus Sharp, 1882 is newly reported from the Chinese Mainland. A new species, C. parorbus sp. n., is described from China (Yunnan. Chasmogenus orbus Watanabe, 1987 is reported from Hong Kong, the first record outside Japan. Chasmogenus abnormalis (Sharp, 1890 is reported from the Chinese mainland for the first time. The male genitalia of each species are illustrated. A key to the Chinese species of the genus is provided.

Flow Control Over Sharp-Edged Wings

Science.gov (United States)

2007-07-01

Gad-el-Hak (2001) as the ability to actively or passively manipulate a flow field to effect a desired change. The challenge is to achieve that change...combinations. Been able to independently control both is a great challenge . These requirements may appear too stringent for the sharp- edged airfoils...06 0𔄁 08 09 lic Vlc Figure 22: Pressure distributions for Model B at a=13 °. Stations I (left); 2 (right) 1 , -2 1 F - [12 1 -6a -16 08 -08 06 -06

Metallic clip migration to the common bile duct after laparoscopic surgery of the gallbladder

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mendoza, Monica E.; Bauni, Carlos E.; Vives, Daniel A.

2001-01-01

We report a case of a 65 years old man with jaundice and cholangitis, appeared 8 month after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. CT demonstrated a surgical endo-clip migrated into the common bile duct. CT diagnosis was accurate. The patient had a good clinical evolution after successful endoscopic therapy. (author)

Multivariate Cryptography Based on Clipped Hopfield Neural Network.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jia; Cheng, Lee-Ming; Su, Tong

2018-02-01

Designing secure and efficient multivariate public key cryptosystems [multivariate cryptography (MVC)] to strengthen the security of RSA and ECC in conventional and quantum computational environment continues to be a challenging research in recent years. In this paper, we will describe multivariate public key cryptosystems based on extended Clipped Hopfield Neural Network (CHNN) and implement it using the MVC (CHNN-MVC) framework operated in space. The Diffie-Hellman key exchange algorithm is extended into the matrix field, which illustrates the feasibility of its new applications in both classic and postquantum cryptography. The efficiency and security of our proposed new public key cryptosystem CHNN-MVC are simulated and found to be NP-hard. The proposed algorithm will strengthen multivariate public key cryptosystems and allows hardware realization practicality.

Sharp inequalities for tangent function with applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hui-Lin Lv

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract In the article, we present new bounds for the function e t cot ( t − 1 $e^{t\\cot(t-1}$ on the interval ( 0 , π / 2 $(0, \\pi/2$ and find sharp estimations for the Sine integral and the Catalan constant based on a new monotonicity criterion for the quotient of power series, which refine the Redheffer and Becker-Stark type inequalities for tangent function.

Genetic variation within three populations of Phycella australis (Phil. Ravenna from Biobío Region, Chile, evaluated using ISSR markers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristian Flores

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Phycella australis (Phil. Ravenna is a Chilean plant with high ornamental potential; however, the intensive extraction as a cut flower might be detrimental for the conservational state by ignoring the state of genetic variation. The objective of this investigation was to assess genetic variability within and between three populations of P. australis in the Biobío Region using inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR markers. The evaluated areas correspond to three locations in the province of Concepción, Biobío Region: Desembocadura (36°48' S, 73°10' W, Santa Juana (36°58' S, 72°58' W, and Lipinhue (37°00' S, 72°58' W. Six ISSR primers were used obtaining 51 fragments, from which 72.5% were polymorphic. From the three evaluated sites Santa Juana showed a higher percentage of polymorphic loci (76.47%. From this variability, 83% belong to within population variability and only 17% belong to variability between populations. The dendrogram generated using the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA method, grouped Lipinhue and Santa Juana sites together, which agrees with the geographic locations. This investigation proved that P. australis has high genetic variability despite the exploitation for economic purposes.

Single-step electrochemical method for producing very sharp Au scanning tunneling microscopy tips

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gingery, David; Buehlmann, Philippe

2007-01-01

A single-step electrochemical method for making sharp gold scanning tunneling microscopy tips is described. 3.0M NaCl in 1% perchloric acid is compared to several previously reported etchants. The addition of perchloric acid to sodium chloride solutions drastically shortens etching times and is shown by transmission electron microscopy to produce very sharp tips with a mean radius of curvature of 15 nm

Treatment of Complex Fistula-in-Ano With a Nitinol Proctology Clip

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nordholm-Carstensen, Andreas; Krarup, Peter-Martin; Hagen, Kikke

2017-01-01

BACKGROUND: The treatment of complex anocutaneous fistulas remains a major therapeutic challenge balancing the risk of incontinence against the chance of permanent closure. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of a nitinol proctology clip for closure of complex ano...... with those of other noninvasive, sphincter-sparing techniques for high-complex anocutaneous fistulas, with no risk of incontinence. Predictive parameters for fistula healing using this technique remain uncertain. See Video Abstract at http://links.lww.com/DCR/A347....

The Spectral Sharpness Angle of Gamma-ray Bursts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hendrik J. van Eerten

2016-06-01

Full Text Available We extend the results of Yu et al. (2015b of the novel sharpness angle measurement to a large number of spectra obtained from the Fermi gamma-ray burst monitor. The sharpness angle is compared to the values obtained from various representative emission models: blackbody, single-electron synchrotron, synchrotron emission from a Maxwellian or power-law electron distribution. It is found that more than 91% of the high temporally and spectrally resolved spectra are inconsistent with any kind of optically thin synchrotron emission model alone. It is also found that the limiting case, a single temperature Maxwellian synchrotron function, can only contribute up to 58+23 -18% of the peak flux. These results show that even the sharpest but non-realistic case, the single-electron synchrotron function, cannot explain a large fraction of the observed spectra. Since any combination of physically possible synchrotron spectra added together will always further broaden the spectrum, emission mechanisms other than optically thin synchrotron radiation are likely required in a full explanation of the spectral peaks or breaks of the GRB prompt emission phase.

Herbivores Enforce Sharp Boundaries Between Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sarneel, Judith M.; Huig, N.; Veen, G. F.; Rip, W.; Bakker, E. S.

2014-01-01

The transitions between ecosystems (ecotones) are often biodiversity hotspots, but we know little about the forces that shape them. Today, often sharp boundaries with low diversity are found between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. This has been attributed to environmental factors that hamper

Effects of Milrinone continuous intravenous infusion on global cerebral oxygenation and cerebral vasospasm after cerebral aneurysm surgical clipping

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohamed A. Ghanem

2014-01-01

Conclusions: Milrinone improved significantly the global cerebral oxygenation and reduced the incidence of cerebral vasospasm during the dangerous period of cerebral spasm after cerebral aneurysm clipping.

Conservative sharp debridement: the professional and legal issues.

Science.gov (United States)

Ashworth, Jenny; Chivers, Marc

2002-06-01

In recent years there has been much debate over the use of conservative sharp debridement in the treatment of certain wound types. Here it is discussed in relation to increasing the speed of wound healing in slow-to-heal wounds. The authors examine education and skill competence in relation to the professional's duty of care to patients with wounds.

Sharp Bounds for Symmetric and Asymmetric Diophantine Approximation

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Cornelis KRAAIKAMP; Ionica SMEETS

2011-01-01

In 2004,Tong found bounds for the approximation quality of a regular continued fraction convergent to a rational number,expressed in bounds for both the previous and next approximation.The authors sharpen his results with a geometric method and give both sharp upper and lower bounds.The asymptotic frequencies that these bounds occur are also calculated.

Morphological Changes in Blood Cells After Implantation of Titanium and Plastic Clips in the Neurocranium - Experimental Study on Dogs.

Science.gov (United States)

Katica, Muhamed; Celebicic, Mirza; Gradascevic, Nedzad; Obhodzas, Muamer; Suljić, Enra; Ocuz, Muhamed; Delibegovic, Samir

2017-04-01

Various studies confirm the biocompatibility and efficacy of clips for certain target tissues, but without any comparative analysis of hematological parameters. Therefore, we conducted a study to assess the possible association of the implantation of titanium and plastic clips in the neurocranium with possible morphological changes in the blood cells of experimental animals. As a control, the peripheral blood smears were taken before surgery from 12 adult dogs that were divided into two experimental groups. After placing titanium and plastic clips in the neurocranium, the peripheral blood of the first group was analyzed on the seventh postoperative day, while the peripheral blood of the second group was analyzed on the sixtieth day. By microscopy of the blood smears, the following parameters were analyzed: the presence of poikilocytosis of the red blood cells, degenerative changes in the leukocytes and leukogram. There were no statistically significant differences between the mean values of the groups. Monocytosis was detected (first group 22.83 % and second 16.30 %), as well as neutropenia (46.80 %, in the second group). Degenerative changes to neutrophils and the occurrence of atypical lymphocytes were observed in the second experimental group (60 th postoperative day). A mild adverse effect from the biomaterials present in the neurocranium of dogs was detected, affecting the majority of leukocytic cells. A chronic recurrent inflammatory process was caused by the presence of the plastic and titanium clips in the brain tissue. No adverse effect of biomaterials on erythrocytes in the neurocranium was detected in the dogs studied. Further studies are necessary to explain the occurrence of degenerative changes in the neutrophils and lymphocytes.

Driving Skills Training for Older Adults: An Assessment of DriveSharp.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnston, Katherine A; Borkenhagen, David; Scialfa, Charles T

2015-12-01

RÉSUMÉ Les procédures de formation cognitive informatique visent à augmenter la sécurité en améliorant les compétences relatives à la conduite, comme la vitesse-de-traitement et le Useful Field of View. L'étude actuelle a évalué l'efficacité du DriveSharp dans la formation des conducteurs âgés dans un cadre de classe réaliste. Les participants (n = 24) ont assisté à 10 heures de cours de DriveSharp pendant 5 semaines. Les séances pré- et post-test ont evalués améliorations sur un essai dynamique de la perception du risque, Trails A et Trails B. Un groupe de contrôle (n = 18) a terminé seulement les séances pré- et post-test. En classe, les temps de formation étaient plus bas que prévus. L'amélioration des participants aux jeux ont stabilisée après la première évaluation, et le groupe de DriveSharp n'a pas démontré une amélioration significative des performances sur les tests, par rapport au groupe de contrôle. Parmi plusieurs questions relatives à la facilité d'utilisation, les plus problématiques étaient le malentendudes objectifs de la tâche et la différence entre la formation et l'évaluation. Il y a plusieurs implications pour ceux qui utilisent DriveSharp pour améliorer la sécurité des conducteurs âgés.

A rare case of a sharp foreign body on the vocal cord

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Khairunnisak Misron

2017-08-01

Full Text Available A foreign body (FB in the upper aerodigestive tract is a common clinical problem that presents as as acute emergency. Sharp FB, such as fish bone or chicken bone, commonly lodges in the tonsil, base of tongue, vallecula or pyriform fossa. Dislodgement of a FB into the laryngopharynx is very rare and specifically onto the vocal cord is extremely uncommon. This case report illustrates a rare case of a sharp FB that was dislodged into the airway and stuck on to the right vocal cord, which was removed under local anaesthesia.

Polymer Basics: Classroom Activities Manipulating Paper Clips to Introduce the Structures and Properties of Polymers

Science.gov (United States)

Umar, Yunusa

2014-01-01

A simple and effective hands-on classroom activity designed to illustrate basic polymer concepts is presented. In this activity, students build primary structures of homopolymers and different arrangements of monomers in copolymer using paper clips as monomers. The activity supports formation of a basic understanding of polymer structures,…

Sharp-tailed Grouse and Pygmy Rabbit Wildlife Mitigation Project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-10-01

The Proposed Action is needed to protect and enhance shrub-steppe and riparian habitat for sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus columbianus), Pygmy rabbits (Brachylagus idahoensis), and other indigenous wildlife species. The purpose of the Proposed Action is to compensate, in part, for wildlife habitat lost from the construction of Grand Coulee Dam and the inundation of Lake Roosevelt. Bonneville Power Administration proposes to fund management agreements, conservation easements, acquisition of fee title, or a combination of these on as many as 29,000 acres in Lincoln and Douglas Counties to improve shrub-steppe and riparian habitat for sharp-tailed grouse and pygmy rabbits. The BPA also proposes to fund habitat improvements (enhancements) on project lands including existing public lands. Proposed habitat treatments would include control of grazing; planting of native trees, shrubs, forbs and grasses; protection of wetlands and streambanks; herbicide use; fire prescriptions; and wildfire suppression. Proposed management activities may include predator control, population introductions, and control of crop depredation

Initial experience of percutaneous treatment of mitral regurgitation with MitraClip® therapy in Spain.

Science.gov (United States)

Carrasco-Chinchilla, Fernando; Arzamendi, Dabit; Romero, Miguel; Gimeno de Carlos, Federico; Alonso-Briales, Juan Horacio; Li, Chi-Hion; Mesa, Maria Dolores; Arnold, Roman; Serrador Frutos, Ana María; Pan, Manuel; Roig, Eulalia; Rodríguez-Bailón, Isabel; de la Fuente Galán, Luis; Hernández, José María; Serra, Antonio; Suárez de Lezo, José

2014-12-01

Symptomatic mitral regurgitation has an unfavorable prognosis unless treated by surgery. However, the European registry of valvular heart disease reports that 49% of patients with this condition do not undergo surgery. Percutaneous treatment of mitral regurgitation with MitraClip® has been proved a safe, efficient adjunct to medical treatment in patients with this profile. The objective of the present study is to describe initial experience of MitraClip® therapy in Spain. Retrospective observational study including all patients treated between November 2011 and July 2013 at the 4 Spanish hospitals recording the highest numbers of implantations. A total of 62 patients (77.4% men) were treated, mainly for restrictive functional mitral regurgitation (85.4%) of grade III (37%) or grade IV (63%), mean (standard deviation) ejection fraction 36% (14%), and New York Heart Association functional class III (37%) or IV (63%). Device implantation was successful in 98% of the patients. At 1 year, 81.2% had mitral regurgitation ≤ 2 and 90.9% were in New York Heart Association functional class ≤ II. One periprocedural death occurred (sepsis at 20 days post-implantation) and another 3 patients died during follow-up (mean, 9.1 months). Two patients needed a second implantation due to partial dehiscence of the first device and 2 others underwent heart transplantation. In Spain, MitraClip® therapy has principally been aimed at patients with functional mitral regurgitation, significant systolic ventricular dysfunction, and high surgical risk. It is considered a safe alternative treatment, which can reduce mitral regurgitation and improve functional capacity. Copyright © 2014 Sociedad Española de Cardiología. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Improvement in perception of image sharpness through the addition of noise and its relationship with memory texture

Science.gov (United States)

Wan, Xiazi; Kobayashi, Hiroyuki; Aoki, Naokazu

2015-03-01

In a preceding study, we investigated the effects of image noise on the perception of image sharpness using white noise, and one- and two-dimensional single-frequency sinusoidal patterns as stimuli. This study extends our preceding study by evaluating natural color images, rather than black-and-white patterns. The results showed that the effect of noise in improving image sharpness perception is more evident in blurred images than in sharp images. This is consistent with the results of the preceding study. In another preceding study, we proposed "memory texture" to explain the preferred granularity of images, as a concept similar to "memory color" for preferred color reproduction. We observed individual differences in type of memory texture for each object, that is, white or 1/f noise. This study discusses the relationship between improvement of sharpness perception by adding noise, and the memory texture, following its individual differences. We found that memory texture is one of the elements that affect sharpness perception.

α-Tubulin Tyrosination and CLIP-170 Phosphorylation Regulate the Initiation of Dynein-Driven Transport in Neurons

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeffrey J. Nirschl

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Motor-cargo recruitment to microtubules is often the rate-limiting step of intracellular transport, and defects in this recruitment can cause neurodegenerative disease. Here, we use in vitro reconstitution assays with single-molecule resolution, live-cell transport assays in primary neurons, computational image analysis, and computer simulations to investigate the factors regulating retrograde transport initiation in the distal axon. We find that phosphorylation of the cytoskeletal-organelle linker protein CLIP-170 and post-translational modifications of the microtubule track combine to precisely control the initiation of retrograde transport. Computer simulations of organelle dynamics in the distal axon indicate that while CLIP-170 primarily regulates the time to microtubule encounter, the tyrosination state of the microtubule lattice regulates the likelihood of binding. These mechanisms interact to control transport initiation in the axon in a manner sensitive to the specialized cytoskeletal architecture of the neuron.

Current status of sharps waste management in the lower-level ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Key words: Sharps waste management, health facilities, infection, Tanzania ... and hence improve infection prevention and control at work places in Tanzania. .... The UNICEF /WHO safety boxes were observed in 31 (23%) of the LLHFs, while ...

Consistency relations for sharp inflationary non-Gaussian features

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mooij, Sander; Palma, Gonzalo A.; Panotopoulos, Grigoris [Departamento de Física, Facultad de Ciencias Físicas y Matemáticas, Universidad de Chile, Blanco Encalada 2008, Santiago (Chile); Soto, Alex, E-mail: sander.mooij@ing.uchile.cl, E-mail: gpalmaquilod@ing.uchile.cl, E-mail: gpanotop@ing.uchile.cl, E-mail: gatogeno@gmail.com [Departamento de Física, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Las Palmeras 3425, Ñuñoa, Santiago (Chile)

2016-09-01

If cosmic inflation suffered tiny time-dependent deviations from the slow-roll regime, these would induce the existence of small scale-dependent features imprinted in the primordial spectra, with their shapes and sizes revealing information about the physics that produced them. Small sharp features could be suppressed at the level of the two-point correlation function, making them undetectable in the power spectrum, but could be amplified at the level of the three-point correlation function, offering us a window of opportunity to uncover them in the non-Gaussian bispectrum. In this article, we show that sharp features may be analyzed using only data coming from the three point correlation function parametrizing primordial non-Gaussianity. More precisely, we show that if features appear in a particular non-Gaussian triangle configuration (e.g. equilateral, folded, squeezed), these must reappear in every other configuration according to a specific relation allowing us to correlate features across the non-Gaussian bispectrum. As a result, we offer a method to study scale-dependent features generated during inflation that depends only on data coming from measurements of non-Gaussianity, allowing us to omit data from the power spectrum.

Consistency relations for sharp inflationary non-Gaussian features

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mooij, Sander; Palma, Gonzalo A.; Panotopoulos, Grigoris; Soto, Alex

2016-01-01

If cosmic inflation suffered tiny time-dependent deviations from the slow-roll regime, these would induce the existence of small scale-dependent features imprinted in the primordial spectra, with their shapes and sizes revealing information about the physics that produced them. Small sharp features could be suppressed at the level of the two-point correlation function, making them undetectable in the power spectrum, but could be amplified at the level of the three-point correlation function, offering us a window of opportunity to uncover them in the non-Gaussian bispectrum. In this article, we show that sharp features may be analyzed using only data coming from the three point correlation function parametrizing primordial non-Gaussianity. More precisely, we show that if features appear in a particular non-Gaussian triangle configuration (e.g. equilateral, folded, squeezed), these must reappear in every other configuration according to a specific relation allowing us to correlate features across the non-Gaussian bispectrum. As a result, we offer a method to study scale-dependent features generated during inflation that depends only on data coming from measurements of non-Gaussianity, allowing us to omit data from the power spectrum.

Trace elements in nail polish as a source of contamination of nail clippings when used in epidemiological studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Favaro, P.C.; Bode, P.; De Nadai Fernandes, E.A.

2005-01-01

Trace elements were determined in 27 brands of nail polish using INAA so as to estimate the impact of nail polish remainders when using (finger, toe) nail clippings as a bioindicator for epidemiological studies. Fe was found to be present up to almost 1.7% in one brand. No unambiguous correlation between trace elements and color was established, though transparent polish has the lowest trace element concentrations. An estimate of the maximum effect (no removal of the paint) indicates that over-estimates of some trace element levels in nail with more than 200.000% may occur. If nail clippings will be used to study trace elements, very high demands have to be set to the efficiency and selectivity of the cleaning procedure. (author)

The stratigraphy and evolution of lower Mount Sharp from spectral, morphological, and thermophysical orbital data sets.

Science.gov (United States)

Fraeman, A A; Ehlmann, B L; Arvidson, R E; Edwards, C S; Grotzinger, J P; Milliken, R E; Quinn, D P; Rice, M S

2016-09-01

We have developed a refined geologic map and stratigraphy for lower Mount Sharp using coordinated analyses of new spectral, thermophysical, and morphologic orbital data products. The Mount Sharp group consists of seven relatively planar units delineated by differences in texture, mineralogy, and thermophysical properties. These units are (1-3) three spatially adjacent units in the Murray formation which contain a variety of secondary phases and are distinguishable by thermal inertia and albedo differences, (4) a phyllosilicate-bearing unit, (5) a hematite-capped ridge unit, (6) a unit associated with material having a strongly sloped spectral signature at visible near-infrared wavelengths, and (7) a layered sulfate unit. The Siccar Point group consists of the Stimson formation and two additional units that unconformably overlie the Mount Sharp group. All Siccar Point group units are distinguished by higher thermal inertia values and record a period of substantial deposition and exhumation that followed the deposition and exhumation of the Mount Sharp group. Several spatially extensive silica deposits associated with veins and fractures show that late-stage silica enrichment within lower Mount Sharp was pervasive. At least two laterally extensive hematitic deposits are present at different stratigraphic intervals, and both are geometrically conformable with lower Mount Sharp strata. The occurrence of hematite at multiple stratigraphic horizons suggests redox interfaces were widespread in space and/or in time, and future measurements by the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover will provide further insights into the depositional settings of these and other mineral phases.

Coiling and clipping of middle cerebral artery aneurysms: a systematic review on clinical and imaging outcome

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zijlstra, Ijsbrand A.; Verbaan, Dagmar; Majoie, Charles B.; Vandertop, Peter; van den Berg, Rene

2016-01-01

There is an ongoing debate on the preferred treatment of middle cerebral artery (MCA) aneurysms. The purpose of this study was to assess the clinical and imaging outcomes comparing conventional coiling and clipping of unruptured and ruptured MCA aneurysms. We searched the electronic databases

Cerebral activation associated with sexual arousal in response to a pornographic clip: A 15O-H2O PET study in heterosexual men.

Science.gov (United States)

Bocher, M; Chisin, R; Parag, Y; Freedman, N; Meir Weil, Y; Lester, H; Mishani, E; Bonne, O

2001-07-01

This study attempted to use PET and 15O-H2O to measure changes in regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) during sexual arousal evoked in 10 young heterosexual males while they watched a pornographic video clip, featuring heterosexual intercourse. This condition was compared with other mental setups evoked by noisy, nature, and talkshow audiovisual clips. Immediately after each clip, the participants answered three questions pertaining to what extent they thought about sex, felt aroused, and sensed an erection. They scored their answers using a 1 to 10 scale. SPM was used for data analysis. Sexual arousal was mainly associated with activation of bilateral, predominantly right, inferoposterior extrastriate cortices, of the right inferolateral prefrontal cortex and of the midbrain. The significance of those findings is discussed in the light of current theories concerning selective attention, "mind reading" and mirroring, reinforcement of pleasurable stimuli, and penile erection.

SHARP, a first step towards a full sized Jules Verne Launcher

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bertolini, L.R.; Hunter, J.W. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States); Powell, J.R. [Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States); Tidman, D.A. [GT-Devices, Inc., Alexandria, VA (United States)

1993-05-01

A vital element for space exploration and utilization is the ability to affordably place large quantities of consumables and building material into low earth orbit. Calculations and supportive data indicate this can be done with a large hydrogen gas gun referred to as the Jules Verne Launcher (JVL). We present a design for the JVL based upon the concept of side injecting preheated hydrogen along a long barrel. This dramatically reduces the peak pressures in the launcher as well as the pressures and g-loads at the vehicle. The JVL has the promise of reducing payload delivery costs to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) to below $500/kg. The Super High Altitude Research Project (SHARP) is a conventional two-stage hydrogen gas gun which is configured to launch 5 kg packages on suborbital trajectories. It is the first step towards the much larger Jules Verne system and will demonstrate several important features of the larger system. SHARP is currently in the middle of a series of tests aimed at its first milestone. This is to launch 5 kg at 4 km/sec horizontally. In its inclined configuration SHARP should launch vehicles to apogees in excess of 400 km and ranges in excess of 700 km.

Exploring the Use of Video-Clips for Motivation Building in a Secondary School EFL Setting

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Yujong; Jung, Eunsu

2016-01-01

By employing an action research framework, this study evaluated the effectiveness of a video-based curriculum in motivating EFL learners to learn English. Fifteen Korean EFL students at the secondary school context participated in an 8-week English program, which employed video clips including TED talk replays, sitcoms, TV news reports and movies…

Acute outcomes after MitraClip therapy in highly aged patients: results from the German TRAnscatheter Mitral valve Interventions (TRAMI) Registry.

Science.gov (United States)

Schillinger, Wolfgang; Hünlich, Mark; Baldus, Stephan; Ouarrak, Taoufik; Boekstegers, Peter; Hink, Ulrich; Butter, Christian; Bekeredjian, Raffi; Plicht, Björn; Sievert, Horst; Schofer, Joachim; Senges, Jochen; Meinertz, Thomas; Hasenfuß, Gerd

2013-05-20

The influence of age on baseline demographics and outcomes of patients selected for MitraClip has not been previously investigated. Baseline demographics and acute outcomes in 1,064 patients from the German TRAMI registry were stratified by age (525 patients ≥76 years and 539 patients 50% (40.1% vs. 21.8%, p<0.0001) and degenerative mitral regurgitation (DMR, 35.3% vs. 25.6%, p<0.01). Age was the most frequent reason for non-surgical treatment in the elderly (69.4% vs. 36.1%, p<0.0001). The intrahospital MACCE (death, myocardial infarction, stroke) was low in both groups (3.5% vs. 3.4%, p=0.93) and the proportion of non-severe mitral regurgitation at discharge was similar (95.8% vs. 96.4%, p=0.73). A logistic regression model did not reveal any significant impact of age on acute efficacy and safety of MitraClip therapy. In both groups, the majority of patients were discharged home (81.8% vs. 86.2%, p=0.06). Elderly and younger patients have similar benefits from MitraClip therapy. Age was the most frequent cause for denying surgery in elderly patients.

Application of the SHARP Toolkit to Sodium-Cooled Fast Reactor Challenge Problems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shemon, E. R. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Nuclear Engineering Division; Yu, Y. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Nuclear Engineering Division; Kim, T. K. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Nuclear Engineering Division

2017-09-30

The Simulation-based High-efficiency Advanced Reactor Prototyping (SHARP) toolkit is under development by the Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation (NEAMS) Campaign of the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Energy. To better understand and exploit the benefits of advanced modeling simulations, the NEAMS Campaign initiated the “Sodium-Cooled Fast Reactor (SFR) Challenge Problems” task, which include the assessment of hot channel factors (HCFs) and the demonstration of zooming capability using the SHARP toolkit. If both challenge problems are resolved through advanced modeling and simulation using the SHARP toolkit, the economic competitiveness of a SFR can be significantly improved. The efforts in the first year of this project focused on the development of computational models, meshes, and coupling procedures for multi-physics calculations using the neutronics (PROTEUS) and thermal-hydraulic (Nek5000) components of the SHARP toolkit, as well as demonstration of the HCF calculation capability for the 100 MWe Advanced Fast Reactor (AFR-100) design. Testing the feasibility of the SHARP zooming capability is planned in FY 2018. The HCFs developed for the earlier SFRs (FFTF, CRBR, and EBR-II) were reviewed, and a subset of these were identified as potential candidates for reduction or elimination through high-fidelity simulations. A one-way offline coupling method was used to evaluate the HCFs where the neutronics solver PROTEUS computes the power profile based on an assumed temperature, and the computational fluid dynamics solver Nek5000 evaluates the peak temperatures using the neutronics power profile. If the initial temperature profile used in the neutronics calculation is reasonably accurate, the one-way offline method is valid because the neutronics power profile has weak dependence on small temperature variation. In order to get more precise results, the proper temperature profile for initial neutronics calculations was obtained from the

Median Supraorbital Keyhole Approach for Clipping Ruptured Distal Anterior Cerebral Artery Aneurysm: Technical Report with Review of Literature.

Science.gov (United States)

Dhandapani, Sivashanmugam; Sahoo, Sushant Kumar

2018-04-01

The minimally invasive approach to distal anterior cerebral artery (DACA) aneurysms has not gained much acceptance due to difficulties associated with the conventional frontal paramedian approach. The more proximal basal interhemispheric approach, however, necessitates extensive dissection of soft tissues. We describe a novel minimally invasive median supraorbital keyhole craniotomy with a basal interhemispheric approach for clipping a ruptured DACA aneurysm. A 62-year-old patient presented with subarachnoid hemorrhage. Computed tomography angiography revealed a DACA aneurysm. The surgical technique involved a keyhole craniotomy made via an eyebrow incision extending between the supraorbital notches, and flush with the anterior cranial fossa. The dura was opened at the anterior part, the falx was cut, an interhemispheric dissection was carried out, adequate proximal control was obtained, and the aneurysm neck was dissected and clipped. A relevant review of the literature was carried out. The patient recovered well, with no residual aneurysm or forehead numbness, with good cosmesis. Compared with the previously described "keyhole unilateral interhemispheric" approaches, our technique has less likelihood of encountering bridging veins; easier cisternal cerebrospinal fluid release, making it feasible even in swollen brain; better proximal vascular control; and trajectory toward the neck rather than dome. The median supraorbital keyhole approach is a minimally invasive technique sufficient for clipping most DACA aneurysms, with easier access, better proximal control, and good cosmesis. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Summer High School Apprenticeship Research Program (SHARP) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Science.gov (United States)

1984-01-01

A total of 125 talented high school students had the opportunity to gain first hand experience about science and engineering careers by working directly with a NASA scientist or engineer during the summer. This marked the fifth year of operation for NASA's Summer High School Apprenticehsip Research Program (SHARP). Ferguson Bryan served as the SHARP contractor and worked closely with NASA staff at Headquarters and the eight participating sites to plan, implement, and evaluate the Program. The main objectives were to strengthen SHARP and expand the number of students in the Program. These eight sites participated in the Program: Ames Research Center North, Ames' Dryden Flight Research Facility, Goddard Space Flight Center, Goddard's Wallops Flight Facility, Kennedy Space Center, Langley Research Center, Lewis Research Center, and Marshall Space Flight Center.

A sharp Rogers–Shephard type inequality for Orlicz-difference body ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Abstract. In this paper, we prove a sharp Rogers–Shephard type inequality for the Orlicz-difference body of planar convex bodies, which extend the works of Bianchini and Colesanti (Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 138(7) (2008) 2575–2582).

Quantifying the margin sharpness of lesions on radiological images for content-based image retrieval

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu Jiajing; Napel, Sandy; Greenspan, Hayit; Beaulieu, Christopher F.; Agrawal, Neeraj; Rubin, Daniel

2012-01-01

Purpose: To develop a method to quantify the margin sharpness of lesions on CT and to evaluate it in simulations and CT scans of liver and lung lesions. Methods: The authors computed two attributes of margin sharpness: the intensity difference between a lesion and its surroundings, and the sharpness of the intensity transition across the lesion boundary. These two attributes were extracted from sigmoid curves fitted along lines automatically drawn orthogonal to the lesion margin. The authors then represented the margin characteristics for each lesion by a feature vector containing histograms of these parameters. The authors created 100 simulated CT scans of lesions over a range of intensity difference and margin sharpness, and used the concordance correlation between the known parameter and the corresponding computed feature as a measure of performance. The authors also evaluated their method in 79 liver lesions (44 patients: 23 M, 21 F, mean age 61) and 58 lung nodules (57 patients: 24 M, 33 F, mean age 66). The methodology presented takes into consideration the boundary of the liver and lung during feature extraction in clinical images to ensure that the margin feature do not get contaminated by anatomy other than the normal organ surrounding the lesions. For evaluation in these clinical images, the authors created subjective independent reference standards for pairwise margin sharpness similarity in the liver and lung cohorts, and compared rank orderings of similarity used using our sharpness feature to that expected from the reference standards using mean normalized discounted cumulative gain (NDCG) over all query images. In addition, the authors compared their proposed feature with two existing techniques for lesion margin characterization using the simulated and clinical datasets. The authors also evaluated the robustness of their features against variations in delineation of the lesion margin by simulating five types of deformations of the lesion margin

Sharp estimates for damped oscillatory integrals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ikromov, I.A.; Shaimardanov, S.S.

2004-05-01

We consider a real-analytic hypersurface S in R 3 with surface measure dS, ψ is a smooth function with compact support, and we let dμ α be the surface measure with dμ α = ψ vertical bar K(x) vertical bar α dS, where K(x) is the Gaussian curvature of the surface. We show that if S is a real analytic hypersurface with one non-vanishing principal curvature and α > 1, then μ-circumflex α (ξ) decays as O (vertical bar ξ vertical bar -1 ). The well-known examples show that the estimate for the exponent α is sharp. (author)

Las Opiniones sacadas de los más auténticos y antigos philósofos que sobre la alma escrivieron i sus definiciones, de Daniel Arón Afia.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

2008-06-01

Full Text Available Included in a volume published in 1568 in Venice alongside the first Spanish translation of Leon Hebreo’s Diálogos de amor, the Opiniones sacadas de los más auténticos y antigos philósofos que sobre la alma escrivieron y sus difiniciones, were written by Aron Daniel Afia, an important Latin and Philosophy scholar in the Salonika of the second half of the 16th c. Descendant of a Converso family returned to Judaism after settlement in Ottoman lands, his short twelve folio work is a compendium of definitions of the soul proposed by thinkers from Antiquity to Renaissance, being a precious example of the intellectual activity (in Latin, Spanish and Hebrew of the Conversos who chose exile in the Levant. The volume, dedicated to Philip II, shows the attachment of former Conversos to Spanish culture.Las Opiniones sacadas de los más auténticos y antigos philósofos que sobre la alma escrivieron y sus definiciones fueron publicadas en 1568 en Venecia, junto con la primera traducción española de los Diálogos de amor de León Hebreo. Escritas por Daniel Arón Afia, profesor de latín y filosofía establecido en la Salónica de la segunda mitad del siglo XVI, este autor de familia conversa vuelta al judaísmo tras su establecimiento en tierras otomanas. El opúsculo de apenas doce folios es un compendio de definiciones del alma propuestas por pensadores, desde la Antigüedad hasta el Renacimiento, muestra de la actividad intelectual desarrollada en hebreo, latín y castellano de los conversos que escogieron la vía del exilio en el Levante mediterráneo. El volumen fue dedicado a Felipe II y muestra el apego de su promotor a la cultura hispánica.

Enhanced Transmissions Through Three-dimensional Cascade Sharp Waveguide Bends Using C-slit Diaphragms.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Rui; Hu, Bowei; Zhang, Aofang; Gao, Dongxing; Wang, Hui; Shi, Ayuan; Lei, Zhenya; Yang, Pei

2017-03-21

Transmission properties through sharp rectangular waveguide bends are investigated to determine the cut-off bending angles of the wave propagation. We show that a simple metallic diaphragm at the bending corner with properly devised sub-wavelength defect apertures of C-slits would be readily to turn on the transmissions with scarce reflections of the propagating modes, while preserving the integrity of the transmitting fields soon after the bends. In particularly, our design also demonstrates the capability of eliminating all the unwanted cavity resonant transmissions that exist in the three-dimensional cascade sharp waveguide bends, and solely let the desired signals travel along the whole passage of the waveguide. The present approach, using C-slit diaphragms to support the sharp bending behaviors of the guided waves with greatly enhanced transmissions, would be especially effective in constructing novel waveguides and pave the way for the development of more compact and miniaturized electromagnetic systems that exploit these waveguide bends.

COMPOSITIONAL AND CONTENT-RELATED PARTICULARITIES OF POLITICAL MEDIA TEXTS (THROUGH THE EXAMPLE OF THE TEXTS OF POLITICAL VIDEO CLIPS ISSUED BY THE CANDIDATES FOR PRESIDENCY IN FRANCE IN 2017

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dmitrieva, A.V.

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The article examines the texts of political advertising video clips issued by the candidates for presidency in France during the campaign before the first round of elections in 2017. The mentioned examples of media texts are analysed from the compositional point of view as well as from that of the content particularities which are directly connected to the text structure. In general, the majority of the studied clips have a similar structure and consist of three parts: introduction, main part and conclusion. However, as a result of the research, a range of advantages marking well-structured videos was revealed. These include: addressing the voters and stating the speech topic clearly at the beginning of the clip, a relevant attention-grabbing opening phrase, consistency and clarity of the information presentation, appropriate use of additional video plots, conclusion at the end of the clip.

Improved results of the vacuum assisted closure and Nitinol clips sternal closure after postoperative deep sternal wound infection.

Science.gov (United States)

Tocco, Maria Pia; Costantino, Alberto; Ballardini, Milva; D'Andrea, Claudio; Masala, Marcello; Merico, Eusebio; Mosillo, Luigi; Sordini, Paolo

2009-05-01

Postoperative deep sternal wound infection is a severe complication of cardiac surgery, with a high mortality rate and a high morbidity rate. The objective of this prospective study is to report our experience with the vacuum assisted closure (VAC) system for the management of deep wound infection. We also devised an innovative closure technique post VAC therapy using thermo reactive clips. The advantage of this technique is that the posterior face of the sternum does not have to be separated from the mediastinal structures thus minimising the risk of damage. From October 2006 to October 2008, we prospectively evaluated 21 patients affected by mediastinitis after sternotomy. Nineteen patients had sternotomy for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), one patient for aortic valve replacement (AVR) and another one for ascending aortic replacement (AAR). All patients were treated with the VAC system at the time of infection diagnosis. When the wound tissue appeared viable and the microbiological cultures were negative, the chest was closed using the most suitable procedure for the patient in question; nine patients were closed using pectoralis flaps, nine patients using Nitinol clips, one patient with a combined technique (use of Nitinol clips and muscle flap), one patient with a direct wound closure and another patient, who needed AAR with a homograft performed in another institution, was closed using sternal wires. We had no mortality; wound healing was successfully achieved in all patients. In more than 50% of the patients, the VAC therapy allowed direct sternal resynthesis. The average duration of the vacuum therapy was 26 days (range 14-37 days). VAC is a safe and effective option in the treatment of post-sternotomy mediastinitis, with excellent survival and immediate improvement of local wound conditions; furthermore, the use of Nitinol clips after VAC therapy demonstrated to be a safe and non-invasive option for sternal resynthesis. After VAC therapy, a

The influence of surface stress on dislocation emission from sharp and blunt cracks in f.c.c. metals

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schiøtz, Jakob

2000-01-01

We use computer simulations to study the behaviour of atomically sharp and blunted cracks in various fee metals. The simulations use effective medium potentials which contain many-body interactions. We find that when using potentials representing platinum and gold a sharp crack is stable with res......We use computer simulations to study the behaviour of atomically sharp and blunted cracks in various fee metals. The simulations use effective medium potentials which contain many-body interactions. We find that when using potentials representing platinum and gold a sharp crack is stable...... with respect to the emission of a dislocation from the crack tip, whereas for all other metals studied the sharp crack is unstable. This result cannot be explained by existing criteria for the intrinsic ductile/brittle behaviour of crack tips, but is probably caused by surface stresses. When the crack...... is no longer atomically sharp dislocation emission becomes easier in all the studied metals. The effect is relatively strong; the critical stress intensity factor for emission to occur is reduced by up to 20%. This behaviour appears to be caused by the surface stress near the crack tip. The surface stress...

Salvage of a failed open gastrocutaneous fistula repair with an endoscopic over-the-scope clip

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joshua Jaramillo

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Once enteral access via gastrostomy tube (G-tube is no longer indicated, the tube is typically removed in clinic with a high probability of spontaneous closure. When spontaneous closure is not achieved, the formation of a gastrocutaneous fistula (GCF is possible. The incidence of GCF is directly related with the length of time the tube has been placed. When conservative management fails, surgical intervention is the standard treatment. Endoscopic techniques have been described for primary closure of GCF in adults including banding and cauterizing of the fistula tract with placement of a standard endoscopic clip. Over-the-scope clips (OTSC have recently been reported in primary GCF closure in children (Wright et al., 2015. In patients with skin irritation surrounding a GCF making surgical repair difficult, endoscopic OTSC closure provides particular benefit. It is our belief that this is the first case report of endoscopically salvaging a leak from a failed open GCF repair.

Effects of Mitral Annulus Remodeling Following MitraClip Procedure on Reduction of Functional Mitral Regurgitation.

Science.gov (United States)

Hidalgo, Francisco; Mesa, Dolores; Ruiz, Martín; Delgado, Mónica; Rodríguez, Sara; Pardo, Laura; Pan, Manuel; López, Amador; Romero, Miguel A; Suárez de Lezo, José

2016-11-01

The percutaneous mitral valve repair procedure (MitraClip) appears to reduce mitral annulus diameter in patients with functional mitral regurgitation, but the relationship between this and regurgitation severity has not been demonstrated. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of mitral annulus remodeling on the reduction of mitral regurgitation in patients with functional etiology. The study included all patients with functional mitral regurgitation treated with MitraClip at our hospital until January 2015. Echocardiogram (iE33 model, Philips) was performed in all patients immediately after device positioning. Changes in the mitral annulus correlated with mitral regurgitation severity, as assessed using the effective regurgitant orifice area. The study included 23 patients (age, 65±14 years; 74% men; left ventricular ejection fraction, 31%±13%; systolic pulmonary artery pressure, 47±10 mmHg). After the procedure, the regurgitant orifice area decreased by 0.30 cm 2 ±0.04 cm 2 (P<.0005), from a baseline of 0.49 cm 2 ±0.09 cm 2 . Anteroposterior diameter decreased by 3.14 mm±1.01 mm (P<.0005) from a baseline of 28.27 mm±4.9 mm, with no changes in the intercommissural diameter (0.50 mm±0.91 mm vs 40.68 mm±4.7 mm; P=.26). A significant association was seen between anteroposterior diameter reduction and regurgitant orifice area reduction (r=.49; P=.020). In patients with functional mitral regurgitation, the MitraClip device produces an immediate reduction in the anteroposterior diameter. This remodeling may be related to the reduction in mitral regurgitation. Copyright © 2016 Sociedad Española de Cardiología. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

A meta-analysis of MitraClip system versus surgery for treatment of severe mitral regurgitation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wan, Benjamin; Rahnavardi, Mohammad; Tian, David H

2013-01-01

to the surgical group (17.2% vs. 0.4%; P.... The purpose of this meta-analysis is to compare the safety, clinical efficacy, and survival outcomes of MitraClip implantation with surgical correction of severe MR. METHODS: Six electronic databases were searched for original published studies from January 2000 to August 2013. Two reviewers independently...

Ovarian cryopreservation after laparoscopic ovariectomy using the Endo-GIA stapling device and LAPRO-clip absorbable ligating clip in a woman: a case report

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Messner Alexandra

2011-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Introduction Several options are available for preserving fertility before cytotoxic treatment, including ovarian tissue cryopreservation. Most reported surgical techniques include electrocoagulation. Our hypothesis is that avoidance of electrocoagulation may decrease ovarian cortex injury during cryopreservation procedures. Case presentation We report a laparoscopic technique of whole-ovary removal without coagulation using Endo-GIA forceps and clips. Laparoscopic ovariectomy was performed for cryopreservation in a 37-year-old Caucasian woman with breast cancer and for whom chemotherapy was planned. The procedure was completed quickly and without complication. This Endo-GIA procedure was of short duration with a short period of ischemia before freezing. Conclusion Laparoscopic ovariectomy using the Endo-GIA stapling device procedure without coagulation may diminish ovary injury before ovarian cryopreservation.

Ovarian cryopreservation after laparoscopic ovariectomy using the Endo-GIA stapling device and LAPRO-clip absorbable ligating clip in a woman: a case report

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-01

Introduction Several options are available for preserving fertility before cytotoxic treatment, including ovarian tissue cryopreservation. Most reported surgical techniques include electrocoagulation. Our hypothesis is that avoidance of electrocoagulation may decrease ovarian cortex injury during cryopreservation procedures. Case presentation We report a laparoscopic technique of whole-ovary removal without coagulation using Endo-GIA forceps and clips. Laparoscopic ovariectomy was performed for cryopreservation in a 37-year-old Caucasian woman with breast cancer and for whom chemotherapy was planned. The procedure was completed quickly and without complication. This Endo-GIA procedure was of short duration with a short period of ischemia before freezing. Conclusion Laparoscopic ovariectomy using the Endo-GIA stapling device procedure without coagulation may diminish ovary injury before ovarian cryopreservation. PMID:21291518

Temporal Modulation Detection Depends on Sharpness of Spatial Tuning.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Ning; Cadmus, Matthew; Dong, Lixue; Mathews, Juliana

2018-04-25

Prior research has shown that in electrical hearing, cochlear implant (CI) users' speech recognition performance is related in part to their ability to detect temporal modulation (i.e., modulation sensitivity). Previous studies have also shown better speech recognition when selectively stimulating sites with good modulation sensitivity rather than all stimulation sites. Site selection based on channel interaction measures, such as those using imaging or psychophysical estimates of spread of neural excitation, has also been shown to improve speech recognition. This led to the question of whether temporal modulation sensitivity and spatial selectivity of neural excitation are two related variables. In the present study, CI users' modulation sensitivity was compared for sites with relatively broad or narrow neural excitation patterns. This was achieved by measuring temporal modulation detection thresholds (MDTs) at stimulation sites that were significantly different in their sharpness of the psychophysical spatial tuning curves (PTCs) and measuring MDTs at the same sites in monopolar (MP) and bipolar (BP) stimulation modes. Nine postlingually deafened subjects implanted with Cochlear Nucleus® device took part in the study. Results showed a significant correlation between the sharpness of PTCs and MDTs, indicating that modulation detection benefits from a more spatially restricted neural activation pattern. There was a significant interaction between stimulation site and mode. That is, using BP stimulation only improved MDTs at stimulation sites with broad PTCs but had no effect or sometimes a detrimental effect on MDTs at stimulation sites with sharp PTCs. This interaction could suggest that a criterion number of nerve fibers is needed to achieve optimal temporal resolution, and, to achieve optimized speech recognition outcomes, individualized selection of site-specific current focusing strategies may be necessary. These results also suggest that the removal of

Two New Sharp Ostrowski-Grüss Type Inequalities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zheng Liu

2013-11-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to use a variant of the Grüss inequality to derive two new sharp Ostrowski-Grüss type inequalities related to a perturbed trapezoidal type rule and a perturbed generalized interior point rule, respectively, which provide improvements of some previous results in the literatures.

Cannula Versus Sharp Needle for Placement of Soft Tissue Fillers: An Observational Cadaver Study.

Science.gov (United States)

van Loghem, Jani A J; Humzah, Dalvi; Kerscher, Martina

2017-12-13

Soft-tissue fillers have become important products for facial rejuvenation. Deep fat compartments and facial bones lose volume during the natural aging process. For the most natural-looking results, deep volumetric injections at strategic sites are therefore preferred. Supraperiosteal placement is performed with a sharp needle or a non-traumatic cannula. The primary objective was to determine whether there is a difference in precision between supraperiosteal placement with a sharp needle compared with a non-traumatic cannula in cadaver specimens. A secondary objective was to analyze the safety profiles of both injection techniques. Cadaver heads were injected with dye material and soft-tissue fillers at multiple aesthetic facial sites on the supraperiosteum and subsequently dissected for observation of dye and filler placement. The non-traumatic cannula technique resulted in product being confined to the deep anatomic layers. In contrast, with the sharp needle technique, material was placed in multiple anatomic layers, from the periosteum to more superficial skin layers. For both techniques results were consistent for all facial sites. Although direct extrapolation from cadavers to the in vivo situation cannot be made, cannulae showed more precision in placement of product. With the sharp needle, the material was injected on the periosteum, and then migrated in a retrograde direction along the trajectory of the needle path, ending up in multiple anatomic layers. The sharp needle technique also showed a higher complication risk with intra-arterial injection occurring, even though the needle tip was positioned on the periosteum and the product was injected with the needle in constant contact with the periosteum. © 2016 The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, Inc. Reprints and permission: journals.permissions@oup.com

Single loop-and-clips technique (KING closure) for gastrotomy closure after transgastric ovariectomy: a survival experiment

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Ryska, O.; Martinek, J.; Filípková, T.; Doležel, R.; Juhásová, Jana; Motlík, Jan; Zavoral, M.; Ryska, M.

2012-01-01

Roč. 7, č. 4 (2012), s. 233-239 ISSN 1895-4588 R&D Projects: GA MZd NS9994 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50450515 Keywords : natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery * gastric closure * clips * endoloop Subject RIV: FJ - Surgery incl. Transplants Impact factor: 0.757, year: 2012

Axisymmetric MHD stability of sharp-boundary Tokamaks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rebhan, E.; Salat, A.

1976-09-01

For a sharp-boundary, constant pressure plasma model of axisymmetric equilibria the MHD stability problem of axisymmetric perturbations is solved by analytic reduction to a one-dimensional problem on the boundary and subsequent numerical treatment, using the energy principle. The stability boundaries are determined for arbitrary aspect ratio, arbitrary βsub(p) and elliptical, triangular and rectangular plasma cross-sections, wall stabilization not being taken into account. It is found that the axisymmetric stability strongly depends on the plasma shape and is almost independent of the safety factor q. (orig.) [de

Hybridization between Dusky Grouse and Sharp-tailed Grouse

Science.gov (United States)

O'Donnell, Ryan P.

2015-01-01

Cache County, Utah, 7 April 2013: rare hybrid combination of grouse noted. Hybridization between Dusky Grouse (Dendragapus obscurus) and Sharp-tailed Grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus) has been rarely documented in the wild. The only published record was of one collected from Osoyoos, British Columbia, in 1906 (Brooks 1907, Lincoln 1950). There is also one record of this hybrid in captivity (McCarthy 2006)...Although hybridization within genera is more common than between genera, it is perhaps not all too remarkable that these species would hybridize, given that Dendragapus and Tympanuchus are each other’s closest relatives (Drovetski 2002). The ranges of these two species overlap over a broad area ranging roughly from parts of northern Utah and Colorado to Yukon and the Northwest Territories. Given the close relatedness and extent of overlap of their ranges, it is perhaps surprising that there have not been more reports of this hybrid combination in the over-100 years since Brooks (1907) first described one. The species may be segregated by habitat use, as Sharp-tailed prefer open grassland sites for lekking and shrub areas for nesting, and Dusky are often found in more densely forested conifer stands—although Dusky often use more open habitats in the spring.

Closure of leak at the tip of the “J” after ileal pouch-anal anastomosis using a novel over-the-scope clipping system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lei Lian

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Objective: leaks from the body or the tip of the J-pouch can occur after restorative proctocolecotmy. Although it may follow an indolent clinical course, it often requires surgical repair or pouch revision. Here we describe a novel endoscopic approach to close the leak at the tip of the J pouch. Design: pouchoscopy was performed under sedation and endoscopic over-the-scope clipping system was used for the management of a leak from the tip of a J-pouch. Results: under sedation, a pouchoscopy was performed and the deep tip of “J” leak was detected with a guidewire, along with water-contrasted pouchogram. The contained cavity from the leak was cleaned with hydrogen peroxide and 50% dextrose. Debridement of the epithelialized mouth of the leak was performed with an endoscopic cytology brush. Then endoscopic over-the-scope clipping system was used and the leak defect was completely closed. There was no bleeding or perforation. The entire procedure took 25 min. The patient continued to do well and reported resolution of the low back pain symptom. Conclusion: we reported the first case in the literature that a leak from the tip of a J-pouch was endoscopically occluded using a novel over-the-scope clipping system. Resumo: Objetive: vazamentos do corpo da bolsa e da extremidade da bolsa ileal em J podem ocorrer após proctocolectomia restauradora. Embora possam apresentar um curso clínico indolente, muitas vezes requerem procedimentos abdominais. Desenho: endoscopia da bolsa ileal foi realizada sob sedação e clipagem endoscópica usando o sistema “over-the-scope” foi utilizada para fechar um vazamento na extremidade da bolsa ileal em “J”. Resultados: sob sedação, uma endoscopia de bolsa ileal foi realizada e a extremidade profunda do vazamento da bolsa ileal em “J” foi detectada com um fio-guia. A cavidade que continha o vazamento foi limpa com peróxido de hidrogênio e 50% de dextrose. Desbridamento da borda epitelizada do

Towards a sharp-interface volume-of-fluid methodology for modeling evaporation

Science.gov (United States)

Pathak, Ashish; Raessi, Mehdi

2017-11-01

In modeling evaporation, the diffuse-interface (one-domain) formulation yields inaccurate results. Recent efforts approaching the problem via a sharp-interface (two-domain) formulation have shown significant improvements. The reasons behind their better performance are discussed in the present work. All available sharp-interface methods, however, exclusively employ the level-set. In the present work, we develop a sharp-interface evaporation model in a volume-of-fluid (VOF) framework in order to leverage its mass-conserving property as well as its ability to handle large topographical changes. We start with a critical review of the assumptions underlying the mathematical equations governing evaporation. For example, it is shown that the assumption of incompressibility can only be applied in special circumstances. The famous D2 law used for benchmarking is valid exclusively to steady-state test problems. Transient is present over significant lifetime of a micron-size droplet. Therefore, a 1D spherical fully transient model is developed to provide a benchmark transient solution. Finally, a 3D Cartesian Navier-Stokes evaporation solver is developed. Some preliminary validation test-cases are presented for static and moving drop evaporation. This material is based upon work supported by the Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and the Department of Defense, Tank and Automotive Research, Development, and Engineering Center, under Award Number DEEE0007292.

A memory efficient user interface for CLIPS micro-computer applications

Science.gov (United States)

Sterle, Mark E.; Mayer, Richard J.; Jordan, Janice A.; Brodale, Howard N.; Lin, Min-Jin

1990-01-01

The goal of the Integrated Southern Pine Beetle Expert System (ISPBEX) is to provide expert level knowledge concerning treatment advice that is convenient and easy to use for Forest Service personnel. ISPBEX was developed in CLIPS and delivered on an IBM PC AT class micro-computer, operating with an MS/DOS operating system. This restricted the size of the run time system to 640K. In order to provide a robust expert system, with on-line explanation, help, and alternative actions menus, as well as features that allow the user to back up or execute 'what if' scenarios, a memory efficient menuing system was developed to interface with the CLIPS programs. By robust, we mean an expert system that (1) is user friendly, (2) provides reasonable solutions for a wide variety of domain specific problems, (3) explains why some solutions were suggested but others were not, and (4) provides technical information relating to the problem solution. Several advantages were gained by using this type of user interface (UI). First, by storing the menus on the hard disk (instead of main memory) during program execution, a more robust system could be implemented. Second, since the menus were built rapidly, development time was reduced. Third, the user may try a new scenario by backing up to any of the input screens and revising segments of the original input without having to retype all the information. And fourth, asserting facts from the menus provided for a dynamic and flexible fact base. This UI technology has been applied successfully in expert systems applications in forest management, agriculture, and manufacturing. This paper discusses the architecture of the UI system, human factors considerations, and the menu syntax design.

Asymptotic Sharpness of Bounds on Hypertrees

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lin Yi

2017-08-01

Full Text Available The hypertree can be defined in many different ways. Katona and Szabó introduced a new, natural definition of hypertrees in uniform hypergraphs and investigated bounds on the number of edges of the hypertrees. They showed that a k-uniform hypertree on n vertices has at most (nk−1$\\left( {\\matrix{n \\cr {k - 1} } } \\right$ edges and they conjectured that the upper bound is asymptotically sharp. Recently, Szabó verified that the conjecture holds by recursively constructing an infinite sequence of k-uniform hypertrees and making complicated analyses for it. In this note we give a short proof of the conjecture by directly constructing a sequence of k-uniform k-hypertrees.

Experimental evaluation of fluorescent (alizarin red S and calcein) and clip-tag markers for stock assessment of ark shell, Anadara broughtonii

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Shanshan; Zhang, Xiumei; Li, Wentao; Li, Long; Cai, Xingyuan

2017-03-01

Release programs to enhance stocks of ark shell ( Anadara broughtonii) have been undertaken in a number of Asian countries, but their effectiveness has rarely been investigated owing to a lack of marking methods. The quality and longevity of fluorescent markers, alizarin red S (ARS) and calcein (CAL) (200 and 300 mg/L), as well as clip tags, were tested on juvenile A. broughtonii. No significant differences in survival or shell growth were observed in juveniles stained with either of the two fluorochromes after a 160-day culture period, but the retention rate was 100% after 1 year. Fluorescent marks (≥grade 3) were observable microscopically in juveniles stained with the two fluorochromes, and some fluorescent marks (≥grade 4) were visible with the naked eye after 1 year. ARS-marked shells were brighter than those marked with CAL, and shells marked with 300 mg/L of the fluorochromes were easier to detect than those marked with 200 mg/L. Clip tags were incorporated into the shell as the bivalve grew, and the retention rate was 64.25% after 160 days. Significant differences in survival (at 30 days), shell length (at 60, 90, 120, and 160 days), and wet weight (at 90, 120, and 160 days) were observed between the clip-tagged and control groups (all P< 0.05), indicating that the tags may have passive effects on the ark shell. The results suggest that both ARS and CAL are suitable to mark A. broughtonii for large-scale restocking programs, and that optimal marking quality was achieved with 300 mg/L ARS. Lighter and smaller clip tags need to be developed to reduce injury and increase survival rate of clams.

Delayed recovery of adipsic diabetes insipidus (ADI) caused by elective clipping of anterior communicating artery and left middle cerebral artery aneurysms.

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Jeffrey; Ndoro, Samuel; Okafo, Uchenna; Garrahy, Aoife; Agha, Amar; Rawluk, Danny

2016-12-16

Adipsic diabetes insipidus (ADI) is an extremely rare complication following microsurgical clipping of anterior communicating artery aneurysm (ACoA) and left middle cerebral artery (MCA) aneurysm. It poses a significant challenge to manage due to an absent thirst response and the co-existence of cognitive impairment in our patient. Recovery from adipsic DI has hitherto been reported only once. A 52-year-old man with previous history of clipping of left posterior communicating artery aneurysm 20 years prior underwent microsurgical clipping of ACoA and left MCA aneurysms without any intraoperative complications. Shortly after surgery, he developed clear features of ADI with adipsic severe hypernatraemia and hypotonic polyuria, which was associated with cognitive impairment that was confirmed with biochemical investigations and cognitive assessments. He was treated with DDAVP along with a strict intake of oral fluids at scheduled times to maintain eunatremia. Repeat assessment at six months showed recovery of thirst and a normal water deprivation test. Management of ADI with cognitive impairment is complex and requires a multidisciplinary approach. Recovery from ADI is very rare, and this is only the second report of recovery in this particular clinical setting.

Long-term clinical and prosthetic outcomes of soft liner and clip attachments for bar/implant overdentures: a randomised controlled clinical trial.

Science.gov (United States)

ELsyad, M A; Shaheen, N H; Ashmawy, T M

2017-06-01

Long-term clinical and prosthetic outcomes of soft liner attachments for bar/implant overdentures were not sufficiently investigated. The aim of this trial was to evaluate clinical and prosthetic outcomes of resilient liner and clip attachments for bar/implant-retained mandibular overdenture after 7 years. Thirty edentulous male participants received two implants in the canine areas of the mandible. Three months later, implants were splinted with a resilient bar. Mandibular overdentures were connected to the bars with either clip (CR group, n = 15) or resilient liner (RR group, n = 15) attachments. Plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), probing depth (PD), vertical bone loss (VBL), horizontal bone loss (HBLO) and prosthetic complications (PCs) were evaluated at denture delivery (T0), 6 (T 6m ), 12 (T1), 24 (T2), 36 (T3), 48 (T4), 60 (T5), 72 (T6) and 84 (T7) months after insertion. PI and GI increased significantly with time for CR and decreased significantly for RR (P overdentures than clip attachments in terms of peri-implant tissue health and prosthetic complications after 7 years. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Best Way to Get Rid of Used Needles and Other Sharps

Science.gov (United States)

... other options are not available. If traveling by plane, check the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) website for ... be thrown away in the common trash. Additional Consumer Information How to Get Rid of a Sharps ...

Integration of object-oriented knowledge representation with the CLIPS rule based system

Science.gov (United States)

Logie, David S.; Kamil, Hasan

1990-01-01

The paper describes a portion of the work aimed at developing an integrated, knowledge based environment for the development of engineering-oriented applications. An Object Representation Language (ORL) was implemented in C++ which is used to build and modify an object-oriented knowledge base. The ORL was designed in such a way so as to be easily integrated with other representation schemes that could effectively reason with the object base. Specifically, the integration of the ORL with the rule based system C Language Production Systems (CLIPS), developed at the NASA Johnson Space Center, will be discussed. The object-oriented knowledge representation provides a natural means of representing problem data as a collection of related objects. Objects are comprised of descriptive properties and interrelationships. The object-oriented model promotes efficient handling of the problem data by allowing knowledge to be encapsulated in objects. Data is inherited through an object network via the relationship links. Together, the two schemes complement each other in that the object-oriented approach efficiently handles problem data while the rule based knowledge is used to simulate the reasoning process. Alone, the object based knowledge is little more than an object-oriented data storage scheme; however, the CLIPS inference engine adds the mechanism to directly and automatically reason with that knowledge. In this hybrid scheme, the expert system dynamically queries for data and can modify the object base with complete access to all the functionality of the ORL from rules.

Right ventricular pressure elevated in one-kidney, one clip Goldblatt hypertensive rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Ketabchi, Farzaneh; Bajoovand, Shirin; Adlband, Mojtaba; Naseh, Maryam; Nekooeian, Ali A; Mashghoolozekr, Elaheh

2017-01-01

Both renal and respiratory diseases are common with high mortality rate around the world. This study was the first to compare effects of two kidneys, one clip (2K1C) and one-kidney, one clip (1K1C) Goldblatt hypertension on right ventricular pressure during normal condition and mechanical ventilation with hypoxia gas. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to control, 2K1C, or 1K1C groups. Twenty-eight days after the first surgery, animals were anesthetized, and femoral artery and vein, and right ventricle cannulated. Systemic arterial pressure and right ventricular systolic pressures (RVSP) were recorded during ventilation the animals with normoxic or hypoxic gas. RVSP in the 1K1C group was significantly more than the control and 2K1C groups during baseline conditions and ventilation the animals with hypoxic gas. Administration of antioxidant Trolox increased RVSP in the 1K1C and control groups compared with their baselines. Furthermore, there was no alteration in RVSP during hypoxia in the presence of Trolox. This study indicated that RVSP only increased after 28 days induction of 1K1C but not 2K1C model. In addition, it seems that the response to hypoxic gas and antioxidants in 1K1C is more than 2K1C. These data also suggest that effects of 1K1C may partially be related to reactive oxygen species (ROS) pathways.

Testing the efficiency of the wine market using unit root tests with sharp and smooth breaks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elie Bouri

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This paper examines the efficient market hypothesis for the wine market using a novel unit root test while accounting for sharp shifts and smooth breaks in the monthly data. We find evidence of structural shifts and nonlinearity in the wine indices. Contrary to the results from conventional linear unit root tests, when we account for sharp shifts and smooth breaks, the unit root null for each of the wine indices has been rejected. Overall, our results suggest that the wine market is inefficient when we incorporate breaks. We provide some practical and policy implications of our findings. Keywords: Wine market, Efficiency, Sharp and smooth breaks, Unit root tests

Multislice CT angiography in the selection of patients with ruptured intracranial aneurysms suitable for clipping or coiling

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Westerlaan, H. E.; Gravendeel, J.; Fiore, D.; Metzemaekers, J. D. M.; Groen, R. J. M.; Mooij, J. J. A.; Oudkerk, M.

2007-01-01

Introduction We sought to establish whether CT angiography (CTA) can be applied to the planning and performance of clipping or coiling in ruptured intracranial aneurysms without recourse to intraarterial digital subtraction angiography (IA-DSA). Methods Over the period April 2003 to January 2006 in

Needles and Other Sharps (Safe Disposal Outside of Health Care Settings)

Science.gov (United States)

... disorders, and psoriasis. Examples of sharps include: Needles – hollow needles used to inject drugs (medication) under the ... and Drug Administration 10903 New Hampshire Avenue Silver Spring, MD 20993 1-888-INFO-FDA (1-888- ...

Multi-Physics Demonstration Problem with the SHARP Reactor Simulation Toolkit

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Merzari, E. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Shemon, E. R. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Yu, Y. Q. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Thomas, J. W. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Obabko, A. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Jain, Rajeev [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Mahadevan, Vijay [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Tautges, Timothy [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Solberg, Jerome [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Ferencz, Robert Mark [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Whitesides, R. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

2015-12-21

This report describes to employ SHARP to perform a first-of-a-kind analysis of the core radial expansion phenomenon in an SFR. This effort required significant advances in the framework Multi-Physics Demonstration Problem with the SHARP Reactor Simulation Toolkit used to drive the coupled simulations, manipulate the mesh in response to the deformation of the geometry, and generate the necessary modified mesh files. Furthermore, the model geometry is fairly complex, and consistent mesh generation for the three physics modules required significant effort. Fully-integrated simulations of a 7-assembly mini-core test problem have been performed, and the results are presented here. Physics models of a full-core model of the Advanced Burner Test Reactor have also been developed for each of the three physics modules. Standalone results of each of the three physics modules for the ABTR are presented here, which provides a demonstration of the feasibility of the fully-integrated simulation.

Dynamic-range reduction by peak clipping or compression and its effects on phoneme perception in hearing-impaired listeners

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dreschler, W. A.

1988-01-01

In this study, differences between dynamic-range reduction by peak clipping and single-channel compression for phoneme perception through conventional hearing aids have been investigated. The results from 16 hearing-impaired listeners show that compression limiting yields significantly better

Space-time adaptive hp-FEM for problems with traveling sharp fronts

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Šolín, Pavel; Korous, L.

2013-01-01

Roč. 95, č. 1 (2013), S709-S722 ISSN 0010-485X Institutional support: RVO:61388998 Keywords : adaptive hp-FEM * transient problems * sharp fronts Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics Impact factor: 1.055, year: 2013

Investigation of Sharp Injuries in an Educational Hospital, Ahvaz, Iran

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sahar Geravandi

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Background & Aims of the Study: The Sharp Injuries (SIs are a percutaneous piercing wound caused by a sharp instrument. Needle Sticks and Sharp Injuries (NSSIs can increase the incidence of cases of Hepatitis B, C and HIV. The purpose of this study was to Investigation of the relative frequency of NSSIs in healthcare workers (HCWs in Ahvaz, Iran (Razi hospital over 3-year period (2011–2013. Materials and Methods: A descriptive study during 2011-2013 was conducted on 600 HCWs at Razi Hospital, Ahvaz, Iran. To measure NSSIs, has been diagnosis and categorized based on the National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance (NNIS. Data about health workers’ age, sex, site of NSIs injury, ward of hospitalization and case of needle stick were collected. Descriptive statistical by SPSS version 16 used for analyzed data in this study. Results: According to the results of this study, among all nurses, the maximum cases of NSIs were HCWs. Regarding the finding, recapping needle were found in 34.17%, handling needle in 20.25%, suturing in 16.45%, passing needle in 13.92%, transit disposal in 8.86% and dissembling needle in 6.32% of cases. Findings showed that the most NSIs in Razi Hospital were general surgery, emergency, Intensive Care Unit (ICU, Obstetrics and Gynecology (OBGYN, operating room, orthopedic and infectious diseases wards during 2011-2013. Conclusion: Based on these findings, the number of health care-associated with NSIs between nurses in our study may be due to the shortage of nurses, long working hours during the night shift, fatigue and failure to use an appropriate equipment.

Comparison of image sharpness metrics and real-time sharpening methods with GPU implementations

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

De Villiers, Johan P

2010-06-01

Full Text Available , and not in trying to adjust the image to some fixed sharpness value. With the advent of the increased progammability of Graphics Pro- cessing Units (GPU) and their seemingly ever increasing number of processor cores (the dual-GPU NVidia GTX295 has 480 cores...) Quadro MDS 140M 16 400 64 700 ATI HD 2400XT 40 800 64 700 NVidia 9600GT 64 650 256 900 NVidia GTX280 240 602 512 1107 2 Metric descriptions Three metrics are used to evaluate images for sharpness. The first two are a measure of how much information...

Interobserver variability in the delineation of the tumour bed using seroma and surgical clips based on 4DCT scan for external-beam partial breast irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo, Bing; Li, Jianbin; Wang, Wei; Xu, Min; Shao, Qian; Zhang, Yingjie; Liang, Chaoqian; Guo, Yanluan

2015-01-01

To explore the interobserver variability in the delineation of the tumour bed using seroma and surgical clips based on the four-dimensional computed tomography (4DCT) scan for external-beam partial breast irradiation (EB-PBI) during free breathing. Patients with a seroma clarity score (SCS) 3 ~ 5 and ≥5 surgical clips in the lumpectomy cavity after breast-conserving surgery who were recruited for EB-PBI underwent 4DCT simulation. Based on the ten sets of 4DCT images acquired, the tumour bed formed using the clips, the seroma, and both the clips and seroma (defined as TB C , TB S and TB C+S , respectively) were delineated by five radiation oncologists using specific guidelines. The following parameters were calculated to analyse interobserver variability: volume of the tumour bed (TB C , TB S , TB C+S ), coefficient of variation (COV C , COV S , COV C+S ), and matching degree (MD C , MD S , MD C+S ). The interobserver variability for TB C and TB C+S and for COV C and COV C+S were statistically significant (p = 0.021, 0.008, 0.002, 0.015). No significant difference was observed for TB S and COV S (p = 0.867, 0.061). Significant differences in interobserver variability were observed for MD C vs MD S , MD C vs MD C+S , MD S vs MD C+S (p = 0.000, 0.032, 0.008), the interobserver variability of MD S was smaller than that of MD C and MD C+S (MD S > MD C+S > MD C ). When the SCS was 3 ~ 5 points and the number of surgical clips was ≥5, interobserver variability was minimal for the delineation of the tumour bed based on seroma

Vatellini Sharp (Coleoptera, Dytiscidae) from Brazil: two new species, new records, and a checklist.

Science.gov (United States)

Braga, Rafael Benzi; Ferreira, Nelson

2016-05-12

The tribe Vatellini Sharp, 1882 is composed of 55 species divided in two genera. Even though a recent revision of the tribe was made, Vatellini of the new world are weakly explored with great gaps in the distributions of species. In Brazil the knowledge is based only on a few localities. In this work two new species are described and illustrated, Vatellus caissara sp. nov. and Vatellus yanomami sp. nov.; new records are given for Brazil: Vatellus maculosus Miller, 2005 in the state of Mato Grosso, Derovatellus lentus (Wehncke, 1876) in Amazonas, Pará and Rio de Janeiro, Vatellus lateralis (Sharp, 1882) in Alagoas, Ceará, Espírito Santo, Pará, Pernambuco and Rio Grande do Sul, Vatellus sahlbergi (Sharp, 1882) in Rio de Janeiro, and Vatellus tarsatus (Laporte, 1835) in Pará. A checklist with all species of Vatellini occurring in Brazil is provided and steps for identification of the new species are added in the key of Miller (2005).

Dual Selectivity Expressed in [2+2+1] Dynamic Clipping of Unsymmetrical [2]Catenanes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Yi

2010-06-11

A {pi}-templated dynamic [2+2+1] clipping protocol is established for the synthesis of [2]catenanes from two parts dialdehyde, two parts diamine and one part tetracationic cyclophane. It is further diversified for the selective formation of an unsymmetrical [2]catenane showing great translational selectivity by employing two different dialdehydes in a one-pot reaction. The dual selectivity and the dynamic nature are verified by {sup 1}H NMR spectroscopy, X-ray single crystal structural studies and exchange experiments.

Consideraciones taxonómicas en especies de Senecio de Argentina Taxonomic considerations on Argentine species of Senecio

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Roberto D. Tortosa

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Se incluyen algunas especies de Senecio de Argentina, reconocidas hasta el presente como especies válidas, en la sinonimia de otras: S. francisci Phil. en S. polygaloides Phil.; S. gymnocaulos Phil. en S. kingii Hook. f.; S. molinae Phil. en S. glaber Less.; S. mustersii Speg. y su var. dentatus Cabrera en S. subumbellatus Phil. Senecio microcephalus Phil. y su var. angustifolius Cabrera son consideradas una variedad de S. subumbellatus y S. schreiteri Cabrera una variedad de S. leucostachys Baker. No se acepta la validez de las variedades Senecio gilliesii Hook. et Arn. var. dasycarpus Cabrera, S. glaber Less. var. pratensis (Phil. Cabrera, S. gnidioides Phil. var. gilvus (Phil. Cabrera, S. kingii Hook. f. var. paradoxus (Albov ex Kurtz Cabrera, S. leucomallus A. Gray var. incisus A. Gray, S. linariifolius Poepp. ex DC. var. heliophytoides (Phil. Reiche y var. subtomentosus Cabrera y de la forma S. perezii Cabrera fo. integerrimus Cabrera.

International Subarachnoid Aneurysm Trial 2009 : Endovascular Coiling of Ruptured Intracranial Aneurysms Has No Significant Advantage Over Neurosurgical Clipping

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bakker, Nicolaas A.; Metzemaekers, Jan D. M.; Groen, Rob J. M.; Mooij, Jan Jakob A.; Van Dijk, J. Marc C.

In the May 2009 issue of The Lancet Neurology, the 5-year follow-up results of the International Subarachnoid Aneurysm Trial (ISAT) were published. The authors concluded that, although the significant difference between coiling and neurosurgical clipping of ruptured intracranial aneurysms in terms

Numerical deconvolution to enhance sharpness and contrast of portal images for radiotherapy patient positioning verification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Looe, H.K.; Uphoff, Y.; Poppe, B.; Carl von Ossietzky Univ., Oldenburg; Harder, D.; Willborn, K.C.

2012-01-01

The quality of megavoltage clinical portal images is impaired by physical and geometrical effects. This image blurring can be corrected by a fast numerical two-dimensional (2D) deconvolution algorithm implemented in the electronic portal image device. We present some clinical examples of deconvolved portal images and evaluate the clinical advantages achieved by the improved sharpness and contrast. The principle of numerical 2D image deconvolution and the enhancement of sharpness and contrast thereby achieved are shortly explained. The key concept is the convolution kernel K(x,y), the mathematical equivalent of the smearing or blurring of a picture, and the computer-based elimination of this influence. Enhancements of sharpness and contrast were observed in all clinical portal images investigated. The images of fine bone structures were restored. The identification of organ boundaries and anatomical landmarks was improved, thereby permitting a more accurate comparison with the x-ray simulator radiographs. The visibility of prostate gold markers is also shown to be enhanced by deconvolution. The blurring effects of clinical portal images were eliminated by a numerical deconvolution algorithm that leads to better image sharpness and contrast. The fast algorithm permits the image blurring correction to be performed in real time, so that patient positioning verification with increased accuracy can be achieved in clinical practice. (orig.)

Numerical deconvolution to enhance sharpness and contrast of portal images for radiotherapy patient positioning verification

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Looe, H.K.; Uphoff, Y.; Poppe, B. [Pius Hospital, Oldenburg (Germany). Clinic for Radiation Therapy; Carl von Ossietzky Univ., Oldenburg (Germany). WG Medical Radiation Physics; Harder, D. [Georg August Univ., Goettingen (Germany). Medical Physics and Biophysics; Willborn, K.C. [Pius Hospital, Oldenburg (Germany). Clinic for Radiation Therapy

2012-02-15

The quality of megavoltage clinical portal images is impaired by physical and geometrical effects. This image blurring can be corrected by a fast numerical two-dimensional (2D) deconvolution algorithm implemented in the electronic portal image device. We present some clinical examples of deconvolved portal images and evaluate the clinical advantages achieved by the improved sharpness and contrast. The principle of numerical 2D image deconvolution and the enhancement of sharpness and contrast thereby achieved are shortly explained. The key concept is the convolution kernel K(x,y), the mathematical equivalent of the smearing or blurring of a picture, and the computer-based elimination of this influence. Enhancements of sharpness and contrast were observed in all clinical portal images investigated. The images of fine bone structures were restored. The identification of organ boundaries and anatomical landmarks was improved, thereby permitting a more accurate comparison with the x-ray simulator radiographs. The visibility of prostate gold markers is also shown to be enhanced by deconvolution. The blurring effects of clinical portal images were eliminated by a numerical deconvolution algorithm that leads to better image sharpness and contrast. The fast algorithm permits the image blurring correction to be performed in real time, so that patient positioning verification with increased accuracy can be achieved in clinical practice. (orig.)

Papaverine is a confounding factor in neurological assessment after cerebral aneurysm clipping: Report of three cases and review of the literature

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Veena Sheshadri

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Intracisternal papaverine instillation is being used across many centers after cerebral aneurysm clipping to prevent and treat cerebral vasospasm. Pupillary dilatation secondary to papaverine can interfere with the neurological assessment postoperatively. This report describes pupillary changes in three patients following the papaverine application after craniotomy and aneurysm clipping, with one patient developing contralateral pupillary dilatation and the other two having bilateral pupillary dilatation. The pupillary changes resolved over 30 min to 4 h postoperatively. We conclude that pupillary changes following papaverine instillation could be a transient phenomenon and should not be considered ominous in absence of new onset neurological deficits. Intraoperative somatosensory evoked potential monitoring also helped in postoperative decision making in all our cases.